Mini Quiche

At this time of year with parties and entertaining at its peak, it is always good to have some quick and easy finger food on hand to share.  These Mini Quiche are perfect.  Not only are they simple to make, they can be made ahead and frozen.

My favourite part with quiche is always the filling, and playing around with different combinations.  Anything really goes here, so don’t be afraid to mix and match whatever you want.  All the usual combinations are great (ham, cheese, corn, onion etc), but have some fun trying some new ones.  Just make sure you come back and tell me about them!

Mini Quiche

Mini Quiche

Mini Quiche

Makes 12

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
½ cup grated cheese
¾ cup (approximately) of prepared fillings
1 egg
1 cup milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (360F).  Allow puff pastry to defrost.  Grease 12 hole mini pan. Cut 12 rounds from pastry and press into greased pan.

Mini Quiche Shells

Mini Quiche Shells

Sprinkle some cheese into the bottom of each pastry then top with selected fillings.

Mini-Quiche-Filling

Mini Quiche with filling

Beat together egg and milk, add salt and pepper to taste, then pour over fillings.

Mini Quiche with egg mixture

Mini Quiche with egg mixture

Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes until browned and cooked through.  They can be served immediately or allow to cool and freeze for later.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

  • The filling options are endless.  Here are some combinations to get you started:
    Chopped cooked onions, bacon, sundried tomatoes
    Creamed corn, ham or bacon
    Chopped salami, olives and sundried capsicums
    Canned salmon and chives
    Cooked chopped onion, capsicum, corn and ham.
    Cooked onion, feta cheese, capsicum.
  • The recipe can easily be scaled up and done in larger batches.  The above ratio of ingredients is for 12 mini quiches so just multiply accordingly.
  • Use mini patty pans (as in photo above) or mini muffin pans or both!
  • These Mini Quiche can be made up to two weeks ahead and frozen.  Simply defrost and reheat prior to serving.
What other combinations can you suggest?  Please leave them below for all to share.

December 3rd, 2009 | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments »

Nectarine Chutney

Last week at the markets there was the first real flush of stone fruit available.  Plums and nectarines were leading the charge so I got a carton of each.  The nectarines, although small were full of fabulous flavor but with only a short shelf life so the plan was to cook them up or preserve them.

Pouring through the cookbooks I came across the following Nectarine Chutney recipe.  The ginger and spices won me over so last night I cooked it all up with the help of my daughter Maggie who did a lot of the chopping.

When all the ingredients went into the pan, the mixture had a real Christmas look – all red and green.  And that is why I had to get this recipe out as it is a great one to make as a Christmas gift (what I’ve done), particularly if you are lucky enough to have nectarines in season (which we do in Australia).

Nectarine Chutney Precooked

Nectarine Chutney Precooked

If you don’t have nectarines in season now, be sure to make this Nectarine Chutney when you do.  The beauty of chutneys is they are so easy to make – throw everything in the pan, simmer away until nice and thick, then bottle it up.

Chutneys are great served with curries and meats.  My Mum loves them on crackers with cheese.  However you eat chutney, enjoy!

Nectarine Chutney

Recipe from The Book of Preserves (”Australian Women’s Weekly” Home Library)

Nectarine Chutney

Nectarine Chutney

Ingredients

2kg nectarines, chopped
1 medium green capsicum, chopped
2 ½ cups white vinegar
4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup chopped dates
¼ cup chopped glace ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Method

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.  Stir over heat to dissolve the sugar without boiling.  Bring to the boil, simmer uncovered stirring occasionally until mixture is thick (it took about 3 hours for me).

Nectarine Chutney Cooked

Nectarine Chutney Cooked

Pour chutney into hot sterilized jars (see note) and seal.

Makes about 6 cups.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

To sterilize the jars select a suitable number of jars (makes about 6 cups).  Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water then rinse well in hot water and drain.  Put the jars into a low oven (100C-120C/210F-250F) for 30 minutes.  Remove the jars a few minutes before use so that they are still warm when bottling the jam.

How do you like to serve your chutney? Please let me know below.

November 25th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Zucchini Slice

This Zucchini Slice recipe is one of the oldest in my repertoire. The initial attraction was the simplicity of the recipe. When you’re first learning to cook, recipes like this are a great confidence booster.

Nowadays it’s still a favourite because not only is it simple to make, it is something that can be prepared ahead and then either reheated or served cold along with some fresh salad. Leftovers are great for lunch the next day too.

My kids call this Zucchini Slice ‘quiche’, probably because it’s like a quiche without the crust. I’m happy for them to call it what they like because the great thing is they will eat zucchini when it’s in this slice, but if I try to serve it on its own – forget it.

Zucchini Slice

Zucchini Slice

Zucchini Slice

Ingredients

375g zucchini, grated
1 large onion, chopped
3 rashers bacon, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup self-raising flour
½ cup oil
5 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 180C (360F). Grease a lamington tin (approximately 16cm x 26cm).

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Season to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until browned.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

Other ingredients can be substituted – carrots and ham are a great addition. Use whatever is at hand, just ensure they are all grated or chopped to a similar size.

If you have any comments or questions about this recipe, please leave them below.
November 24th, 2009 | Tags: , , , | 6 Comments »

Banana Spice Muffins

Muffins, muffins, muffins – we just can’t seem to get enough of them in our house (see Strawberry Muffins, Cheese Muffins).  These Banana Spice Muffins are the latest favourites which I’m sure will change once another flavor is introduced.

Muffins are a great way to use up overripe fruit and the flavor is ‘spiced’ up a bit in this banana muffin recipe.  If you have an excess of bananas, peel and freeze them for later use in this recipe or others (Chocolate Banana Bread).  Alternatively you can add them to smoothies.

Banana Spice Muffins

Banana Spice Muffins

Banana Spice Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup mashed banana

Method

Preheat oven to 200C.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases or grease.  Combine flour, sugar and spice in a bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add egg, milk and butter.  Mix together lightly until just combined (the mixture should stay lumpy) then stir through the banana.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin, dividing evenly among the holes.  Each hole should be about ¾ full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Test the muffins are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of a muffin.  When cooked, it will come out clean.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

  • Mixed spice combines cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.  If it’s not available any one of these would suffice.
  • The muffins can be frozen.  For an easy lunchbox addition, seal in individual bags and grab from the freezer as required.
What’s your favourite muffin flavour? Please post it below in the comments area.

November 18th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Chicken, Chickpea and Tomato Bake

This Chicken, Chickpea and Tomato Bake recipe has appeared regularly on our menu for the last few years.  The latest adaptation is done in the slow cooker, my favourite kitchen appliance.  Although my “favourite” appliance can change at the drop of a hat, depending on what cooking mood I’m in.  And with summer coming up, the ice cream maker is likely to find its way back onto the scene very soon.

Although this recipe is done in the slow cooker, it is still called a ‘bake’ because it can just as easily be done in the oven.  But I guess it could also be called a chicken casserole recipe.  The combination of chicken, chickpeas and tomatoes is very delicious.  It’s also a lot of fun, albeit a little messy, tackling the sauce covered chicken legs.

Cooking this recipe last week (Menu Plan #5) something major happened.  I had a huge lightbulb moment as I watched my family devour the meal.  I realised that I will need to start increasing the quantities for a lot of my recipes now.  My kids seem to have doubled their intake lately, particularly when it’s a meal they enjoy (like this one).  A recipe that used to be a good sized meal for everyone, with a little leftover, is now being totally devoured!  There goes the grocery bill!

Chicken, Chickpea and Tomato Bake

Chicken, Chickpea & Tomato Bake

Chicken, Chickpea & Tomato Bake

Adpated from Super Food Ideas

Ingredients

8 chicken drumsticks
2 tablespoons olive oil
300g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 onion, finely chopped
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
½ cup chicken stock
75g feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Method

Heat 1 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Cook the drumsticks for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden.  Place them in the bottom of the slow cooker and pour over the chickpeas.

Heat remaining oil in the frying pan and cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, stock and season to taste.  Bring mixture to the boil and allow to simmer for 10 minutes until thickened slightly.

Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker and ensure drumsticks are coated.  Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours.  If using, sprinkle feta over for the last half hour of cooking.

Serve with couscous.

The Klutzy Cook Notes

  • This recipe can be done in the oven too.   Simple add the chicken, chickpeas and tomato mixture (as cooked above) to a suitable capacity baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 180C.  If adding feta, remove foil and sprinkle over then bake uncovered during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
  • Other chicken cuts can also be used – wings, thigh cutlets, thighs – adjust cooking times accordingly.
If you have any comments or questions about this recipe, please leave them below.

September 25th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , | 6 Comments »