Bowl of Berries

This is a picture Scottie took of his medal, mine looks the same :)

We got up at 2:15am this after I finally asleep at midnight.  IWe went to bed around 10 I think but I just couldn’t calm down and get to sleep, then my stomach started rumbling so I said to myself, screw it, I’m getting up.  I went downstairs and had some cereal, played on the computer then went into the guest room to watch an hour of Food TV. Finally I relaxed enough to fall asleep.  Luckily Scottie packed up my car with the bikes and our bags so we just had to let the dogs out, pack up our food and go.  We still took about 30 minutes to get out the door which was about 3am.

Scottie let me sleep since he knew I didn’t get any rest.he made record time, probably due to it being 3am or because I was asleep :)  When we got there the gates weren’t even open! It was 4:40am and the police had to move their cars so we could park. But we got a prime spot! I sat in the car and ate my PBJ and drank my iced coffee then visited the porta potty before we unloaded and set up transition. Since we were so friggin early we really took our time and walked around, chatted with people, checked out the lake (beautiful!) before grabbing our stuff to head back to the lake for the start.

Me, Scottie, Janelle, Jon and Carol before the swim

Scottie’s wave was just two before mine, so I got in the water to get acclimated which I thought would help reduce my anxiety that I occurred before the Pinehurst tri. The waves were like 5 minutes apart, which worked so there weren’t so many people in at once.  I was strangely calm before my wave.  I was more excited then anything which is really weird because I was getting nervous just looking at the race details on Wednesday!

I felt great at the start of the swim, I had no nerves and I was feeling great, then all of a sudden I start hyperventilated like at Pinehurst, wtf! After about 5 minutes of trying to calm my breath I try to close my eyes when my face is in the water (I do this when I practice because I do NOT want to see what’s in the water at Jordan lake) and sure enough I am able to control my breathing. Maybe seeing underwater was throwing me off? Who knows but I need to work on this! The rest of the swim was cake. My arms did get a bit tired but nothing I couldn’t push through.  The sight bouys were so out of line, so I started using the kayaks as guides because the turn bouys were so far away.  I didn’t get hit in the head which is always nice, just touches a couple time on the feet by people coming up on me.  I think had I not freaked at the beginning I would have shaved a good 5 minutes off my time.

Once I climbed out of the water I was super happy!  What am I saying, I am always super happy finishing the swim! I started getting the top of my wetsuit off but the sleeves would not come off my wrists, then I saw the photographer and I didn’t want a stupid picture with my arm stuck in the suit so I quickly whipped it off at the last minute and smiled for the camera. I ran to transition and rinsed of my feet, the grass would have driven me nuts the whole race!  I threw on my helmet, sunglasses and bikes shoes and I was off!

I finally feel like I am getting better on the bike. I need to keep up whatever I am doing because I felt awesome today!  This bike course is super flat which means it can alsot be super windy!  I am so thankful we biked the course beforehand so I knew what to expect and I can see how that really helped my performance.  I stayed happy and positive through the ride, even smiling big for the camera (I can’t wait to see the pictures, I know I was hamming it up during this race!)  It was windy but I didn’t let it get to me, I just kept pedaling, trying to keep my speed between 16.5 and 18 mph.  It was slightly overcast for the first 2/3 of the bike which really helped out, and by the time the sun was out I knew I was almost done so I didn’t let it get to me.  One thing that kinda sucked during the bike is that I could not get comfortable on the seat.  The girlie bits were not happy so I think I either need another seat or a professional bike fit (or maybe a tri bike!) I don’t know if it had to do with the fact that I was in aero for 90% of the ride and I am used to climbing hills so I sit upright more? I will say my energy level stayed way up.  This may have to do with my perpetuem cocktail; orange vanilla perp, 2 orange hammer gels and 10 servings of endurolyte, every 5 miles I took 2 sips and chased with water.  This lasted until around mile 45 when I ran out of the mix, so then I just ate some PB pretzels and continued with the water. Worked perfect!

I made the last turn with just 3 or so miles to go and I was pumped!  I made sure to stop completly to dismount.  then a took a second to get my legs under me, then I was off to transition where I dumped everything, threw my race belt and visor on and sprinted out.

I always say that once I get to the run I am golden, well today was a bit different.  The sun was out in full force, it was around 11:30am and the heat was upon us, it must have been well over 90 degrees and I was soon going to find out this run route had zero shade!  Talk about oppressive!

My quads felt tight for the first couple miles but loosened up. Thank goodness for the port potties at each mile or I would have died. Pee break at the first mile and then I had some GI issues that I think were just heat related so I visited a couple more times. After mile 5 I felt better, I still felt like I was shuffling but at least I didn’t feel the need to stop. I took water and a cold towel at each stop. About midway through I broke into my Fig Newtons I stashed in my top, I pretty much ran with it open for 2 miles just taking bites off as I could. I could not fathom the idea of having a gel with that heat, plus every time I thought to grab one I only saw banana and chocolate flavors..gag! The newtons saved me again!  Around mile 5.5 I saw Scottie, he was run/walking and I knew something was wrong,  I prayed it wasn’t his knees.  I stopped next to him and asked if he was ok.  He said he had a cramp in his back and he wasn’t able to take full breaths so he couldn’t run or he felt like he was going to pass out.  Not good!  He said he was going to quit at the 6.5 turn around point but I said there was no way he was going to quit!  I told him to continue with the walk/run and do what he could, then I took off.  When I passed him again I said I Loved Him and hoped that he wasn’t in too much pain.

The last two miles of the run were the toughest for me, I was mentally breaking down even though I only had at most 20 minutes left of this race. I had to muster every bit of energy and willpower to not walk during those last 2 miles. At the last aid station I looked for any food item that would give me some sort of energy and went with pretzels of all things, which totally did not work because I already had cotton mouth-duh! Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel, someone said I had only 2 blocks left! Somehow I was able to get myself together and make a decent effort at a finish. I saw our friends Janelle and Jon and then I saw the finish…oh sweet, glorious finish line! I had a huge smile on my face…no jazz hands because I didn’t even see the photographer, but have no fear I did break them out during one of the (early) run photos.

When I stopped for a volunteer to get my chip I felt a little woozy, I have been going for over 6 hours! I got my medal and then went off to find food! I grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of cookies because I knew I was going to feel very sick otherwise.The drinks were in big pools of ice and it took all of my willpower to NOT sit in those pools and soak my poor legs! Instead, I walked back to see Janelle and Jon, we chatted a bit then I went to transition to change shoes and use the porta potty again. I started feeling off so I walked back to the food area, grabbed another bottle of water and some Doritos, maybe I needed salt not sugar? I inhaled the chips and sat in the shade for the bit, I had a good spot so I could see people coming in and I was hoping Scottie wasn’t far behind. I thought about jumping in the lake (something I was dreaming about on the run) but I was getting cold, probably due to dehydrated and the sunburn on my back I later discovered. Sitting here typing, I wish I would have stretched more because I am already really tight!  I saw Scottie come into the chute so I jumped up and greeted him.  He looked so hot and tired but I was so glad he finished!

We walked around a bit, grabbed him a water then met up with Janelle and Jon.  we had planned to go out to eat afterwards but they were waiting for a friend to finish so we packed up out transition areas and loaded the car.  By then I was so sick of being in the sun it was literally making me feel sick.  I changed out of my wet clothes (I was dumping water over my head during the run which lead to everything including my shoes getting soaked) and we sat and chatted with our friends a bit.  After some logistical planning we were finally off for the mexican we had planned on.  To tell you the truth I am glad we waited a bit to eat because the last thing I wanted when I finished racing was mexican food but 2 hours later I was ready for some beans and cheese!

Happy to be done!

It was really nice to decompress with friends that “get” what we do.  Janelle and Jon are training for a full Ironman in Idaho, they are veterans though having done full Ironman races before so it was nice to pick their brain about this race and others they have done.

As crappy as I felt after the race and as sore as I am today I am still thinking about a full Ironman!  I know my Mom does not want to read that but I am amazed at what I can do and I want to experience the full thing!  But that won’t be for another year, I have a few more races including another half Ironman in Augusta and maybe a Boston Qualifying marathon in November!

The family really does know me.  My sister got me The Athlete’s Palate Cookbook for Christmas, she said it was hot off the presses, just came out a week or so ago.  I was SUPER excited!  I was flipping through the recipes soon after the present opening session. This book is a compilation of recipes by world renowned chefs some of which are also athletes, so you know they are going to be good!  There is a variety of recipes and they are categorized by “recovery” or “training” which was cool but I would eat them anytime!

Tonight I decided to try a yummy looking soup, which happened to use ham, and you know I have a bit of ham leftover from this past weekend.  It was also super quick and perfect for the frigid temperatures we are experiencing this week.

I won’t post the recipe since the book is brand new and well, you should buy it for yourself!  But I will say the soup had ham, white beans and cabbage…lots of good for you stuff and lots of flavor!  Scottie liked the salt in it (from the ham so be sure to taste before you season!) but didn’t care for the cabbage.  I loved every part of it and am happy to have leftovers for the rest of the week.

I really like to think I have time on a Sunday night to make an elaborate and delicious meal, reminiscent of Mom’s home cooking but let’s face it…Sunday’s are crazy!  Usually we are trying to cram in the last few things we didn’t get to because we were 1.  too busy being lazy or 2. too busy doing some insanely long workout.  And with it getting dark at oh 3:30pm we try to squeeze every second of outdoor time as we can, especially when the temperature was as perfect as it was this past Sunday.

To keep things simple, I planned to make an easy corn chowder for dinner.  To “Scottie-fy” it, I added bacon  We made the mistake of having an appetizer of spicy salami and manchego cheese so neither of us were very hungry for soup but we each had a ladle full just to try it.  I really liked it. This is what Scottie thought about it:

He prefers some texture ;)

Then we were left with quite a bit of soup, so into the tupperware it went for a later date.

Tuesday rolls around and I needed a quick dinner so I decided to clean out the fridge and re-heat the corn chowder.  I had cooked some black beans on Sunday to be used in rice and beans for lunch but we had some leftover chicken casserole that I was eating for lunch instead so I decided to add the beans to the chowder.  It worked out quite well and added some much needed texture!  I then decided to get “gourmet” and make an avocado cream as a soup topper.  I blended the meat of an avocado, an equal amount of lowfat sour cream, some lemon juice (I wanted lime juice but didn’t have any) some milk to thin it out and some hot sauce for kick.  On the side I made a couple cheese quesadillas and dinner was served!

I thought this was pretty good!  I was proud of myself for throwing together a pretty easy meal with minimal dishes  I think I will still play around with this recipe, maybe keep it chunkier so it isn’t like baby food but I do think the black beans were a perfect addition!

Basic Corn Chowder

3 slices of bacon, sliced into chunks

2 quarts of chicken broth

1 small onion

1 red pepper

1 peeled and chopped carrot

2 (16-ounce) bags frozen corn

2 medium potatoes

1/2-1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

Brown the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy.  Drain bacon on paper towel.

Add the onion, pepper and carrot and brown in the bacon fat. Ok you could use EVOO and eliminate the bacon but that would be no fun!

Add the bags of frozen corn, potates, broth and spices. Brig to a boil then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for about 30-45 minutes.

Puree in a blender or use a hand blender right in the pot!

Taste and add extra seasoning as desired. Top with crispy bacon or mix in about 2 cups cooked black beans.

Last week I received  samples of Nature’s Pride Bread from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program so I immediately put grilled cheese and tomato soup on the menu for the week!

The whole wheat went in the freezer to enjoy a bit later but I used the 12 grain for our sandwiches.  First off, the bread smells amazing!  Nice and fresh.  It is packed with an inner wrapping which I am sure helps retain some of the freshness.  The 12 grain has some seeds in it, which Scottie quickly pointed out, but I loved the heartiness of it. Buttered on the outside and stuffed with white cheddar, it made a darn good sandwich.  The ingredients are all natural, no funny stuff here, which I love.  I wish it had a bit more fiber, when I have a sandwich I want to  get a fiber boost from the bread but that can be overlooked because this bread tastes great!  I haven’t seen it in the stores yet so not sure about the price, but I would imagine with would be about $3.69.  Not cheap for bread but I don’t eat a ton of bread anymore so I want high quality stuff!

For the soup I searched and searched for a good recipe.  Why do all tomato soup recipes have to include cream? I mean I do love a nice tomato bisque but not on a Wednesday night :)  Finally I found a Double Tomato Soup recipe from Cooking Light. This soup was great!  Great flavor (I used tomatoes with garlic and basil canned with them which added a nice extra bit of flavor,) thick and a bit of sweetness from the carrots.  I used an immersion blender to blend it up but I may use a regular blender next time to see if I can smooth it our a bit more.  Still a great texture.  I did top it with a bit of gorgonzola cheese for some extra saltiness but it isn’t really needed.

Overall a fantastic, easy dinner on a cool night!

I am the type of person that will crave random foods during inopportune times.  What I mean is that I will crave soup when it is 95 degrees outside.  We have had  a bit of a hot and humid streak in NC, making it rather sauna like when you walk outside, it’s not a pleasant thing.  I should say, I don’t feel that this summer has been as bad as previous summers, though now I am sure the Humidity Gods are going to bless us with 100+ degrees days next week but for the most part the heat has been management this year.

I guess I can blame the container of shredded chicken that resulted from my chicken broth making this weekend but I had a strong craving for tortilla soup this week.  I had planned to make it on Wednesday but after a day with a sick puppy and a choppy swim I was not in the mood to cook, so I pushed it back to Thursday.  Scottie then told me later he was really excited about the soup on Wednesday….oops!  So I made a point to start the soup as soon as I got home on Thursday. The soup comes together in no time, it was great.  Having the chicken already cooked obviously helps and I had cooked the black beans earlier in the week.  Dinner was ready in under 30 minutes and that even included some cheese quesadillas.

I used the Ina recipe for Chicken Mexican Soup as a guide but halved it and added in the beans and corn.  It seemed heartier to me with these additions.  My recipe made enough for two healthy servings with about a quart leftover, enough for two lunches.  I topped mine with a squeeze of lime and a bit of cheddar cheese.  Scottie’s looked like this:

Then he added about a cup of tortilla chips and a bit more sour cream, it looked like a layered bean dip!  Oh well, to each his own!  On it’s own this is a super healthy soup.  Add toppings at your own risk but it does make it a bit more fun to personalize your bowl, almost like what you would do with chili.  Bookmark the recipe and try it when it is a bit more fall-like, hopefully it isn’t too far away!

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Inspired by Ina

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers
1 quart chicken stock
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. salt
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded or chopped
1 1/2 cups black beans, cooked and drained
1 cup corn frozen or canned
cilantro (optional)-I added in 2 cubes of those frozen cilantro squares you see in the freezer section

In a medium saucepan/stockpot heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and carrot and cook until soft, about 7 minutes.  Add garlic and jalapenos and cook until just soft.  Add in broth, tomatoes, spices and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add in chicken, beans, and corn and allow to cook another 10 minutes or so. Add cilantro, if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Top with cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, tortilla chips, lime and/or hot sauce!

I know what you are thinking,soup in June…it’s melting hot outside and you are making soup. Yes I made soup, but only because I am on produce overload and needed to find a way to incorporate a ton of zucchini, cabbage, and peppers into a dish without killing myself from the fiber or chewing forever.  So I did some perusing on the internet and found a recipe for a roasted vegetable soup that was taken after the Weight Watchers popular “Zero Point” soup.  Though I don’t need help losing weight right now (thankfully) the recipe incorporated a lot of the veggies I had on hand and because it made so much I figured it would be perfect to freeze for future lunches.  While I was at the farmer’s market I picked up some items I was missing and thought the name Farmer’sMarket soup was fitting since you can walk up and down the aisle and customze this soup to whatever is in season.

I chose to roast up 2 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, a green pepper, 2 carrots, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 head of cabbage, and about 8 ounces of muchrooms. You could also add a onion, some jalenpenos for heat, even an eggplant. Though I am not liking eggplant at the moment,we have a love hate relationship.  Once everything is chopped, spray with Pam or some EVOO, sprinkle with S&P and put in a 425 oven for about 20 minutes or so.  Once things start to char a bit, throw everything into a dutch oven or soup pot and add a quart of chicken stock, a quart of water and a can of tomatoes (I actually used a jar of homemade salsa my Grandma gave me, love cleaning out the pantry!)  Once brought up to a boil, I reduced the heat and let it simmer for about a half an hour.   I turned off the heat and added in a handful of fresh basil. Then I brought out the trusty boat motor and carefully blended everything until smooth.

I then started adding spices; more S&P, some cumin and a smokey red pepper blend I found while cleaning out the spice pantry (more on that to come!)  You can really customize this however you like, I went the smokey route but you could add more spice or keep it mellow.

I got this fantastic loaf of multigrain bread from the market as well ( from La Farm.)

So I sliced the loaf up, added a chunk of swiss cheese and a small glass of chardonnay and it was lunch!  Quite European. Plus Scottie was playing the guitar on the couch so I felt like I was in a cute Parisian cafe, ah one day I will really be there!

I don’t know why I felt the need to make lentil soup, but I am certainly glad I did!  I have stocked up on all sorts of lentils at the Whole Foods bulk bins and now I am figuring out what to do with them!  Lentils are super healthy and provide fiber as well as protein so they have become a staple in the vegetarian diet but meat lovers will love their filling and hearty nature.  They are also super easy to cook as opposed to beans which  need to be soaked for hours then cooked.

I used the Alton Brown recipe as the basis for the recipe but threw in green peppers since I had some in the fridge, I used half chicken broth and half water to cut down on sodium and cost and added in a squeeze of lemon juice at the end as recommended by Rhodeygirl.

Since I have never had lentil soup I have no idea if these changes enhanced the soup but I will say that I LOVED this soup.  I added a slice of whole wheat rustic bread from TJ’s toasted with some muenster cheese and I was a happy camper!  Scottie added more pepper as well as salt and hot sauce but I loved the simplicity of the soup.  The pot also made about 6 servings fpr less then $5, so I will probably eat this for lunch for 2 days and then freeze the other quart for later.  What a bargain!

Lentil Soup
Adapted from Alton Brown

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 quart of water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground toasted cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
juice of half a lemon

Directions

Place the olive oil into a large 6-quart Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, peppers and salt and sweat until the onions are translucent, approximately 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, coriander, cumin and pepperand stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Just before serving, squeeze half a lemon over the soup and stir. Serve immediately.

This soup has quickly circulated the food blogging world and I was one of many that bookmarked it to make later.  I was first introduced to kale when I started receiving my weekly Papa Spud’s deliveries.  Not sure what to do with it, I threw it in some soup and thus began my love affair with these lovely leafy green.  Then I found Kath who also loves kale (and also oatmeal!) and who created this yummy and healthy soup! I have been really focusing my attention to the food I eat and how it effects my body, and I have used Kath’s site as an idea  guide for things to eat and variations of hum drum things like oatmeal.  Who knew I would become obsessed with oatmeal!

I had most of the ingredients already, just needed to pick up more sweet potatoes and a can of light coconut milk.  I also needed garam masala but I was not about to pay $6 for a small jar!  So after a bit of searching I found a quick recipe for the spice mix.  When I have a bit more time, I will try and toast the spices whole and then grind them but this mix seemed to do the trick.

Easy Garam Masala
From AllRecipes

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Mix cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl. Place mix in an airtight container, and store in a cool, dry place.

The soup itself is fantastic!  Mine turned out quite thick but I still loved it and it was perfect for such a cold night last night!  Hardy and stick-to-your-ribs like. Not sure if I will get Scottie to try it but that’s ok, I will enjoy my leftovers for lunch this week Thanks for the recipe Kath!

Nutty Vanilla Sweet Potato + Kale Soup
From Kath Eats Real Food
2 pounds of sweet potato, cut into 1” pieces and microwaved in a bowl on high for 6.5 minutes to start the cooking process  (this was about 4 small, skinny potatoes)
3 cloves garlic,  pressed
1 can lite coconut milk
1 cup 2% milk (or skim, or whole)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cups kale, trimmed, washed and torn into small pieces
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins  (golden raisins, yum!)
1/4 cup salted peanuts, for garnish
Shredded coconut, for garnish

Prepare sweet potatoes in microwave.
Heat a large pot on medium high. Spray with cooking spray and add potatoes, cooking until they begin to brown. Stir in garlic.
Add coconut milk, milk, masala, salt, pepper and flakes.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Mash potatoes with potato masher or puree with immersion blender.
Add raisins, kale and vanilla and cover. Allow to cook for 8-10 more minutes, until kale is bright green.
Portion into bowls and garnish with 1 tbsp each peanuts and coconut.

Friday the temperature in Raleigh was  a lovely 70 degrees or so, today is it 32 and there are about 3 -4 inches of snow on the ground.  Oh and it is suppose to be 70 this Saturday!  I tell ya, I am done with the cold weather, I am ready for spring!

Cooking hasn’t been terribly interesting as of late, last week I tried to eat as many fruits and veggies to make up for the lack thereof while in Texas.

Friday I worked from home as I was expecting my new deep freezer!  Thanks Mom and Dad!  Now I don’t have to stockpile in Scottie’s freezer :)  Bring on the shrimp and chicken deals! I also took advantage of the warm weather and got in a 10 mile run!  Yes, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would willingly run 10 miles, but I actually enjoyed it!  I felt strong and didn’t feel much pain until the last 2 miles when my hips became a bit sore, weird.  I was also happy because I warded off any post run queasiness with a small Vitamin water and a Larabar (LOVE the Larabars, I want every flavor!)  So I think the key is to fuel up on sugar after a long run.  I will continue to test this.  Saturday marked 4 weeks until the race and I am now uber excited!  I hope the weather is nice, running any sort of distance in cold or rain is no fun!

I also got a few odd jobs done around the house this weekend.  Scottie replaced the interworking of my master bathroom toilet, which we discovered was much needed!  And we stripped and re-caulked all of the sinks and countertops in the bathrooms.  It felt so good to be productive on such a nasty weekend!  Next weekend I may tackle the baseboards but with such a nice forecast right now I may just stay outside all weekend!

I did make one thing of note on Saturday, tomato soup.  Nothing special but it was perfect for the nasty day we were having.  I used a quart of Grandma’s tomatoes,  2 roasted red peppers, a diced onion, some garlic,  cumin, smoky paprika blend, and chili powder cooked and then wizzed up with the boat motor.  Served with a ham and cheese panini and we had the perfect rainy day lunch.

Ok off to do more work.  Not all of us can be like Porkchop!

What better way to start the day of love then to have a nice warm mug of pink hot chocolate! So cute and yummy!

Valentine’s Day this year was pretty normal for Scottie and I, though I thought we would start the day one of Scottie’s favorite breakfast dishes, quiche.  I found this to be interesting the first time he told me, quiche is not considered a “manly” food but then again Scottie is pretty set in his masculinity.  I found a pretty basic recipe and added some ham to it to bulk it up.  I cheated and used frozen pie crust as I have not yet mastered pie crust but I don’t think either of us cared.  This took no time to whip up and soon we were enjoying a nice breakfast and the beautiful sunshine outside.

And I was treated to some lovely flowers as well. Not a bad Saturday!

Broccoli, Ham, and Cheese Quiche

2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1 cup chopped ham
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
4 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables and ham into crust and sprinkle with cheese.

Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables, meat and cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.