Brunch

BACON SPINACH QUICHE

June 11, 2021 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Brunch

Let’s talk favorite meals. I love any meal gathered with good friends and family. Most of my favorite dishes are home cooked recipes from my family. More specifically, most of these favorite recipes are for dinner. And yet, I have to admit that my favorite meal is actually brunch. I know, everyone loves brunch… but hear me out. I’ve never been much of a breakfast eater. Even as a young child, I just wasn’t hungry first thing in the morning. Give me a couple of hours to wake up and get going for the day and then I’m more than happy to grab a snack or a full on meal. The other thing I love about brunch is that you get to combine breakfast foods, salads, sweet pastries, and even savory casseroles. You can essentially mix and match all of your favorite recipes into one big, beautiful meal. For me, the centerpiece of brunch is almost always quiche. So, today I’m giving you my Bacon Spinach Quiche recipe.

No Shame

Let me start by talking about crust. I will never EVER shame anyone for buying a pre-made crust. In fact, that is exactly what this Bacon Spinach Quiche calls for. Do you have pre-made, homemade crust in your freezer? Fantastic! Put that dough to good use here! Personally, I have a love hate relationship with homemade pie dough. I love the taste, I hate making it myself. So for this recipe, I used a store bought, deep dish, frozen pie crust. I always blind bake (some folks call it pre-bake) the crust so as to avoid having a soggy bottom. The filling is exactly as the name says, bacon and spinach along with some cheese. Yes, you’re reading the recipe correctly, I use a blender to mix the eggs and cream. I’ve found that it gives the quiche a lighter texture compared to whisking it by hand. However, if you don’t own a blender, feel free to bust out the whisk and work it until the mixture starts to get frothy. Whatever crust you use or regardless of how you mix the eggs, I know you’re going to enjoy this Bacon Spinach Quiche.

Slice of quiche on a plate below a pan of the rest of the quiche.

Pan of quiche with a slice cut out of it.

Bacon Spinach Quiche

Sarah Baade

This rich and hearty bacon spinach quiche is the perfect centerpiece for any brunch gathering.

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Course Breakfast, Brunch

Servings 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 9" pre-made, deep dish pie crust, (thawed if frozen)
4 slices bacon, chopped into ½" pieces
1 shallot, diced
6 oz baby spinach, roughly chopped
½ cup shredded gruyere cheese
¼ cup shredded Romano cheese
5 large eggs
1 cup half & half
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F.
If not already in a tin, place pie crust in a deep 9" pie dish. Pierce several holes in the crust with a fork along the bottom and sides.
Place a layer of parchment paper over pie crust and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Place on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, remove beans and parchment paper, and let cool as you prepare remaining ingredients.
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until fully cooked. Remove bacon and excess grease from pan.
Add shallot and spinach to skillet and cook until spinach is wilted.
Add bacon back into the skillet and stir in with spinach. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, combine gruyere and Romano cheeses.
Place half of the spinach mixture into the pie crust followed by half of the cheese. Repeat with remaining spinach and cheese mixtures.
In a blender, mix eggs, half & half, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Pour into pie crust over spinach and cheese.
Bake 25 minutes or until center of quiche is set.

Keyword Bacon, Bacon Spinach Quiche, Quiche, Savory Spinach Turnovers

Looking for more brunch ideas?

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Orange Spiced Monkey Bread

Rainbow Fruit Salad

Turmeric Granola

August 29, 2020 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

I always have a running list of recipe ideas. Some ideas get tested and some don’t. Some recipes become “blog worthy” after just a couple of trials and others are still getting fine tuned after several revisions. But this week I experienced a first. I was thinking about creating a new granola (because I looooooooove granola) when I suddenly realized I created a turmeric granola several months ago but never posted it. I started digging through my usual notebooks of recipes and couldn’t find it anywhere. Then it dawned on me that I texted the recipe to a friend when I came up with it. Thank goodness! Copy, paste and here we are today!

I came up with this recipe out of a lack of options at the grocery store. More specifically, a lack of savory notes in granola. I see tons of options for fruit, vanilla or chocolate flavored granolas but that is pretty much it. Surprising since there are more brands and packages there than I would have guessed for this breakfast option. I wanted something different so I created it. Yes, there is still a bit of sweetness here with the honey and coconut. But, the savory spices in this turmeric granola give you something new and interesting to put in your breakfast bowl.

My preferred way of eating granola is over vanilla yogurt with a few frozen raspberries in the mix. However, you can get nice chunks of granola from this recipe which are perfect for snacking on as is. If you prefer a looser granola, more crumbly, just shake it up in your storage container before eating. To date, I’ve found the best way to store granola is in the freezer. It stays fresh longer and doesn’t get sticky or soft as it can after being stored at room temperature for a few days.

Turmeric Granola

Sarah Baade

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Ingredients

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup sliced raw almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon chia seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300°F.
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients.
Spread mixture out on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Bake for 1 hour.
Let cool completely before breaking into pieces and serving.

Keyword Granola, Turmeric

I think you’ll also enjoy my other granola recipes. Click the links below for full recipes.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Vanilla Almond Granola

BRUNCH MADE EASY

April 19, 2019 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Hello brunch season! Easter. Mother’s Day. Father’s Day. Bridal showers. Baby showers. Brunch season is most definitely upon us. First and foremost, I love brunch because of the food. You can combine your favorite breakfast items with your favorite sweets and cocktails (or mocktails). But I also love that brunch is such a laid back, relaxing meal to share with loved ones. There is almost an assumption that people will graze on the spread of delightful dishes as they spend quality time catching up with one another. Fellowship.

Let’s spend our brunch season focusing on exactly that, fellowship. I’ve gathered some of my favorite recipes to make meal prep as easy as possible. In fact, the majority of what I’ve selected can be made a day or two in advance. I’d love to hear about your brunch adventures! Feel free to comment below or reach out to me on instagram!

Quiche and potatoes are about as traditional as you can get with brunch. This **Broccoli Cheese Quiche with Sweet Potato Hash** will help you keep that tradition alive

These **Savory Spinach Turnovers** look impressive, as if you’d spent all day making them but they’re actually ridiculously easy to make. I like to make them a day ahead and then warm them slightly when I’m ready to serve them.

Vibrant colors and flavors make this **Rainbow Fruit Salad** a huge crowd pleaser. Berries, peaches, kiwi, etc. How could you resist?

Feel free to customize this **Vanilla Almond Granola** or keep it as it is. Either way, it would be delicious served over yogurt.

This recipe is the first one I ever posted on my blog, it is also from my grandmother’s recipe box. Aside from being sentimental about these **Farm-Style Biscuits,** they are a favorite because they don’t require yeast. No yeast means they are super easy to make!

I created a few different mocktails for this post but the Sober Sangria is my absolute favorite. You can mix it up the night before so you’ll be ready to start filling glasses as soon as your guests arrive.

The bright lemon flavor of these **Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies** will have everyone reaching for more.

VANILLA ALMOND GRANOLA

April 14, 2019 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

I currently have two food obsessions. First, popcorn. My daughter and I have been sharing a bowl of popcorn after school lately. We sit on the front porch and snack while we wait for my husband to get home. She isn’t old enough for this to become a long-term memory for her but I’m holding it dear to my heart. When I look back at my own childhood memories, it is the simple moments of quality time with my parents that are my favorites. I am trying to be fully present in these little moments with my daughter so that eventually they become memories for both of us.

My second food obsession of the moment is homemade granola. I’ll eat it as a bowl of cereal or mixed in with some yogurt. If nothing else is available, I’ll just eat it by the handful. I have rarely bought granola in recent years simply because of the frequently high sugar content. One of the things I love most about cooking is knowing exactly what is in my food. Granola incredibly easy to make, my daughter was able to put it together with me helping her with measuring ingredients. Granola is also easy to customize. You can keep it simple or add in all sorts of nuts or dried fruit. I’ve been making a batch every week over the past month and this particular recipe is too good not to share with you.

Tips:

If you like a chunkier granola, let it cool completely before stirring it.
I like to store my granola in the freezer to keep it fresh and crunchy longer.

VANILLA ALMOND GRANOLA

This lightly sweetened granola is easy to make and easy to customize.

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Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Servings 7 servings (1/2 cup)

Calories 383 kcal

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup crisp rice cereal
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300F.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together.
Spread mixture out on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Bake for 1 hour. Let cool before serving.

BROCCOLI CHEESE QUICHE & SWEET POTATO HASH

April 10, 2019 by Sarah Baade 9 Comments

I’ve mentioned before that breakfast isn’t typically my thing, but brunch? Brunch is my jam! On the weekends, my husband and I each take a day to sleep in while the other one gets up early with our toddler. First of all, I love this sleep plan because we both end up feeling rested and rejuvenated. Second of all, by the time we are both up for the day it is the perfect time to hit up a restaurant for brunch. Our local favorites tend to give large servings which means leftovers. Leftovers that are absolutely delicious and all of us are eager to dive into during the week. There’s just something about breakfast foods for lunch or dinner that really hits the spot! I’m not alone on this line of thinking, am I?

A typical work day isn’t exactly conducive to brunch. Or is it? Hello meal planning! I was challenged by my friend, Nicolas, over at Blogtastic Food to create a dish that would work well for meal planning. I came up with two recipes to create a mini-brunch that I can take to work. These recipes reheat well which is ideal for this challenge but they are also easy to make. You can cook the sweet potato hash while the quiche is baking so everything is finished at the same time. Once it has all cooled off, pack individual servings into containers so you can grab and go as you head out the door for work during the week.

Tips:

Blind baking means you are going to partially bake the pie crust before you add the filling. It is worth the extra little bit of effort to blind bake your crust so you don’t end up with a soggy bottom on your quiche.
One of the great things about quiche is that you can take the egg base and change out the fillings. You could add ½ cup chopped ham cooked ham or bacon. If broccoli isn’t your thing, toss in some chopped bell peppers instead. Get creative!

Broccoli Cheese Quiche

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Servings 8 slices

Ingredients

1 premade pie crust
8 large eggs
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup gouda cheese, shredded
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange pie crust in a 9.5” pie dish. Line top of pie crust with parchment paper and then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust for 20 minutes.
While crust is baking, beat eggs in a large bowl. Mix in cheeses, cream, salt and pepper. Stir in broccoli.
Once blind bake is finished, pull the crust out of the oven then remove beans/weights and parchment paper. Pour egg mixture into pie crust and return to the oven and bake 40-50 minutes or until egg mixture has set.

Sweet Potato Hash

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Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion and sauté 5 more minutes or until onions start to become transparent. Add bell peppers and spices, sauté an additional 2 minute.

For more meal prep ideas, check out the following recipes from the other “meal prep challenge” collaborators.

THAI CHICKEN GREEN CURRY MEAL PREP
https://www.blogtasticfood.com/thai-chicken-green-curry-meal-prep/

MUSHROOM RISOTTO MEAL PREP
https://juliarecipes.com/2019/04/30/mushroom-risotto-meal-prep/comment-page-1/#comment-806

VEGAN MEAL PREP CHILI
https://holistichormonehelp.com/2019/04/24/vegan-meal-prep-chili/

RED LENTIL, TAMARIND & TOMATO SOUP
https://cuisinedeli.com/2019/04/30/red-lentil-tamarind-tomato-soup/

PUMPKIN, RICOTTA AND SAGE PASTA SHELLS
https://itsnotcomplicatedrecipes.com/pumpkin-ricotta-and-sage-pasta-shells/

INSTANT POT ROPA VIEJA FOR MEAL PREP
https://www.hangrywhitemale.com/instant-pot-ropa-vieja-for-meal-prep/

MEAL PREP: GARLIC SHRIMPS SKILLET WITH BULGUR
https://healthylaura.com/dairy-free/meal-prep-garlic-shrimps-skillet-with-bulgur/

EASY MEXICAN LASAGNA
https://realfoodhappyhome.com/easy-mexican-lasagna/

MAKE AHEAD MEAL PREP MINI FRITTATAS IN MUFFIN TINS
https://www.31daily.com/make-ahead-meal-prep-mini-frittatas-in-muffin-tins/

INSTANT POT STUFFED PEPPERS {WITH TURKEY AND QUINOA}
https://www.mealswithmaggie.com/instant-pot-stuffed-peppers/

CELEBRATION PANCAKES

March 28, 2019 by Sarah Baade 3 Comments

When I was a kid, my dad would get up early and make a hot breakfast for us every day. I didn’t realize how lucky I was until I talked to a friend at school who said her mom just had a variety of cereal to choose from each morning. Here’s the thing though, I rarely ate it. It was always delicious but I’ve never been much of an early morning breakfast person. I just didn’t wake up hungry; I needed to be up for a couple of hours before I was ready to eat. Now that I’m a mom myself, I have an extra appreciation for Dad’s cooking. He could whip up biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, pancakes… all the traditional breakfast items. He also taught me that pancakes freeze really well. He would make a huge batch all at once and freeze half of them for us to eat later on. I still do this every time I make pancakes. I love being able to heat up homemade pancakes from the freezer whenever I’m craving breakfast or just don’t have the energy to cook.

Let me start by saying there is a special place in my culinary heart for pancake mixes – “just add water”. However, there are days when I have run out of pancake mix and don’t want to run to the store for that one single item. The beauty of homemade pancakes is that you probably already have all of the ingredients in your kitchen. We only need the basics here and you can still end up with super fluffy pancakes. On an extra special day such as a birthday or your kid aced a test or maybe your spouse got a promotion, take things up a notch and add sprinkles. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, sprinkles bring joy! And yes, in my house, sprinkles are just as much a pantry staple as flour or sugar. You never know when you’ll want to spark a little extra joy so just keep those rainbow sprinkles stocked at all times!

Tips:

Definitely melt the butter before you start mixing any ingredients. This will allow it to cool before you add the eggs so that you don’t end up with a scrambled egg batter.
Keep the heat on medium to medium low. I know it is tempting to crank it up to get things cooking faster but you’ll just end up with pancakes that are burnt on the outside and raw on the inside.

CELEBRATION PANCAKES

Homemade pancakes with a little extra joy.

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Servings 12 pancakes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup rainbow jimmies/sprinkles
Optional toppings: butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, more sprinkles

Instructions

Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Stir in the melted butter, milk and vanilla. Stir in the egg and then the sprinkles.
Scoop about a ¼ cup of batter onto the heated griddle. Depending on the size of your griddle, you can make more than one pancake at a time. Cook until batter starts to bubble on top and bottom is golden brown. Flip and continue cooking until the second side is also golden brown (about 1 minute). Remove from griddle and continue this process until all batter is used.

Rainbow Fruit Salad

August 28, 2018 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

Potluck

My husband and I are pretty active in our church and this naturally leads to potluck meals a few times per year. My husband’s answer to bringing a dish is always “Let’s just pick something up from the store on the way to the party.” I, on the other hand, never even think of this as an option until he mentions it. Instead, I go through my mental rolodex of easy recipes and some sort of cookie usually wins out. I’m honestly not sure why I feel obligated to bring something homemade. I don’t expect it of others and I’m pretty confident others don’t expect it of me. Then again, homemade always tastes better than store bought, even with a simple recipe.

Easy Fruit Salad

This weekend we attended a pool party and you guessed it, it was a potluck situation! I’ve been obsessed with fresh fruit lately so cookies didn’t even make the short list of ideas for once. Instead, I made my rainbow fruit salad. Guys, this is so easy and so delicious! I promise, the hardest part of this recipe is cutting some fruit and there isn’t even very much to cut. This rainbow fruit salad is so refreshing but it will also satisfy your sweet tooth – this counts as a win-win in my book!

One large bowl and one small bowl of fruit salad.

Tips

Don’t be afraid to swap out some of the fruits for whatever is seasonal. Ultimately, the goal is about 8-10 cups of FRESH fruit.
I always like to add a few berries to my fruit salad because they don’t require cutting. Just wash and toss them into the mix!

Rainbow Fruit Salad

Sarah Baade

Refreshing fruits with a hint of mint and lightly sweetened with agave.

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Course Brunch, Salad, Snack

Ingredients

1 large peach
3 kiwi
1 mango
12 oz raspberries
11 oz bluberries
1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
2 teaspoons agave syrup (honey can be substituted)
juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Rinse all fruits and peel kiwi and mango. (optional to peel peach)
Cut peach, kiwi, and mango into bite sized pieces.
Place all prepared fruit and mint in a large bowl.
Drizzle fruit with agave and lime juice.
Gently stir until fruit is evenly coated with agave and lime juice.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Keyword Fruit, Fruit Salad, Mixed Fruit

Looking for more fruit salad recipes? Try these out!

Five Spice Citrus Salad

Watermelon Salad

Savory Spinach Turnovers

July 15, 2018 by Sarah Baade 5 Comments

Is there actually a better meal out there than brunch? The combination of savory and sweet breakfast items plus lunch is arguably perfect. It is also the only time adding a little booze to your diet before noon is not just acceptable but encouraged. Hello mimosas and bloody Marys! Next month I will be helping to host a baby shower with brunch so I’ve had all sorts of ideas running through my head. The hardest part of menu planning will be narrowing down our options.

I can’t quite decide what I like best about this recipe. It is incredibly easy to make with just 8 ingredients. But the bonus is that it would be great served at a brunch or as a grab and go option on a busy morning. I actually made these on a weeknight and then brought them to the office the next morning to share. My co-workers happily grabbed one to take back to their desks as a mid-morning pick me up.

Savory Spinach Turnovers

Sarah Baade

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Course Breakfast, Brunch, Side Dish, Snack

Servings 8 turnovers

Ingredients

10oz frozen, chopped spinach (thawed)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons shallots, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sheets ready to bake puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Drain spinach of any excess water. In a medium bowl, stir together spinach, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic, shallot and salt.
Unfold sheets of puff pastry. Cut each sheet into four equal squares. Place 2 Tablespoons of spinach mixture into the center of each pastry square. Fold each pastry square diagonally over spinach. Pinch edges of dough together with a fork. Brush the tops and sides of each turnover with the beaten egg.
Place each turnover on the lined baking sheet. Bake 16-18 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

Notes

Tips:

You can make the filling a day ahead and refrigerate it until ready to use.
If you have whole frozen spinach on hand, you can chop it yourself rather than buying the pre-chopped.

Keyword Puff Pastry, Savory Spinach Turnovers, Spinach, Spinach Turnovers, Turnovers

Five Spice Citrus Salad

February 25, 2018 by Sarah Baade 1 Comment

It has been such a long and rainy winter here in San Antonio. I’m not used to needing a heavy coat for more than a day or two at a time, let alone weeks at a time. I find myself daydreaming about bright colors and warmer climates. I won’t be going on a tropical vacation any time soon so my next best bet is eating bright, flavorful fruit.

We are currently right in the middle of prime orange and grapefruit season. There are so many varieties of citrus available and I took full advantage of that for this recipe. I love the variety of colors as well as flavors from these fruits. Given the tartness that sometimes comes along with citrus, I wanted to contrast that with a little bit of sweet and a little bit of spice. The result is a perfect dish to serve with brunch or eat as a snack.

Tips:

Place some paper towels under the edges of your cutting board, this will help to catch any juice that runs off the edge as you’re cutting the fruit.
Feel free to mix and match your citrus fruits to your liking or based on what is available seasonally. The main idea is variety.

FIVE SPICE CITRUS SALAD

The perfect salad to take advantage of seasonal citrus.

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Ingredients

6 oranges (I used blood oranges, tangelos, sumo citrus)
3 grapefruit (I used one large and two small)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tablespoon fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cut citrus fruits into ¼' slices, removing seeds as they are found. Cut rinds off of slices then place slices on paper towels to absorb excess any juice. Move citrus slices to a serving platter and top with pomegranate, feta and mint. In a small bowl, mix together honey, Chinese five spice and vanilla. Drizzles honey mixture over citrus salad as desired.