Mediterranean Quiche | MMMMM....

I came across this recipe a few weeks back and I just had to make it. However I had no doubt my family would not go for it. Lucky for me, I have Yaya's who have a love for Mediterranean food as I do.

So I whipped this up. It has all my favorite things: feta, kalamata olives, artichokes, garlic, tomatoes, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!



Scramble your eggs and then add in all the goodness.



Pour it in a pie crust.



Bake it.



Top it with more goodness.



Eat it!

Mediterranean Quiche

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
6 eggs
1 cup feta cheese, divided in half
1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, diced
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
Sea salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Prepare pie crust or use a store bought version and lay it in the bottom of a pie dish.
3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, half of feta cheese, spinach, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers and olives. Add salt and pepper and garlic and stir to combine.
4. Pour mixture into the pie dish. If it is really full, place pie dish on a cookie sheet in case it spills over.
5. Bake for 45 minutes or until the center is firm and doesn't jiggle when you take it out. If the crust starts to get too brown, cover with a piece of foil.
6. When it is cooked, slice and top with diced tomatoes and feta cheese. Serve hot.

Radish Girl Cooks - Philly Roll Taco with Wasabi Cream

Location: Home

Mer's recipe is amongst the 20 that you can vote on! Whoot! Vote now!

Click here to view the other recipes!

Welcome to another edition of Radish Girl Cooks. Today's cuisine is totally mouth-wateringly (is "wateringly" a word? I don't think so seeing as the red squiggly line is under it!) delicious!

Mer is entering this recipe in The 1^st Ever Wild Alaska Fish Taco Recipe Contest. Be sure to vote for it starting today! (As of 6:41 AM CST, they have not announced with Mer's is one of the finalist recipes.)

I didn't take as many pictures of the process this time. No reason, just got busy chatting instead of snapping I guess.

Yummmmmy broiled Salmon!


Putting it all together...




Voila! Deliciousness overload!


What was that? You want a close look? Okay, you asked for it...


Mer proudly showing off her taco goodness!

Philly Roll Taco with Wasabi Cream

Serves 8 ( 2 tacos per person)

Ingredients
2 pounds Wild Alaska Salmon, fillets
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Kosher salt and cracked pepper to taste

16 6 inch white corn & wheat blend tortillas, warmed (La Tortilla Factory)
8 tablespoons cream cheese
1 English cucumber, diced
½ head purple cabbage, sliced very thin
2 avocados, diced
2 cups pickled ginger
Black sesame seeds
Wasabi Cream, recipe below

Wasabi Cream

1 ½ tablespoons wasabi powder, prepared with water to make a paste
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt, plain
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon lime juice
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
   
2. Marinate the salmon fillets in sesame oil and soy sauce for 30 minutes.
   
3. While fish is marinating prepare Wasabi Cream. Wisk all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until needed.
   
4. Remove salmon from marinade, place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and bake at 400 degrees until cooked through and flaky, approximately 25 minutes.
   
5. Warm the corn tortillas in a dry non-stick skillet.
   
6. Spread one tablespoon of cream cheese on each tortilla, leaving a ½ inch border.
7. Sprinkle a few slices of pickled ginger on top.
   
8. Crumble large chunks of salmon on top of cream cheese and ginger.
   
9. Top with diced English cucumber, purple cabbage, diced avocado, and more pickled ginger.
   
10. Dollop, or pipe Wasabi Cream on top of taco. Garnish with lime zest and black sesame seeds.
    

Enjoy!! This is a “taco twist” on a sushi bar favorite! Creamy, crunchy, sweet, spicy…this taco has it all!

Be sure to visit Mer's new blog for more deliciousness!

Foodcation...I mean Anniversary

Todd and I celebrated 12 years of marriage this past December. It was so great to get away - just the two of us - to Charleston, SC for a few days.

It was pretty much a food-cation. Todd had found a deal(as usual) for some of the best restaurants that required us to spend a certain amount in order to get $x off the bill. It usually meant we were able to get an appetizer or 2 with each meal. YUM!



Of course, we also did our share of sight-seeing. I highly recommend a walking tour (if you go sans-children). Notice the bottom right picture... not "First Baptist Church", but "THE First Baptist Church". wow.



This was an educational trip too. For example, Unitarians don't believe in caring for their cemetaries (or is it graveyards?... I can't remember). Notice Todd's animated facial expressions. Funny guy, huh?



Also, Charleston is known for it's handmade wrought iron gates.



mmmmm.... Gumpole.



Me and my hun.



All good things must come to an end.

Radish Girl Cooks - Blackberry Apple Pie | Birmingham Food Photographer

Location: Home

This is one yummy post and the first of hopefully many editions of Mer's Kitchen.

My friend, Meredith, is a REALLY. GOOD. COOK. unlike me. Fortunately, I'm her friend so when she wants to try out a new recipe and she's looking for tasters, I promptly clear my schedule. I'm no fool. Diet or not - I don't miss out on Mer's Kitchen.

Mer baked this pie for the Emile Henry - How Pretty is Your Pie? Contest. She and I have been waiting patiently for the results today (Janary 23^rd) which also happens to be National Pie Day. Did you know there was a National Pie Day? Go ahead...mark your calendars.... I'll wait.

waiting...

waiting...

Oh! There you are! Ok, so Mer was kind enough to share her recipe with us. But first some photos from the process...







Mer arranging the filling just so!


No such thing as too much butter, right?


One little secret...As you handle your pie crust, whisper "I love you pie crust. i love you pie crust. i love you pie crust."






Getting the pie crust on perfectly!


Precisely marking the slits (with a Hello Kitty ruler).




Butter, Sugar, you can't go wrong!




Pie, ready for it's photoshoot!




And, the submitted photo!


Then, of course, we ate it! Oh my, the crust was ABSOLUTELY perfect! Crispy, sweet, light!


Sadly, Amy is on South Beach and did not partake of the pie loveliness! She was just as pleased holding Jamie's baby girl!


Sweet Meredith enjoying her hard work!


And now, the long-awaited recipe.

Blackberry Apple Pie

Crust

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 ½ sticks frozen unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 cup vodka, cold (don’t skip this…vodka will cook off and leave an amazingly crisp crust (promise!))
1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions
Measure out and combine all dry ingredients into a cold mixing bowl. Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour mixture and begin working them in with a pastry blender so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas, stop combining.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough starts to stick together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into a disc. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 days.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pie crusts on a lightly floured surface. Fit bottom crust into an Emile Henry 9 inch pie dish, which can be purchased at local kitchen supply shops such as Birmingham Bake & Cook Company in Birmingham, Alabama (PLUG!) or at larger kitchen supply stores such as Williams Sonoma(PLUG!) or Sur la table(PLUG!). After the bottom crust is fit into the pie plate with a 1 inch overhang, cover and refrigerate for ½ hour. Place rolled out top crust on a parchment lined cookie sheet, cover with a kitchen towel and refrigerate until needed.
Prepare Filling.

Filling

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 medium Granny Smith Apples
3 medium Golden Delicious Apples
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely ground tapioca
2 cups fresh blackberries
1 Egg, beaten
3 tablespoons Sparkling White Sugar

Instructions:
Combine lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl. Peel, core and cut apples into 1/8 inch slices, tossing them in the lemon juice mixture as you work.
Grind 2 tablespoons tapioca in a clean coffee grinder until very fine.

Mix 2/3 cup granulated sugar and finely ground tapioca and toss with apples. Add blackberries. Combine until all fruit is coated with sugar.

With a rubber spatula, scrape the apple-blackberry filling into prepared pie shell. Distribute fruit evenly inside prepared Emile Henry pie dish(PLUG!). Top with remaining crust, fold edges under and crimp as desired. Vent the top crust with a few slits. Moisten a pastry brush with egg wash and lightly brush top of pie. Sprinkle with Sparkling White Sugar. Place the pie on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake until crust is golden, about 45 to 55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Voila! I bet you can't make it as good as Mer, but go ahead, try!

Keep watch for the next edition of Radish Girl Cooks, Philly Roll Taco with Wasabi Cream! (Oi! That one was dreamy delicious!)

Be sure to visit Mer's new blog for more deliciousness!

UPDATE: Mer's Blackberry Apple Pie, out of thousands of entry's, got runner up. Good job Mer!