After months of sweets and other indulgences, our wise #Baketogether leader Abby Dodge decided a simple bread would be something all of us might be craving. She was so right. When she said simple I couldn’t imagine any bread THIS simple. I’ve seen bread novices and talented aficionados alike claim the ease and never-ending possibilities of this bread (this is the real WONDER bread!). Easy to make, great crumb, even easier to modify with all of our own spices, herbs, cheeses or in my case? Citrus.

Added to the simplicity of the recipe was the fact that we just needed a round cake pan. You know…one of those pans we ALWAYS have on hand. Well, normally. I had recently lent mine to a friend who needed several round pans for a cake she is making so I had to punt. I found this pan WAY back in the back of a pantry. I’m not sure I’ve ever used it. It was a bit large and the requisite 2nd rise did not see it actually fill the pan but I thought it turned out, as a friend said, ‘cute’ and I would do it again.

I was a Meyer Lemon virgin until last year when my friend Kim in California sent me a precious box of the magical little fruits. Native to China, Meyer Lemons are thought to be a combination borne from lemons and mandarin oranges. They are generally smaller than regular lemons, have a more spherical shape and are more golden in color. Not to mention sweeter; some people enjoy eating them as is. I’m not there but I sure do love baking with them. Their aroma is disarming…no longer satisfied with Lemon Pledge; I’m now anxious for Meyer Lemon Pledge in my home!

Although Kim has offered to send some more lemons from her tree (can you say LUCKY?) I could not pass up purchasing some at the market last week. Meyer Limoncello is on the agenda but I thought I could spare one for this effort. I didn’t want anything overt so it’s just the juice and rind of one lemon and it ads a nice piquant touch that could take it from savory to sweet. I finished my bread with turbinado sugar so went the sweet route but it’s oh so very subtle and just enhances slices slathered with a bit strawberry jam.

One of my #Baketogether co-conspirators, Amanda, showed us a great idea for measuring the volume of your bread dough when you’re waiting for it to rise. Put your dough into a clear container and mark the top of the volume with a rubber band…then it’s so easy to see when your bread has doubled in volume. Great idea Amanda! (Even if mine got away from me just a bit!).

By the way…the jam I used is from my friend Wendy’s business, Sunchowder’s Emporia, and Wendy has graciously offered all of you breadaholics a chance to win a trio of her products. Take a peek after the recipe!

Artisan Jam Trio Crate Giveaway

Sunchowder’s Emporia jams are handcrafted in small batches using French copper pots.   Using these old French methods of jam making, such as allowing fruit to macerate overnight in lemon and sugar, the luscious flavors are coaxed out of the berries and the preserves have a pure, smooth texture.  All of the jams are made with fresh fruits and vegetables, no corn syrup, pectin, colorings or preservatives.   They’re deliciously different than the average jam.

The trio includes:

• Strawberry Jam: Fresh strawberries, pure cane sugar and lemon combine to make this delightful jam.  Fabulous slathered on your morning brioche.
• Spiced Pear Butter: The rich flavor of fresh anjou pears combined with spices make our handmade Spiced Pear Butter delicious with breakfast scones and muffins, served with meat, or paired with ginger snaps. We use Vermont Boiled Cider Syrup and fresh orange peel for natural, old-fashioned autumn flavor that can be enjoyed year-round.
• Raspberry Chocolate Jam: This rich, decadent Raspberry Chocolate Jam combines fresh tart raspberries with bittersweet Barry Callebaut Chocolate for a delightful dessert jam.  More raspberry than chocolate, this real fruit-based jam is a healthier alternative to rich chocolate sauces. This is a luscious, natural filling for sandwich tea cookies, heated and poured over poached pears, can be dolloped over vanilla ice cream or slathered over your favorite pound cake and eaten privately in one go!

How to win?

1. Main Entry [Required] – Leave a comment below sharing with us what your favorite bread is. Homemade or not. I’m just curious. :)

Want an extra entry?

If you are already doing this it counts, just make note of that in your comment. You MUST leave each entry as a separate comment or only one comment will count!

1. Follow @creativculinary & @Sunchowder on Twitter and tweet the following statement then come back to this post and tell us you tweeted – I just entered to win an Artisan Jam Trio from @CreativCulinary and @Sunchowder! Enter here: http://su.pr/26Na08 #giveaway

Important Details:

• This giveaway is open to USA residents only and will run until Friday, January 27, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST.
• Winner will be generated via random.org and will be notified via the email provided on the comment form information.
• Winner will have until midnight, January 30, 2012 to claim their Sunchowder Artisan Jam Trio or we will choose another winner.
• Winner will receive one Artisan Jam Trio which will be shipped directly to the winner by Sunchowder’s Emporia.

Good Luck!

I haven’t made bread in a long while and am excited to be back in this genre. I’ve submitted this link to Yeastspotting – so many great ideas there!

We have a Winner!

 

Entrant #3 picked via Random.org is Janis Tester. Whoo hoo! Congrats Janis; I hope you enjoy Sunchowder Jams as much as I do!

I’ve mentioned to a couple of friends that I was developing some compound butters for Kerrygold, my favorite butter for baking. They were unfamiliar with that phrase and though I could explain it easily enough the fact is that I think what’s come from this effort deserves a new name. I can’t help but think of ‘compound fractions’ when I hear that word and my relationship with algebra was nowhere near as fun as this experience has been. If you can help, let me know what you might call a tasty blend of butter, herbs, fruits, nuts…whatever. Not so compound as much as so fabulous!

I was provided samples of Kerrygold’s new Naturally Softer Irish Butter and Reduced Fat Irish Butter and asked to come up with some creative ideas on how I would use them. You know, beyond eating them with a spoon. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I’ve been in love with Kerrygold butters for a long time. My experience with their product in baked goods is legendary in this home, so I was excited to see if they could live up to my expectations with these two new products meant for spreading and finishing dishes; not for baking.

The new Kerrygold butters are made from the milk of the same grass fed cows that produce their regular European-style butter; milking the cows in the summer produces a product with a higher milkfat content which helps create these soft butters.  An all natural churning process allows for the soft and spreadable consistency without additives or stabilizers; a win for all of us in my book.

Recently I created a topping using the Naturally Softer Irish Butter which I combined with  toasted walnuts, cranberries, orange zest and brown sugar and used for a breakfast dish of French Toast. I wanted to also develop something using the Reduced Fat Irish Butter with ingredients that did not add any significant calories to the end result. Browning the butter, caramelizing some shallots and adding sage added huge flavor while still keeping the product one that could be labeled reduced fat. The biscuits? I made no such commitment!

I admit some of my inspiration to go this direction is because I am feeling a little melancholy that I won’t be making my Maple Bacon Roasted Turkey this year that is rubbed with sage butter. I have a sage bush in my herb garden that is over 20 years old and it’s singular purpose for existing is to flavor that amazing bird. I felt an obligation…yes, to sage (no I do not talk to the plant silly!).

I spent yesterday making Cranberry Liqueur, Cider Syrup (coming Friday in a cocktail) and pretty much knew what direction I was going with the sage. Still when I tweeted that I would be making something with it, it was fun to see the conversation that ensued and to have my one dilemma absolutely answered for me. What to serve my sage/onion butter on. I owe a debt of gratitude to @TheRunawaySpoon for suggesting her Pumpkin Sage biscuits. So PERFECT! Thanks Run (I know…probably not your first name but we haven’t actually been formally introduced and I don’t know your name!). I cut back on the sage in the biscuits a bit since I was going to be serving them with the sage butter; without that addition I would absolutely follow her original recipe. So very holiday perfect.

I received these butters at no cost from Kerrygold. All recipes and commentary are mine.

Happy Birthday! No, not mine, but it’s the one year anniversary of the Recipe Swap, a group put together by Christianna Burwell. Started as a way to build community and create a challenge for all of us, we are assigned a recipe from an old cookbook that Christianna found at the Tanque Verde Swap Meet. Titled All-Day Singin’ and Dinner on the Ground, it’s a hymnal and recipe book by Albert E. Brumley and the cookbook is still available for sale on the Brumley Music website.  The recipes evoke a simpler time and the need for the constant care of a dish; no digital thermometers or Thermidor ovens involved, when paying close care is how you knew a dish was complete. Christianna was inspired to start this project that nods to these recipes from the past and allows us to put our personal spin on them reflective of our own tastes and schedules.

I’ve only been involved for the past couple of months but have enjoyed not only the opportunity to put my creative hat on and make something that is inspired by an old recipe but to see what my band of contemporaries do as well. They are all linked at the bottom of this post; please take some time to peruse what everyone has done with this recipe for Maple Syrup Cake and a Happy Birthday to my fellow swappers!

I tried to avoid what seems predictable. But say Maple and my mind rushes to Maple Bourbon Bacon. My second experience with charcuterie and a life changing one. I doubt I will ever buy bacon from the grocery store again! All things kept leading to something that would combine the sweet and savory of bacon with a maple flavored cake. That seemed in keeping with Christianna’s wish that we reflect on this past year and I can not deny that charcuterie has been a big part of it. Not just as a sponsor of a yearlong event using Michael Ruhlman’s book but as a participant and learner as well.

Add to that my growing relationships with people on Twitter far and wide this past year and it also somehow seemed prophetic that I use the Canadian maple syrup I received from my friend Paula at Vanilla Bean Baker in Canada. Those relationships are not just a form of vacuous and empty connections; they are very real and Paula has become a friend and sweet supporter not just of me but all across the wide swath her generosity covers.

Maybe the biggest reflection that impacts me from the past year is how far I have come since this time last year. Suffering a major injury (I had NO idea how major!) in February of 2010, I found myself still very limited this time last year, 9 months after breaking my knee and suffering extraordinary soft tissue damage from my ankle to my thigh. I expected to be up and running within a couple of months so that I never set foot on one blade of grass last summer, barely left my home and felt isolated as I had never before in my life was not expected and was quite simply life changing.

Despite still requiring a cane, I am the first to recognize that life as I knew it is starting to return. This year has seen the organization of a local blogger group, a trip to Snowmass, CO for a culinary event and heading out to parts unknown to meet friends for drinks and not worrying about how I will manage. I just recently assisted with the planning for a local food blogger event at Ototo, a Denver restaurant. This time last year? I would have said no without any consideration at all. So thank you Cristianna; for me this reflection has been good. No one needs to be reminded of my progress more than me!

I have to also give Christianna some credit for this choice. She tweeted this morning that she was in Boulder and I was immediately reminded of the Chocolate and Bacon cupcake at Boulder’s Tee and Cakes and I was done. I didn’t want to replicate that cupcake but I recall how much I loved the combination of sweet and salty and that was with ‘storebought’ bacon. I was excited to have some of my own home cured bacon available. I eventually settled on the idea of making a cupcake but adding cornmeal to the mix. I love corn muffins with maple syrup and bacon on the side…so why not a cornbread cupcake with bacon in the mix, a maple frosting and some bacon garnish. I was sorely tempted to throw in some bourbon but held off and am glad I did; bourbon in frosting means it has not cooked off any of the alcohol and would not make these family friendly and in every other way they are. So no bourbon (but try a tablespoon in the frosting if you must!).

Christmas seems to have come early for me this year. A ring of the bell, no one there but luckily I spy a package on the stoop. As I bent to retrieve the box and noticed it was from the Irish Dairy Board, I quickly looked up and down the street for Santa or even fairies; I knew what this was and it was a present…for ME!

It’s no secret I love Kerrygold. Long before I even knew they had butter, we had discovered Dubliner cheese and it’s nutty flavor means it’s not only a favorite to have on hand for snacking but it’s often our go to cheese in lieu of Parmesan, it’s that good. I even made some macaroni and cheese I dubbed ‘Golden Mac and Cheese’ in honor of how fabulous it is with Kerrygold Dubliner in it.

I grew up in a family that used margarine; I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that the first time I tried butter I was not a fan. Times have changed and now I’m not just a fan but I’m picky about butter…it’s all Kerrygold’s fault. Try these Brown Butter Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies and you’ll see why. I blame the butter.

So back to the box. Inside a cooled container were tubs of new Kerrygold products; their Naturally Softer and Reduced Fat Butters. Though their regular butter is considered perfect for baking; I recently had some that was softened sitting on my counter and I spread it on my morning toast. I even tweeted about how good it was. Oh my gosh…do you think they created these products just for me? Shh…don’t burst my bubble; I am going to presume that’s exactly how it went down (forget that just happened two weeks ago…they have fairies, they work FAST!).

I am one of several bloggers that have been invited to compete in a contest using these new products, developed more specifically for use other than baking so I thought developing a compound butter would be fun. I don’t do a lot of these things. I consider myself a creative cook but not a recipe developer. I don’t sit and plan and put together ingredients; I just do. And so I hoped I wouldn’t be sorry that I accepted this challenge.

Luckily I found my inspiration from a cocktail. That’s right…I was using cranberries to create a new cocktail and it hit me how appropriate it would be to combine both the butter and the berries I love. And I mean LOVE. After years of that canned mess; from the first recipe I ever made using fresh berries I’ve been hooked. My first thoughts went to cranberries and maple syrup but I’ve done that before with cranberry sauce and wanted something a bit more unique. Orange? Sort of typical with cranberries but that’s because it is so good and I thought the zest would be pretty with the candied berries I was now planning to use. But it’s the walnuts that put this over the top.

The wheels kept churning and through just a bit of trial and error I have something I love. I mean, could sit and eat it with a spoon type love. After covering the finished product, it was back in the fridge to cool and I had some time to think how best to serve it. Truth is, this butter would be good on a cracker but I wanted something more. And that something more became French toast. Another sort of ‘just do’ moment in that I had half a loaf of French bread leftover from last night’s dinner. I could count on one hand how often I’ve actually had French bread for French toast so it sort of called to me; all I had to do was answer!

Perfect as is but in our family French toast without maple syrup just does not happen so I took the dish one step further and made some cranberry compote with a touch of maple syrup. Why have I never done this before??

This would be a perfect breakfast dish for a holiday gathering but in the meantime? I’m calling it dinner!

I received these butters at no cost from Kerrygold. All recipes and commentary are mine.

That name is a mouthful isn’t it. And this cake is too. When our fearless leader Abby Dodge, she of Bon Appetit, numerous cookbooks and now #baketogether fame posted that we would be doing coffee cake this month, it seemed destined from the start for me that I would be mixing it up with some apples. While most of the food blogging world has gone bananas over pumpkin, this time of year is my time for apples. Pumpkin will get its’ chance with me but in November where it belongs!

I’m in love with honey crisp apples and I may have bought a few too many thinking I would be wanting to keep that doctor away. The idea of putting them into a coffee cake drizzled with caramel sauce seemed perfect on many levels.

• I had apples (using things I have on hand is surely a strong thread in my culinary journey)
• I wanted to experiment with making an espresso caramel sauce; seemed perfect that a ‘coffee’ cake would have a touch of espresso
• Abby’s recipe sounded like a great way to bring it all together

I made a few revisions to Abby’s basic recipe but not a lot. I decided to limit some of the spiciness of the batter so there are no cloves in sight. I also used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. It’s lowfat, I can eat it for breakfast with homemade granola and it seems to work just like sour cream in baked goods so I guess it’s true that Greek yogurt is my go to sour cream.

Some might wonder why I decided to top this cake with quickly sauteed apples when there were apples already pressed into the top. Oh how I hate this ‘woe is me’ part of my life but again, just chalk it up to altitude! I made my standard substitutions but think I forgot to turn up the heat in my oven and both the center of the cake and I were a bit depressed. I never remake a recipe; this is food we eat but I always try to find a solution…so that one lone apple had a purpose and as fate would have it; I liked having that addition to the end results, both in looks and flavor.

I used my recipe for Rum Caramel Sauce for the Espresso Caramel Sauce and noted substitutions. I love the flavor, subtle but a definite touch of espresso.

Interested in joining us? Just go get signed up for Abby’s RSS feed to get notified of the next topic; make it, post it anytime in the time frame and let us know via the #baketogether hash tag and by leaving a comment on the post at Abby’s site. Come on…let’s #baketogether!

I was afraid tonight I was going to have to change my name completely. I have long had intentions of changing my last name but I’ve kept my ex-husband’s name to make it easier for our kids. OK, enough is enough, right? Lauren just turned 28 and is on her own (there might be a ‘finally’ lurking in there somewhere!) and I no longer have to worry about schools or friends trying to find me for any reason and not knowing my last name. Some time ago I decided my new last name would be Baker. Why? My maiden name is Bathe. Go ahead, pronounce it. You would be wrong. It’s not associated with bathing at all but has a long ‘e’ and is pronounced Baythee. I grew tired of always having to spell it and pronounce it for EVERYONE. So then I married someone  with all the same issues…how I long for simple. I’ve put a lot of thought into it. Starts with the same letter…the same two even. Still five letters. Most people know how to pronounce AND spell it and well, I might love to bake just a bit. Now hopefully I will find time soon to bring it to fruition.

Then there is the first name. Tonight I channeled a Food Network personality and was sure I was destined to be Sandra Lee Baker. Yes, her…you know who I’m referring to. The one with the shortcuts that most of us look at and just grimace. But I was almost there and then I was rescued by a loaf of freshly made French bread.

I’ve just recently started participating in Recipe Swap, an effort that is organized by Christianna from Burwell General Store. Our fearless leader chooses a recipe from a very old cookbook and we put our own spin on it. Last month I reneged on rabbit but managed Welsh Wabbit; substituting chicken for the rabbit and instead of a stew, offering smoked chicken over mashed potatoes with a beer/cheese sauce. It was fun to modify something and make it more current and that dish was so good!

When I first saw the recipe for this month I was delighted. The  ‘Hot Slaw’ was perfect. I had a recipe of sorts that I’ve made for years. It was one of the few times I can remember spending some time in the kitchen with my Dad and making something he had always just pulled together and I thought I could pull that same rabbit out of the hat combined with a story of my youth. It was slaw, it was hot and it would be perfect.  So perfect that I didn’t stress and just made sure I had ingredients on hand and yes, waited until the last minute because, well, it was a no brainer, right?. And then it happened. My daughter dropped by late afternoon and I’m sure that must have been the reason something at the very back of my mind wiggled it’s way forward and I did a search on my own blog and…NO; please…say it ain’t so! It would have been OK if it was an old recipe just in text but nope… just about a year ago, photo and all for Warm Bacon Slaw that I had helped her make for friends. Uh oh.

This revelation occurred late enough in the afternoon that I became a frantic hot mess. Find something else, shower, dress, get to the store and get the dish made, photographed and this post done in a bit more than 4 hours. I thought I could pull it off and that’s where Sandra Lee was supposed to help. I wanted to do something unique and LOVED this dish I found for Pagach (Slovak Cabbage Bread). I knew there was no way I was going to be able to make bread and that’s where Sandy took over my thinking. I would buy some of that bread in a can…I was sure it would be OK and I sure didn’t have time for proofing so I was set and off I went…feeling slightly guilty but determined nonetheless.

Lucky for me I found an even better solution. The first thing I saw when I walked into the market were loaves of freshly baked French bread…and I was able to let Sandy go AND give myself an even bigger break; I know you will all understand. I did modify my version to include some bacon, balsamic vinegar and cheddar cheese. I had no idea at 4pm that this sandwich would be going on this post this evening but I must say that for all of the rush, the bit of stress and the mess my kitchen is in now…this sandwich is tasty, easy and a real winner. And I’m happy that I’m still Barb even if wishing a bit for a Baker.

The deed is done and here I am with secrets to share. If you’ve been a reader of my website that was located at VinoLuciStyle.com and have come here from there; you know I’ve made a change; a huge leap of faith. This is my new home and I hope you come and join me often. If you’re new here and interested in the why’s of the change, I’ve told the story after the recipe; I’m excited and a bit nervous…but mostly excited! I’m sorry if you are feeling some disappointment expecting that I would confess to my finally going off to live out a James Bond fantasy.

My other secret has to do with…tada…FOOD! I’ve recently joined an online blogging group and am now also a part of their ‘Secret Recipe Club.’ Once a month each group member is assigned a blog to post a recipe from by the groups moderator and mine this month was Feast on the Cheap. Don’t you just love the name of that blog? I mean really…don’t we all want to do EXACTLY that?  It’s run by the mother/daughter team of Mary Anne and Mariel; do visit their blog not ‘just’ for fabulous recipes but they also do a cost analysis of ingredients. I know you will love discovering this blog; I know I did!

As part of the recipe club, we get to pick the recipe we want to prepare and for me, this pizza was so perfect. I can not remember the last time I had a pizza with red sauce and meat. For me I think it all started with a pizza very similar to this one that I had at a local California Pizza Kitchen and I’ve not looked back. Our pizza of choice now most often includes an olive oil base and wonderful fresh ingredients. One of my favorites includes spinach, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese and another was this totally unique but Oh My Yum! Lemon Ricotta Pizza with Herbs and Honey.

I’ve made my own version of Feast on the Cheap’s White Pizza with Sweet Pears and Balsamic-Glazed Figs; changed ever so slightly and not quite as cheap! I’ve switched out the cilantro for some walnuts and used more pears and cheese I admit. I served this for dinner but it would also made a terrific appetizer if cut into smaller portions.

I would typically make my own pizza dough but I didn’t have any whole wheat flour; was at a market to get some pork belly for bacon (yes, that post will show up soon!) and saw little bundles of whole wheat pizza dough made by Il Fornaio Restaurant and Bakery. They don’t sell the dough to the public in their restaurant but it’s available locally at Tony’s Market. I had never tried whole wheat pizza dough before but it seemed perfect for a pizza with fruits, nuts and cheese and it was exactly that.

It was easy and perfect for a light lunch with some colleagues as we discussed how to get my car to fire up the jet engine packs without burning up the garage as they are also now dedicated towards my living out the James Bond thing.

So glad you’re here!

Not totally a secret is it?

May 16, 2011

No longer posting from Vino Luci Style (a little bit of a sob but really, it’s all good); I’m changing my identity to something old and something new. So today is the day. It feels a bit like I’m leaving an old friend but really…most about that old friend will be transferred and I’m so excited about a new, fresh, bright look. I hope you will be too!

I know I’ve mentioned it to some folks, but I have been putting recipes online since 1995. After a year long stint at a cable company in their Internet Division, I made a decision to get into the web development world and as a course requirement, we had to craft our own website. It wasn’t surprising then and even less so now that my very first website was for recipes! It was quite simply a home for my favorite things. No photos or stories, simply hundreds of html pages with a recipe and instructions and it has served me, my family and my friends well for all these many years. When I started this blog it was a something of a fluke…a companion to my web store at VinoLuci.com and an opportunity (I thought!) to market the store and more importantly, an exercise for me to learn firsthand all about WordPress for Kinetic Webs, my web development business. Fast forward two and a half years and this blog has become so much more than that.

For me there was an identity crisis. The domain name was not food related but was an offshoot of a store with wine accessories. So reverting back to the name of the ‘old’ girl’ seemed a good idea. Creative Culinary was more clearly a website with culinary interests but even more? I felt a burning desire for the legitimacy of all of those years of sharing recipes. On the 1st anniversary of this blog I asked the question, ‘Is it the 1st or 15th and while many agreed that I deserved ownership of 15 years of blogging about food; some thought not and I won’t deny…that bothered me! I was a pioneer, not a newbie and the seed was planted that I needed to find a way back to that history of sharing food experiences.

That thought lay dormant for most of the past year; work and personal responsibilities took precedence with my time but one day I heard, again, for the THOUSANDTH time, ‘I thought you were a wine blog’ and I knew it was time for a change. Though I can not deny, I do love wine and have great fun putting together wine tastings and coordinating events for a local wine group; this blog is not about wine at all save for a casual mention. It is about the passion I have for the food I prepare and how I love sharing it with others, both around my table and on this blog through recipes and photographs.

So…moving forward Creative-Culinary.com it is and I have to tell you…just saying that, just thinking it AND just knowing the effort to make it so is almost over? Well, that makes me happy and I’m glad it’s a secret no more!

I still have more of those years of recipes to add, but everything from VLS is already here…and I’m so glad you joined me!

If you are currently a subscriber to Vino Luci Style, that should transfer to my new feed but if you would rather be safe than sorry, please visit and sign up for my Creative Culinary RSS feed (where I’m sure I have some work to do!). I’m now on Twitter as @creativculinary and over the next week or so will be working feverishly to connect everything else and I am sure you will see me peddling as fast as I can!

Thanks for being a part of this experience and I’m hoping you will stick with me on the journey!

I was 28 when I moved to Raleigh, NC from a suburb of St. Louis, MO. I had been married for just a couple of years when my husband was offered a management job with a telecommunications company and I was excited about the move. It was going to be hard to leave my young sister and niece that I adored but it was an adventure that I was ready for. I had spent all of my life in one place and though Raleigh may not seem all that adventurous to many…the distance from home qualified it for me! The language barrier was my only issue but I learned to ‘Hey’ and ‘Y’all’ with the best of them in my ten years there.

As it turned out, our next door neighbors were also from St. Louis…talk about a coincidence.  They were a few years older and had a wonderful little girl; we had a wonderful dog and between the six of us, we bonded quickly and spent a lot of time together. Jane and I both loved to cook as did Alma Snyder, a retired woman who lived in the same complex with her husband. Alma became much like a mother to me; sometimes more so as we had great fun cooking together. Alma and her husband were German immigrants and so much of what we did together seemed an extension of the wonderful times I had spent cooking with my adored Grandmother Bathe.

I will never forget the weekend we decided to do a potluck between our families because it was at that meal when I was introduced to Quiche Lorraine. At that point in my life; although a decent cook and something I already loved to do, my experience was limited most often to the dishes I had helped make growing up; casseroles, meatloaf, fried chicken…those Midwestern staples.

Don’t laugh but I really thought Quiche Lorraine the epitome of sophistication. I had never once had anything in a pie crust that wasn’t sweet and of course, the French name sealed the deal for me. I had spent several years in high school learning French I never used…but now, now I was eating a real French dish. C’est tres bien!

Over the years, poor Quiche Lorraine has been abused and accused. Outdated, too simple…and we’ve all heard it right? ‘Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche!’ – You have to wonder why that phrase came to be. It’s not like it’s made of lavender and roses; it’s bacon, cheese, eggs and crust for crying out loud…with some cayenne and mustard thrown in for good measure! If real men don’t eat those then why would they ever touch many breakfast dishes? Plus I’ve got a secret about guys and quiche that I think it’s high time I professed…I’ve never once offered a slice of quiche to a man and heard him say, “No thanks…I’m a real man and I don’t eat quiche.” They’ve always gobbled it up so I think it’s time you came out of the closet guys and professed your love!

This is one of my two favorite, easy to fix and yet deeply gratifying meals, for both their simplicity and the end result (spaghetti carbonara is the other). While I will typically make my own crust, I also have no qualms about using prepared pie crusts (well, maybe a few…don’t mock me forever or call me Sandra Lee, please?). I always have a couple of the rolled up crusts in my freezer that you thaw and put into your own pie plate. They look and taste decent and sometimes, that ease factor makes them perfect for me so if you’re not into crust making; don’t let that stop you from making quiche.

I will mix up ingredients on a regular basis. Alma’s original Quiche Lorraine did not include caramelized onions and called for Swiss cheese where I’ve used a wonderful Aged Cheddar from my friends at Kerrygold USA; I’ve grown very fond of their products…an intervention might be necessary but I would much prefer a new, separate facility at my favorite Costco so that they can carry more and more of their cheeses (wonder if they have started to recognize my handwriting on those request cards yet, hmm?). This cheese was a gift from Kerrygold but they asked for nothing in return; they already know they have my undying love!

Might not be so totally French anymore but I assure you mesdames and messieurs; lads and lassies…you will love it!