Little Ivy Cakes

BREAKFAST THINGS

It was my turn again to bring in breakfast for my department at work and it was actually a great success. The thing is that, most of the time when I go to make something, I want it to be a challenge and something different so I make recipes I have never made before. Sometimes I get a bit worried at the last minute that things will flop though. When taking chances on new recipes, you always run the risk of possibly not having anything to take to that event you are attending. Ha!
I would say though that my new-recipe-trials always seem to turn out with a passing grade or higher-No real tragedies. Haha!

Anyway, the quiche was the star of the show this time however, everyone said everything was REALLY good. *phew*, could you imagine if all the food turned out really bad and uncooked or something, mmmmm-not so good, I would have some hungry people not so happy with me. Hahaha!

Ivy's Friday Breakfast Menu:
-Light and Fluffy Spinach & Sharp Cheddar Quiche
*Flawless but had to cook for an hour-a little too long for my patience.*

-Baked Golden Delicious Apples filled with a Savory Sweet Stuffing
*Apples didn't get as soft as I usually like, even after an hour of baking, (Fuji, Pink Lady, Macintosh) but they were still good and very pretty. Stuffing was good but bacon in stuffing got a little chewy.*

-Mini Bursting Cranberry Orange Muffins
*No complaints, I thought the cranberries would be too sour but they weren't too bad.*

THE RECIPES
Quiche

Ingredients
1 Frozen deep dish Pie shell made by "Mrs. Smith's" or if you're feeling extra ambitious make your own quiche shell. (I heard the "Brass" sisters, who are these cute little old ladies that are cooks and have written some cooks books, say the radio(KCRW) say that frozen shells are just as good and there's no shame in buying them. So there.)
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temp
3/4 cup whole milk, room temp
5 "large" eggs however mine didn't look very large, room temp and lightly beaten
1 small shallot (1/2 sliced into rings for top decoration, 1/2 finely chopped)
1 glove garlic (finely chopped)
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs fresh dill pieces torn into pieces
2 medium handfuls fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese plus 1/4 cup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch or two of nutmeg

-Preheat oven to 375F
-Bake shell until slightly golden brown, take out of oven and set aside.
-In a small frying pan saute garlic, shallots, 1 tbs pepper, and dill until soft-not browned.
-In a glass bowl mix heavy whipping cream, milk and eggs until well mixed.
-Add salt, cayenne, nutmeg, garlic and shallot sautee. mix well.
-Sprinkle grated cheese and lightly mix in.
-Lightly mix in spinach leaves.

-Pour into Pie shell
-Arrange shallot rings around the edges for decoration
-Lightly sprinkle with table-pepper
-Bake for 1 hour or until knife comes clean when stuck in the middle and middle is no longer wobbly.
-Let sit a couple minutes out of the oven and then serve warm.

Baked Apples

6 Golden Delicious apples(they are really pretty looking when baked but you can really choose your favorite apple to bake.
1 bag Seasoned stuffing( I like Mrs. Cubbison's)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped apple
11 already cooked and crispy bacon strips
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cup juice or water (I used some strawberry kiwi juice I had on hand)

-Sautee butter, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and apples until soft.
-Then add in stuffing crumbs and mix.
-Then slowly add liquid as stirring.
-Add bacon pieces and mix. Set stuffing aside.

-Rinse apples and with a melon-baller spoon thing take core out of apple leaving the bottom still in tact.
Place in a baking pan and poor a little melted butter over the apples and rub some cinnamon inside the apple.
-Then fill apples with stuffing and then put some golden raisins on top, you can also take some 1/4 bacon strips and have them kinda sticking out of the apple.

-Pour juice in the bottom of the baking dish, cover apples with foil and bake until apples are soft. Golden Delicious take a while(1 hour).

-Drizzle honey and serve warm.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

zest of 1 orange
1/2 bag fresh cranberries
1 drop red and 1 drop yellow food colouring
Coarse sugar and orange zest of 1 orange for top of muffins
6 tbs unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 egg yolk
1 egg
1 tbs vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar1
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

-Preheat oven to 350F
-Melt butter in a saucepan, then take off heat and whisk in milk, egg yolk, egg,vanilla,food colouring, and orange zest.
-In a medium mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
-Slowly add the butter mix to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
-Add cranberries and mix.
-Pour batter into mini muffin tin for 30 muffins.
-Sprinkle coarse sugar and orange zest over the top of the batter.
Bake for 10 minutes or toothpick comes clean.

The End!