A Recipe for Fancy Fun

I promised you something special this week, remember?

This past weekend was my daughter's Prom Weekend and it was spectacular. I've posted boatloads of pictures on Facebook, so please be sure to stop by and take a peek.

In the meantime, however, I want to share a little of the fun with you. Don't worry, I've included a recipe too. But, as always, there's a story behind it. And there's a blast from my own prom past at the very end...

First we start with Friday night. Pictures at our house. I didn't count the number of kids, but I heard we had 27 all together. Add in parents, sibs, grandparents, neighbors and friends, and there were a whole lotta people here!

At right: The group in rainbow order.

Fortunately, the rain held off and we were able to take a few shots outside. We probably should have tried to do rainbow order again, but it didn't matter. Aren't they all gorgeous?

The kids decided to forego the traditional limo (there were just too many of them and they didn't like the idea of splitting up) and decided to rent a trolley instead.

(That's my daughter, and her friend) The prom was held at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. What a wonderful place for a party. I wonder what the fish were thinking?

This is one of my favorite pictures:

The trolley dropped them all back off here at about 2:00 AM. Boys went home and the girls stayed here for a sleepover. The boys were supposed to rejoin them here for breakfast Saturday morning before the group took off for new activities, but we only got 2 takers. You think maybe the boys decided to sleep in?

Altogether we had about 14 kids for breakfast (see, you knew I would bring food into play in this post, right?). We served bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, fruit, bagels, pancakes, muffins, and toast. I had planned to serve the spinach quiche too (this prom is for my veggie daughter, after all) but we really had *so* much food, and we were getting a bit busy preparing it all that I decided to forego the quiche for one day. We had it for breakfast Sunday instead. Yum!!

This recipe is from Eggsecutive Orders and if you enjoy quiche, you'll be sure to like this one. Although not difficult to prepare, it is a bit time-consuming (another reason why we decided not to serve it Saturday), and I found that pouring the 4 egg mixture over the top was just too much. I think 2 eggs would have been enough. But maybe I just didn't buy a deep enough deep dish pie crust. As alway, YMMV (your mileage may vary).

In the spirit of fancy ... whether it be for prom or for any celebration that inspires you to create a fun and delicious breakfast, you'll want to keep this quiche recipe handy!

Spinach Quiche

½ cup butter

3 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and finely minced

1 small onion, trimmed, peeled, and finely chopped

1 pint fresh mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced

1 (10-oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

4 ounces herbed feta cheese, crumbled

8 ounces good-quality Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

½ teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, or to taste

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 deep dish pie crust, unbaked

4 eggs

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and onion. Stir gently and cook until onion is soft and slightly browned on the edges, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir until warmed through and reduced, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, feta cheese, and half of the Cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Place mixture into unbaked pie shell.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until blended, add milk, whisk to combine well. Pour into pie shell over vegetable mixture.

Place filled pie shell on cookie sheet to keep it from overflowing.

Place into preheated oven. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes. Top quiche with remaining Cheddar cheese. Return to oven and bake for and additional 30 to 40 minutes. Quiche is done when the eggs are set and firm in the center.

Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Now... just for giggles, I'm including a pic from my prom oh-so-many years ago. My date's name was Iver and we went to his prom at St. Ignatius College Prep and to my prom at Maria High School. That was about the extent of our "dating" but I have fond memories of both events. He was a very nice young man.

How proms have changed. Back then I curled my own hair, used a little bit more mascara, and wore a dress I purchased on sale at Wieboldts. (Are they even in business anymore?) These days, it's so much more of an event. To be honest, as much work as it was to get the house set up for all the people, and to make breakfast for a dozen-plus kids, I really enjoyed every minute of the weekend. But I have to admit, I really loved the quiet of Sunday. And having that quiche all to ourselves was a nice treat!

But now it's time for me to turn the tables on you. Did you go to prom? Jump into the comments and share your fun (or horror) stories!

Julie

PS - I'm running the May contest (below) - I hope you take a look and consider entering!

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Julie's May Contest!

Julie’s first book in the Manor of Murder Mystery series, Grace Under Pressure, debuts June 1st! To help launch the book and to celebrate its release, she's running a very special contest: Pre-order Grace Under Pressure any time before May 31, 2010, and you're eligible to win a $25 gift certificate from Mystery Lovers Bookshop! (and if you've already pre-ordered, you just need to let Julie know!) No receipts required. Just email Julie at JulieHyzy@gmail.com with the date that you pre-ordered and the name of the bookstore you ordered it from, and your name goes in! (Please put "CONTEST" in the subject header. Thanks!)

Here are a few helpful links to get you started:Mystery Lovers Bookshop (free shipping on book orders over $10!) - Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore (my local bookstore - autographing available) - Barnes & Noble - Amazon.com

Speaking of contests... we have a winner for Riley's April contest! Congratulations to Stacy from Louisville! You've won the Williams-Sonoma’s Ultimate Grilling Rub Collection. We hope you enjoy it and thanks so much for entering the contest. We'll be emailing you soon with more information. Thanks!