Asparagus and Ham Quiche; Too Much Information

The South Africans are after me!

Yes, not just one, but two, lovely ladies from South Africa have made the mistake of asking for more information about little, old me…..

African Vanielje from Vanielje Kitchen and Jeanne from CookSister have tagged me for a meme to divulge little known facts about moi!

They have no idea what they may have unleashed…..

What were you doing 10 years ago?

We were getting settled in Andorra.  We had moved from sea level in Ireland to the mountains of Andorra and were getting used to living at altitude.

And we were getting used to the vast array of characters one finds in an expat community bound by only one commonality: speaking English.

There was the sweet, petite, frail-looking, white-haired lady who lived up the mountain – that ran with the bulls in Pamplona every summer and got outrageously drunk for 10 straight days at Christmas.
There was the dapper, silvered haired gent, in his 80’s – that always wore an ascot, was the senior down-hill ski champion in Europe, had fought with the French Foreign Legion, and used to steal anything that wasn’t tied down (including the Christmas turkey from the white-haired lady).
There was our venerated Walk Leader that was convinced one should never drink water when walking in the mountains on hot summer days – salt sandwiches were much better, washed down with a glass of vinegar water.

I’m not certain which required the greater adjustment….

And I’m not sure which I miss more: the mountains or the people…

What were you doing one year ago?

Easy answer: SSDD    (Same Shit, Different Day)

Weeding, cooking, weeding, blogging, garden clean-up, weeding, gardening, trimming, ….

It’s spring; we live in the country; we have 9 acres… What the F*** do you think we do in the spring????
And if it ever quits raining maybe I can get….sorry, got carried away there for a minute...

Five snacks you enjoy?

Question:  Are you using the word ‘enjoy’ to mean snacks that I actually eat?

Or are you asking what I would enjoy if health, money and credibility as a food blogger were of no issue?

I’m feeling generous – I’ll answer both ways.

I actually ‘enjoy’ eating:

Fresh, warm, brown bread with honey
Cold leftover risotto whilst standing in the fridge
Nuts: walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, freshly picked from their shells
Tomato bread
Homemade dill pickles

I would ‘enjoy’ eating:

Fresh, warm brown bread with smoked salmon and full fat cream cheese
Cold, leftover pepperoni pizza with extra cheese
Nuts: roasted, salted, oily, cashews, peanuts, smoked almonds…by the handful
Tomato bread con Jamon de Jabugo y Manchego
Potato chips with Lipton Onion Soup and Cream Cheese dip (no sour cream for me!)…by the bowlful

Oh, I could go on a bit with this list…. I haven’t even gotten to the beverages to sip whilst ‘enjoying’.

Five things I’d do if I were a millionaire  (This must be old, a million doesn’t buy much anymore… So I’m told.)

Figure out how to make it last for the rest of my life – then:
Finish restoring our house – quickly rather than, um, leisurely
Travel: I would like to spend a month in all the major cities in Europe taking cooking and language courses in each.
Fly back to the U.S. (first  business class: rich, yes, foolish, no) more often to see the family
Travel: to the Orient, various countries – never been; always wanted to
Travel: to Africa – various countries – never been; always wanted to

And if I were a multi: give lots to the groups and organizations that now I can only give a little to and set up educational trusts for the little nieces and nevvies..

Five bad habits
Computer games:  It’s just a quick break; it doesn’t take any time; what’s a quick game of Freecell, Spider, Backgammon, etc.  I’m addicted to all of them.  Don’t even mention Sudoku!
Bad time management:  I’m always convinced that  I can do more in 60 minutes than is possible to to in twice that.  So I am always trying to do too much in too little time and  running around frantically at the end.
Being late: see above.  Same reasons, obvious results.
Buying books:  If you buy them over the internet, on Amazon, it’s not real money is it?
Snacking while standing in the refrigerator door:  They’re not real calories if one is standing, right?

Five things you like doing

Traveling, anywhere.  I love road trips – I can catch up on reading all my magazines.
Dinner out.  But it has to be good food at a nice restaurant or I don’t bother.
Computer games.  Yup, I love them!  I’ve always loved games of any and every sort.
Reading.  I don’t often get the chance to sit and read in the middle of the day – except when I’m riding my exercise bike….
Outdoor exercise.  Riding my bicycle, playing golf, walking in the mountains or on the beach.
Painting  That was six...

Five things you’d never wear again

Hot pants.  My favorite pair was only about 5 inches long…total.
Mini-skirts.  Though they were a bit longer, 7 inches, maybe.
Power suits.  Been there, done that.  Along with the power suits comes the power hassles.
5″ spike heels.  Or 4″.  Or 3″.  I have learned to value foot comfort.  If men think legs look good on top of high, spindly heels, they can wear them!
Ruffles.  Can’t believe I ever wore them but – sadly, my mother has the photos….

Five favorite toys

Hmmmmm
My ‘Mensa Absolutely Nasty Sudoku’ book of puzzles, level 4.  If  you do Sudoko, and have not heard of X-wings, squirmbags and grid coloring, this book is not for you! Migraine and black belt level are child’s play.
My computer.  It can be so many things….
My camera.  It’s so tiny and so powerful…and it’s all mine!
My bicycle.  It sets me free.
My watercolors and colored pencils. They help me see.

Been wondering what the photos are?  The teasers?

Been wondering what the first thing I made with that lovely ham was?

There was the odd ‘end chunk’, perfect to cut up and toss in a quiche!

For those who don’t know, I don’t make pie crusts…I still make quiche.  I often cook extra rice to have on hand for the crusts – which makes this an incredibly easy dinner!

Ham and Asparagus Quiche with a Rice Crust

The crust:
2 cups cooked rice (I used a mix of red and brown)
1/2 cup (2oz, 60gr)  shredded cheese
1 egg

Lightly whisk egg.  Mix rice, cheese and egg.  Pat into a lightly oiled quiche pan, working it up the sides a bit for the edges.  Bake in 400F (200C) oven for 10 minutes.

The filling:
6oz ham or bacon, cut into small pieces and fried
15oz (400gr) can or jar of green asparagus spears
3 – 4 tbs snipped, fresh garlic or regular chives
3 eggs
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
3/4 cup milk (or all milk)
3/4 cup shredded cheese

Lay asparagus on crust, like spokes on a wheel.  Sprinkle ham evenly over the asparagus.  Sprinkle the cheese on the ham.  Whisk the eggs, yogurt and milk together.  Add the chives.  Pour over the top and bake, 30 minutes, 400F (200C).  Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before cutting.

Why use canned asparagus when fresh is in season?

Laziness.

And I have a lot of it from my last shopping trip to Andorra.  If I don’t use it soon I won’t get to go shopping again….

Besides, I like it!