Sausage & Cheese Quiche

I absolutely love quiche.  I think it is so versatile because you can change the fillings at any time.  Don't want sausage? Swap in some bacon.  Don't want any meat? Add some spinach, or asparagus, or mushrooms.  Switch up the cheese.  Switch up the seasonings.  It's basically an omelette in a pie shell.  For this recipe, I received inspiration from a magazine and then built my own from there.  For this quiche, I used Opa's Jalapeño Smoked Sausage and some shredded Gouda cheese that I had in the fridge.  I like looking at what I have leftover in the fridge and making something yummy out of it :) The leftover sausage will most likely be used in a delicious jambalaya in the next few days.  If you don't have access to Opa's sausage, any link-style sausage or even a bulk sausage will work.  If using a bulk sausage, I suggest using 1/2 pound.  You can substitute leeks, white onion, yellow onion, shallots, or even purple onion for the green onion.  Enjoy!

Sausage & Cheese Quiche

• 1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked (homemade, frozen, store-bought, whatever)
• 2 small links Opa's Jalapeño Smoked Sausage, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2/3 cup shredded Gouda cheese
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup half-and-half
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F.  Slice sausage into rounds and lightly brown on both sides in a skillet over medium heat. You can cut the sausage into smaller pieces if you desire.  If using bulk sausage, crumble and brown the sausage thoroughly.  Remove sausage from the skillet, removing all the grease except for approximately 1 Tablespoon.  Add onions to the pan and sauté lightly.  Place sausage, onions, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, and salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.  Pour over the sausage-onion-cheese mixture.  Bake for 25-35 minutes or until the eggs are set and the top is lightly browned.

Grandma's Beef Vegetable Soup

Although it was a whopping 72 degrees here today (yes, you read that right), I planned on making my grandmother's homemade beef vegetable soup.  I just couldn't help myself :)  There are people around this nation that aren't quite as lucky as we are to have such nice warm weather.  Regardless, soup I wanted!  I will write the recipe as I have normally done it, with notes at the bottom if you decide to use a slow cooker as I did this time.  I truly believe the meat was more tender by utilizing this method.  It wouldn't be Grandma's soup without saltine crackers and Muenster cheese to accompany it but cornbread will work just fine as well.  Enjoy!

Grandma's Beef Vegetable Soup

• approximately 2 pounds of leftover pot roast (I typically use a package of pot roast mix with the oven bag to cook the roast) OR 2 pounds chuck roast
• 1 package pot roast seasoning mix with an oven bag
• 1 1/2 - 2 quarts of water 
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2-3 celery stalks, chopped (including leaves)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp parsley flakes
• 2 8-oz cans tomato sauce
• 3-4 carrots, sliced
• 1/4 head cabbage, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• Italian seasoning
• black pepper
• salt
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can green beans, drained 

When preparing roast for a separate dinner and using the leftovers for the soup, follow the directions on the package of the mix to prepare the roast.  When ready to prepare the soup, boil the water in a large stockpot.  Add onion, celery, garlic, parsley flakes, tomato sauce, and beef bouillon.  Put the lid on the pot and decrease the heat to low.  Add carrots, cabbage, and potatoes.  Cut the roast into bite-size pieces and add to the stockpot with the pan drippings.  Sprinkle with a little Italian seasoning, black pepper, and salt, to taste.  Put the lid on and bring to a boil on medium heat.  Cook for 30 minutes, checking and stirring periodically.  When potatoes are tender, add corn and green beans and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes.  May continue to simmer or keep on warm until ready to serve.  Serve with cornbread, or as Grandma typically did, saltine crackers and Muenster cheese.

*As an option, the roast can be cooked directly before, not as a separate dinner.  Frozen corn and green beans can be substituted for the canned variety.

Slow Cooker version

Take the roast and place directly in at least a 4 quart slow cooker.  Sprinkle the seasoning from the packet directly on top of the roast.  Add 1/2 cup of water to the pot, being careful not to wash all the seasonings off the roast.  Cook on high for 3 hours.  Remove the roast from the pot and set aside.  Turn heat to low and add 1 1/2-2 quarts of water.  Throw in the bouillon cubes and remaining ingredients, including the cut-up roast, except the corn and green beans.  Cook on low for 5 hours.  Add the corn and green beans and continue cooking on low for 1 hour. Keep on warm until ready to serve.

Welcome!!

Welcome to The Honey Hole!  This blog was started in response to a crazy idea I had coupled with the support of friends and family who are frequently interested in what I am making next.  As some of you may or may not know, a "honey hole" is typically used as a fishing term to describe an area where a great amount of fish or big fish can be caught.  It is also slang for a location that yields a valued commodity or resource.  In response to that, who doesn't love good food?!  I don't know about you but good food is a valued commodity in my world and it would tickle me pink to share all these wonderful goodies with you!  It is almost a divine moment when I am in the kitchen, cooking or baking to my heart's content, making a tried-and-true dish or experimenting with a new recipe.  I hope you will join me along this journey, ask questions and provide positive feedback :)

I hope you'll be waiting for the first recipe that pops up here.  I have tons of recipes, but no pictures of them, so please be patient as I get those together.  They're coming soon!

Happy Eating!