Pantry Raid #1: Southwestern Quiche

      We were all sitting around the dining room table, full and satisfied from another one of my Mom's fabulous dinners. Well, nearly all of us. My Mom was rummaging through her numerous folders of successful recipes searching for the tomorrow's dinner. She looked in the nearly empty refrigerator, took two trips downstairs to observe the pantry shelves that held a variety of mismatched pasta, a lone can of tuna, and pizza sauce then with despair, she declared it a hopeless affair. Without a trip to the store, a proper dinner could not be served. Of course, there were a few other obscurities, but none of them as promising...well, to say the least. Considering our geographical positioning, the fact that we had just been at the grocery store that afternoon and the raise in gas prices, Mom did not want to go get groceries when we would be going to Wegmans the following day. However, things looked bleak. My Mom's father was coming up, my Dad is gluten-free and to the everyday chef, we had nothing of substance. No meat, no nothing. (And we all know that when there is no meat, there is no hope. Okay, that's a bit melodramatic, but this is a cooking blog; what do you expect?) Inspired by the challenge though, I did some crazy research which included going downstairs about five times, opening the refrigerator till I raised the electricity bill at least seven dollars and surfing the web for ideas. By the time I was done though, I had it all figured out. I reassured my Mom that there would indeed be dinner tomorrow and went to bed. 

      Now, what I made was based off of the recipes from this website but with my own twists. Kind of like a historical fiction, no? Or those movies that are based off of a true story... Anyway, along with this southwestern quiche, I made mexican broccoli and carrots (I made the adjustments of omitting the mushrooms and using some leftover corn. I also replaced the pepper with the same canned jalapeños I used in the quiche), biscuits, (and no, they did not turn out like the picture, but they sure were good!) and Mom dug some frozen applesauce out of the freezer since, (as she later admitted) she was a bit worried that there wouldn't be enough. However, there was enough. I made three quiches and the veggies were a hit! As were the biscuits and of course the applesauce...did I ever tell you that I have this thing for applesauce? We only ate two of the quiches which meant leftovers for lunch! And I apologize for there being no pictures, but honestly, I didn't plan on blogging about it and it was eaten so quickly that I didn't have the opportunity once the thought occurred to me. I can tell you though, that the quiche came out gorgeous and puffy, and tasted amazing. Everyone said it was a great dinner, especially considering that it was made out of everything that we had on hand. Oh, and earlier that afternoon I made two dozen vanilla cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting that also ended up being devoured with affection...but that's another post. :)  My friends, never, ever doubt the power of a pantry raid. 

Southwestern Quiche

• Flour or sprouted grain tortilla big enough to cover the bottom of your pie/quiche pan.
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I, unfortunately, did not have cilantro on hand, but I added a a dew dashes of  dried cilantro in it's place, though next time I will indubitably use fresh cilantro.) 
• 1/4 cup canned jalapeños, drained and chopped
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Half of a can of corn
• Two garlic cloves, minced
• Half an onion, chopped
• A cup of fresh spinach
• 2-3 eggs (depends on whether your having a three-egg or two-egg kind of day) 
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Sour cream (opt garnish) 
• Salsa (opt garnish)  

You'll need a quiche or pie pan and a large bowl. I used a pie pan and it worked just fine. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Press tortilla into your lightly oiled pan of choice. Toss cheddar cheese, cilantro, jalapeños, and some salt and pepper in the large bowl until well combined. Sprinkle half of it over the tortilla. Whisk together eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, corn, garlic, onion, spinach, and some more salt and pepper until smooth. Pour over tortilla and sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese mixture over the top. Bake until it is golden brown – about 20 minutes – remove and let cool for about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with garnishes. Enjoy!!! 

<3 Maryah