Before I introduce my wonderful guest poster today, I must first tell you about the Swing dance class I attended two nights ago. Even though I did not have the perfect swirly skirt on for the occasion, I was definitely twirled and swirled around! I haven’t done swing dancing since middle school gym class, and it was a lot of fun to learn it when I actually cared. The biggest thing I learned was that being the follower is more difficult than the leader in my opinion. Originally I was glad to not be the leader, but after rotating around partners multiple times I realized how much you must accommodate to the style of your partner, because each had a slightly different way of leading and stepping. Either way, I would totally go back for more – except for the fact that I am leaving Knoxville in a week to return to Memphis. But I did discover a place in Memphis that does Salsa and Swing classes! Come on hips, let’s do this.

Speaking of my hips, let’s get down to the point – good food! Rebekah from PDX Food Love is guesting posting here today and with her she brought a wonderful quiche. I have also spied on some of her other recipes such as Bacon Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Whole Wheat Cheddar Cheese Crackers, and to prepare you for fall Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.

One year ago: Baked Mini Bowties

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Hello, Spiffy Cookie readers!

My name is Rebekah and I write the blog PDXfoodlove.com. I am really excited to be guest posting today (thank you, Erin :) ). This is only my second time writing a guest post – I’ve only been blogging for about a year and a half. So far, so good!

My husband and I live in Portland, Oregon, and over the years we’ve been together, we’ve discovered that we love to cook – especially when we cook together. We love to eat simple, seasonal foods, but we also like to try projects now and then. Right now we are building (as in, we are laying the brick ourselves!) a wood-fired pizza oven in our backyard! We also love to entertain – hopefully we can combine those two projects soon and have a massive outdoor pizza party to close out the summer.

One of our favorite ways to entertain is to host a brunch – I mean, what’s not to like? Relaxed conversations over many pots of French-pressed coffee. Licking the final crumbs from soft and sweet baked goods. The pleasure of a bubbly adult beverage in the morning, knowing you don’t have to be anywhere anytime soon. And my very favorite part of breakfast and brunch: eggs, salty, rich and a perfect contrast to that contemplative cup of very black coffee.

This is a quiche recipe that my husband and I made last Sunday when our good friends came to brunch. It turned out beautifully, and we even had a tiny bit of leftovers (which hold up amazingly well!). I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Spinach and Caramelized Onion Quiche

For the crust:

For the filling:

Cook time: 40-50 minutes. Total time: About 2 hours (mostly inactive).

To make the crust, measure the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Next, cut the butter and shortening into cubes and add them to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture appears mealy.

Add ice water to the mixture one or two tablespoons at a time – Add it, then pulse to blend. After pulsing, pinch the dough and if it sticks together, it’s ready to go. If it crumbles, add one or two more tablespoons of water and pulse again. Be careful not to make the pastry too wet – it will be harder to deal with later. When the pastry is ready, form it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and let chill for one hour.

While the crust is chilling, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a skillet on medium heat, and then add the onions. Stir only once and a while so they start to caramelize. This will take a while, so I would start pretty early!

When the pastry has chilled, roll it out on a well-floured surface or between two sheets of plastic wrap. Transfer to the inside of a pie dish (without plastic wrap:) )- no need to grease it. I recommend using a larger pie dish than the traditional 9-inch. This recipe makes more crust and more filling than will fit in a 9-inch pie dish. Place in the oven for a 10-minute pre-bake.

While the crust pre-bakes, add the eggs and cream to a bowl, and mix until blended with a whisk. Add the cooked spinach (frozen works fine, but squeeze the crap out of it – too much water will make a yucky quiche), herbs and onions. Salt and pepper VERY liberally.

After the ten-minute prebake, remove the crust from the oven and pop any air bubbles that may have appeared. Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and pour the filling into the crust. You may wish to move the spinach and onion around within the pan, to make sure they are evenly distributed.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, keeping an eye on it after about 35 minutes just to be safe (ovens are all a little different!). Remove when there is just a hint of browning.