A Forgotten Quiche

I was cruising through some of my old recipes, when I was reminded of a post that I was going to do but never got around to. We made this quite a while ago and I took pictures and everything, but it just never made it to the blog. So yippee, I have a recipe to post without having to do any work for it!

This is another universal recipe from the Tightwad Gazette - Universal Quiche. You can put just about anything in a quiche and have it taste good, as is evidenced by my offering here tonight - we made it with canned salmon and green beans and it was really good. So here you go - the recipe for Universal Quiche, quoted from Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette. My additional comments are in italics and parentheses.


Universal Quiche

Crust. Use a standard pastry crust. Some recipes suggest prebaking this before filling to prevent sogginess. I don't. Instead, I prepare the crust, then prepare the various components of quiche, and then assemble the quiche all at once just before putting it on a lower shelf in my preheated oven. You can also make a rice crust using 2 cups of cooked rice, 1 1/2 ounces of grated cheese, and one egg. Combine the ingredients, pat into a Pam-sprayed pie tin, and prebake at 425 for 15 minutes or until just firm.

Eggs. Use 3 or 4.

Cheese. Most recipes call for 1 to 2 cups (4 to 8 ounces) of a grated hard cheese. I use about 1 cup. You can use Swiss, cheddar, feta*, Monterey Jack, or Gruyere*. Or use from 2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup of Parmesan or Romano. Or use a combination of these. Some softer cheeses, such as mozzarella and American, will not set up well (I have used mozzarella in combination with another cheese, like cheddar, with satisfactory results).

Milk or cream. Use 1 to 2 cups of milk, half and half, cream, evaporated milk, or powdered milk made with half the usual water. You may also use part sour cream, cottage cheese, or yogurt.

Filling. Use 1 to 2 cups of a combination of meats and/or vegetables. Meat possibilities include crisply fried and crumbled bacon, or pieces of crab*, lobster*, shrimp*, tuna, chicken or ham (and I can add salmon, having tried it and liked it). Use virtually any cooked or steamed vegetables, but squeeze out excess liquid. Don't be afraid to take risks. Once I made a sauerkraut quiche that was very tasty.

*Ha ha. Only if you have a free or cheap source of these items.

Seasoning. For a basic quiche, use up to 1 teaspoon of salt (bearing in mind the saltiness of the other ingredients), 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and a dash of nutmeg (I usually skip the nutmeg). If you're a bit more adventurous, experiment with other seasonings such as chives, Tabasco, tarragon, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, parsley, paprika, dill, garlic, onion powder, lemon juice, basil, and/or oregano.

To make the quiche: Prepare the crust in a 9-inch pie plate. Grate cheese and prepare the filling ingredients (saute, cook, chop, crumble, etc.) Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together until just combined. Spread filling ingredients in crust, top this with grated cheese, and cover with egg/milk mixture. (If you've made too little egg/milk mixture, mix up slightly more. If you've made too much, toss the surplus in tomorrow morning's universal muffin recipe.) Bake for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 425 degrees. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until it's done. The quiche is done when it's golden brown and slightly puffed, and when a knife inserted comes out clean.


In a later article, Amy shares this recipe for a low-fat potato crust, which I used in my salmon and green bean quiche: In a 9-inch pie pan, stir together 3 tablespoons vegetable oil with 3 cups of coarsely shredded raw potato. Or you can spray Pam in the bottom of a pie pan and omit the additional oil. Press the grated potato into a pie-crust shape. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown.

Sigh. It feels good to post a real recipe again. :-)

And now I'm craving salmon quiche.

Universal Muffins

Here's another great universal recipe from the Tightwad Gazette. This is one I have used many times - universal muffins. These make a delicious and inexpensive breakfast or snack.

Amy Dacyczyn says: Instead of sharing a single muffin recipe, I wanted to share the process of creating muffin recipes. This will allow you to use ingredients that are cheap in your part of the country, use up odd leftovers, and accommodate dietary restrictions.

The quantities listed are for a single batch of 12 muffins.

Grain: Use 2 to 2 1/2 cups of white flour. Or substitute oatmeal, cornmeal, whole-wheat flour, rye flour, or flake cereal for 1 cup of the white flour. Or substitute 1 cup cooked oatmeal, rice, or cornmeal for 1/2 cup of the white flour and decrease liquid to 1/2 cup.

Milk: Use 1 cup. Or substitute buttermilk or sour milk (add a tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup milk). Or substitute fruit juice for part or all of the milk.

Fat: Use 1/4 cup vegetable oil or 4 tablespoons melted butter or margarine. Or substitute crunchy or regular peanut butter for part or all of the fat. The fat can be reduced or omitted with fair results if using a "wet addition."

Egg: Use 1 egg. Or substitute 1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour and 1 tablespoon of water. If using a cooked grain, separate the egg, add the yolk to the batter, beat the white until stiff, and fold into the batter (Amy later gives a better method for fluffing up batter with cooked grain, which I will give a little later).

Sweetener: Use between 2 tablespoons and 1/2 cup sugar. Or substitute up to 3/4 cup brown sugar. Or substitute up to 1/2 cup honey or molasses, and decrease milk to 3/4 cup.

Baking Powder: Use 2 teaspoons. If using whole or cooked grains or more than 1 cup of additions, increase to 3 teaspoons. If using buttermilk or sour milk, decrease to 1 teaspoon and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

Salt: Use 1/2 teaspoon, or omit if you have a salt-restricted diet.

The following ingredients are optional. Additions can be used in any combination, up to 1 1/2 cups total. If using more than 1 cup of wet additions, decrease the milk to 1/2 cup.

Dry Additions: Nuts, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut, and so on.

Moist Additions: Blueberries, chopped apple, freshly shredded zucchini, shredded carrot, and so on.

Wet Additions: Pumpkin puree, applesauce, mashed cooked sweet potato, mashed banana, mashed cooked carrot, and so on. If using 1/2 cup drained, canned fruit or thawed shredded zucchini, substitute the syrup or zucchini liquid for all or part of the milk.

Spices: Use spices that compliment the additions, such as 1 teaspoon cinnamon with 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or cloves. Try 2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon peel.

Jellies and Jams: Fill cups half full with a plain batter. Add 1 teaspoon jam or jelly and top with 2 more tablespoons batter.

Topping: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the batter in the tins.

Nonsweet Combinations: Use only 2 tablespoons sugar and no fruit. Add combinations of the following: 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 3 strips fried-and-crumbled bacon, 2 tablespoons grated onion, 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Spices could include a teaspoon of parsley and a pinch of marjoram.

To make muffins, combine dry ingredients, and then mix in wet ingredients until just combined; the batter should be lumpy. Grease muffin tin and fill cups two thirds full. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes (give or take 5 minutes).

Shorthand version:
2 to 2 1/2 cups grain
1 cup milk
Up to 1/4 cup fat
1 egg
Up to 1/2 cup sweetener
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Up to 1 1/2 cups additions


Later in the book, Amy wrote another article about using cooked grains without having to separate and beat the eggs. Here is an exerpt from that article (I used this method this morning with wonderful results):

I've experimented and found that I could use cooked cereals in my muffin batter with the aid of my blender. First, I mix all of the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Then I put all of the wet and moist ingredients in a blender. These could include: cooked grain (about 1/2 cup per batch), egg, milk, honey or molasses, peanut butter, pumpkin puree, applesauce, and/or banana. I've even added unused cookie dough and pastry scraps. I don't blenderize any moist ingredient that I want to retain its original texture, such as shredded zucchini.

After blending, I mix the wet stuff into the bowl of dry stuff.

I make a final adjustment to the batter by adding more liquid or flour.

The blender seems to whip up the egg sufficiently as well as helps to quickly combine hard-to-mix-in moist stuff.


How I did it this morning:
I had a container of miscellaneous cooked grain in the fridge. It included couscous, brown rice, and cracked wheat. You see, I had cooked and used each of them separately, then combined them one morning to make a combination hot breakfast cereal. So this morning I had about a cup of mixed cooked grain that needed to be used. I tossed the cereal in the blender with milk, egg, oil, and a banana. I mixed in a large bowl 2 cups flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Then I blended the wet stuff and added it to the dry stuff and baked in greased muffin tins (my batch made 15 muffins instead of 12). The result was a slightly banana-flavored, light and fluffy muffin. Blending the cooked grain in with the wet ingredients had an unexpected benefit - you couldn't tell by looking at the muffins that they included such bulky ingredients as brown rice and cracked wheat because they had been so nicely incorporated. Hooray!


The kids and I ate several muffins between the three of us (they were delicious with margarine and some homemade plum jam), then I tossed the rest into the freezer in zip-top baggies. They will come in handy for later lazy breakfasts! :-)

Homemade Bread

Jeff and I love homemade bread. Not only is it more economical than store bought, but we find that we just love the flavor and texture so much more! In fact, we don't ever buy bread products anymore, choosing instead to make our own breads, rolls, and even tortillas. We have a bread machine, and use it often. However, when my wrists are feeling up to doing the heavy-duty kneading (they are sensitive, and kneading makes them hurt if I'm not careful), I'll pull out this recipe formula and do up a loaf of bread entirely from scratch. Making the dough all by myself gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment - after all, bread baking is quite an undertaking.

This is a "universal" recipe from Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette. I love using this book as a reference for all sorts of frugality, but I especially love the universal recipes. They are great because you can make something delicious using whatever ingredients you have on hand, and are especially good uses for leftovers. I posted a recipe for universal pilaf a while back, making a millet and ground turkey pilaf as an example. I also have already posted the shorthand version of the universal bread recipe, along with the Italian Herbed Tomato Bread I created with it. In this post, I'm going to give you the more detailed recipe for universal bread, quoted from The Tighwad Gazette. Hold on to your hats, this is neat stuff!


Universal Bread
These ingredients and proportions will make one loaf or two medium-sized pizza crusts. Remember that making double or triple batches and freezing extra loaves saves time and money.

Liquid. Use 1 to 1 1/2 cups. Water is the most common choice, but other possibilities include potato water, vegetable broth, milk, or fruit juice.

Oil and fat. Use up to 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil, melted butter, or melted margarine. Fat-free bread has a chewy crust that many people like, but others prefer the soft texture that comes with the addition of fat. Fat also increases shelf life.

Yeast. Use from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon.

Salt. Use up to 2 teaspoons. Salt regulates the growth of the yeast, keeping the dough from rising too rapidly and having uneven internal structure. If you want to eliminate salt, experiment with other yeast inhibitors including cocoa, cinnamon, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Sweetener. Yeast doesn't require any sweetener to grow; it can feed off the flour. But sweeteners make the yeast grow faster, help the crust brown, and, of course, make the dough sweeter. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar or 2 to 4 tablespoons honey for a regular dough; up to 1/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup honey for a sweet dough. Honey will make your dough sticky even after kneading, so take care not to add too much flour while kneading.

Flour. Use as much flour as required to make a dough that's soft yet holds its own form - usually 3 to 4 cups. This will vary with the flour and the humidity. Choose from white, whole wheat, soy, rye, or other flours. White flour has the most gluten; flours such as whole-wheat, oat (made by grinding rolled oats in a food processor), soy, or rye have less. Gluten makes the bread light and fluffy, so unless you like dense bread, use no more than 1/2 cup total of low-gluten flour per loaf.

All of the following are optional. For the three kinds of additions immediately below, use just 1/2 cup of any category. Increase liquid by 1/4 cup for every 1/2 cup of dry additions; reduce liquid by 1/4 cup for every 1/2 cup of wet additions.

Dry additions. Dry milk powder, Parmesan or Romano cheese, raw rolled oats, wheat germ, or sesame seeds.

Moist additions. Grated cheese, mashed potatoes, cooked oatmeal, cooked vegetables, grated carrots, raisins, chopped apples, or dried tomatoes.

Wet additions. Pumpkin, applesauce, or pureed vegetables such as tomatoes or zucchini.

Herbs and flavorings. Use 1/2 to 2 teaspoons dried herbs (fresh herbs can be used but may color your bread green) or half a medium onion or 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, sauteed before being added to the dough. Sweet dough can be flavored with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and/or 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, cloves, or allspice.

Decorations. Make an egg wash with a beaten egg and a little water. Brush on the dough just before baking. Sprinkle poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or rolled oats on top.

Mixing and baking. Combine and heat liquid, herbs, sweetener, salt, fats/oils, and additions until tepid (95 to 115 degrees). Add yeast and stir. Add flour, one cup at a time at first, mixing well. As the dough thickens, add flour more slowly, stirring until the dough is kneadable. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour sparingly to keep the dough from sticking (too much flour will make the dough too firm and the bread bricklike). Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rise in an oiled bowl until doubled in bulk. Shape into desired form and place in greased pans or baking sheets. Cover and allow to rise again until the dough is not quite as large as you want the final product to be. Mist the loaves with water for a chewier crust. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven; rolls and breadsticks for 20 to 25 minutes, loaves for 30 to 35 minutes.


Shorthand version:
1 to 1 1/2 cups liquid
Up to 1/4 cup fat
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon yeast
Up to 2 teaspoons salt
Up to 1/4 cup sugar or up to 1/2 cup honey
3-4 cups flour
1/2 cup optional additions
Up to 2 teaspoons flavorings


With my latest loaf of bread, I went fairly basic, using 1 1/2 cups water, 2 tbsp. margarine, 2 tsp. yeast, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. sugar, 1 cup wheat flour and the rest white flour, and 1/2 cup cooked cracked wheat. I shaped it into a long loaf, like French bread. We'll use this loaf tomorrow to make garlic bread for our romantic Valentine's Day lasagna dinner (which I will of course post about after we've had it). :-)

One thing I've done with the dough after it has risen once, is I wrap it in cling wrap and foil and freeze it. Then I use it the same way one would use a loaf of purchased frozen bread dough. I just discovered this thread on the Taste of Home forum about ways to use frozen dough, and some of the recipes got me really excited! I have two loaves in the freezer right now, and I think I'll be using them in fun ways in the next while.

Update:
Over the years I've made this several times, different each time. I've decided to keep this post updated by adding a picture and description for each new bread I make using this formula. Cheers!

The kids have been calling this "Soup Bread." I used broth from some leftover soup as the liquid in this recipe. Subsequently, there are small flecks of vegetables, like tomato and carrot, throughout the loaves. The flour is half white and half wheat.

This version is ultra basic. I only used water, oil, salt, sugar, yeast, and a mixture of white and wheat flour. I tripled the amount and made four loaves at once (my loaf pans are on the small side)

Universal Recipes - Tightwaddery at its Best

I have this amazing book called The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. It has helped my husband and I through these first few years of our marriage, during which we've gone through both of us being in school, two children, and very little income. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to save money. It's a great book - a conglomeration of hundreds of random money-saving tips, ideas, and ... recipes!!! My favorite recipes are the universal formulas, in which Ms. Dacyczyn gives ingredient types and amounts, and you simply use what you have on hand. One example of this is the Universal Bread Recipe I used to create my Italian Herbed Tomato Bread a while back. Another example is the Universal Pilaf Recipe I'm about to share!

Universal Pilaf
Grain: One cup of uncooked brown or white rice, bulgur, couscous, or other favorite grain.

Fat: Two tablespoons of olive oil, butter, vegetable oil, or other favorite oil.

Base vegetable: Two or three cloves of diced garlic and one of the following, cut up: one small onion, three shallots, or one small leek (white part only).

Liquid: Two cups vegetable broth, chicken broth, cooking water from boiled vegetables, or water.

Meat or protein (omit if using the pilaf as a side dish): From 1/2 to 2/3 cup skinned chicken (may be diced and boned or left whole), tuna, cooked white or red beans, white fish, hamburger, or cheap steak cut into cubes.

Additional vegetable: About 1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas, cut-up carrots, frozen corn, green peppers, celery, and/or any other favorite vegetable except for leafy greens and potatoes.

Seasoning: Salt, pepper, chervil, parsley, whatever works well with chosen ingredients.

Directions: Heat fat in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet. When hot, add the base vegetables and fry until golden and translucent. Add the meat and brown (but if using tuna, don't add it at this point). Add the grain and fry for a minute or so to coat it with the fat. Add the liquid and bring to a boil (add tuna now). Add the other vegetables, season, stir, return to a boil, lower the heat, so it just simmers, and cover. Check it often; if using whole grains, it will take up to 40 minutes to cook, while white rice takes only about 15 minutes. Don't stir too much. When the liquid is completely absorbed, it is done. Stir, season to taste, and serve.



Since this is such an inexpensive way to cook, and it's Friday, this meal is the perfect candidate for Frugal Fridays - serves four and costs under $10.







My ingredients tonight and their approximate cost:
Grain: 1/2 pound hulled millet - $0.45
Fat: Vegetable oil - negligible
Base vegetable: Bottled minced garlic and one onion - negligible, and the onion was gleaned and therefore free
Liquid: Water - free
Meat: 1/2 pound ground turkey - $0.68
Additional vegetable: one green pepper - $0.38
Seasoning: Bouillon and seasoned salt - negligible

Total cost: $1.51

Now that's cheap!!! I think it's my cheapest Frugal Fridays meal yet!


Normally I make pilaf with rice, but I chose to use millet tonight. Actually, this was my first time cooking with and eating millet. I learned a couple things - 1) millet smells funny while it's cooking; and 2) it tastes really good! I really enjoyed this pilaf, as did everyone else. And the best part is that is cost me next to nothing, because I was able to create it using inexpensive ingredients that I had on hand.

Italian Herbed Tomato Bread

****This recipe featured on Key Ingredient's blog, The Back Burner. Check it out here.

This post is for a new blogging event called I Love Baking, created by Ben of What's Cooking. The round up for I Love Baking will be posted bi-weekly (every two weeks). If you ask me, August isn't the ideal month to start an event that involves heating up the entire kitchen by turning on the oven, but I love baking enough that I decided to join in the heat anyway!


Italian Herbed Tomato Bread
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup V-8 or tomato juice
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. active dry yeast
3-4 cups flour (I did 2 cups white, the rest was whole wheat)

Combine liquids, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and oil in saucepan. Heat until tepid (95 to 115 degrees). Pour into large mixing bowl. Add yeast and stir.

Add flour, one cup at a time at first, mixing well. As the dough thickens, add flour more slowly, stirring until the dough is kneadable. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, adding dough sparingly to keep the dough from sticking.

Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and allow to rise in an oiled bowl until doubled in bulk. I happened to be cooking our dinner in the crock pot, using a plate as a lid, so I just set my bowl on top of the crock pot, and the dough rose quite nicely!


Punch down, and shape into two small loaves or one large loaf. Place in greased loaf pan(s). Cover and allow to rise again until the dough is not quite as large as you want the finished product to be. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes (35 for larger loaf).

I created this recipe as I was making it today. I have a "universal recipe" formula for yeast bread that lists ingredient types and amounts, and I get to decide on the exact ingredients I use. We happened to have a small amount of V-8 and chicken broth in the fridge, so in they went! I was very pleased with the savory and flavorful results of this baking experiment.

Universal Recipe Formula
1 to 1 1/2 cups liquid (water, juice, broth)
Up to 1/4 cup fat (oil, butter)
1 tsp. to 1 tbsp. yeast
Up to 2 tsp. salt
Up to 1/4 cup sugar or up to 1/2 cup honey (use less for savory breads)
3-4 cups flour (up to 1 cup low-gluten, like whole wheat, rye, soy, etc)
1/2 cup optional additions (grated cheese or vegetables, fruit puree, raisins, oats, etc)
Up to 2 tsp. flavoring (herbs or spices)

Combine everything except yeast and flour. Heat to tepid. Stir in yeast. Continue as directed above.


You know, I think this would work awesome as a pizza crust!