Quiche, Kuchen or 'Use It Up' Pie

My favorite way to cook is by using stuff I already have. Maybe that is why I make soup several times a week. A dish that I have been making often as a 'use up stuff' recipe is quiche. It is super easy to make and often I make two or four at a time and freeze some.

Tomato with fresh basil/ Mushroom

Quiche is often thought of as a French dish but it originated in Germany in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, a region later renamed Lorraine. The word ‘quiche’ is from the German word for cake ‘kuchen’.

Smoked salmon, cream cheese and fresh dill

The original pie consisted of eggs, cream and smoked bacon. Later on it was adapted to include cheese. I make quiche by filling up a pie with whatever it is I am ‘using up’ and then adding whatever it is that you would add to make scrambled eggs. My quiche mixture usually contains cream, eggs (about 4-6 per pie), salt, pepper, garlic powder. Once the egg mixture is ladled in I top it with cheese (whatever I have) and depending on the pie ingredients a little bread crumbs and fried onion. I love to toss lots of fresh herbs in. It goes in the oven covered, for about 45 minutes at 350 and then another five minutes without the tinfoil. It freezes well.

Spinach- I use frozen