SNUGGLY KITTY FUN AND A HASHBROWN QUICHE!

Just so you know, there is nothing my kitties love more than getting snuggly on our bed. Which normally doesn't bother me, except for today; I had JUST washed our flannel sheets and remade the bed, and look what I found, not 5 minutes later!:

That's right, old Sexy Jack and pretty little Margaret, getting cozy! So basically I had a cat-hair free bed for all of 5 minutes--that's all. Sigh--life with pets! I mean, could YOU get mad at them? It is only 30 degrees out, so going outside, which is their fondest dream in life, is out of the question. They are pressuring us to move--Georgia might be good about now!

So I was reminiscing the other day about dinnertime in my family when I was growing up. My mom always cooked, at least 5-6 days per week, a wonderful and creative dinner for us all, but sometimes even SHE got bored and tired of cooking, and so she did something that we kids just thought was wild and crazy : We had BREAKFAST for dinner! So fun, and I'm not even talking about Fruit Loops or Captain Crunch. We'd have something like eggs, bacon and toast, or sometimes pancakes and sausage. What I really didn't like was when she made a quiche--for some reason, I just HATED quiche as a child. Now I adore it. Go figger.

One of my favorite quiche variations is my Hashbrown Quiche. So easy, because you don't use a traditional crust (I try to make my own, from scratch); you use hashbrowns as the crust. For this recipe, you need SHREDDED hashbrowns, usually found in the french fry freezer area in most grocery stores. Press your thawed, shredded hash browns into the bottom and up the sides of a pie pan:

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes; when it's ready, the sides will be turning crispy golden brown, like so:

Stir together your ham or bacon, chopped bell pepper and about a cup of your favorite cheese (I use cheddar/Jack blend); spoon over hash browns. Beat eggs, milk and salt and pepper together; spread over hash browns:

Isn't it AMAZING--these eggs came from the same chicken! April Fools!

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; bake quiche for 25-30 minutes, or until eggs are set. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve for breakfast, lunch OR dinner--I served mine with a crisp side salad:

And then Big Daddy ate the rest, for breakfast! LOVE the meal options! Here's the recipe:

HASH BROWN QUICHE

3 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup cooked ham, diced, or cooked and crumbled bacon

1 cup shredded cheese

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Press hash browns into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9" pie plate, or a small casserole. Brush with melted butter. Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir together ham, cheese and bell pepper; spoon over hash browns. Beat eggs, milk and salt and pepper together; pour over top. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 25-30 minutes, or until eggs are set. Let stand 10-15 minutes more before serving.

TODAY I'M GRATEFUL FOR:

* Lunch with my girlfriends--good for this woman's soul!

*Tonight is date night--off to the movies we go!

*I'm grateful that my friend Deb came through her surgery so well--I hope she and Paul enjoy the split pea soup and garlic bread I'm bringing them for supper!