Bacon Cheddar Quiche

Since this will be the last year that we will be spending Christmas apart, Mike and I decided to celebrate what we call "little Christmas" a bit early this year.  We spent the whole day in our pajamas (well, a festive onesie for me), feasted on quiche and banana bread for breakfast, lasagna for dinner, more banana bread for dessert, and opened presents by the tree.  Honestly, I could not imagine a more perfect day!

I knew I wanted to make some special meals for our mini celebration, but I also knew I didn't want to spend the whole day in the kitchen or doing a lot of dishes.  Enter- quiche!  Quiche is so versatile, you can really add any ingredients or flavors that suit you.  It's also great for holidays or company because it can be made up to 3 days in advance and reheated in the oven when needed.

I use rice to weigh down the pie shell

Ingredients:
* 1 small yellow onion, chopped
* 5-6 pieces of thick cut bacon, cooked & crumbled
* 1 c. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
* 3/4 c. heavy cream
* 6 eggs
* 1 tbsp. butter
* 1 prepared pie crust

Preheat the oven to 375.  Arrange the pie shell in a 12 inch pan(I really wanted mine to be pretty with perfectly crimped edges- but you can see, pie dough is not my forte!). Place a sheet of parchment paper over the dough and weight down with rice, beans or pie weights (this is called blind baking - it's a way to pre-bake the crust so it stays crisp; if you use beans or rice, just save them to reuse for this purpose, not to eat), and bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan to medium heat and melt putter.  Add onions to pan and cook until lightly browned (7-8 minutes).  In a bowl, add the eggs, grated cheese, heavy cream, cooked bacon, and onions. Stir well to combine.  Transfer the egg mixture to the pie shell and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the center of the quiche is just set.  If you are making the quiche ahead of time, let it cool, then refrigerate for up to 3 days.  Reheat in the oven at 325 for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas from my festive Reindeer!