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Asparagus Quiche

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After creating my March St. Patrick's Day Tablescape, Roger and I have found ourselves left with an overabundance of fresh green veggies. We also had a carton of eggs approaching it's due date. So, we made Asparagus Quiche for dinner last night. Now I'm not a huge fan-o-eggs (about the only kind I can stomach are hard boiled) so I wasn't exactly looking forward to this meal. But, I was pleasantly surprised. I loved it and can't wait for left-overs tonight. I think the large amount of cream used in this recipe helped this quiche taste not quite so egg-y. The recipe calls for Nutmeg which we weren't able to use as our jar is MIA. We used it on our crepes last week so I know we have a jar, but I couldn't locate it in our spices. So, I must have searched every single kitchen cabinet for 20 minutes last night and no luck. Don't you hate it when you know that you have something, but it turns up missing? It's like the jar grew legs and walked off itself. Arrgggh. Anyhoo - just a little rant. I believe the below recipe would have been even more tasty with the added bit of Nutmeg.

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Asparagus Quiche
Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour
Servings: 12

"Quiche with fresh asparagus, bacon and Swiss cheese."

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
10 slices bacon
2 (8 inch) unbaked pie shells
1 egg white, lightly beaten
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place asparagus in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water, and cover. Cook until tender but still firm, about 2 to 6 minutes. Drain and cool.
2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
3. Brush pie shells with beaten egg white. Sprinkle crumbled bacon and chopped asparagus into pie shells.
4. In a bowl, beat together eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle Swiss cheese over bacon and asparagus. Pour egg mixture on top of cheese.
5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven until firm, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

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Now we only have Brussel sprouts and artichokes to devour in the next day or two. Anyone have any great recipes utilizing either? I must admit I have no idea how to even start preparing a fresh artichoke - I'm so used to buying them in a can or a jar. :-)