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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. :-)

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Okay, so you don't have to kiss me, but I am Irish. ;-) In honor of the upcoming March holiday, I've created and posted a St. Pattie's Day themed tablescape at my site. Feel free to peek your head into my shop for more photos and explanations on how to achieve this St. Patrick's Day centerpiece look yourself. Or, for a full slide show, without my annoying comments, click here.
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As always you can always visit all of my past tablescapes either here at my blog or here at my shop.
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Enjoy! It's not too long until Corned Beef and Cabbage time. Yum.

Creations in Bloom

Last weekend, a client of mine asked if I was able to make larger pinwheels. I had never attempted larger ones as I thought they would have difficulty spinning. I decided to give the larger pinwheels a try - this time on 12" handles instead of 8". It turns out I had been wrong all along - the pinwheels above actually spin easier than the pinwheels on 8" handles. Who knew? And, I'm still not sure why. I was so giddy with delight. (Just ask Roger I get so excited about all things pinwheels. Yep, I'm weird.) So, in addition to the custom order that I prepared for the client I also made a few more sets for my website. They measure around 15" tall and I now heart them more than any of my other sizes!

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My other big project ...

I've just completed my spring line of pinwheel papers! So pretty. I'm so happy to be working with pastel colors again. Yippee. There are over 35 paper designs available here. Haven't had time to create pinwheels using these papers YET but I hope to do so soon. Who knows - I may also create another spring tablescape utilizing them.

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Speaking of tablescapes. I plan on putting together a March themed table this weekend. Anyone have a guess on the theme?

February Centerpiece Party

With the most Romantical Day of the year soon approaching I thought I'd get into the holiday spirit by participating in Cindy's February Centerpiece Party. She's kind of a big deal in blog land, but for those of you who haven't heard of or visited her blog in the past, please be sure to stop by her blog, My Romantic Home, for lots of other great centerpiece ideas. I'm sure you'll also become hooked on her blog and visit/stalk it on an almost daily basis - just as I do. :)

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Our Valentine's Day table is all set for the most romantic day of the year. To view pictures of our 2009 Valentine's Day Table and Centerpiece, click here. For those who missed out on our 2008 heart themed table and centerpiece, click here.

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Enjoy!

I can't wait to browse all of the other lovely centerpieces.

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Pinwheels Featured

My, it's been some time since I've posted. The Snow Day got me started on a business project that has left me swamped since. (Give me a 'day off' and I'll be sure to give myself some additional work. I think I'm a workaholic - or as Roger says, I just don't like to sit still.) I guess I also forgot to post that the wind dance did not work so I was back to my real job bright and early on Thursday morning - boo! Good news: We got all the way up to 43 degrees yesterday which means the mounds of snow are about half their original height. Bad news: We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow. Only an inch, but still. I'm so ready for April. :)

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Anyhoo, after days of work, I've finally added a "Do It Yourself" portion to my website - perfect for those do it yourselfers who want to know hot to make pinwheels. As well as having a Pinwheel Instruction Guide, I'm also selling all of the products do it yourselfers will need to assemble pinwheels. These products are the exact products I use to assemble my pinwheels, so I personally know they work - which is a biggie. (When I first attempted to make pinwheels, so many sites provided pinwheel instructions that either didn't work or were too complicated. ) In addition to selling pre-drilled handles, I'm also selling the glue, pins, and beads that I've found work best in the assembly process. Decorative scissors, hand punches, craft knives, and the perfect sized hammer are also available. Now anyone with the time and patience can assemble their perfect party pinwheels themselves.

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Over the weekend, I also learned that my Valentine's Day Pinwheels are also featured in two online publications - just in time for Valentine's Day. Excitement!

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Our Valentine's Day Pinwhirls are featured on the Thoughtfully Simple site. The feature highlights creative Valentine's Day table top decor. To check out the feature, plus search for more thoughtful yet simple ideas for your everyday, click here.

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Our Valentine's Day Pinwhirls were featured in v4 issue 26: Hearts Galore (February 1, 2009) issue of Tot Trends Weekly Magazine. To browse this issue click here. Or check out the blog issue as well here.

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