I have come to that place in motherhood where it is all starting to go so fast. Lucy and I were at the grocery store (our second home), and the nice grandpa at the fish counter asked how old she was and then warned me, twinkling as he skinned our piece of ling cod, “Oho…things are going to start happening.” I know what he means. I feel like we are in the eye of a storm, waiting and holding our breath for the torrent of walking, talking, climbing, fit-throwing, head-bumping, hand-waving, and kiss-blowing that is coming. There are signs it has already begun. Lucy claps with open hands now, and laughs with joy when we follow suit. She spots funny-looking faces of characters, animals, and people wherever we go. She stares and giggles, waiting for us to notice what she sees and then wriggles her whole body with pride when we acknowledge whatever it is. That clever trick landed us with WAY too many toys for a 9-month-old’s Easter basket.
She has also learned to give voice to her opinions, and sometimes her vehemence shocks me. She locks up her knees when I try to sit her on the carpet because she’d rather stand. She writhes and twists on the changing table and would simply prefer to be naked all the time. She expresses dislike for Brussels sprouts by carefully pincering individual bits and dropping them onto the floor. She is a force.
A week ago today, we celebrated my beautiful sister Maddy’s bachelorette party. (She married dear Rick, her second-grade crush, this past Saturday in the sweetest and most genuine ceremony one could hope for.) We started the bachelorette day with brunch at my mom’s house. I had taken the day before off work to shop for ingredients, cut up fruit, and bake quiches, bread puddings, and muffins. I love a day like that, full of preparation, although I had never done it with a baby in tow. No matter, I figured. Lucy is so agreeable that it will be totally fine. And it was fine, with a few adjustments:
She let me know, in no uncertain fashion, that she was too interested in the goings-on to play or nap. So she helped instead.
Quiche for a Lady Party
adapted from allrecipes.com
I make this quiche for dinner often. The leftovers are good for lunch. The basic recipe works with whatever fillings you have on hand: cooked ham or bacon, leek, mushroom, asparagus, and chard are some of my favorites (though probably not all mixed together). For the bachelorette’s brunch, I did one with ham and cheddar and the other with gruyere and artichoke hearts.
You will need:
One unbaked 9″ pie crust (I use this recipe.)
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
Pinch salt
Several grinds of black pepper
Dash nutmeg
3/4 cup grated cheese
Additional fillings of your choice
Prepare pie crust. After it has had some time to chill in the refrigerator, preheat oven to 425º. Roll out pie crust and place in pie pan. Lightly beat together eggs, milk, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Sprinkle cheese and any other fillings on the bottom of your crust. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the filling.
Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350º and bake for an additional 25 minutes or more until the crust and top of the quiche are golden and the filling is set. I usually let mine go for at least 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will take a bit longer to cook if you have added lots of fillings. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
pruneandpear 