But this one is a winner, I promise.  I went out looking for a baked broccoli side dish that didn’t require canned cream of mushroom soup (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and here’s what I found for us.  It’s delish!  Make it sometime soon.  Your children need to grow up knowing that not all casseroles are evil.

CHEESY BROCCOLI & RICE CASSEROLE
SERVES:  6-8 as a side dish
SOURCE:  The Best of America’s Test Kitchen 2010, by the Editors of Cooks Illustrated

2 slices good quality sandwich bread, torn into pieces
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (Parmesan cuts are on sale if you’d like to grate it yourself)
4 T. butter, melted plus an additional 2 T. chilled (Two brands: Organic Valley and Shurfresh)
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 large bunch ( 2lbs.) fresh broccoli, cut into florets and stalks trimmed and chopped (Broccoli Crowns)
1 onion, minced (1 c.) (Yellow Onions)
1 1/4 c. long grain white rice (Riceland Brand)
4 c. chicken broth (Swanson Brand)
1 1/4 c. half and half (Two brands:  Golden Guernsey and Organic Valley)
1 t. salt
8 oz. extra sharp cheddar, grated (2 c.) (Sendik’s 5 Year Cheddar)
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Grease a 9 x 13″ baking dish and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the bread, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the melted butter, and garlic until coarsely ground.

Place broccoli florets in a microwaveable bowl and cover tightly.  Cook 3 minutes or until tender and bright green.  Do not over cook.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven and saute onion and broccoli stalks; cook 8-10 minutes or until softened.  Add rice and cook, stirring constantly until rice is translucent.  Add chicken broth, half and half, and salt; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cook, stirring often until rice is tender.  Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar, cayenne, remaining Parmesan, and broccoli florets.

Pour into prepared dish and top with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake 15 minutes or until sauce is bubbly around the edges and top is golden brown.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE:  When I’m getting to the end of a loaf of bread, I toss the heels into a bag in the freezer.  Every now and then I get them out and make a big batch of these breadcrumbs, just to have on hand.  I store the crumbs in a big bag in the freezer.  They’re great for topping homemade macaroni and cheese, chicken and rice, or other baked pasta dishes.   :-)

No, I said. We’re not carrying in, OR going out.  And if you can’t all agree on anything, then I’LL make the call and you’ll really be sorry, because left to my own devises, I’ve been known to choose tuna noodle casserole, which everyone in my house (except me) despises, the hub’ included.

From the backseat, my youngest yelled out, “QUICHE!”

“DONE!” I said.  And would you believe it?  Those other two punks didn’t even complain.  Which means, in a sense, they AGREED!

So there it was. QUICHE.  Economical, easy, and most of all delicious, quiche is one of my favorite meals to make for either dinner or brunch.  The kids like it pretty straightforward, so I make one with diced ham, potatoes, and shredded cheese.  For the hub’ and myself, I make a simple bacon and leek filling.  Both preparations are terrific, and when you see how many of the ingredients are on sale this week, you’ll be sold too!

I paired the quiches with a fresh fruit platter of sliced watermelon, cantaloupe (AMAZING), and red grapes.  Sometimes I make homefries too, but I skipped them this time because of the potatoes in the quiche.

If you have the luxury of time, quiches are easily made earlier in the day.  It re-heats quite well and is perfect for those dinners when your family members are eating in shifts…and leftovers are great for breakfast!

ENJOY!

QUICHE TWO WAYS

Serves:  4-6 with leftovers

SOURCE:  loosely adapted from foodandwine.com

• 1 package pie crusts (I like the Pillsbury ones in the red box)
• Pie weights or dried beans (don’t skip these or you will be sorry.)
• 2 large red skinned potatoes (on sale), small dice
• ½ lb. bacon (I used the sale Boar’s Head), 1/2 “ dice
• 1 package of ham steaks (sale Sendiks brand)
• 2 small leeks, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
• ½  lb. white cheddar cheese (I used a block of the Sale White Cheddar and grated it myself)
• 8 eggs (Sparboe brand, on sale)
• 2 ½ c. half and half (or cream, if you really want to gild the lily)

Preheat the oven to 425.  Place the pie crusts in two 9” pie plates, crimping decoratively if desired.  Line each crust with a piece of tin foil; fill the foil with the pie weights or the dried beans, scootching the weights or beans up the sides of the crust to avoid the dreaded ‘shrinkage’.  Place the crusts in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and the weights and set aside.  Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Meanwhile, place the diced potatoes in a glass baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper, and cover dish with a damp paper towel.  Microwave on high for 4 – 5 minutes, or until cooked through but not falling apart.  I stopped to stir them around a bit, mine needed a full 5 minutes.  Set aside.

In a large sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium high heat until browned and crispy.  Remove the bacon and transfer to a bowl.  Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan.  Sauté the leeks in the bacon fat; seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, until leeks are softened but not browned, about four minutes.  Transfer the leeks to the bowl with the bacon, and toss to combine.

In large Pyrex measuring cup, beat the eggs and the half and half together.  Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the potatoes equally between the two pie crusts.  For the Ham and Cheese Quiche, top the potatoes with the diced ham and then half of the shredded cheddar.  For the Bacon and Leek Quiche, top the potatoes with the bacon/leek mixture, and then the other half of the cheese.  Pour the egg mixture over each quiche, dividing equally.  Place quiches to the oven; bake for 30 minutes.  Transfer quiches to a rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing into wedges and serving.