Mini spinach pie

I decided today that it was high time to finish up the leftover Easter ham. That, and my post-gym legs were craving some serious protein. These mini spinach pies are more like quiche than the Greek phyllo-dough treats of the same name (spanakopita translates to "spinach pie") and are a quick and easy way to spice up a solo breakfast or serve up a weekend brunch for friends.

*White cheddar pie crust

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cups flour, plus more for dusting
7 tablespoons shortening (I'm partial to Crisco Baking Sticks)
3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
Dash salt
Dash sugar
1/2 cup ice water

How to
With a pastry blender, mix dry ingredients until coarse and crumbly. Slowly add water, kneading the dough by hand until it is soft and gummy. Form into a disc, wrap with parchment paper and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

*Mini spinach pie
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup spinach - if frozen, then defrosted and fully drained
3/4 cup diced ham
3 tbsp heavy cream
Dash salt
Dash pepper
3 eggs
5-6 cherry tomatos, one for each pie
About 5-6 mini pie tins, muffin cups, tart cups, etc.
   Non-stick cooking spray (if, like me, you bought your tins from a sketchy kitchen supply company in the Bowery and they are not, in fact, non-stick.)

How to
In a large pan, saute the onions, spinach and ham in the olive oil until nicely browned, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add the cream and stir until creamy, but take care to not burn the cream. Remove from heat.

While the vegetables are cooling, roll out the cheddar dough on a floured surface. Using a stencil (I use a small glass prep bowl) cut out enough rounds to fill each pie tin. Spritz the non-stick cooking spray onto the bottoms and sides of each tin if necessary, then gently press each dough round into the tins.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Fold the vegetable mixture into the eggs, then spoon the batter into each tin, leaving about 1/4" of space at the top, as the egg mixture will slightly rise. Brush edges of crust with egg wash, or with remaining batter if possible. Slice cherry tomatos and place two halves in the center of each pie.

Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until edges are browned and egg is fully cooked through; insert and remove a skewer to check for doneness - if it comes out clean, the eggs are done. Let cool on a wire rack, then gently remove the pies from their tins.

Strawberry Rhubarb Waffles

This morning I woke up, started the coffee pot, and realized I was out of both milk AND cereal. I stared longingly at the empty space in the cupboard and started to reach for the bag of pretzels (insert any disparaging comments about my morning eating habits here) when I remembered the box of Eggo Waffles in the freezer.

And then I remembered that I had saved the leftover strawberry rhubarb mix I made for my pie the other day.

And then I got really excited for breakfast.

blueberry Eggo waffles with strawberry rhubarb topping

a hot breakfast for a rainy day

A Pie by Any Other Name

Yesterday morning my roommate (Amanda) came into my room and declared that she wanted to go to Milk Bar. I jumped at the chance (literally. like, I was lying in bed having a completely unmotivated Saturday, and the next thing I knew we were in midtown eating the delectable Crack Pie. but more on that later.)
For those of you who have never been to a Milk Bar, I will explain - it's a branch of the Momofuku restaurant chain (a series of verrrryy upscale Japanese restaurants in New York), but instead of a classy fusion eatery, the midtown Milk Bar is a small counter in the lobby of a hotel that serves a limited amount of desserts to-go. They're known for their famous Crack Pie, a wedge-shaped cookie/pie/blondie/thing that's pretty much a conglomeration of all things yummy (if you've never experienced the Crack Pie, get thee to a Milk Bar asap. But this post isn't about Momofuku or Milk Bar, reviews and articles have been written about that topic ad infinitum.). Amanda ordered said pie, but I, having slept in and not eaten breakfast yet, went for the Cinnamon Bun Pie, which I deemed as both a feasible and socially acceptable form of breakfast. It was warm, gooey, cinnamon-y, and everything a breakfast pie should be.
Wait. Breakfast pie? Was I crazy? Did I just eat pie for breakfast?
Yes. Yes I did.
And it was delightful.

Which got me thinking. Of course breakfast pies exist - quiches, frittatas, and dozens of other egg-based casseroles abound in kitchens and cute brunch places everywhere. And with this new-found knowledge...I decided to make my own breakfast pie.

Full disclaimer: I am not a chef. I have never taken a cooking class. I don't even have cable and therefore cannot religiously watch the Food Network. However, I frequently putter around the kitchen, I've worked in the food service industry for the better part of the last decade, and hell, I'm a Millennial! I was born in the 80's! I can do anything!

So, here's my breakfast pie:

Ingredients
2 frozen pie crusts  (let thaw)
4 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chopped spinach (frozen, thawed and drained)
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup diced scallions
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes (cut in half once)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used sharp white)
4 oz. cubed meat (bacon or ham will work, I used prosciutto)

Ingredients

How To
Preheat oven to 375
Whisk together eggs and cream in large bowl. In same bowl, add all other ingredients, stir together. Pour mix into pie crust, let settle. Cover with second pie crust, pressing edges together to seal the pie. Brush top crust with egg yolk [I ended up using the leftover "juice" from the previous mixture]. Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
Let cool on rack before serving.

Pre-cooked

Final product!

The final pie was actually, if I say so myself, pretty yummy. It was a bit liquid-y going into the pie crust (eggy-juicy-spillover everywhere! sorry, amanda) so maybe I should have used less cream OR put the entire thing into a deep-dish pie crust. And it was pretty crumbly when I served myself a slice, so I probably should have let it sit and cool a bit longer (I was hungry. whoops.). But, all-in-all, for my first attempt at a breakfast pie recipe that I created myself from marrying a few other recipes I found online, it made for a successful afternoon!

Not the prettiest pie in the world, but tasty nonetheless