Pancetta and Mushroom Quiche

I love eggs. If we go out to breakfast, it's hard for me to resist getting an omelet or frittata or scramble of some sort. When I was a kid we used to go out for big, family brunches on Sunday at the buffet at a local casino, and the first thing I would do was head straight for the omelet making station, every single time. Breakfast is one of my favorite dinners. I seriously just love eggs.

Another thing I love is pie crust, though Justin thinks that that love is unnatural. I think if he could have pie without the crust, he'd be all for it. I on the other hand want it surrounded by crust--bottom, sides, and top. I'll take the extra bits that stick up off of his pieces of pie. Pie crust is flaky and delicious. I don't know what his problem is.

Naturally, these things combine to mean that I really, really love quiche. It's basically a frittata in a pie crust, and what's not to love about that? According to Justin, everything apparently. He likes eggs, but he doesn't like it when they're baked. He's weird like that. Therefore, quiche is one of those things I only get to make when he's not around. This was my first time trying this particular combo, and it's definitely a winner. If you are cheap--like I am most of the time--you could just get regular bacon instead of pancetta, but where's the fun in that?

Mushroom Soup

Mushrooms are another one of those things that I really love but that Justin could really live without. He'll eat them in various recipes if they're chopped up pretty small, but he definitely doesn't want to eat soup based entirely around them. I knew that this was something I wanted to make while he's out of town, and I was not disappointed.

I've only tried making mushroom soup once before, and I didn't love it. It wasn't creamy enough or mushroom-y enough for me. This one was much better. It would make a good first course, but I just ate it as dinner along with some crusty bread. I still think it would be even better with a few additions; my favorite mushroom soup ever was one we had at the coffee shop where I worked which was made with brie and madeira wine, so I think next time I'll try adding those and see how it comes out. However, if you just want a basic, tasty, creamy mushroom soup recipe, this is it.

Chicken & Mushroom-Stuffed Crepes with Mornay Sauce

These particular dinner crepes were inspired by Upland, a brewery/restaurant in Bloomington, IN. Before the first time we ate there, I checked out their menu online and became obsessed with their Frenchiladas. They stuffed crepes with roasted chicken and seared, local oyster mushrooms and then topped them off with a Gruyere cheese sauce. It sounded amazing! Of course, they didn't have that option on the menu anymore when we got there, and instead I had to settle for the equally amazing Wit Mac and Cheese, made with their wheat beer. (After dinner we also had the best ice cream we've ever had, bacon ice cream, made by another Bloomington institution, the Chocolate Moose.) I knew after that day that I would have to make my own Frenchiladas some day, and so when I decided to try my hand at making crepes, I knew that this was the first way I wanted to stuff them. That first time I made them exactly as described on Upland's menu, and they were every bit as good as I had hoped. I've tweaked the recipe a bit since then, and the result is what you see here.