Ham and Swiss Quiche Recipe

Right before the holidays all the stores run sales on spiral hams. Since spiral hams are pre-cooked and all you do is stick it in the oven to heat, I usually pick up one for quick meals during the busy weeks preceding Christmas.

Spiral hams are pre-cooked and sliced and are great for Sunday dinners, sandwiches and so much more. The only drawback is that even small half hams are a bit large for the average family and there will be leftovers. So one of my favorite ways to use up leftover ham is in a quiche.

What is quiche you may ask? It’s a custardy dish that is great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Or you can make them snack size for canapés or change the savory ingredients to sweet and make them for dessert. There are literally hundreds of ways to make quiche. Don’t like ham, substitute turkey or chopped, cooked chicken.

Click to learn more about the history of Quiche.

Making a Quiche is pretty easy too! Use the store bought piecrusts you simply roll into a pan, or easier yet use frozen piecrusts. Before you know it you will be savoring a tasty Quiche.

Ham and Swiss Quiche

Ingredients:

• Two large eggs
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup half and half
• 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/3-cup sweet onions finely diced
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• Pie shell unbaked

Instructions:

In a blender or food processor add the eggs, mayonnaise, half and half, cornstarch and white pepper. Blend till all the ingredients are well mixed.

In a bowl combine the ham, cheese and onions together. Spread the ham mixture in the pie shell, spreading it out to fill the entire pie shell. Pour the wet ingredients in the pie shell on top of the ham mixture.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the quiche to cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Cut in equal wedges and serve with a colorful garnish of cherry tomatoes if desired.

Now that you have the basic quiche recipe, you can play around with the cheeses and filling ingredients.

Cork Elf on the shelf or tree tutorial

Do you have an elf on the shelf?  If not you can make one from a discarded champagne cork and some craft supplies you may already have on hand.  You can bend his arms and legs any way you choose to sit him on a shelf.  You can even sit him cross-legged on a table or hang him on the tree.  He is quick and easy to create and makes a great package decoration or small gift.

Supplies:

·      Champagne cork

·      20 gauge red wire

·      Wire cutters

·      Red chenille stems (pipe cleaners)

·      Red felt scraps

·      White felt scraps

·      Acrylic paint- flesh, red, brown, blue, white and black

·      Small paintbrush

·      Tacky craft glue

·      Clothespin to hold the felt while drying

·      Awl or nail for making holes in the cork

Patterns for download

Instructions:

1.     Use the awl or a pointed nail to make a hole in the top of the cork.  Cut a 3 “ piece of red 20 gauge wire with wire cutters.  Bend in half to make a loop.  Add some tacky glue to the wire ends and insert into the hole you made in the cork.  (See photo)

2.     Paint a face and ears (As shown in the photo) with the small paintbrush loaded with flesh colored acrylic paint.  Rinse the brush and paint the hair all around the top, back and sides.  (See photo)

3.     Paint the body (The bottom of the cork) red.  Let the paint dry. 

4.     Paint the facial features, eyes, nose, mouth, eyebrows, etc.  Use the photo as a guide.

5.     Cut two red chenille stems 2 inches long (arms), and two red chenille stems 3 inches long (legs).

6.     To make the cuffs on the arms cut a small ½” piece of white felt and use some tacky glue to attach to the ends of each arm.  Hold in place with a clothespin till dry.

7.     Cut the collar from the pattern.  Apply a generous amount of tacky glue around the neck and attach the collar.

8.     To make the hat, cut the hat pieces from the pattern.  Attach the white edge around the hat piece and let dry.   Fold the hat around and glue both sides together.  Use a clothespin to hold it together while it dries.

9.     Use the nail or awl to drill holes in the sides of the body.  Apply some tacky glue to the arm pieces and using a twisting motion attach to the body.  Repeat this step with the legs, drilling holes in the bottom of the cork.  Glue the hat onto the head allowing the wire loop to come out the top a bit for hanging if desired.

Minion hair bows tutorial

Check out my newest tutorial for a Minion hair bows.  It's quick, easy and you even use recycled denim to create them.  These little minions make great gifts for your favorite little girl.  You can also attach the minion on gift packages for a fun little addition.

Since the supplies are so inexpensive to make these little guys they would be fantastic for a church group, girl scout troop school craft and more.

Hop on over to Bowdabra blog for the full tutorial!

Free printable Christmas coloring page for kids

It's almost Christmas.  Well not exactly almost but the way the stores are discounting all the Christmas items one would think it's the week after!  Anyway I figured it was time for another free printable coloring page.

This page has all the things that remind me of everything I love about Christmas.  And there is plenty of evidence that coloring receives stress and the holidays always bring about a little extra stress.  So let the kids have fun or even be a kid for a day and grab some colored pencils and destress away.

Click on the photo for the free printable.  Want to learn more about the benefits of coloring for kids?

click here

Frozen Elsa clothespin doll

You can easily create this cute little Frozen inspired clothespin doll.  All you need is a little ribbon, clothespin with stand and a dowel cap.  Add a snowflake button or charm and some yarn for the hair and she will be ready to display throughout the holidays.  Its all glued together so it works up so quickly you will be amazed!

Supplies:

Clothespin (for doll making)

Clothespin stand

Large dowel cap to fit over the clothespin

5/8” teal colored grosgrain ribbon

5/8” sparkle teal colored ribbon

Scraps of heavy variegated yellow/white yarn (you can substitute lt. yellow if you want)

White sparkle chenille stem

Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks

Small snowflake button or charm

Silver Bowdabra bow wire - Bowdabra bow wire is easy on the hands and is useful for so many projects!

Instructions:

1.     Cut the chenille stem 8” long.  Fold in half and attach in the center of the neck of the clothespin with some hot glue. 

2.     Wrap each side around, gluing as you go to the front.  You will create a scarf on the neck and two arms.  Make sure the arms are even on both sides.

3.     Cut eight strips of the teal grosgrain ribbon 4” long and six 4” strips from the sparkle ribbon.

4.     Begin gluing each strip of grosgrain ribbon right under the scarf working your way around the clothespin. 

5.     After you have added all the grosgrain ribbon strips, add the sparkle strips starting at the side of the clothespin, around the back and end on the opposite side.

6.     Glue the dowel cap onto the top of the clothespin for the head.

7.     Gather a few lengths of yarn and glue to the top of the head and slightly down one side.  Braid the yarn and tie with Bowdabra silver bow wire.

8.     Add the snowflake to the center and adjust the arms.  Fan out the dress and stand up to display.

If you like this quick and easy tutorial, please visit Bowdabrablog for hundreds more free craft tutorials!

Thanksgiving thoughts and craft tutorials

Thanksgiving is almost here.  Sometimes because of Christmas sales, black Friday and more materialistic pursuits, some of us have lost sight of the true meaning of Thanksgiving.  So today I would like everyone to sit back, take a breather and think about all we have to be thankful for.  I am adding my list in this post but I encourage you all to make lists of your own.  Read them aloud during your Thanksgiving celebration. Be thankful for the little things, the ones that don’t require a credit card or checkbook.  And since crafting is a relaxing and enjoyable hobby I am adding a list of free (as always) thanksgiving tutorials you can create quick and easy!  Just click on the photo for the full tutorial.

I am thankful for:

The colors and beauty of sunsets and sunrises – There are those who cannot see

Family and friends – There are those who are alone

The roof over my head and food on my plate – There are those who are hungry and cold

Childlike innocence and acceptance – There are those who judge unfairly

My dog – Loyalty cannot be bought

Good things that often follow the bad.  You see, they say when one door closes another one opens.  The key is to actually notice that other door and leave the past behind

Colorful fall leaves on the trees and piles to jump in – There are those who cannot walk thought the forests and fields

Healthy mind and body, there are others who are much, much worse.

Guardian angels – My husband fell off the roof last year and while he had a lot of pain he is alive and well and I know there are other who are not so lucky

My children – although they bring painful tears at times, they also bring tears of joy in abundance.  There are others who will never know that joy and pain.

My faith in god -which has never left me even in the worst of times.

My blog, my art, and my followers – you have taken me around the world

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Recycled floral napkin ring

Indian corn wine glass votive holder

Chalkboard place cards