Quiche Me My Sweet

I have been a bachelor for a long time. Decades. 

As a single man I initially learned how to cook for my own survival. The microwave was my essential tool in the kitchen. Often dinner was store bought burritos smothered with beans, cheese and hot sauce. Fish stick sandwiches with cheese was another staple, served with a can of chili. I ate out a lot. Then I discovered the Crock Pot. Over the years things changed. I grew and learned more about cooking and honed my culinary skills and made the kitchen My domain, (at least until my girlfriend got home). Now I make my own burritos and fresh salsa. I make meat loaf and burger patties to freeze. Chili, potato soup, stews. I bake chicken and roasts.

I have also learned over the years that many women like a man that can cook well. Maybe they see it as a role switch or a Lib. thing. Some may. I think some see it as an oddity. YOU DO WHAT?  I have seen it in their faces when I invited them over for dinner, giving me that YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME grin. Gentlemen, please take note: when a lady shows up for dinner and the table is laid out with my finest tupperware holding the Salmon Pate' with dipping veggies and Ritz crackers and she smells the sweet aroma of my Roasted Garlic Chicken cooking in the oven, she starts looking around for the to-go boxes from the local deli. Her doubts fade when dinner is served with a Raspberry vinaigrette salad, rice pilaf and steamed veggies and a glass of good Chardonnay, she is now a believer. The King wears his crown proudly in his domain. Yepper. You must be very careful here. She may start laying out her agenda and you must be diligent and stick to YOUR agenda.

The BBQ is another area l hold dominion over.

There are rules. Hawaii State Law dictates that while tending to the BBQ, a man MUST have a beer in hand. I am not one to break the rules. I have cooked some great meals on the grill like baked whole Salmon stuffed with onion, garlic and a trout. Grilled halibut, steaks, corn, cowboy taters and more. I learned how to smoke meat on a grill as well. I have cooked some things that were previously thought impossible to cook on a BBQ. 

I like quiche.

Fresh off the grill

I had a nice Weber gas grill once...back in the day when I didn't have to mortgage the house to buy fuel. One day I had a dinner date and wanted to be creative in the kitchen and make some Quiche, but my oven didn't work. Not a problem. I fired up the grill. Now before you pass judgement and pull out your cell to call 911 to have me sent to Ward 12 for observation, please read the rest of the story. I know quiche is baked and not grilled. I didn't come in with last night's rain. The key to baking in the BBQ was a fire brick. It is a special brick used in...you guessed it, ovens. I had a large brick that I set on the grill which covered about 3/4 of the grill surface and allowed the heat to travel to the top to create an oven effect. My spinach and bacon quiche was a hit that evening and so was I.

Working on the river as a guide and a fisherman for so many years taught me a lot of things. One thing that I learned was that you gotta have the right bait for the best catch!

Spinach quiche with bacon is my favorite.

Bon appetit.

J.Osprey