Real men do eat quiche, especially if it has some spice to it. This is not the kind of thing you should eat every day. However, quiche freezes nicely, so you can eat a small serving and have a cup of fruit for breakfast or lunch. If serving for brunch/lunch, make a side salad with grape tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS

5 large eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups half & half cream
1/2 cup cooked ham, chopped*
4 slices cooked bacon, drained and crumbled*
1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
4 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tbspn parsley
1 tspn dry mustard
1 tspn chili powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 ready-made 9 inch pie crusts
2 tbspn vegetable oil
1 jar of medium hot or hot salsa

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare and bake pie crusts according to directions for a pre-baked pie crust and bake for about 8 minutes. Pie crusts should be a very pale gold color. Remove pie crusts from oven and set on a cookie rack to cool. Leave oven on.

Heat vegetable oil in saute pan. Oil will shimmer when ready. Saute green peppers, red peppers, onion, and mushrooms for 5 to 7 minutes. Then remove vegetable from pan, draining excess oil and placing on paper towels. Break eggs in a large bowl and beat by hand. Add cream, ham, bacon, Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, onions, peppers, parsley, mustard and chili power. Season with a pinch of salt, add black pepper to taste. Beat again to mix thoroughly.

Pour egg mixture in pie crusts and bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center of the quiche.

If pie crust starts to brown too quickly, cover edges with strips of aluminum foil and continue baking. When quiche is done, remove from oven and allow to cool and set before cutting. Empty salsa in small pan and warm. spoon over each plated serving of quiche.

Each quiche should make 8 to 10 small servings.

Hint:
*Leftover ham is great for this dish
*Buy ready-cooked bacon if you don't want the splatter or extra bacon in the house.

Chef Rick Bayless has a wonderful salsa cook book titled Salsas That Cook : Using Classic Salsas To Enliven Our Favorite Dishes Available online from the Amazon people. Take a look at the salsa recipes he shares with readers on the Amazon site.