Bridal Shower Power

Summer Garden Bounty Quiche
It's wedding season. And wedding season means showers of the bridal variety. On Saturday we celebrated Lacey's bridal shower and were asked to contribute to the feast. No problem! With my garden bursting with zucchini and my hens laying overtime, I had the perfect idea in mind for a potluck brunch. Quiche is an ideal take-along meal. It can be made ahead of time, travels easily, and is great at room temperature. While I toyed with the idea of adding bacon to the recipe, I ended up creating a vegetarian dish to appeal to a variety of eating habits. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful gathering - cheers to Lacey and her upcoming marriage to Jeff. There couldn't be a more ideally matched couple.

Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini and 1 medium yellow squash, sliced thin crosswise
- 2 small sweet yellow onions, peeled and sliced crosswise into disks
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano and thyme
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 6 eggs
- 1 c. smoked cheddar or mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 batch Perfect Pie Crust recipe (omit sugar)

Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir and allow the onions to soften and turn translucent. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow onions to slowly brown for 20-30 minutes. As the onions begin to caramelize, add sliced zucchini and squash and stir to combine. Allow onions, squash, and zucchini to continue to cook down until all the vegetables are softened, browned, and sweet (an additional 10-20 minutes). Sprinkle in fresh chopped herbs and stir thoroughly. Allow vegetables to cool before mixing into eggs.

Meanwhile, make the pie crust. (Using a pre-made pie crust is perfectly fine, but my Perfect Pie Crust recipe is fantastic. You will only need to make half the recipe and omit the sugar for a savory dish, such as this quiche.) Roll pie crust out on a floured surface and press into a 9 1/2" pie dish. Pinch the edges in a decorative manner and place crust in refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 400˚F. While oven is heating, whisk together eggs and heavy cream. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add cheese and cooked vegetables and stir to combine.

Pour egg mixture into prepared crust and bake for 35-45 minutes until the eggs are cooked through and the edges of the crust are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.