Quiche

Good Tuesday morning!

Could it get any more gray or dreary or rainy? I love these days.

For one thing, I think I look better in this lighting. (Actually, I look best in candlelight... with one candle!) During the summer, spring and fall, I just think a gray sky makes the other colors "pop." In the winter, you always have that little hope of a snow day (even when it's 50+ degrees).

I wanted to share a few middle-age terms I found in the book Humor for a Woman's Heart 2. This particular article is by Laura Jensen Walker, and she is very comfortable with her middle age-ness:

1. Age spots - Cute freckles gone bad.

2. Hot flash - Better than an I.D., this furnace blast from the waist up tells everyone around you that you're over 40.

3. Mentalpause - Inability to remember names, places and what you were just about to say. (I have had this since I was 25!)

4. Middle Age - Caught between a glamour girl and a golden girl.

5. Mood Swings - Pick a mood, any mood, then change it in a heartbeat, add tears and stir. (Roxie has had this since age 10!)

6. Naps - Ecstasy. (Good word AND good definition!)

7. Thermostat Wars - He may get the remote, but you've won the real battle: supreme control of the thermostat.

8. Watchamacallit - Latest word addition to the middle-age dictionary -- must be said in tandem with pointing at common, everyday objects.

9. Wrinkle Cream - Save your money. Buy chocolate instead.

And my favorite:

10. Menopause - The only time in your life when you get to have the same wardrobe from season to season -- all summer clothes all year long (and that means white after Labor Day).

I like people who are comfortable with where they are in life. I hope when I'm middle-aged (in six more years -- the women in my family can live to be 106), I have as good an attitude as Ms. Walker. And by the way, I highly recommend this book. It has stories and quotes from 26 funny, Godly women, and it will leave a smile on your face every time you read it.

And as I stated above, don't forget my piece of lighting advice... one candle is better than two when it comes to not showing all of your flaws. And it's less painful than Botox -- mainly because I believe in sitting as far away from the candle as humanly possible.

Christmas Card Update - I'm not going to give you a number until tomorrow, but I will tell you that yesterday was the biggest mail day of the year for the Post Office, which means that today when the mailman comes it could be HUGE. (This was officially reported by Matt Lauer on The Today Show. That means it is true.)

TIP FOR THE DAY: Crank up the Christmas music for every meal (including breakfast). Do the same in the car and embarrass your teenagers by pulling up beside their friends and sing and smile at the top of your lungs. That's my plan for doing something Christmasy today! Isn't Christmas fun?

Quiche

This is a simple, simple ham quiche you can make in the morning, refrigerate and then bake 40 minutes before you're ready for dinner.

You will need the following:

2 cups Half and Half
1 Tablespoon chives
2 teaspoons onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup ham cut into small squares (use the deli-sliced ham you would use to make a sandwich)
2 pie shells
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Bake pie shells according to directions on package.

2. Put 1 cup of shredded cheese in the bottom of each baked pie shell.

3. Microwave half and half, chives, onion, curry and salt for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.

4. Add beaten eggs and 1/2 cup ham to the microwaved ingredients. Stir.

5. Pour over cheese in the two prepared pie shells.

6. Put aluminum foil around edge of pie shells (to keep from burning), and bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes or until knife comes out of the quiche clean.

That's it! Serve with fruit or a salad and you've got a delicious AND quick supper. It's also great to warm up the next day for lunch or leftovers a night or two later.

I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday. Remember, tomorrow is a Christmas Eve tradition you may want to try.

Take care and I'll talk to you tomorrow.