Happy feast of the Assumption, new blog title/scope and a great quiche recipe

Today is a great feast day in the Church, but most US Catholics won't realize it, unfortunately, because our bishops don't think that we should be obligated to go to Mass two days in a row.  Imagine the inconvenience!  Of course, I do understand that there are people who would not be able to attend Mass today due to school, work, etc. but why can't the rest of us be asked to do so?

Luckily, my parish will honor the Feast of the Assumption of Mary tonight with a Missa Cantata (sung Mass in Latin in the Extraordinary Form).  If your parish doesn't offer Mass today or if you can't attend, it is not considered a sin as the bishops have "abrogated" the feast this year.  If you can't go to Mass, then perhaps you can learn more about this feast and its traditions at Catholic Culture (be sure to read about St. Tarcisius at the bottom of the page) or read today's Mass readings.  You might also pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary today as the 4th mystery honors today's feast.

You might have noticed that this blog has a new title.  It was previously called "Don't Know Much About the Rosary?" I wanted to focus on the Rosary and intended to start another blog about fitness, but never got around to it.  I decided to change the title to "Tending the Temple" so that I could increase the scope of my writing to include more fitness and health information, in the context of caring for our Temples of the Holy Spirit.  I thought today's feast would be a perfect opportunity to launch this new theme because we celebrate Mary's entry into heaven, both body and soul.

Of course, I will still include plenty of Rosary posts!  When I get around to it, I'll jazz up the look of the blog to make it more visually appealing.

I chose the title "Tending the Temple" because it is the title of the new book I just finished writing, along with my co-authors Dr. Kevin Vost and Shane Kapler.  It's a 365-day devotional with daily saint bios, Bible quotes and exercises to help readers care for body and soul. I'm very excited about this book, which will be available any day now.  I'll post a link as soon as it is.  In the meantime, you can read a preview entry at my publisher's website, Bezalel Books.

Please let me know what you think of the new title and theme.

Since I've given you a few suggestions to care for your soul today (see links in the second paragraph above), I'll also share the recipe for the meal I'm making tonight: Spinach, Onion, Hash Brown and Feta Quiche.  My whole family loves this meal, and I like that we get lots of food groups in one dish.  This is based on a recipe from Cooking Light, but I've made so many changes to it, that I consider it mine at this point.  It does take a bit of prep time, but the extra effort is worth it.  If you don't have time to make this after a busy day at work, you could prepare the spinach, onions and hash browns the day before.  When you get home, mix up the egg mixture and you'll have it in the oven in mere minutes.

If you want to reduce carbs and calories, you could make this without the crust or perhaps use a few sheets of phyllo dough (in the freezer section near the puff pastry and pie crusts).  I haven't tried either modification, so if you do, let me know how it works out.  BTW, I found all the ingredients for this dish at Walmart.

SPINACH, ONION, HASH BROWN AND FETA QUICHE

Note: This recipe takes about 1 1/2 hours from start to on the table, so plan accordingly!  You won't be slaving over the stove the whole time, so don't worry.

1 (9" deep dish) pie shell, unbaked

Olive oil

10 oz. fresh spinach

1 1/2 cup frozen hash browns (or Simply Potatoes Hash Browns, in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores in a green bag)

1-2 yellow onions, sliced thin (use 2 if you really like onions)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. sugar

3/4 cup 2% or skim evaporated milk (you won't use the entire can)

2 egg whites

2 eggs

5 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Drizzle about 1-2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium skillet or saute pan and heat for a few minutes on medium heat.  Add the onions, salt and sugar.  Cook for 30 minutes, or until they are a deep golden brown, stirring occasionally.  (Yes, you do have to cook them this long!  They should be soft and buttery.  Be careful not to burn them.)  Meanwhile, drizzle 1-2 teaspoons olive oil into a different saute pan and heat for a minute or so.  Add the hash browns in a single layer, patting them down with a spatula.  Turn them every 5 minutes or so until most of them are golden brown.  (I find this takes about 20-30 minutes.)  Drizzle 1 tsp. olive oil into a third pan (or wait until you're finished with one of the other two) and add the fresh spinach.  Stir occasionally until all of it wilts.  You will start out with tons of spinach, but it will wilt into a small amount.  (I spend a few minutes taking all the stems off the leaves before I put them in the pan.)

Mix the eggs, evaporated milk and a dash of salt with a whisk in a medium bowl.

(Note:  If your oven tends to produce soggy crusts like my convection microwave does, then pre-cook the crust for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees before adding the other ingredients.)  

Assemble the quiche: Spread the caramelized onions and hash browns on the bottom of the pie crust.  Top with the wilted spinach and crumbled feta cheese.  Pour the egg and milk mixture on top, but don't let it spill over the top.

Place the quiche on a foil-lined cookie sheet (in case of spillover) and bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.  Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve with fresh fruit and a glass of white wine.

Calories:  Approximately 300 per serving if you cut the quiche into 8 pieces.