snappy, then nappy

It was a chilly night, which means it's a chilly morning, which means I can bake today! I took part in a local food swap last night and made out like a bandit. I arrived with homemade dill pickles, chokecherry jelly, pickled beets, and strawberry freezer jam, plus a small cooler with some venison and antelope (chops, burger, breakfast links, salami).

I left with a huge bunch of basil, at least five pounds of tomatoes, a bagful of green beans, elderberry syrup, fresh sourdough bread, raspberry jam, and cherry rhubarb jam, with only a little of the meat left to bring home.

All this means is that I've got what I need to make tomato-basil simmer sauce (our favorite for homemade pizza) and dilly beans. I've also got plans and the goods to make a green apple/Gorgonzola quiche and buttermilk banana bread. It would be a great day to go hunting up chokecherries or huckleberries, but I'm running on empty between a little girl who wakes every 3 hours like clockwork at night and a bigger boy who has an overactive imagination and resulting nightmares:

A: Why is it that you're scared of monsters under your bed, but when you sleep in our room, you sleep right next to our bed and have no problem?
B: Because you have more things stuffed under your bed. When I sleep there, all I feel is your suitcase.
A: Do you want me to shove more stuff under your bed? Because I can absolutely do that. There wouldn't be any more room for monsters.
B: Yeah!
...
Unless it was a little tiny monster that could fit in between. But then I probably wouldn't be scared of it.

Dilly Beans (from Colorado Cache)

• 4 lbs young, whole green beans
• 5 cups water
• 5 cups vinegar
• 1/2 cup pickling salt

Add to each pint jar:

• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seed
• 1/2 tsp. dill seed
• 1 garlic clove

Wash beans and pack vertically in hot, sterilized pint jars. Add spices to each jar. Combine vinegar, water, and salt and bring to a boil. Pour brine over beans, seal, and process.

Green Apple/Gorgonzola Quiche (adapted from A Montana Table)
Crust:

• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 T shortening
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup milk

Batter:

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried mustard

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped, uncooked bacon
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Combine butter, shortening, and flour; cut together until fully incorporated. Add milk and mix until just wet. Roll out dough and press into pie pan. Bake for 7 minutes and set aside.

Mix all batter ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Brown the bacon and set aside. Line the bottom of the reserved crust with the Gorgonzola. Cover with bacon; cover with apple slices. Top with Cheddar and pour egg batter over everything. Place on a cookie sheet to catch overflow during baking. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until quiche is golden brown and firm.