1 bunch of asparagus stalks
1/ 4 lb to 1/ 2 lb ham, sliced and cut into small pieces
2 9-inch deep dish piecrusts
1 2.8 ounce can Durkee French Fried onions
1/ 2 pt heavy cream
1/ 2 pt half and half
8 extra large eggs
2 cups shredded Jarlsberg cheese or Swiss cheese
2 tablespoon margarine, softened

1. Oven 425 degrees
2. Spread softened margarine in the bottom of the piecrusts.
3. Steam asparagus. Cut asparagus into small pieces. In a large bowl, place asparagus, ham, French fried
onions and 1 cup of Jarlsberg. Toss and mix together. Split the asparagus mixture between the two
piecrusts evenly.
4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs with half and half. Pour mixture over asparagus mixture in piecrusts.
Sprinkle 1/ 2 cup of Jarlsberg cheese on top of each quiche.
5. Pour heavy cream over the Jarlsberg cheese on both quiches.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn oven to 325 degrees and continue cooking for 35-45 minutes longer.
7. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing. Serve immediately.
8. ENJOY – “Ham and Cheese, Please”!

Remember that old expression “real men don’t eat quiche”? I believe men think of quiche as a feminine food. My husband and son have never been big fans of quiche. My husband will eat it if there isn’t anything else. “Where’s the beef?” is what my husband is thinking whenever I serve vegetables and no meat. Quiche is not enough for a guy; they need something more to go with it. Most women I know love vegetables while most men seem to just love meat. Guess it’s that old caveman theory. My husband was away for five days once. For those five days I ate just a little chicken and mostly vegetables. It was so easy. My theory is that quiche is okay for women as a main dish but only as a side dish for men.

Quiche is surely a perfect lunch when served with bread and salad or alone. I have prepared quiche with a variety of vegetables. Quiche has the basic ingredients of eggs, piecrust and cheese. Any cheddar, Monterey jack, Jarlsberg or popular cheese will do – and don’t tell anybody, but even if the cheese is a little stale, no one will ever know! Leftover vegetables are a perfect reason for having a quiche the next day, and the options for what you might want to add to your quiche are endless depending on what’s left over in your fridge.

I will tell you why I made ham and asparagus quiche recently because it’s a funny story. I was hosting a dinner on a Friday evening. I worked that day and my husband was going to be home before me. That morning before I left for work, I left him a list of a few things we needed from the store to make dinner. Apparently, I had just written the word vegetable on the list. Well, after work, I called home and realized I forgot one or two items not written on the list. Typical of me, I forgot I wrote vegetable on the original list for my husband. So, I bought a bunch of asparagus home for dinner. When I got home, sitting on the kitchen table were two more bunches of asparagus. How much asparagus could I serve 6 people for dinner? This was definitely not a big deal. Actually, I steamed two bunches of asparagus and served them, leaving one more bunch of asparagus sitting in the refrigerator. Hence, the ham and asparagus quiche was made for another meal for another day!

Whichever way you like your quiche, side or main, it’s delicious just the same!