Keep and Share ~ Crustless Quiche

What's Schoolin'?

Keep and Share:  I admit it, last year was a dud year regarding organization, record keeping, and planning/implementation.  For a "latent perfectionist" it was frustrating and defeating.  However, (insert perky voice) this year will be different!!  One of several things that have helped for record keeping in the past has been Keep and Share.

I think Keep and Share was developed and is used by most people as a *planning* tool and an *organizational* tool.  I'm semi-liberated from using left-brain organizational techniques as-is and try to tweek them to my brain type/functionality (and continued health/brain issues for which I need to compensate and with which I need to function).

Basically, Keep and Share is a calendar tool.  What is really cool is that you can have several calendars going at the same time.  One could be for planning, I guess ;).

For Montessori:  Easy record keeping for what lessons have been presented to whom and what shelf work choices the children have made.  You could keep the screen up during shelf work time and just jot down notes as things happen.  You can also put in planned presentations (just a short note to remember; not the whole plan) as well.

For you 4-Hers out there:  The year we used this for 4-H was great at Record Book time.  I would input brief notes as life went on straight into the calendar.  For example "Dd made cheese cake."  I printed out the calendars for each child at the end and highlighted all pertinent activites for that child.  We compared it to the wall calendar and made sure we didn't leave things out like workshops and tours, etc.  I have to point out though, that dds told me yesterday (as I was starting to use it again - yeah!) that it's great but I'm really keeping records FOR them, they are not doing it themselves.  They still prefer the index card method they do on their own.  However, they agreed that it was good to have to make sure they remembered everything in case they missed something on their cards. 

One solution is to let each child have their own calendar page. You can import and combine calendars to print and each one can have a different color; so on the combined calendar you can have different colors for their input and your input.

There is SOOO much that you can do with Keep and Share and I haven't even scratched the surface.  If you discover something cool and use it a different way, please let me know!  The calendar was all I could handle at the time but maybe I'm ready to branch out with it a bit now :).

I only have 3 calendars right now: 4-H; Volunteer Hours; and Citizenship (our state requires that we teach 'citizenship' each year so I log things for that in case it ever comes up and I need documentation).  I'm considering having one for each child for them to log 4-H things - if they want.  They may still prefer the index or spiral.  I think just spending consistent time for them to jot down notes will make the difference no matter what system they choose.

For food/health journals:  You can keep a record of what you eat or symptoms.  They can easily be printed for doctor appointments.  If you're a menu planner they could be used for that as well.  Hmmm.... I think you can set things to repeat but I'm not sure about that.  Then I could insert quiche maybe every 2 or 3 weeks since my family likes quiche but I don't remember to make it often.

Also, Keep and Share is FREE :).

Give it a try at:
http://www.keepandshare.com/

What's Cookin'?

Crustless Quiche: My recipes are packed; although I actually think I know where the ones are that I usually tape inside my kitchen cabinets (of which this is one).  Anyway... I threw together this quiche last night with limited kitchen resources and thought I'd share.  May this give hope (or amusement) to those trying to feed their families real food under less than ideal circumstances.

First of all, there is no mixing bowl or any big bowl in the rental house (but I'm so appreciative of this rental so it's not a compaint, just reality).  I had to use a skillet to mix everything.  If you are in the same dilemna try this:  Saute the veggies in the skillet; set aside in little cereal bowl.  In the cooled skillet mix 10 eggs, 2 handfuls of flour (I guess that would be about 1/2 C??), 2 teaspoons baking powder, and a bunch of sea salt.  Mix it well.  Divide meat/veggie mix into 2 buttered pie pans; pour the egg/flour mix into the 2 pans over the meat/veggie mix; put 1/2 C shredded cheese on top of each pan.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Or, you could do what I actually did:  Forget to use the correct order with the skillet and mix the above egg, etc. with a spatula because there isn't a big spoon.  Pour it into 2 aluminum (yes, aluminum) throw-away (yes, throw-away) pie pans greased with butter (remember:  these are less than optimal conditions - little cookware).  Then wipe out the egg stuff left on the skillet and saute the veggies and meat.  [I had 1/2 pound pastured pork sausage (pre-cooked) and some wonderful veggies from the local Farmers Market (round zucchini, sweet peppers, bell pepper).]  Completely forget the onion you had gotten for this meal and remember as you are typing your blog post.  Generously crumble cheddar over the two pie pans already filled with the egg/flour mix - about 1/2 C per pan.  Sprinkle the cooked meat/veggie mix over each pan holding back enough of the mix to make some awesome eggs in the morning.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.  Cool a few minutes before serving. 

Enjoy the ooohs and aaahs of your family and the accomplishment of serving real food in less than optimal kitchen circumstances. :). 

There were 2 slices left over from a family of 5 that includes 2 teenagers that eat more than adults and a 9 yr-old that eats almost as much as her sisters.  Those are wrapped individually in the freezer for quick snacks or a breakfast-on-the-go.  Making it a 10-egg quiche and adding the bit of extra flour helped stretch it.

This simple quiche is part of Kelly's Real Food Wednesday:
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2011/07/real-food-wednesday-762011.html