california – Page 5 – Mommy Hiker

[Food Series] Roasted Broccoli and Pancetta Quiche

Posted on August 15, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

Quiche is one of our family’s favorite dishes anytime of the day, any day of the week and any week of the year! It’s also one of my favorite Cook-Ahead Camping Meals to prepare. My base recipe for the custard is my mom’s and then I usually improvise with the veggie, cheese and meat elements depending on what’s in the fridge on that particular day! Today I just so happened to have a head of broccoli and pancetta calling out to me, so it was quiche time! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:
1 head of Broccoli (about 2 cups chopped)
1 cup of chopped Pancetta
1 cup of chopped Crimini Mushrooms
1 chopped Shallot (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon of Ground Mustard
4 Eggs
1 1/2 cup of Whole Milk
1/2 cup grated Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup grated Asiago Cheese
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 Pie Crust

My quiche crust is quick and easy: 1 box of Trader Joe’s Frozen Gourmet Pie Crust. I just set it on my stove a few hours prior to let it defrost, then roll it out and drape it into the 9 inch pie pan. This crust calls for a par bake of about 10 minutes, so just follow the instructions on the box! While the crust is partially baking, roughly chop the shallots, mushrooms and broccoli (I buy the already chopped pancetta at Trader Joe’s). Since the oven was already on, I decided to roast the broccoli to accentuate its flavor, so I tossed it lightly in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and threw it in the oven with the pie crust. While the oven is going, saute your pancetta, shallot and mushrooms. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, ground mustard, milk, salt and pepper. When everything on top of and in the stove is done, take it out and allow it all to cool. While everything is cooling down grate your cheese. It shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes for your pie crust to cool, then evenly spread your roasted broccoli, pancetta, mushrooms and shallots into the crust and carefully pour the custard mixture over the top. I usually place the pie pan on top of my large sheet pan and make sure not to fill the crust up completely with the custard! I leave about a quarter of an inch to the top of the sides of the crust because the quiche will puff up and will overflow!! Bake at 375 degrees for about 50 minutes. Take it out and allow it to cool for another 20 minutes, slice and enjoy!

The End of an Era – Saying Goodbye to My Beloved Merrell’s

Posted on August 12, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

I’d like to introduce you to my long time friend and trusted travel companion: Meet my Merrells!

The rocky cliffs of the Northern California Coast

This year they turned 15. They have carried me across molten volcanoes and barren deserts, through the rain forests of Costa Rica,

The mystical Arenal Volcano looming in the distance. Costa Rica.

the mystical Underground cities of Cappadocia and over countless mountains, streams and picturesque meadows on four different continents.

They are more than a pair of shoes, they have been my most trusted travel companion (aside from, of course, my husband and more recently our daughter!).

High Sierra Mountains – Sequoia National Park

They have kept me grounded and allowed me to explore the great and vast world we live in. They have propelled me forward through the twists and turns of each and every switchback to revel in the beauty which lies beyond and I will be forever grateful for the day they were given to me by my best cuz/bro/twin.

Alas, it is the end of an era. The time has come to say goodbye, to lay them to rest and the daunting yet exciting task begins: Research, testing and buying new hiking shoes!

The research is probably my most favorite and the most overwhelming part of the whole process. The hiking industry is definitely not what it was 15 years ago. Technology has soared by leaps and bounds and the brands available have grown exponentially! I’ve said it before, I’m not by any means a “gear head.” Case in point, I have 15 year old hiking shoes! Ha!

Thankfully, I have a strong and supportive network of Outdoor peeps and will definitely be pumping the ladies for all of their Female Hiking Boot opinions. I also came across a great Outdoor Gear website called TheClymb.com. It’s a membership based private-sale network that you sign up for like Zulily or Groupon and they offer deals on everything Outdoorsy up to 70% off. Sign me up! I’m always looking to save money.

What are you most favorite pair of hiking shoes? Why do you love them? Help me decide!

[Guest Blogger Series] Making Time For More Family Time by Kerem Hanci

Posted on August 6, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

This month Mommy Hiker is pleased, honored and proud to welcome my very own husband, Kerem Hanci to the Guest Blogger Series! Pro Photographer, Husband, Daddy, Blogger extraordinaire, he has been writing his own very popular Friday Photo Blog for just over 5 years now and if you’ve been with us from the beginning, you may remember waaaay back almost a year ago to his first Mommy Hiker Guest Post (Wow! A year!). Let’s give him a warm welcome back!

I am so happy to reconnect with all the readers of Mommy Hiker again.

As a professional photographer who shoots primarily weddings, summer is extremely busy for me.

Although this can create certain challenges in getting my much-needed family time, I never let it become an excuse to take those precious fleeting moments away from me.

We were able to schedule a fantastic camping trip (my blog post on that trip and I am sure you already have read Jen’s blog post) last month and this past week was extremely busy for us in a very good, outdoorsy way!

First we spent an entire afternoon at the park. We were supposed to meet with friends and something came up on their end and we ended up having a family day at the park.

Following that wonderful day, right before the weekend, I went along to my first official Mommy Hiker Los Angeles hike! The Mommy Hiker regulars and their children who joined, the energy of the group and the joyful couple of hours that followed were one of the absolute highlights of my summer!

The camaraderie of the children, with the older ones taking responsability for the younger ones was adorable to witness. I kind of stayed away from the socializing moms (which is another perk for the members of the Mommy Hiker community) and focused on the children. Their laughter, their fascination with the nature and their endless imagination uplifted me to a whole different level on Friday morning.

The lunch time was a carnival of carefully packed delicious, healthy snacks and it was followed by a festival of children taking turns blowing bubbles and get lost in their excitement of chasing soapy water filled with air. The joy of life really is just that simple!

Over the weekend we drove down to Long Beach for a baby shower, than we drove up to Oxnard for a wild-life cruise, which Jennifer is dedicating an entire blog post to later this month.

I am certain I am preaching to the choir here, but I would like to finish this photography-heavy blog with this: don’t say you would go out and explore the outdoors and let your child(ren)’s imagination run wild “when you can”. Make time for it, create it and give your undivided attention to how your little one is expanding his/her horizons. Expand yours with theirs. We are blessed in California, with year-round lovely weather, kid and wallet-friendly outdoor attractions. Come join the Mommy Hiker group when they are hiking on Friday mornings and make a serious effort to go every week. It is a fantastic opportunity to stay in shape, to challenge the little ones and yourself to achieve new heights in personal development.