Spinach, Pancetta & Goat Cheese Crustless Quiche ... and Introducing Franka the Dog for French Fridays with Dorie

 It's been an appalling two whole months since I did a French Fridays with Dorie post. This is due to a number of factors: my trip to Prague, Krakow, and Vienna (which I've been posting about here, here, and here); the fact that I really haven't been terribly inspired to make the Dorie dishes lately (except the pepper steak - I wish I had found time to make that!);  and, finally, the fact that I just started a job cooking in the kitchen at the Desert Cafe, a Middle Eastern restaurant in Baltimore. I love it! But frankly,  I don't feel much like cooking when I get home.



And by the way, if you live in the area, come by on a Tuesday or Friday lunch or Wednesday dinner, and make sure to order the Trixie Truffle or the Mango Tango, my very own dishes that the owner put on the menu. Fun! And yes, I am still the online food and drink editor at a local magazine and I do other freelance writing projects ... so  ... whew, to say the least.



I wish I could say I were some kind of prodigal daughter and I made Dorie's spinach and bacon quiche as written,  but as usual, I didn't.  Honestly, the pronounced lack of cheese made me suspicious regarding flavor intensity,  so I improvised. I did a crustless quiche (saving my carbs for pizza, thank you very much) and did pancetta rather than bacon and added a boatload of goat cheese. Also, where Dorie instructs us to steam the spinach and squeeze out the moisture, I sauteed it with the onions and garlic instead. Dorie also cautions against letting the onions brown or take on any color at all. I don't know about you, but I like a little color in my onions, know what I'm saying?



Served with a side salad of tomatoes, parsley, red onions, olive oil and truffle salt, this made for a pretty fantabulous dinner:



But enough about me! I have much more exciting news to share ... my regular readers may recall last November when my beautiful dog, Pete, passed away, leaving Poppa Trix and me unspeakably heartsick. I don't get all sincere that often, but I was so touched by the many  supportive comments and emails I received from my awesome food blog friends. It's been a lonely and long 5 months, but last weekend the time finally felt right to adopt a dog. Friends of ours found her after she was abandoned in a parking lot by her alcoholic "owner. "  When I saw her photo on Facebook I knew she was the dog for us.



We have named her Franka, after the German actress Franka Potente from Run Lola Run and the Bourne Identity movies. I don't need to explain to you just how cute she is, and if you love dogs you will understand why my cold, black Grinch heart of the last few months is actually starting to feel human again:









Too many dog photos? Just kidding! No such thing. Thanks for reading, and thanks to all of you who were there for me through the loss of Pete. No one will ever take his place in our hearts, but as it turns out  - against what I would have thought - my heart actually has other places after all.



Happy French Friday - check out the other posts here. Want to join in on the fun? Pick up a copy of Around My French Table and start cooking with us!