Butternut Squash, Arugula — and Bacon Quiche -- Because Even Donna Would Approve

February. The mainland states are buried. We had rain Tuesday. Caleb had baseball practice Tuesday and Thursday. I drove.

Caleb, 7, wants to be a firefighter still. Has not deviated. Hazel, 3, chaos incarnate. Put a peanut butter sandwich in the DVD player Wednesday. Showed zero remorse.

Tuna casserole Tuesday. Donna's recipe. The exact same casserole my mom made when my dad was deployed and we needed comfort that came in a 9x13.

Megan called from D.C.. We talked twenty minutes. The relationship is better now than it was.

Kids in bed. Dishes done. I sat at the table with a glass of wine and called my mom.

The military spouses' Facebook group had a small drama this week. Two women fighting over the playgroup schedule. I muted notifications and cooked dinner. Some weeks the group is the lifeline. Some weeks it is the source of unnecessary stress. The skill is knowing which week you're in.

I went for a walk Sunday morning before the kids got up. Half an hour. The fog was burning off. I needed it. Some weeks I get the walk in. Some weeks I don't. The week tells me which.

Wednesday morning meal prep — Sunday afternoon, hours of containers. The freezer is full. The future-me thanks present-me. Donna taught me this routine. Donna's freezer was always full. Donna saved her sanity with quart bags labeled in Sharpie.

The PCS rumors are starting again. The official orders will come in a few months. We could move. We could stay. The waiting is the worst part. Three years here and I have learned to not put down deep roots in any military town. Nineteen-year-old me would not have believed how good I have gotten at packing.

I went to the commissary Saturday morning. Got the grocery haul under sixty bucks for the week, which is a small victory. The cashier knows me. We talked about her grandkids while she scanned the chicken thighs and the family-size box of pasta. Small-town energy on a Marine base in California.

I made a casserole for a neighbor whose husband is deployed. I dropped it off. She cried. I told her, eat the casserole, baby. The food is the saying. The casserole was a mostly-frozen tater-tot situation that took fifteen minutes of effort and six months of practice to perfect.

Caleb's school had a fundraiser this week. I baked cookies because I always bake cookies. The cookies were the standard chocolate chip. They sold out in twenty minutes. I am the cookie mom of this PTO and I have stopped fighting it.

Ryan came home tired Wednesday. He showered, ate, sat on the couch, was asleep by eight. Standard for a Marine who has been up since four-thirty for PT and stayed late for a brief. The schedule is the schedule. The body adapts because it has to.

Caleb watched the firefighters at a school visit Wednesday and came home buzzing. He is going to be one. I have known this since he was four. Some kids tell you who they are early.

My therapy session was Tuesday. We talked about the deployment cycle and the way the body holds dread and the ways the body holds it. The hour passed. The work continues. I have been doing this work for years. The work pays.

The Friday before-school morning was chaos. Three kids, two backpacks, one missing shoe. We all made it to the bus. I drank cold coffee at nine AM because that's when I sat down. Standard.

Ryan went to his counselor Wednesday. He always comes home calmer. I am calm too, just from him being calm. The man Torres was killed with — Ryan calls his wife twice a year on Torres's birthday and the anniversary. The military widows are their own community.

Donna’s tuna casserole does one job, and it does it with quiet authority — but the quiche I keep coming back to for meal prep is this one, the butternut squash and bacon situation that goes straight from the oven into labeled bags in the freezer and comes out of the microwave still tasting like I tried. It’s the kind of recipe that earns its place in the rotation not because it’s fancy but because future-me, the one sitting down to cold coffee at nine AM on a Friday, deserves something that took more than twelve seconds to reheat. Donna would have written it on an index card. I have it memorized.

Butternut Squash, Arugula, and Bacon Quiche

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust, store-bought or homemade
• 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 strips thick-cut bacon
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 cups arugula, loosely packed
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3/4 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Roast the squash. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the butternut squash cubes with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and pepper. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 20 minutes, flipping once, until tender and lightly caramelized. Remove and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
2. Cook the bacon. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon strips until crispy, about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, let cool, then crumble. Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pan.
3. Wilt the arugula. Over medium-low heat, sauté the minced shallot in the reserved bacon drippings for 1–2 minutes until softened. Add the arugula and stir until just wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4. Pre-bake the crust. Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Line with parchment paper and pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes. Remove weights and parchment; bake 3 minutes more. Remove from oven.
5. Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, milk, 1/2 cup of the Gruyère, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until fully combined.
6. Layer the filling. Scatter the roasted squash evenly across the bottom of the crust. Top with the arugula and shallot mixture, then the crumbled bacon. Pour the egg custard over the top, letting it settle between the layers. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Gruyère over the surface.
7. Bake. Bake at 375°F for 35–40 minutes, until the custard is set in the center and the top is lightly golden. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean.
8. Rest and slice. Let the quiche rest on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. To freeze, wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and store in a labeled freezer bag for up to 2 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 345 | Protein: 11g | Fat: 27g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 430mg