Canadian Bacon & Onion Quiche -- Ten Years of Wednesday Dinners

Spring. Shelly's garden is thriving. She and Roy have turned the Broken Arrow backyard into a vegetable operation that rivals mine. Tomatoes, peppers, squash (Roy finally won the squash argument), cucumbers, and a new obsession: sunflowers. Mama grows sunflowers along the fence line — tall, golden, ridiculous in their optimism. She said, "They remind me of the flowers Dustin brings you." She's right. Gas station sunflowers for my birthday. Garden sunflowers for Mama's retirement. The sunflower is the family flower now. Unplanned. Unofficial. But ours.

Mama is sixty-three. She moves slowly but with purpose. Her knees bother her — Roy says she should see a doctor, Mama says she should "walk it off," and the argument has been ongoing for two years and will continue until Mama's knees override her stubbornness, which they will, because knees are more stubborn than even Shelly Moreland.

She still comes for Wednesday dinner. Every Wednesday. The streak is ten years old. Ten years of Wednesday dinners, from the apartment to the house, from one child to three, from twenty-year-old Kaylee to thirty-one-year-old Kaylee. The meal changes. The presence doesn't. Mama shows up at 5:30. She plays with the grandkids. She eats two helpings. She says, "This is good, baby." I say, "I learned from you." She waves her hand. Every Wednesday. The same exchange. The same wave. The same love, measured in helpings and hand waves and ten years of showing up without being asked.

Mama has been showing up at 5:30 on Wednesdays for ten years, and somewhere in that decade I learned that the best thing you can put in front of someone who loves you without being asked is something warm, golden, and worth a second helping — and this quiche has never once let me down. The bacon and onion fill the house with exactly the right kind of smell, the kind that says you were expected, you were wanted, come in. I started making it because it’s simple enough to pull together before she arrives and impressive enough that she always waves her hand and says it’s too much trouble, which we both know means she’s having two pieces.

Canadian Bacon & Onion Quiche

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
• 6 oz Canadian bacon, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Press pie crust into a 9-inch pie or tart pan and crimp edges. Set aside.
2. Cook the onion. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Add Canadian bacon and cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Layer the filling. Spread the bacon and onion mixture evenly across the bottom of the unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle shredded Swiss cheese over the top in an even layer.
4. Make the custard. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until fully combined and slightly frothy.
5. Pour and bake. Carefully pour the egg custard over the cheese and bacon filling. Bake on the center rack for 40–45 minutes, until the center is just set and the top is golden brown. A knife inserted near the center should come out clean.
6. Rest before slicing. Let the quiche rest for 10 minutes before cutting. This allows the custard to fully firm up and makes for cleaner slices. Garnish with fresh chives if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 430 | Protein: 18g | Fat: 32g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 620mg