Saturday Share - Brunch Quiche Cups

Today's recipe is packed with protein and is great for breakfast or brunch.

Brunch Quiche Cups

Ingredients

• 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup sharp cheddar, grated
• 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teeaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
•  1/4 cup diced ham or crumbled bacon *Optional

Directions

1. In a 12 cup muffin pan, line each cup with a foil baking cup and pre-heat the oven to 350° F. (176° C.).

2. In a small saute pan, saute the red bell pepper and the onion in the butter until soft.

3. Microwave the spinach on high for 2-3 minutes. Drain the spinach well and squeeze all the liquid out of it.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs well. Add the cheese, spinach, onions, bell pepper, salt, and pepper. If you are adding meat, toss it in now.

5. Evenly divide the mixture into the 12 muffin cups.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Serve immediately.

You can make these ahead of time and reheat in a microwave. Store any leftovers in a plastic storage bag in the freezer.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

These make a nutritious and delicious snack so make a bunch of them and keep them in a freezer for an easy breakfast or a snack as you need them.

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Ordinary Marvels - Navel Oranges

I slept late today because I stayed up late watching Olympic highlights. Amazing athletes doing amazing things.

Like many, I particularly love the ice skating events. Maybe that's because I've never ice skated before, and I'm in awe of those who do.

TODAY'S TOPIC

I'm not here to talk about the Olympics. I want to talke about things that are ordianry yet amazing.

Like the navel orange I peeled for breakfast. I was stripping away the rind from the orangish-pink flesh when I started wondering how the navel orange came into being. I was pretty sure that it had to be have been created by some kind of hybrid technique so I looked up the history.

Yes, it was a hybrid—created by Mother Nature. Surprise!

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

In 1820, in a Brazilian monestary garden, someone saw a mutated orange growing on a tree. This was a  seedless mutation, possibly derived from a Selecta orange tree.

The mutated tree produced a small "twin" fruit at the base of the fruit—something that looked like a human navel thus the origin of the name.

Horticulturists began grafting the mutated tree to other trees until there were enough for export. It took more than 50 years for the navel orange tree to be introduced in the U.S. 

When the newly-formed USDA received 12 cuttings from Brazil, someone there gave 2 cuttings to  Eliza Tibbets of Riverside, California. She planted them in 1873 which gave birth to a billion-dollar industry.

TREE TRIVIA

The mutation of the orange tree means its fruit is seedless and sterile so all navel orange trees are technically clones of that original 1820 tree,  continued through grafting.

The trees planted in California were named Washington Navel Oranges because they came from the USDA in Washington, D.C.

The trees planed in California thrived because the climate was perfect for the, and the citrus industry in the state simply boomed.

The "belly button" at the bottom is actually a conjoined twin fruit that aborted during development.

The original tree planted by Eliza Tibbets is now a California Historic Landmark.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Learning all this made the sweet navel orange I ate even more delicious and satisfying. Have you eaten an orange lately?

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Time's A-Wasting: Live Your Dream

Today, for Hump Day, I'm reflecting on recent events and on something that happened many years ago.

In the wake of wildfires, blizzards, senseless shootings, and other life tragedies, I think of a spring day many yeras ago when tornadoes cut a swath through the South.

My mother was afraid of storms and especially fearful when spring seemed to bring the worst of them. I remember trying to soothe her anxiety.

Later, I told my husband about this, and I quipped, "If it's your time to go, then there's not much you can do about it."

He said, "It may not be your time, but if you're hanging out with someone whose number is up then you're just screwed, and you'll go too."

For some reason, that whole incident really made me think. You never know when your number is up. I'm sure all those people killed in natural disasters and senseless violence thought they had plenty of time to do all the things they wanted to do.

Just like me, they probably had plans and dreams about what they wanted to do with their lives.  Maybe they talked about it, thought about it, dreamed about it, but hadn't yet done anything about it. They thought they had plenty of time.

I was like that. Big dreams. I talked about it, dreamed about it, but I hadn't really done much to turn a dream into reality. 

What if, without warning, my time was up? A storm could hit the 50 foot pine tree in my neighbor's yard. If it fell on my house, and I was in my house, I'd be a goner. Boom. Just like that.

That day, I decided I didn't want to be cowering in a hallway while a tornado roared overhead and thinking: "If only I'd had the courage to write."

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

American Journalist Sydney J. Harris once said: "Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."

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Review - The Wrong Paris - Netflix

For Valentine's weekend, I chose to watch a romcom, The Wrong Paris, a Netflix Original directed by Janeen Damian and starring Miranda Cosgrove and Pierson Fodé.

When the film began, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the stereotypes and clichés associated with Texas. I was about ready to stop the film, but I decided to give it another 5 minutes.

I'm glad I did because the movie proved to be delightful in its portrayal of a billionaire Texan and the woman who found herself stuck on a reality TV show that wasn't what she thought it was.

The premise of the TV show is the same as The Bachelor. Instead of a rose, this Texas cowboy gives his approval by giving the woman a—no, I won't tell you what, but I found it funny.

The supporting cast of Madison Pettis, Torrance Coombs, Frances Fisher, and Yvonne Orji are excellent, but the story and the charm belong to the 2 stars, Miranda Cosgrove as Dawn and Pierson Fodé. as Trey McAllen

THE DETAILS

The screenplay was written by Nicole Henrich, produced by Brad Krevoy and Michael Damian, edited by Scott Hill, and with Cinematography by Graham Robbins. 

The music was by Nathan Lanier, and some of the scenes—I'm thinking of the scene where Trey McAllen (Pierson Fodé) is tending his horse—has pop music that makes the scene hysterically funny.

The Production companies involved were MPCA and Brad Krevoy Productions with distribution by Netflix. The film was released in September of 2025. I don't know if it was on Netflix immediately. If it was, it simply wasn't on my radar.

The "famous" critics panned the movie with some harsh comments. A couple of critics said rather dismissively that it was for "hopeless romantics" which was the most flattering remark about those who might find the film worth watching.

What? Hopeless romantic? I'm not that. I'm a HOPEFUL romantic! And I bet you are too!

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for a fun movie that is a hopeful romcom (is there any other kind?), watch The Wrong Paris on Netflix. It will entertain and delight you.

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Monday Magic - Time Management App

If you find yourself complaing about your inability to get important tasks completed, today's free app, Todoist, is for you.

Todoist has 3 levels of subscription: Beginner, Pro, and Business.

The Beginner level is always free and may be perfect for you. The othr levels are low-priced too.

WHAT CAN TODOIST DO FOR YOU

Used worldwide by millions, Todoist is simple to use and powerful. It's also considered by users to be the best to-do app on the market. You simply open the app, speak into your phone, and list your primary tasks. With the app, you can:

• sort your tasks into Today, Upcoming, or use custom filters
• see only what you need to see and when you need it
• schedule due dates
• visualize your week in calendar view
• set recurring tasks with ease.

If you work with a team, you can collaborate using the app. Also, you don't have to create your personal to do list from scratch, there are over 50 templates you can use.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If poor time management is holding you back, try Todoist. It just might be what you need.

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Thought for the Week - Age

 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Don't let your age define you.

People of every age achieve amazing things.

Just believe in yourself.

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Saturday Share - Valentine's Day Recipe

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I'm giving an easy recipe for a spectacular dessert. Even though it's composed of 4 layers, it's really easy to make.

A friend gave me this recipe long ago. It calls for Cool Whip which I stopped using decades ago. Instead, I use whipped cream.

It also uses Pistachio Jello Instant Pudding Mix. I've not found a suitable substitute for it. 

I don't make it often enough to be overly concerned about the ingredients in the pudding mix. Oh, and if you don't care for pistachio, you can substitue Instant Chocolate pudding instead.

PISTACHIO DELIGHT

Layer 1: The Cookie Base

Ingredients and Directions

1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour

1 stick of butter cut into pieces

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Prepare a 9 x 13 pretty baking dish from which you'll serve the dessert and preheat oven to 350º F. (175º C.). Mix all the ingredients well and press into the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. When baked, cool it completely before adding the other layers.

Layer 2: The Cheesecake Filling

Ingredients and Directions

7 cups whipped cream, sweetened to taste (or 1 large tub of Cool Whip) reserve 2-3 cups for 4th layer

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened at room temperature

2/3 cup powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy. Gently fold in the whipped cream, reserving 2-3 cups of it for the 4th layer. When the cookie layer is completely cooled,  spread this mixture over the cookie layer.

Get a pretty casserole dish! (Amazon)

Layer 3: The Pistachio Layer

Ingredients and Directions

2 packages of Instant Pistachio Pudding and 2 1/2 cups cold milk.

Prepare according to package directions which basically means adding the pudding mixes to cold milk and beating with a hand mixer until thickened. Spread this mixture evenly over the previous layers in the dish.

Layer 4: The Finishing Layer

Ingredients and Directions

Spread the reserved whipped cream over the top as the finishing layer.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This dessert is one that everyone in my family loves. It's light, delicious, and creamy. In fact, I've never found anyone who didn't like it. Happy Valentine's Day!

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

BLAME IT ON CHOCOLATE

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