Farmers' Market Saturday and Bacon Zucchini and Patty Pan Quiche

Can I just tell you how much I love Saturday mornings in Madison? Picture this: The pedestrian street leading up to the farmers' market that would normally be pretty empty on a summer morning is absolutely flooded with people. The capitol square is mobbed and filled with vendors. It takes me 45 minutes to walk from one corner of the capitol square to another. At first it's frustrating, but as soon as I get a bouquet of sunflowers in my hand I feel more at ease. I start to relax and enjoy the steady and slow pace of the crowd moving in front of me. I guess 11:00 am is not the best time to go to the farmers' market. But I'm pleased with the adventure. It's a good thing I'm not in a hurry otherwise I'd be really upset and impatient. But instead, I leisurely stroll around the square while I wait for my friends to meet me. Then, I see it. The biggest zucchini I have ever seen. It's almost as big as my arm. But what to make? Zucchini bread? Hmm... The possibilities are endless, I need something more to inspire me.
I walk around for awhile more and then I see patty pans. If you don't know what patty pans are they are squash that look like flying saucers. I've been eating patty pans every since I was little. There's a farmers' market near our lake house so my family has been buying them for years. I got so excited when I saw these little beauties and I knew exactly what I was going to make... a zucchini and patty pan quiche. And let's face it, we all know bacon makes everything better so I had to throw that in there. My friends got there and I was all smiles. I had my goodies and I knew what I was making for dinner. I just love the sense of community at the farmers' market. I had so many girls eying my flowers and wanting to know where on the square I found them. And now I get to look at them next to my bed and remember the beautiful saturday I spent on the capitol square.

Here are some pictures I took with my phone of the farmers' market and my lovely flowers I picked up there:

** Don't forget to enter my Peeled Snacks giveaway here **

Now on to my farmers' market inspired meal...

Bacon Zucchini and Patty Pan Quiche

Ingredients:
9-inch pie crust
4 cups squash (I used 1 cup shredded zucchini, 1 1/2 cups sliced patty pans, and 1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups baby swiss, shredded
4 eggs
4 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a cookie sheet on the center rack of the oven. Cook bacon in a skillet. Set aside on a paper towl. Reserve bacon grease. Put squash in the skillet and cook in bacon grease until translucent, about 7-10 minutes. In the meantime, in a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add salt and pepper. Then pour in shredded cheese and mix with a spoon. Arrange squash and bacon in the pie crust. Pour in egg mixture. Top with some zucchini slices. Put pie crust on baking sheet just in case the egg flows over. Bake for 35 minutes or until the center is set. To check if the quiche is ready put a knife in the center of the quiche and if it comes out clean it is ready (just like you would check a cake). Cool for 15-20 minutes and then serve.

To freeze, put quiche in the freezer for an hour and then cover it with foil or put it in a freezer bag. To reheat, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and put a frozen piece of quiche on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Source: An A Dash of Megnut original