Meatless Monday: Easy Peasy Dinner Pie

I love my friends, and my friends’ children.

But it is a bummer when social interactions leave you and your children with itchy noses and scratchy throats. Putting my children in daycare again is going to be a shock to their systems.

At least they are napping.

It’s also good to know I am not alone. I remember one time when Monkey had brought home a little bug from daycare (or maybe it was Bun, before she got kicked out), and DearDR and I both came down with it. As he was laying in bed — if I remember correctly, I had just brought him some hot tea — and I was asking him to help me out a little bit, he whined to me, “I just feel like I’m not allowed to be sick.”

I coulda smacked him. I’m the one not allowed to be sick. Scratchy throat and minor headache not withstanding, I just cleaned the kitchen and started some laundry.

Monkey is asleep on her little couch downstairs, one hand thrown over her head. She feels a little warm today, and she hasn’t had much to eat. Last night, she woke up crying at 1:15 a.m. I went in to her, and she cried, “Something is wrong with my nose!” Phoenetcially: “Dom-ting is wrog wit by dose!” She was so stuffed up, she couldn’t even sniff.

After checking that she hadn’t stuffed anything up her nostrils (it’s happened), I gave her a decongestant (FDA warning be damned; I read directions. I’m the daughter of two pharmacist’s for Pete’s sake!), and let her sleep in our room. She is definitely not her spunky self. Bun is running at the nose a little. I am filling all the humidifiers upstairs, and getting them running.

Here’s a quick one on the recipe front. Adapted from the back of the Biquick box.

Serves 6

1 Tsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 package soy crumbles*
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Bisquick
1 cup milk
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray nine-inch pie dish with cooking spray.
2. Saute garlic in oil over medium heat. Add soy crumbles and brown. Pour into pie dish.
3. Sprinkle cheese over crumbles.
4. Mix together remaining ingredients. Pour over cheese and crumbles in pie dish.
5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until knife inserted in center of pie comes out clean.

* If you are using Boca crumbles, use one pouch. If you are using Morningstar Farms crumbles use 1/2 a bag. I would estimate you want between 4 and 6 ounces of crumbles. An entire bag of the Morningstar Farms crumbles is too much. Trust me.

Here’s the original recipe from Bisquick. It uses real meat — and onions and salt. I don’t think this recipe needs salt.