Paula Deen's Crustless Spinach Cheese Quiche

I had yet to try any of the recipes from Paula Deen's Cookbook for the Lunchbox Set, which my sister had given me. I still drink Juicy Juice boxes and quake in fear of complicated recipes, so the book was perfect for me. After flipping through, I took a shine to the Crustless Spinach Cheese Quiche. Here's what it's all about:

Ingredients:

1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup small curd cottage cheese (Just reading this one scared me. What the heck is a small curd?!)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 tbs flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Unwrap the spinach and place it, box and all, on plate. Place in microwave and cook on high power for 4 minutes. Allow it to cool, then squeeze out all of the liquid. Place the spinach in a medium bowl. (I don't have a microwave, so I cooked my spinach on the stove instead.)

2. Get an adult helper to assist you in placing the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, flour, salt, and pepper into a blender or food processor. Blend for about 1 minute, until mixture is smooth. (This part cracked me up. I didn't feel like dirtying the blender [and didn't have an adult helper around to assist with the cleaning], so I used a hand mixer. Who wants to be bothered scrubbing at all those blades?)

3. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the spinach. Add the cheddar cheese. Blend with a spoon until well mixed.

4. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with butter. Pour the spinach mixture into the baking dish and smooth out the top with the back of the wooden spoon.

5. Bake for 45 minutes, until set. Get an adult to help you remove it from the oven. It will be puffed up when you first take it out, then it will fall slightly as it stands. Allow it to cool, then keep it refrigerated.

6. Cut it into squares and carry one to school in a microwave-safe storage container with a tight-fitting lid. At lunchtime, lift the lid so that the steam can come out, and microwave the quiche on high power for about 90 seconds.

The result was as thick and cheesy as you would expect from a dish bearing Paula Deen's name. Which is to say that it was delicious (cottage cheese notwithstanding). But a little disturbing, if you know what I mean. If you do go for the gold, I recommend omitting the salt and pepper. Something this cheesy doesn't need to be seasoned.