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i heard noises from upstairs this morning. having lived here for 20 years, i've grown used to it and didn't even really notice. so it took me a while to realize it wasn't my upstairs neighbors - who are still in california for another week - but rather their housekeeper coming by to clean the place. when a place is empty for 2 weeks, does it really need to be cleaned?

i headed to the cafe a bit after 10:30am. i decided to go by bicycle and didn't bother bringing anything. at the 11am mark, we got 5 online orders in quick succession. chicken bento was the most popular item today, followed by chinese sausage, which is a surprise, because sausage ranks the least popular of the bentos.

around 2:30pm i was tasked with a supply run to the fresh pond trader joe's to pick up a few things: linguine noodles, scallions, baby cucumbers, milk, baby spinach, and garlic. it also gave me a chance to stock up on some snacks.

i left the cafe at 4:45pm. instead of going home, i went to the community garden to water. my orange bitter melon hasn't burst yet. ann was there, i haven't seen her in weeks. martin as well, who came to me and told me how much he loved my nigellas and how pretty they were.

spinach ham quiche
(6 slices)

pie crust
flour (coating dish)

butter
onion, chopped
10 oz. frozen spinach
8 oz. diced ham
fresh ground pepper

15 oz. ricotta
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
3 oz. parmesan
2.5 oz. crumbled blue cheese

3 eggs


preheat oven to 350°F. sprinkle flour into pie dish before layering pie crust. sauté chopped onion and ham in butter. add defrosted and drained spinach and cook until dry. mix cheeses with eggs, then add in spinach mixture. pour into pie crust then bake for 40 minutes. let stand for 30 minutes (the longer the better, otherwise quiche will be gooey).

around 7pm i started making dinner, which was a spinach and ham quinche. according to my records, it's the first time this year i've made a quiche, usually i make it a few times a year (last time was nearly a year go in september). i'd been defrosting the frozen spinach since this morning; market basket didn't have those bricks of frozen chopped spinach so i got some bagged spinach instead, weighed out 10 oz. and left it to defrost in a dish in the sink. i realized while i was taking out the ingredients from the fridge that i got the wrong type of mozzarella cheese - solid instead of shredded. i could've shredded the cheese myself, but figured i'd use that for some future recipe (like lasagna) and just get ready made shredded cheese from the super market.

i went across the street to star market, which just reopened on monday after their thursday afternoon electric fire. there was still a slight acrid smell in the store, but more importantly, a lot of their perishable foods were still missing, things like meats and cheeses. i left empty-handed. after returning home, i got my bike, and rode down to market basket to get my shredded mozzarella. i didn't get back home until almost 8pm, and only then did i start making my quiche.

i had everything in the oven by 8:20pm, and it finished baking 40 minutes later. i left to cool for half an hour before cutting into it, but it was still a bit gooey. i had two slices, all that cheese really hits the spot. because i didn't want to open up a whole package of flour just to dust the pyrex pie dish, i sprayed some non-stick pam instead. that turned out to be a mistake: the pie crust didn't stick, but my pam was old and the oil was a little rancid, which soaked into the crust.