Last Friday, I waltzed into a beautiful new decade of my life. In the company of a couple of friends and Juan, my favorite person in the world, I greeted the big 3-0 with a smile on my face.
They say the way you start the year is how the rest of the year will be, and as the sun poured its golden rays over the streets while we set on a bench in Lafayette Square just in front of the White House on my birthday, we soaked in the sunshine and warmth.
It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, one that felt more like spring than the end of fall, and deep inside I knew that this coming year is going to be the best one ever.
In fact, the last 10 years of my life has been so incredibly fruitful – unpredictable for sure, and definitely unconventional, but spilling with goodness in every sense, and I just know that the next 10 years will be even better.
Juan took me to a surprise dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern at the Hyatt on Friday night, a restaurant just a couple of blocks from our apartment. For the first time in months, I slipped on a nice dress, put on a pair of chocolate brown high heels (after sooo long!), and wore my favorite wine-red lipstick.
I felt so grown up. So womanly. So coming of age.
It was the our first proper date night out after what seemed like a pretty long time. The food and service was simply amazing, and we ate so much we almost exploded (me: tender pork shoulder with dill spätzle and hand cut fries with garlic aioli. Juan: braised lamb shank with a red pea gravy and creamy Gouda grits. Plus, ice cream in chocolate sauce on the house).
But beyond just the delicious food and attentive service, I felt so incredibly loved and blessed with abundance. I’m blessed with a wonderful family who makes me feel loved, friends who call to be part of my special day, and I have the amazing fortune of living life with Juan. Life is beautiful.
La vita es bella.
I stumbled upon a great post by Mark Manson on the 10 Life Lessons to Excel in Your 30s, which is such a great read no matter your age.
Among the 10 important lessons he listed out, the ones that really struck me were:
5. You can’t have everything; focus on doing a few things really well;
6. Don’t be afraid of taking risks, you can still change;
7. You must continue to grow and develop yourself; and
10. Be kind to yourself.
In summary, I hope that the next year and decade of my life will be crafted around around these four themes: focus, less fear of risks, growth and kindness.
What about YOU?
How does your next year or decade look to you?
I hope it will be filled with love, joy and happiness, no matter how old or young you are. Remember, it’s never too late to start living well.
Today, let’s celebrate the beauty of life with a simple gluten-free kale and spring onion quiche – one made with a buttery pie crust, and filled with a delicious but light filling of kale, spring onions, onions, eggs, yogurt, milk and a hint of salt and pepper.
It’s a healthy and filling dish that is super quick to put together (especially since I used a Whole Foods store-bought gluten-free crust!), and once baked, is food that makes your stomach sing.
Enjoy! Bon Appetit!
Gluten-free Kale & Spring Onion Quiche
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 1 medium quiche 1x
Description
This is a simple kale and spring onion quiche – one made with a buttery pie crust, and filled with a delicious but light filling of kale, spring onions, onions, eggs, yogurt, milk and a hint of salt and pepper. So quick to put together with a store-bought gluten-free pie crust!
Ingredients
- 1 store-bought gluten-free pie crust (I got mine in Whole Foods)
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup of Greek yogurt
- 3/4 cup of milk
- 4 teaspoons of salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 5 green onions, chopped
- 2 cups of kale leaves
- 1 onion, diced
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 deg. Fahrenheit (210 deg. Celsius)
- Use a fork to poke holes in the pie crust and bake until it starts turning golden brown (about 15 minutes), then remove from oven
- Meanwhile, heat up 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté onions and spring onions until onions turn translucent. Add in kale and then sauté for another 2 minutes, then remove pan from heat.
- In a large bowl, mix eggs, Greek yogurt, milk, salt and black pepper together until you get a homogeneous mixture
- Pour liquid mixture over the sautéed vegetables and mix until ingredients are evenly distributed
- Gently pour the vegetable-liquid mixture over the pre-cooked pie crust and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the liquid mixture is set.
- Let quiche cool a little before slicing and serving warm
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Gluten-free
I think this recipe is good with the following changes/alterations:
1. 4 tsp of salt is about 5X too much
2. Recipe easily fills two 8 in. crusts
3. Temperature should say 425 F not Celsius
★★★
Hi Rob! Thanks for these good notes! 🙂 Will update the temp in the recipe!
My darling Felicia,
I am so happy to know that you have a great time with your friends celebrating your birthday on Friday. So sweet of Juan too for the dinner celebration 🙂
I especially like the outfit you put on for the dinner – it was so gorgeously radiant which complemented very well your aleways lovely and joyous SMILE. Everything was just great and thank God: Life is beautiful 🙂
Continue to enjoy the beauty of life. With your positive attitude, I am certain that you will definitely be blessed with a better 2016 and the decade beyond.
With all our love from home,
Mum
Thank you mummy! 🙂 The next year and decade will be better than the past, for me and for you too!! 🙂 Love you!!
You must be really proud of your daughter. I love her recipes and commentary and can see she has a Mum who is as beautiful inside and out as she is. I haven’t tried the recipe yet but I’m sure it will be as healthy, delicious, and unique
as the ones I’ve tried are. As a person who grew up without such positive parenting, I wish everyone understood the importance of family bonds and support for each other’s passions as much as you and Felicia seem to. Best wishes to you both. 🙂
★★★★
Hi Cynthia, thank you so much for your sweet words! Indeed, I’m so fortunate to have my mother support me and love me as much as she does. It’s something I know is precious and I’ve learnt not to take it for granted! Have a lovely 2023, and hope to see you around the blog again sometime soon!