It’s hard to believe that Christmas is almost a week away and I am still shopping. I’m going to drive myself insane this next week just to ensure that I have all the gifts ready for my families arrival. Please tell me that I am not the only one slacking right now.

Things have been so hectic right now and I feel like I am still adjusting to being in a new city, being a stay at home mom, blogging, running an in home baking business and my new love of selling Nerium AD. You could say that I like to keep busy. This past week I had two Nerium parties and I decided that I was going to co-host a champagne and brunch party. I love to entertain and I never really got the chance to do it a lot in Houston but since the move we are constantly having people over or helping with parties. Who doesn’t love free food and booze?

My friend Sarah was going to throw the Nerium party at her house while I provided the brunch dishes and champagne. Freixenet (pronounced “fresh-eh-net”) sent me some bottles to try out for a holiday party. I knew that these “black bottle bubbles” would go nicely with the quiche dishes, smoked salmon and fruit.

The first bottle was a cordon negro brut and the second bottle was a cordon negro sweet cuvee. The cordon negro brut is the #1 imported sparkling wine in the world and is perfect for any occasion. Ahem — New Year’s is right around the corner. The Sweet Cuvee bottle is perfect to pair with desserts or fruits. When I am sipping on alcoholic drinks I prefer non-sweet drinks, but out of these two bottles I fell in love with the cordon negro sweet cuvee.

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Bacon and Vegetable Quiche with Herb Crust

Yield: 1 quiche

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• For the Crust
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons crisco
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• 5 Tablespoons ice water
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• For the Filling
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 2 cups spinach
• 2/3 cup asparagus cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 2/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 8 large eggs
• 6 slices baked bacon, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Instructions

For the Crust
In a bowl combine the flour and salt. Cut in the crisco and butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Pour in the ice water and mix with a fork. Add the basil, rosemary and parsley to the bowl.

Place the mixture into a gallon size zip lock bag. Start pressing down the mixture until the dough starts combining and then seal the bag. Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sprinkle flour onto your work surface. Carefully remove the dough and place onto the flour. (If dough comes apart it’s Ok just place it next to the piece where it came off) Roll the dough until it becomes a large circle. Place the dough into a pie pan and press down lightly.

Lay a piece of foil on top and either fill it with dry pinto beans or a small sauce pan. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Then remove the foil and pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork. Stick back in oven for an additional 10 minutes and then allow to cool.

For the Filling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add oil to a saute pan over low/medium heat. Add the mushrooms, spinach, asparagus and bell pepper to the pan and cook for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl add the eggs, salt, pepper, garlic and milk. Whisk until smooth and then add in the bacon. After vegetables have cooked add them to the egg mixture and then pour into the pre-cooked crust.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife that has been inserted comes out clean.

Did you make this recipe?

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Who says the holidays are the only time for bubbles? Make it your resolution to sparkle 365 days of the year with Freixenet cavas. Our sparkling wines come in a variety of different styles to suit any moment or mood. Cordon Negro Brut, our classic Black Bottle Bubbly, is great as an aperitif before a night out on the town or at home with takeout pizza. Our brand new Cordon Negro Sweet Cuvee is the perfect match for brunch favorites like pancakes and eggs benedict. Visit FreixenetUSA.com for more information about where to buy Freixenet sparkling wines and learn how you could win a 2-year lease on a new 2013 MINI Cooper.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Freixenet. The opinions and text are all mine.