Cooking with Tammy: Treat Your Best Girl (Mom) with a Mother’s Day Brunch

Treat your Mom’s to a delicious morning treat for the whole family!  Most of this menu can be done ahead and many of the main ingredients can be found locally grown!

Asparagus and Chunky Ham Quiche

I refrigerated pre made deep-dish piecrust

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium shallots, (or onions) thinly sliced

10 ounces asparagus spears cut on the diagonal into 1-inch long pieces

1/2 pound ham, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Pierce fork holes in the piecrust and bake piecrust for 5-10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool while making filling.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring, until translucent but not brown, about 1 minute. Add asparagus. Cook, stirring frequently, until asparagus are just cooked (al dente), slightly browned, firm, not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 375°F. Place pie crust pan on a baking sheet to catch any run-off there might be (especially if you are using a pan with a removable bottom.) Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the bottom of the crust. Spread asparagus and ham over the cheese and then top with remaining cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, and eggs. Season with fresh ground pepper. Pour over cheese. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons oil

4 eggs

2 egg whites

¾ cup heavy cream

4 ounces shredded cheese, your choice, mozzarella, Parmesan, provolone, Swiss, etc.  (I like Swiss it’s a little different)

½ cup spinach, chopped

¼ diced turkey, or ham or sausage

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8 or 9 inch round dish and set aside.

Heat oil and sauté the onion and garlic until tender, let cool. 

In the meantime, in a bowl, whisk the 4 eggs, 2 egg whites, cream and the salt and pepper until combined.  Spoon the shallot and garlic mixture on the bottom of the dish and over the shredded cheese, ham, and spinach.

Pour the egg mixture evenly on the top of the spinach/cheese mixture.  Lightly combine.  

Bake for 40 or 45 minutes until the filling is set.  Allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes.  Enjoy!!!

Super Simple Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole

4 cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 pound lean breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled

2 cups cheddar cheese

1 cup diced onion

2 cups bell pepper, diced

12 large eggs

1 ½ cup milk (I used heavy cream)

1 ½ tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chives for garnish

Spray the bottom and sides of a 6-8-quart crock-pot with non-stick cooking oil.  

Spread 2 cups of hash browns in an even layer on the bottom of the crockpot.  Sprinkle hash browns with salt and pepper.  Add an even layer of the half of the cooked sausage over the hash browns.  Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese in a layer over the sausage.  

Add a layer of onions and peppers over the cheese.  Repeat the layers a second time and top with the remaining shredded cheese.  

In a large bowl beat eggs, milk, garlic, and dry mustard together with a whisk until well blended.  Pour egg mixture over the layers and place the lid on the crock-pot.  

Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours, or until eggs are cooked throughout.  Serve warm.  Yields 12, 1 cup servings. 

Make Ahead Baked French Toast Casserole

1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)

8 large eggs

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash salt

Praline Topping, recipe follows

Your favorite Syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast, croutons or breadcrumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with your favorite syrup.

Praline Topping

½ pound (2 sticks) butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt

2 cups plain yogurt 

2 tablespoons “local” honey 

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean, optional 

1/2 orange, juiced 

1 banana, sliced 

1 pint fresh blueberries 

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half 

1 bunch seedless green grapes, halved

Combine the yogurt, honey, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds in a bowl and set aside. Combine the orange juice and banana slices in a separate bowl. Add the berries and grapes and gently mix the fruit mixture together. Spoon the fruit into serving bowls and top with the yogurt. 

Great Day Breakfast Punch

8 oz. orange juice
4 oz. cranberry juice
4 oz. pineapple juice
8 oz. club soda
About 14 ice cubes

Put 3 ice cubes into one of four 8-ounce glasses. Pour the orange juice, and pineapple juice into a 32-ounce pitcher. Stir. Add cranberry juice and the club soda. Stir 3 or 4 times. Pour equal amounts into the 4 glasses and enjoy.

Breakfast Bellini

1/4 cup peach nectar, well chilled 

1/2 cup sparkling grape juice, white, no-sugar-added, well chilled 

1 lime twist 

Pour peach nectar into a champagne flute or juice glass.   Gently stir in the sparkling white grape juice & serve garnished with a lime twist.