Easy Brunch Recipes

One of my favorite easy brunch entrees is quiche. Although there are many recipes for Quiche, the original quiche is actually Quiche Lorraine. It's a simple dish; easy to prepare and can be served hot, at room temperature or chilled. Perfect for brunch.

This is my favorite quiche recipe. It's creamy and rich and full of flavor. I've been preparing this recipe for more than thirty years and it has never let me down. Rave reviews are the norm.

Flickr Photo courtesy of Stu_Spivack

FAVORITE QUICHE LORRAINE

Ingredients

12 slices of bacon (about 1/2 lb.) crisply fried and crumbled
1 cup shredded natural Swiss cheese (4 oz.)
1/3 cup minced onion
9 in. ready-to-bake pie crust (I recommend Pillsbury's All Ready Pie Crust)
4 eggs
2 cups whipping cream (20%)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne red pepper

Method

Heat oven to 425° F. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion in pie crust shell. Beat eggs slightly; beat in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture over the bacon, cheese and onion in the pie shell. Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce temperature to 300° F. and bake another 30 minutes or until a knife inserted 1 inch fron the edge comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve in wedges. Makes 6 generous servings.

This salad is just wonderful served with quiche. The slight sweetness is a perfect contrast to the savory quiche. Plus it's very light which makes it less filling.

I make this all the time and don't really measure my ingredients. However, if you follow the following guidelines, I don't think you can go wrong.

CHERYL'S SPINACH SALAD

5 or 6 cups of baby spinach
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 small red onion, sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)

Sometimes I include mixed baby greens with the spinach and, if I have them on hand, I might add drained canned mandarin oranges and/or sunflower seeds and/or feta cheese or gorgonzola.

CHERYL'S POPPYSEED DRESSING

3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 cup of canola oil (I've used part walnut oil and part peanut oil, too)
5 tablespoons sugar
1 small onion, finely grated
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons poppyseeds
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Blend well and keep refrigerated. Shake well before serving.

Good old Betty Crocker has rarely, if ever, let me down. I've been making this Popover recipe for many years. It's practically foolproof.

POPOVERS

4 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 450° . Grease 12 deep custard cups (5 oz. each) or 16 medium muffin cups. With hand beater, beat eggs slightly; add milk, flour and salt and beat just until smooth. Do not overbeat.

Fill custard cups 1/2 full, muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 25 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 ° and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Immediately remove from pan. Serve hot.

12 to 16 popovers

*Do not use self-rising flour

Photo courtesy of elgin.jessica



Coffee
Tea
Fruit Juice

If there's a celebration involved, you might like to serve:

Champagne
or
Sparkling Juice

OR

Mimosa
3 parts of Champagne
2 parts of fresh orange juice.

Screwdriver
Vodka
Orange Juice

Bloody Mary
Vodka
Bloody Mary Mix
Celery stalk
Salt
Pepper

NOTE: Instead of Bloody Mary mix, you might want to use tomato juice
and Tabasco sauce. You can add a squeeze of lemon, as well.

A Virgin Bloody Mary is simply minus the vodka.
And they are delicious.