Brunch

Today was brunch at our house, for a celebration of a bunch of family birthday parties. The weekend was really quite busy, with the usual slew of children's social events and activities, so there wasn't too much time for planning, and even less time for cooking and prepping. The guests included 8 adults and 7 kids, so there weren't overwhelming crowds of people to cook for, and I though that brunch was the easiest and most relaxed way to go. Plus, it's been cookout after cookout here for the most recent social events (which may tell you how infrequently we entertain, as now it is October in the Northeast. And it's rained for the past 99/100 days, which is only a slight exaggeration. )
I decided on quiche, which I hadn't tried before, but I picked some recipes that didn't require a lot of prep. I ended up prepping the ingredients and making the crust dough last night, and it was simple to throw everything together today in between the various early morning activities we had.

It turned out to be quite a feast: my mother and sisters each brought something delicious and when the last of the guests had gone I was still feeling uncomfortably FULL.


Here's the menu. Most of the recipes I used were new to me, and I was happy with all of the results. I got most from the Food Network website, and I've linked where I could.
To Start:


Bagels and a variety of cream cheeses, compliments of my husband, who brought them home from Providence.

Crepes with berries and whipped cream: I used a basic crepe recipe, and made a berry mix of strawbs, bluebs, and raspberries, added a touch of sugar, and let it sit overnight.


The Fruit Plates:

Poached Pears in Vanilla and Champagne

I really enjoyed these: they were firm and sweet and delicious. The recipe is by Emeril Lagasse. They weren't a big hit, but I didn't really present them well. Yum.

Cinnamon Oranges

These were good, too--fresh and light, which was nice because the main options were heavy. I'll make these again because the kids liked them. This is a Bobby Flay recipe.

Prosciutto-wrapped Melon with Mint

Not particularly new and different, but everyone seems to eat these. I myself am a little leery of the prosciutto. I know, it's been made for hundreds of years, but still, not cooked?

The main part of the meal was quiche. I made three, and aside from each taking about twice as long to cook as the recipe recommended, they were really easy to make. I made my own crust for two of them. One calls for Pillsbury crescent dough. So easy.

Savory Three-Cheese Quiche

Another Bobby Flay recipe, this was the least eaten quiche. It's not as pretty as the other two, but quite tasty. This was the one I had the most trouble with as far as telling when it was done. It also had the lightest texture of the three.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

I'll be making this again. It was really really good. Paula Deen's recipe was easy to follow and after reading the reviews of the recipe, I cut back on the cream by approximately 1/3 Cup. I think there's only one piece left now. My arteries are clogged.

The last quiche I made came out of the oven after guests began to arrive, so I didn't get a photo. It's a Ham, Tomato and Swiss Quiche, recipe by Cathy Lowe. This was by far the easiest to make, (pillsbury dough) and of course, therefore, got rave reviews. (It always seems to me that the harder the recipe, the fewer compliments you get, but I'm thinking that might be because of my lacking cooking skills.)

Desserts included a Chocolate Ganache Birthday cake, made by my sister, blueberry muffins, made by my other sister, which, to be honest, were eaten as appetizers, at brunch and for dessert. My mother brought her highly sought-after oatmeal raisin cookies, which I admit, I tried to hide from the company (darn kids always pick up on that stuff...) and I made apple pie, with a mix of Macs and Cortlands. I haven't even gotten a chance to try the apple pie yet, I'm so full (and constantly eating the oatmeal cookies is not helping...) but it looks good.

That's today's doings. I'm so tired and full, I need to go lie on the couch!