Mothers Day Buffet

Your Mother loves you,
Looks after you,
Takes care of you.
The only bad thing
Your Mother ever does
Is die and leave you.
~Poem from a postcard I had a long time ago

We had a fantastic Mothers Day here, the whole family together, which is a rare occurrence. The whole family includes 4 mothers - myself and 2 sisters (one here from VA for the weekend) and, of course, our Mother. I created a sumptuous feast, the traditional Mothers day brunch buffet, but better because it was (mostly) home-cooked. This was the first time I've done a brunch for this large a crowd (17 total) but it all went quite well.

Mothers day brunch buffet in pictures:

Hash Browns, Bacon, Salmon Patties

Scrambled Eggs, Cheese Strata

Tomato with Basil and Mozzarella

Ham

Apples, Bananas, Bagels

Strawberries and oranges

Recipes

Cheese Strata

Ingredients:
1 loaf of bread
15 eggs
6 c milk
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
8 c grated Cheddar cheese
Preparation:
Beat together eggs, milk and seasonings
Place a layer of bread slices in a large, deep, oven safe dish
Cover with cheddar cheese
Add another layer of bread and cover with cheddar cheese
Pour egg mixture over the layers
Cover and refrigerate overnight
Cook in a preheated oven, 350 degrees for 1 hour

Tomato with Basil and Mozzarella
Slice several tomatoes apprx 1/2" thick
Splash slices with olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Put apprx 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese on each slice
Add some fresh basil
Place under broiler for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and lightly browned

Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients:
36 eggs
2 c milk
3 splashes Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper
Butter
Preparation:
Whisk all ingredients except butter in a large bowl
Melt apprx 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat
Pour in egg mixture (in increments if necessary) and turn gently until desired consistency is reached

Muffins, Croissants, Bagels
Go to Costco
Find the Bakery section
Buy Muffins, Croissants, and Bagels

Breakfast Burritos - I had some warm flour tortillas for making breakfast burritos from the available ingredients, for instance, I had a burrito with some hash browns, bacon, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, salsa and black olives.

Also: Coffee (lots), orange juice, and various condiments, accouterments, enhancements, munchies, and sweets.

Chef's Salad

To remember a successful salad is generally to remember a successful dinner; at all events, the perfect dinner necessarily includes the perfect salad.
~George Ellwanger (Pleasures of the Table)

Or in this case, the perfect salad is the perfect dinner. Salad becomes strangely more crave-able in warmer weather.

You can use whatever lettuce and other fresh veggies you want for this recipe. I think it is the cheese, ham, and hard-boiled egg slices that make it a "Chef's Salad."


The Recipe
In a large salad bowl combine the following ingredients:
Bite size pieces of romaine lettuce
Baby spinach leaves
Chopped raddichio
Black olives (sliced)
Julienne carrots
Cherry tomatoes
Shredded swiss and cheddar cheese
Cucumber slices (without seeds)
Finely diced ham cubes
On top of this mix add the following:
Sliced hard-boiled eggs
Avocado slices
Red onion slices

Serve with salad dressing(s) of choice.

Spinach Tomato Quiche

In fact, the first quiche recipes to become popular in America were those for the egg-onion-and-bacon tar called "quiche Lorraine," which was extremely fashionable in the 1970s as a luncheon, brunch, or appetizer dish in the United States.
~Encyclopedia of Amercan Food & Drink


It is still not possible to get good tomatoes at the grocery store. I've been using either Roma or cherry/grape tomatoes all winter. At the store today there were some vine ripe that looked red and juicy. Excited, but skeptical I bought 3. When I cut them for the salad and the quiche, I was disappointed, but not surprised that they were gritty pink on the inside. Oh well, there is so much flavor in the quiche that the sad tomato did not detract from it overall.


The Recipe
Quiche
Ingredients:
Deep dish pie crusts(I use frozen)
5 eggs
2/3 cup cream
6-8 oz shredded swiss/gruyere cheese
1/2 tsp ground mustard
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper to taste
5 slices cooked bacon, crushed into small bits
1 large sliced tomato
3/4 cup fresh baby spinach
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400
Bake frozen pie crusts for 12-14 minutes, until light brown
Reduce oven temp to 350
Whisk eggs, cream, salt, pepper, mustard, and cayenne pepper in large mixing bowl
Stir in bacon
Cover the bottom of the pie crust with a layer of cheese
Add the spinach leaves in a layer over the cheese, then the tomato slices
Pour the egg mixture on top
Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes

Salad:
Green leaf lettuce
Baby Spinach
Black Olives
Tomato slices
Parmesan cheese
Red onion

Eggs, Benedict

Yet, who can help loving the land that has taught us Six hundred and eighty-five ways to dress eggs?
~Thomas Moore

Eggs Benedict is a tasty repast. Plus, I get to call everyone "Benedict." Do you like your eggs, Benedict? How are the eggs, Benedict? Hahaha! *guffaw* *snort* *giggle*

The Recipe

Ingredients:
Eggs (1/serving for the eggs benedict, 3 yolks for the Hollandaise sauce)
1 tbsp vinegar
Canadian sliced bacon
English muffins (1/serving)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 dash cayenne pepper
Preparation:
Boil about 3" of water in a large, deep pan and add the vinegar (this helps the eggs hold together)
Gently crack the eggs into the boiling water
Poach for about 3 minutes, or until egg is the consistency you like
Broil the canadian bacon slices
Split and toast the English muffins
To make the Hollandiase sauce:
Fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and boil
Put the butter in the top of the double boiler and melt
Mix the 3 egg yolks with the salt, lemon juice and cayenne pepper
Whisk the egg mixture into melted butter in the double boiler and stir until it starts to thicken
Remove from heat
To serve:
Layer from bottom to top: toasted english muffin, slice of canadian bacon, poached egg, hollandaise sauce.

Quiche - 2 Variations

How you spell quiche?
Well you don't spell it son, you eat it!
~from the movie Sixteen Candles

Quiche Lorraine is a classic French recipe, from the Lorraine area of France. It has become popular throughout France and the world. There are many variations on the basic idea. Tonight, we had two.

The Recipe
Quiche
Ingredients:
2 deep dish pie crusts (I use frozen)
8 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
8 oz shredded swiss cheese
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp ground mustard
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Splash of worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
8 slices cooked bacon, crushed into small bits
1 large sliced tomato
1/2 tsp basil
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400
Bake frozen pie crusts for 12-14 minutes, until light brown
Reduce oven temp to 350
Whisk eggs, milk, salt, pepper, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper in large mixing bowl
Stir in cheese, and bacon
Add half of mixture to one pie crust
Put the sliced tomatoes in a layer on the bottom of the other pie crust and sprinkle with the basil
Pour the remaining mixture on top
Place both quiches on a large cookie sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes

Serve with:
Salad of fresh greens

Ratings:
***1/2 - very tasty
*** - like the bacon quiche, not the tomato quiche
*** 1/2 - doesn't like the crust
(dinner guest) **** - very good

My notes: you can't go wrong with all this good cheese!