Spinach and Mushroom Crustless Quiche

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche...Crust-less!

I think quiche is a forgotten pastime. That's unfortunate because it's really an easy dish to hold any kind of vegetable. It's a perfect light lunch or dinner with a salad. I removed the crust to make it lighter and take away the guilt. So, is it breakfast or a dinner.....either way, it reheats nicely. Get creative and add sliced tomatoes or serve with a little tomato sauce drizzled over.   

Fresh Strawberry Sauce





Fresh Strawberry Sauce ready for strawberry shortcakes!

I can't resist all the fresh strawberries, although this recipe works great with blueberries too. It's real simple, just a few ingredients and you have fresh strawberry sauce. A simple sauce to drizzle over about a million things. One of my favorite things to do is to whip something up out of nothing.

Sweet Apple Dessert Sauce

Sweet Apple Dessert Sauce

It's Fall, the air has turned cool, crisp and I'm craving apples. It's amazing how one apple can turn into an amazingly sweet delicious dessert in just minutes. This is a quick, put together dessert that takes advantage of a single fresh apple or two.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes are perfect for a 4th of July breakfast celebration!

I'm vacationing on Cape Cod and I'm screaming for blueberry pancakes! I can't have one without the other. Lucky for me, my beautiful sister-in-law Sophie loves to cook, bake and lavish us with a beautiful breakfast spread every morning. Her buttermilk pancakes are The BEST. She says the secret is to use real buttermilk and not regular milk. This is her secret to creating the lightest and fluffiest pancakes. Another secret is to place the blueberries in each individual pancake before you flip them. This keeps the blueberries evenly distributed  so that you get a good handful in every pancake and a warm pop of sweet blueberry in every bite. A hint of vanilla brings all the flavors together. Serve with really good pure maple syrup and it doesn't get any more decadent than this!


Makes 2 dozen 5-6 inch pancakes.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Sprinkle a generous handful of blueberries on each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot with maple syrup.

Easy Eggs Benedict with Quick Hollandaise Sauce

Easy Eggs Benedict with Quick Hollandaise Sauce.

I can poach an egg! It feels like the biggest accomplishment when you make a perfect poached egg. The secret is using vinegar in the poaching liquid, this helps to keep the egg together. This is one time that I cheat a little and use a package of Knorr Hollandaise Sauce. It's very good and if you add a little squeeze of fresh lemon into the sauce, nobody will know the difference. I had left over lobster from the night before and added some on top to make this dish extra special.

Ingredients:

• 2 English muffins, halved horizontally
• 4 slices Canadian bacon
• 4 whole eggs for poaching 
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• Knorr Hollandaise Sauce
• Cooked lobster or crab for topping
• Fresh squeezed lemon to taste

1. Prepare Hollandaise sauce according to package and keep nice and warm, string occasionally. In a small skillet, over low heat, cook Canadian bacon 2 to 3 minutes per side. 
    
2. In a large skillet, bring water and white vinegar to a low boil. If using a non-stick pan, 1 inch of water is fine or use 3 inches of water if you are not using a non-stick so that the eggs don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Crack eggs one at a time and gently drop each into boiling water.  Cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until eggs are firm on the outside.
    
3. Place toasted English muffin halves on a platter and top each half with a slice of Canadian bacon. Then, using a slotted spoon, place an egg over each slice of bacon. Top eggs with warm Hollandaise sauce and top with lobster if you desire. 

Tip: If making a large batch of poached eggs, use an extra egg as a "test" egg. I like my eggs very runny. 

Jordan "Marshy" Blueberry Muffin Tops

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins.

When blueberries are in season, 2 things that come to mind are No Bake Blueberry Pie and Blueberry Muffins from Jordan Marsh. I have vivid childhood memories of going shopping at Filene's with my mother and always making a pit-stop at Jordan Marsh to pick up some famous blueberry muffins to bring home with us. It was a big white box with blue writing tied with string. The muffins were loaded with berries and crunchy chunks of sugar on top. If you are from New England, you know what I'm talking about. There have been many recipes posted on the web, claiming to be the original. All are very similar but they are all missing the key ingredient. The original Jordan Marsh recipe used Crisco. Yes, Crisco.....this goes against my grain so I used butter.

Another secret is that the muffins didn't have a bluish tinge inside. This is because the blueberries were mixed in by hand and not mashed like many of the "fake" recipes call for. I love the crunchy top of the muffin sprinkled with sugar and when you get a burst of a fat, juicy blueberry popping in your mouth.........it's so delicious!


This recipe has been circulating since the 60's. John Pupek, longtime baker at Jordan Marsh, finally disclosed the real recipe a few years ago in the Boston Herald.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened (Jordan's used Crisco)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pint blueberries, cleaned and rinsed
• sugar for sprinkling on top

1. Cream together butter, sugar, and salt for 3 minutes. Add baking powder and eggs and mix well. Add flour, milk, and vanilla, and mix well again. Fold in blueberries.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease and flour muffin tins, and also the tops. Fill cups to the top. Sprinkle sugar on each muffin. 
3. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes, drop temperature to 375, bake 20 minutes more for muffin tops or 30 to 35 minutes more for regular muffins. 
4. Cool and remove from pans. 


A Boston Globe article about John Pupek at A Farewell to the Muffin Man does say "Baker John Pupek followed the secret recipe one batch at a time, folding in the berries by hand to keep them whole and working the batter until the consistency felt just right." 

Muffin top pans! Line with circles of wax paper or the tops tend to break easier than regular muffins. 

This recipe creates a silky batter.

Toss blueberries with a little sugar to keep them from falling to the bottom of the muffin. Hand fold into the batter.

Sprinkle sugar on top to get a crunchy coating. 

No more muffin bottoms left behind!

10 Minute Crispy Hash Brown Potatoes

My family absolutely loves breakfast and this quick side dish makes breakfast a little more special. Best of all, it's super fast. I like using Yukon Gold potatoes because they are so creamy tasting and I like using the Baby size because I like a little of the thin crispy skin in every bite.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of Baby Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces and place in a glass bowl. Microwave uncovered for 5 minutes until tender.
2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt butter in a large skillet and add onion and cook for 1-2 minutes while waiting for the potatoes. Add potatoes and all seasonings and give a good stir and cook for 5 minutes until potatoes are browned.

Yukon Gold Baby Potatoes!

A delicious breakfast for Mr. Hill!