Mother's Day 2010

A few years ago I started hosting a Mother's Day lunch to honor all of the special moms in my life - whoever's in town, really. I was really hoping I'd be up for doing it again this year. But the week before I got a sinus infection (oh, and I have a newborn and a 2-year-old!), so it was a bit last-minute. I was able to host, but everything was scaled back. I can't wait to gather ideas and recipes for a big celebration next year!

Since I'm always concocting new recipes, I like to sit down as soon as possible to write them out so I don't forget. And I think the new ones this year were a hit, so here you go!

Asparagus Quiche

1 pie crust (any recipe or store-bought crust will work)

5-6 slices of Swiss cheese (you could also use gruyere)

1/2 cup steamed asparagus tips

1/8 cup Black Forest ham, cut in cubes

2 Tbs chives (fresh or dried)

4 eggs

3/4 cup milk

salt and pepper

Line the bottom and sides of a tart pan with the pie crust. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom to prevent the crust from rising. Cover with aluminum foil, fill with dried beans or pie weights, and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. The crust will not be done, but you want to get it started so the filling does not make it soggy.

Line the bottom of the tart with one layer of cheese. Sprinkle with asparagus, ham, and chives. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper, and pour into the crust to within 1/8 inch of the top of the pan.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until set, and serve immediately.

Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake with Blueberry Sauce

1 loaf French bread cut into 1-inch cubes

1 8-oz package of cream cheese

1 1/2 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen will work just fine)

12 eggs, beaten

1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups milk

1 Tbs vanilla

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups blueberries (again, fresh or frozen)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

2 Tbs cornstarch

2 Tbs butter

1 tsp vanilla

The night before, line a greased 9x13 deep baking dish with half of the bread cubes. Cube the cream cheese, and sprinkle evenly over the bread. Spread the blueberries, then top with the remaining bread cubes. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.

In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes, and press the cubes down to soak up the custard. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake another 25-30 minutes until top is slightly browned and the center is set.

For the sauce, combine sugar, water, and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Boil for 3 minutes, then add 1 1/2 cups blueberries. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally. When all of the blueberries have burst, remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla.

Serve the sauce over the casserole. Yum!

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!