Spinach Quiche

When I think of a brunch, I think of a few quintessential egg dishes: omelets, frittatas, and of course, quiches.  I had never made a quiche before, but decided Mother's Day brunch would be an excellent time to try.  I looked all over for a fun spring recipe, but everything looked so complicated and I really wanted to keep my first attempt somewhat simple.  As you may have guessed, I deferred to the kitchen bible, New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I chose the "Spinach Quiche" recipe because of the veggie content and the great color that I thought it would lend to the brunch table.

I made my own pastry crust, recipe also found in this cookbook.  I think next time I'll either make it the night before or just *gasp* buy it from the store.  It turns out that making your own crust the morning of the brunch is too time consuming and also a huge pain in the butt.  To be honest, this recipe requires quite a bit of prep and may be best prepared in its separate components the night before to help the cook avoid a very special kind of kitchen meltdown...I'm better now :p

Lemon-Poppy Seed Waffles

As Mother's Day approached, I decided to put together a charming spring brunch menu.  To me, spring inspires fresh, floral and herbal flavors, so I sought out recipes with those qualities.  I knew I wanted a carb in addition to the berry parfaits and quiche that I was making, and I had barely scratched the surface of what was contained in Waffles: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Meal by Tara Duggan, so I cracked it open and began the search.  I finally settled on "Lemon-Poppy Seed Waffles" for the floral poppy seeds and the bright citrus of the lemon, as well as the similarity to the poppy seed muffins, which made the waffle all that much more whimsical.

Keeping in mind the all important lessons I learned about making Belgian waffles while making PB & J Waffle Sandwiches, I dove right in to making these waffles amidst the brunch making madness that was the morning of Mother's Day.

Pasta alla Checca

I was already at Trader Joe's shopping for the penne pepporanata (for my last post), so I decided to apply some of the goodies that I had at home along with a couple unique ingredients from TJ's to create "Pasta alla Checca" from Cooking with all things Trader Joe's.

The flavors all sounded right to me.  Pure, non-frilly, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and olive oil make spaghetti something totally elevated and I just don't understand why.  I'll eat it any day of the week anyhow.

Penne Pepperonata with Shrimp and Asparagus

A couple of years back, I became slightly obsessed with Trader Joe's.  I totally dug the fun shopping environment and great customer service.  Did you know they have free wine tasting?  When I found out there was a cookbook that could tell me how to use all their wonderful wares in new and inventive ways, I was immediately smitten.  I lingered in front of Cooking with all things Trader Joe's at every bookstore for what felt like a year before it was gifted to me on my birthday by my very handsome husband.

A note on this cookbook: Keep your excitement in check.  Some of the recipes in this book look awesome, but Trader Joe's is always rotating products in and out and does not guarantee that the ingredients in the book will be in the store.  Regardless, when you can find all of the ingredients, the result can be really fun.  I've been trying to expand my seafood repertoire, and I'm always up for pasta, so the "Penne Pepporanata with Shrimp and Asparagus" sounded like a good idea.

Bratwurst + pinto bean stew

When I was home for Thanksgiving last year, there was a marathon of the television show, "Bitchin' Kitchen" on the Cooking Channel.  Nadia G is the host and she is beautiful, sassy, and totally hilarious!  Most importantly, her food looks DELICIOUS.  I couldn't believe that I could have so much fun watching a cooking show.  After dropping some not-so-subtle hints, I received her cookbook, Cookin' For Trouble, for Christmas.  I've been looking for any reason whatsoever to use it since then.

It's been a little gray and rainy lately, April showers and all that jazz, so I decided to make a stew.  Nadia G's "Bratwurst + pinto bean stew" is a one pot meal, which makes me happy, and there's lots of meat in it, which makes my husband happy.  I'm hungry and there's no time to waste!  Come on you newrdz, let's get to cookin'!

Peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate ganache icing

I started working at my new job today and decided to preemptively make nice with my new co-workers by whipping up some cupcakes for my first day.  I consulted my chocolate bar cookbook by Matt Lewis and Alison Nelson for the perfect recipe.  All I had to do was look at the cover of this cookbook and I knew what I was going to make - "Peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate ganache icing." I made these cupcakes for my wedding reception a couple of years ago and they went over beautifully, so I knew they were a safe bet.  They're easier to make than they look!