Easter Quiche

Easter breakfast is a delightful meal, especially when served at home.   Our favorite is to serve a savory quiche with muffins, fresh fruit and, of course, hot coffee.  Over the years the quiche recipes have varied but the basics remain the same.

I used to make muffins from scratch until I discovered a box mix, the Krusteaz brand.  It is as moist and flavorful as anything I could ever make.  Krusteaz comes in many flavors.  We prefer Wild Blueberry, but others – Lemon Poppyseed, Chocolate Chip, and  Cranberry Orange – are just as good.  If you click on the Krusteaz name (here), then click on your favorite flavor, you’ll find recipe variations.  Adding fresh blueberries to the Lemon Poppyseed mix creates an especially moist muffin.

Fresh fruit is always a delight for Easter breakfast, or any breakfast.  Whether cut up into a fruit salad, or sliced, or eaten whole, the flavor of yellow bananas, whole strawberries, or chunks of melon is a sure winner.

Quiche became popular in the United States in the early 1970’s but history dates it back to Medieval times, to the Alsace-Lorraine region in France and Germany.  It is a hearty meal that can be served as an appetizer, for breakfast, or brunch.  It is made from eggs, milk, and cheese baked into a pie crust.  Savories such as diced onions and pieces of bacon or bacon are added, along with vegetables such as broccoli or spinach.   Through the years I’ve found that as long as you have the basic mixture of eggs and dairy, other ingredients can be changed at will.  Click for an assortment of Quiche recipes from Allrecipe.com.

Mr. Breakfast offers up his own version.  Click the screen’s center and turn up your volume to see how it’s done.

Here’s the link to Mr. Breakfast’s written recipe for Spinach Quiche.

What will you and yours be eating for breakfast this Easter?  Do you have a favorite restaurant you’d like to tell us about?  An old family recipe you’ll make at home?   Please share by clicking comments on the dateline at the top of this post.

Happy Easter!

Sara

Refrigerated Bran Muffins

The early morning smell of fresh baked muffins is a great start to the day, especially during deep winter when snow and frigid cold lurk outdoors.  Here’s a recipe that’s been in our family for years.  Mix it up in advance.  The original recipe says the batter will keep in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks but in our household it’s never lasted that long.

REFRIGERATED BRAN MUFFINS

In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients:

• 1 (15-oz.) box Raisin Bran Flakes
• 5 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking soda
• 2-1/2 teaspoons salt

Mix well with large mixing spoon then add:

• 4 cups milk mixed with
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 4 beaten eggs

Mix well again.  Store covered in refrigerator and use batter as needed.

When ready to bake, fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake in pre-heated oven at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sara

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

A friend forwarded this recipe to me. I’m not sure where she got it, but she loves how easy they are to make. She says the batter comes out stiff so they’re not the prettiest muffin, but they are very tasty. No eggs or oil needed! The pumpkin gives all the moisture you need.

EASY PUMPKIN MUFFINS

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. In a large bowl, use a large spoon to mix together the cake mix, pumpkin, and spices until smooth. Spoon equal amounts of batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.

Variations:

• Substitute a spice cake mix and eliminate spices.
• Try with other flavors of cake mix.
• Top with brown sugar for a crunchy topping.
• Use mini-muffin cups and reduce baking time to 15 minutes.

Enjoy them!

Sara

Hartman’s Family Restaurant (Now closed)

Hartman’s Family Restaurant and Ice Cream Shoppe has a homey quality, unusual for such a large restaurant. Their decor is comfortable with wooden spindle-back chairs and wall-mounted antiques. Their home-cooked food is appealing and satisfying. Whenever we’ve visited for lunch or dinner, we’ve wondered why they don’t serve breakfast.

Well, now they do! As of this past summer, Memorial weekend we were told, Hartman’s started serving breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8 AM to 1 PM. My husband and I couldn’t be more pleased.

As we drove north on Sullivan Trail this morning, the sky was slightly overcast and the road damp with remnants of last night’s rain. Our talk centered around Hurricane Ike. Four million without power. Makes one glad to live in Pennsylvania, although our thoughts surely go out to those in Texas.

When we pulled into Hartman’s parking lot shortly before 9 AM, we saw only a few cars. Then we spotted the large “Open” signs mounted on the doors. I wonder how many don’t know about the new weekend hours.

After we were seated, our waitress quickly brought our coffee and large glasses of water. The one-page menu is deceptive in its simplicity. While many places offer a long list of various omelettes, Hartman’s offers a 3-egg omelette with your choice of three fillings. But it was the Belgian waffles that caught my eye, especially the one with ice cream. Hartman’s is famous for their ice cream. They’ve been making it since 1906. For some reason – still wondering why – I went with my usual breakfast fare – scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon, although I did order a blueberry muffin for a change of pace.

While waiting for our order, we chatted about various news stories – teachers’ strikes in Souderton, in Saucon Valley, and possibly in Northampton. And we talked of the upcoming football season and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ history. Suddenly, our friendly waitress was delivering our food.

My husband orders steak and eggs about once a month. It was time. As he sliced into his thin rib-eye, he said it was a little overcooked (it wasn’t bleeding), but still tasty. My eggs were moist and filled with flavor, among the best I’ve eaten in a long while. The blueberry muffin was still warm – light, homemade and filled with fresh blueberries. Delicious! The home fries were thinly sliced, different from most places. We’d asked for crispy and they were, yet not overcooked. Wonderful flavor.

Great service, great atmosphere, great food! What more can one ask?

Our bill came to just under $20 (plus tip) for a small rib-eye steak, eggs, toast, and homefries for him, and eggs, homefries, and bacon for me, plus two blueberry muffins and two coffees (with ample refills).

Hartman’s Family Restaurant and Ice Cream Shoppe is located at 5920 Sullivan Trail, Nazareth (Belfast), PA. They are open for breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to 1 pm. They are also open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Sara

P.S. I’m still thinking of that Belgian Waffle with ice cream. Maybe next time!

UPDATE – On December 14, 2009, Hartman’s Family Restaurant closed its doors, as reported by the Express-Times. Sad to see another restaurant close.