I’m always looking for a reason to try out new recipes, and to share new favorites with friends and family. Mother’s Day presented the perfect opportunity for a little bit of both.

We celebrated Mother’s Day with my mother, father and brother on Saturday evening. After a delicious take-out meal from a local Italian restaurant, we had a gold cake frosted with Hershey’s “Perfectly Chocolate” Chocolate Frosting.

On Sunday, we hosted a brunch for my husband’s mother and sister. We served coffee, mimosas, fresh fruit with creamy dip, crustless quiche, orange blueberry muffins and strawberry banana muffins.

It was a lovely weekend, and I am so grateful for our wonderful moms!

***The photo above was taken by my Mom in her beautiful perennial garden.***

These Strawberry Banana Muffins were a last-minute addition to my Mother’s Day Brunch line-up. They were so last minute that I had my husband run to the store to pick up more strawberries about an hour before our company was due to arrive!

I spotted this recipe on Just2Good and followed it to a tee. Due to a limited produce selection, I ended up using frozen strawberries. Due to overzealous muffin-tin filling, I ended up with only 14 muffins instead of the suggested 18. I needed to bake them a bit longer, but they turned out beautifully! It’s worth noting that the muffin tops don’t brown when they are done, but they will spring back when lightly pressed.

The strawberry banana combination is delicious – something I had never thought to put in a muffin. The bananas lend a subtle sweetness and great moist consistancy to the muffin, while the strawberries provide bright bursts of flavor.

Strawberry Banana Muffins

Yields 18 muffins

2 1/4 Cup of flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 Cup fresh strawberries, diced
3/4 Cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with 18 paper liners.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
3. After mixing, gently fold in the strawberries, making sure to coat them with flour.
4. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, eggs, butter, bananas, and vanilla until mixed thoroughly.
5. Slowly combine the wet mixture with the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Overmixing will result in tough, dense muffins.
6. Divide batter evenly among the 18 muffin cups.
7. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

I made my first quiche last November based upon this recipe for Easy Broccoli Quiche. Since I first made the quiche, I have changed the filling a bit and eliminated the crust.

I’m not a huge fan of pie crust, and removing the crust cut the calorie count in half. The filling in this new version is puffier, thanks to an additional egg and more milk. I probably add more than 1 cup of chopped broccoli, as broccoli, eggs and cheese has become one of my new favorite food combination. While it may sound fancy and indulgent, this is a healthy, filling meal.

We frequently have breakfast for dinner. Served with a slice of whole grain toast and some fruit, this quiche makes a delicious, filling meal. It also reheats well – perfect for a quick, mess-free breakfast or dinner leftovers the following night.

Crustless Broccoli Quiche

Yields 4 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese or Mozzarella Cheese
4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup skim milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. If using frozen broccoli, thaw before chopping.
3. Heat oil in large saute pan over medium-low heat.
4. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft.
5. Whisk together beaten eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in vegetable mixture and cheese.
6. Spray 9-inch pie pan lightly with cooking spray.
7. Pour egg mixture into pie pan, and bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until center has set.

This fruit dip was so easy to make! It was a fun, tasty addition to my simple fruit platter. The dip was a little thicker than I would have preferred, but that didn’t stop us from eating it all!

I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com, but made some modifications. I halved the original recipe and tweaked some measurements. Even with the reduced measurements, I still had more than enough dip for the four of us. I used more cream cheese that called for, and added some confectioner’s sugar to make the dip a little sweeter. Based upon reviewer information, I made the dip the night before and allowed it to chill overnight. As the dip chilled, the sweetness became more pronounced and the dip thickened up a bit.

Creamy Fruit Dip

4 oz. fat free cream cheese
4 oz. reduced fat whipped topping
4 oz. marshmallow cream
2 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

1. Combine the first three ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat together until smooth.
2. Add confectioner’s sugar as desired to attain desired sweetness.
3. Refrigerate in a covered container.

I made my first quiche on Sunday! Not only was it remarkably easy to make, but it got rave reviews from our company.

I first perused my cookbook collection, but was disappointed that the recipes called for large amounts of cream or milk. Since I have an intolerance to milk, I try to limit the amount that I use when cooking. Convinced that I could find a tasty recipe that had far less milk, I hit up allrecipes.com.

I settled on a heavily modified version of Easy Broccoli Quiche. While reviewers loved the general idea of the recipe, most said that the mix was too wet. My changes are detailed in the recipe below. As a time-saver, I used a refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust and frozen baby broccoli florets. If you’re looking to save even more time, frozen chopped onion could be used in a pinch.

I will likely add another egg next time, as the egg mixture didn’t rise to completely fill the crust. Aside from that minor criticism, I have no complaints. The egg mixture baked up nicely and was quite flavorful.

I took this photo right before everyone went back for seconds – there were no leftovers!

Broccoli Quiche

Yields 6 servings

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 cup chopped broccoli (fresh or frozen)
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup skim milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. If using frozen broccoli, thaw before chopping.
3. Melt butter in large saute pan over medium-low heat.
4. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft.
5. Whisk together beaten eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in vegetable mixture and cheese.
6. Place unbaked pie crust in pie pan.
7. Pour egg mixture into crust, and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until center has set.