Are you wondering how to celebrate Mom on Mother’s Day (May 13)?

How about a midday brunch that the whole family will enjoy?

Linda: Breakfast in bed always sounds like fun, but might not work out. Mom doesn’t always want to stay in bed while wondering what is going on in her kitchen. Or maybe there isn’t the perfect tray available for serving in bed and everything ends up sliding around and makes a bit of a mess. It could be a recipe for disaster!

Lucy: Yes, and if there is family visiting, why not plan a meal that everyone can enjoy? Let’s suggest some brunch ideas that are easy to prepare and delicious to eat.

Linda: I’m thinking quiche. And yes, “real men do like quiche,” especially one of my favorite recipes.

I’ve been a long time reader of Debbie Macombers “Cedar Cove” series. She published a cookbook featuring recipes from the stories, and that’s where I found this recipe for broccoli quiche with ham and Gruyere. It calls for a frozen pie shell. I always use Marie Callender’s as I think it’s the flakiest. (a pie shell tip: If you partially prebake the pie shell — prick some holes in the bottom and sides — for about eight minutes at 400, it keeps it from becoming soggy. I always do this, even if I’m baking a fruit pie.)

Lucy: Yes, you made that for a Christmas lunch and it was delicious.

I have a make- ahead recipe for delicious blueberry muffins. It’s from my friend Joanne in Massachusetts. We’ve been friends since our boys, both named Justin, were little. They’re now grown up, but we’ve been making it since they were toddlers.

Linda: Perfect. And I have a garden pasta salad that would complete the meal. It’s penne with green beans and tomatoes with a lemon-shallot vinaigrette. It can be made the night before or early morning.

Let’s give out our recipes so everyone can start planning to honor mothers and grandmothers on their day. 

Broccoli Quiche With Ham And Gruyere

(from Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Cookbook)

1 frozen pie shell from grocery

1 cup broccoli florets

2 large eggs

¾ cup whole milk

¾ cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup (about 4 ounces) diced deli ham

½ cup shredded Gruyere or Jarlsberg cheese

1. Partially bake pie shell.

2. Heat oven to 375 F. Set oven rack to center position. In a medium saucepan, cook broccoli in boing water 2 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain well.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk whole eggs, milk, cream, salt and pepper until well blended.

4. Spread broccoli, ham, and cheese evenly over bottom of warm pie shell. Pour in egg mixture to ¼ inch below crust rim (you might have extra, don’t fill it up). Bake 35 minutes until lightly golden brown and a knife blade inserted near the edge comes out clean, and center feels set but soft. The center will continue to set and sink a bit as it cools. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

JOANNE’S BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

(2 dozen)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs 

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup butter

4 tsp baking powder

3 cups blueberries

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together and add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Add vanilla. Fold in berries. Pour into muffin tins — grease pan or use paper liners. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

The batter can be made the night before and kept in refrigerator and put into muffin pans and baked in the morning.

Penne with Green Beans and Tomatoes (Serves 8)

1 16 ounce package whole wheat penne pasta

1 8 ounce package haricots verts (thin green beans) cut into 1 ½ inch pieces

1 pint grape tomatoes halved

¾ cup Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette (recipe below)

¼ cup chopped fresh dill or basil or parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions, adding green beans to boiling water last two minutes of cooking time; drain. Rinse pasta mixture under cold running water until cool; drain. Toss together pasta mixture, tomatoes, and vinaigrette. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Just before serving, stir in dill, and add salt and pepper to taste. For extra flavor, sprinkle with Feta Cheese or Gorgonzola.

Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

(About 2 cups)

Stir together ½ cup fresh lemon juice and one minced shallot; let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup olive oil, ¼ cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 1 week.