Easter Celebration

As promised, back to garlands. The garland thing came about when I was shopping in a store called the "the Paper Source" - it is one of my favorite stores. It was fall and I knew that we were hosting Thanksgiving again this year. I wanted to decorate the apartment in a festive way and so I bought some pre-cut paper fall leaves. I decided to drape the leaves across the room in a garland - thus the garland was born. At Christmas it held Christmas cards, and well, you saw the Valentine's garland. So, naturally an Easter garland should follow. The bunny and egg shapes I bought pre-cut and I just covered them with pretty paper!

Back to some of the food that was prepared on Easter, beyond the traditional roast and veggies, we had a great quiche that I made up on the spot. We were running late and had a vegetarian and kids to feed so I wanted to make a quiche that wouldn't take too long and wouldn't have complex flavoring. Broccoli Cheddar it was. It was so easy and tasty that I made another one that night for breakfast/lunch the next week (of course the whole thing was gone in 5 minutes at Easter brunch). It is even slightly lower fat than usual with the cholesterol free egg substitute. I am planning to try it with half and half or milk soon, but the cooking time will probably be longer.






Broccoli and Cheddar Brunch Quiche:

1 1/2 cups good quality frozen broccoli
3/4 cup non-flavored cholesterol free egg substitute
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried thyme
a pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1 pie shell

First heat the broccoli in the microwave until cooked through, chop into medium pieces, leaving some of the smaller florets intact, and drain as much of the liquid as possible. Let the broccoli cool. Add the egg substitute, cheese and cream to a bowl and combine. Add the herbs and spices and combine. Pour the egg mixture into a pie shell - if you don't make your own, be sure to use one without sugar. I prefer "Trader Joe's" brand because it is all natural, no sugar and it comes in a sheet, so that I can use my own pie dish. Once the egg mixture is poured into the shell disperse the cooled broccoli into the mixture. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then at 350 for about 30 minutes until set. Just tap the center and make sure it is firm, but not too hard. That's it!!