Mother's day Brunch

For the beginning of May I kept busy with a simple buttercream retirement cake.  I used a butter cream transfer method to create this sweet red motor cycle, camper and camp fire.  Then I  constructed a retirement plaque out of rolled fondant.    Best wishes to the United States Postal Service Person, enjoy your retirement.

 

On  Mother's Day I did a spring brunch for my mother on Sunday afternoon.  I made this Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche, a recipe I found from Martha Stewart. I used a pre-made pastry shell and I added portobello mushrooms to the recipe. Using some of the egg white, I brushed on the edge of the pie crust to give that golden glossy shine to it. It was a very easy and quick recipe to whip up and you can even do it ahead of time for convenience.

As a side for the Quiche,  I made a Non-GMO micro-green salad with julienne cucumbers and strawberries,  drizzled with a pomegranate salad dressing.  These delicate micro-greens needed delicate garnishes and doing a julienne cut to the cucumbers and strawberries worked great.  Drizzling the pomegranate dressing just before serving is a must.  These greens don't need much which make for a light and refreshing side. 

Micro-Greens Strawberry Salad

Ingredients: 

2 oz. package of Non-GMO Micro-Greens (Black Pearl Gardens) 

2 large fresh strawberries (sliced thin, and finely julienne)

1 small seeded cucumber (sliced thin, and finely julienne)

 Marzetti Simply Dressed Pomegranate Salad dressing (placed in a clear squeeze bottle) 

In four small bowls divide Micro-Greens, next top each with a table spoon of julienne cucumbers and julienne strawberries each.  Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

My mother and I were introduced to micro-greens last year at a Cooking Matters with Diabetes class that we took at our local library.  It was sponsored by Gleaners Community Food Bank  and Ford Motor Company. Our class chef introduced the students to new and healthy foods including micro-greens.  We loved them and were hooked ever since last year. (Micro-greens are young delicate vegetable greens that come in mild and spicy varieties.) So I wanted to treat my mother to this side for brunch.  It took some time finding a market that carried micro-greens but I found these at my local Holiday Market.  I called and talked to the young man in the produce department who was very helpful and knew exactly what I was asking for (some local produce markets had no idea what they were).  He even made my day when he informed me they carried a local brand Black Pearl Gardens from Ann Arbor Michigan. I  love supporting my local farmers and shops.  I stopped in that night and was pleased by the variety they had to chose from.  I went with the "Mild Mix Mini & Mighty     Micro-Greens". For the Dressing I used Marzetti Simply Dressed Pomegranate Salad dressing.  

Served with fresh brewed Raspberry Iced Tea garnished with a fresh strawberry.

 

Lastly, we finished with a Cookies and Cream dessert pudding garnished with a Oreo Thins Chocolate creme cookie. 

Wishing my Mother and all Mother's a very Happy Mother's Day!