Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. We decided to do a brunch for Father’s Days and have everyone over here for it. We made quite a bit of food, and of course I didn’t think about taking pictures of everything until after people had already started eating, so I apologize in advance for the pictures. We put out quite a buffet spread and I’ll share some the recipes here today. We made corned beef hash and home fries, both of which I have posted recipes on before. We also made pancakes, which I have posted on before and scrambled eggs. We did make a few things that I haven’t posted recipes on before, which I will share over the next few days. We made a Sausage Gravy with Biscuits, A Cheese and Onion Quiche, Crabcakes, Steamed Mussels, a Blueberry Coffee Cake, Banana Bread and a Fruit Salad. For today, I’ll tackle the Sausage Gravy and the quiche.

Sausage Gravy

8 ounces pork sausage

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (you can certainly make your own, but we were pinched for space and time and opted for Pillsbury.)

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake for 14 to 17 minutes until golden brown. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove the sausage and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the skillet. Whisk the flour into the hot drippings until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk, and cook, whisking constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the sausage, salt and pepper. Serve over warm biscuits.

The quiche was just as easy, although we did cheat a little and used a pre-made refrigerated crust for the shell.

Cheese and Onion Quiche

1 pre-made pie crust (you can certainly make your own if you like)

4 tablespoons butter

6 cups thinly sliced onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

6 eggs at room temperature

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, heated gently until warm

Heat the oven to 425 degrees and set the rack in the middle. Prebake the chilled crust until the crust begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when the butter melts. add the onion and some salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very soft and lightly browned, at least 20 minutes; adjust the heat so it doesn’t brown or crisp up, but just cook it until the onion practically melts. Add the thyme and stir, turn off the heat and cool slightly. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and then add the onion mixture.

Put the semi-cooked shell on a baking sheet and pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until almost firm (it should still jiggle just a little in the middle) and lightly browned on top; reduce the oven heat if the edges of the shell are darkening too quickly. Cool on a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature.

There are many more things you could add to the quiche to suit your tastes. You could add some bacon, mushrooms, or any variety of vegetables that you might like, such as broccoli, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, really nearly anything you want. Make sure the vegetables are parboiled and cooled before you add them to the eggs and don’t overcrowd it by adding too many things.

That’s all I have time to talk about today. Tomorrow I will go over some more recipes from the menu – the crabcakes and the mussels. Check back tomorrow for those recipes. Until then, enjoy your Father’s Day and enjoy your meal!