Few things bring me more happiness than spending the day in the kitchen cooking for those who are most special to me. Today, friends, was one of those days. We’ve been able to enjoy the company of old friends all weekend and we wanted to cap off the weekend with brunch in my town. I was trying to think of an easy spot for everyone to meet at until I remembered that I love to cook and we could just have a relaxing afternoon here! And it was just perfect (if I may be so bold to say so myself).

I thought one easy brunch dish could be crustless quiche. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what everyone’s favorite fillings were so I decided to try making the recipe in muffin tins and we all loved how they came out (they did deflate slightly after taking them out of the tins, alas). One batch had sausage and bacon, the other batch had broccoli and chopped red pepper (all had cheddar cheese). I ended up baking them about ten minutes less than the normal cook time.

Then I felt we needed a nice salad on the side. Yesterday’s fall adventures took us to a few local apple orchards, so I tossed some mixed greens with chopped apples, diced gouda cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. I couldn’t remember if we were dealing with any nut allergies, so candied pecans were on the side to top things off.

And what’s brunch without something sweet? Full disclosure, I can’t take credit for the apple bread. It was another acquisition from our orchard tour, but it was so fresh and moist – the perfect bite to end the meal.

Everyone thought I’d slaved over the preparation, but I did confess it was so simple. More importantly, it gave us plenty of time to enjoy, catch up and reminisce. What could be better than that?