Brunch out in New York City, while a fun, social activity, can also mean long lines and crowds. Many times, we opt to do our own brunch at home. For brunch this past Sunday, Kim decided to make a Mushroom, Broccoli and Goat Cheese Frittata and Blueberry Muffins. Kim tells how it went.

I actually made the blueberry muffins on Saturday and did some of the prep for the Frittata.

My recipe for blueberry muffins is very special as it came from my Great Aunt Kathryn and I believe the origins of it are when she and her family would pick blueberries at their summer home in Michigan. The recipe is simple and quick and makes very tasty muffins that aren’t too large. I have found the recipe to be very versatile and adaptable. I’ve done simple variations like adding lemon zest, which really made for an updated twist and have even gone as far as to using other berries (strawberries and lime zest and raspberry and orange zest–all with fantastic results.)

I started first by preheating the oven to 400 degrees and melting (in the microwave) four tablespoons of butter. As the butter cooled, I beat in a large measuring cup 1/2 cup of milk (I used fat-free, but whole works well too) and one large egg. Once the butter was cooled, I beat that into the milk/egg mixture. I then turned to measuring the dry ingredients. The recipe calls for one-and-a-half cups of all-purpose flour. I had only one cup of all-purpose flour but plenty of whole wheat pastry flour so I used that for the last half a cup, which worked just fine. I sifted the flour into a large bowl with 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I then added the milk/egg/butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mixed to combine. I then added one cup of blueberries (I had some from the summer that I had frozen and defrosted by running under cold water.) Using an ice cream scoop, I put the mixture into a muffin tin lined with baking cups (the recipe makes 12 muffins) and baked for 20 minutes. The recipe takes 20 to 25 minutes and mine ended up taking about 22 minutes in total.

As the muffins baked and cooled, I turned my attention to doing some prep for the frittata. I first defrosted and chopped up some broccoli spears (about half to two-thirds of a 10 oz package) and sautéed some mushrooms (about 8 ounces) in some olive oil and thyme. Into the refrigerator the vegetables went so they would be ready for Sunday when I made the frittata.

On Sunday, I started making the frittata by preheating the oven to 375 degrees. I then whisked together (a lot!) eight eggs with just shy of a half of cup of parmesan cheese, one teaspoon of salt and several big grinds of black pepper. I then added in the mushrooms and broccoli. Using a 10 inch non-stick skillet, I heated over medium heat about one tablespoon of olive oil.  Once the oil was hot, I poured in the  egg mixture and then dotted goat cheese all around. I let it cook for about five minutes. I wait until it is set around the edges and the mixture is bubbling a bit. I then slide the pan into the oven to cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I could clean up the kitchen a bit, get the muffins out and make sure we had enough coffee to enjoy with our brunch.

After 20 minutes the frittata was set and perfectly cooked and ready to come out of the pan.

I ran a spatula around the edges to loosen it a bit and then slide it on to a cutting board. I cut it into four wedges.

With a quick garnish of parsley, brunch was served!