One of the best things about Mother’s Day is breakfast in bed—unless what comes on the tray is burnt toast, gooey eggs and charred bacon, which can happen when the kids are cooking! Serving fruit and yogurt may be an easy way out but it’s not as much fun because the whole point is to spoil mom and make her something she wouldn’t bother to make for herself.

This year, tweens, teens and dads can surprise mom with a savory quiche that tastes divine and makes the house smell yummy while it’s baking. It’s an easy variation on a gourmet recipe that can be made in a jiffy.

This recipe makes two quiches (you can freeze the extra one). Buy a package of two frozen piecrusts, a bag of sausage crumbles (sold in the frozen food section), a can of green chilies (the fire-roasted kind for that smoky flavor), a small carton of southwestern-style egg whites, a bag of fresh spinach, a yellow onion, a bag of grated Monterey jack cheese and a bag of grated cheddar cheese.

Dump the sausage and the whole onion (chopped fine) into a frying pan and cook until the onions are soft and carmelized. Add the whole bag of spinach and keep tossing until the leaves are limp (not mushy). Evenly divide the mixture between the two crusts and spread to cover the bottom. Sprinkle a generous handful of each kind of grated cheese over the top. Put the carton of southwestern-style egg whites in a bowl and add the can of chilies, two fresh eggs and add a dash of milk or cream to make it richer. Beat well, then carefully pour into each pie crust, letting the egg mixture seep down all around the other ingredients.

Loosely cover each one with foil, tenting it a bit so the foil doesn’t touch the egg surface, just the crust. Bake both quiches on a cookie sheet side by side on the same oven rack for 45 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Take the foil off and bake another 10 minutes uncovered so the crust will brown nicely.

Let the baked quiches sit on the counter for 15 minutes before you cut a thick wedge and serve it to a now-salivating mom. If you really want to make her smile, run to Starbucks while it’s baking and get her favorite latte.

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