Mother's Day Brunch

My super talented niece, Robin, emailed me with this question:

My dad has to work on mother's day and his work is out of town now so he won't be there to make breakfast for my mom. Two of my mom's friends who's husbands are deployed are going to come over before church for brunch and it's up to me and [little brother] Paul to make it. I was hoping that you had some sort of breakfast dishes in mind that are easy to make but nice. (no waffles or pancakes please ).

As I've thought about menus, I've tried to think of things that would be easy and appealing for teenagers to prepare, but also girly for the moms. I think you always want a Mother's Day brunch to feel a little bit luxurious and special. You can do this with little details; cloth napkins, fresh flowers on the table, colorful fresh fruits, really great juice, etc . . .

Here are some ideas for a "main" dish. Some are savory, some are sweet -



Egg Souffle (Also called a strata. This is nice because you make it the evening before and while it's cooking the next morning, you have time to prep the rest of the breakfast. It's also a pain because you have to make it the evening before. This particular recipe is really easy, but can be gussied up with sauteed peppers, mushrooms, bacon, sausage, etc . . . ) For a more complex strata, click here.

Easy Egg Souffle (recipe courtesy of Denise)

12 slice of white bread, crust cut off
4-5 cups of shreddar cheddar cheese (use medium or sharp for best flavor)

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Layer 6 bread slices in pan (cut to fit - to make an even layer)
Layer 2 c. cheese
Layer 6 bread slices
Layer 2 c. cheese

In separate bowl, beat 6 eggs. Mix together with 2 1/2 c. milk, 1/2 t. yellow prepared mustard, 1/2 t. onion or garlic salt. Beat all together.

Pour egg mixture over bread layers. Cover and chill overnight.

In the morning bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Optional mix ins: green chiles, crumbled bacon or cooked sausage, diced ham, mushrooms.



German Apple Pancakes
Butter generously and sprinkled with sugar, a 9x13 non-stick cake pan. Peel and slice 4 tart apple (like granny smith). Toss with 1/2 c. brown sugar, 2 T. lemon juice and 1 t. cinnamon. Melt 4 T. butter in large skillet, add apples and cook, turning occasionally until caramelized, 10-12 minutes. Place in bottom of cake pan.

In a blender combine:
6 eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. milk
dash of salt
Pour over apples. Bake 20-25 minutes until puffed up high and golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.



Breakfast Burritos
Scramble eggs (plan on 2 per burrito) in melted butter. Add 1 t. canned chopped green chiles. Top with shredded monterey jack (or cheddar) cheese. Place in warm tortilla. Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.



Scones with lemon curd and jam
I have a great scone (as in like the English kind, not the fry bread kind) recipe I posted here. Buy lemon curd at the store.

Serve whatever "main" dish you decide on with these:



Fresh Fruit Start with grapes and pineapple and then add whatever berries you can find that look good: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries. Toss in a pretty bowl. You can dice like in picture above (they've also included diced mint and mango), or just leave grapes and berries whole. Absolutely no frozen or canned fruits allowed.

Chicken Sausage (Look for fully cooked sausage with sweet flavors like maple and/or apple. Then just warm them according to package directions, slice into 1-2" rounds and serve. Can also use pork sausages.)

Cranberry/Orange Juice (I love orange juice mixed with a little cranberry juice. Fill a glass 3/4 full of chilled orange juice. Add chilled cranberry juice to top and serve. The colors are so pretty. OR Mix 1 part cranberry juice with 4 parts oj and 2 parts seltzer water for a fizzy version (you may have to play around with proportions).