May 2017
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mama’s of the world!
We are fortunate to have families that get along great and it is always a plus for Kevin and I when they decide to have the holiday together. There is certainly a struggle when it comes to family time and holidays so when there is an opportunity to have them together we jump at the chance. My mother-in-law is a fabulous host and cook- she is creative and always out does herself so we were all excited for brunch at her house. But as life goes, she got sick and had to cancel the Thursday before Mother’s Day. I called my mom and while the first suggestion was to go out, I was not optimistic at those chances of getting reservations at a decent place on a holiday that all the mom’s in the country celebrate. So, I took the nose dive and offered to cook up brunch instead with very short notice for 6 people! I had pulled off Friendsgiving in the fall so I was confident in my brunch skills. For reference, I prep’ed some things the night before, and started around 7:30AM for a 10:30AM brunch time.
Main Dish: French Toast (prep night before, bake morning of)
I have made french toast bakes before for Christmas morning since I typically worked the overnight shift. Then when I came home, all Kevin had to do was pop it in the oven and we would enjoy Christmas breakfast before I passed out on the couch. I knew this recipe gave me the flexibility to prep Saturday night and pop it in the oven Sunday morning. I recently started using challah bread for my french toast and I highly recommend you do the same! A new variation for me this time was cubing the bread instead of using slices and I will continue to cube from now on. I made two dishes of this for the group of six and we only needed one! Very filling french toast.
Eggs: Quiche (morning of)
Yes, scrambling eggs may have been an easier thing to do but I found that to be boring. I love trying new things so this would be my first quiche. My co-worker recommended this instead of traditional eggs and I was a fan. I found a straightforward recipe with cheese, spinach and mushrooms (since my family does not like to eat adventurously). Seemed all I needed to do was mix everything up, put down the pie dough, and pop in the oven. I sauteed the spinach and mushrooms with garlic, added the eggs and cheese- easy so far. My hang up with this meal (always one) was the dough. I bought frozen pie dough and had it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. This recipe called for pie weights (didn’t have) and while I searched for alternatives (beans- didn’t have, coins- felt odd), I read that if you invert the pie dish and pre-bake that way. Dear lord- what a mess! When I took it out of the oven after the 8 minutes of pre-baking, the pie dough was mushy- I had to roll it into a ball after peeling it off of the inverted pie dish then reshape it to the pie dish for the addition of the egg batter. Did I do something wrong (for anyone that has successfully pre-baked pie dough using the inverted method)? Is it necessary to pre-bake store bought pie dough? Since the pie dough was not smooth sailing, I was no feeling confident in my quiche and wondering if I should start scrambling eggs but I have to say, it was so delicious! My favorite thing on the table and I was even happier there were some left overs for me to bring to work for lunches.
Potatoes: One Pan Breakfast Potatoes (morning of)
While I could have bought a bag of shredded potatoes, I wanted to make easy but flavorful potatoes- this one pan recipe fit the bill. While I forgot the red pepper and the rosemary the recipe called for (whoops!) there was still a ton of flavor. While I bought 5 potatoes, I only cut up 3 thinking- wow that will be plenty- and then regretting not having cut up all 5 potatoes once I took the pan out from cooking. Reminder to self- always just do it! We had enough for everyone but it was one of those things that maybe people were not eating more of them because it didn’t look like there was enough for everyone? I may never know!
Coffee Cake: Blueberry mascarpone crumb cake (the night before)
I love this recipe! It always comes out so moist and delicious (I think it is because of the mascarpone!). My mom also loves this recipe so this was an easy win- score! Very simple recipe and always comes out great.
Breakfast meat: Turkey bacon (morning of)
Grabbed two packs of turkey bacon from store and popped in the over for 15 minutes at 400 degrees in the oven. While I love real bacon and love pan fried even more, I had no time for all that mess. Oven baked turkey bacon was hassle free, easy clean up, and the healthier option.
Toast (morning of): Left over challah bread from french toast bake makes for yummy toast!
My mom brought a lovely fruit salad and my grandmother brought apple cider donuts.
Everyone seemed very happy with the decision to have brunch at my place (cheaper option, more relaxed option, and we all got more quality time together). Kevin and I, when it comes to family meals, really enjoy home cooking and relaxing over going out. And even better is that everyone really loved the food! I was proud to have been able to prepare a meal for my mother and grandmother on Mother’s Day- especially after the countless meals they have prepared for me. Give these recipes a try!
For other brunch recipes, see Christmas Brunch!
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