Mother's Day 2016

We had mom over for a Mother's Day brunch today. I made a quiche using our usual recipe but this time used salmon instead of tuna. The result was most awesome. While it was all cooking we had mimosas in the backyard. Dale grilled asparagus and we had strawberry short cake for dessert. When finished we watched some pretty hysterical episodes of The IT Crowd. Mom loved it.

Sunday Brunch

Yesterday Dale and I went to brunch at the Loring Kitchen and Bar which looks out over Loring Park. We both got mimosas and shared a caramel roll. I got the classic eggs Benedict and Dale got an omelet. Both of our items came with cheesy hashbrowns. I really like the atmosphere there. 

Christmas Season 2013/2014 - Holiday Brunch 4

Dale and I invited Phyllis and Julie & Regina over for our holiday brunch this year. Dale made the egg-bake, I made the pistachio rum cake pudding, Julie and Regina brought cinnamon rolls, and Phyllis brought the makings for mimosas. 

Top left: Athena smelled lots of good smells coming out of the kitchen.

Top right: My martini. I had a mimosa with the meal.

Bottom left: Dale serves up the egg-bake.

Bottom right: Stairs leading to the front door. Yes, our holiday brunch occurred at night time (long story).

Holiday Brunch 2010

On December 23, Dale and I hosted a holiday brunch. We invited our friends Chris and Alyn who brought along with their very mobile and delightful toddler son Ellis. We also invited our friend Eric who brought along his delightful boyfriend Erich. The menu included champagne, mimosas, an egg bake, sausages, hash browns, mixed fresh fruit, and a maple pecan bundt cake. Everything turned out quite well but I was particularly excited about the bundt cake as it was the first one I ever made.

The recipe for the bundt cake is from Nigella Lawson's book Nigella Kitchen and can be found on page 239. Use of the fleur de lis bundt pan that I bought a few months ago made this particularly fun.

The recipe for the egg bake is from one of those Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks (you know, the kind you get at the grocery store check-out lane) and is dated from May of 1993. The recipe is found on page 21 of that publication and is as follows:

Confetti Egg Bake

Ingredients:

Half cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 (9 oz.) pakage of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to drain

Half pound bulk turkey Italian sausage, cooked

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

Half cup chopped green onion

1 (2 oz. jar sliced pimiento, drained [I used a 4 ounce jar]

6 eggs

1 cup half-and-half

Half cup shredded Swiss cheese

Half teaspoon paprika [I forgot to add this]

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8-inch square (1 1/2 quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Layer Cheddar cheese, spinach, Italian sausage, mushrooms, green onions, and pimiento in spray coated dish. In medium bowl, combine eggs and half-and-half; blend well. Pour egg mixture evenly over layered mixture. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and paprika.*

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 6 servings.

*Note: This can be assembled a day in advance. Cover and refridgerate. Bake at 350 F. but increase the cooking time to 40-50 minutes.