Here’s to the ladies who brunch
Right or wrong, I judge whether or not I’ll be good friends with someone based on how they feel about brunch. I absolutely adore brunch. What could be better than mimosas, usually large amounts of cheese, and some sort of quiche dish?
When I lived in Austin, my friends and I would host a brunch once a month. They would ramble and last for hours, stretching into the late afternoon and usually involving at least one additional champagne run. (We did bottomless mimosas right.)
Now that I’m in San Francisco, I’m trying to carry on the brunch hosting tradition and so this past weekend, I picked up the reins and hosted a brunch for a small group of friends.
The spread included a few of my favorite items and a couple of new Pinterest finds.
(From Left to Right: Roasted Cauliflower Quiche, Cha-Cha Chicken Salad, Pumpkin Cheddar Biscuits, Cheese Board, Crispy Green Beans, Lemon Cornmeal Cake, Berry Cream Cheese Croissants)
A note on a few of my favorites- I developed a big crush on the Cha-Cha Chicken Salad a few years ago. It’s a creamy, curry chicken salad that basically begs you to put it on your best cake plate. I love serving it with croissants but it’s robust and statisfying enough to eat alone. Here’s my favorite version, courtesy of Southern Living. (Seriously…try this. It’s ruined me for all other versions of chicken salad.)
The newbies to my brunch spread were a Roasted Cauliflower Quiche and Pumpkin Cheddar Biscuits. For the quiche, I largely followed good old Martha Stew’s recipe but substituted the broccoli with cauliflower, roasting the veggie in olive oil and sea salt for 25 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
The biscuits were an easy addition and the pumpkin makes them unexpected. (By the way, I love serving these as a side to Beer Cheese Soup, one of my fall favorites.) Here’s the recipe that I followed.
If you’re looking to save on prep time the day of, the chicken salad, cornmeal cake, and berry cream cheese mixture can be made the night before.
As you can see, I use mason jars for pretty much anything. (I realize it’s the “put a bird on it” of 2013/2014. Still, give me a mason jar and I swoon).
Links to other recipes:
(FYI- the crispy green beans were from Trader Joe’s. That place wins at everything.)
I love brunches because they’re leisurely, relaxed and include some of my favorite foods. Also, MIMOSAS.
What are some of your favorite brunch dishes?
