I did a mother's day brunch a few years ago that my mother still raves about-- in fact, she's asked me to recreate it each year since for her birthday. It was simple, light and so very easy. I prepared all ahead which made the brunch even more enjoyable.

- ham and herb quiche (though really, any quiche would do)
- mixed spring lettuces with red onion, blanched asparagus and orange segments with a homemade citrus-garlic-shallot dressing
- corn muffins (again, any muffin-- or a selection will do)

This is definitely light and springy with the citrus -- maybe too much so for the time of year. You could beef it up with sides. I've served grilled shrimp which is awesome with the salad. I could also see serving a baked ham on the side... and I think Mtn's scalloped potato muffins from the other thread would be a great addition to this menu-- then I'd do a selection of breads and preserves.

Funny story, my grandmother was being a real pill the day of the brunch and more or less stuck her nose up to the whole thing, "Oh, I can't eat this.. you know I don't eat much.. I'll just sit here and watch you eat." It was just three of us-- my mother, my grandmother and I. I served the plates and my mother and I went into the kitchen to fill ice water and my mother nudges me and nods to the dining room--- there was my grandmother not 5 min later digging in and eating enthusiastically without us! Ha! My mother was amused but annoyed-- I chose to take it as a tribute to the meal.

the following casserole is something my guests look forward to whenever I host a brunch. It goes well with quiche and can be made the day before. I think it's from Southern Living Magazine, more then 20 years ago.

Wild rice and sausage Casserole

1 (6-ounce) package long-grain and wild rice mix
1 pound ground pork sausage (Jimmy Dean)
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms (i've used the jarred, they work fine)
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 (2.25-ounce) package sliced natural almonds (1/2 cup)

Preparation

Cook rice mix according to package directions.

Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Cook onion and mushrooms in same skillet over medium heat 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Combine rice, sausage and beef, onion and mushrooms, water chestnuts, parsley, and soy sauce; stir well. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 13" x 9" baking dish. Cover and chill casserole overnight.

Remove from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake, uncovered, at 350ð for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Note: You don't have to refrigerate the casserole overnight. Just spoon it into the baking dish and bake, uncovered, at 350ð for 20 minutes or until heated.

A spiral ham is always a good idea for a brunch.

I like Stratas better than quiches, Betty Crocker has a good ham and spinach one that won't let me link it. Check it out, 171 (if I recall correctly) 5 stars, it sounds and looks good.

This butternut squash lasagna is delicious!! (Not low cal, however).

Here is a link that might be useful: Butternut squash lasagna

Thank you, thank you! All of these look delicious. I think the strata will probably be most compatible with the other items I have planned, and I love that it can be assembled the night before and baked in the morning.

I'll definitely be trying the wild rice casserole as well as the butternut squash lasagna soon...they sound wonderful!

Thanks again:)

You could always do a yogurt parfait bar with your fruit.

Like a sundae bar, but made with a good quality greek yogurt, some artisanal or homemade granola, maybe some nuts, maple syrup or honey, and fresh fruit.

I discovered this easy yogurt dip/sauce a few years ago and everyone LOVES it with fresh fruit! I have a crazy friend who loves it so much he dips veggies in it. lol!

PS: I use non-fat yogurt and full-fat cream cheese to make it, just because it's what I buy.... And double the batch!!! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Vanilla Yogurt Sauce

This post was edited by party_music50 on Fri, Dec 5, 14 at 6:33

I was going to suggest the yogurt with the fruit selection as well...mtnrd and I are on the same track. For just a yogurt fruit dip, my favorite is very simple...plain yogurt mixed with some brown sugar and cinnamon.

You might take a stroll through the link below...menu ideas from B&Bs which includes a whole section on breakfast casseroles.

Here is a link that might be useful: B&B recipes

We just had a late night buffet post concert and one of the hors d'oeuvres could easily be used as a main dish. The flank steak "wraps" had no bread; instead, they were thin slices of marinated, grilled flank steak wrapped around lightly steamed asparagus and roasted red pepper slices, served with a horseradish cream. Absolutely beautiful on the plate and delicious! The other crowd pleaser was a little bar set up with honey baked ham cut into smaller pieces, small yeast rolls and a variety of mustards and mayonnaises, cranberry chutney, etc., to make your own creation. Everybody-- and I mean everybody--- likes that ham. (Between the ham and the flank steak the smoked salmon was sort of lost, so next time I don't think we'll order it. There were so many other things as well that we did not really need it although it too was very good.)

KSWL, your buffet sounds like it was scrumptious! The grilled flank steak wrapped asparagus sounds TDF!

Thank you, PM50! I'm definitely using that one. Anything with cream cheese is a no-brainer:)

Mmmm, kswl, that sounds amazing!

Duplicate

This post was edited by funnygirl on Fri, Dec 5, 14 at 11:14

Annie, I just came back to reread this thread and noticed the B & B link. Thank you for that; I'm off to look it over!

I love burritos. However, here is a link that might be useful. ( Burritos )

2cats, stop reviving old threads to spam with your blog link.

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