Simple Tips for Hosting A Springtime (or Mother’s Day) Brunch

Simple Tips for Hosting A Springtime (or Mother’s Day) Brunch

PLUS 2 Simple & Delicious Recipes

Sure, you can use this post as inspiration for hosting a Mother's Day brunch, or you can copy the link and text it to your hubby! I'm happy to have my little sister prepare a brunch this year for Mother's Day <3

  1. Prep the Night Before
    The number one tip for simplifying your brunch is to start the night before! Take a few minutes to
    set your buffet or dining table with plates, napkins, silverware, glasses, and flowers. Get an idea
    of where you’d like to have your coffee, mimosa, or juice station and if you will be doing a buffet
    style of sit down family style.
  2. Keep Dishes Warm
    Turn on your warmer or the oven on low to keep dishes warm. You don’t want to be cooking up
    until the last minute or require guests to eat right when they walk in, so plan to wrap dishes in
    foil and keep them warm. Your guests may be bringing something that need to be heated up or
    kept warm, so be prepared with a warm oven.
  3. Provide Allergen Friendly Options
    It’s likely that at least one of your guests will have a special dietary need (guiltyyyyyy!). Consider simple gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian options. We love this simple scone recipe because it uses
    just simple, wholesome ingredients (including Simple Mills Artisan Bread Mix!). It is also gluten and dairy free but even those who can enjoy gluten and dairy will love these Chocolate Cherry Almond Scones!


Chocolate Cherry Almond Scones
Ingredients:
1 box Simple Mills Artisan Bread Mix
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped
1⁄4 cup dried cherries, chopped
1⁄4 cup mini dark chocolate chips [dairy-free: I like Enjoy Life brand, or chopping up a dairy free bar]
Coconut sugar, optional as topping
Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Whisk eggs, water, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and maple syrup in a large bowl.
  3. Add baking mix to a bowl, make a well, and pour wet ingredients in. Fold and stir until just
    combined. Let sit for 5 minutes for dough to thicken.
  4. Fold in almonds, cherries, and chocolate chips.
  5. Press dough into a circle on a marble or plastic cutting board [or use a Silpat] – using additional gluten-free flour [like tapioca flour] as needed to prevent sticking. Dough will be soft and sticky – using floured hands, pat down into a circle about 1/2″ thick.
  6. Using a wet knife, cut circle into 8 equal parts, beginning with a cut down the center. Carefully remove scones with a spatula to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until scones are slightly browned and spring back when touched. Cool on wire rack.
    NOTES: These scones were just sweet enough for us. If you add more maple syrup, cut back on water so dough is thick enough to spread. You could also bake these in muffin topper tins and skip the segmenting step!

4. Make a Casserole
Whether it’s an egg bake, quiche, baked oatmeal, or French Toast bake, a casserole is a simple way to serve a crowd. Consider preparing the recipe in a baking dish the night before to simply
reheat it in the morning. [Add a personal touch – what is your favorite breakfast dish. Do you have a link to one on your site you could link to here?]Incorporate Fruits and Veggies Fresh fruit and veggies will add the perfect pop of color when your guest start snapping pics of your beautiful display. Many people focus on eggs, bacon, and baked goods at brunch, but
consider adding fruits and veggies to add variety and good nutrition to help your guests leave feeling their best. Add veggies to your quiche, grated carrots to your crockpot oatmeal, a fruit salad, dried fruit in your scones (see above 🙂 ), or blueberries or zucchini in your muffins.

5. Include a DIY Bar
A DIY breakfast bar is a fun way to for guests to make the meal their own and accommodate their own dietary needs and preferences. This could be an oatmeal bar, waffle bar, or DIY bagel bar. Check out the recipe below for simple, homemade bagels. They take no more than 30 minutes from start to finish and use simple, whole food ingredients that you can pronounce and
your body will recognize, including Simple Mills Artisan Bread Mix. Use code LIVINGPLATE20 for 20% off your order to try this recipe or create your own! Thank you @simplemills for the samples!

DIY Bagel Bar with Simple Homemade Bagels
INGREDIENTS:
2 boxes Simple Mills Artisan Bread Mix
4 eggs
1 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
Bagel Seasoning – dried garlic and onion, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, sprouted pumpkin and sunflower seeds.
Sweet and savory bagel toppings

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 4 donut pans.
  2. Whisk together eggs, water, olive oil and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. Add in
    Simple Mills Artisan Bread mix to the bowl and combine.
  3. Fill each donut mold 3/4 full with the dough.
  4. Top with your choice of bagel seasoning.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Prepare your bagel bar by beautifully arranging your bagel toppings on a table.
  7. Remove bagels from the oven, let cool completely and serve with your prepared toppings. (I've just fallen in love with Kite Hill cream cheese alternative, made from almonds)
    We suggest the following topping combinations:
    Coconut yogurt + sliced banana + honey + walnuts + hemp hearts
    Sprouted nut butter + homemade jam + fresh berries
    Cream cheese + smoked salmon + fresh dill
    Sliced avocado + heirloom tomato + fresh basil
    Sprouted nut butter + Coconut yogurt + fresh figs
    Cream cheese + cucumber slices + sprouts
    Enjoy and Happy Brunching!