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Spring is almost here! This means the season for brunches is upon us and, what better way to kick it off than with a family-style brunch with your loved ones enjoying food everyone will be certain to love! Brunch is traditionally a meal between the late morning and early afternoon and can consist of anything from french toast to sliders. Creating a simple yet tasty and aesthetically pleasing spread for your get together has never been easier! The key is to create a menu that has foods everyone will enjoy yet doesn’t put a huge stress on you. Items that can be made the day before are good to include as that will leave less for you to make the day of. Here are some ideas that will cater to all ages from the little ones to the grandparents!
Fast and Sweet
When it comes to sweet brunch foods, it is easy to keep it simple! Many of the delightfully sugary options commonly served at brunches can be made in advance, leaving you with less work to do the morning of. Some excellent examples of this are mini muffins and scones. These delectable treats can be made in a variety of ways with many different flavors and combinations. Everything from the traditional blueberry to apple cinnamon or a citrus flavor could be used in either the scones or the mini muffins. Another delicious option is a light pound cake with fruit compote to spoon on top. Both the pound cake and the compote can be made a day or two ahead, simply warm up the compote just before placing it out on the table.
If you are looking for suggestions that would probably taste best if made the day of, a couple of great options are french toast and cinnamon rolls. To prevent you from having to spend half your morning flipping french toast, you can even cut the pieces of bread in half diagonally. Setting out topping choices such as peanut butter, Nutella, and honey in addition to syrup will also provide extra healthy options for the more nutrient conscious members of your family!
Savory Bites
As we all know, no two people are the same! While some may enjoy a brunch full of sugary goodness, others may have a palate that prefers a more savory taste. Foods such as potato salad, coleslaw, and slider sandwiches can all be made the day before and kept in the refrigerator. If you want to serve your sandwiches warm, you can still prep them the day before and pop them in the oven the morning of your brunch, saving you time for those other items that couldn’t be made ahead. Simple, yet tasty options for the sliders are ham and swiss, turkey and cheddar, and bbq pulled pork on hawaiian bread rolls. If you are serving them cold, be sure to set out condiments! Having a tray of optional toppings such as tomato, lettuce, and onion would be a great idea as well. Some other savory options which would be best made the day of are sausage links or bacon, and biscuits with gravy. These are both traditional breakfast foods that are sure to please family members of any age!
Sweet and Savory Yet, Light
So far we have discussed both the sweet and savory side of your possible brunch menu and while it all sounds delicious, there are some pretty heavy foods on that list! Some of the family members or friends may prefer lighter options and we have some suggestions for those too. Want to go with the more savory options previously mentioned? No problem! All you need is a nice side salad that takes little time to prepare, but will look amazing on your table! Having little dishes surrounding the salad bowl with items such as dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, diced mushrooms and other topping options is a great way to let people personalize their salads.
When it comes to light brunch items, one great choice that requires almost zero prep is mini bagels! Simply purchase the desired flavors, open the bag and put them out on a tray. Just before it is time to eat you can put a couple tubs of cream cheese out beside them and voila!
Two more light food options that are sure to delight guests of all ages are cut up fruit and deviled eggs. Getting fruit that is in season will help keep your cost down while tasting extra delicious and providing a lot of much needed vitamins and antioxidants! Deviled eggs are a fun finger food that kids and adults of all ages tend to love. Quick and easy to make, varied in taste, you can easily make a few different types and set them on your tray in a cute pattern adding even more aesthetic charm to the spread!
Speaking of easy to make, Mini quiches and cucumber dill sandwich bites are both light yet pack a deliciously healthy amount of nutrients in their small packages! These are two items that you will probably want to make the morning of your brunch as the quiches will taste better warm or room temperature and you wouldn’t want your sandwich bites to get soggy!
Obviously there are many many more food options out there, however these are all items that are sure to be enjoyed by every age at your brunch! With a large amount of the foods mentioned being able to be made or at least prepped a day or two ahead, you won’t be rushing around the morning of, trying to make an entire brunch menu. If your group tends to do things potluck style, having a menu in mind will make it easy to delegate specific items to people and ensure there is not an excess of any one food! When it comes to having a simple brunch with your loved ones, the most important thing to remember is to have fun enjoying the company of your friends and family and making memories together for the little ones to cherish as they grow up.
For some more brunch ideas check out this post with waffles!
