Best Bets for Brunch Recipes

One of my favorite meals to host is brunch. It can be really casual and the food can also be really easy to prepare. I like to set out a bread basket with an assortment of bagels and cream cheese, scones, and muffins my guests can choose. Here are two delicious recipes that I have used:

Cinnamon Sticky Buns

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup ground cinnamon

2 tubes (17.3 oz each) large refrigerated biscuits

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the pecans. Spoon into a greased 13x9x2 baking pan. In a shallow bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Cut each biscuit in half; dip in cinnamon-sugar. Place, cut side down, over brown sugar mixture. Bake at 375 for 25-30 min or until golden brown. Invert onto a serving plate; serve warm. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

2 cups biscuit mix (such as Bisquick)

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided

1 egg

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream (you can also use lemon yogurt)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

2 tsp. lemon zest

In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix and 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk the egg and sour cream; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins half-full. Combine lemon zest and remaining sugar; sprinkle over batter. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen

I also like to serve at least one egg dish. I am a big fan of stratas and the like because they can be prepped well in advance (even overnight), so you just need to stick the pan in the oven to cook before your guests arrive. This recipe makes a very yummy and hearty dish, but you can vary the ingredients to your taste - use sausage instead of bacon, add scallions or tomatoes, even add jalapenos to spice things up!

Loaded Potato and Egg Bake

1/3 package frozen hash brown potato cubes

6 eggs

1/4-1/2 cup milk

6-8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbed

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a Colby-Jack blend, but Cheddar would be yummy)

salt, pepper to taste

sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook hash browns according to package. Spray 8×8 casserole dish with nonstick spray. Scramble eggs with as much or little milk as you like; salt and pepper to taste. When potatoes are done, add them to the casserole dish. Pour scrambled eggs on top. Add bacon crumbles. Top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream.

To round out your brunch buffet, serve a variety of deli meats such as ham, roast beef, and turkey alongside fresh bread or club rolls. Or for variety, try this sweet & sour meatball recipe that you can prepare in your slow cooker. (Kielbasa is also a great substitute for the meatballs in this recipe):

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

1 package frozen meatballs

6 tablespoons white vinegar

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons cornstarch

1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained

1/2 cup pineapple juice

Put meatballs into your slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients: vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and corn starch. Pour over meatballs. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 2-4, depending how thick you want the sauce, stirring several times. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the undrained pineapple and pineapple juice.

Add a fruit salad, beverages (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, orange juice), and perhaps even some shrimp and cocktail sauce and you have a wonderful spread that is sure to be a crowd pleaser!