How to Host an Easy & Delicious Brunch

3/1/2019

How to Host an Easy & Delicious Brunch

Brunch is 100% my favorite meal. One of my best friends jokes that I'm never just eating breakfast... I'm always brunching. There's just something so nice and relaxing about brunch. In my mind, brunch is a leisurely morning where you've slept in, put on comfy clothes, sip a cappuccino or a matcha latte, and sit back and relax while a delicious spread comes your way. What's better than that? Clearly I love enjoying a fabulous brunch out, but I also love hosting one at my house! It's definitely the most stress-free meal to take on. It's casual, it doesn't require anything too fancy or complicated,  and pretty much everything can be prepped ahead of time.  Here are my tips for the next time you're hosting a brunch!

Tip #1: Choose a low-maintenance menu. Something like this (choose one or two from each category):

An egg dish

• ​Sweet Potato Crust Quiche - you can prep most of this the night before. Slice up your sweet potato, chop and sauté your veggies, and you can even whisk together your eggs. Then the next morning, all you have to do is assemble it and put it in the oven. 
• Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs - make these the night before, peel them (optional), and serve them the next morning. The instant pot makes them perfect every time. 
• Mini Egg Muffins - make them the day before and then reheat them in the oven on low (200 F) the morning of the brunch.
• Or good old-fashioned scrambled eggs - scramble them up, add salt and pepper, and garnish with chives for a pop of freshness and you're good to go. This (and the hard boiled eggs) are perfect if you're doing an avocado toast bar too... more on that below!

An assortment of breads or how about an Avo Toast Bar!?

• Putting together an avocado toast bar is just about the easiest, most-crowd friendly option for a brunch! All you need to do is mash up some avocado with salt and pepper (you can squeeze a little lemon in there too to keep it fresh), serve it with a variety of breads, and put some toppings out - a little bowl of Everything Bagel Seasoning, chopped tomatoes, microgreens, maybe some bacon or turkey bacon (make sure it's nitrate, nitrite, and carageenan-free!), sliced cucumbers or radishes, and some chopped herbs like chives and dill. And your guests can add their eggs on there too - easy and healthy!
• Make sure to put out a variety of breads (and an accessible toaster!) so there's something for everyone. I always make sure to have some gluten-free or paleo options like these English Muffins, this bread, or I'll make some mini bagels with Simple Mills bread mix. You can't go wrong with some sliced sourdough or multi-grain or regular bagels. You can pick up your breads/bagels the day before to make it easier and just keep them wrapped up nice and tight overnight to stay fresh.
• Next to your bread platter and toaster, put out some toppings to choose from (aside from the avo toast options) like butter, cream cheese, and kite hill chive cream cheese for your non-dairy peeps. 

Something Sweet / Fruity

• Paleo Lemon Blueberry Streusel Muffins or their sister recipe Paleo Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins - always a hit and can be made the day before 
• Can't go wrong with Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins or Peanut Butter Banana Bread - make the day before! 
• A bowl of mixed fruit or berries - put it together the night before
• DIY Yogurt Parfaits - set some different yogurts out (I always go with a plain Greek yogurt and a dairy-free yogurt), some chopped fruit or berries, and a bowl of granola. My granola pick - homemade Chocolate Chip Grain-Gree Granola or  Purely Elizabeth grain-free banana nut butter granola... so good!
• A big bowl of chia seed pudding like my Apple Pie Chia Pudding - so easy to prep ahead! Make a huge batch the night before and let it sit overnight in the fridge. The next morning, mix it up, pour it into a serving bowl, and top with the apples and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Yum!

Tip #2: Don't forget the drinks. 

• Brew up some coffee and put out some regular milk and almond milk for your friends to choose from.
• Put out a kettle with hot water, mugs, and an assortment of teas. 
• A pitcher of pretty spa water is a must! Can't go wrong with lemon + cucumber + mint or strawberry + basil + orange slices. Refreshing and colorful!
• Boozy brunch? Don't forget to chill the champagne the night before for mimosas! It's fun to serve a variety of fresh juices to choose from like grapefruit or tangerine juice. To keep the sugar down to a minimum, just go with a splash of juice!

Tip #3: Don't overcomplicate the decor. Keep it simple, fun, and easy! Cute linens and fresh flowers are really all you need.

• I can't resist a fun set of linen napkins and a pretty tablecloth, and I love mixing and matching different patterns and textures to give the table some personality.
• Btw, one of my favorite linen brands, Wolf & Irving (seen in the pics below), is offering a 20% discount to Weeknight Bite readers with the code "WEEKNIGHTBITE" at checkout. Shop the products here! I love that their linens are made from recycled plastic bottles and colored with non-toxic dye. 
• The more flowers, the better! I always stock up on tons of blooms at Trader Joe's - can't beat the price point and selection.

Last tip, #4: Enjoy your brunch with your friends or family! That's what it's all about anyway, right? So don't sweat it if your quiche doesn't come out perfectly or if the muffins were better the last time you made them. You've got music (don't forget the music!), good company, and lots of food ... No one's going to notice! 

Oh and if you want to make things really easy on yourself, make your brunch potluck-style and ask everyone bring their favorite dish!

​Happy brunching, friends!