<p>Throwing a brunch next Sunday for approximately 10 virtual strangers (known to husband but not to me). Would love some easy, tasty suggestions for recipes. I hope to buy what I can scones, etc., but would love some no fail recipes. Any favorites?</p>
<p>Fancier or casual setting? All adults?</p>
<p>All adults. Husband and I are fairly casual folks. I guess I’m more nervous than I would be if I were entertaining friends.</p>
<p>bagel, cream cheese and lox; quiches;croissants; muffins;fruit salad.</p>
<p>A purchased paradise! (Except for the quiches, which I assume I can assemble ahead of time) Sounds great. Maybe paired with coffee, tea, champagne, mimosas, and perhaps Bloody Marys.</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s has a variety of petits fours that only need to be heated up in the oven. You could also serve pound cakes, sour cream cakes, etc… If you want to make it look more like lunch than breakfast, then serve some deli meat, grilled vegetables, cheeses and a salad.</p>
<p>Great ideas (although wish I had a Traders Joes nearby). In any event, I feel less panicked. Maybe getting a menu down on paper will help this feel more manageable.</p>
<p>I have two standard brunch menu’s. The one Marite suggested and this one. Egg salad and chicken salad purchased from a local place. Bagels, cream cheese, sliced tomato, cucumber,capers and red onion. I don’t like lox but some love it. Fresh fruit. Mimosas. For something sweet you can bake up some blueberry muffins or buy them.</p>
<p>I use a strata when I am having company. Bread, meat, cheese, and veggie, then pour over it an eggs, milk, seasoning mixture. Put it together the night before so it mixes and settles, throw it into the oven for an hour and it is ready. There are a lot of variations so you can Google your favorite meat, etc. Also have an oven french toast that works the same way. For both I use large baking dishes. But you can use several small ones, too. For sweet I make a coffee cake the day ahead. Seems to keep better than muffins. Muffins are always better when fresh form the oven and I like to limit day of prep. .</p>
<p>To add to Marite’s brunch idea, blintzes and sour cream. They can be bought and heated. Also, smoked white fish, sold at Costco.</p>
<p>Do you belong to Costco? Choose a couple of homemade things to make plus a couple of fun drink options. Then go to Costco and buy a few things there. They have GREAT chicken salad! They also often have 3 pack “loaves” of a variety of breads or pound cakes. Some fresh fruit - last week they had gorgeous strawberries - both big and delicious - you could even dip those in chocolate!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t buy lox unless you know most people would eat it. Do you like to cook? If you do, look up Ina Garten’s brunch recipes. She has fairly simple recipes that are delicious. You could make (or buy) quiche, a frittata, or some other breakfasty dish. I would also include some lower fat items like a cold veggie salad.</p>
<p>Simple fruit salad dip…honey stirred into sour cream…just add honey until it tastes yummy.</p>
<p>This recipe for “Make-Ahead French Toast” is fabulous and easy: [Make</a> Ahead French Toast - All Recipes](<a href=“http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Make-Ahead-French-Toast/Detail.aspx]Make”>http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Make-Ahead-French-Toast/Detail.aspx) I highly recommend making it with challah.</p>
<p>What a treat to find all these ideas waiting for me when I signed on this morning!</p>
<p>The PTA holds a breakfast/brunch for teachers at least twice a year- for teacher appreciation . It is a potluck and I have brought a strata ( recipe is from Cook’s Illustrated).
I also like things from Vegetarian Epicure- more along the lines of Southern California/Mexican influence.
I go with the more salsa/savory kind of breakfast rather than sweet.
Fritattas are good, but try and find out if anyone is vegan.</p>
<p>I love salmon, so I would keep the lox- I found this recipe but haven’t tried it yet.
You can also assemble this the day before, hold in fridge overnight, let the casserole sit at room temp for about 30 min., then bake as directed the next day.
</p>
<p>( and personally, unless you did not like these people, I wouldn’t go with the flat of muffins from Costco-large sweet bread in the morning is way over done, however, really good pastries 
, I have heard pepperidge farm crossiants are good, or get some from a good French bakery- you can also cut them smaller, so people don’t feel they have to eat so much and still be able to try a lot of things.)</p>
<p>Can I come? Make ahead French toast (using challah or brioche) from Lilly Pulitzer’s book is fabulous. You can use mangos (or not) bananas or not. I love lox, white fish and the like…</p>
<p>Oh, and if nervous remember this: Three or four mimosas and NO ONE cares. Have a wonderful brunch.</p>
<p>My favorite brunch buffet menu:</p>
<p>Two prettily-colored cold soups garnished with fresh herbs–say one green, one pink-- served in little glasses or punch cups that guests just drink
Ham braised in Madiera with duxelles (Mastering the Art of French Cooking)
Eggs scrambled with cream cheese and fresh snipped chives (according to the person who first made it for me, from Sarabeth’s Kitchen in NYC)
An assortment of breads/muffins/scones
Fruit in Ginger Lime Syrup (Several types of melon cut up, blueberries, halved strawberries, seedless grapes–no citrus or bananas. Make a simple syrup infused with many slices of fresh ginger, removed ginger when cool and squeeze in some fresh limes. A little fresh grated nutmeg would be nice, too. Pour over fruit and chill. Serve it in a punchbowl with a ladle and punch cups or small glasses.)
Dark chocolate chip brownies made using the recipe on the Ghirardelli Ground Chocolate and Cocoa box, with dark chocolate triple sec/cointreau ganache on top, cut into fingers instead of squares.</p>
<p>go to costco and buy their quiche its in the same area as the dips. They are very good, served them many times and they are low fat</p>
<p>Oh my, my mouth is watering. I may have to test some of these ideas tomorrow morning. And of course, you are all welcome. I’ll just have to quadruple the ingredients. Sadly, no Costco. I’ll have to tackle a quiche or strata on my own. And now I have to attempt a French toast. Ha, I had temporarily forgotten the power of mimosas. For me as well as the guests!</p>