Weekend brunch: is there anything better? You head out to your favourite spot, wait in line, and indulge in a fancier breakfast than you’d ever consider cooking for yourself. The coffee refills are endless. Cocktails can be ordered before noon, guilt-free. And, more importantly, it’s a great chance to relax and get caught up with friends.
But although brunch is often an eat-out kind of meal, have you ever considered skipping the restaurant and hosting brunch at your place for a laid back alternative? Get in touch with your inner domestic goddess (and impress your friends!) with these delicious, simple, and super easy recipe ideas. You’re a disaster in the kitchen? Not a problem. If even the most culinary-challenged brunch enthusiast can pull them off, chances are you can too.
Whole Wheat Lemon-Blueberry Pancakes:
Makes 10 Pancakes
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- ½ cup of fresh blueberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
DIRECTIONS
Sift together flour and baking powder in a bowl. In a separate, larger bowl, beat together the egg, milk, butter, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Stir in flour until moistened. Add blueberries and stir to mix everything together. But don’t over mix.
Preheat a skillet over medium heat and add some butter. Pour approximately ¼ cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, about 1 ½ minutes. Flip, and continue cooking until golden brown. Keep pancakes warm in the oven until ready to serve. Serve with butter and maple syrup.
Easy Huevos Rancheros (adapted from FoodNetwork.ca)
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 8 small flour tortillas
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter
- 1 cup of your favourite prepared salsa
- ¾ cups of black beans
- 8 eggs
- ½ cup shredded cheese (pepper jack would work well, so would cheddar)
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- A handful of chopped cilantro
- What you’ll need:
- 1 8 cup muffin tin
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush both sides of the tortillas with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Press the tortillas into the muffin tin to create small tortilla cups. In a bowl, mix half the salsa with the black beans and season with salt and pepper. Spoon a big tablespoon of the bean mixture into each tortilla cup. Crack an egg into each of the 8 cups. Bake until just barely set, about 8 minutes. Top with cheese, cover with aluminum foil, then bake for another 6ish minutes. Serve with sour cream and remaining salsa. Garnish with avocado slices and chopped cilantro.
A FEW OTHER SUGGESTIONS:
- Since breakfast/brunch tends to be more time sensitive in terms of cooking, pull up some chairs in the kitchen and work together. Get your guests involved (and take the pressure off yourself!) by dividing up tasks. One person makes the coffee. Another cracks eggs. Who wants to wash blueberries?
- Try making some brunch cocktail drinks. Mimosas are particularly easy “ 3 parts champagne to 1 part orange juice – and are sure to be a crowd-pleaser with the ladies.
- If you’re feeling like hosting a larger group, double your recipes and tell everyone to bring a date. This is a great opportunity to break the ice with someone in a fun, informal environment.
- Set the table outside if you can. Sunshine goes really well with friends and great, simple food.
