Please critique my brunch menu

[LaraW]

My cousin is getting married over Labor Day weekend, about a 1/2 hour from where I live. My entire immediate family is coming into town for the wedding, and so I am hosting a brunch because this is the first time that we will all be together in almost 4 years! Yikes!

Anyway, this is going to be a special day for us, and I am really looking forward to it. I will have 10 or 11 people that day, and I would like this to be a fairly substantial meal because I don't think that there will be much of an opportunity to eat until dinner that night at the reception.

So, here is what I am planning so far (and I can post recipes for anyone who wants):

Blueberry Stuffed French Toast
Fruit Salad (canteloupe, honeydew melon, strawberries and blueberries)
Cinnamon Rolls and/or other sweet-ish bread
Egg dish of some sort

I am thinking that I need to have some kind of meat. One idea i had was a spiral sliced ham, since those are pretty low maintenance.

Any thoughts on an egg dish? I have this recipe that I had thought about, but am open to other ideas too. This was pretty good - I had it at BIL/SIL's house last month. I would leave out the meat since my sister is vegetarian and don't want to exclude her.


Western Omelet Casserole
32oz bag frozen hash brown potatoes
1 lb cooked ham, cubed (I used bacon)
1 med. onion, diced
1 1/2 cup shredded chedder cheese
12 eggs
1 cup milk
salt & pepper

Layer 1/3 each of frozen potatoes, ham, onions, and cheese in bottom of slow cooker. Repeat 2 times.
Beat together eggs, milk, and seaonings. Pour over mixture in slow cooker
Cover. Cook on low 8-9 hours.
Makes 10 servings.

I should say that I don't mind having large quantities of food left over because people will be staying with me for the remainder of the weekend and I would like to have leftovers available for breakfast on those days.

[JJeannette]

I think the ham sounds like a good idea--maybe add some small rolls to make ham sandwiches. That would give you more leftovers to work with for the rest of the weekend as well. Oh, maybe you could pick up a few of those individual boxes of cereal to have on hand as well--if your family likes cold cereal--.

[vbak]

Everything sounds great. The timing for the casserole sounds tricky- 8-9 hours. How would you time that for brunch?

Vicky

[Chelle D]

Laura - I think it sounds good as well. You have bread and fruit and an egg dish. The ham sounds wonderful to compliment the menu.

[KCSoccer]

Laura,

A spiral-sliced ham is a great idea. Ditto the idea to add rolls to go along with the ham. And don't forget to pick up a jar of gourmet mustard or chutney to serve with it (a nice touch and no extra work on your part).

As far as the egg dish goes, my crockpot always runs hot even on LOW setting, so I wouldn't dare cook an egg dish that long -- check out your crockpot to be sure. Or, you could do quiche or a baked strata dish (there's plenty of good ideas on this board if you do a search). Quiche can be served at room temp, too.

Have a wonderful time!

[HUNGRY!]

I like the idea of the quiche. I am one who loves crust though. Also, spiral sliced ham is a great idea. Are you going to do mimosas as well?

[HUNGRY!]

One other thing, will there be syrup on the french toast? If so I'm thinking that you might be better off with muffins instead of cinnamon rolls because the glaze/syrup combination might be too sweet for some people. Your family is lucky to have you!

[patissac]

Why not try a strata? CL has some that you can prepare the night before or just reheat in the morning. There are some that look really tasty like the overnight artichoke and ham strata and theres a tomato,cheddar and bacon strata....Some of them are meatless as well, you'll be able to see it once you pull it up. Or how about a quiche? I've done one from sara moulton where it has feta,spinach and pimento thats really good and you can serve that along with ham.

[Molli526]

Hi Lara,

I am planning a very similar brunch for Charlie's baptism. Ham, egg casserole, sticky buns, fruit salad and a baked french toast. Would you please post the recipe for the blueberry stuffed french toast? Thanks :)

[knunes]

Your menu sounds so delicious. I think the spiral ham idea is fabulous and easy. I'm wondering if it wouldn't also be a good idea to have some sort of hash brown or home-fry type potato dish? Or just cut up potatoes roasted with olive oil and herbs or garlic? I know there are hash browns in the quiche recipe you mentioned, but I'm thinking that it would be a good "side" for the ham and roll that someone might take. Perhaps if you choose a different sort of egg dish you might consider it.

Also, with the egg dish that you mention, if you eliminate the ham, you might want to switch the cheese to smoked gouda, so that you still get the smoky taste...just an idea.

You are wonderful to host this...it sounds so nice! Katie

[TerriS]

A ham sounds great, and I recommend the "quiche in a bag" if you are looking for a good egg dish. It makes a lot and would easily fit in a 9x13 pan. You can make it with whichever veggies you like!

[Molli526]

bumping for Lara :)