Family-Friendly Make-Ahead Brunch

You can eat breakfast, lunch or dinner anytime, but brunch is a special treat. It’s my favorite meal to cook. So to celebrate the birthdays of my two little boys (both born in January), I thought brunch would be a good choice for the family party.

With 14 adults and 5 children attending the festivities, planning and logistics were critical. People tend to gravitate toward the kitchen, and with a small space I wanted to make sure there were no traffic jams. I selected food that could be made ahead of time and be ready when the guests arrived.

First up, quiche. My mom always made quiche when we were growing up and I do the same with my children. In our house we call it pie since it’s a word the kids understand. They gobble down their spinach pie getting a hearty serving of vegetables with each bite.

For the birthday brunch I made two quiche using the same basic recipe — in one I used spinach and in the other I used broccoli. They aren’t technically quiche I guess, but they’ve got the required ingredients and they sure are tasty.

Basically I mix 4 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup crumbled feta, 2 sliced green onions, a dash of dried herbs (basil and oregano, sometimes tarragon), salt and pepper, and a 10-oz frozen pack of the vegetable of choice (thawed and drained of moisture). I fill the crust with the mixture and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

I cooked the spinach pie in a tart plan with a removable bottom. Here she is looking dazzling on one of my favorite serving pieces — a white fluted cake stand.

As the spinach pie baked I prepared the broccoli version. Because the baking dish is deeper, I switched things up and used six eggs instead of four and a little more milk. This made the quiche more eggy and a little fluffier. For a crust, my go-to is the one in Joy of Cooking.

I’ve got a deep love for smoked salmon so it usually shows up on my brunch table. Here, it arrived with a mix of bagels and cream cheese. This chip and dip platter made the perfect serving dish for the bagels.

A fruit salad added the required healthy element.

And finishing off the meal I made this no-fail sour cream coffee cake. With a swirl of cinnamon and sugar in the middle, a moist texture, and a crispy topping, it’s a delight. This was actually made the day before so that helped to lower my stress level the morning of the feast. I’ve included the recipe at the bottom (provided by a friend years ago) — I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Pretty much everything on the table was devoured. We ate the remaining pieces of broccoli quiche for dinner that night, and then enjoyed a quiet moment as a family singing to Calvin whose actual birthday it was that day.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Mixture:
1 cup sugar
2 T cinnamon

Batter:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 pint sour cream

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter to cream. Gradually add sugar and vanilla. Add salt and eggs and beat at medium speed with mixer. Sift flour with soda and add to batter mixture alternatively with sour cream. Pour half the batter into greased 13×9 pan. Sprinkle half cinnamon mixture over it. Top with remaining batter and sprinkle remaining cinnamon mixture over all. Swirl with a knife. Bake for 50-55 minutes.