Good Brunch Recipes

This casserole always gets rave reviews for brunch. Sometimes I make 2 because it gets eaten so quickly!

CHEDDAR CHEESE AND RED BELL PEPPER STRATA

Perfect for a meatless brunch or casual supper.

3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 medium-size red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped green onions

5 slices white bread
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper to skillet and sauté until just tender, about 4 minutes. Mix in green onions; sauté 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons butter thinly on bread. Cut bread into 1/2-inch pieces. Layer half of bread in 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with half of cheese, then half of bell pepper mixture. Repeat layering with bread, cheese and bell pepper mixture. Beat milk, eggs, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Pour over strata.

Bake strata until lightly browned on top and set in center, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes; cut into squares.

Serves 4 to 6.

Bon Appétit
December 1997

Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

1 mom found this helpful

cooks.com
i recommend to everyone, the recipies are easy to find and easy to follow.

1 mom found this helpful

I have a yearly brunch for a bunch of mom's that I met in Kindergarten, each year on the first day of school. Here are the most popular recipes that our group loves...

Breakfast Sausage Bake

1 1/2 lb. mild sage sausage
1 8oz. and 1 4oz. cans of crescent rolls
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper

Crumble and brown sausage, drain excess fat
Line a buttered 13x9 pan w/the rolls laid out flat. Firmly pressing the performations to seal them
Sprinkle sausage and cheese evenly over dough
Beat remaining ingredients and pour over sausage and cheese
Bake @ 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until eggs "set"
Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Crème Brûlée French Toast

This recipe is so worth the effort. It a great make ahead because you have to let it sit at least for 8 hrs but it's better it is sits overnight. Anyone who has ever eaten this has totally raved about it.

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed dark Brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
6 (1-inch thick) slices day old challah bread
5 large eggs
1 ½ cups of half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

Combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth, pour into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Trim crusts from the bread and arrange in one layer in the baking dish. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Pour evenly over bread. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dish from refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve carmel side up.

1 mom found this helpful

I saw Rachel Ray do an awsome wedding brunch and she made Cinnomon French Toast using thick slices of raisin bread... mmmmm~! And its super easy to just mix the eggs, milk and cinnonmon together and dip the bread into the eggs and put it on a grill pan. Delicious!

1 mom found this helpful

Hi Hot cheese and spinach pockets are super easy and dont take any time at all. u buy puff pastry from any freezer section in a super market. get some feta cheese and frozen spinach thawed out. add some garlic powder and mix. then u get puff pastries add some of the mixture and pinch the sides creating a triangle. do a simple egg wash over the top and pop it in the oven for 10-15 min. till golden brown. also u can do that with ham and cheese or anything else u can think of.

I don't know your taste, but I get all my recipes at foodnetwork.com. They have hundreds of recipes with ratings on taste and difficulty, and I can always find lots of good stuff there.

HOLIDAY BRUNCH CASSEROLE

1 pkg. Jimmy Dean sausage (cooked, drained, and crumbled)
4 ½ c. cubed day-old bread
2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
10 eggs, slightly beaten
4 c. whole milk
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. salt
¼ t. onion powder
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ c. sliced mushrooms (optional)
½ c. peeled, chopped tomatoes (optional)

Place bread in well-buttered 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine the next six ingredients. Pour evenly over the bread and cheese. Sprinkle sausage and optional ingredients over the top. Cover and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour. Tent with foil if top begins to brown too quickly.

Serves 6.

I don't have one off hand, but I'd suggest doing a search for Crock Pot recipes. It's a great way to make a bunch w/ little hassle. Something with eggs/sausage/cheese and spices would be a great brunch item. Good luck.
K.
Kellyis.stayinhomeandlovinit.com

Hi E.,

We have three favorites, and since my mom is the Gourmet in the family, she gave me these. They are delicious and I have made them as special treats occasionally just for our house!

Baked Blueberry-Pecan French Toast with Blueberry Syrup
Recipe courtesy Gourmet Magazine
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 8 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

User Rating:
1 (24-inch) baguette
6 large eggs
3 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup pecans (about 3 ounces)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries (about 12 ounces)
For syrup:
1 cup blueberries (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Butter a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Cut twenty 1-inch slices, on the bias, from baguette and arrange in one layer in baking dish.
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, nutmeg, vanilla, and 3/4 cup brown sugar and pour evenly over bread. Chill mixture, covered, until all liquid is absorbed by bread, at least 8 hours, and up to 1 day.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a shallow baking pan spread pecans evenly and toast in middle of oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes. Toss pecans in pan with 1 teaspoon butter and salt.
Increase temperature to 400 degrees F.
Sprinkle pecans and blueberries evenly over bread mixture. Cut 2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter into pieces and in a small saucepan heat with remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, stirring, until butter is melted. Drizzle butter mixture over bread and bake mixture 20 minutes, or until any liquid from blueberries is bubbling.
In a small saucepan cook blueberries and maple syrup over moderate heat until berries have burst, about 3 minutes. Pour syrup through a sieve into a heatproof pitcher, pressing on solids, and stir in lemon juice. Syrup may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat syrup before serving.

CRANBERRY NUT BREAD
1 loaf

2 c. flour 1/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar 1 t. grated orange peel
1 1/2 t. baking powder 3/4 c. OJ
1 t. salt 1 beaten egg
1/2 t. baking soda 1 c. cranberries chopped
1/2 c. walnuts chopped

Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening. Combine orange peel, OJ and egg. Add to dry mixture. Fold in cranberries and walnuts. Bake in greased loaf pan at 350o for 1 hour.

(These also make great gifts, etc.)

POACHED FRUIT WITH WALNUTS
Easy Entertaining by California Culinary Academy

Turn simple fresh fruit into a compote fit for breakfast or for dessert. Serve plain for breakfast or warm with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

4 apples, peeled, cored and quartered or sliced thick
4 pears, peeled, cored and quartered or sliced thick
12 dried apricots (or peaches)
2 cups white wine or apple juice
½ cup sugar or Splenda
1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise (I use ½ vanilla bean)
½ cup toasted walnuts

In a 3 quart saucepan, place apples, pears and dried apricots; add white wine, sugar and vanilla bean, and simmer until apples and pears are tender but still firm (15-20 minutes).
Stir in walnuts, place in a serving dish, and cool completely. Chill until serving time
Serves 8.

The Martha Stewart website is great! www.marthastewart.com they have all kinds of ideas and bulletin boards... as well as her "Everyday Food" recipes... which are easy, quick and good. What about a frittata? It's a great dish and easy and yummy and many different versions. Good for brunches. A family favorite of ours.
Good luck!
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo