My best brunch

I love brunch and I feel quite confident about my ability to pull together an amazing brunch that doesnt feel like I have been in the kitchen forever.  After an especially wonderful Mother's Day brunch this year, my mom suggested I share our menu.  So, here we are.  I'll start first with some basics.  You can skip to the bottom to find our menu from this year.

How to brunch

I like to think about brunch in terms of different categories:

carb
fruit
bacon
egg
green veggie
potato
dessert
drinks

You can combine categories, like making a quiche with spinach or a fruity dessert but I really think it works best to have one of each category for variety and for your brunch to feel extra special.  That said, pick a showstopper or two and keep the rest fairly simple.  Let's break them down a bit.

carb: this really wants to be bagels with cream cheese, lox, capers, red onion, but you could have biscuits or even pancakes.  The carb component is one that you can ask someone to bring or you can purchase it so you can focus on the rest.  You can plate this up in the morning, working with little chunks of time in between other tasks.

fruit: I love fruit salad.  Work with the best fruit you can find.  You can prep it in the morning, working with little chunks of time in between other tasks.  Save the banana and apples for last.  For a sweet touch, buy plain yogurt and strain it overnight for an extra thick greek style yogurt.  Mix it with a few slices of candied ginger.  Serve the fruit salad with a dollop of ginger yogurt (it's almost like whipped cream!).

bacon: I guess you could have sausage but if you're like us, we rarely ever have bacon so it has to be bacon.  Bake it in the oven for a super easy dish.  This is probably the dish that needs to go in the oven first in the morning.

egg: There are almost too many egg options.  A quiche is awesome since you can make it the day before (and make the quiche crust even a few days ahead).  We also have loved shakshuka but that is a hands on dish made best on the morning of (and you're going to want to limit those).

green veggie: asparagus is perfect and cooks quick and easy.  A spinach salad is also great and comes together super fast.

potato: This is a favorite category and another one with so many options, ranging from complex (twice baked potatoes with an egg cracked into each one) to simple home fries.

dessert: pick one that can be made ahead, 2 days ahead is best plus if you're choosing a fruit filled something (and you should) then it tastes even better if it sits for a day or two.

drinks: find a way to make it special.  This year for Mother's Day, I really wanted to infuse the orange juice for mimosas with thyme but my herb garden is a bit delayed so I made a rhubarb syrup instead.  You could also make a special coffee drink.

Here is my menu from Mother's Day 2020
(I woke up at 8:30 and had this brunch ready for 10)

Homemade bagels with cream cheese, lox, and capers
Fruit salad with ginger yogurt
Bacon
French Onion Tart (from Smitten)
Mushroom Crepe Cake (from Smitten)
Home Fries
Spinach and Orange Salad
Rhubarb Cake
Mimosas with OJ and Rhubarb syrup