Brunch Ideas for Spring along with Brunch Mocktails

Brunch ideas for Spring along with Brunch Mocktails

I love brunch!  Mostly because I get to sleep in, have a relaxing meal and then enjoy the rest of my afternoon.  It’s been nice to get together more with smaller groups of family and friends. Here are some ideas from our Mama’s on their brunch favorites along with their suggestions for brunch mocktails.

Read about how a few of our Mama’s celebrate brunch time!

Spring Fever

By Michelle Heryford

Yay, it’s Springtime. Everyone loves spring and why wouldn’t you?! By the time spring comes around we are all ready to forget the cold and challenging winter and embrace the re-birth going on all around us. Warmer temps lure us outdoors to enjoy tulips, daffodils and cherry blossoms as we enthusiastically embrace the new season.

With spring comes fresher meals and the thought of a garden full of home grown veggies and herbs. 

This year I am sticking with a traditional Spring Brunch. 

Here’s the menu: 

• Glazed ham
• Mushroom and zucchini strata (recipe below)
• Asparagus 
• Fruit salad  
• Pastries

Of course, we will need a spring mocktail to help us celebrate and this brunch could use more fruit. On the menu for the brunch mocktail is my take on a grapefruit martini mocktail.

Here’s how to make the Grapefruit Martini Mocktail:

Let’s start by frosting our rim with sugar. Next muddle mint in a martini shaker, add a little bit of grapefruit juice and ice. For an added bit of flavor and the martini twist, add a shot of in Escape Mocktails Sweet Potato Vodka.   If you want the drink a little sweeter, you can add a splash of simple syrup. 

Then shake, don’t stir, lol and pour thru a strainer into your sugar rimmed glass and top with seltzer water. Garnish with some mint. So simple, refreshing and delicious.

And, mint is a really easy herb to grow in the garden.  

I’ve set the table using plaid table runners that are pink, yellow and green. When I have brunch, I always like to set the table to look nice. At my last trip to Trade Joes, I grabbed some ranunculus. They are great flowers for springtime and come in a variety of colors.  I always try to take advantage of the flowers that spring offers, especially since the season is so short. 

With the leftover ham I had from brunch, I decided to make minestrone soup. Along with brunch, I decided to treat my guests to some goodies for the season that I know they would enjoy. For my daughter it’s makeup and skincare products. For my son and husband, it’s cool tee shirts and golf accessories. I like to leave these as a party favor on the decorated table. 

Other favors for your guests include small potted plants and succulents. 

Celebrating with family and friends is what really makes the holidays special, whether you are lucky enough to see family and friends in person or via Zoom, making that human connection is so important and so welcomed, reach out to someone today.

Mushroom and Zucchini Brunch Strata

 Ingredients

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3 small zucchini, chopped
• 2 medium onions, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 12 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 cups cubed day-old bread
• 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and ham; cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain and pat dry.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and cream until smooth. Gradually beat in eggs. Stir in the remaining ingredients and vegetable mixture.

Transfer to two greased 11x7-in. baking dishes. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

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Simple Bruch Ideas

By Natalie Jones

Nowadays, it’s all about keeping things simple!  I don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen prepping for parties. I’d rather enjoy the time with my friends and family vs in the kitchen cooking.  Enjoy some of my simple brunch ideas. 

Brunch - Mexican Food Style

I had my mom and sister over for a Sunday brunch simple style and here is what was on the menu:

• Carnitas tacos - in the crockpot, there’s a great sounding recipe that I’ve included below. 
• Refried beans - right out of the can
• Sweet corn pudding - another easy recipe 
• Corn salsa - can use canned corn if you want! Here’s the recipe. 
• Guacamole
• Tortilla chips
• Key lime bars - Key lime desserts are my dad’s favorites. Here’s a recipe for them that I like. 

And for the Bruch Mocktails, here’s my favorites: 

• Cadillac Margarita Mocktails - Just chill, open, and pour our Escape Mocktail Cadillac Margarita  into your margarita glass
• Jalapeno and Mango Margarita Mocktail - Cut up a jalapeño, remove the seeds if you don’t want it too spicy, add the jalapeño to a shaker and mash it down. Add equal parts of mango juice, lime juice, and orange juice.  Add 1 shot of our Escape Mocktails non-alcoholic Tequila, shake and pour into your favorite glass.   
• Spicy Jalapeno and Pineapple Mojitos Mocktail - Make sure to chill your Escape Mocktails non alcoholic Mojito bottle in the fridge the night before you make this.  When you are ready to make your drink, fill half of your glass with our mojito mix.  Then add a cut up jalapeño and pineapple juice to a cocktail shaker with some ice. Shake and then pour into your mocktail glass.  Garnish your drink with some fresh mint. 

For my carnitas, I had actually picked up a seasoned carnitas at Grocery Outlet a few months back and stuck it in the freezer.  I really like this place for food items that I’m not ready to use right away but would want to try at another time.  It was so easy to have the seasoned meat ready to go because I just stuck it in the crockpot.  Here’s a recipe I found for a crockpot Carnitas version that I think would be just as delicious.

 Once the carnitas was ready, I shredded it and put it back into the crockpot for more flavor.  Some recipes say you can pan fry the meat when it is done, but it decided not to do that step. I warmed up some corn and flour tortillas, then cut up lettuce, onions, and cilantro, added some cheese and served it family style.  

I made the corn salsa and key lime bars the day before. 

Brunch - Minus the Meat

I do a lot of meatless meals.  If I had the choice, I’d go for a meatless option. 

Here’s some favorites for a meatless brunch. 

- French toast bake - You can make this the night before and then cook it first thing in the morning. I normally use whatever bread I have on hand. I’ve even made it with brown bread and it turned out yummy! Here’s the recipe. 

- Shakshouka - A tasty and easy green chili version with eggs. 

- Avocado toast - so easy and delicious

- Carrott cake muffins - a healthier version with delicious cream cheese frosting . 

- Fresh local strawberries 

For the brunch mocktail with this meal, I made a Bloody Mary with our Sweet Potato Vodka non alcoholic spirit. I used a store bought bloody mary mix and then spiced it up to my liking. 

I hope you enjoyed our brunch ideas and brunch mocktails.