Meal Planning Week 9 – Brunch Ideas
Meal Planning Week 9 is all about brunch ideas! Yes, Mother’s day has come and gone, but you can do brunch for Father’s Day, too! Or just have brunch because you want to!
I have talked about why meal planning is important and considerations when making a menu. Tools to help you not only write your menu but also create your grocery list. And we’ve talked about how to start meal planning. Sometimes, you just gotta jump in with both feet.
Then I shared tips and tricks for keeping your pantry well stocked for easy meal planning. Keep staple canned goods on hand like pasta sauces and beans along with dry goods like dried beans and pastas. I also chatted about the staple herbs and spices to keep on hand. And don’t look at those recipes with ingredients that have one trick wonder uses.
Meal planning week 9 highlights!
Next, I talked about using your freezer like a pantry. I shared some veggies you can easily prep and freezer. And mentioned that you can freeze pre-soaked beans. Oh, and freezing bananas. Speaking of which, I still need to make some banana bread.
Week 6 was about being budget friendly. I shared tips like not shopping hungry. This is such a bad idea because EVERYTHING looks good. I talked about sticking to your list! And do not be suckered into impulse items or those “bulk” items where the unit price isn’t as good as the smaller package.
The next post was about meal prep. Now that you have your menu planned completing some meal prep on the weekends can easily help you stick to your menu plan. I discussed the hows and whys and suggested you upgrade containers to make it easy.
Let’s get cooking!
Finally, in the last post I talked about ways to make dinner quickly. Incorporate your meal planning, your pantry (both dry and frozen), and your meal prep to have dinner on the table quickly. I suggested one pot or one pan meals along with using your pressure or slow cooker. Then there’s the who slew of stir-fry recipes. It’s not just for Asian food! And the cook once and at least 2 (or 3) times.
I think I have prepared you for not only meal planning but ways to prep and cook meals quickly and easily for your family. Unless I stumble on some amazing tips I think it’s time for me to share some recipes for you to cook. Not that I haven’t been doing that all along. But the rest of my posts will be themed. Like today’s theme of brunch recipes.
What is brunch?
Well, basically, brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch. I’m sure y’all knew that. I mean, it’s not like brunch is a new or unique concept. But for some, they many do not know that brunch has sort of a time frame associated with it. Brunch is typically between 10:30 am and 2 or 3 pm. Some say 11 to 4, but most places here start around 10:30 and go to about 2 maybe 3. I have never seen one go to 4.
Of course, the history of brunch is just as sordid as the many options for dishes. One theory is the large meal after a hunt in England. Another cites fasting before church and those churchgoers having large meals after service. Finally, there’s the whole New York eating scene that has been claiming the fame of brunch. However, it started, it’s definitely a dining trend that took hold and took off.
Brunch popularity in the US.
This I actually attributed to actors traveling across country. On their way across the country, to either get to a film set or get home, they would often stop in Chicago to eat a late morning meal. For whatever reason, Chicago hotels (because restaurants closed on Sundays mind you) had a fair spread of foods that were breakfast in nature with a lunch flair. Not to mention some of their more readily whipped up cocktails like the bloody Mary.
With his idea in mind, many others decided they wanted to have a lazy Sunday and sleep in. This has more people on the lookout for brunch establishments. And restaurants started to oblige and jump on the brunch bandwagon.
There’s no doubt that you can find a decent brunch place almost every weekend now. I know growing up it was not something every restaurant offered. We had to drive to special places for brunch on Sunday. So, it was always a special meal. I guess that’s why it’s associated with Mother’s Day.
Why is brunch popular for Mother’s Day?
Notwithstanding the obvious, Mother’s Day is on Sunday, some attribute this to more women entering the workforce. And that might be true. However, brunch was something the upper class had during Prohibition. I guess that’s where the cocktails became associated with brunch; they were serving illegal spirits during brunch.
It wasn’t until the 1930s that brunch started to gain popularity with the middle class. It was a way to reduce the meals women made on the weekends from 6 to 5. I know. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s something.
However, brunch didn’t really skyrocket until the hotel buffets became popular. In a time of excess, brunch was not only a buffet of all you can eat foods, but a time where you could drink in the middle of the day. Talk about total excess! Mimosas, bloody Mary’s, and bellinis are typical cocktails of choice. They are made in bulk and ahead of time.
What do you serve for brunch?
Let’s start with the obvious breakfast items like an omelet or waffle bar. Biscuits and gravy and sometimes grits are there. Egg dishes like eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs, and sometimes huevos ranchers are there. Maybe there’s French toast or pancakes, but sometimes not with the waffles. Finally, there’s hash browns, home fries, or sometimes potatoes O’Brien.
There’s almost always pastries. I always look forward to anything croissant based like a Danish or even just a croissant. Muffins and breads are abundant, too. I’m sure there’s a sweet roll or cinnamon roll there. And if there’s dessert it’s cakes and pies usually.
For the lunch flavor, there are typically roasted meats like a rib roast or a ham. And sometimes there’s roasted chicken served up along with mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted veggies, and gravies. Sometimes there’s fish and shellfish like crab cakes. Occasionally you can find smoked fish or tuna salad. And then the obligatory salad and soups.
Brunch etiquette.
Yes, there is etiquette for brunch. Especially if it’s not an all you eat type brunch and one where you order off a menu. There’s a menu for a reason. So, don’t be like Sally and pull out all the substitutions to get what you want. Stick to the menu. You’re only going to stress the kitchen staff and it probably won’t come out the way you want it anyway.
Don’t take up the table all morning. You’ve eaten your fill. And you’ve had so much coffee your blood is straight java. Pay your check and move on. Don’t sit there chatting for another hour because you have to catch up with your friends. Hogging the table prevents your server from getting more tips form other diners. Which is really not cool.
And do not split the check out for each of you. One person can pay and you can settle up later. There’s plenty of ways to get paid back for footing for the bill. Cash app, Venmo, Zelle; a myriad of ways to electronically send money. Or just stop at an ATM and get some cold hard cash.
Yes, I realize this is a post about making brunch recipes at home, but if you do decide to go out for brunch, please keep these few things in mind. And if you chose to make brunch at home, I hope you try some of these delicious recipes!
