So you’re on your own for your first Easter Sunday, but you want something a little more complicated than cheerios.
Host a perfect make-ahead Easter Brunch! The whole meal will cost less than $50, serves up to seven, and most of it can be prepared the night before in less than an hour! Sunday morning, wake up and enjoy a cup of coffee while your oven does the rest! (want more easy, quick, and cheap entertaining plans? Visit http://starterkitchen.wordpress.com/.Menu:
Three-cheese egg basil and tomato casserole Baked pecan and blueberry french toast Bacon Hash-browns Mimosas
Tools Two cookie sheets Aluminum foil 2 glass casserole pans ($11.99 at Shaws) Frying pan
Already in Your Starter Kitchen: Cooking spray 11 eggs Orange juice Milk Sugar Nutmeg Vanilla extract Butter Flour Baking Powder Salt Pepper
Your Shopping List: 1 loaf french bread 1/2 cup pecans Blueberries 1 pound jack cheese 4 oz cream cheese 1 pound cottage cheese Bacon Frozen hash-browns (pre-shredded in the potato section of your frozen foods isle) Basil 2 ripe tomatoes Champagne
- Yields: Serves 6-8
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total: 12 hours
- Active: 2 hours
Ingredients (21)
- 11 eggs
- Orange juice
- Milk
- Sugar
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- Butter
- Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- 1 loaf french bread
- 1/2 cup pecans
- Blueberries
- 1 pound cottage cheese
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 pound jack cheese
- Bacon
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- Basil
- Frozen hash-browns
- Champagne
Instructions
- The Night Before:
French toast
Break four eggs into a mixing bowl. Add 2/3 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 vanilla extract, and whip together using a whisk or fork. Slice french bread into 1 inch thick slices. Place slices of bread in a single layer – don’t worry about keeping the slices seperate; put as many in as you can fit. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Turn the bread with a spatula once before you hit the sack.
Casserole:
Beat together 7 eggs with 1 cup milk and 2 teaspoons sugar. Shred 1 pound jack cheese. Cut 4 oz cream cheese into 1/2 inch cubes. Mix jack cheese, cream cheese, 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1 pound cottage cheese Grease your casserole dish with butter – make sure the entire inside surface is covered so your casserole won’t stick! Pour entire mixture into casserole dish. Rinse and finely slice basil leaves. Rinse and cut tomatoes into thin slices. Layer basil and tomatoes over the top of the casserole – feel free to be artistic about it. Cover casserole and refrigerate. Hash Browns: Take hash-browns out of the freezer to thaw.
- Easter Morning!
One hour before guests are set to arrive, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place casserole in the oven – bake for one hour.
30 minutes before guests arrive, line your cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Melt 1/3 cup of butter in the microwave and pour over the cookie sheets. Arrange the french toast slices in a single layer, and sprinkle half with pecans and half with blueberries. Slide cookie sheets into the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes.
15 minutes before guests arrive, place slices of bacon in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
10 minutesbefore the guests arrive, heat 4 tablespoons butter in a frying pan. Add half the package of thawed hash-browns. Cook for 5-10 minutes until crisp but not black. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
As your guests arrive, let them mix their own mimosas – orange juice and champagne. Pull everything out of the oven and place your gorgeous wow-worthy brunch on the table with plenty of serving spoons.
Dig in, and bask in your Easter Brunch praise!
