Celebratin' Mom With Brunch

Don't forget about your mom this Sunday - it's Mother's Day! Most of the usual brunch places have a special Mother's Day brunch, but I was shocked at how expensive some of them were. I have a better idea... wake up early, pick up some yummy foods from the grocery and some flowers and have your own brunch at home.

Below are some of my ideas for this fabulous Mother's Day brunch:


1) Flowers



You don't have to spend a lot of money on huge arrangements, get your mom whatever her favorite flower is. Still unsure? Get her some tulips. Tulips usually last a week and they come in such pretty colors. They're also reasonably priced. I'm also really into calla lilies and hydrangeas. Both look good without a lot of filler flowers. Another option is to get her a potted orchid. Many of the grocery stores near me sell them for around $20. I bought one for my mom three years ago and it still is alive.

Ordering flowers online? I would say the most popular online sites are 1-800 Flowers, ProFlowers, and FTD. Be sure to check for a coupon code (e.g. type into Google the words "FTD coupon codes")


2) Cocktails

The popular brunch cocktail is the mimosa. I absolutely love mimosas, but my favorite kind is the blood orange mimosa. I just buy blood orange juice (go to Whole Foods or Central Market) and then add champagne. It's not necessary to buy expensive champagne for mimosas, but don't buy the cheapest. I usually buy Korbel.




Here is Anthony Bourdain's recipe for a blood orange mimosa.

1 bottle Krug champagne
2 cups blood-orange juice, freshly squeezed
8 blood-orange slices

Preparation Instructions
Mix the champagne with the blood-orange juice in a large jug. Garnish each glass with a slice of orange.

3) Food

I feel like pancakes are one of the easiest breakfast items to make. It's fine to use Bisquick pancake mix if you top it with really good maple syrup, or top your pancakes with fruits. Speaking of fruits, I love a fruit salad with my breakfast. Head out to the grocery store and pick up whatever fruits are on sale, or stick to a theme. For a tropical fruit salad buy pineapple, papaya, and kiwi. For a berry salad combine strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.



Frittatas are another popular brunch item and they are pretty easy to make. Here is a simple recipe. Note that the recipe calls for goat cheese, but if you don't like goat cheese, I think a good substitute would be feta cheese.

Spinach Frittata Recipe (Courtesy of Simply Recipes)
Click the title above for preparation pictures.

Ingredients

* 1 lb spinach leaves (about 2 bunches), cleaned, chopped
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
* 1 large clove garlic, minced
* 9 large eggs
* 2 Tbsp milk
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* Sun-dried tomatoes, about 2 Tbsp chopped
* Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* 3 oz goat cheese

Method

1 Preheat oven to 400°F.

2 Cook spinach in 1/4 cup of water in a covered saucepan until just wilted, a couple minutes. Drain water and set aside.

3 In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and Parmesan cheese. Add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4 Sauté onions in olive oil in an oven-proof, stick-free skillet, until translucent, about 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Add garlic and cook a minute further. Add cooked spinach and mix in with onions and garlic.