Garden Brunch for Mom

Breakfast in bed? A delicious brunch? Why not give mom the day off this Mother's Day with a garden theme.

Surprise Mom with a cute, springy and a little bit earthy farmhouse table.

Whenever I'm looking for something a bit unique, I pop on over to Cost Plus World Market. We found these burlap style placemats, napkins and light blue plates there, which add perfectly to the springy feel.

Greet Mom with a mini mimosa bar and watch her eyes sparkle. Setup the bar with carafes of orange and cranberry juices, champagne, flavored seltzers, decorative straws, and vintage milk bottles as glasses. Then, add a few garnishes like strawberries and raspberries. Voilà!

Below is a photo of our annual easter brunch appetizer that can really be used for any brunch! To start, create the first layer of each tower with a fresh orange slice. Next, we chose a variety of fresh Italian meats to build the layer on top of the oranges. Next, we added a layer of mozzarella cheese, then provolone cheese. Make sure to be generous with your meat and cheese layer. These towers are fun to pull apart and add on top of crackers. Lastly, we topped the cheese layers with hard boiled egg slices, and finally a slice of an Italian roasted red pepper.

One Bowl Spiced Carrot Muffins are delicious topped with honey, butter, or a bit of jam.

http://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-carrot-apple-muffins-vegan-gf/

Below is an amazing looking (and tasting!) brunch tart that I literally cannot stress how easy it was to make. The base of the tart is made from the Pillsbury Frozen Puff Pastry you can buy at any local grocery store. It comes with two sheets.

Mushroom Onion Tart

Ingredients:

1 lb. baby bella mushrooms thinly sliced

3 white onions chopped

2 tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup of white wine

1/2 smoked gouda cheese

1 puff pastry sheet

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Defrost one puff pastry sheet for 15 minutes.

2. As the puff pastry is defrosting, sauté onions on a low heat for about 30 minutes until they are caramelized. Don't rush this step because caramelized onion add a unique sweet taste to the tart.

2. Next, add the mushrooms at the caramelized onions and continue sautéing the for 10 minutes. During the last 5 minutes add the white wine.

3. Roll out the puff pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Arrange the mushroom and onion mixture in the center of the puff pastry sheet leaving a 1/2" edge.

5. Sprinkle the shredded smoked gouda over the mushroom and onion mixture.

6. Bake for 20 minutes until the pastry if golden brown and puffy along the edges.

7. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Variation:

For the spinach tart I mixed together 1 cup of chopped spinach, 1 cup ricotta cheese and a 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.