Brunch for the Lazy

As we feasted on the results of our Brunch for the Lazy class at Hill’s Kitchen, a number of people commented that there was little “laziness” involved in any of the recipes we had just learned.  I had to agree as I thought back to the many steps involved in each recipe, and actually started to worry about about what the next class, Brunch for the Ambitious, was going to entail.

But after looking back at the recipes a few days later, there was a perfect “laziness” involved in each recipe – it was that all could be prepared in advance, so you could technically sleep in a bit and then enjoy mimosas and bloody marys with your friends instead of slaving away in the kitchen in the morning of your party.  As I learned from a brunch party I threw last winter, the more you can do in advance, the better.  And if you can master a few recipes that will impress guests a day after they have been cooked, you will have a great thing going.

Click through* for the full recipe to try them for yourself:

• Spinach and Potato Frittata
• Ricotta Pancakes
• Blueberry Compote
• Fall Fruit Salad
• Bacon Hash Browns (this is the one item that is best to make on the day of, to ensure the perfect crispiness)

And a note about the drinks from Brock:

• Good quality orange juice is key to a good mimosa – possibly more so than the champagne.  You do not need to spend a lot on the bubbly but do want to get something dry, rather than sweet.  And avoid “blanc de noir” varieties made with Pinot grapes – they do not mix well with champagne.  Trader Joe’s sells an excellent prosecco for $4.99 that does the job very well without braking the bank.  And the best ratio is 1 part OJ to 2 parts champagne.  Serve right away and enjoy!
• Bloody Marys don’t require expensive liquor either, and you will find the best success by using good quality tomato juice and spices that suit your tastes.   It’s also very easy to make a large batch in advance, and let people add extra spices as they would like, so this is perfect for parties.

* All of my recipes are now loaded into Kitchen Moki, a site that a friend of mine helped build and launch.  I decided that listing out recipes in here were a pain, and using that site will allow you to print out or email any recipe you would like to try.  If Kitchen Monki looks like something you would enjoy using, sign up and send them any feedback or suggestions – they are still developing the site and adding in new features every day.