Last month my husband had to go overseas for work for a week, so naturally my first thought was “I should have the girls over!” The first full day he was away was as Sunday, so brunch seemed like the natural choice. I began planning a menu of eggs benny, scrumptious baked goods {made by me, naturally}, a beautiful assortment of fresh fruit, and a signature mimosa inspired cocktail. Well, the thing is, my main chef was out of town. My husband not only loves to cook, he’s damn good at it. I do ok, but he really nails it! So with the reality of me sweating it out trying to serve the most Instagram worthy brunch of all time all while entertaining my little one and getting the house clean, and grabbing a shower, I nixed that first menu and went for something a little more realistic.
Our lovely little menu consisted of:
bagels and whipped cream cheese
organic strawberry jam
organic coconut & strawberry parfaits
(made by moi)
mini cupcakes
fresh fruit salad
mimosas
coffee with Irish cream
assorted teas
My tips to entertain and keep it stress free(ish):
1) You don’t need to make everything from scratch. You can purchase very yummy eats at the market. I had planned on whipping my own cream cheese until I saw it available at the store. Done!
2) Clean your house the night before. Especially important if you have a little one. Once I put Maddie down to bed, I took an hour to clean and tidy up. I bought fresh flowers that day and made little arrangements for around the house {including with washroom, of course}.
3) Don’t worry about everything matching perfectly. I used mis-matched pretty mugs for coffee and had my favourite old printed Ikea glasses for juice. Even our mimosa glasses were a mix of different champagne flutes. There is also less of a chance of someone mixing up their glass with someone else. I also used assorted vintage bowls and trays to serve up the food.
4) Add colour! Fresh flowers can make everything look just that much prettier. Just do the arrangements the day before.
5) Set the mood with some crowd pleasing tunes. Know your audience. We had a couple of little ones, and a couple of big hanger overs at the brunch, so the music needed to be light and mellow. I opted to play some of my vintage vinyl. Frank Sinatra anyone? {Mommy tip: Go ahead and throw on some cartoons on the TV. Just keep it muted so you can still chat. Also, try bringing out something new or different for the kids to play with. Even your own kids. New colouring books from the dollar store are always a hit!}
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