Christmas Brunch – An Alternative To A Big Dinner
Family’s are often caught up in so many plans during Christmastime that sitting down together over a fancy dinner may not be a good fit. Your family members may be traveling and have to head out before dinnertime, or you may be expected to eat at several homes and can’t fill up on a big meal at each home. Or, you may simply need to watch the food budget and can’t justify the expense that a big sit-down meal usually entails.
When your budget is part of your decision. consider how expensive a fancy sit down meal tends to be. You’ll have a large main course, typically a big piece of meat or poultry. Then you have all the side dishes to go along with that, and we can’t forget the desserts. Of course, what’s a nice cup of coffee without some wonderful fudge and candy. You’ll also might serve beverages that cost more, like mixed drinks and wine. Evening meals just seem to cost more.
For a family who needs to travel, eat at more than one household, or cut back on expenses, a Christmas brunch could solve many of those problems. Let’s see how we could put together a brunch that would be festive, fun, and have food that is filling, but inexpensive.
Brunch Casserole – Probably one of the most familiar and popular dishes for brunch, there are countless recipes from which to choose. Most begin with some sort of potato like hash browns, or bread. To that you add your layers of anything like sausage, ham, green pepper, cheese, and egg. This assemblage is refrigerated overnight, then baked in the morning and served hot. You can make this as simple or as complicated as you choose.
Skillet Dish – If you’ve ever had a Frittata then you know what a skillet meal is like. For brunch, you want to make the Frittata using a variety of breakfast-like foods. Starting with some hash browns or rice, you would fry that up with whatever sausage or ham you like, maybe some vegetables, then pour the egg over and let it set up. Cover it with some shredded cheddar cheese and you have a complete meal in a skillet.
Muffin Tin Meal – Little individual pot pies is what we’re thinking here. Use any refrigerator biscuit to form the crust. You may want to give them a little pre-baking time, then cool and fill with a variety of breakfast food, which could include some sausage, bacon, egg and cheese. Bake them until the egg sets up and the biscuit is golden brown. You can even make actual muffins and stir the ingredients right in the muffin mix.
Omelets – This item on your menu won’t work for you if you don’t want to cook while you have guests in your house. If your kitchen is far removed from the area where your family and friends will be mingling, you probably wouldn’t want to prepare omelets. However, if your house is set up with an open kitchen dining room area where you’ll be gathering right around the cooking area, then you may find this fun. Be sure to get all your prep work done well in advance so that you are ready. Wash and chop all the veggies you are using in the omelets and get the assembly line well organized so you don’t miss a beat.
Prepare a variety of food and fill your brunch buffet with lots of choices and your guests won’t be disappointed. Add a tray of fresh fruit, some coffee, tea, milk, and juice, and your brunch is complete. Don’t forget a simple assortment of cookies to finish off the meal. No fancy pies, cakes, or candy for brunch. Some of your guests could be on their way to another meal!
You don’t need to spend a lot of time or a lot of money on a nice Christmas get together. These simple ideas for planning a brunch can help get your family together for a nice meal, without all the fuss. Enjoy your Christmas celebration!
Looking for free Christmas recipes to liven up your holiday parties? Try a few of holiday ideas FreeQuickRecipes.com and your party will be a great success!