One of the highlights of visiting my sister for a girl’s weekend was the absolutely amazingly delicious Sunday brunch she prepared for my mom and I and 5 of her friends. We shopped for the ingredients in the days prior (the FREE printable shopping list is available below) and were ready to rock and roll in the kitchen Sunday morning. If you don’t already know, my sister is extremely organized – like she has lists of her lists of things that need to be accomplished – and if they aren’t on lists, then they are most definitely highlighted on one of her famous spreadsheets.
SUNDAY BRUNCH DAY WITH THE LADIES
After tossing around a bunch of different food ideas, she decided on:
- Quiche – two different versions
- P.F. Chang-ish Chicken lettuce wraps
- Salad
- Mixed berries bowl
- Specialty beverage
- Gluten-free banana bread (my contribution – and a very controversial one at that since I’d never made it before until this very day)
QUICHE TIME!
Jami decided on making two different quiches – one was roasted tomato, spinach and mozzarella from The Kittchen, and the other was pancetta, onions and fresh basil – Jami’s own creation. I can’t tell you which one was my favorite because I genuinely liked both of them.
CHANNELING P.F. CHANGS
I haven’t met one person that doesn’t like P.F. Chang’s chicken lettuce wraps. The combination of savory, crunchy and fresh make this a great appetizer, and now a great brunch item! Jami found this copycat recipe and if I tell you that it was a bit better than the original (and I’m not being swayed but…), it was! We couldn’t seem to find ground chicken so swamped it out for ground turkey and you really couldn’t even tell the difference!
SIGNATURE SALAD
I love crunchy salads that have a lot of “stuff” in it, dressed lightly as to not take away from all of the flavors. Jami’s recipe did the trick!
Salad Ingredients
- 2 bags Trader Joes salad mix (kale, red cabbage, Brussel sprouts)
- Avocado
- Shaved parmesaen
- Candied pecans (already made)
Dressing Ingredients
- Juice from one lemon
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tsp red wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic
- Salad and pepper
- Added Splenda to sweeten
YOU NEED COLOR!
Everyone needs some color in their life – and these berries are both beautiful and delicious!
WHAT’S A BRUNCH WITHOUT A SPECIALTY BEVERAGE?
Jami found this recipe for a very delicious take on the mimosa. Warning: it is VERY delicious and refreshing. We didn’t opt for the cranberries (couldn’t find any) so we just stuck with the orange garnish and the cinnamon stick. We recommend mixing the juices together, chilling them and then adding the prosecco as the guests arrive. Add the cinnamon stick to each glass just before passing them out as it adds that nice hint of nutty-ness.
GLUTEN-FREE DELICIOUSNESS!
I am gluten-sensitive and I hate to bother people with my dietary restraints, so I decided to try my hand at baking something. Mind you this was a brave choice as I am the first one to say that I am not a self-proclaimer baker by any means. I actually not a baker at all. No time like the present, right?!
I searched around for some recipes and combined a few to come up with the one below.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of gluten free flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten lightly
- 4-5 ripe bananas, smushed (about 2 cups of banana)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 unsweetened applesauce
- Chocolate chips
- Crushed walnuts
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- First I combined all of the dry ingredients in one large bowl – flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- In a separate bowl, I combined the eggs, bananas, vanilla extract and applesauce.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, whisking as you go.
- I made two little loaves with chocolate chips and two with crushed walnuts, but you can choose whichever you’d like to add. I didn’t measure how much I used (the baker is truly showing now – lol), but about a handful of each in each tin.
- Put in the oven for 45 – 50 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.
- Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.
ARE YOU HUNGRY YET?
I can’t pinpoint what the best part of the day was – but cooking alongside the two most important ladies in my life comes to mind first. My furry niece hung out with us as well…making sure the floor stayed clean.
The ladies arrived at about 11:30 and the eating commenced. Check out my dish!
Looking to plan a brunch? I highly recommend checking out the recipes that Jami used (links above) and the one I mentioned above!
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What is your favorite brunch food? I’d love to know!
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