RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Meeting for brunch is a great way to catch up with busy friends and family. Although it can be difficult to pull everyone together on a weekday, people tend to have a weekend day open from time to time. You could make plans to all meet up for a restaurant meal, but why not try your hand at a home-cooked brunch? You’ll avoid long waits, inflated prices, and that rushed feeling that hampers conversation. Since brunch is a late-morning/early afternoon affair and you’ll be doing some of the preparation the night before, you won’t need to beat the clock on the morning of your get-together. And brunch is flexible: You can make whatever you and your guests love to eat. Just make sure there’s something savory, something sweet, some fresh fruit, and a festive beverage. Make things even easier by setting the food out buffet-style and letting guests serve themselves (also a great idea if not everyone can arrive at the same time).
Other recipe lists on Rodale.com this week:
5 Healthy Snacks to Send in College Care Packages
5 Healthy Side Dish Recipes Perfect for Almost Any Meal
5 Fantastic Recipes for Sweet Potatoes
5 Surprising Ways to Cook with Cocoa
Add a pot of coffee and you’re all set. Coffee happens to be the primary source of antioxidants in the American diet, and these antioxidants may help prevent certain types of cancer and reduce the risk of developing alcoholic cirrhosis. Caffeine has been shown to slow the aging process and help with short-term memory. After enjoying these Rodale Recipe Finder recipes for brunch, you and your guests are bound to remember this delicious, relaxed gathering. And who knows, meeting for home-cooked brunches may even become a habit!
#1: Pomegranate Spritzer. This refreshing and pretty drink can be made with seltzer, sparkling cider, or, if you're of a mind, champagne. Deep-red pomegranate juice contains a potent combo of polyphenols, isoflavones, and ellagic acid, believed to help reduce the risk of cancer. Another festive option? This grapefruit and ginger sparkler.
#2: Swiss and Turkey Bacon Stratas. Strata, a savory, eggy bread pudding, is best mixed together the day before and refrigerated overnight before baking. This lighter version features low-fat Swiss cheese and low-fat milk, and can be made in a casserole dish or as individual servings. Try this alternate breakfast strata if you’re feeding vegetarians.
#3: Smoked Salmon Tart. Almost everyone loves smoked salmon, and this tart recipe calls for a crust made from another brunch favorite, hash browns. If you'd prefer to serve regular hash browns all by themselves, try this homestyle recipe.
#4: Sour Cream Coffee Cake. This crowd-pleasing recipe for a brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnut streusel will fill your home with a comforting, inviting aroma that will linger after your guests have gobbled up the cake.
#5: Minted Honey Lime Fruit Salad. Colorful and delicious mango, cantaloupe, and pineapple are loaded with health-boosters like beta-carotene and vitamin C. Vitamin C helps increase the production of antibodies and white blood cells.