Our Engagement Party

Champagne Brunch

Caution: Picture Overload Ahead!

Now, I may be biased... but I believe that our Engagement Party was probably about the best ever!  My parents so graciously hosted everyone, around 50 people, in their backyard on May 4th (yes, Star Wars Day) to celebrate our engagement.  We decided to do an earlier party so that we could enjoy the beautiful day, and what's a better excuse to have an excessive amount of champagne than BRUNCH?! 

 

Invites from digibuddhaPaperie

Family and close friends gathered to share marvelous food, drinks and sweets.  Jamie and I had the time of our lives and we are so thankful to my parents and others that helped make our day so special.  My future father-in-law made a very short, sweet and funny toast. It made us that much more excited for the BIG PARTY to come early next year.

 

Roasted Strawberry Cornmeal Muffins

A Light Cornmeal Muffin Loaded with Sweet, Roasted Strawberries

 

 

I'm so sorry that I have abandoned the blog for the last few weeks, but to be honest, I have abandoned my kitchen a little bit too.  Our old house does not have air conditioning, and although we've had a relatively mild summer so far, heating up the oven to 350, means the house feels about that temperature too.  It's a great excuse to grill outside most nights, but I have yet to develop any baking recipes for the grill... Hmmm... that gets the wheels spinning...

 

 

The times that I have been able to suck it up and do some baking, I've really enjoyed using the fresh fruits of summer, and Fresh Strawberry Muffins can only be made better with ROASTED STRAWBERRIES.  I saw roasted strawberries all over the blogs and Instagram a few months ago and I thought I would try my hand at it.  And, man 'o man, these little suckers are good!  I had to resist snaking on all of them before they landed in my batter. 

 



Baked Eggs on Spinach with Brown Butter Breadcrumb Topping

Eggs Baked on a Bed of Spinach Topped With Addictive, Garlicky, Brown Butter Breadcrumbs.

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In my Sweet Potato Hash post I mentioned that my love for baked eggs started with a specific recipe that includes spinach, cheese and a breadcrumb topping that would taste good sprinkled on anything! Well here it is folks, my favorite breakfast!

 

I got this recipe from How Sweet It Is and after the first time I made it, I was completely hooked! I totally flipped over the combination of egg, spinach, cheese and this garlicky, buttery breadcrumb topping that is TO DIE FOR. I'm telling you, you will sprinkle these on anything and everything!

You can adjust this recipe to fit your serving size very simply. I will give you basic amounts, that will serve about 4-6 people, but you can always add more or less to customize.

The original recipe calls for Fontina cheese, and out of the 50 times I've made this (exaggeration, I know, but don't tempt me!) I've only used Fontina twice. Fontina is something that I don't normally keep on hand, so I have substituted Parmesan and Romano before and either way, it is sooo good!

Real Men Eat Quiche.

Ham, Cheddar, and Onion Quiche and Sun-Dried Tomato, Feta and Spinach Quiche.



 

I love preparing quiche for easy breakfasts and lunches.  I usually make two so that we can eat them throughout the week, whenever we choose.  It's great to pack a slice to take to work for lunch and we even eat them for dinner served with a simple salad.  Quiche is one of those recipes that you can really customize.  Use a basic custard recipe and add a couple cups of your favorite ingredients and you've got it made in the shade!  Leftovers always make the perfect ingredients for your quiche as well! 







 

When making quick quiches for the week I take a shortcut and use a store-bought pie crust.  My favorite is Pillsbury, but you can use any variety you choose.  When I've got the time and patience a homemade crust just makes it that much better!

Sweet Potato Hash

Eggs Baked in Sweet Potato Hash with Chorizo, Sweet Caramelized Onions and Rosemary.

Brunch is really my all-time favorite meal, both to eat and to prepare.  I love that you can mix savory and sweet, breakfast and lunch, and it is completely acceptable to be drinking Mimosas, spiked coffee and Bloody Marys.