In a very simplistic form, I am going to share with you what you need to know about brunch.
Brunch Rules:
- It must be prepared in a leisurely manner. It is well worth suffering hunger pains to feed and subsequently entertain the kids in a far corner of your home in order to sit down to a late and decadent brunch.
- You may compile the perfect brunch for less than $15 for two. I love this. I can spend $30 – $40 on ingredients which will serve us for two to three Sunday brunches. That, my friends, is genius.
- Do your chores on Saturday. The day must stretch before you with long expanses of zero action items in order to appreciate the perfect Sunday brunch.
This concludes my Brunch Rules.
The Brugs Blonde ale glasses I picked up in Belgium 16 (gasp!) years ago – and carried around in a backpack for months – make the perfect frosted vessel for mimosas & margaritas when kept at the ready in the freezer at all times. Honestly, my glassware commitment in my 20s impresses even me. I carted vintage French tea sets from a street market, Belgian beer glasses and plenty of other glassware all over Europe in a backpack… successfully! One injury (another post), but no casualties. #FoodieScore
Now, go stock up:
- Inexpensive champagne: $12 – $15 for two bottles. Seriously, don’t waste your dollars. Mimosas call for a $5 – 8 bottle of extra dry).
- Low calorie/50% sugar orange juice: $3. First, you should be adding just a splash for the perfect mimosa. Secondly, that added sugar (not to mention calories) starts to wear on you, and for an epic SundayFunday, you’re going to want to put back 2 – 3 mimosas without fretting over saccharin sweetness and fat. Just sayin’.
- A giant wedge of President Brie. I like Sam’s for this, because at less than $9 we can nab a large wheel and serve it in thirds or halves over a couple of Sundays. Pop it in a baking dish to melt it, and add some local honey (hopefully already in your pantry) during or after baking. We like it a little caramelized, but it works equally well to add it prior to serving.
- Some croissants (4 – 6 at less than $4) from the local bakery or your grocery store. Don’t obsess, croissants are always amazing. Please.
- Ruby red grapefruit, $4 – $6. This is where I buck my normal tendencies: if you can score some lovely Florida grapefruit, do it – but it is A-Ok in my book to buy the large container of pre-supremed grapefruit in your store’s produce cooler. There is a lot of produce worth suffering for, and I’m one who will buy bags of carrots and peel/cut/chill them for my family’s snacking pleasure over buying prepared “baby” carrots. But on SundayFunday, I want my little slivers of grapefruit with no effort. When you serve them up alongside that ridiculous Brie and croissants, that yummy Ruby Red juice will sneak over to mingle with the melty cheese and honey, and you are going to want to sop all of that business up.
If you are young and of marrying age, I have advice for you: spot tendencies toward food love, caring and leisurely weekend behavior early in your relationship. An interest in eating outside one’s comfort zone and indulging your food whims early will result in the development (I believe, based on my limited case study of one man over 19 years) in someone who will make killer brunch for you someday.
This is a lot of excess information, but I believe that being a well-informed partaker of the perfect Sunday brunch requires dedication, doing your homework and being fiercely committed to letting nothing stand in the way of your (restrained) indulgence.
Happy Sunday Funday!
This. Listen carefully: there is only one perfect #SundayFunday brunch, and it consists of European croissants toasted slightly; baked, melty, crusty brie drizzled with local honey; and ruby red grapefruit supremed and served alongside mimosas and top notch coffee. This is my brunch manifesto, and I now sit back on Sundays like a kept woman with my feet wrapped in a blanket, sipping coffee and waiting to be served. #FoodieHubsForTheWin
