entertaining

ENTERTAINING

Let’s Do Brunch!

Plan a weekend brunch with sweet and savory recipes. Plus, tips from our event expert, Michelle Hope of Social Butterflies.

DIY: Flower Arranging

Flowers bring life to any space. Here are some DIY tips from florist Nakeisha Green, owner of Petals, on creating this simple vase arrangement, as shown.

• Keep your flower selection simple; don't choose too many different colors, shapes and textures.
• It helps to have a container that corrals the stems into place, such as a narrow-mouth vase to help support flowers.
• Don't stress! Start with a clean workspace, spread everything out in front of you, and keep tucking stems into the arrangement until you've achieved a look you're happy with. The goal is to create something that feels like it grew right from the vas

Finding that right balance between breakfast foods, lunch foods and exotic hybrids of the two is no small task. Click’s resident event planner expert, Michelle Hope of Social Butterflies, teamed up with catering extraordinaires, Wade and Co., to help plan the perfect menu. Here are some recipes and tips to help you pull off the perfect brunch.

Expert Tips

Serve Buffet Style Allow your guests to serve themselves buffet style, rather than hosting a seated dinner.

Plan Ahead Use post-it notes to label your serving dishes the day before the party. This allows easy set up and gives you an idea of where everything goes. Remember to leave space for plates, utensils and napkins.

Rent Glassware If you are planning a mimosa, Bellini or Bloody Mary bar, renting champagne flutes is the way to go. You simply empty them and place back in the racks dirty for return. This saves a lot of time on the cleanup.

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Coddled Eggs, Rustic Potatoes with Roasted Peppers and Asparagus with Hollandaise

Yield: Makes 6 servings
This dish is a nice choice for a special breakfast because the potatoes can be mashed in advance, then chilled overnight in the ramekins.

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• 14 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
• 6 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Preparation
Butter six 3/4-cup ramekins. Bring milk and bay leaf to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Cover; let steep 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
Meanwhile, cook potatoes in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Place potatoes in medium bowl. Add warm milk, shallots, butter, rosemary, and thyme; mash until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide potato mixture among ramekins. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Carefully crack 1 egg over potatoes in each ramekin. Spoon 1 tablespoon cream over each egg. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Place ramekins in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until egg whites are gently set but yolks are still soft, about 17 minutes. Remove ramekins from baking pan. Sprinkle chives over and serve.

Easy Applewood Smoked
Bacon Sweet Rolls

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients
Applewood Smoked Bacon
Your Favorite Pop Open Can of Cinnamon Rolls

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place bacon strips in skillet and fry for
2-3 minutes until still soft but slightly cooked. Remove bacon and pat dry with
paper towels.
3. Pop open the can of cinnamon rolls and unroll them into long strips. Lay one
strip of bacon on each cinnamon roll strip, then roll them back up. Place each
bacon roll in a greased pie pan.
4. Cook according to package instructions, then drizzle with icing from the package.

Farmer’s Market Bloody Mary

Yield: 2 to 4 drinks

Ingredients
• 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. fresh, ripe tomatoes
• 1 small shallot
• 1 small fresh hot chile – green or red
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Hot sauce or chile sauce to taste
• 4 to 8 Tbsp. vodka or gin (optional) Consider Cilantro infused Vodka
• Fresh celery stalks or pickled green beans for garnish

Preparation
1. Roughly chop tomatoes, shallot, and chile. In a blender or food processor, whirl until smooth (you may need to do this in batches). Run pureed mixture through a sieve or food mill for a smoother texture.
2. Add lemon juice. Stir to combine, add salt, pepper, hot sauce, and more lemon juice to taste.
3. Cover and chill until cold, at least an hour and up to two days.
4. Pour into 2 to 4 glasses, add 2 Tbsp. vodka or gin in each glass, if you like, and stir to combine. Garnish with celery stalk and/or pickled green beans.

Gingered Yogurt
and Berries

Ingredients
Yield: 4 Servings
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup ginger marmalade or 1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 cup of Berries of your choice

Preparation
In a bowl, combine yogurt, marmalade, brown sugar, and lemon juice; mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to blend flavors. To serve, spoon into 4 dessert dishes top with berries.

The Sources:

Event Design
Michelle Hope,
Social Butterflies
901.828.9321,
sb-events.com

Photography
Peter Conrey,
P.F. Fine Photography
901.488.5986,
pfconrey.com

Catering
Wade & Co.
901.260.3766,
wadeandcompanycatering.com

Florist
Petals, Nakeisha Green
901.791.2534
petals-studio.com

Paper Details
Rebecca Zerilla, Zerilla Designs
901.634.8808
zerilladesigns.com

The Menu

Easy Applewood Smoked Bacon
Sweet Rolls

Gingered Yogurt Parfaits

Coddled Eggs with Rustic Potatoes

Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

Farmers Market Bloody Mary
Mimosa

Scrambled Egg Cosmos

Lox with Bagels, Cream Cheese, Onion
and Capers

Amaretto Waffles

Fresh Berries with Basil Syrup

ENTERTAINING

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