Family's are often caught up in so many plans during Christmastime that sitting down together over a fancy dinner may not be a good fit. Your family members may be traveling and have to head out before dinnertime, or you may be expected to eat at several homes and can't fill up on a big meal at each home. Or, you may simply need to watch the food budget and can't justify the expense that a big sit-down meal usually entails.
If you are considering your family's budget, big sit-down dinners tend to be more expensive than even the nicest brunch. The menu for a big dinner will normally include a large meat main course, numerous side dishes, and many fancy desserts and candies. The beverages served during a formal sit-down dinner in the evening will typically include fancy drinks, wine, and after dinner drinks. In other words, a big dinner can add up to a lot of money.
If your family needs to trim the Christmas budget, travel to more than one household for dinner, or leave early in the day for another location, celebrating together with a brunch instead of dinner may help solve your dilemma. Let's take a look at how we can host a brunch that is not only convenient, but fun, frugal, and delicious.
Brunch Casserole - Recipes for these dishes are too numerous to count! Assembled the night before your brunch, this is probably one of the most popular of all the time saving dishes you can make. There are a variety of combinations of ingredients to consider, beginning with hash browns, bread, ham, sausage, onion, green pepper, broccoli, and cheese. This is held together with a generous portion of egg, baked and served hot by cutting into square segments, similar to lasagna.
Skillet Dish - A skillet meal is very easy to prepare quickly and with relatively little fuss. There are many recipes to choose from, like this familiar favorite, a Frittata. This is typically a skillet of fried rice or potatoes with a variety of meats and vegetables added. Then eggs are poured over and the Frittata is cooked without stirring until the eggs firm up. Cut into wedges right in the skillet and serve just as it sits. Use a nice cast iron pan for a pretty and homey appeal.
Muffin Tin Meal - Picture mini pot pies full of your favorite breakfast foods. You can start with some simple biscuits in a tube, roll them out flat, and line the muffin tin just like a pie pan. Then fill with sausage, a little hash browns, and crack an egg on top. Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top and pop them in the oven until they are nice and golden brown and the egg is done. Or you can make up a batch of muffin mix and throw in some ham bits, or bacon, and cheese and turn a regular muffin into a whole meal.
Omelets - I hesitate to mention omelets only because they require a lot of work while your guests are there. You can't make omelets ahead of time. You can, however, prepare all the filling ingredients, you know, the mushrooms, green pepper, ham, onions, or anything else that you like inside your omelet. The deciding factor should be whether or not you want to be cooking while you have guests. If you have a kitchen dining room combination where you can visit with your guests while you're in the kitchen, that may work out for you. However, if you are going to be isolated from everyone while you're whipping up omelets, you may want to consider a different menu.
Prepare a variety of food and fill your brunch buffet with lots of choices and your guests won't be disappointed. Add a tray of fresh fruit, some coffee, tea, milk, and juice, and your brunch is complete. Don't forget a simple assortment of cookies to finish off the meal. No fancy pies, cakes, or candy for brunch. Some of your guests could be on their way to another meal!
These are just a few simple ideas to put together a brunch for your Christmas get together. When you are cooking these sorts of dishes, you won't waste a lot of time in the kitchen, nor will you waste a lot of money. Enjoy your day! - 30241
If you are considering your family's budget, big sit-down dinners tend to be more expensive than even the nicest brunch. The menu for a big dinner will normally include a large meat main course, numerous side dishes, and many fancy desserts and candies. The beverages served during a formal sit-down dinner in the evening will typically include fancy drinks, wine, and after dinner drinks. In other words, a big dinner can add up to a lot of money.
If your family needs to trim the Christmas budget, travel to more than one household for dinner, or leave early in the day for another location, celebrating together with a brunch instead of dinner may help solve your dilemma. Let's take a look at how we can host a brunch that is not only convenient, but fun, frugal, and delicious.
Brunch Casserole - Recipes for these dishes are too numerous to count! Assembled the night before your brunch, this is probably one of the most popular of all the time saving dishes you can make. There are a variety of combinations of ingredients to consider, beginning with hash browns, bread, ham, sausage, onion, green pepper, broccoli, and cheese. This is held together with a generous portion of egg, baked and served hot by cutting into square segments, similar to lasagna.
Skillet Dish - A skillet meal is very easy to prepare quickly and with relatively little fuss. There are many recipes to choose from, like this familiar favorite, a Frittata. This is typically a skillet of fried rice or potatoes with a variety of meats and vegetables added. Then eggs are poured over and the Frittata is cooked without stirring until the eggs firm up. Cut into wedges right in the skillet and serve just as it sits. Use a nice cast iron pan for a pretty and homey appeal.
Muffin Tin Meal - Picture mini pot pies full of your favorite breakfast foods. You can start with some simple biscuits in a tube, roll them out flat, and line the muffin tin just like a pie pan. Then fill with sausage, a little hash browns, and crack an egg on top. Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top and pop them in the oven until they are nice and golden brown and the egg is done. Or you can make up a batch of muffin mix and throw in some ham bits, or bacon, and cheese and turn a regular muffin into a whole meal.
Omelets - I hesitate to mention omelets only because they require a lot of work while your guests are there. You can't make omelets ahead of time. You can, however, prepare all the filling ingredients, you know, the mushrooms, green pepper, ham, onions, or anything else that you like inside your omelet. The deciding factor should be whether or not you want to be cooking while you have guests. If you have a kitchen dining room combination where you can visit with your guests while you're in the kitchen, that may work out for you. However, if you are going to be isolated from everyone while you're whipping up omelets, you may want to consider a different menu.
Prepare a variety of food and fill your brunch buffet with lots of choices and your guests won't be disappointed. Add a tray of fresh fruit, some coffee, tea, milk, and juice, and your brunch is complete. Don't forget a simple assortment of cookies to finish off the meal. No fancy pies, cakes, or candy for brunch. Some of your guests could be on their way to another meal!
These are just a few simple ideas to put together a brunch for your Christmas get together. When you are cooking these sorts of dishes, you won't waste a lot of time in the kitchen, nor will you waste a lot of money. Enjoy your day! - 30241
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