Plan a Mother’s Day brunch at home

Mother’s Day traditions often include a meal out. You don’t want mom to have to think about cooking, and you want to pamper her on her special day. Showing you care doesn’t have to be a large expense. This year, instead of a crowded restaurant, family members can chip in and prepare a special meal for her at home. Add coffee or tea to round off the following brunch plan.

Breakfast Lasagna

10 slices bread
1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 eggs
3 cups milk
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups spaghetti sauce, warmed

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch pan. Trim crusts from bread, and cut into cubes. Crumble sausage into a large skillet. Add onion, mushrooms and peppers. Cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are soft. Place half the bread cubes in a prepared pan. Add a layer of half the sausage mixture, and top that with half the cheese. Repeat layers. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Evenly pour into the pan with layered ingredients. Let stand 15 minutes so bread soaks up egg mixture. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes, and cut into squares. Drizzle with warm spaghetti sauce before serving.

Skinflint Scones

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup mix-ins (I use 1/4 cup white chocolate and 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips. You can use nuts, Craisins, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into the dry mixture. Add your mix-ins, and stir. Combine the wet ingredients, and then blend into the dry mixture until it forms one big ball, being very careful not to overmix. It should be fairly sticky. Using your hands, pull it apart into eight biscuitlike mounds and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 11 to 15 minutes, until the tops are golden. If desired, top with an icing made from confectioners’ sugar, additional vanilla and water. — Kim, New York

Fruit Kabobs

Apples, bananas, seedless grapes, pineapple chunks, cantaloupe, kiwi, sliced honeydew, strawberries
yogurt

Wash and cut fruit into chunks. Slide pieces of fruit onto wooden skewers, and create your kabob by putting fruit in any order. A uniform pattern looks best. Do this until the skewer is covered from end to end. Leave space on both ends to handle kabobs. Serve with yogurt.

Punch

1 (12-ounce) can frozen orange-juice concentrate
1 (46-ounce) can sweetened pineapple juice
1-3/4 cups lemon juice
2 cups granulated sugar
1 gallon water

In a punch bowl, combine orange-juice concentrate, pineapple juice, lemon juice and sugar. Stir in water.

It’s nice to “do” brunch with your mom on Mother’s Day. But maybe dining out isn’t in the budget this year. Don’t let her cook her own meal on her special day. Prepare a meal for her at home. Pick and choose from the following recipes or make them all so she can enjoy a sampler platter. Add coffee, tea or punch to round it off. And remember to do the dishes!

Bagel Pudding
5 regular-sized bagels, torn into bite-size pieces (I used blueberry)
2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 large eggs, beaten
berries, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Butter a 9-by-9-inch glass baking dish. Place the torn bagels in a large mixing bowl; pour milk over the bagel pieces, and let absorb for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter and let it cool. When cooled, mix with the beaten eggs and remaining ingredients. Combine with the bagel mixture (add any fruit you have now). Pour into the prepared baking dish; place in the center of oven. Bake uncovered for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. — Lady V, Massachusetts

Apple-Cinnamon Pancakes
2 tart apples, peeled and cored and sliced into rings
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2-1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder

Slice the apples into thin rings, toss with cinnamon, and set aside. Mix together the remaining ingredients until blended. For each pancake, pour 1/3 cup batter onto a hot griddle. Place one apple ring in the center of each pancake. When set, flip the pancake to cook the other side. Turn onto a plate so the apple ring is showing. Serve with warmed maple syrup. — Nancy, Virginia

Mini Quiche Tarts
5 slices bacon, cooked
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 (10-ounce) can refrigerated flaky biscuit dough

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups. Crumble the cooked bacon, and set aside. Place the cream cheese, milk and eggs in a medium bowl, and beat until smooth with an electric mixer set on low. Stir in the Swiss cheese and green onion, and set aside. Separate the dough into 10 biscuits. Press into the bottom and sides of each muffin cup, forming 1/4-inch rims. Sprinkle half of the bacon into the bottoms of the dough-lined muffin cups. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cream-cheese mixture into each cup. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the filling is set and rims of the tarts are golden brown. Sprinkle with the remaining bacon, and lightly press into the filling. Remove from the pan, and serve warm. — Cherie, Indiana

Fruit Smoothie
1 cup fresh or frozen berries
3 to 6 yogurt cubes (plain)
1 to 1-1/2 cups milk

To make yogurt cubes, you’ll need a container of plain-flavored yogurt. I use the fat-free light. Spoon the yogurt into an ice-cube tray, and freeze. I usually only fill them halfway full. Remove from the tray, put them in a Ziploc bag, and place in the freezer to use whenever you like. Place three yogurt cubes, 1 cup frozen berries and 1 cup milk in a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve. — Ruth, Florida

photo by bschmove

Posted by Sara Noel on May 7 2009. Filed under Frugal Cooking.
Sara Noel owns Frugal Village, LLC and is a nationally syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. Bio, Follow me on Twitter, Join us on Facebook