Holiday Breakfasts

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Holiday Eats is naturally...party foods - finger foods for all those cocktail parties, tables groaning with full course meals for the "formal" dinner parties (whether they're formal or not) and tons of sweets - cookies, candies, cakes and other awesome desserts.

But there's another very important food group - Breakfast!!! What are you going to feed those folks who end up sleeping over, either because they've come from faraway to spend the holidays with you or they've been responsible and wisely chose not to drive home after drinking all that "Holiday Cheer" last night...hopefully not cold leftovers!

I personally find that, unless you're inviting people over for brunch, your sleep over guests will all wake up at different times and want to eat different things. So I try to have something for everyone. Here are some easy ideas that won't have you slaving away (I'm all about having as much fun as everyone else).

This Mushroom Leek Frittata recipe I found in a copy of New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant that my cousins gave me (which is a fabulous addition to my cookbook library). Once they see how delicious and how simple this dish is to make, they might want to rethink giving me the book! It took less than 20 minutes to prepare and the 30 minutes in the oven sent the most wonderful aroma through the house...what a great way to wake up! This frittata is a little different from the usual ones I make (you can find at least 3 versions here) This one has toasted multigrain bread cubes and milk added to the usual eggs, cheese and other goodies I find and it gives the term "frittata" a whole new meaning. What can I say...we licked our plates clean!

For those who find egg dishes too much to handle when they first wake up, here are a couple of other options. Honey cake with a fresh fruit salad with lavender honey, all of which can be made ahead (in fact, they can be made a few days before) and all you have to do is put them in pretty serving dishes on the table waiting for your guests to open those sleepy eyes.

Or this simple Minty Fruit Salad with (or without) Yoghurt.

Another wonderful option to go with the fruit and yoghurt is this fabulous Gingery Fruit Tea Loaf I first found in Nigella's Feast book - one of my favorites!

Oh - and in case you want the recipes that go with the photos at the top of the post from left to right...
Minty fruit salad; Apricot & Pecan Muffins; yoghurt, berries & granola (no recipe really - just take your favorite yoghurt (I like vanilla or plain with a heaping spoonful of honey) add some berries and some granola. Leave the ingredients in separate bowls so everyone can personalize their own; and a frittata - the perfect opportunity to use up some of those left over veggies or pasta!

Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen is hosting a special holiday edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with. My herbs are dill in the frittata, mint in the fruit salad and lavender in the honey. Although ginger and dried fruit don't really count as herbs...they certainly do bring the dishes to life.

Have a safe, joyous, and peaceful Holiday!

Related links: Food and Drink recipes Weekend Herb Blogging cookbooks vegetables bread fruit eggs & dairy