That alone sounds very good. You could add a veggie quiche or one of the many variations of eggs benedict sans canadian bacon for those who'd like an egg dish.

I was also thinking an egg dish. How about cheese strata?

Lisa,Oh yeah, how could I forget quiche? I just made one last weekend. A spinach quiche might make a good savory but rich addition, because knowing our guests I give it a 80% chance they are armed with dessert. I like Eggs Benedict but only w homemade Hollandaise, which might be too time sensitive...

CRL, Ive never made one; do you have a recipe you like?

This is what I have made. I do cut the crusts off the bread. It's nice for company brunches because the work is done ahead of time.

edited to add: I make it the night before and refrigerate it. I think it really needs to be made ahead. Might need to adjust the cooking time a bit to account for starting from cold though. It's been awhile since I made it.

I have a great recipe for baked French toast that uses challah or brioche. It sits overnight in the fridge, and the sliced apples and other stuff actually make a kind of syrup for it in the pan. You invert it over a platter for serving, it is truly fabulous. I serve it for special holiday brunches and it is something they will never, ever forget. You could serve fruit and yoghurt with it if you had to :-)

the recipe is from a Newman Marcus cookbook called No Jacket Required. If you are interested I will look it up.

I love brunch-- i think everything you are planning sounds great! The addition of quiche would be good-- it adds something more substantial.

I like chicken salad served in a scooped out half of a small cantaloupe. It is very tasty and is easy to serve. Just another option-- though I'd drop the grapes if I served it this way.

I always like a salad with brunch.. I remember that you have some great light salad recipes so I won't share or suggest one. I do have a preference for a salad with fruit-- oranges, grapefruit or pears are my favorites.

It's going to be a great weather this weekend-- hope you have a great time!

Oh Kswl, that sounds like a showstopper!

KSWL, You must have a great gene pool. All of your recipes and menus sound so rich! I can't eat that way. I have made baked french toast (with pears and pecans I think), and really it is very sticky bun-esque because you end up with a sugar/butter syrup over it all. Oh my! Can't do that too often... and plus I know these particular guests would prefer a light menu. Maybe save it for my son's track team; heck i could give them whipped cream to go with it!

CRL, that sounds good. Wonder if I can throw in spinach; why not? I think id like the color. Now that I see the recipe, I am not sure ive ever had it.

Funky, It will be a buffet, but only for about 12-14 people, including young kids, so if I make toooo many things it will be a ton of leftovers. I usually have a nice fresh fruit platter and some sort of green salad with any meal .... but here I was wondering if I can get away with having the chicken salad on a bed of greens (not random iceberg leaves, but nice greens) and making stewed fruits for the granola. IDK, i also like nice color on my buffet.

Love the cantaloupe idea, but I think cantaloupe season is over? Id have to look for little ones, but what a nice idea.

Strata is pretty flexible and you can easily find recipes for cheese and spinach or many other combinations.

When I was a kid, mom used to make sausage and cheese strata, often for holiday brunches mid-morning before a big "dinner" later on (for example she would serve strata on Christmas day after opening presents with a big traditional meal at around 4pm). I disliked it because I didn't like sausage. As an adult I discovered the plain cheese version and I like it quite a bit.

It is actually the savory version of oven baked French toast casseroles--or perhaps it is the other way around. But dh and I both prefer strata because we like the texture better with the cheese.

My daily menus would probably bore you to death, Mtn :-). I rarely take in more than 400 calories at a time so I am very choosy about what I eat. The French toast, I probably have two tablespoons of it plus a couple of inches of a thin crisp slice of bacon and a tangerine, lol.

crl, my mom always made cheese strata for Mothers Day brunch, usually throwing in some ham. I agree that it's a very flexible dish, allowing additions and modifications. It's essentially a savory bread pudding. A long soak makes it better.

kswl, please share your recipe if you are willing.

I did a crockpot bread pudding for a brunch once. Not particularly more healthy than waffles or pancakes, but more gourmet.

I agree that a quiche or strata would be a nice addition to what you initally proposed.

Would turkey bacon or veggie sausage be an acceptable substitute for pork products? Oooh, corned beef hash! Okay, now I'm getting hungry.

How about a nice selection of muffins...cranberry orange, apple cinnamon, blueberry walnut or whatever floats your boat.

Haven't made it, but esp this time of year while the tomatoes are still with us, this crustless caprese quiche sounds yummy. (But I'm a nut for anything caprese!)

You didn't mention any hot cereal but you could do an apple-cinnamon baked oatmeal, especially now that the apples are coming into season and are so plentiful this year.

You could go kind of Israeli with fruit and white cheese as a second salad.

Vegetarian or vegan or turkey sausage or turkey bacon?

KSWL, You can stop at two tablespoons of that gooey French toast! So that's your secret weapon!

Pal and Cawaps, for people avoiding pork fat for health reasons, I agree, there are good substitutes. But for Jewish guests, I don't know if they care for the taste, if they haven't grown up eating the real stuff. Some do some don't in my experience.

Robo, Fruit and white cheese? Like a farmers cheese or a haloumi or feta or?

AnnieD, Since I want to make it all from scratch, an assortment of muffins is too much work on top of everything else. Maybe one type of sweet bread. I like oatmeal but it is none too pretty, whereas I can do my yogurt parfait bar up nicely. My family would love that quiche recipe ... I usually do crustless, too.

You could indicate that it's vegetarian, I don't think you can expect everyone to eat everything (or like the taste of everything) at a brunch, and they couldn't be offended by it, because it's not restricted. I don't know how serious the restrictions are, I don't think it is as strict as Muslim where they aren't even supposed to have any contact with it. And my Jewish brother in law and nephew eat pork products so I've never asked them what the restrict was. Not eating vs. not eating anything that could've possibly touched it.

Re the muffins...it isn't that hard...make one batter, divide and mix in different things....blueberries in some, chopped apple and cinnamon in another, dried cranberries and orange rind in another. Done.

Annie, great idea, that never occurred to me, gosh..... thanks! :-)

I agree with the quiche. I have also used tomatoes in mine with the spinach, but you have to let them sit on paper towels to get some of the moisture out if they are fresh and juicy. And mini-muffins was going to be another suggestion, but the different ingredients - great suggestion! I also like to have something cold like the chicken salad with cantaloupe (which sounds great right now BTW). Or if you can't get good cantaloupe, serve it in little mini lettuce cups with bibb lettuce.

Me either, KSWL... duh!

Pal, true, yes.

Muffins are easy enough to make the day before, and you can freeze leftovers. Just thinking about the kids...some don't like yogurt or salad! But maybe you know these kids' preferences.

There are a lot of good "breakfast casserole" recipes out there that combine eggs and veggies, no meat. I think they're easier than a quiche (no crust), and can be mixed up the night before and popped in the oven that morning.

Love the idea of the yogurt bar.

A Tortilla Espanola. So good, you can make it ahead, and much more unexpected than a quiche, IMO. There are many recipes online, but we will generally go with anything from Penelope Casas.

Penelope Casas Tortilla Espanola

::: off to look up quark, a great Scrabble word at least :::

oh and no one is strict Kosher ... that i would not attempt

You could do a crepe bar with a variety of fillings, some sweet, some savory (pesto, tomatoes, etc). Buckwheat crepes are nice for those who prefer more whole grains. I would have the filling for traditional blintzes and then other options as desired. Then if you included some salami for a filling or some other type of meat, it does not have to be consumed by everyone, just those who desire it.

Some kids do not like things mixed together much so for them, I would add turkey bacon in addition to other more complex dishes.

I think a yogurt bar and baked apples sounds like a great idea, but I would have that set up more for 'dessert'.... agree it doesn't seem to 'go' with chicken salad. I think bagels and chicken salad is much more appealing than lox! :)

I would consider spinach and mushroom quiche too-- so delicious!

we have a couple of family members who have nut allergies, so I am always hesitant to put nuts into a main dish unless I am absolutely sure it is safe for everyone to eat...

a fruit and cheese plate is a nice 'starter' for brunch...

The beauty of a buffet is that things don't necessarily have "to go with" each other-- though I like to keep them at least somewhat workable together. It is also great for feeding people of different tastes, ages and styles of eating. When we feed my family of 18-21 (depending on who brings bfs/gfs), I try to choose things that do well as leftovers.. and I also try to cover all the allergies/likes/dislikes. Admittedly, it can get crazy but in our house, we always provide ziploc containers for people to take leftovers.

For a brunch, I always serve an egg dish (almost always quiche, a more substantial meat or lunch-like dish, fruit and salad. As you've described your brunch, you have most of that covered-- though I have a hard time thinking chicken salad served on greens as a salad as (at least in my house) not everyone will go for chicken salad-- which is why I suggested an additional salad.

It can be especially difficult with young children. It sounds like your kids are pretty good with food but not all are. I should lump myself in with the kids because I can't eat yogurt, sour cream or cream cheese.. and I won't eat ham ,bananas or grapes. I guess we are all like kids-- which explains the multiple buffet offerings. Mom hasn't eaten chicken since her third pregancy, sister won't eat seafood other than scallops. One niece won't eat cheese and can't eat strawberries-- another eats little more than fruit, ham and cheese. Bro and sis won't eat ricotta or mayonnaise, brother's gf won't eat meat, bil won't eat carbs. And then-- 3 of my family members are on coumadin (genetic blood disease) and can't eat grapefruit or many greens.

So I guess there goes any hope of a Funkyart-Mtnrd family gathering, huh? hahaha.

Seriously, I think your menu sounds nice and light and it will be a gorgeous layout. If there is any concern for what the youngest kids will eat, you could always add some breads + Peanut butter + preserves (I assume most people always have those on hand).

I like the idea of adding quiche. Or a frittata. I make frittata more often than quiche and it would be healthier since you don't have a crust. Just add veggies and cheese. It sounds like you are trying to be somewhat healthy, so I would only have 1 type bread/sweet, rather than a variety.

This is a yummy make ahead - but perhaps more lunch than brunch. The reviews and suggestions are helpful too.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-green-bean-and-goat-cheese-salad-2037

I was at trader joes yesterday and thanks to this forum I had my printed list of things to buy. I bought a lot of things from the list. But they also had samples of pumpkin yogurt with spiced pumpkin seeds on top. They were delicious and would be lovely on a brunch buffet.

i am in canada with no trader joes so I really enjoyed the experience in vermont of going to this store, by the way we were on our way home from maine and wanted to also thank you all again for the lobster roll suggestions.

my favorite place was called Mabel,s in kennebunkport . The lobster rolls were perfect and another evening we went back and I had stuffed mushrooms with lobster and provolone cheese. My dh had lobster risotta . We were both very happy with this small restaurant.

Love crl's’s idea about the cheese strata, I fix those all the time for large family weekends. The great thing is that you CAN add in spinach, or mushrooms, or any other little tasty add-in’s that appeal to you, and they taste great! My family always requests this on long weekends. KSWL - that french toast recipe sounds delish!!!!

I love brunch! I would do the yogurt bar because it is fun and attractive. I feel like it is too early for baked apples or stewed fruit, maybe I am just in summer withdrawal, but I would prefer bowls of berries.

I would not do the chicken salad on a bed of greens, because some folks want the greens without the chicken or at least want to impact the ratio. I would do big green undressed salad, with separate bowls of chicken salad, and egg salad( or deviled eggs). Then I would do a platter of mini bagels for the bread with offering of veggie and plain cream cheese, thinly sliced cukes, radishes, and tomatoes, and smoked salmon('cause I love it and it is great leftover tossed with pasta and asparagus). I would dress that tray with dill fronds, chives and parsley.

I would do one, not so sweet, sweet, and it would probably be blueberry-sour cream coffee cake, though I could go lemony.

Funny, local, you should say that. I was at a friend's for lunch and she had made a lovely butternut squash bisque, but i was so depressed by it. AND, Sunday is the last full day of summer and will be in the 80s and sunny. Berries it is!

You are right, too, about the "ratio impact". I was loathe to create another salad, but I always have homemade vinaigrette on hand and I can dress it up with pretty baby sprouts i buy locally.

Bagels? Maybe I am spolied from living in NYC a decade, but I cannot find a good bagel locally --- and we are just in CT! People rave about them but I think they are awful! Very sad.

BTW, Annie, if you are checking back, do you have a muffin recipe that plays well with a lot of diff ingred? I like the mini assorted muffin idea a lot.

Localeater - now that's a great menu! Sounds lovely.

Annie - thanks for posting the crustless caprese quiche recipe. Our vegetable harvest was spectacular this year and right now we're in a tomato glut.

Next week my kids are deserting Philly before the Pope arrives and everyone is heading to our place in upstate PA. Quiche is a favorite and now I have another way of using some of our tomatoes.

Thanks - Maire

How did it go?

Oh, you are sweet to ask. It was lovely and yummy. I have mini muffins coming out my ears because I just made three totally different recipes.

I had a very odd thing happen with one of my quiches. The custard seeped under the crust somehow, and sort of heeved the crust up up. So in a cross section I had quiche, then a stripe of crust, then more quiche. Very odd! I did not serve that one.

Glad it went well!

Sorry...it's been really hectic this week and I didn't check back. I can't believe you made 3 different recipes! Any old muffin recipe will do, but here's one that lists some of the variations you can do. Be sure to check the reviews too...someone used the base recipe and added raspberries and choc chips. Yum.

Glad to hear it was a success! Sounds yummy.