I’d be very happy with what you mentioned…except for smoked fish. Just to confirm, no meat, period? Lots of tasty meatless/hearty breakfast-type casserole recipes, although the omelette with salsa sounds nice. The fruit pie sounds great, or maybe a crisp or pie bars…? Just asking about the bars since we recently had Ina’s Apple Pie Bars again that are a nice fall dessert.

Pies are already made in the freezer. :) Though I may make some more. Round really is a thing, symbolic of the endless cycles of the years.

I have no meat planned, but I could add it. I don't cook pork products, but could add some kind of turkey sausage, pastrami, or something. It just all seems salty and fatty. I'm not going to roast a turkey breast or anything like that. Which is what brought me to ask about smoked salmon and/or trout. They'd go with the rest of a meal, but I don't want leftovers and I don't want to under buy. Originally, I was going to do pumpkin lasagna, but I don't think I have the energy, and still had the is it okay without meat question.

I think it’s fine without meat. It’s plenty of food and any meat lovers will deal with it. I‘ve often heard, from a certain meat lover, ”That was great and I’m stuffed,” after a meatless meal.

It's not necessary to have meat at every meal. Ever had just a salad for lunch? Or cereal and fruit for breakfast. You're overthinking this, no one needs to get X amount of protein in any one meal.

It all sounds delicious. Enjoy the company!

Sure *I* am fine without meat. I'm the only one I know who is always trying to add meat, because I don't get enough otherwise. I've never gone full vegetarian on company however.

Thank-you for the reassurance.

It's fig season over here. Yesterday, I made a tart with figs and goat's cheese with a dash of honey.

I love smoked fish. Kedgeree, omelettes Arnold Bennett, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, kippers. All great brunch dishes.

I always think of eggs as a meat.

^🥂👍🏻!!!

I agree, there is no need for meat. Now if you are concerned with large eaters, some roasted potatoes could add heft and go well with the tomato salsa on the eggs (instead of cold veg), as everything else but the challah is relatively light.

Sounds wonderful.

If you think you need something else, what about baked large portabello mushroom caps? (I have never made them.)

Sounds great.

Thanks for all of the encouragement! I'll stop worrying.

We had these pancakes last night which could be a lovely addition to your brunch. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/mar/22/foodanddrink.shopping2

Thanks! Lots of interesting ideas in there, but can you explain why self-rising flour plus a huge amout of baking powder? Why not just measure the individual ingredients? Google says British self-rising flour sub is “mix 100g plain flour with 1 tsp baking powder“, so 4 tsp BP for 110g flour? Wow. With Mother's challah there's no spot for pancakes, even veggie-ful ones, but they surely would go nicely with the baked omelette and tomato salsa, and fit the harvest holiday theme, even if the recipe makes me go, huh?. Thanks for thinking of me.

Okay, my bad. I figured it out after looking at more recipes. No soda and sour milk or buttermilk. That's why more BP.

It's a go. Palm fronds (for the roof of the sukkah (harvest hut) will be delivered Tuesday.

Islay. I admire you making an Ottolenghi. I get tired just reading the ingredients lists. I have his book Simple and that's about as far as I can go without glazing over.

seagrass_gw Cape Cod

Floral_uk - I thought it was just me. I react the same way to Ottolenghi's recipes. I've never made a single one and can't even get through reading one when the Guardian publishes them. I don't have any of his cookbooks.

I just made a fussy Leite recipe. It wasn't worth the bother, but I learned things.

I agree but he does things with veg that nobody else can lol. It's worth the effort.

I have a couple of his books, which were gifts. Definitely food porn. I've only made one or two of the recipes—which have to be copied out given that each book is the size of a kitchen island. Agreed about what he does with veg. Very few fine dining chefs bother.

I do love his food and have eaten at his restaurant a couple of times but I'm just too lazy to go through the faff for most recipes. However, the ones in Simple are pretty easy and very tasty. The whole roast cauliflower is a regular in our house.

Sorry. No pictures unless one of the guests sends me some. It all turned out great. I baked the challah and blueberry apple pie a week ago and put them in the manual defrost freezer, where they hold very well. Thawed overnight with thin birdseye towels over them. Some of the salads are better made ahead, so I did those on Friday, and the salsa Saturday. One of the big guys came after all and there was a sale on wild caught smoked salmon, so I did get that in the end.

Final menu:

Baked pan omelette with chunky homemade tomato salsa (tasty but not picante). I was worried about carrying to out in the big frying pan, but a dozen fluffed up eggs really don't weigh much!

Smoked salmon, wild caught. I should have rolled the slices but I didn't have time. It was all family, so nobody minded.

Green salad with homemade herb vinaigrette soaking radish slices, sliced baby scallions, tiny bell pepper rings, tiny multicolor tomatoes, tossed with red leaf and romaine, radish sprouts and watercress.

Slightly curryish cauliflower salad

Spiced (not hot) carrot salad (just short of puree),

Spooky eggplant salad (black sesame)

Sweet pickle chips (Bubbe's brand)

Finger limes

Apple wedges

Mother's special challah with butter and clover honey.

My blueberry apple pie and red grapes for dessert.

Pitchers of ice water, which was very popular. It's a warm day.

Thank-you all, again, for the reassurance. Nostalgia was expressed for my mother's baked omelette, It's only practical for a small crowd. but so good! Everyone ate well and expressed enjoyment, so I'm happy. :)

Sounds amazing, plllog! It’s so much easier, and often tastier, when you can do as much advance prep as possible.

You produced a delicious sounding feast!

That sounds very successful!

I may have missed, but for how many persons was this?

That is a lot of work and timing there.

Thanks, everyone!

Eight inclusive, in the end, but one last minute withdrawal due to disease. That's why I could make the baked omelette. It's hard to scale, and 12 eggs in the 12” frying pan is perfect. I think the last time I did this holiday (pre-pandemic), there were a couple dozen guests, and I did massive ”chicken pot pies” in a couple of enormous lasagna pans. This time, the sides were small except the cauliflower, which was the whole head in the making (served half), but having some leftover was good, too. Really not that much work in the cooking given the spaced timing, the minions were helpful with the setup and tear down, and I like to show bounty for the harvest holidays. The weird part for me is not having all those hungry young men ready to gnaw on the doorjams if not fed meat anymore. The one who came ate well, but refused pie, and seemed happy with the veg-centric offerings. He's a techie (not sweaty), and I guess not so young and hungry anymore. ;)

olive and cream cheese sammies ... 1930s

cucumber and butter sammies ... light luncheons