HIGHPOINT CIRCLE: SPRING BRUNCH

I gave a small Spring Brunch last Saturday and thought I'd share some of the fun I had planning it. I have to say, I love the "marinating" process of planning and execution of an event. I enjoy having people in my home and feeding them!

Here's the menu...

Here's the recipe for the strata

SAUSAGE/MUSHROOM STRATA

1 pound breakfast sausage of your choice

3-4 cups shredded hashbrowns

8 eggs

1 cup shredded, sharp cheddar

1 can mushrooms

¾ teaspoons dry mustard

3 cups of milk, divided

1 cup of cottage cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Spread hashbrowns in a greased 9X13 pan. Fry and drain sausage and layer over hashbrowns. Drain mushrooms and layer over sausage. Combine eggs, mustard, 2-1/2 cups of milk, and cottage cheese. Pour over sausage mixture and sprinkle cheese over everything. Refrigerate overnight. Mix soup with ½ cup of milk and pour over the top of casserole just before baking. Bake at 325^ofor 1-1/2 hours.

The yogurt parfaits started with granola on the bottom, Noosa Honey Yogurt, topped with strawberries and blueberries, and garnished with a mint leaf and a honey wafer.

I'm not ashamed to say, I purchased the strudel from a very accomplished baker and was not disappointed--it was delicious.

The lemon loaf began with a cake mix. Here's that recipe...

Lemon Loaves

1 box of lemon cake mix

4.3 ounce instant lemon pudding mix

½ cup applesauce (in place of oil)

4 large eggs

½ cup milk

8 ounces sour cream

the juice of half of a large lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 2 loaf pans with cooking spray.

Place all cake ingredients into mixing bowl and beat until well combined. Divide batter between the two loaf pans and spread evenly. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before removing from pans.

For glaze, zest & squeeze the juice of the other half of a large lemon and add powdered sugar to taste. Score the top of each loaf or prick it with a fork and pour glaze over each loaf. Let set till the glaze soaks into the loaves.

The bird's nest were super-simple. They consist of 2 cups of butterscotch chips combined with 1 cup of peanut butter melted. Add chow mein noodles and shape into nests. I then added Jordan almonds to mimic eggs and added a marshmallow bird (Peeps).