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Who doesn’t like a good bloody Mary or mimosa buzz on a warm Sunday afternoon??
Accompanied with great company and a great brunchy spread?? Sounds pretty nice.
Now, a little disclaimer: This is a great summer brunch, gay pride or not. If you
don’t want to do the gay pride theme then make up your own theme because this brunch
is a guaranteed party hit!! We recommend running this brunch party as an open house
type event. That way your guests can stop in whenever they’d like and there is no
pressure. The best part is that this as an inside/mostly outside event.
The mimosas and deliciously spicy bloody Mary’s will be flowing and going like mad.
The menu consists of lighter foods that can sit around for a few hours with out
the worry of it going south, or worse, looking bad. On the menu is a great Rainbow
Frittata packed full of delicious peppers, onions and cheeses. How ‘bout a classic
spinach salad with a sweet and savory homemade dressing?? Or, a helping of savory
and fresh Rosemary Roasted Greek Potatoes with crumbled feta?? And don’t forget
those homemade buttermilk biscuits accompanied by a pat of soft butter and a spoonful
of strawberry jam. Yum!!! I’d want to put it that MY mouth!!
It is a sure bet for a great time. After you host your brunch, it is guaranteed
that every year it will be bigger and better and that it will be on your friend’s
calendars next year before you even give the official invite. Oh, we almost forgot,
the Happy Finish happens to be irresistible Red Velvet Cupcakes. So, with that said,
let’s get on with what you will need for your absolutely fabulous brunch!
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Bloody Marys
If you have a favorite Bloody Mary Mix, by all means use it. But, this is a great
recipe and your guests will love the fact that they are sipping homemade bloody
marys. And, there is nothing wrong with being known for mixing a great cocktail,
I promise!
Homemade Bloody Mary Mix – Make AT LEAST a day or two before your brunch
For Each 48 oz can of Tomato Juice Add (one 48 oz can yields about 10 Marys):
2T Horse Radish (I always use freshy grated but you can use the store bought variety
if you can’t find fresh Horse Radish root)
1 T fresh ground black pepper
4 cloves chopped garlic
1T celery Salt
1 T garlic Salt
1/3 cup Worsteshire Sauce
Juice of 1 lemon (1/3 cup)
½ cup sugar
For each Mary, start with a Pint glass full of ice, add 2-3 ounces of a good quality
vodka. Fill the glass almost full with your mix (always shake before pouring), leaving
a little bit of room for the garnishes.
Garnishes (these are ALL ABOUT THE GARNISHESS!)
For each mary, garnish with the following, scewered on a longer sandwich style tooth
pick:
1 Green Olive (stuffed with whatever: garlic, jalapenos, ect. . . )
1 Banana Pepper
1 Pickled green bean or asparagus spear
1 lime wedge
Then, add the old standard;
1 stalk of celery
Serve it up. Be ready to be making a lot of these when your brunch first starts.
Don’t worry, it will slow down!!
Mimosas
For each mimosa, fill the glass:
1/3 full with Fresh squeezed or good quality fresh orange juice and top off the
remainig 2/3 of the glass with a decent Champagne (I recommend a Brut). If you have
champagne glasses, use them. If not, don’t feel that you cannot serve these is a
regular glass (8 oz is perfect) or even in a clear 8oz plastic cup. For each mimosa,
start with the OJ and top it off with the champagne. Garnish with a strawberry slice.
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Fruit Salad
Every brunch needs a good fruit salad. Especially a gay pride brunch! So, for this
menu you are off the hook as far as a starter goes. Ask one or two of your culinary
friends to bring a fruit salad. It’s easy, it’s cheap and it’s the least they could
do. Big question is: are you ready to toss that salad?? It needs to be tossed before
it is served ya know. . .
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Rainbow Fritatta
You can make this while your biscuits are baking—it finishes in the oven, so once
you pull the biscuits out, you can slide this great frittata in to finish it.
12 Eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded monterary jack cheese
1 Red Bell Pepper, julliened
1 Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper, juliened
1 White Onion, diced
2 flat cans diced green chiles, drained
2 t salt
2 t pepper
Olive oil
This recipe is to be cooked in a 14” skillet. I know that many people do not have
a skillet that large on hand. If that is the case, divide the recipe in half and
make two 8 – 9 inch fritattas. I recommend using a “non stick” pan as you will be
inverting the cooked frittata onto a serving plate. Heat about 1T olive oil in your
skillet over medium heat until oil is hot. Add the diced onion and sauté for about
five minutes, until they just start to soften. Add the juliened bell peppers, 1
t salt, 1 t black pepper and sauté for another 3 – 5 minutes, until tender. If your
pan is still well oiled and nothing is sticking, add the eggs. If the oil has been
absorbed, add a little more to keep the eggs from sticking. Let the eggs cook for
a minute or two and then using a spatula, mix the runny eggs around with the sautéed
onions and peppers. You want this to stay fairly runny. Once the eggs start to firm
up, remove from the heat and add the cheeses and the green chiles. Mix the egg mixture
with the cheese, remaining salt and pepper and green chiles using the spatula in
an almost folding motion gently fold, evenly incorporating the cheese and chiles
in with the soft, not fully cooked eggs mixture. Once mixed, transfer the fritatta
to the 450 degrees F oven. Check the frittata often once in the oven and remove
when uniformly browned and firm (cooked through) —this should take about 5 – 8 minutes.
Let cool for about 10 minutes. Transfer the frittata to a large serving plate. Run
a spatula around the edge of the frittata and then give the skillet a little shake
to make sure that the fritatta is loosened from the pan. Carefully transfer the
frittata to a serving platter, slice it into single serving size pieces (either
triangles or squares) and serve!
Made With Pride Bisquits
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
5 Tbsp. Cold Shortening
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 450 degree F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Sift dry ingredients
together into a medium sized mixing bowl. Cut 5 tablespoons cold shortening into
bits and with your fingertips or a pastry blender blend into flour mixture until
mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add baking soda to buttermilk and then add to flour
mixture. Stir with a fork until dough follows fork around. Turn out to a floured
surface and kneed 3 – 4 times until combined and forms dough. Roll out to about
1/2 inch thickness. Cut into 2 – 3 inch rounds (you can use a drinking glass if
you don’t have an official biscuit cutter). For added flavor you can brush the top
of each biscuit with melted butter. Bake at 450 degree for 12 – 15 minutes, until
golden brown. Serve with room temp butter and fresh jam.
Rosemary Roasted Greek Potatoes
With this recipe, the feta and lemon juice is added after the potatoes are roasted.
I recommend roasting the potatoes the day before pride and store them in the fridge.
Then, the morning of your brunch, heat them up and finish them with the feta and
lemon juice before serving.
4 Pounds Red Potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces (1-2 inch cubes)
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons fresh Rosemary (1 ½ T Dried)
2 t kosher salt
1 t fresh cracked black pepper
12 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Juice of one lemon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put diced potatoes in a large roasting pan. Add the
olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Mix to coat potatoes with the spices and olive
oil. Cover with lid and place in preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until
tender. If you make them a day ahead of time, let the pan cool and place in the
fridge over night. To re-heat, place in 400 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. To finish,
remove potatoes from the oven, remove lid and let rest for 5 – 10 minutes. Add lemon
juice to slightly cooled potatoes and toss. Then add crumbled feta and toss again.
Serve.
Nana’s Spinach Salad
This is a classic that everybody always loves. I would be surprised if there is
anyone in the United States that at some point has not had this spinach salad. To
save time, buy the big bag of spinach leaves that is already washed and ready—who
has the time to clean all that spinach?? I mean really . . .
For the salad:
1 large bag of ready to eat spinach OR 3 bunches fresh spinach, washed with stems
removed
3 Hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
8 strips of thick sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large can of Mandarin Orange Sections
1 lb fresh white mushrooms, sliced thick (about 4 –5 slices per shroom)
1/2 pound fresh bean sprouts
Put the cleaned spinach in a large serving bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and
toss. Serve with homemade dressing. Hint: for a perfect hard-boiled egg, steam eggs
in a vegetable steamer for 13 minutes only. Remove and immediately place in an ice
bath for 10 – 15 minutes. Peel under running cold water.
Spinach Salad Dressing
One look at this recipe and you will be thinking POOR WHITE TRASH! But, it is awesome
and very flavorful. You have to make this AT LEAST a day ahead of time.
In a 1-quart mason jar, combine:
1 C. salad oil
1/3 C. sugar
1/4 C. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/3 C. catsup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 medium white onion, grated
Place all ingredients in 1 quart mason jar. Tightly screw lid onto jar and shake
the hell out of it! Place in fridge AT LEAST overnight before serving. It is very
important that this be refrigerated at least overnight before serving. The flavors
really need some time to combine and it will not taste right if served immediately
after making. Dressing will stay good in refrigerator for a couple of weeks. Always
give it a shake before serving, duh.
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Red Velvet Cup Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
This is a great red velvet cake recipe, very famous at the annual Kentucky Derby
party. We’ve modified it for cupcakes. The cupcakes are finished with a rich and
creamy cheese cream frosting. No one can resist these bright red gems.
Red Velvet Cupcakes
2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cocoa powder
1 1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 C. buttermilk, room temp.
2 large eggs, room temp.
2 Tbsp. red food coloring
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Line 2 muffin pans (12-cup) with muffin papers.
Sift together dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In a large
mixing bowl gently beat together the wet ingredients with a handheld electric mixer.
Once the wet mixture is combined, add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
Mix until smooth and until just thoroughly combined. Do not over mix. Fill cupcake
tins about 2/3 full with cake batter. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for about
20 to 24 minutes until done (insert toothpick, if it comes out clean they are done).
Do not over bake. Remove from oven. Wait 5 minutes and transfer cupcakes to cooling
rack using a pair of tongs (be gentle). Cool completely before frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
1-8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. real vanilla extract
1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
Cream together the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar,
mix until smooth.
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