Coaching Cooking

Ladies who brunch convened again this weekend where we proceeded to eat ourselves silly aided by some tasty mojitos which have become our signature brunch drink. The star of this feast is Kareasa’s amazing biscuits and andouille sausage gravy. They were the breakout star of our feast. The flaky biscuits combined with a flavorful, creamy sausage gravy sent us all into foodie heaven. The recipe link is included below.

With my friends, the consensus is that food coma is best developed with people you know. Lying on the floor after too many carbs is much more comfortable when everyone knows you’re too full to talk and can let you have a moment to snooze the afternoon away.

As I have had practice with hosting brunch, I’ve noticed a few things that really make it fun and special. Here are a few tips:

**Make sure to have a pitcher of ice water (and include lemon slices and/or cucumber slices for refreshment)
**Make a fresh fruit platter. I used whole strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and sliced blood oranges and arranged them on a large, rectangular platter.
**Have two tables set up: one for the fruit and smaller dishes and one for drinks, silverware, plates and the main dishes
**Delegate: everyone can bring something to brunch. It doesn’t have to be cooked: one person can bring pastries, coffee or orange juice. A few people can bring dishes to heat up at your place. Then, while everyone munches on pastries and fruit, the others can prepare the main dishes.
**Have at least one great drink: this doesn’t necessarily mean the drink has to be alcoholic. My brunch girls love the mojito with a passion rivaling a new religion. I also think mimosas a perfect choice. This time around I also had orange juice and mango lemonade (thanks to Trader Joe’s) on hand.

Brunch Menu for the Ladies Who Brunch (Thanks Kati, Kareasa, Rachel and Annie!):

Mojitos (see this recipe)
Orange juice
Mango Lemonade

Ice water with lemon slices

Fruit platter
Assorted appetizers from Trader Joe’s: feta and carmelized onion tarts and spinach puff tarts

Biscuits with andouille sausage gravy (I’m still locating the original recipe…here are few to try: Tabasco brand chipotle sausage gravy and Emeril’s Smothered andouille sausage and shrimp gravy)
Scrambled eggs with sautéed onions and mushrooms served with salsa, sour cream and guacamole

Long live the ladies who brunch (and occasionally bitch…yeah, you can blame that on the mojitos)