Basic brunch

At some point in my morning coffee ritual I started to think "You know this seems like a good day for brunch." But I'm not one to leave the house on weekend mornings until after I've had a sufficient fill of coffee and a good workout. Besides, isn't brunch just so much more delightful when consumed at home in your pajamas?

The solution for me is to get creative, evaluate what I have in the fridge and what I can whip into some sort of yummy, eggy concoction (having eggs on hand usually helps in this process). One time my spontaneous brunch involved scrambling some eggs with ricotta cheese and rosemary and then baking them with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top (I highly recommend it). I also find the brunching an effective way to get rid of stuff in the refrigerator.

Today, I had some of the leek and mushroom quiche I had left over from the party. I always like some sort of bread or starch with my eggs, and today I had a baguette that was a few days old I figured I could revive and make into a delicious accompaniment.

Somewhere along the line I picked up the trick that you can revitalize stale bread by sprinkling it with water and popping it in the oven. So that's what I did. Before cooking for just a few minutes at 350, I also sprinkled the tops with some salt, pepper, fresh rosemary and shredded Gruyere.

But the key to any successful brunch is, of course, the mimosa. I usually have a bottle of cava, the Spanish equivalent of champagne, on hand in the fridge. The beauty of cava is that it packs the same crisp, bubbly punch as champagne, but you can get a good bottle for about $10. I like a rose. I also often have the amazing mango smoothie that Botlthouse Farms makes on hand. Mixing the two together makes for an even more flavorful and impressive mimosa than your standard OJ. (Serve it at a brunch party, and all your friends will think you are awesome).

With that few minutes of cleaning out the fridge and creativity, brunch is on the table!