Q: My husband and I are almost settled into our new condo and we finally have room to entertain. We are having a Sunday brunch housewarming party. I'm pretty good in the kitchen, but I'm at a loss on balanced and seasonally appropriate offerings, especially ones that I can make or organize the day before.
We prefer to be a no-pork/shellfish household, but I'm willing to bend that if there's something amazing that I should serve. I'd also like to offer a special drink beyond lemonade.
Sent by Jessica
Editor: Jessica, there are lots and lots of great menus you could serve for a Sunday housewarming party, but I would probably suggest sticking with classic brunch dishes like egg casseroles and little rolls, which can be prepped the night before and can easily reflect seasonal ingredients and flavors. Here are recipe and tip suggestions and then we'll throw it out to the readers.
• Brunch Party Idea: Baked Apples with Granola and Yogurt
• Cute Make-Ahead Brunch Idea! Bite-Sized Granola Cups
• Brunch Party Tip: Serve Casserole Bites in Muffin Cups
• Breakfast Casseroles & Beyond: 15 Recipes for Brunch
• Recipe: Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar & Tomatoes
• Breakfast Mocktail: Orange and Elderflower Spritzer
Readers, what else would you suggest? Got any fun drinks for a morning brunch party?
Related: How Much Food Should I Make for a Brunch Party?
(Image: Faith Durand)
Monterey Pitcher fr...

Super-easy, can be done the night before, no oven:
-tropical fruit platter
-fresh asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto
Easy, with some minimal cooking:
-mini-muffins
-mini savoury quiches
-egg and bacon filo pies (google it)
I'm throwing a brunch baby shower next weekend and have been scouring the internet for dishes myself. The list above is excellent and I definitely plan to do a strata myself.
However, this list is heavy on the breakfast and you can open things up with some more savory/lunch-y items.
Here's my proposed menu (subject to change due to availability of items at the grocery):
strata (http://annies-eats.com/2010/03/15/spinach-and-cheese-strata/)
mini sandwiches (croissant)
fruit kebabs
dips with bread and veggies (http://www.glutenfreeconfessions.com/2011/08/25/whats-your-favorite-dip/)
pasta salad (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/garden-pasta-with-bocconcini-recipe/index.html)
potato salad (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/potato-salad-recipe/index.html)
brie and raspberry cups (http://gimmesomeoven.com/brie-raspberry-phyllo-cups/)
cupcakes
Some of these recipes are tried and true and I highly recommend them. Have a great party and congrats on your new place!
This smoky frittata is a good make ahead option since you can serve it at room temp.
This spinach and cheese strata: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/spinach-and-cheese-strata/ and these overnight cinnamon rolls: http://www.turntablekitchen.com/2010/02/the-amazing-overnight-cinnamon-rolls/ are both DELICIOUS and are meant to be made the night before and then popped in the oven when you're getting ready to serve. Highly recommended.
I cannot endorse the recommendation for Smitten Kitchen's spinach and cheese strata enough.
This baked blueberry french toast has been a go-to brunch recipe in my family for years, you assemble it the night before and then just bake it in the morning.
Since berries are in season, a big bowl of berries, some plain yogurt, and homemade granola would be nice too.
Baked french toast is always a favorite of mine too. I also make these yogurt granola cups. They are an easy crowd-pleaser. You can make the cups the day before, then scoop the rest in that morning before your guests arrive. http://www.loveumadly.com/2012/04/granola-cups-for-nannie/
I was also going to recommend the strata - it's delicious, filling, and easy to make. If you would rather have it in individual servings, just make it in a muffin tin, but watch the baking time!!
Similar to strata, a friend makes a mean quiche in muffin tins, using either small corn tortillas or wonton wrappers pressed down into the tin for crusts (she just uses what she has at the time). So easy, but very cute & delicious.
Savory cakes/quick breads are always good and feed a lot of people when cut in squares or slices. I made two last week : grated zucchini + bacon & smoked salmon & peas.
I'm also planning an upcoming housewarming brunch! These are some wonderful ideas!
I am planning to harness the power of the slow cooker for my brunch - there is a wonderful french toast casserole recipe in Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen that I intend on using (and have tested quite thoroughly a couple times before)! I'm also considering making a giant pancake, which I just recently tried, where you put pancake batter (you can use a mix if you like, I certainly did) in a slow cooker for an hour or two on high. You can serve it like cake and offer a variety of toppings!
My other suggestion would be to serve a sweet noodle kugel as they can be prepared well in advanced and can even be served cold.
Another idea for the strata is to substitute cooked angel hair pasta for the bread cubes.
Place the pasta in the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the cheese on top of pasta, then pour egg mixture on top. Using a fork, gently move the pasta around to let just a bit of the mixture seep through. This adds a very interesting texture to the dish. Also can be put together the night before and baked just before guest arrive.
You can never go wrong with a baked/broiled brie. Depending on how many servings you need, you can also do stuffed strawberries -- use a melon baller or grapefruit spoon to scoop out a little divot from the stem end, then fill with cream cheese (either sweetened lightly or mixed with a saltier cheese like feta). But don't bother if you're feeding a huge crowd, it's way too much trouble to make in large quantities.
I'm a brunch aficionado, having a little underground brunch restaurant in my flat! I love serving little bites for appetizers and desserts- last week we had homemade applesauce shots for dessert and the app was some horseradish spiked creme fraiche stuffed cherry tomatoes- just really easy finger foods that are still different enough to be entertaining. I think for a crowd, it would be easiest to make ahead a large breakfast casserole/souffle that you can bake the morning of and just slice and serve. Maybe fun to have a "biscuit bar" for guests to grab a warm biscuit and use whatever fillings or spreads they like- I love smashed grapes, homemade cinnamon sugar butter, etc.