About six months ago my son and daughter-in-law fled their home in Tallahassee and came down to Miami. My son Christopher rarely visits and it took an actual Hurricane to get him here. It ended up being fine- nothing happened to their house- but they were leaving Sunday and my daughter-in-law lamented that they had to leave early and would miss Spaghetti Sunday.

I, personally, was relieved because Spaghetti Sunday- although a tradition passed on from my paternal grandmother Nanny- is a major production. First, there’s cooking the sauce for hours, making meatballs, sautéing the sausage (you must have pork to make a good sauce) and then all the side dishes. Salad, bread, peas, eggplant parmesan etc… and the pasta has to be cooked and served at the last minute! Serving Spaghetti Sunday is like planning the invasion of D-Day. It takes lots of planning, precise timing and all hands on deck. Frankly, it’s exhausting and clean-up is a production as well.

My solution to an early afternoon departure for the kids? An Easy Brunch, which is also a perfect meal to serve for Mother’s Day.

The advantage of Brunch is its flexible, leisurely and lots of items at Brunch can be served room temperature or made ahead.

At the Brunch for Chris and Courtney I made an Egg, Cheese and Sausage Strata (made ahead and put in fridge to bake the next day), Hash Browns (Ore Ida out of the bag and into the electric skillet), Sliced Tomatoes with basil and Cinnamon Buns (Pillsbury Grands). Yes, I used a lot of packaged items, but I was trying to make it easy on myself. A stressed-out hostess is no fun for anyone! Of course, I also had Orange Juice, Prosecco, Iced Tea, Coffee and Water (sparkling and non) to drink.

I watched the Pioneer Woman on Food Network recently and she had a Brunch featuring an Egg White Frittata, Brioche French Toast with citrus cream cheese and Millionaire’s Bacon. An in-box on my email from Modern Proper suggested Jelly Scones, Baked French Toast and a Breakfast Strata with Mushrooms for Mother’s Day brunch.

Since Brunch straddles Breakfast and Lunch, you can serve variations on either/or, making it very flexible and inclusive. For me, Brunch is not brunch without: an Egg Dish, Fruit Salad, a cured meat, something sweet and Mimosas. A Bloody Mary Bar, where everyone serves themselves, is another fun option.

For this Mother’s Day Brunch, I know I want to serve Banana Bread (the one I’ve been baking lately), Millionaire’s Bacon and Fresh Fruit. My sister Elise offered to bring Quiches and my daughter A.J. has requested Bagels, Lox and Cream Cheese, which are easy enough to pick up. My sister Kelley is bringing a Broccoli Salad, a favorite from our childhood. I like to incorporate some type of vegetable into Brunch, so it’s not all decadence. Asparagus, either hot or in a salad, is a natural choice for the Spring.

But, speaking of decadence, there needs to be something sweet for dessert. Little macarons look pretty in their pastel colors and mini cupcakes (maybe Misha’s?) are always welcome and come in a variety of flavors. There also needs to be some chocolate somewhere for the chocolate lovers in the group, like my sister Elise.

Brunch is so easy and flexible, the possibilities are endless. You could have a Seafood-forward Brunch, a French or Italian Brunch, a Garden Brunch or a Southern Brunch, with Fried Chicken and Biscuits. In Las Vegas, we stay at The Wynn, where they feature an amazing Asian style Brunch, with everything under the sun, from sushi to crab legs to Congee and more.

As you can tell, I’m not cooking a lot at this Brunch, because it’s my Mother’s Day as well! I plan on setting a pretty table, filled with flowers and love. I also bought little gifts for the six mommies attending this Sunday.

Happy Mother’s Day! And, even if you’re hosting Brunch, do like the Eagles say and “Take it Easy!”

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