Mother's Day Brunch - recipe included

Lizzard Loves thinking she published this post 3 months ago! Oops!

Lizzard Loves Mother's Day. 

Lizzard also loves brunch! Put the 2 together and I am quite happy indeed!

This year I was finally able to make good on my theory that Moms should NOT cook on Mother's Day! In years past, I've been living (like a normal adult does) in my own place away from my parents. This year though, Chris & I have been leeching on my parents & living with them while the house we bought is renovated. Logistically speaking - this is the PERFECT year to prepare brunch for the Moms! 

My Mom & her best friend Lynn have traditionally celebrated the holiday together, along with their families, always in/near the town where they live. Seeing as how I have not been living in the same house, let alone town, in the past years - I have not been able to make & transport the entire meal to them. So this year I put on my stubborn hat & refused any/all offers of help with brunch!

I am so thankful the meal went off without a hitch! I started preparing on Wednesday with grocery shopping round 1 (there were rounds 2,3 & 4 giving the items I needed & how quickly they would spoil). Friday was flower arranging & table setting with a bit of food prep thrown in. Saturday was all cooking for about 7 hours. I love cooking, especially for the people I love, so it was really a day well spent. 

Mother's Day went smoothly! My Mom & Lynn both had portions of their kids/grandkids represented at the table; though they would've preferred to have all of their kids/grandkids present - some is better than none :) Hooray for one of the only meals I've hosted that the timing was spot on. All the food was ready/hot at the same time (which was 30 minutes after the guests arrived - giving everyone enough time to settle in- but not enough time to be hungry enough to gnaw off their own arms).

The menu included the following:

Turtle scones (chocolate, caramel, pecan)

Pecan rolls (mini cinnamon rolls with pecans)

Fruit

Bacon

Sausage

Peggy Malone's Breakfast Casserole (see below for the recipe)

Hash Brown Casserole

Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread (click to order from Belle Plaine Bread)

Plaine Old White Bread (click to order from Belle Plaine Bread)

Cheese & Pepper Bread (click to check out Belle Plaine Bread on Facebook)

Dessert:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries 

Everyday Chocolate Cake (click for the recipe from Smitten Kitchen) with chocolate whipped cream

Peggy Malone's Breakfast Casserole
This is a recipe from my sister in law,Tara's, mom Peggy. Thank you so much for sharing it with us Peggy - I've made it approximately a zillion times :)

Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sweet sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
5 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup half and half
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sauté sausage in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of fork into small pieces, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons parsley; stir 1 minute. Spread sausage mixture in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Whisk eggs, egg yolks, half and half, whipping cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, and salt in large bowl to blend well. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley over. Bake until top of casserole is golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes let rest 5 minutes before serving.

What are your favorite brunch recipes? I wish brunch was an everyday meal, not just a weekend/special occasion meal! Hope you enjoyed your Mother's Day with the special Moms in your life!