July 24, 2022

For Angelica's turn to host she chose not to host and instead picked out a cute brunch place.  Liberty's Kitchen was a perfect spot for us, minus Talia.    It had ample (free) parking, took reservations, was not too loud and had a nice mix of sweet and savory brunch dishes.  There also was a HUGE cocktail list.  

Eggs Benedict.  AMAZING - crisp English Muffin, even more crisp prosciutto and crisp yet creamy breakfast potatoes. CRISP.

Tonya's breakfast board appetizer plus slaw (for some vegetables) and a summer sangria.

Angie's sangria flight.  The right most was the sweetest and my favorite.  I donated the left one to Mary.

Mary started with fried oyster topped deviled eggs and then had an omelet with cheesy grits (boxed up to go).

Angelica had red velvet waffles with chicken strips. 

March 1, 2020

Pre-covid apocalypse at Angelica's with a breakfast or brunch theme.  All were present except for Michelle.

Tonya gifted us with two different mimosa cocktails.  The beautiful Hawaiian Mimosa and the refreshing Lemosa .  Tonya garnished both with fresh fruit which was perfect for our spring gathering.  

Our appetizer were these sausage and cream cheese biscuit bites by Mary.  These are very good and remind me of the the type you make with Bisquick!

For the main dish Angelica picked sweet potato hash. This is a hearty breakfast food that is full of healthy vegetables and vibrant colors.  We sprinkled the bacon on top rather than stirring in with the kale because it is a pet peeve of mine to crisp up bacon and then put back in a dish where it wilts.  Not on my watch.

For dessert was apple cinnamon roll cake.  I used two apples as called out in the recipe and I would suggest adding one or two more to have even more crunchy apples in your cake.

April 3, 2016

Mary started us off with a Beam Honey and Lemonade cocktail.  Instead of club soda she used ginger ale.  She could have used ginger beer because as I have pointed out in the past, ginger beer DOES NOT HAVE ALCOHOL.  I believe there are now some "hard" ginger beers which do have alcohol though I could not find these when I was looking for the elusive ginger beer.

For our appetizer we enjoyed Smoked Salmon Dip.  It was served with crackers, bagel chips and crostini,  I used a 4 oz package of smoked salmon and it looks like a salmon fillet that you order in a restaurant and not lox. HEB carries lox and Sprouts (love you) carries the kind that I used in the dip. I first used lox and was not pleased at all with the results.  So I started over using the correct kind of salmon and it was so tasty.  I used one jalapeno and I seeded it but used the spine from one half.  I thought this was enough heat.  The dip is good for days and I munched on it for the rest of the week.  

For the main dish, we prepared Ham, Spinach and Mushroom Quiche. This dish was as pretty as it was delicious.The recipe is perfect and I would not change a thing.  We doubled the recipe and this equaled two pies plus another pan that Mary added some bread pieces to and I am sure she was eating on for a week! The quiche is very cheesy though it only has 1.5 cups of cheese.  It also re-heats nicely in the oven.

To side with the quiche, I cooked Oven Roasted Potatoes.  The potatoes are good on their own but when you add the topping of bacon, fresh rosemary and thyme, they go to a whole new level of "get in my belly"!  Carol, our guest attendee, told me that you can make very good oven potatoes using a packet of ranch dressing mix.  As I enjoy roasted potatoes, I will have to give it a try sometime.

Berry crisp with Mascarpone Whipped Cream was our scrumptious dessert.  One word:  YUM. Tonya used peaches, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, but kept the total fruit to 6 cups (as in the recipe).  The crisp is not overly sweet and the topping has nice texture with the oatmeal.  The fruit is soft and blends together nicely. The whipped cream was thick and not delicate like a cream only whipped cream.  The mascarpone cheese adds a nice flavor as well..  This crisp was the perfect ending to our brunch-like meal.

November 24, 2013

We meet at my house and missing were Teresa and Carol.  The theme was brunch, which sounded simple for this busy time of year.

Cocktails:  Janet, Sparkling Cranberry Blush and The Best Bloody Mary
Main Dish:  Mexican Eggs in Purgatory
Sweet:  Janet, Breakfast Carrot Cake
Sweet:  Mary, Sweet Potato Bread Pudding
Fruit:  Tonya, Yogurt Parfait
Starch:  Tonya, Best Breakfast Potatoes

Janet started us off with Sparkling Cranberry Blush.  This cocktail was sweet and bubbly.  It is also a beautiful color.  Very festive for the holidays!

I served cream cheese covered in pineapple and habanero sauce and a spicy cranberry salsa.  I also wanted to share my Christmas gift of Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar and Lemon Olive Oil.  Put both on the same plate and dip with bread.  YUM.  So delicious.

For sipping during our meal, Janet prepared The Best Bloody Mary which she garnished with bacon and gherkins.  OH MY!  Anything that has bacon as a garnish is a winner in my book. This recipe has a homemade tomato base that was quite healthy with tomatoes, carrots, beets, fennel and garlic.  Wow!  No need to have a V8 when  you drink this for brunch.

Janet's third contribution to our meal was Breakfast Carrot Cake.  It was divine!  I loved the almonds which gave each bite a mild crunch.  Janet reduced the sugar to 1 tablespoon and 1/4 cup, added seeds from one vanilla bean and used 2 teaspoons of baking powder.  Great, mildly sweet cake with lots of texture.

For the parfaits, Tonya layered vanilla yogurt with granola, diced apples, pears, dried cherries, dried cranberries and dried pomegranate seeds.

Tonya also brought Pioneer Woman's Best Breakfast Potatoes Ever.  These are baked in the oven which makes the potatoes crispy and cooks down the vegetables creating a delicious medley.

Mary is our bread pudding guru and today she dished up Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Pecan Crumble.  YUM.  The addition of sweet potatoes make me think this is healthy but it is really very decadent.  And I like a sweet brunch so this was perfect!

The main dish that we prepared together is called Mexican Eggs in Purgatory.  Essentially it is  sunny side eggs on top of a a tomatillo sauce.  I purchased the tomatillos at Fiesta.  What a wonderful store.  It sells EVERYTHING!  Not just products you think of being popular in Mexico but from all over the world.  I liked the flavor of this dish and it is a dramatic presentation with the eggs nestled in the green sauce. 

Brunch at benjy's

A small contingent of the Gourmet Gals met for brunch on a rainy Sunday.  Brunch is served starting at 11:00 and reservations are necessary.  Benjy's is a trendy yet friendly place with awesome food.  

As with other meal times at benjy's, small bites are served.  Brunch featured spice muffins which tasted of cinnamon and savory biscuits.  Creamy apple butter was served on the side.  We also enjoyed blood orange mimosas.

  

We started off with biscuits with hamburger gravy.  The biscuits were amazingly flaky and I would have loved to have them alone with butter and jelly.  The gravy was like S.O.S. that my parents make and I now make as comfort food.  It was lightly seasoned and delicious with the biscuits.

For entrees we had nut crusted french toast with berries, nut crusted chicken with potatoes (which are ADDICTIVE) and corn puree and crab cakes with a side of eggs, fruit and potatoes.  

The french toast was flavorful even without syrup and light with no greasiness. 

The nut crusted chicken is the same that is served for dinner.  The portion is huge and there is a wonderful crispy crust.

The crab cakes had some cumin and nice overall flavor.  With the sauce it was like an eggs Benedict with crab cakes rather than English muffins.