The Last Trunk Show...

Before I dive back in, I apologize to you all for my absence the past couple weeks.  I was on vacation for a week and came home to a fridge with no food in it.  The nights have been long at work as we're into our busy season again, and I haven't felt inspired to cook.  I feel like I am a TV show that went on hiatus right in the middle of a good story...Well, now I'm back.  The grocery shopping is done and I am ready to go!

On Sunday, I had some great friends over for some girlie morning munching and my last trunk show as a stylist for a great jewelry company called Stella & Dot.  As much as I love their stuff, it's A LOT of work.  I already have a full-time job, so I am hanging up my hat at the end of May and moving on...why not go out with a bang and some breakfast, right?

Breakfast has to be one of the toughest meals to prepare...mainly because everything has to be hot at the same time.  So, in order to be a great hostess and still enjoy yummy food, bubbly adult concoctions and sparkly jewelry, I decided to pick some tried and true recipes that could be served warm or  at room temperature, taste delicious and satisfy everyone's brunchy munchies.

First, I must mention that my girlfriends and I have a serious love for anything bubbly...prosecco, cava, sparkling wine, champagne--you name it, we'll drink it.  There are so many great, reasonably priced varieties out there nowadays that there really is no reason to NOT feel festive and make any day feel a little bit more special. We opted for mimosas, a classic brunch choice and its cousin, the grapefruit mimosa.  Simple, elegant, girly, and quite frankly, awesome!  Of course, we also had available the other classic brunch selection: Bloody Marys.  Since I feel like most prepared mixes are a bit lame on their own, I decided to add some serious kick to a starter mix I purchased at the store.  When I was home in California last weekend, Mark the bartender at Coyote Grill, was making Bloody Marys with sriracha...whoa, I like his style.  So, taking a page from his book, I turned the volume up on a Sunday classic.

Seriously Spicy Bloody Marys (makes 8 cocktails)

2 bottles bold & spicy Bloody Mary Mix (you can use tomato juice too if you want a milder base)
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
3 tablespoon horseradish
2 teaspoon Sriracha (rooster sauce)
2 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning (a Cali thing)
1 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon celery salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
celery stalks for garnish
celery salt for rimming glasses (optional)
good COLD vodka

Preparation:
In a large pitcher stir together Bloody Mary mix (or 64 oz. tomato juice), Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, horseradish, Sriracha, lemon juice, Montreal steak seasoning, celery salt and black pepper until well mixed.

To Serve:
With lemon wedge, lightly rub the rim of a highball glass.  Dip wet rim onto a plate with celery salt and coat evenly.  Pour in 2 to 3 ounces of good quality vodka (depending on how strong you want it...one friend went for 3 shots...nice!) into glass filled with ice.  Pour prepared Bloody Mary mix and stir to combine.  Add garnish and enjoy!

Look at all that yummy, flavor-packed stuff in there:

This recipe is really a guideline for what I ended up mixing on Sunday.  Ultimately, it comes down to taste.  A good cook tastes everything they make, so sample as you add and stop when it hits the spot for you...and I'll tell you what, it made a pretty darn tasty brunch drink!

Brunch Menu

Fresh Fruit Platter

Egg and Cheese Casserole

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Bacon

Lemon Cake

The main dish is a recipe I was given by my former boss' boss when I was working in California.  We used to have birthday breakfast potlucks and she would always bring this egg dish in to the office.  We all loved it and I was in the beginnigs of my recipe collecting phase as a novice home cook.  Here's the original copy that I have, of course, modified over the years:

After having made this a few times, there are a few changes to the seemingly simple preparation instructions that I have made.  Once I have beaten the eggs, I add the cheeses, butter and chilies to the eggs until well combined. 

Egg and Cheese Casserole (by Laura Price...whoever you are)

12 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces small curd cottage cheese
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
8 ounces ham steak, diced (totally optional)
1 stick butter, melted

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until well blended.  While still beating, add in cheeses, chilies and butter and stir with a spatula. 

Once combined, add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until well blended.  Pour into a buttered baking dish...a 9x13 dish or lasagna dish will work just fine. 

Remember those butter wrappers I mentioned a while ago??  Well, I've been holding on to them in my freezer and use them for just such occasions.    

Place in oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until eggs are firm.  Serve hot!  It's light, fluffy and cheesy.  Not at all spicy, but definitely flavorful.  This recipe can easily be halved to cook for a smaller party.

This casserole makes 12 to 16 servings, depending on how big you cut your pieces.  It is also really yummy as leftovers...seriously!  Just reheat in the microwave and enjoy another day.
 

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

2 pounds baby red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 sprigs rosemary, stripped of needles and chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to season
pepper to season

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Slice potatoes to bite-sized pieces.  This usually means cutting them into quarters.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over potatoes.  Sprinkle on salt, rosemary and pepper.  Time to get dirty!  Using your hands, toss the potatoes to make sure all potatoes are properly and evenly covered with oil and seasonings.  Wash hands. 

Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 30 - 40 minutes tossing the potatoes halfway through to cook evenly.  I put these into the over just before I prepared the casserole and added the casserole to the oven.  The came out about 5 minutes before the casserole and were perfectly cooked!  These are also really good alongside roasted chicken or pork loin at dinnertime.  Just sayin'.

I made this delicious lemon cake recipe and it didn't last!  This is the only picture I managed to get of it, so I will definitely be making it again step-by-step for you all.

We laughed, we sipped, we ate, we shopped and a great time was had by all.  I would say this was quite the perfect swan song to my short-lived career as a direct salesgirl.  I had a blast this past year.  I met some wonderful women, made new friends and acquired some seriously great accessories to wear with my corporate attire during the week and jeans and t-shirts on the weekends.  Now if only it would warm up enough of for me to start sporting the essential weekend wardrobe item: flip flops.  One can keep dreaming...

Now it's time to clean up...yeesh!  It looks like a bomb went of in here.  Maybe one more mimosa first.

Coming Soon: "California Munchin'" - A recap of my trip home to soak up some sun and surprise my family with an unscheduled visit.