BREAKFAST FAVORITES BY MARLA FROM "FAMILY FRESH COOKING"

A few weeks ago, I put together a recipe roundup focusing on my favorite Valentine's Day Desserts for my dear friend Marla. It was a real honor for me to be featured on Family Fresh Cooking as I have been reading her lovely blog since 2010 and was lucky to witness how this dazzling woman has developped her cooking, baking, writing and photography skills over the years.

As I had so much fun and pleasure composing my article for Marla, I thought that it would be a great idea to ask her if she wished to return the favor. Thankfully, she didn't refuse my offer and graciously accepted my proposition with much enthusiasm. Her positive response to my request made me extremely happy.

You see, Marla is a talented, optimistic and kind person who is very influential. I respect and admire what she does. Every time I visit her refreshing and unique blog, I take a virtual vacation and feel highly inspired. Her healthy, yet indulgent, original and tempting recipes never fail to make me hungry and her brilliantly radiant pictures (dishes, landscapes as well as sweet family portraits) always make me dream, bring a smile to my face and delight me to the highest point.

For those of you who still don't know who this perky lady is, well let me introduce her shortly.

Marla is a sporty (she skis, surfs & is active at all times and all seasons), energetic, bubbly and proud mother of two (a cute girl and an adorable boy) who lives in Southern California  (Orange County) and feeds an undying love for Telluride in Colarado, travelling, work, anything artistic as well as for quality food. Being fit and on the move is very important for her, so everything she cooks has to have a positive impact on her well-being. Mindful living is her mantra in everything she does and her mission is to inspire a lifestyle through her site.

Even if we don't live on the same continent and have very differents lives, we both have a lot in common. Not only does our mutual enthusiasm for everything related to food, photography and blogging unite us, but also other subjects make us connect. As a matter of fact, we both share an undying love for the nature and especially alpine regions. She happens to be enamoured by a mountainous state I dream of visiting and I reside in a country she is passionate about!

So, today, I am extremely thrilled and grateful to host her fantastic work on Rosa's Yummy Yums. I hope you'll enjoy Marla's marvelous shots and breakfast treats as much as I do...

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Hi there! My name is Marla Meridith and I am the content creator, recipe developer and photographer behind the blog Family Fresh Cooking. I launched my blog back in June 2009. One of the first wonderful people to welcome me to the ever-growing food blogger community was Miss Rosa. I am honored and thrilled to be guest posting here today. Rosa has been an inspiration to me as soon as I stumbled on her stunning site. I am a creative person who loves great food and amazing photography. Rosa offers all of that and more. I try to emulate the same practices on my blog. Sharing a thoughtful, open and honest voice is also very important ~ yet another reason why we hit it off so well.

Another interest we share is a love for travel and the mountain lifestyle. She lives in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Switzerland is first on my bucket list for travel. Although I live at sea level in Orange County (the OC) California, my heart is in the San Juan Mountains ~ in Telluride, Colorado. We spend a good part of the winter and summer there and I jet back as often as possible. My favorite film festival MountainFilm is held every May. Although I just got back from skiing T-Ride a few days ago I am all ready obsessed with the idea of my next visit. I embrace places with awesome people, a sense of history, breathtaking landscapes and of course great food!

Currently I am working on a press trip to Rosa's beautiful country for late June-early July. I will be in the St. Moritz region. Any advice and tips you have for me would be so appreciated, feel free to Email or Facebook me your thoughts on the area. I will take a train from Zurich to St. Moritz and stay at a lovely resort. I will rely on public transportation to bring me and my camera gear around to photograph all the beauty. My goal is to keep it simple, stay near St. Moritz and take day trips to photograph the countryside and small surrounding towns. Currently I know nothing about the region ~ other than the fact that it is beautiful!

Let's talk about food, shall we?

The focus of my recipes is on energetic, whole foods that taste great and keep you going throughout the day. I believe in homemade lunch box meals no matter what your age if you spend lots of time away from the home. Real food tastes great and makes us feel our best. Treats and desserts are super fun too ~ for those I rely on Rosa. She is the queen of gorgeous, internationally inspired decadence. As a matter of fact, she shared some of her beautiful desserts on my blog to honor Valentine's Day earlier this month.

Since breakfast thrills me more than any other meal of the day, I have decided to share with you some of our favorites. The thought of an awesome home made breakfast has me dashing out of bed each day by 4am. A large pot of coffee helps to....

Let's start with my Blueberry Coconut Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal. Not only do we love this because of it's vibrant purple color, but the flavor of sweet blueberries with creamy coconut is heavenly!

If you like to sip your meals in the form of a gourmet frozen shake then you will enjoy my latest Creamy Roasted Carrot Coconut Shake. This is kind of like carrot cake in a frosty glass. Do be sure to roast your carrots first as this is what will add all of that great flavor to your creamy, dreamy shake.

You might notice a theme in my breakfasts...most include form of coconut and lots of nuts. I am nuts for nuts, and they always need to be toasted to bring out their fullest flavor.

Have a heart & cut your toast into heart shapes with a big cookie cutter. This is my sweet twist on scrambled eggs: Sweet Coconut Scrambled Eggs on Toast.

If you are more in the mood for a savory breakfast, frittatas are another great option. Here is my Baby Peas and Cheese Frittata. I use a combination of my favorite cheeses in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorites too no matter what the combination. Cheese rules and that is all there is to it.

Now back to some sweetness....Do you ever have sweet potatoes for breakfast? We sure do in my Quinoa Sweet Potato Breakfast Bake. I love that sweet potatoes are such a healthy food that taste great both sweet or savory. My Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon are a great option for party appetizers or to much with a hearty green salad.

No matter what the season pumpkin is always a favorite. I stock up on cans of pumpkin purée in the winter months so I can enjoy it throughout the year. My Pumpkin Pie Tart has a gluten free & vegan almond meal crust. It takes hardly any time at all to bake up, it's the quickest way I have found to make a pumpkin pie from scratch.

Yes, we do enjoy this tart-pie for breakfast, snacks and desserts. It is super healthy & of course delicious!

If you want a quick handheld breakfast then how about Chai Carrot Pear Muffins? Another gluten free and vegan recipe. For the record in our house we are not gluten free or vegan, but I love experimenting and providing recipes for all different lifestyle choices.

This was based off my recipe for Chai Pear Carrot Sauce. Serve this fruity spiced sauce with yogurt for creamy parfaits....

Last, but certainly not least feel free to indulge in my Gluten Free Harvest Fruit Crumble. Embrace the flavors of the season with fresh fruit topped with almond meal, old fashioned rolled oats and sunflower seeds. Feel free to use the freshest seasonal fruits.

Thanks for having me over for a visit & I hope to connect with you over on my blog too!

Visit me at Family Fresh Cooking and I am all over the web: on Pinterest, Twitter,  Facebook, StumbleUpon & Instagram.

 All of the images in this post are ©Marla Meridith Photography.
 

CARDAMOM CRUMB CAKE

During the weekend, I'm always looking for easy to make, yet highly pleasurable treats that we'll be able to savor in front of our favorite series...

While going through my much-loved copy of Dorie Greenspan's "Baking Fom My Home To Yours", a streusel-topped cake attracted my attention with it's interesting combination of flavors and moist texture. It looked and sounded so good. I knew that I had to try it!

Although, at first glance, this crumb-topped coffee cake looks somehow plain, I wasn't at all disappointed as it is really not just an ordinary baked good. From afar, it looks just like any other cake and seems not to be too special, but once you take a bite from it, you immediately realise that it is unique and soul-upliftingly divine.

Dorie Greenspan's "Cardamom Crumb Cake" is heavenly. The unusual combination of cardamom, coffee, walnuts, vanilla and orange zest is just mindblowingly fantastic, and it's smooth as well as moist inside pairs perfectly well with the generous layer of cardamom-spiced, walnut-dotted crunchy topping.

A delicious cake for all occasions!

~ Cardamom Crumb Cake ~
Recipe from Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home To Yours" and adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Makes one cake or 8 servings.

Ingredients for the "Crumbs":
1/2 Cup (64g) All purpose flour
1/2 Cup (60g) Coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 Cup (70g) Castor sugar
1 Tbs Grated orange zest
1/2 Tsp Instant espresso powder
1/2 Tsp Ground cardamom
1/2 Stick (4 tbsp/60g) Unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, at room temperature
Ingredients for the "Cake":
2 Cups (255g) All purpose flour
2 Tsps Baking powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 1/4 Tsps Ground cardamom
1 Tsp Instant espresso powder
2/3 Cup (140g) Castor sugar
2 Tbs Finely grated orange zest
1 Stick (8 tbsp/120g) Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 Large Eggs (~63g)
1/2 Cup (120g/ml) Whole milk
1/2 Cup (120g/ml) Strong coffee, cooled
1 1/2 Tsp Pure vanilla extract or paste

Method for the "Crumbs":
1. Put all the ingredients except the butter in a bowl and toss them together with a spatula just to blend.
2. Add the butter and, using your fingers or the spatula, mix everything together until you have crumbs of different sizes.
3. Set the crumbs aside.
Method for the "Cake":
4. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 200° C (400° F).
5. Butter an 20x20cm (8 inch square) pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Put the pan on a baking sheet.
6. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and espresso powder in a large bowl.
7. Turn the dry ingredients out onto a sheet of wax paper and put the sugar and zest in the bowl. Rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of orange strong, then return the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk to blend.
8. Put the remaining ingredients in another bowl and whisk them to blend.
9. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir - don't beat - to mix.
10. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and top with a thick, even layer of the crumbs. 11. Pat the crumbs ever so gently into the batter.
12. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake has risen (it will crown), the crumbs are golden and a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
13. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Remarks:
Why not replace the walnuts by pecans?
When mixing the butter with the dry crumb ingredients, remember that it's nice to have a few big pieces, so don't overdo it.
The crumbs can be made up to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated.
When mixing the wet ingrdients with the dry ones, stir only until you've got an evenly moistened batter.
Cut the cake in the pan, otherwise, if you transfer it to a serving plate, you'll lose some of the crumbs when you turn it over.
This cake is best served on the day it is made, but it can be airtight wrapped and frozen up to 2 months (once it defrosts, it benefits from a quick warm-up in a 180° C/350° F oven).

Serving suggestions:
Serve warm or at room temperature for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dessert. You can even drizzle some flavored (cardamom, coffee or vanilla) glazing over the cake.

***************

~ Cake A La Cardamome~
Recette tirée du livre de Dorie Greenspan's "Baking From My Home To Yours" et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums.

pour 1 cake ou 8 parts.

Ingrédients pour le "Streusel":
1/2 Tasse (60g) de Farine blanche/fleur
1/2 Tasse (60g) de Noix de Grenoble grossièrement hachées
1/3 de Tasse (70g) de Sucre cristallisé
1 CC de Zeste d'orange
1/2 CC de Poudre à café (espresso) soluble
1/2 CC de Cardamome en poudre
60g de Beurre non-salé, coupé en 8 morceaux, à température ambiante
Ingrédients pour le "Cake":
2 Tasses (255g) de Farine blanche/fleur
2 CC de Poudre à gâteau/lever
1/2 CC de Sel
1 1/4 de CC de Cardamome en poudre
1 CC de Poudre à café (espresso) soluble
2/3 de Tasse (140g) de Sucre cristallisé
2 CS de Zeste d'orange
120g Beurre non-salé, fondu et à température ambiante
2 Gros oeufs (~63g)
1/2 Tasse (120g/ml) de Lait entier
1/2 Tasse (120g/ml)de Café fort, à température ambiante
1 1/2 CC d'Extrait ou de pâte de vanille pure

Méthode pour le "Streusel":
1. Mettre tous les ingrédients sauf le beurre dans un bol et bien mélanger.
2. Ajouter le beurre et, en utilisant les doigts, bien incorporer le beurre afin d'obtenir une texture grossière s'apparentant à du sable grossier (grains de différentes tailles).
3. Mettre ce mélange de côté.

Méthode pour le "Cake":
4. Mettre une grille au centre du four et préchauffer à 200° C (400° F).
5. Beurrer un moule carré de 20x20cm et le saupoudrer de farine, puis enlever l'excédent en tapant sur le dos moule.
6. dans un grand bol, mélanger ensemble la farine, la poudre à lever, le sel, la cardamome et la poudre de café soluble.
7. Mettre le sucre et le zeste d'orange dans un petit bol et les frotter ensemble avec les doigts afin que les zestes libèrent toutes leur saveur, puis transférer ce mélange dans le grand bol et bien mélanger.
8. Mettre tous les ingrédients restants dans un bol moyen et battre légèrement afin d'obtenir un mélange homogène.
9. Verser le mélange liquide sur le mélange sec et incorporer délicatement (sans battre ni trop mélanger) afin d'obtenir une pâte.
10. Verser la pâte dans le moule et saupoudrer avec le "streusel".
11. Appuyer légèrement sur le "streusel" afin qu'il adhère/colle bien à la pâte.
12. Cuire pendant 30-35 minutes, ou jusqu'à ce que la lame d'en couteau inséré dans le cake en ressorte propre.
13. Mettre sur une grille et laisser le cake refroidir.

Remarques:
Pourquoi ne pas remplacer les noix de Grenoble par des noix de pécan?
Quand vous incorporez le beurre au mélange sec pour le streusel, faites-le tout en faisant un sorte que le streusel soit pas trop fin.
Le streusel peut être fait 3 jours à l'avance et conservé au frigo dans un récipient bien étanche.
Quand vous incorporez les ingrédients mouillés aux ingrédients secs, ne mélangez pas trop - juste suffisamment afin que ça forme une pâte.
Coupez ce cake dans le moule. Si vous le transférez, vous risquez de perdre une grande quantité de streusel au cours de l'opération.
Ce cake est meilleur lorsqu'il est mangé le même jour. Par contre, il peur être bien emballé et congelé (pas plus de deux mois et, une fois, dégelé, passé au four à 180° C).

Idées de présentation:
Servir ce cake tiède ou à température ambiante, pour le petit-déjeuner, le brunch, le slunch, les quatre heures ou pour le dessert.
Vous pouvez même le servir avec un glaçage (qui fera office de sauce) à la cardamome, au café ou à la vanille.

"SUNDAY BRUNCH MEME" ROUND-UP

"SUNDAY BRUNCH MEME"

BLOGGING-EVENT & ROUND-UP

Finally, the round-up has been released!

When I created this event, I never thought that it would be so popular. There were so many entries (52 all in all) that I got overwhelmed be the amount of work it represented. In a sense, I was somehow a "victim" of my own success. Amazing!

I hope that you'll enjoy the round-up and that it will give you ideas for your future Sunday breakfasts and brunches...

I wish to thank you all for your interest in this event and for your enthusiasm. Without you nothing would have been possible!!!

American bloggers:

Butta Buns at "Butta Buns" has been neglecting her brunches (see link) lately, although in the past, it was something that could have been compared to a mad competition or a monster affair of scrambled eggs, crepes, waffles, deep fried French toast, homemade hash, and every class of bacon under the sun!

Thankfully, Butta Buns and Q have restarted the ritual. She will now stop by the store to buy smoked salmon and all the other ingredients needed in order to make a bagel & lox sandwich or she will buy some beer for her Welsh rarebit...


Gattina at "Kitchen Unplugged" is a Hongkong Chinese who remembers having surreal brunches at the Hilton hotel, every Sunday. There, with her husband, she used to have fresh brewed coffee, juicy scrambled eggs and toasts with fruit preserves. Now that they live in the US, they are very content to have a comforting range of fried doughs and fried cookies...

During their childhood, both of them had fried food for breakfast, so naturally that's what Gattina chose for their Sunday brunch. Her "Chocobanache Beignets" (see link) look wonderful and very scrumptious!


Jmom at "In Our Kitchen" always has either a Southern or an Filippino breakfast. She loves that kind of food so much that she even has breakfast in place of dinner!

With her husband, she has country ham, plenty of green tomatoes, fried green tomatoes along with liver pudding accompanied with buttery grits.


Lannae at "Lannae's Food And Travel" likes her Sunday brunch (see link) to be simple and enjoyable. She loves to slow down and enjoy her free time, therefore she wants no fuss at the table...

She enjoys to take time to look at something like Cook's Illustrated, the New York Times, or some other kind of magazine, to sip her coffee with a drop non-homogenized whole milk and eat some homemade healthy granola (recipe on her blog).


Ming The Merciless at "New York City Daily Photo" loves brunches and likes to eat a nice meal before visiting a museum or before a walk around the city on Sunday morning.

His ideal meal is composed of eggs cooked sunnyside up, sausages, home fries, rye toasts with butter and a cup of good coffee.
Some weeks ago, he had scrambled egg burritos topped with salsa verde and Mexican queso blanco served with black beans and home fries (potatoes), three cups of coffee with milk and no sugar.


Paz at "The Cooking Adventures Of Chef Paz" likes to get her Sunday brunch (see link) delivered from a little coffee shop near her place. She agrees on the fact that it's maybe not all that healthy, but, oh boy, it looks scrummilicious!

Sometimes, she goes out for brunch. She will then order something healthier like fruits and toast. But what she loves the most are pancakes. It is her treat...

This time, Paz ordered sausages, pancakes and eggs. A heavy brunch that she usually finishes off with a can of Coke!


Penglobe at "Penglobe", an expat living in the Big Apple, has kept a good souvenir of her brunches (see link) at the hotel "Le Palace" in Biarritz (France)...

The brunch buffet consisted of yoghurts, d fresh fruits, various cheeses, fruit salads, "Galette A La Frangipane" (frangipany tart), different kinds of cakes, dried fruits, baked items like "Croissants", "Pains Au Chocolat" (chocolate croissants) or "Pains Au Sucre" (little brioches topped with sugar), jams and freshly pressed fruit juices.


Sher at "What Did You Eat?" really loves brunches (see link) as it's her favorite meal, although she admits that she doesn't have them very often on the weekend (generally she'd have cold cereals). For her, it is a good occasion to eat a lot of fine stuff and invite her official tester, Nancy...

She decided upon making a marvelous "Sweet Cherry & Almond Coffee Cake" (recipe on her blog) after having seen a recipe that she wanted to try on another blog.


Susan at "Food Blogga" 's favorite brunch (see link) dish is very laid-back and is a popular Tex-Mex cuisine item, since she lives in Southern California: huevos rancheros (ranch-style eggs = eggs served over wheat or corn tortillas).

She loved EVERY huevos rancheros that she had and NEVER did she eat the same twice as it was prepared differently each time! She'll have her eggs either fried, scrambled or sunny side up. As toppings, she'll have black beans or pinto, veggies like peppers, potatoes, corn, and chayote squash, cheese from sharp cheddar to Jack to Cotija, sour cream, guacamole and even certain sauce like fiery moles and various salsas...


Swank Cateterers at "What's cooking In Carolina?" says that in the South, people don't really have brunch. It's not such a big thing, but they do have breakfast (see link)...

They love to have bacon, sausage (local sausage from southern pig farmers) and ham (country) with toasted breads (local seeded multi grain), grits (a combo of local white and yellow), hash browns. Muscadine jelly or raspberry or fig (homemade) is added for those with a sweet tooth. And in-season fruits! If they have many people at home, then they'll make blueberry pancakes or pecan waffles. When entertaining friends, They like to make eggs Benedict with bacon or crab with an English muffin, a crab cake, a poached egg with freshly made hollandaise and a mimosa. Lately, they've been having sour cherry juice and champagne.

However, lately, they've been trying to loose some weight and unless they have guests, mostly they've been rotating breakfast; one day, hard boiled egg with fat free cottage cheese and yogurt and the next, an egg white omelet stuffed with Gwatney low fat sausage, sautéd with bell pepper, onion, garlic and low fat provolone cheese and topped with homemade salsa. Another occasional treat is their version of "shit-on-a-shingle".


Tartelette at "Tartelette", very much like Sher, chose to blog about her wonderful "Cherry And Coconut Coffee Cake" (by Dorie Greenspan) which disapeared very rapidly after it was proposed to her guests...

Generally, on Sundays, she'll have brioche that she either toasts or transforms into French toast. A few months after moving to the US, she immediately fell in love with coffee cakes. That's exactly what she made in order to use her stash of fresh cherries!



Vanessa at "Confiture Maison" is a real brunch freak! Her family's table is just covered with gorgeous food!

They all love: buttermilk pancakes with fresh mango and slices of apple (being a Frenchie, she always gets the jams out, malthough maple syrup always takes over!), chocolate chip pancakes (for her children), linseed flour and cranberry muffins, asparagus and cheddar omelet, beet(root) greens omelet....


Canadian bloggers:

Burekaboy at "Is That My Buréka?" doesn't care much about breakfasts as food first thing in the morning is the last thing on his mind. Brunch (see link), on the other hand, is more his style on weekends as he likes to enjoy it with friends...

Generally he has brunch outside, either at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, the Queen Elizabeth Hotel (more upscale), at an eatery called "Beauty" or at a chain restaurant named "Eggspectations".

His typical brunch consists of coffee, a fruit salad, either french toast or omelet or bagel with cream cheese & lox, a pastry of some sort and maybe some fruit juice. That definitely fills him until late afternoon...


Carja at "Chroniques Gourmandes" admits to have spent hours in her kitchen in order to prepare the Sunday brunch (see link) to which her father was invited! After their regenerative meal, they went out to take a walk around old Québec.

Here's the menu on that day: quiche with mushrooms and onions, banana cookies, croissants, fresh fruits (melon, strawberry, mandarin...), spreads (apple sauce with marple syrup, milk caramel) and condiments (fruit ketchup and vinegared beetroot).


Gato Azul at "Gato Azul - Chat Bleu" has the most well-decorated and raffined breakfast table (see link) I have ever seen! During the warmers days, she loves to eat while reading her books, on her magnificent verrandha with a view over her dreamlike garden and with the sound of birds chirping...

Firstly, she has a marple yoghurt, then she eats a few blueberry pancakes with sausages and marple syrup. Gato Azul also has to drink a "Café Au Lait" (coffee with hot milk), otherwise her meal would not be complete!


Greg & Josée at "Greg & Josée (Au Québec)" have eaten their breakfast (see link) outside on their terrace in order to appreciate the warmth of the spring sun.

A very enjoyable moment of peace shared around a cup of good hot chocolate and some fresh bread!



Miss Diane at "Les Carnets De Miss Diane" has a very kind partner who prepared a whole breakfast (see link) for her...

Here's his susprise table: mimosa (orange juice with sparkling wine, buckwheat crepes, marple syrup and marple flakes, strawberry and rhubarb puree and black coffee.



English blogger:

Paul and Freya at "Writing At The Kitchen Table" have prepared a extra special post as it was bank holiday in England. So, since Paul is in charge of the Sunday cooking, he decided to get up early in order to get two quails out of the freezer and some leftover food that he cooked and processed until it formed a kind of frappe. You are getting afraid by now, thinking "who's this mad guy?"! Well, let me tell you, it was for the dogs, hehe!

On this day, their brunch (see link) consisted of: homemade (English) chips liberally sprinkled with sea salt and vinegar from the jar of pickled onions with two fried organic eggs, fried organic streaky bacon, hashbrowns and toasted bread...


Filippino blogger:

ChichaJo at "80 Breakfasts" loves European-style breakfasts, but for this game, she decided to prepare a traditional Filippino breakfast (see link) instead. In the Filippines, people love breakfasts and know how to fill up their stomachs!

Here's her typical breakfast called "tapsilog": cured meat (wild boar tapa) doused with her homemade vinegar mix that has pieces if bird’s eye chilies as well as ginger, garlic and pepper and accompanied by fried rice and eggs.



French bloggers:

2Boubous at "Un P'tit Creux?" loves breakfasts, but for her, brunches (see link) are really the quintessence of Sundays, because one can take time to prepare everything and start the day perfectly!

Her brunch goes as follows: strawberry and apricot salad with balsamic vinegar and vanilla sugar and fresh blueberry pancakes with chocolate sauce...



Anne at "Papilles Et Pupilles" wanted to speak about a magical place where she has brunched (see link) lately: on a barge named "La Dame De Shanghai".

There, the choice of food is vast and ranges from savory stuff to sweet things. You can even have warm dishes as well as cold dishes...


Carpe Diem at "Repaire Et Repère" gets up around dawn, so she usually has breakfast (see link) instead of preparing brunch...

This time though, she made a brunch that consisted of: coffee, tea, seeded bread rolls, small brioches with or without chocolate chips, fig and vine peach jams, a cream cake, seasonal fresh fruits, lavender honney and fresh goat's cheese marinaded in olive oil with herbs.


Céline-Marine at "Comme Une Bulle" has got out her Japanese plates and pots especially for us! Generally she keeps her brunches quite simple and most of the time she's alone to eat.

On her table, you'll always find tea (orange tea), proteins (chicken, tofu, graved lax, scrambled eggs...), cereals (healthy cereal muffins, scones, granola or slices of bread), a milk product (biological goat's yoghurt mixed with honey) and fresh fruits (strawberries dipped in sugar). For this very blog event, she has decided to treat us with some luxurious food. Her protein count was brought by smoked eel, dill shrimps and a deliciously tender biological smoked salmon!


Chris at "Coups 2 Coeurs" has problems organizing a real brunch (see link) because her little girl of five is always here to remind her that the dinner can't wait till 1pm and that she wants to eat pasta and meat! So, with her husband, she has to find a compromise: a big breakfast-brunch.

On their table you'll more likely find the following items: coffee, tea, hot chocolate, freshly pressed orange juice, fresh fruits (kiwis, bananas, cherries, strawberries, apricots, pears...), yoghurts or cream/fresh cheese, bread to eat with homemade jam (pear, strawberry, fig...), cereals with milk or spice bread, fresh and warm croissants, cake and even some cheese.


Dorian at "Mais Pourquoi Est-Ce Que Je Vous Raconte Ca..." starts being nostalgic at the mere thought of brunches. In the past, he and his wife used to sleep until the middle of the afternoon and brunch (see link) only then. Now that they have three children things have drastically changed. There is no time to stay in bed anymore!

Here's the great food Dorian prepared for his family's gourmet brunch: a rolled omelet with herbs and spices, a shrimp salad with 2 kinds of pomelos, chocolate bread (cake) with orange marmelade, orange rind butter, pistachio praline butter and a sparkling pomelo drink.


Eglantine at "Le Placard d'Elle" considers her breakfast time (see link) as privileged. She enjoys the silence and calm that surrounds her and likes to either read the newspaper or play crosswords...

If she doesn't have anything to eat, then she can quite easily become irrascible! And although, it is an important meal to her eyes, it doesn't have to be big.

She'll always have a bowl of milk coffee without sugar, a bit of bread (sometimes toasted), crackers with butter (never any jam). Exceptionally she'll eat some leftover fruity dessert or during the holidays, the breakfasts will be quite big with bread and jam. When there are guests, she'll treat them well and she'll then have with them (after having firstly eaten breakfast earlier on in order to be in good spirits)...


Emilie at "Le Blog D'une Jeune Maman" gets up very early on weekends, so she'll always have a classic breakfast (see link)...

It goes in that way: a few expressos (while reading a magazine or a book), lightly toasted and warm fresh bread with butter (that melts thaks to the heat of the toasted bread) and homemade jam (fig jam made by her parents or her own mirabelle jam)...


Gracianne at "Un Dimanche A La Campagne" generally feels lazy on Sundays and although all her little family prefers to either have a light breakfast and a big dinner around 2pm, this time, they exceptionally had a gargantuesque and delicious brunch (see link).

It all started with a typical English breakfast (eggs, bacon, baked tomatoes, sausages, fried mushrooms and beans), then it was followed by pancakes with tons of maple syrup, a fruit salad (strawberries, mangoes, apples and oranges soaked in a fragrant ginger and pepper syrup) and finally their brunch ended with a "Bourdaloue Tart" (a French pear and almond tart) that one of Gracianne's friends brought with her.


Hélène at "Chez Becky Et Liz" seems to love brunching (see link).

On her table you'll find: orange juice, a pallet of different fruits, ham, eggs, sardines, croissants, jam yoghurts, herbed fresh cheese spread....


Hélène at "Dans L'assiette De Mademoiselle Charlotte & Cie" never has breakfast, so she didn't know how to take part in this game. Fortunately, she met other foodbloggers in Paris with whom she had brunch (see link) at a nice place called "Les Editeurs"!

There were 20 of them at the same table and it was delicious! The menu was as follows: hot drinks, a basket full of baked goods (viennoiseries, bread, toast, jam, butter...), fresh fruit juices, scrambled eggs and a salad with marinaded salmon, fresh cheese with honey and sesame seeds and a fruit salad.


Iris at "Le Potager D'Iris" has a simple, but really enjoyable breakfast...

She eats croissants, pains au chocolat and drinks milk coffee (café au lait). Her girls prefer to have some muffins and orange juice....


Jess at "Salmorejo, Paella, Turròn and Co" likes to be lazy on Sunday s, to spend time with her partner and have a good breakfat/brunch (see link)...

That's what they like to have: hot drinks (cappuccino, coffee, hot chocolate and green tea with mint), cold drinks (orange juice, vitamin juice and milk), sweet treats (peaches in syrup, homemade bread, chocolate cake with pecans and salty butter, vanilla brioche, little brioches and biscotti), spreads (butter, honey, apricot jam and berry jam), savory delicacies (plancha fried quail eggs, plancha fried bacon, plancha fried speck, gouda and hard-boiled quail eggs).


Katie at "Thyme For Cooking" speaks about her past brunches (see link), before they gave any thought to calories, cholesterol or any form of healthy eating...

Generally they included a huge Prime Rib Roast, a freshly baked ham, eggs Florentine, Benedict, poached, scrambled or fried, potatoes (scalloped, au gratin, fried) and Cheesy Hash Browns, some sort of fish (poached or pan-fried), peel'em-yourself shrimp, toast, bacon, sausage, waffles and pancakes, fruit crepes, cheese blintzes, chocolate cake, donuts and pastries and Irish Coffee.

Then, they joined health clubs, went to fancy health spas on vacation, cut back on one or two things in their diet and eliminated the brunches. They had fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast, the only acknowledgment of Sunday was a pot of gourmet coffee to sip whilst reading the Sunday Funnies!

Now, they tend to eat light meals in the morning. Other than the once-a-year early Sunday morning deliver of fresh croissant and pain au chocolat, they'll have cereals (usually Bran Flakes). In winter, sometimes, they'll have hot porridge and rarely, they'll have omelets or poached eggs. The closest they come to any decadence at all is 'Fitness avec Chocolat Noir', rice and oat flakes with a few 'petals' coated in a lovely dark chocolate.

Times have changed...

Lavande at "Ligne Et Papilles" rarely has brunches, because she has young children and never has time for anything else than a light breakfast (wholemeal bread or cake with a cold chocolate) at 7am.

Since she was in Aurillac at a food festival, she has taken the opportunity to blog about brunches (see link) and the buffet at the hotel...

Lucile Poppins at "Si J'y Arrive..." had the following stuff for breakfast (see link): German pumpernickel bread with butter, soft-boiled egg and bread fingers to dip in, some grapefruit and a cup of tea...



Lulu et Ninie at "Les Gourmandises Des Petites Bloggeuses" had a brunch (see link) after waking up late because they went to a school party...

That's what they had: strawberries, melon, te, kamut bread, cake leftovers (cannelés, meringues, "moelleux" cake with strawberries and "merveilles/French doughnuts"), sliced and fried blood sausages, tomatoes, bread, charcuteries...


Mamina at "Et Si C'était Bon" is a real gourmet with golden hands. She usually doesn't like to get up late, but if she finds that it's not breakfast time anymore, then she'll decide upon having brunch (see link).

In the morning, she's not a savory person, so a hard boiled egg with bread and salty butter is pretty much the only thing that she can swallow. Mamina is a real sweet tooth... She'll have an expresso or two accompanied by a viennoiserie or a slice of cake, orange juice, fresh fruit mixed with cream/fresh cheese and a few apricots.


Marie Flo at "Ma Nature 2" believes that when you eat well for breakfast (see link), you start your day in a healthy way...

With her husband, she'll have a cup of tea or coffee, orange juice, Budwig cream (see infos), seasonal fresh fruits (vitamins) and homemade brioche with jam and butter.


Marion at "Il En Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux" prepared a post that compiled a complete week worth of brunches (see link). She loves that kind of meal as you can do what you want, have fun and prepare astronomical quantities of food!!!

Here are the wonderful recipes (see posts entitled "What's For Brunch" I-IV) she's decided to share with us: carrot cake, chorizo and camembert muffins, English spices and fig scones, banana bread, olive oil cakes, dulce leche, lemon curd and strawberry and balsamic vinegar jam.


Mercotte at "La Cuisine De Mercotte" knows what a good brunch (see link) is. Being an admirable baker and cook, she is also a real specialist when it comes to organizing a brunch, because she has a guest house!

If you are one of her guests, here's what you'll be likely to enjoy at her place: brioches, chocolate cakes with almonds and raspberries, homemade bread, pumpkin cake, praline cake, cardamom cookies, "Nonnettes" (round little spice cakes), muffins, fresh fruit salad with "Faisselle" (fresh cheese), farmer's butter, homemade jams, the neighbor's honey, leftovers like macaroons or fruit candy, argan oil brioche, serrano ham, cheeses, farm eggs and the list is long... All that good stuff is, of course, accompanied by various kinds of teas, coffees (black or latte macchiato), hot chocolates made with Varloha chocolate.


Mingoumango at "La Bouche Pleine" also likes to have brunch (see link) which is very classical, but ever so enjoyable and well-balanced. As it takes a certain time to prepare, Mingoumango's boyfriend nibbles on something like a cookie while waiting for the brunch to be ready...

Mingoumango also tells us that she has seduced her lover thanks to her gorgeous brunches. So girls, there's no excuse now, you know how to win the heart of your darling!!!

Here's how it goes: soft-boiled eggs, a "Baguette Monge" (for dipping in the egg yolk and making "tartines"), a yoghurt sweetened with raspberry jam, freshly pressed fruit juice ("Bloody Smoothie"), a hot chocolate (by C. Felder), a croissant, Nutella paste, Isigny butter.


Mounet at "Cerises Et Clafoutis" and her husband are always the first in the house to wake up on Sunday mornings. Their daughters (with their boyfriends) generally get out of bed a little later and join them for brunch (see link)...

This Sunday they had homemade jams (Spanish melon, strawberry, rose, cherry...), honey (all kinds of flowers and a Haute-Savoie honey another blogger sent), homemade spelt bread, salty butter from Guérande, coffee, praline brioche and fruit juice (blood orange and orange).


Mutante at "Cuisine Mutante" who still lives at home either eats alone (because her mother doesn't eat in the morning) or eats with her boyfriend when he's at her place or if they are on holiday.

Here's an example of what she will have: milk coffee (or coffee milk) without sugar, anything sweet that she finds (leftovers of cakes, cookies waffles, crepes), a soft-boiled egg (very rarely though), brioche if her mother makes jam, cereals (if she goes to school), viennoiseries (when her boyfriend is there), a verrine with cream cheese or yoghurt (during the holidays) and sugar buns.


Mylena at "Autour De M" loves to have breakfast on a sunny terrace during her holidays. In her post, she shows us the delicious food that was served when she was at the hotel "Le Columbo" in Porto.

Slices of fresh fruits, yoghurts and chestnut flour cake, raspberry sabayon and chocolate cake, crème brûlée and cake with chocolate chips, mango-coconut-pineapple tiramisù and almond biscotti...


Oum Koulthoum at "1001 Saveurs" generally wakes up quite late on Sunday mornings and has a consistant breakfast which is in fact a brunch (see link). As she has problems wih savory food at this time of the day, she subsequantly eats sweet food...

Here is the brunch she had: chrik (Constantinean brioches) filled with milk chocolate or not, mint tea, orange juice and cherry honey (to eat with the non-filled brioches).

Sometimes, Oum Koulthoum will make her bread on Saturday evening, other times she will get up early in order to make waffles, crepes, beignets... She always drinks tea (Lipton, mint, etc...) and at certain times, she'll eat a yoghurt


Pauline at "La Fée Maison", who temporarely lives in Turkey (till September) with her boyfriend RV, loves to brunch. As a matter of fact, back in Nantes it is their favorite activity! After having run and bought food at the Talensac market, they brunch (around 1-2 pm).

Here's an example of what they like to eat and drink: guacamole, raisin crepes, viennoiseries, melon, fried bananas, some tarama or tzatziki, shrimps, bread and butter...


$ha at "P'tit Miam Tout En Couleur" had another foodblogger (Claude-Oliver from Switzerland) at home, so they both had an exceptionally festive and non-traditional breakfast!

They had: sweet and savory muffins, almond and goji berry cookies, a fresh fruit salad (kiwi, pineappla and ginger), one leftover candied mango and ginger madeleine, homemade yoghurts, maple syrup, peach and coconut juice as well as coffee...


Véro at "Cuisine Métisse" loves to have breakfast and for her, brunches (see link) are the best of all breakfasts. Generally, they vary depending on what's in her cupboards or depending on her mood...

Here is the kind of classic brunch that Véro and her family will have when they wake up late: a big tea for her, a cappuccino for her "Doudou" (hubby) and hot chocolates for the girls, croque-monsieurs, toasted bio-bread, fruits (grapefruits, passionfruits, kiwis...), free trade fruit juice (guava), jams (her favorites are blackberry and fig/violet) and buttermilk scones.


Zutmarie at "Crème Laurette" can't sleep till late on Sunday mornings, therefore she'll have breakfast (see link) rather than brunch. Anyhow, she likes this special moment as she can take her time to enjoy things...

She usually always eats some cereals, a fruit, has a milk product and a hot beverage. This very Sunday, she had: cereal bread, some fruits, milk, Nutella, hibiscus and pineapple tea, coconut jam, blackberry jam, banana and raspberry pancakes with maple syrup and macha and raspberry muffins.


Israeli blogger:

Baroness Trapizina at "Baroness Trapuzina" never has brunch on Sundays for the simple reason that, in Israel, the working week starts on that very day! Anyhow she still decided to take part in the event, because, with her husband, Baroness Trapuzina loves to brunch on Saturdays.

They'll always have a herbed omelet, fresh squeezed orange juice from oranges that grow three minutes walk from their home, fresh brewed coffee, various Israeli soft and semi-soft cheeses, jam and homemade bread or scones. This time, she made wholewheat scones with cottage cheese, labane and Bulgarian cheese spread, and served a leftover fruit salad.


Portuguese blogger:

Elvira at "Tasca Da Elvira" never really brunches...

Occasionally, during the winter, she'll have an American-style brunch with fried eggs, bacon, French toasts with fig jam, coffee, fruit juices...

It is only when she is out of home that she'll have a late Portuguese- style breakfast or brunch (see link): pâo-de-lò (see recipe), seasonal fruits, cheese, charcuteries (see infos), homemade pumpkin and cherry jam, mountain honey, salted butter, fresh bread, fruit juices and milk coffee...


Swiss blogger:

Claude-Olivier at "1001 Recettes" went to a foodies picnic in France and then visited $ha with whom he had breakfast (see link).

The complete report was posted on her blog "P'tit Miam Tout En Couleur" (see link)...

Scroll up for more infos, under "French Bloggers".