Sweet Sunday Soiree

Introducing guest blogger Suzanne, a fellow foodie, friend and consummate hostess. Enjoy for the scrumptious contribution...

Thanks to LifesSweetLemons Entertaining inspiration for helping me decide to throw a brunch-- for 12, on a recent Sunday morning at my home.

Brunch food is always a favorite, and these foods did not disappoint! I've collected brunch recipes for a while, and was happy to put them to good use. The best and worst thing about brunch is that there's not a lot you can prepare in advance, since these foods all taste better right out of the oven, so Sunday morning ends up being hectic, to say the least.

On the table, set with a created runner made of white tea towels with red borders, white ceramic plates piled on either end of the table, and small bunches of yellow seasonal flowers scattered about we dined on many local delicacies: 5 types of bread from Fairway (one thing the East Coast has over the West, in my opinion!) including cranberry walnut, Ciabatta, 7 grain, and lavash, accompanied by strawberry butter (http://www.marthastewart.com/318755/strawberry-butter), homemade tomato jam, and sweet orange marmalade. 

A make-your-own Greek yogurt parfait bar with granola and berries, which pleased those who were looking for the "lighter side" of brunch (if such a thing even exists!) 

A fantastic onion fresh herb frittata-- super-easy to make, and a real crowd pleaser on a Sunday morning (my husband requested that I make it every Sunday morning...) (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Onion-Frittata-365183). 

A roasted tomato and onion tart, which I modified from a Pepperidge Farm recipe, and was a cinch to put together on Sunday morning, as I roasted the tomatoes and onions on Saturday night (http://www.puffpastry.com/recipe/50050/roasted-tomato-and-onion-tart). Mini potato fritters, fried fresh and served with cinnamon maple sour cream (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/dining/apple-potato-latkes-with-cinnamon-sour-cream-recipe.html), horseradish creme fraiche (make sure to drain the horseradish liquid, otherwise the creme fraiche gets runny), and plain old applesauce. 

Of course the requisite lox accompanied by chive and lemon creme fraiche (a nice substitute for the scallion cream cheese I love with lox!) and  Temp Tee cream cheese, which some of the traditionalists insisted upon! 

My mom brought over a piping hot challah souffle, which is basically heaven/heart attack in a pyrex, accompanied by maple syrup. 

A cheese board rounded out the offerings of the morning, and we were excited to try out The Cheese Guy's new line of kosher Blue and Brie cheeses (my dad approved). I filled some small glasses with peppers and string beans, to add to the healthy options!

A festive and scrumptious brunch, the satiated guests were sprawled out in our lounge after they ate-- a mark of success indeed!

Thanks, Alison, for letting me invade your fab blog with this guest post!