A Sweet & Savory Holiday Brunch

This post is sponsored by Roscato Wine #sweetenuptheholidays

I love hosting intimate parties this time of the year. I’ve never been the type to host a huge annual party–I have friends who have that covered!

For this particular party, I invited my colleagues for a Sunday afternoon brunch with Roscato Wine and a mix of homemade cookies, pumpkin bread and a breakfast casserole. My goal is to keep it simple with good wine and a mix of sweet and savory foods that complement it.

Easy Entertaining: Create a Timeline

In order to pull this off by myself, I make a timeline for cooking, baking, cleaning and prep. The treats were baked in advance of the day and the breakfast casserole is something you can assemble the night before, simplifying the morning before brunch—and just stick it in the oven.

I reserve the morning before a get-together for last minute cleaning, prep and décor. Presenting the wine and food aesthetically is my favorite part of hosting brunches and it’s something I appreciate when I attend parties and events.

Decor and Prep

The weekend of the brunch turned out to be busier than anticipated and I didn’t have time to scrub the whole house and so I spot cleaned in areas where my guests would spend the most time: the kitchen, dining room and living room. The bathrooms at my house were already cleaned! I also lit holiday-scented candles for a cozy and welcoming scent.

I set up my kitchen peninsula with the wine and treats decorated with glittery garland and a Christmas tree tabletop décor. And I had the breakfast casserole set up on the other side of my kitchen, making it easy for guests to grab a glass of wine and stock their plate with food.

 Sweet & Savory

For ease and efficiency, I love making a casserole for get-togethers. Whenever family members or friends visit, I always prepare a casserole. I’m a midwest girl after all. And this was a great balance with the sweet treats and sweet rose.

The breakfast casserole is so easy too. It just includes 5 eggs, one pound of breakfast sausage (I get the spicy version!), a half bag of frozen shredded hash browns (16 oz) and one cup of shredded cheese and a cup of milk. First, cook the sausage fully in a skillet and then mix your eggs with milk. Next, layer your hashbrowns in a pan and dump the cooked sausage, mixed eggs and cheese and mix in the pan. I then layer shredded cheese on top and stick in the oven for one hour at 350 degrees!

I had chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip cookies with nuts and molasses cookies along with a loaf of pumpkin bread for those with a sweet tooth (mostly me.) A brunch isn’t a brunch without both sweet and savory flavors!

Photography by Matt Thompson