One Teaspoon From Disaster

Easter brunch's best guest

• Posted April 1, 2006 9:12 PM
• 0 Comments

Don't you just love being invited to dinner?

You politely ask, "What can I bring?" And the hostess politely replies, "Oh, nothing." But a good guest never shows up empty handed. So you arrive with some type of chocolate dessert and a bottle of wine and you're a hero.

But what about an invite to brunch? Easter is just around the corner. Maybe you're the ambitious host, maybe you're the clueless guest. Either way, a store bought cake and a random Merolt aren't going to cut it.

Here are two wonderful, yet wonderfully easy recipes that can serve the masses. Both can be prepared the night before and baked in the morning.

This coffee cake is delicious served warm with just a little bit of butter spread on the cake portion (the topping is already yummy and doesn't need anything extra) and of course a nice cup of coffee. Maybe take some freshly ground beans to give to the hostess.

For a nice main dish, whip up this Three Cheese Brunch. It's so good, especially topped with fresh salsa and sour cream. This also is best served warm. Maybe sprinkle some pepper jack cheese on top before baking for an added kick.

Good luck. These are tough to mess up and easy to make in a time pinch. And, there's a definite hero factor, too. Happy Easter!

Three Cheese Brunch1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¾ C. flour
9 eggs, beaten
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1 ½ pounds cubed Monterey jack cheese
8 ounces cubed cream cheese
1 ½ C. small curd cottage cheese
1, 4-ounce can green chilies, drained
Sift baking powder and flour. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, salt, sugar and cayenne. Add cheeses and butter, and then flour mixture. Mix well. Add green chilies. Bake in a 9- by 13-inch pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm, topped with salsa and sour cream.

Overnight Coffee Cake
Cake:
1 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
2 C. flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 C. shortening
2 eggs
1 C. buttermilk
Topping:
½ C. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ C. chopped nuts
For cake: Combine sugars, flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and soda. Add shortening, then eggs and buttermilk. Mix well. Spoon batter into greased 9- by 13-inch pan. For topping: Combine ingredients and sprinkle on top of batter. Cover and refrigerate over night. In morning, uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.