Tea Party Brunch Menu & Recipe

While the boys were away, the girls got fancy with a New Year's brunch. Daughters Mary Ashley and Emma joined me in the sitting room for a delicious tea party. Yesterday's post showed our decor; catch our fresh pink start to the year here. Today's post is all about the food! Our menu included a new recipe for me to prepare, a baking mix for Mary Ashley to make, and a showstopping store-bought finish.

New Year's Brunch & Tea Party

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Casserole
Cheese Grits
Blueberry Muffins
Colossal Fruit Tart
English Breakfast Tea
Milk & Juice

I drink a cup of tea nearly every morning, but it was great to brew a pot to share with the girls. English Breakfast was our choice for New Year's.

Y'all, this recipe is delicious! I adapted it from recipes I found on allrecipes.com. My girls were a little skeptical of it, but I know my girlfriends (the grown-up ones, that is) will be as enthusiastic as I am about it.

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Casserole
A twist on the traditional breakfast casserole and a deliciously rich dish to serve for brunch.

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/3 yellow onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

6 eggs

1/4 cup milk

3 croissants, split

2 green onions, thinly sliced

4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese blend

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and lightly butter a 1.5 quart round baking dish. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside the croissant tops, and tear the bottom halves into 1" pieces. Line the bottom of the baking dish with the torn croissant pieces, and top with the cooked onions and garlic. Cover with smoked salmon, shredded cheese, green onions and dill. Beat eggs and milk in a bowl until blended and frothy, and pour the mixture over the casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the croissant tops over the casserole, pressing them into the casserole to moisten. Bake the casserole for 30-35 minutes, or until croissant tops are browned and eggs are set. Serves 6.

Eight-year-old Mary Ashley likes helping in the kitchen, so I let her make blueberry muffins. A Martha White blueberry streusel coffee cake mix was simple enough for her to prepare on her own. Delicious, too!

I originally planned to serve fruit salad with our meal, but when the girls and I stopped by Fresh Market to pick up seasonal fruit, this beauty caught our eye.

This colossal fruit tart was the perfect ending to our New Year's brunch, and we enjoyed leftovers with the boys with our supper when the boys returned.

Brunch & Tea Party -- what a delicious way to celebrate a fresh new year!

And speaking of celebrating, I will be announcing the winner of my birthday necklace tomorrow. If you haven't entered, visit this post to get your name in the teacup!



Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
This year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1850