a birthday brunch . . .

We celebrated our oldest son's 20th birthday a few weekends ago.

I've been anxious to share a few of my favorite photos with you, but have been sick for several days (SLOW recovery!) . . . so I'm behind on posting. I have so many recipes and projects to share with you.

Brunch is my favorite time of day to host, so I loved celebrating Nick's birthday over brunch with our family and his closest friends.

The decor was simple. White and beige linens set the perfect backdrop for bright green flowers, lemon cypress, white hydrangeas, bowls filled with green limes and bright orange clementines.

I also made silver tissue paper pom poms . . . and paper confetti using various shades of grey linen paper. They added a little birthday charm to our gathering . . . as well as the 3-foot tall number mylar balloons!

Nick's favorite cake is Tiramisu.

So for his birthday, I made an 8-layer Tiramisu topped with cocoa and shaved dark chocolate. It was TALL and beautiful. Imagine layer after layer after layer of tender white cake filled and frosted with espresso & amaretto infused sweetened mascarpone & fresh whipped cream.

And for the topper . . . I made a silver tassel garland that I swagged across the top of the cake using 2-foot tall dowels. I set the cake atop of a pedestal and placed it on our kitchen island so that it would be the first thing our friends and family would see when they walked into our kitchen and family room. It was a sight to be seen!

When it came time to sing happy birthday, we removed the garland and nestled 20 tall silver candles on top . . . and sang Happy Birthday!

~ silver tassel garland ~

Birthdays are about celebrating with favorites . . . favorite foods, drinks, colors, desserts, and people.

So along with his favorite cake, I made and served his favorite breakfast foods . . . fresh crumb doughnuts, buttermilk biscuits & gravy, roasted sausages, eggs, and fresh fruit. 

For something fun, I set up a doughnut and coffee bar on a secretary desk in our backyard. My husband and little ones picked up fresh crumb doughnuts earlier that morning. They were heavenly!

 

I made the items on our menu in age-old cast iron pans passed down to me from my Great-Grandma. Something magical happens to foods that are cooked in seasoned cast iron pans.

Since Nick is mid-western at heart, he enjoys hearty foods like buttermilk biscuits and gravy, roasted sausages, and eggs . . . and so every one of these dishes found their way to our table that morning. Some were served right out of the cast iron pan they were baked in!

I can't wait to share the baked egg dish that I made for his brunch. It's base is sauteed shallots, roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, creamy goat cheese, and Manchego cheese. I've made it a few times since the birthday brunch, so that I could perfect the baking and timing process.
see bake egg dish recipe here

our menu

.     .     .     .     .

roasted sausages

Sawmill gravy

home-made buttermilk biscuits

baked eggs with spicy roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, manchengo, and goat cheese

fresh crumb donuts

fresh strawberries

Tiramisu Cake

It was a lovely birthday brunch that lingered into the afternoon. I have several photos of Nick enjoying the morning with his friends and our family. I'm so happy that we could all spend his special day together!

A birthday brunch is a great way to start your special day . . . enjoying good food with your favorite friends and family.

LET'S STAY in touch!

Simply Suzannes at Home 

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