Every Day With Rachael Ray

EVERY DAY PARTIES
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SPRING BRUNCH IDEAS

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2plan your prep time For a dinner party, you theoretically have all day to prepare, but brunch can start as early as 9 a.m. (or as late as 2 p.m.). The trick? A little planning. Gale Gand, author of Gale Gand’s Brunch!, recommends shopping two days before the party and prepping the day before. Also, lighten the day-of load by serving dishes that can be cooked in advance: Two of Gand’s favorites are strata and baked apple french toast.

include everyone Even most meatless brunch items contain eggs or cheese, which won’t appeal to vegans, so know the dietary preferences of your guests before devising the menu. “There should be something good for every guest, whether he’s a vegan, vegetarian or carnivore,” Seccuro says. For a please- ’em-all main, Seccuro loves spinach-and-mushroom risotto served with a small dish of grated parmesan— vegetarians can use it, but vegans can pass. 4

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pick easy apps

Save time with store-bought favorites. Event planner Liz Seccuro, of Alexandria, Virginia’s Dolce Parties, swears by the cheese puffs (or gougères) in Trader Joe’s freezer section. “Who wants to make a cheese puff? Nobody. Who wants to eat a cheese puff? Everybody,” she says. (She suggests melted apricot jam for dunking.) Gand hits Asian grocery stores for chicken-and-scallion pot stickers. “They’re kid-friendly, and great on a buffet,” she says. She makes a dipping sauce of soy sauce and rice wine vinegar with a drop of toasted sesame seed oil.

mix hot and cold dishes Befitting its name, brunch fare can encompass a wide range of dishes, from coffee and pastries to waffles and spiral-sliced ham. Gand says to round out low-fuss, room-temperature dishes (like berry bread pudding and oatmeal-apple scones) with one last-minute hot item (check out our Asparagus-Leek Frittata on the next page). For lunch-oriented items, ginger-glazed shrimp with orzo is great at room temperature.

KEEP THE KIDS HAPPY These just-for-them
touches will keep ’em
smiling for hours.
cool ideas!
• Serve virgin cocktails
and pitchers of juices on
a “kids-only” bar.
• Indoors, Seccuro
suggests rolling out craft
paper atop a table with
markers and stamps.

• For Easter, set up an egg hunt. Gand buys baby watermelons, paints them white, then hides them. “The kids think they’ve found a dinosaur egg!” she says.

VEGAN BUTTON BY BURCU AVSAR; PROP ST YLING BY CINDY DIPRIMA. APPLE, GETT Y IMAGES; DUMPLINGS, IS TOCKPHOTO.COM.

bottoms up!

CROWD-PLEASING COCKTAILS

Get a little more creative than bloody marys and mimosas. Gand creates cocktails that start with the same letter and therefore sound good together, such as Pomegranate Prosecco, a combination of pomegranate juice, prosecco, cucumber and mint.

For nonalcoholic drinks, Seccuro flavors lemonade with fresh blueberries or strawberries that she’s pureed with simple sugar syrup. She pours the drinks into large glass containers with spouts for easy service.