Entertaining: Patio Brunch III

Brunch is our favorite way to entertain. We look forward to it every year. It's just a day of do-nothing, hang out with good friends, relax...if you have plans later, then great...if not stay late!

A special thanks to all of our friends who attended and helped set up and taste test and who make this so fun year after year. And a BIG thanks to Roshni who took these awesome photos for me!!!

Patio Brunch Menu
(see last year's menu here)


"[insert sigh] brunch is the best meal ever"
- Everybody at our patio brunch :-)

1) Beverages

• Mimosas
• Bloody Mary Bar (planned, operated and managed by our good friend Matt Z.)
• Coffee & Tea
• Juice

2) Bread Basket

• Zucchini Bread (A big hit this year - recipe below!)
• Buttermilk Biscuits
• Petite Pain au Chocolat (made by our good friend Sarah of Pink Rickshaw)

3) Deviled Eggs

4) Rio Star Grapefruit Slices with Black and White Salt Duo

5) Colorful fruit assortment of Kiwi, Melon, Grapes, etc (brought by my sister-in-law, Shilpa)
5) Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

5) Asparagus and Mushroom Tart with Goat Cheese

6) Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad

7) Strawberry-Mint Sorbet

Zucchini Bread

adapted from Creating Comfort cookbook by Genesis Women's Shelter

my changes/additions are in Italics

Ingredients

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used 3 full cups flour and eliminated the next ingredient, wheat germ)
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and added the next ingredient, applesauce)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 eggs
1 tablespoon maple extract (I used vanilla extract)
2 cups grated zucchini (I used somewhere between 3.0 - 3.5 cups, gently packed)
1 cup chopped walnuts
Sesame seeds to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder in a bowl.  Beat the sugar, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, and eggs and flavoring in a bowl until blended.  Stir in the zucchini and flour mixture and fold in the walnuts.

Spoon the batter into two greased and floured 5x9-inch loaf pans and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake for a 1 hour 55 mins.  Cool in the pans for 10 mins and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.  Makes 2 loaves.

I then topped each loaf with some rolled oats about 10 mins into baking.  You can add a crumb or streusel topping too.