Simple Summer Brunch Ideas
I love summertime. Ok, I could do without the allergies. I become driven to make sure my outside sitting areas are ready to welcome guest. Flowers get planted in the pots. The cushions cleaned and ready for guest to sit and sip tea or a enjoy a cup of coffee. The umbrellas placed throughout to keep the sun or the rain away from ruining our time together. This all starts during the springtime but spills over into the summertime. I am always looking for new Simple Summer Brunch ideas, and I love to have my girlfriends over to enjoy the summer mornings with me to try them out.
Over the years, I have had so many different people join me to celebrate the start of summer. We have had formal tea parties, quick pancakes and bacon, amazing casseroles and even some quiches. I look back over the years, and it didn’t matter what extreme the brunch was, the results were always the same. Smiling faces, happy conversations, and deepening relationships was what happened every time.
Simple Summer Brunch Ideas
So here are some simple ideas that I have learned over the years that help me invite my girlfriends in and it not be stressful but a fantastic Summer Brunch.
BYOC
Bring your own cup to the Summer Brunch. This one is so fun. Invite your girlfriends over and have them bring their favorite cup with them. Maybe it is a teacup or a coffee mug, or maybe you have a friend like my friend Mallory that would bring a mason jar. Have them bring their own drinking vessel. This is a great time to see the personalities come out with your friends.
You can serve hot teas, fresh lemonade with strawberry syrup and finger sandwiches. More food ideas will come with the following thoughts.
Fondue Party
This is a oldie but a goodie in the Simple Summer Brunch Ideas. Bring out the old fondue pots. If you don’t have some, mini crock pots work great too. I look for fondue pots when I go to thrift stores and really find some cool vintage ones. I also like keeping it simple with a white fondue pot that I found on Amazon.
Fondue is a great laid back way to enjoy your girlfriends. A summertime brunch that is centered around fondue can be so much fun. According to how many I have invited, is how many pots I would need. I love having the fondue pots on the tables where people are sitting. That way the conversation can continue and people can eat as they talk.
Two fondue pots for each table is ideal. One with a great cheese and the other with fruit. Place a tray of pieces of bread, fruits, and desserts on the table along with small plates for each guest.
Homemade Dressings & Salad bar
Everyone loves a good salad, but when you go the extra mile and make homemade dressings, your summertime brunch goes to an all new level. This is probably one of my favorites. Fresh dressings and a beautifully plated salad scream summer. A lovely salad with a selection of greens, little tomatoes, diced carrots and cucumbers and on the side sliced strawberries & grapes makes for a pretty presentation. The Cilantro Lime Ranch dressing that I have saved to my Southern Hospitality board is terrific.
I love serving the dressings in creamer pitchers that I have collected over the years at vintage sales, thrift stores and different parts of the world.
Artisan Sandwiches & fruit Lunch
I think for me, Summer screams a good sandwich. Eating sandwiches in the summer is something I love, not sure why. I hardly eat a sandwich in the winter. Give me a Chunky Chicken Salad on a crescent roll, and I will be one happy girl.
Have some kettle style chips and some beautiful fruit for each plate. Fruit brightens up the dish and it makes the mood of the meal better. People love to eat fruit for different reasons, but one of the main ones is that it makes them feel good about their choices of food.
Have some sandwich fillings and some good quality bread to choose from. Here are my go-to sandwich fillings and my favorite bread that compliment each one.
- Pimento Cheese on toasted Rye bread. The Big Bear’s Wife has a great recipe that I now just have printed because I use it over and over. Nothing screams Southern more than this sandwich and if you really want to go south with me, fry a green tomato and add it to the sandwich. YUMMY!
- Ham & Cheese Salad on hearty wheat berry bread. The cranberries in the bread make me feel like I am eating a Thanksgiving meal with cranberries and ham.
- Egg Salad on thin white bread or a light biscuit. I think I could eat egg salad every day. Once you figure out how creamy you like it, you will crave this sandwich filling all the time. I ran across this recipe called Cobb Egg Salad, and it has vamped up my view on Egg Salad.
When doing sandwiches and fruit with for my summertime brunches with girlfriends, I don’t make the sandwiches ahead of time. I place the different slices of bread in a basket and let the guest choose the bread they want.
If you find yourself in a pinch and you don’t have coffee creamer, check out this super easy recipe. DIY Flavored Coffee Creamer.
The most important thing
The most important thing about having a summer brunch making sure you have shade, a lot of drink options and a warm, welcoming spirit about you. A shade over their head and a refreshing glass in their hand will go a long way to have fun, but if you are not ready to welcome your guest in your home, they will pick up on it quicker than green grass growing through a goose. (Ok, I don’t know what that means but my momma use to say that to me a lot)
You can have all the best simple summer brunch ideas but if you don’t have a welcoming spirit your guest won’t remember the amazing food, they will only remember how they were received.