It’s Sunday, and you know what that means. Brunch! Well, for a bunch of millennials, that is. Sunday brunch is the hip thing to do, and there are many ways to pull off a successful one.
With a group of friends, or as an early morning date with your significant other.
With mimosas in hand, or over much needed cups of Joe.
With baby in tow, or your favorite furry friend by your side.
At a neighborhood café, or the next new restaurant in town.
Breakfast burritos, or croissants and parfaits.
Dressed up in your Sunday best, or dressed down in loungewear sweats.
After church, or after your morning jog.
And many more.
I know, because Sunday brunch used to be what we did best. For me, it was all about going out with a group of friends, mimosas in hand, eating breakfast burritos at the next new restaurant in town dressed up in my Sunday best. Alternatively, it was early morning coffee dates with Mike at the neighborhood café over croissants after our morning jog, in our loungewear sweats. Either way you spin it, it ended in Instagram posts of photos of our food, staged to perfection, taken from the most perfect angle. It ended in “just one more round” of drinks for everyone. It was appetizers and dessert, too. There was a perceived “grown up” eloquence that came with the beautifully plated dishes, but isn’t it just another social status symbol? It’s not that we didn’t enjoy the time with our friends, or the taste of the food itself. But wasn’t it more about being able to say that you ate at the newly acclaimed chef’s restaurant? Or to one up each other in how many drinks you downed at the bar last night. Or to compete in who took the best Instagram photo? Sometimes I wonder which came first, the popularity of brunch itself, or the aspiration to be Sunday chic.
At some point, Mike and I stopped brunching. I think it was an effort to live more frugally, coinciding with the time we decided to eat out less and cook more. Eventually, we discovered simple breakfast recipes of our own, and made them in ways that were more appealing to us. No longer is it the time of $8 avocado toasts. Do people realize how much an avocado costs? A slice of bread? Do they realize that a single avocado can be split between two toasts, sometimes three depending on the size of the avocado in question? Add lime, salt, pepper, or pickled red onions, and you’ve got something much more gourmet. Likely saved yourself $5 (each) too!
Recently, we were feeling lazy and stepped out to grab sandwiches at a corner bakery next to our house. We both ordered sandwiches and soup, and decided that the soup was too salty, the bread too greasy. We looked down at our meal, which cost $20, and confirmed that we could make this way better ourselves. That’s the funny thing. You go back to eating out and realize that it’s not even worth it, most times. The money goes towards the experience and the convenience, more than anything. We aren’t the greatest cooks by any means, but we’ve gotten to the point where we know how to make most dishes, well, better. And cheaper. And healthier.
So in addition to the list above, Sunday brunch, two ways. Out and in. Here are two simple recipes that could cost you $10-15 a plate, if you choose to go out. Possibly $5 total, if you choose to stay in. It’s Mike’s House Potatoes, and Sam’s Omelets. Honestly, everyone has their own way of making these, and ours is considerably much simpler than others. The great thing is, you really can’t mess this up too bad. It’s easy.
Mike’s House Potatoes
Ingredients:
-1 potato, diced into small cubes
– ¼ small onion, diced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 tsp parsley
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
-Salt and pepper, to taste
-Teensy amount of vegetable oil
The process:
- Fry the potatoes in the smallest amount of vegetable needed until they’re brown and soft.
- Throw in onions and garlic around halfway through (7-8 minutes in).
- Add spices, and voila.
Sam’s Omelets
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- ¼ small red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ roma tomato, diced (optional)
- Cheese of choice (optional)
- Avocado (to top)
NOTE: You can literally put anything you want in omelets, so do what you will. Last week it was cheese and spinach for me. This week, it was no tomatoes for Mike. So make do with what you already have or add whatever your heart desires.
The process:
- Mix eggs in a bowl with a whisk (or fork).
- Heat a small amount of vegetable oil on the frying pan.
- Pour eggs into the center of the oil.
- Sprinkle the top with whatever ingredients you like.
- Wait for the bottom to fully cook before folding half of the omelet onto itself.
- Cook for another minute, then flip.
- Plate after complete cooking of the egg, to your discretion. Top with avocado.
Part of the purpose of the food section in my blog is to share recipes that are simple in nature, and not at all difficult to make. We kill two birds with one stone by realizing that its saves money, too. Plus, it’s kind of fun when you share the responsibility, and work around each other, in sync, to music, using shared ingredients. And if you miss eating with friends, then why don’t you invite them over too?
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