Sunday brunch

I had brunch today with my relatives. It was great seeing them all, some who live nearby and some from across the country. We had tons of food--red pepper strata, pecan coffeecake, bagels and lox, various cheeses, green salad, and fruit. Oh, and to end the meal we had mini cupcakes--chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter or vanilla frosting.

Check out the cool centerpiece my sister made:


Mini chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter and vanilla frosting:


The strata recipe comes from Epicurious. I make it the night before, and I quadrupled it to fit our crowd.

Roasted Red Pepper Strata

(serves 4 to 6 ... can make ahead and multiplies well)

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 of a med./large onion, diced

half a roasted red pepper (can use fresh ... just saute longer), diced

5 slices challah (any bread would work)

2 Tbs butter

1 c grated cheddar cheese

2 c milk

3 eggs

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

salt and pepper

Butter or spray an 8x8-inch pan. Then, saute the onion in the olive oil over med-high heat until translucent. Add the red pepper, and cook for another minute or two. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Butter the bread, and then slice it into 1-inch cubes. Spread half of the bread into the prepared pan, sprinkle with half of the cheese and then half of the onion-pepper mixture. Repeat. In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, eggs, mustard, and salt and pepper. Pour over the strata. At this point you can let it sit for about 10 min. and then bake it at 350 degrees for 45 min., or til lightly browned. Or, and this is how I've always done it, you can cover it in foil, put it in the fridge overnight, and then bake it for 45 min. or so in the morning. Take the foil off for the last 15 min., so it can get brown.