Create a breakfast club with your neighbors and reap the benefits. From a bagel grabbed on the way out the door to instant oatmeal in a travel mug, too often the most important meal of the day is hardly a meal at all. Bring the glory, and the gourmet, back to breakfast by turning it into an opportunity to entertain.
A weekly breakfast club with your neighbors gives everyone a chance to rise and really shine. Get a group together from your street and subdivision and ditch the rush in favor of a leisurely gathering at home.
Breakfast party ideas
Pastries from the corner shop and a carafe of coffee are easy, but why not mix things up a bit? Try these eye-opening and entertaining ideas to take your assemblage beyond a simple breakfast.
Play Top Chef. Take a cue from popular cooking shows and give each guest a “secret ingredient” to work into a breakfast potluck, from the everyday egg to an exotic spice or favorite fruit. For tips on planning a cook-off themed party, click here.
Get Interactive. Keep it casual with a waffle station, omelet bar, or coffee counter that let your guests personalize their meal. Bowls of mix-ins, toppings, and garnishes do double duty as edible decorations.
Go Global. Potato latkes of Eastern Europe to crêpes, just about every culture has an answer to the pancake. Explore a world of morning cuisine, or keep it regional with Southern biscuits, gravy, and grits one week and an ode to maple syrup the next.
Decorating the table
Sure it’s early, but that’s no reason your breakfast party can’t be as creative and stylish as a dinner party. Your table sets the mood. Go upscale with china and crystal for your orange juice and strata, or give a down-home feel with baskets of muffins, biscuits, and breads nestled in colorful napkins. Create small areas for morning chats and set out newspapers or cards with conversation-starters to keep the party going. Get table decorating ideas here.
Worried about keeping everything warm? Slow cookers keep casseroles, hash browns, or gravy for biscuits ready to serve. Start the day right and brighten everyone’s plate with fruits and veggies. Fruit salads are a great option year-round. Fill your bowls with melon and berries or pick a seasonal fruit to highlight, from apples and figs in the winter to summery mango and passion fruit.
Kid-friendly breakfast ideas
If you’re gathering on the weekends, make it a family affair. For older children, build a buffet of boxed cereals and let kids mix and match in their bowls for their own breakfast creation. Or, start with a basic muffin batter and let them mix in berries, chocolate chips, fruits, and nuts for their own personalized muffin! Keep the little ones busy with finger foods like toast strips, diced fruits, and cubed meats and cheeses.
For more family-fun, instead of a coffee station, set up a juice bar or smoothie station. Create a crossword puzzle just for kids or put in a DVD of classic Saturday morning cartoons. Not enough tables to go around? Just toss blankets and pillows on the floor for a morning slumber party!
Create a Breakfast Club With Your Neighbors
By Anne Marie Apollo Noel
Create a breakfast club with your neighbors and reap the benefits. From a bagel grabbed on the way out the door to instant oatmeal in a travel mug, too often the most important meal of the day is hardly a meal at all. Bring the glory, and the gourmet, back to breakfast by turning it into an opportunity to entertain.
A weekly breakfast club with your neighbors gives everyone a chance to rise and really shine. Get a group together from your street and subdivision and ditch the rush in favor of a leisurely gathering at home.
Breakfast party ideas
Pastries from the corner shop and a carafe of coffee are easy, but why not mix things up a bit? Try these eye-opening and entertaining ideas to take your assemblage beyond a simple breakfast.
Decorating the table
Sure it’s early, but that’s no reason your breakfast party can’t be as creative and stylish as a dinner party. Your table sets the mood. Go upscale with china and crystal for your orange juice and strata, or give a down-home feel with baskets of muffins, biscuits, and breads nestled in colorful napkins. Create small areas for morning chats and set out newspapers or cards with conversation-starters to keep the party going. Get table decorating ideas here.
Worried about keeping everything warm? Slow cookers keep casseroles, hash browns, or gravy for biscuits ready to serve. Start the day right and brighten everyone’s plate with fruits and veggies. Fruit salads are a great option year-round. Fill your bowls with melon and berries or pick a seasonal fruit to highlight, from apples and figs in the winter to summery mango and passion fruit.
Kid-friendly breakfast ideas
If you’re gathering on the weekends, make it a family affair. For older children, build a buffet of boxed cereals and let kids mix and match in their bowls for their own breakfast creation. Or, start with a basic muffin batter and let them mix in berries, chocolate chips, fruits, and nuts for their own personalized muffin! Keep the little ones busy with finger foods like toast strips, diced fruits, and cubed meats and cheeses.
For more family-fun, instead of a coffee station, set up a juice bar or smoothie station. Create a crossword puzzle just for kids or put in a DVD of classic Saturday morning cartoons. Not enough tables to go around? Just toss blankets and pillows on the floor for a morning slumber party!
Love to entertain? Ideas for your next dinner party.