Beauty & Brunch Day

Last week a group of men from church were away at a men's retreat. My husband was one of them, and it was the first time we'd been apart overnight since we got married. I missed him a lot and was having a bit of a pity party on Friday night ... but on Saturday morning I had a group of girlfriends over for a manicure/pedicure party and brunch. That cheered me right up!

As I was planning out the menu for brunch I had a little "what the heck am I doing?" moment because breakfast isn't really my thing. Alan and I have pancakes on occasion but usually start our day with quick, simple things like oatmeal and cereal. I searched Pinterest for inspiration and came up with a brunch menu that included scrambled eggs, bacon, cranberry orange scones, lemon tarts, chocolate mousse, veggies, marshmellows dipped in chocolate and cookie crumbs, yogurt parfaits and earl grey cupcakes.

I woke up later than planned that morning and was really pinched for time but, amazingly, everything turned out great. The earl grey cupcakes were my favorite part of the meal. It was my first time baking them and I used this yummy recipe from the New York Family website. These cupcakes are perfect to serve after breakfast or with brunch as the earl grey flavor is subtle and they're aren't overly sweet. They also go perfectly with tea (no surprise there!)

What are some of your favorite breakfast foods?