17 Bright brunch recipes for Easter weekend

Easter weekend is almost here, and that means most of us are expecting a house full of family and friends.  Time to relax, maybe have a little egg hunt or two, and revel in the sugar overload bound to happen on Sunday morning.

While dinner may be the hallmark meal of both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I think that Easter has brunch written all over it.  After all, you've gotta squeeze in some real food between the appetizer of Cadbury creme eggs and second course of Reese's eggs.

Whether you have a full house to entertain, or you're traveling and bringing something sweet with you, here are some of my favorite breakfast and brunch-friendly recipes sure to please everyone.  Plus, most of these can be assembled or even made ahead of time, so you can sit bounce around in a sugar-induced fit ... uh, enjoy your weekend to the fullest, too. :)  Happy Easter to you and yours!


Breads/Yeasted Goods:

• Brown butter banana strawberry bread
• Chocolate cake doughnuts
• Sour cream pancakes
• Traditional yeast glazed doughnuts
• Zucchini bread

Muffins:

• Apple muffins
• Filled "doughnut" muffins
• Mom's famous banana muffins
• Pear spice muffins
• Strawberry coffee cake muffins

Baked dishes:

• Baked cinnamon French toast 
• The world's best cinnamon rolls
• Breakfast apple granola crisp

Savory dishes:

• Broccoli and cheddar quiche
• Mushroom and spinach quiche
• Breakfast pork sausage patties
• Ham and asparagus frittata

And, to wash it all down, try my very own breakfast mocktail creation: the famosa!  Happy Easter to you and yours!