I love brunch and I love planning things and I love my mom. What better way to put all of them to use than a Mother’s Day brunch? Last year, my family came over to celebrate. My cousins and I were running the show from behind the scenes: one taking orders, one running food, and the other acting as my sous chef in the kitchen. And once all the food was out and the drinks were poured, we all sat on our back deck eating, drinking, and laughing. These are my plans for a perfect Mother’s Day brunch because as they say, “brunch is always a good idea.”

I always start planning with the brunch a menu. Not only is it easier to have set options for guests to order from, but it also makes shopping easier. If you’re anything like me when it comes to shopping—groceries or otherwise—you get distracted when just going in for one thing. At least I get it earnestly, my mom stops and looks at every interesting label or design that catches her eye. A menu, though, helps keep focus, at least a little bit. From that, you can build your grocery list and shop from there.

The menu (featured above) from the last brunch I hosted was made on canva.com, which has a ton of options for templates or a feature to upload your own images if you choose to start from scratch. The menu can be downloaded to your desktop and printed right from your computer.

The best part—besides spending time with my family, of course—is cooking the brunch. My preferred food to make and eat is a sweet crêpe with Nutella and strawberries but the mixed berry spritzer was last year’s crowd favorite. Below are some of the recipes had everyone going back for seconds.

Mixed Berry Spritzer

Equal parts Simply Juice mixed berry flavor and ginger ale.

The drink tastes best when both the juice and the ginger ale are chilled. This makes the ginger ale crisper and means you don’t have to add ice, which can water down the drink. This is a great mocktail for kids or anyone who doesn’t drink but if champagne can be substituted for ginger ale for a fun twist on a bellini.

Crêpes

You’ll need:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

You can find the instructions here

I always eat mine with whipped cream, Nutella, and strawberries with a little bit of powdered sugar on top. A close second is chopped green apples and creamy peanut butter. Crêpes are a great way to try different flavors combinations so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Homemade Whipped Cream

You’ll need:

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

You can find the instructions here

I love homemade whipped cream so much I’ve started putting it on everything. Cakes, cupcakes, crêpes, and sometimes just eating it straight from the bowl. This recipe is so light and fluffy, I’m sure you’ll be addicted after the first scoop.

Quiche

You’ll need:

• 5 large eggs

• 3⁄4 cup milk

• 1 frozen 9-inch deep-dish pie shell

• 2 cups of any add-ins you want! Some suggestions: shredded cheese, chopped drained cooked vegetables, diced deli meat, any type (or chop up leftover slices) or any other cooked diced meat, ground beef, seafood, or poultry, herbs and spices

You can find the instructions here

I put this on the menu with my grandma in mind and both of the quiches made were a hit. It’s such a simple recipe that’s a filling brunch food that typically always ends up being a crowd pleaser.

Time to start planning this weekend’s menu! Happy brunching!