Best Brunch Recipes: Part 1

There is nothing more indulgent on a Sunday than having a long lazy brunch.  Whether it's at your home entertaining weekend guests or just for yourself, add a sprinkling of decadence to your Sunday with our favourite easy brunch recipes.  Get the mimosa's at the ready!

It wouldn't be brunch without eggs on the menu...

Eggs Benedict.

You will need:

Toasted muffin

Poached egg

Hollandaise Sauce 

Parma Ham 

Asparagus   

A classic dippy egg with thyme...

Cupcake Frittata:

1.  Whisk 8 eggs in a mixing bowl with plenty of salt and pepper

2.  Add whatever filler you would like, we love chorizo and spinach

3.  Poor the mixture in to cupcake or muffin tins and top with a grazing of parmesan

4.  Put in to the oven for 20 minutes until firm at 160 degrees

5.  Transfer on to a cooling rack.    

Breakfast Torte:  

Ingredients:  

• 2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls, divided
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 7 Eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced hard salami
• 1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese
• 2 jars (12 ounces each) roasted sweet red peppers, drained, sliced and patted dry

1. Preheat oven to 180°. Place a greased 9 inch springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. Unroll one tube of crescent dough and separate into triangles. Press onto bottom of prepared pan to form a crust, sealing seams well. Bake 10-15 minutes or until set.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and mushrooms; cook and stir until mushrooms are tender. Drain on several layers of paper towels, blotting well. In a large bowl, whisk six eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper.
3. Layer crust with half of the ham, salami, provolone cheese, red peppers and spinach mixture. Pour half of the egg mixture over the top. Repeat layers; top with remaining egg mixture.
4. On a work surface, unroll and separate remaining crescent dough into triangles. Press together to form a circle and seal seams; place over filling. Whisk remaining egg; brush over dough.
5. Bake, uncovered for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, covering loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning. Carefully loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Let stand 20 minutes. 
6. Enjoy!

A sweet dessert:

Greek yogurt
Fresh strawberries
Granola sprinkled on the top!

There are too many yummy brunch recipes to list today, but I will continue to update our recipe section with fun, easy and tasty ideas.  But for now enjoy these classics!   

The Trend Report: Part I, Pink

If in doubt, make it pink for spring/summer 2014...

It's time to see your home through rose, cerise, fuchsia, magenta or blush tinted glasses.  

Pink was the stand out colour at London Fashion Week, the feminine shade dominated Burberry, Preen and Temperley.  This sweet pink Temperley outfit is just gorgeous! 

Temperley SS14 Collection

Therefore, it is only natural that this trend will transfer in to interior design.  

This sitting room is all out pink, from wall colour to fabrics.  But it still manages to look stylish and calming...not at all bubblegum or Barbie!   

Nautical pink chic...

Blush and beautiful...

A feminine bedroom...

Will you be introducing pink in to your wardrobe and home?

Recipe: Pear Bread

We stumbled across this recipe on Simmer and Boil and we couldn't wait to recreate it!  It's a beautiful idea and a real show stopper.  The Pear Bread combines sweet fruit and tender quick bread together in one pan, then slice to reveal the lovely pear inside, how lovely.  The bread is remarkably easy to make too, promise!

This bread is ideal to bring to the table for an afternoon tea and brace yourself for the oohs and ahhs.

Tip:  After poaching the pears, don’t throw away the poaching liquid.  It’s infused with a lovely pear essence and would be great in cocktails, drizzled on cakes, or stirred into Greek yogurt.  For more flavour in the pears, you can add cinnamon sticks or star anise to the poaching liquid.

Prep Time: 25 min. Total: 1 hr. 45 min.

Ingredients

4          cups water

2          cups granulated sugar

3          small whole pears

1 1/2   teaspoons all-purpose flour

7.88     ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups)

1          teaspoon baking soda

1/2       teaspoon baking powder

1/2       teaspoon salt

6          tablespoons butter, softened

3/4       cup packed dark brown sugar

2          large eggs

1/2       teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2       cup stout beer (such as Guinness)

1/2       cup fat-free sour cream

1/4       cup maple syrup

Baking spray with flour (such as Baker’s Joy)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 170, gas mark 4.

2. Bring 4 cups water and granulated sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add pears; reduce heat to medium, and cook at a medium-low boil for 5 minutes or just until pears start to soften. Remove pears from pan; cool slightly. Trim bottom off each pear so that it is about the height of a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan. Lightly brush 1 1/2 teaspoons flour over bottom 2/3 of each pear.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon 7.88 ounces (about 1 3/4 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk.  Place butter and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine beer, sour cream, and syrup, stirring well with a whisk. Beating at low speed, add flour mixture and beer mixture alternately to the butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until combined.

4. Scrape batter into a 9 x 5-inch metal loaf pan coated with baking spray. Arrange pears in pan, pressing into batter. Bake at 170° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy with a cup of tea!

Tip: Use 'Flow' in Your Home

I love to keep one theme within my home instead of using lots of differing statements throughout the different spaces.  I like to call it flow.  By sticking to one basic colour palette your home will ease with style from room to room and avoid that messy explosion of conflicting colour.  

I've created the mood board below to express said 'flow' by using a basic grey colour palette.  Each room looks so different and has it's own identity but remains consistent and stylish.  

By introducing muted, coordinating shades and textures in to the mix each room grabs a different personality, but with the underlying foundations being steady...it has 'the flow'!

What dominating shade would you use as your foundation palette?  

Colourphobe

Pastel colours with a neutral backdrop

I'm a self-confessed colourphobe when it comes to interior design.  If it's not in the taupe, grey, white, or from the 'neutral' family, I'm usually not listening!  Now, as we begin to embrace the new season here at Butterfly Lane, I am determined to also embrace the subject of colour - and injecting it in to interior design.  Now, baby steps are required...

Granted colour can look fabulous and cheerful but I want to ease it in to existing 'neutral' rooms with subtle charm not like the Dulux factory has exploded.  

Step in accessories...my favourite.  

The pale pink blanket and coordinating flowers add a subtle freshness to this neutral room.  

These red silk chairs are stunning and add an instant impact to a room - nothing else is needed colour wise.

Yellow screams spring time joy and this room looks so inviting.  

A cream and grey backdrop with punchy orange upholstery.  How gorgeous? 

Now deep down within my colourphobe personality I have a huge, unfaltering draw towards greeny/yellowy/citrussy tones *mouth drops to the floor in surprise*.  Whether it be a notebook, a bracelet or a cushion, I am literally a bee around honey with this striking palette.  This study (below) therefore is right up my street...although I'm not quite so brave so I will be wearing a scarf in this shade instead...and admiring from afar.

Calming blues lift this neutral bedroom...

A hit of yellow in your kitchen?  Why not!  

What's your favourite colour?

Copenhagen: Interior Design Style

We landed in Copenhagen on New Years Eve for a scandi mini break, which was part of my birthday present from the hubby-to-be (very much looking forward to this changing to simply hubby in 2014!).

I'm not blown away by the city so far to be brutally honest, but this might well be due to the dull weather and illness...I don't want to be too harsh to a city that I haven't thoroughly explored yet, but surely the city that brought us Malene Birger can't be that bad!  I think it's also because I fell so completely in love with Stockholm (different country I know, but scandi nonetheless) that my expectations were set very high.    

As we sit in a hip cafe, the hubby-to-be, tucking in to a plate of raw meat and fennel...not quite in the mood myself, I delve in to the famous Danish design books and am pleased with what I see.

Lots of white, hints of black and minimal design features.  Here are some of my favourite images...  

Do you like Danish design?  

Our Copenhagen Travel Guide will be available soon...

Time to Get Organised

 A new year brings a host of resolutions that will promptly be forgotten in a few weeks time.  But I don't think we need a new year to drum home the desire for an organised kitchen.  

However, January is a great time for a clear out as I'm sure you've hosted parties and gatherings, and been a cooking machine for what seems like months, it is a good time to de-clutter, pack away your Christmas crockery  and get organised in your space.  

I know I've used this image (above) before, but I just love it so much.  Neat, coordinated, practical and easy on the eye...it gets one giant Butterfly Lane tick!  

Here are a few organised pantries to inspire...

For the sweet lover...but we'd prefer to fill these jars with pasta, rices...flour...the options are endless.

Not a pantry as such, but the glasses are perfectly organised

My pantry cupboards at Butterfly Lane HQ are coming together....just a few more jars to fill.  

I really love this pantry...

Remember you don't need an actual 'pantry' to get organised, make your cupboards user friendly and stylish by filling jars and tins.  

Are you inspired to get organised?  Let us know how you get on...