20 Brunch Ideas That Bring Some Big Spring Energy To The Table

Rumor-Stirring Blueberry Lavender Fizz

You can't have brunch without a fun, easy drink to kick things off! This fruity mocktail features flavors of blueberry, lemon, and lime, and it comes with a foamy, pastel finish. What could be more springlike than that?

Ingredients

Serves 1

• 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers
• 1 tablespoon blueberry jam
• 1⁄2 ounce lemon juice
• 1⁄2 ounce lime juice
• 1⁄2 ounce heavy cream
• 1 large egg white, pasteurized
• 8–12 ounces cooled sparkling water
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Instructions

1. Muddle lavender in a cocktail shaker.
2. Add remaining ingredients except sparkling water and lemon zest. Shake vigorously until texture changes to a foam, about 10 seconds.
3. Fill cocktail shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds or until cocktail is well chilled.
4. Strain into a Collins glass. Top with sparkling water and garnish with lemon zest.

Household Hasty-Bake Oatmeal Pies with Sugared Berries

This dish might look fancy enough to serve Queen Charlotte, but it's actually very simple to make! You can use instant oats, which speeds up everything about the process. All you need for the sugared berries (other than the berries themselves) is sugar and an egg white, which is so easy that we're taking notes for all of our spring berry cravings.

Ingredients

Makes 4 (4") Pies Or 1 (9") Pie

For Sugared Berries:

• 1⁄3 cup superfine sugar
• 1 large egg white, pasteurized
• 1 cup fresh berries of choice

For Oatmeal Pies:

• 1 1⁄4 cups instant oats
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
• 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 4 cups vanilla yogurt for filling
• 4 tablespoons amber honey

Instructions

1. Prepare a surface with wax paper. Place superfine sugar in a small shallow dish
2. Whisk egg white lightly in a small bowl until bubbles form on the surface. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat each berry with egg white.
3. Gently roll berries in sugar and place on wax paper. Let dry 20 minutes.
4. To make Oatmeal Pies: Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat four 4" pie pans (or one 9" pie pan) with butter and set aside.
5. In a food processor, pulse oats, flour, butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until butter pieces are no larger than a pea.
6. Pour mixture into a large bowl and mix in water until dough ball forms. If dough is too dry, add more water.
7. Separate dough into four equal parts and, using wet hands, press dough into pie pans. Make sure crust is even and without holes.
8. Bake 20 minutes until edges begin to brown.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes. Fill with yogurt and Sugared Berries and drizzle with honey before serving.

Portia's Green Soup

We're all about filling, warm soups when temps drop, but when it's feeling lovely outside, switch things up with a chilled (and healthy) soup recipe. Avocado and buttermilk keep things creamy and garlic, chives, and salt add a nice flavor. Top with radishes, nuts, and greens.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 large ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
• 4 cups buttermilk
• 1 large seedless cucumber, sliced into 1⁄4" discs 2 tablespoons sliced red onion
• 4 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided 2 tablespoons aji-mirin or rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients except 3 tablespoons chives to a blender and blend until smooth. Chill 1 hour.
2. Serve in six small bowls garnished with remaining 3 tablespoons chives.

High Society Scones

These tasty scones will go great with brunch, dessert, or afternoon tea. Just don't forget the marmalade! If you don't have access to barberries, swap for currants or cranberries and you're good as gold.

Ingredients

Makes 12 scones

• 1⁄2 cup barberries
• 1⁄16 teaspoon ground saffron
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 5 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
• 3 large eggs, divided
• 3⁄4 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F and set out two lined baking sheets.
2. In a small bowl, soak barberries in warm water for 30 minutes. In a separate small bowl, crumble saffron into 1 tablespoon water and set aside.
3. Add flour, baking powder, salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, and butter to a food processor and pulse until a very fine sand forms.
4. In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs, saffron water, and milk until well combined. Gently mix in contents of food processor until just combined. Drain and stir in barberries.
5. On a clean, lightly floured surface, knead dough minimally and form into a rectangle 1" thick. Dough should be very sticky. Don’t overwork. Use a 2" round cookie cutter or glass to cut twelve circles of dough, setting them on the baking sheet 21⁄2" apart.
6. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg and water and brush lightly onto scones, then sprinkle remaining
   1 tablespoon sugar on top of scones. Bake 8–10 minutes until lightly browned.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving. Will last up to 1 week in refrigerator.

Bacon Pastry Twists

Using pre-made puff pastry strips saves you so much time in the kitchen with these bacon-filled treats! If you want to go all out for your guests, make sure you don't skip the beer cheese meant to go alongside these dippable apps. (via Brit + Co)

Smoked Salmon Poke Bites

This bite-size appetizer recipe is a staple in our appetizer recipe roundups, and for good reason. They don't require any baking or cooking (other than the rice, which you could buy already made) – just pure passion for bite-size appetizers and a few minutes of your time. (via Brit + Co)

Cheesy Cauliflower Tots

For these tiny tots, simply combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, shape into bite-size portions, and bake for about 20 minutes. They'll be gone even quicker. (via Brit + Co)

Pineapple BBQ Chicken Meatballs

If you're short on time, you can use frozen meatballs to craft this delicious appetizer! Either way, the juicy bites still get swarmed in a sweet BBQ sauce that's downright addictive. (via The Real Food Dietitians)

Vegan Jalapeño Poppers

Ready in just 30 minutes, you truly cannot go wrong with jalapeño poppers for parties, movie nights, and backyard shindigs. Though this iteration is vegan, each bite is wondrously cheesy! (via Crowded Kitchen)

Baked Taco Cups

These easy baked taco cups hit all the marks in terms of texture: they're cheesy, soft, and crunchy all at the same time. You'll get a subtle kick of spice from the jalapeños and cumin, too. (via Averie Cooks)

English Muffin Pizzas

Okay – so these might actually require a bit more than a single bite, but they're so worth the extra chew. The best thing about these appetizers is they're entirely customizable, so simply pile on the toppings that speak strongly to you! (via The Girl On Bloor)

Cheese & Tomato Pinwheels

Everyone loves bready. Everyone loves cheesy. That's exactly why you need to make these bite-size appetizers for your next function! Plus, they're ridiculously easy, being made with 5 ingredients in 30 minutes tops. (via The Fast Recipe)

Crab Rangoon

You'll find that putting in the work to make your very own crab rangoon bites pays off. After a single bite of these homemade ones, you'll never go back to takeout. (via Takes Two Eggs)

Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are an undeniable classic, and there's bound to be someone at your party that goes nuts for them. You can customize the filling any way you like, but we recommend keeping things simple. (via Culinary Hill)

Spinach & Brie Triangles

The phyllo dough in this recipe turns so scrumptious and flaky once baked. It's the perfect texture complement to the creamy, cheesy filling. (via Half Baked Harvest)

Buffalo Tofu Wings

Your vegan pals are definitely gonna want some substantial bite-size appetizers to fuel their fun. Opt for this vegan offering that assumes the iconic Buffalo spice! (via Earthly Provisions)

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Mushrooms

Parmesan, artichokes, and spinach are a wonderful combo on their own, but when you stuff some mushrooms with it, you've achieved bite-site snack greatness. (via Completely Delicious)

Honey Glazed Halloumi

Halloumi is a very mellow cheese that flexes well for sweet or savory situations. In this case, it gets a generous glaze of honey that tastes like pure heaven alongside some fresh lemon, spices, and herbs. (via Hello Little Home)

Easy Italian Pinwheels

These pinwheels are the epitome of a make-ahead appetizer, but they'd also be a stunning spread for a quick weekday lunch! (via Kathryn's Kitchen)

Asparagus & Ham Puff Pastry Pockets

Store-bought puff pastry comes to the (very tasty) rescue in this bite-size appetizer recipe. If your crowd isn't big on eating ham and/or asparagus, you could easily swap the insides for something else based on personal preference. (via Woman Scribbles)

Air Fried Olives

Olives are ​too​ good, and this air fried recipe just ​screams​ happy hour! They're super easy to coat and air fry, then pop in your mouth for a satiating salty snack. (via This Wife Cooks)

Brie, Apple, & Honey Crostini

These elevated bite-size appetizers are speaking to our soul. They're gently sweet form the apple and honey, and ultra-creamy thanks to the melty brie cheese! Pair with wine for a super good time. (via Two Peas & Their Pod)

Antipasto Skewers

You gotta love a skewered snack! These take on the flavors of salami, olives, and artichokes for a savory bite you'll definitely want seconds of. And thirds. And fourths. (via Salt & Lavender)

Crispy Cheesy Brussels Sprouts

It's true, you can convince everyone that Brussels sprouts are the superior vegetable, as long as there's some cheese involved. Thankfully, this quick appetizer recipe includes plenty of parmesan. (via The Endless Meal)

Chicks in a Blanket with Everything Bagel Seasoning

Meaty and bready, these chicks in a blanket make for an amazing snack alongside some ice-cold beer in the summer. (via Cozy Cravings)

Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

These crispy potato pieces might just be better than any restaurant's version. They're oven-baked, which supplies a much healthier alternative to deep-frying. Simply slice, season, and bake to absolute perfection. (via Two Spoons)

Crispy Spicy Tuna Sushi Bites

These fresh bites of sushi-grade tuna sit atop tiny pieces of crispy rice, and they are very addictive. They have a bit of everything, flavor-wise and texture-wise, so no one at the snack table is left out. (via Cilantro Parsley)

"Ultimately I could love myself, or I could just be like, 'Here I am,'" Claudia Jessie says. "Most of the time, none of us know what we're really doing anyway. So I think I'm just letting go of any attachment of trying to feel confident."

"You should be confident because everybody loves you," Hannah Dodd counters. "Everybody's obsessed with you! I think, if you surround yourself with the right people as well, like my friends give me confidence, the right people, like your team and you guys."

"'How are you so confident to be so different?' I say at one point to Eloise," Jessica Madsen says. "And when I read that in the script, it was just like [how] I feel about you, and I really mean it...I remember saying it and really feeling like that was 100 percent true from me to you, [Claudia]."

The love is totally reciprocated, and when I ask what the three women would write in their own Lady Whistledown column, Claudia hypes up Jessica's love of music.

"I love music. I love making playlists," Jessica says. "I went through a little stage where Spotify was my everything. I wanted to be a DJ."

"You'd look great as a DJ," Claudia adds. "I don't know your DJ'ing skills yet, but you'd look amazing behind the deck like that."

Hannah adds that they talk a lot about their dogs, and books. "I do love books," Claudia, who just finished Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes, agrees. "I'm a big reader. Basically I like things that don't mean I have to leave the house. I could talk about the inside of my flat thoroughly. I could write about that, my four walls."

Bridgerton season 3 opens after Eloise's discovery that Lady Whistledown is actually her best friend Penelope Featherington. The middle Bridgerton child has had to keep it a secret all this time, and Claudia Jessie admits she's a good secret keeper, just for a different reason: "I'm good because I forget them immediately," she says.

"I'm like the grave," Jessica Madsen promises.

"I wouldn't say I'm a grave," Hannah Dodd adds. "I just have a group of people that I'm like, 'They don't count.' I will not tell anybody. But like, except for these...one or two very trustworthy people."

In the show, multiple characters' trust in one another is threatened — learning about Penelope's secret identity challenges Eloise's trust in Penelope, and Colin's remarks that he'd never court Pen threaten her trust in him. While we see these relationships evolve in unexpected ways, we also see new sides to characters we thought we knew. Namely, Cresside Cowper.

"Other than, obviously the really sad passing of the Bridgerton dad, Eloise comes from an incredibly sheltered, privileged, happy, nourishing environment where they can all be themselves," Claudia says. "So I think it is really important to see just how different it is [from the Cowper household], cause it also informs us a bit more about how difficult the situation is for Cressida and why she might be colder or a bit closed off."

"[She's] very lonely as well," Jessica adds. "She's got nobody. Not her mum, and definitely not her dad. It's opposite ends of the spectrum."

And while season 3 of Bridgerton is just about to debut, Jessica Madsen, Hannah Dodd, and Claudia Jessie already have dreams for Bridgerton season 4.

"I'd love for Eloise to get political, do you know what I mean?" Claudia says. "I'd love that because there's so much room for Eloise to go there."

"She could be the first Prime Minister!" Jessica chimes in.

"I don't know for Francesca," Hannah says. "I'm so excited to see what the writers come up with. I just hope she steps into herself a little bit more and kind of goes after things that make her happy, and knows that she's deserving of that. But I'm new here. So, like anything they give me, I'm gonna be happy with."

Brit + Co Rapid Fire With The Bridgerton Cast

Brit + Co: We've talked so much about books, what are you all reading?

Claudia Jessie: I just finished a book called Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. And it literally says on the cover "Low stakes, high cozy vibes"...It was beautiful. Really comforting. It was like a big hug.

Hannah Dodd: I'm reading Yellowface at the moment, and I just finished Lessons in Chemistry. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo [was] good. And that really took me a while to find another book that filled that hole.

Jessica Madsen: I have Dopamine Nation...I love audio books. So I actually have Viola Davis reading to me every night her autobiography, which is amazing.

B+C: What music is on repeat for you at the moment?

CJ: I'm listening to a band called Say She She. They're like three sexy, beautiful girls doing like funk, disco pop. Beautiful, cool stuff. And they're really, really cool.

HD: I'm less cool and very generic. Beyonce's new album and Ariana Grande's new album, and I'm obsessed with Noah Kahan at the moment as well.

JM: I'm a mixed bag. I've got a lot of different stuff that I love. Yeah, I've, I've been listening to a lot of Fat Freddy's Drop cause they've got a great summer vibe. Two Feet I really enjoy...I like jazz. Disco.

B+C: Bridgerton is our next watch, what's the last thing you binge watched?

CJ:Barry, which I think is the best comedy that's ever been written, ever. I know I'm gonna re-watch it as well cause it's just unbelievable. The amount of respect they show that comedy is so beautiful.

HD: I haven't binged anything in a while, but I'm really excited to watch Ripley. And I think the last thing I binged was One Day as well, which left me heartbroken.

JM: I just binge watched — I say binge gently — Yellowstone, so I want to be a cowgirl now, really badly. I want to live in denim for the rest of my life, in cowboy boots, badly. And then I just I always put Schitt's Creek on. I've watched it 10 times now, which is embarrassing. I love it. We need laughter. We need fun.

B+C: What's on your summer 2024 bucket list?

JM: I would love to get on a beach. I wanna be on a beach for a bit and just feel the sand and the sea.

HD: I'd just like to get through this part of my life, which is quite exciting and new for me and I don't know. I wouldn't say no to a beach either.

CJ: Just a load of iced coffees. That's great when that season comes around, you can have iced coffee. That's like my favorite cause I kid myself into thinking it's not the same amount of caffeine as a hot coffee, so I'm like 'I can have three!' and then I'm rattling.