La Brunche Vita: Holiday Edition

Last month, I wrote about hosting brunches at home to save a few dollars and create a more intimate dining environment. This past Sunday, I hosted a brunch in honor of the Dutchman's definite arrival to Washington, DC. I decided to get into the holiday mood with a simple silver snowflake tablecloth from Target and decorate my chocolate-orange cake with rosemary and cranberries to resemble a garland.
One of the things I've learned about hosting is the difference between what you see in Pintrest and what is practical on the table. Centerpieces are nice until you have to move them out of the way to place all the dishes on the table, especially if you're feeding 10 people on a table designed for 6. Tip: get some wooden folding chairs from Ikea. They are nice enough to have inside and practical enough to fold and keep in a closet or garage.
One of the things I've learned with entertaining a large table is that is best to make dishes which can be made in the oven in large quantities. I made four quiches: two of bacon, spinach, and Swiss cheese (recipe at end of post) and two of smoked wild salmon, onions and brie. To make the process easier on a Sunday morning, I bought the premade pie crusts. I accompanied the quiches with a fresh apple crumble (crumble made with oatmeal for a lighter taste) and warm croissants a friend brought from a Bakers and Co in Annapolis. For drinks, we put together the Bloody Mary bar we did last time and we added Guava Mimosas (sparkling wine with guava juice instead of orange). For a sweet ending, we cut into a homemade chocolate cake with a chocolate Swiss buttercream frosting. We spent the afternoon catching up and welcoming the Dutchman to DC. Hosting brunches at home have become my new favorite thing to do. I suspect this will become a monthly tradition in 2014.

Bacon and Spinach Quiche (12 servings)
1Pillsbury Deep Dish Pie Crusts
1/2 Package of Center Cut Bacon
1/2 Large White Onion, finely sliced
2 Cups Baby Spinach
5 Eggs
3/4 Cup Half and Half Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Once heated, place the pie crusts in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, let cool. Keep oven on.
While the pie crusts are cooking: Cook the bacon until crispy and chop in 1in pieces, save 1/2 the fat. Cook onions in bacon fat until translucent (around 3 minutes) and then add spinach and sauté (around 5 minutes) Easiest (cleanest) way to blend the eggs: Mix eggs, half/half, and salt/pepper with an immersion blender in a narrow, long, measuring cup. Mine are from William-Sonoma, one of the best kitchen purchases I've ever made.
Place bacon on the bottom of the dish, followed by the spinach/onions, and sprinkle with cheese.  Pour egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.