The last, but not least, recipe in my Make Ahead Brunch series: a Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bundt Cake. This buttery and bright cake, spiked with fresh berries, is perfect for brunch, especially with warmer weather upon us. It can be baked in a regular baking pan, but using a bundt playfully hides a cinnamony crunch at the bottom and allows for a lemon glaze over the top. Because who doesn’t need an extra punch of lemon flavor on a sleepy weekend morning?

Make this cake—sans the glaze—the night before your guests arrive. Cover it well and store on the counter overnight. Make the glaze, which takes all of 5 minutes, and pour it over the cake immediately before serving.

Since anything goes at brunch, I like to put everything out at once. You just might find that your guests want to start with coffee and cake before moving on to savory foods. If you’d like to serve this cake as a dessert course, you can either make the glaze while someone else clears the meal plates, or let the glazed cake sit while you eat the strata and salad. It will keep just fine. If you don’t want to deal with a glaze at all, keep things simple with a quick dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bundt Cake, adapted from Martha Stewart
(can be adapted for kids 8+ mos)*

2 1/2 c organic flour, plus 1 tsp for blueberries and zest
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) organic unsalted butter, room temp
1 c packed organic light brown sugar
1 c organic granulated sugar
4 large organic eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c organic sour cream
2 c organic blueberries
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
nonstick cooking spray, for pan

For the crumble:
5 tbsp cold organic butter, cubed
3/4 c organic flour
1 c organic light brown sugar
2 tsp organic cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

For the glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk 2 1/2 cups flour with baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with two additions of sour cream.

3. In a bowl, toss blueberries and zest with remaining teaspoon flour; gently fold into batter. Coat a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan with cooking spray. Spread batter in prepared pan and set aside.

4. Prep the crumb topping: pulse brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and cold butter in a food processor until crumbly. Spread topping evenly over the batter, gently pressing down. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a rack.

5. While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze: in a small saucepan, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice over very low heat until smooth and warmed through.

6. Using a toothpick, poke holes over the top of your bundt cake and pour warm glaze evenly over it. Serve!

*Note: Some recommend that children under 12-months not eat citrus (though citrus zest in small amounts is fine). If you strictly adhere to the citrus recommendation, you may want to hold off on feeding this cake until 12 mos. Otherwise, simply skip the glaze on portions for kids 8+ mos. And always make sure to serve age appropriate bite sizes.

When planning my make-ahead brunch, I was looking for a hearty salad to pair with the Spinach and Cheese Strata. At first I considered something with, well, bacon (I told you I was conflicted about serving a brunch without breakfast meat!), but then I came across this salad. Hold the bacon, add the squash! It may not seem like the most exciting move but, trust me, you can’t get better than deeply caramelized chunks of butternut squash tossed with escarole, apple and high-quality aged cheddar. And then you get the satisfaction of having made a totally satisfying, meat-free brunch.

Making this salad—which also works great at lunch or dinner time—ahead is super easy. Simply roast the squash and make the dressing the night before you plan on serving the salad. Store both in (separate) air tight containers in the fridge. The day of your brunch, allow the squash to return to room temperature while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Then toss and serve.

Escarole Salad with Roasted Squash & Cheddar, from Martha Stewart
(can be adapted—or deconstructed!—for kids 6+ mos)*

1 small organic butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
1 tbsp organic olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 organic granny smith apple, quartered, cored & thinly sliced
1 head organic escarole, torn into 2″ pieces
2 1/2 ounces organic sharp cheddar, thinly sliced or shaved into ribbons

For the dressing
2 tbsp organic white wine vinegar*
2 tsp organic Dijon mustard
1 tsp packed organic light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
pepper
3 tbsp organic olive oil

1. Prep the salad! Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash with oil, salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender and caramelized, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

2. Make the dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified.

3. Gently toss squash, apple, escarole and half of the cheese in a large serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with dressing and toss again. Top with remaining cheese.

*Note: Set aside and mash some roasted squash for eaters as young as 6 months. Older kids who can eat all of the ingredients, but haven’t yet taken to leafy greens can have their own escarole-free version (yummy squash, apples and cheese!). Consider using a minimal amount of dressing on portions for younger eaters and substituting apple cider vinegar for kids under 12 months.

We recently had friends over for brunch. They don’t have kids (yet!), so we made a plan for 12:30 pm (a “morning” plan for after noon, imagine that!). That would have normally taken the pressure off of cooking the day-of, except for the fact that we had other friends over the night before, friends for whom I cooked dinner, friends who also have no children and stay up later than we usually do. I needed a plan. A plan that would make back-to-back entertaining possible. Even with two little kids.

And it did. My plan—it worked!

If you ask me, every brunch needs a) coffee, b) savory eggs, c) something sweet and d) something light and healthy to balance out the eggs and sweet. My brunch menu was complete with all of these essential elements and all I had to do the day-of was put eggs in the oven and toss together a salad. THAT’S ALL.

My menu was simple: A Spinach and Cheese Strata, Escarole Salad with Roasted Squash and Cheddar and a Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bundt Cake. At first I was worried about not offering breakfast meat (okay, I admit it: even I find my omission of bacon or sausage as an essential element of brunch controversial)—but it totally worked. Chock full of gooey bread (think a savory bread pudding), the strata is quite filling. Paired with a hearty salad and cake, there was plenty of food. But, you know, I won’t blame you if you decide to quick roast sausage or oven crisp bacon, too. (Ooh! Or add some crispy pancetta to the strata.)

I was turned onto this strata from Gourmet by Deb of Smitten Kitchen. It’s a snap to put together: throw the ingredients in a baking dish the night before your brunch, store in the fridge overnight, begin the cooking process about an hour and a half before you plan on serving. In fact, it’s a great recipe for any weekend—even if you’re not entertaining.

Spinach and Cheese Strata, from Gourmet
(can be served to kids 12+ mos)*

1 10-oz package organic frozen spinach, thawed
1 1/2 cups finely chopped organic onion (1 large)
3 tbsp unsalted organic butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
8 c cubed (1 inch) French or Italian bread (1/2 lb)
6 oz coarsely grated Gruyère (2 cups)
2 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)
2 3/4 c organic milk
9 large organic eggs
2 tbsp organic Dijon mustard

1. Squeeze handfuls of spinach to remove as much liquid as possible, then finely chop.

2. In a large pan over medium heat, cook onion in butter until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat.

3. Spread one third of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow ceramic baking dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice (ending with cheeses).

4. In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, mustard and remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 8 hours (for bread to absorb custard).

5. The next day, preheat oven to 350°F. Let strata stand at room temperature 30 minutes before baking, uncovered, in middle of oven until puffed, golden brown and cooked through, 45 to 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*Note: Egg whites are a high allergen food usually not recommended until 12+ mos (plain egg yolks can be served to children 8+ mos), but the recommendations are changing. Evidence is mounting that there is no significant protective effect by delaying the introduction of high allergen foods. Read more about eggs—and shifting attitudes about food introductions—on one of my favorite baby food resources, Wholesome Baby Food.

If your child does not have food allergies and there is no history of food allergies in the family, you may consider talking to your pediatrician about introducing eggs (a great source of protein!) much earlier.

Sorry. No digest this week (check out yesterday’s post for an explanation!). But fear not—I’ve got something for you. Some political action! C’mon ChowMamas and Papas, let’s rally! Need motivation? More than 31 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program (is your child one?). Many of these children consume as many as HALF of their daily calories at school. Helping schools serve real food may be the most promising way to end child obesity, but it simply can’t happen unless Congress invests in healthier food in the upcoming Child Nutrition Act.

I first posted about the Time for Lunch campaign by Slow Food USA in December. Though lots of progress has been made, more help is needed to help ensure that our kids get the school food they deserve. Don’t think you’ve got what it takes to help? USDA Secretary Vilsack thinks otherwise. He recently said that the most important thing citizens can do to get healthier food into their local schools is to urge Congress to pass a strong Child Nutrition Act. This issue has broad public support, he said, but it isn’t appearing in the news—so we need to make sure Congress gets the message.

Help send congress the message loud and clear. The Time for Lunch campaign is aiming to get 100,000 letters to Congress. Join the effort and send a letter. If you’ve already done that, there are other ways you can help, namely by spreading the word. So please post this on Facebook, Tweet it, send it around. Let’s show our fighting spirit!

Photo: Dana Treat

Yes! Those portobellos look good—and they are—but let me start with a quick update. Immediately upon returning from New Orleans, I got hit with a stomach bug. With a big project coming to a head (exciting details coming soon!) and having already taken a week off, the timing couldn’t have been worse. So, though I’m almost fully recovered, I feeling maxed out. Not good timing with so much to do and still having to put dinner on the table every night!

I know that you know the feeling. I’ve learned—the hard way—that I have to prioritize my work and life demands as soon as I start feeling maxed out. Otherwise, I run the risk of driving myself into the ground (yes, I’m one of those people). I hope you’ll be patient over the next few weeks as I close out my big project and rely heavily on go-to recipes, many of which I’ve already shared with you (ie, i’ll have fewer new recipes to post). During this time, I may not be able to consistently maintain the Weekly Digest and I’ll probably point to other people’s recipes more than usual.

Having to say that I can’t keep up 100%—even for just a short while—feels like, well, like I’m failing you. But one of the reasons I started ChowMama was to show that good food can realistically fit into our lives as parents. So, I figure, if I’m not honest about when I need to rely on shortcuts or serve the same 7 recipes every night for a few weeks, then I’ll really fail you. (Think I’m kidding? Here’s the run down: Turkey Paprikash, Zucchini Orzo Risotto with Feta, Pork Chili Verde with enough for leftovers a second night, 20 Minute Sesame Noodles, Quickest Curried Eggs and 10-Minute Lemon Thyme Scallops. Phew!)

Back to new recipes! All this talk of failure seems silly when I still have such great recipes to share. This one, for Poblano and Cheddar Stuffed Portobellos, is from one of my new favorite sites, Dana Treat. It’s become a go-to resource since making a commitment to eating more vegetarian meals. Dana not only writes a fabulous blog, but also offers weekly cooking, catering and cooking class services. Check it out if you live in the Seattle area. You can also follow her on Twitter.

Poblano Cheddar Stuffed Portobellos, (barely) adapted from Dana Treat
(can be adapted for kids 8+ mos)*

Tip: You can make either the rice and chiles, or even the whole stuffing, a day ahead of serving. Just store in an air tight container in the fridge overnight.

2 organic poblano chiles*
4 organic jumbo portobello mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed
organic olive oil
salt & pepper
1 small organic yellow onion, finely chopped
5 oz organic baby spinach, washed
1 c cooked organic rice (white or brown)
1/2 c shredded organic sharp cheddar cheese
2 tbsp chopped organic cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place chiles on a baking sheet and bake until skins start to turn black, turning once, about 20 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and carefully wrap a piece of foil over the chiles. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and remove the skin from the chiles. Remove the seeds and membranes (the more thorough you are about this, the less heat which is important to keep in mind for young eaters), and finely chop. Set aside.

2. Preheat the broiler. Drizzle both sides of the mushrooms with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil the mushrooms, turning, until softened, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a plate, stem side down; let drain and cool.

3. Preheat oven to 325. In the meantime, place a medium skillet over medium heat. Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the baby spinach (you may have to do this in batches) and cook until wilted. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid in the pan has cooked off. Place in a bowl and mix the spinach with the rice, cheese, cilantro and chiles. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Season cooled mushroom caps with salt and pepper. Spoon the rice mixture into the mushrooms, mounding it slightly. Transfer the mushrooms to a baking dish and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Note: Other than making sure to chop or mash all of the ingredients to an age appropriate texture, the poblanos are the only variable that may be of concern for younger eaters. While there is nothing inherently wrong with feeding these peppers to children 8+ mos, they do pack some heat. Dana originally called for 3 peppers, but I use two since my ChowBaby is a little bit—but not very—sensitive to spicy. Thoroughly de-veining and de-seeing these peppers is key to reducing their heat but, if you’re little one doesn’t like spicy foods, you’re best bet is to set aside some poblano-free stuffing for their portion.