Dear Chef Kathleen,
 
Dear Chef Kathleen: If you were in charge of Thanksgiving weekend brunch, what would you serve? There will be lots of kids.

I'd like to do as much in advance as possible and keep it on the healthy side. I want the spread to be lots of fun and don't mind putting some effort into this. I love entertaining. What would you make? What would you buy?

Audra


Dear Audra,

You're smart to think of getting ahead. Make a little, buy a little. I'd whip up a Basil, Asparagus and Parmesan Strata, a batch of oatmeal cookie pancakes and scramble a dozen eggs last minute and buy the rest.

Basil Asparagus Breakfast Strata

To prepare strata: Preheat oven to 375. In a big mixing bowl, whisk together 8 egg whites and 3 1/2 cups skim milk. Add 1 teaspoon each dried oregano and thyme. Add 1 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped basil, 8 slices Italian crusty bread, cut into 1-inch cubes bread (about 1/2 pound) and 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper, mix until combined. Pour into 9- by 13-inch pan. Cover, refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

Just before baking, distribute 1/2 cup grated Provolone cheese and 1/2 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese evenly over the top, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 30 minutes more or until cheese is bubbly and the top is golden.

Serve immediately. Serves 8.

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

To prepare, combine 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside. Place 2 egg whites, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 cup buttermilk and 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.

Add 1 cup oatmeal, such as Quaker Old Fashioned Oats (not the instant), 2 peeled, diced and cored apples, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium- high heat, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Spoon pancake batter by the super-heaping tablespoonful around the pan until you can't fit any more. Let cook until bubbly and lightly brown. Turn and continue cooking just until lightly brown on the other side. Continue with remaining batter. Serve immediately.

Makes about 20 giant cookie-size pancakes.

Holiday brunch items you can buy

1. Specialty juices you might not otherwise splurge on such as freshly squeezed orange, tangerine and or grapefruit juice.
   
   
2. Fresh fruit. I love to have little bowls of fruit sprinkled throughout the buffet. Berries are quite expensive this time of year but strawberries, melon and tropical fruit are pretty reasonable. Don't skimp on the fruit because you're too busy to cut it up. Most of it can be done a day or two ahead. But if you're just too starved for time, grocery stores and food warehouses usually package up some pretty impressive fruit platters this time of year.
   
   
3. Veggies and dips. Most crudite platters go untouched but with a little creativity you might find yourself replenishing the tray throughout the party. Veggie kabobs are easy to make and fun to eat especially if you buy precut veggies. Serve them with bean dips, hummus and baba ganoush and watch them disappear.
   
   
4. Toast and jam. Create a toaster station. Lay out a basket filled with English muffins, cinnamon raisin bread, pecan cranberry bread and other specialty breads you've been dying to try. Set out little crocks of butter and an assortment of all-fruit jams and jellies.
   
   
5. Coffee and tea. Cruise into Starbucks and you can pick up hot coffee for a crowd. The coffee is packaged in a handy cardboard carrier with a leak-proof pour spout and comes complete with cups, lids, stirrers, milk and sweeteners. While you're in the shop, check out their scrumptious Tazo teas, sold by the box. My personal favorite is called Calm.
   
   
6. Over-the-top delicious pastry. Don't over buy and don't buy enough for everyone to have their own. To encourage portion control, cut the pastries into quarters or bite-size pieces and serve in festive paper candy cups.
   
   
7. Bagels and lox, whipped cream cheese, kippered salmon and smoked white fish. The fish and cream cheeses can be purchased in advance but you'll need to send someone out the morning of your brunch to pick up the bagels. Grandparents and children early to rise usually enjoy these types of errands.
   
   
8. Flowers. There's nothing like a bouquet of fresh flowers to cheer up a hurried host.

kd@chefkathleen.com