Monday, September 30, 2024
These last few days, we’ve been thinking so often about friends and readers who live in the southeastern states as people deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. We are keeping everyone impacted by this devastating storm in our thoughts and prayers!
It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the first day of October!
(And hopefully the end of hurricane season will soon follow!)
Where did September go?
The days seemed to fly by in both of our worlds!
Last Thursday, Laura shared one of her September highlights,
her granddaughter’s recent baptism.!
Today, she’s back,
offering more details about the Grazing Table
that was a key part of the brunch menu.
She’ll also share the one homemade item from the party…
It’s the recipe for our Easy Egg Bites!
Before we dive in to today’s topic though,
I’d like to thank everyone who reached out to wish Hubby and I
a Happy 40th Anniversary!
This past weekend, we spent time celebrating this GRAND occasion in our lives!
Our kids booked a lovely spot on Lake Pepin in southern Minnesota.
It’s the largest lake (at 40 square miles) on the Mississippi River
and it’s a beauty!
Look at this sunrise view - captured from our deck!
It was the perfect way to celebrate…
three glorious days spent with our children and grandchildren!
And now… moving on (later than normal thanks to a fun weekend)
to today’s post!
A Grazing Table, as we discovered, is such a fun way to present food in a relaxed way! It’s similar to a charcuterie board, but bigger and more varied! It’s a tablescape filled with artfully arranged foods and this presentation allows you and your guests to mingle and nibble without actually cooking and preparing a formal meal!
Our celebration took place after our granddaughter’s baptism, so our table was devoted to foods you might find served at a brunch. However, a Grazing Table is a perfect option for many occasions - a cocktail party, a Game Day gathering, a bridal or baby shower, a bachelorette party or a milestone celebration!
As you may recall from last Thursday’s post,
Daughter J decided that she wanted to create a Grazing Table
as part of the menu for Little P’s baptism.
She began the planning process by brainstorming a list of everything
she wanted to include.
She came up with a yummy list of options!
🔸 A Variety of Bagels & Mini Croissants 🔸
A Selection of Bagels
(Plain, Wheat, Sesame, Everything, Cinnamon Sugar & Blueberry)
Mini Croissants
🔸 Spreads 🔸
3 Cream Cheese Spreads
(Plain, Honey Walnut & Garden Vegetable)
Boursin Spreadable Cheese
Jam
Peanut Butter
🔸 Proteins 🔸
Smoked Salmon
Bacon
Prosciutto
Mini Quiches
(we bought ours from Whole Foods, but Target also has some)
Egg Bites
(recipe follows)
🔸 Add Ons 🔸
Sliced Tomatoes
Thinly Sliced Cucumbers
Thinly Sliced Radishes
Microgreens
Avocado Slices
Red Onion (or Pickled Onion)
Capers
Cornichons or Dill Pickles
🔸 and More 🔸
Nuts
(Pistachios, Candied Pecans. Cashews and/or Almonds)
Herbs
(Dill & Basil)
Chocolate Covered Blueberries
Lemon Wedges
Everything Bagel Seasoning
Balsamic Glaze
As a review, we’re sharing once again how the Grazing Table came together!
(You can find all the decorating and other menu ideas here.)
Once Daughter J had created her grocery list,
I went shopping on Friday morning
so everything she’d need would be at our house, ready once they arrived.
Then, Saturday morning found us busy at our home prepping!
We cooked the bacon and mini quiches,
I made two kinds of egg bites,
Daughters J and A sliced and assembled veggies and more
and we packed up serving pieces/utensils and food!
Later that afternoon, Daughter J and her crew loaded up the car
and drove to our niece's family's home
where the baptism brunch would take place the next day.
(Hubby and I would have joined them, but we had a wedding to attend)
The crew put pink butcher paper down to cover the center of the kitchen island.
Did you know that Walmart and Amazon both sell butcher paper that is 18” wide?
It worked so well and even matched our decor!
They then added platters and serving dishes/utensils to the space.
They set out the paper products and beverage area.
They filled some of the smaller bowls with spreads or add ons,
and covered each with plastic wrap and put these in the fridge.
Finally, they double checked to make sure everything was where it needed to be!
Saturday’s food prep was done!
On Sunday morning, when we arrived at our niece’s house after church,
everyone got to work!
Mini quiches and egg bites were placed on baking sheets
and put in the oven to warm.
(The bacon was already warming in a crock pot.)
Platters of veggies and proteins were set out.
A big basket was filled with mini croissants.
Bowls of spreads and other add ons were placed on the island.
Bagels were scattered among the serving bowls and platters.
Nuts, greens and chocolates were used to fill empty spaces!
Everything came together quickly and perfectly!
And everyone enjoyed making their own combination of deliciousness!!
The one item on our Grazing Table that we could actually take credit for as homemade
were the egg bites I prepared the day before!
While these were the perfect addition to our baptism celebration,
I also make them regularly and enjoy one or two for breakfast on occasion.
In fact, I made a batch before our recent weekend getaway
and they were a perfect way to fuel up and add needed protein to our diets!
The ingredients are simple and the recipe comes together quickly!
ENJOY!
Our Easy Egg Bites - 3 Ways!
I made two kinds of egg bites for the Grazing Table…
Three Cheese & Chive and Sausage & Cheese
I also make Egg White & Roasted Red Pepper egg bites
that are reminiscent of the Starbucks version that I love!
I’ve included directions for all three!
🔸 Three Cheese & Chive Egg Bites!
This is the basic recipe I use. You can mix and match other ingredients - the combinations are endless! And if you’d like to get extra protein in your diet, substitute 1 cup of egg whites for four of the eight eggs in the basic recipe. OR two cups of egg whites to replace all eight eggs!
INGREDIENTS
• cooking spray
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• pinch of black pepper
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• parmesan cheese (finely shredded or grated)
• fresh chives, minced
DIRECTIONS
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the cups of a muffin pan with cooking spray. I suggest using a silicone muffin pan - the egg bites release so easily!
Step 2 - Add the eggs, cottage cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a blender and mix until smooth! Then add the cheddar cheese and blend once more until VERY smooth.
NOTE: I make half of a recipe at a time and use my personal blender to whip these up!
Step 3 - Pour the egg mixture into the cups of the muffin pan, filling each about half full. (You may have extra egg mixture, depending on how full you fill the cups - I tend to like my egg bites slightly thinner when fully baked.) Sprinkle the top of each with parmesan and chives..
Step 4 - Bake for 20 minutes. If your egg bites are slightly firm in the middle, they are done. If not, bake for a few additional minutes. You will notice that the egg bites will be puffed up when you take the pan out of the oven but they will soon deflate a bit.
Step 5 - Let the egg bites cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan. These can be eaten warm, at room temperature or even cold, right from the fridge!
Store egg bites in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days!
🔸 Sausage & Cheese Egg Bites!
These were a fan favorite at the baptism and on our trip - Little L definitely loves her sausage!
INGREDIENTS
• cooking spray
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• pinch of black pepper
• ½ cup shredded Cojack cheese
• breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled - to make things simple, I used these
DIRECTIONS
Follow the steps and storage guidelines above (in the basic recipe - Three Cheese & Chives) while making the following changes:
1). Substitute 1/2 cup Cojack cheese for the cheddar,
2). Omit the parmesan and chives.
3). Once you’ve filled the muffin cups with the egg. mixture, add sausage crumbles to each cup before baking.
🔸 Egg White & Red Pepper Egg Bites!
I LOVE these! Lots of protein and lots of flavor! I almost always have some in my fridge!
INGREDIENTS
• cooking spray
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup egg whites
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• pinch of black pepper
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• parmesan cheese
• fresh chives, minced
DIRECTIONS
Again, follow the steps and storage guidelines outlined in the basic recipe - Three Cheese & Chives. This time though, make the following adjustments:
1). Substitute 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese for the cheddar.
2). Once you’ve filled the muffin cups with the egg. mixture, add the chopped roasted red peppers to each cup and top each with parmesan and freshly minced chives before baking.
Other Combinations Worth Trying
There are so many combinations of ingredients you can add to your basic egg bite recipe to customize them! Here are a few tasty options we’d love to try…
🔸 Crumbled Bacon & Swiss
🔸 Mushroom, Garlic & Spinach
🔸 Diced Ham & Cheddar.
🔸 Broccoli & Cheddar
🔸 Veggies & Monterey Jack
🔸 Caprese Style
We hope this post inspires you to get creative
and to consider making your own future Grazing Table!
Have you ever built a Grazing Table?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
If you have ideas or suggestions for us to add to our next one,
please share!
Feel free to comment at the end of this post
or, if you prefer, you can reach out to us at ourgrandlives@gmail.com!
Be sure to check out our social media content, too!
where you can find blog updates as well as fun extra content, too!
Did you know that yesterday (September 29) was National Ghost Hunting Day?
You can read all about her ghostly Hide and Seek game here!
You can also find many of our posts highlighted on Pinterest, too!
(And, you'll find our social media links at the top of each post!)
We’d love to have you join our other subscribers to our OGL site
so you always know what’s up with us at Our Grand Lives!
We’ll be back on Thursday
when we’ll share our Bushels of Fun! post!
You guessed it! We’ll be highlighting favorite apple activities...
Fun for our Littles and, in fact,
each idea is perfect for Grands and Littles to do together!
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Love Your Creativity from Life & Linda
Senior Salon Pit Stop from Scratch Made Food
Thank you for featuring this post on your sites!
❤ We love our blogging community! ❤
💗 We are delighted to join the following link up parties and blog hops! 💗
MONTHLY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
This is wonderful! This great blog post is one of my features for the upcoming Senior Salon Pit Stop, thank you for sharing with us, we sure appreciate it! Melynda @scratchmadefood!
Looks like a lovely brunch with so many yummy items. The easy egg bites sound and look amazing. I am happy to feature your lovely brunch at Love Your Creativity.
Good morning! We love a grazing morning buffet when family is together also. I don't always make an egg dish! Posted about it recently. Great you had a family time wiht kids and their families too! Visiting from Saturday Sparks #27, 28,29
I LOVE this idea of a grazing table!! These recipes sound delicious, too! Thanks for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #48 linkup! We hope you'll share more at #49, too. Happy weekend! -Jennifer
Yum! So many delicious recipes on here.