Cheers! Easy Brunch Recipes for a Beautiful Mother's Day

By Barbie Butz · Thu May 14 2026

The month of May heralds the celebration of mothers, with Mother's Day on May 10. It's a day to recognize those special individuals in a family whose job it is to help raise our children. And in addition, whether it's a foster mom, an adopted mom, a grandmother mom, or a father mom, we want to celebrate all of them.

I researched recipes for this occasion that would be easy to prepare and serve. For a gathering of family and friends a buffet brunch goes a long way in allowing the hostess to be able to "join the party."

Breakfast-Brunch Pie

Ingredients: 8 slices bacon · ½ cup Panko bread crumbs · 5 eggs · 2 ½ cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed · 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 ounces) · ½ cup cottage cheese · 1/3 cup milk · ¼ cup chopped green onions (2) · ½ teaspoon salt · ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper · 4 drops bottled hot pepper sauce · Sliced green onions for garnish.

Directions: In a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon dripping in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside. Stir bread crumbs into the reserved drippings. Transfer bread crumb mixture to a small bowl; cover and chill until needed. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a fork until foamy. Stir in crumbled bacon, potatoes, Swiss cheese, cottage cheese, milk, the chopped green onions, salt, black pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Pour mixture into prepared pie plate. Cover and chill for 2 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle pie with bread crumb mixture. Bake uncovered about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If desired, garnish with sliced onions. Cut in wedges to serve.

This next recipe is a wonderful way to use leftover ham or a single ham steak. Like the Breakfast-Brunch Pie, it can be made ahead.

Ham-Asparagus Strata

Ingredients: 8 ounces fresh asparagus spears, cooked and cut into 2-inch-long pieces · 5 cups French bread cubes · 2 cups shredded Gruyere or white cheddar cheese (8 ounces) · ½ cup chopped onion · ¼ cup snipped chives or chopped green onions · 8 ounces cooked ham, diced · 10 eggs · 1 ½ cups milk · Cracked black pepper (optional).

Directions: In a Dutch oven, cook asparagus in boiling water about 5 minutes or until bright green. Drain well; set aside. Grease a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Spread half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Top bread cubes with cheese, onion, and chives; top with half of the ham and half of the asparagus. Top with remaining bread cubes. In a bowl, whisk together 4 of the eggs and the milk. Pour egg mixture evenly over layers in baking dish. Using the back of a wide spatula, press bread down lightly to soak with egg mixture. Top with remaining ham and the remaining asparagus. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill 8 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, make 6 indentations in the top of the strata. Pour one of the remaining eggs into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the strata registers 170 degrees and eggs are set. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Cut into squares to serve. If desired, sprinkle with cracked black pepper. Makes 6 servings.