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Perhaps your family is re-thinking their Christmas dinner plans this year. You may be traveling, you may be eating a meal at several family’s homes, or you simply want to cut costs this year by eliminating a big sit-down dinner. Planning to share a Christmas brunch may suit your plans this year for any or all of those reasons.

If you are considering your family’s budget, big sit-down dinners tend to be more expensive than even the nicest brunch. The menu for a big dinner will normally include a large meat main course, numerous side dishes, and many fancy desserts and candies. The beverages served during a formal sit-down dinner in the evening will typically include fancy drinks, wine, and after dinner drinks. In other words, a big dinner can add up to a lot of money.

For families who are struggling trying to enjoy Christmas while sticking to a budget, a brunch may be just what they need. If travel plans and sharing meals at more than one household are a problem, a brunch may solve that problem, too. Take a look at some simple, yet delicious, ways that you can plan a meal that would suit such a festive occasion.

Brunch Casserole – Probably one of the most familiar and popular dishes for brunch, there are countless recipes from which to choose. Most begin with some sort of potato like hash browns, or bread. To that you add your layers of anything like sausage, ham, green pepper, cheese, and egg. This assemblage is refrigerated overnight, then baked in the morning and served hot. You can make this as simple or as complicated as you choose.

Skillet Dish – If you’ve ever had a Frittata then you know what a skillet meal is like. For brunch, you want to make the Frittata using a variety of breakfast-like foods. Starting with some hash browns or rice, you would fry that up with whatever sausage or ham you like, maybe some vegetables, then pour the egg over and let it set up. Cover it with some shredded cheddar cheese and you have a complete meal in a skillet.

Muffin Tin Meal – Little individual pot pies is what we’re thinking here. Use any refrigerator biscuit to form the crust. You may want to give them a little pre-baking time, then cool and fill with a variety of breakfast food, which could include some sausage, bacon, egg and cheese. Bake them until the egg sets up and the biscuit is golden brown. You can even make actual muffins and stir the ingredients right in the muffin mix.

Omelets – The only reason I hesitate to recommend omelets for brunch is that they can be time consuming for the host. If you decide to make omelets, you’ll need to have an assortment of fillings available, and that will take some preparation time. And, after all the preparation is over, you will have to stand at a stove whipping up the omelets for your guests. If your set up is such that you’ll be stuck away in the kitchen while your guests are mingling in the dining room, this may not suit your plans. However, if you have an open concept kitchen and will do most of the entertaining and dining right there near the stove, then it may work out well for you. It all depends on how much cooking you want to do while your guests are there.

When you start planning your menu, be sure to include a variety of foods. A brunch usually involves a lot of little nibbling and lots of mingling, so some ‘walking around’ type food is in order. Don’t forget a nice tray of fruit and even some cheese would be nice. Have plenty of coffee and tea ready and waiting. Pitchers of milk, water, and juice should be readily available. Don’t bother with pie or cake, and definitely not fudge or other candy. You may have guests who are headed to “round two” and they don’t want to stuff themselves. But, a plate of pretty Christmas cookies will always be appreciated.

These are just a few simple ideas to put together a brunch for your Christmas get together. When you are cooking these sorts of dishes, you won’t waste a lot of time in the kitchen, nor will you waste a lot of money. Enjoy your day!

Visit FreeQuickRecipes.com to find even more easy and simple Christmas dinner ideas and recipes for your holiday season. Start planning today!