Can you still call something a mimosa if it doesn't have orange juice in it? I'm big on hibiscus, especially when the weather gets warmer. I pick up packs of dried hibiscus flowers from a local international market (Grand Mart for any Washingtonians) and make, well, basically, hibiscus flavored water. It's lovely as iced tea, or mixed with tequila and lime. It is incredibly refreshing. You can make it as strong as you like, and as sweet as you like. Just fill a pot with some water (say, 3 cups), sprinkle in a few flowers (say, 1/4 cup), let water come to a simmer and simmer for several minutes while the water turns a deep crimson. Add some sugar to sweeten, anywhere from a few teaspoons to 1/2 cup (sweet hibiscus tea, anyone?) and let sugar dissolve. You can let the flowers steep for a bit longer off the heat, and then strain. You could really boil the hibiscus down to make more of a syrup, but I served it as more of a "juice" to go along with sparkling wine at a brunch I hosted.
I decided to have a Mother's Day brunch for some of our family because I was in the mood to entertain. Also, overpriced, subpar egg dishes at restaurants make me sad. I used to host brunches often before I had our daughter, and I knew I would now have to show more restrain in my menu planning. The menu was: fresh fruit, bagels with lox, croissants with chicken salad, pasta with pesto, shredded beef hash, cinnamon rolls, and a rustic plum tart (my mother made). Overall this was a very easy menu to prep for and I think everything went really well together. Since my mom was making a fruit tart, I had told myself I wouldn't make the cinnamon rolls unless I really had the extra time. Apparently, you make time for cinnamon rolls. The pesto, the hibiscus juice, the chicken salad, the beef and the cinnamon rolls were all prepared the day before, and the table was set two days before, so the day of I had only about an hour of work to do and my husband picked up bagels and croissants from our favorite bakeries the morning of. I would love to use this same menu again as it was a good combination of room temperature (pasta), cool (chicken salad), warm and spicy (egg), and sweet dishes. Although the pasta was probably unnecessary, there were enough carbs. I used to always have a cooking project while guests were eating (like crepes or fresh toast) but this was the first time I didn't, and it was a nice change. I prepared the egg dish after guests arrived but with my mise en place it came together in just a few minutes and then I was done. Oh, except for pulling out the warm cinnamon rolls, holla! Menu planning and organizing prep is one of my favorite parts of entertaining (something I definitely get from my mother) and it felt good to be able to challenge that creative part of my brain again.
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