I don't know when or why it happened but somewhere along the way, I fell in love with brunch. I know it happened after college graduation because what else is a post-grad supposed to do? Brunch is such the basic bitch thing to do and I love every moment of it.

Brunchcon

I've showcased my love of brunch here many times, from a review of Brunchcon and a gift guide for the brunch lover in your life so I figured it was time to give you a rundown of my favorite places in the New York area.

The reason I love brunch so much is that it's basically an excuse to get drunk in the middle of the day and you're home by 7 PM and can sleep and wake up with a mild hangover. In my adult life, I hate going to a bar and getting home at 2 AM. I find it pointless and not fun. Who decided that it was fun to go out at 11 PM? It used to be but not at 25 years old.

That's why brunch is the best of both worlds and I'm a little obsessed.

Now, most of the places I go to are bottomless brunch places because it's cheap(er) and it is the way I like to party. There are a few places on Long Island that I LOVE that aren't bottomless and much more lowkey than the places in Manhattan.

Me on my 25th birthday at Libation NYC

1. Libation: I would say this is the most party brunch place on my list and probably my favorite. It's less of a party place than Bagatelle or Beauty and Essex but more of a party place than the other places on the list.

They have a kickass bottomless brunch; delicious food and so many mimosas. The people who work there are really nice and once your two hours are up, you usually can go upstairs to their bar area (the place is 3 floors) and continue to enjoy your night. I had my 25th birthday there this past November and they made a big deal about it; brought us sparklers, said my name over the DJ booth, and was just a great host.

If you're looking for a really wonderful bottomless brunch, high key experience, Libation is your place!

Scrambled Popovers

French Toast Sandwich

2. Toast: Sometimes when you think of brunch you may think of intense, delicious breakfast dishes that are totally unique and fun. Toast is just that for me. It's located in Huntington, Long Island and is super tiny, usually has a decent wait time but is well worth every moment spent. It's a quirky, fun, loud place that you'll see families with small children at (unlike Libation) and it's one of my favorite low-key brunch spots.

My favorite dishes are the French Toast Sandwich (a BEC with french toast instead of a bagel or regular bread as the 'bun'), the French Toast Sticks, and the Scrambled Popover. Ugh, my mouth is watering! *This isn't a bottomless brunch place

3. Southern Hospitality: I've only been here twice but it remains one of my favorite and most recommended places to eat. It's Justin Timberlake's restaurant (so that might be a reason I love it so much) and has a real southern feel -- as southern as you can get in Hells Kitchen, Manhattan. It's rustic, loud, and oddly airy if you sit near one of the windows. The food is delicious and is super comforting. You can do a bottomless brunch here and it's a favorite of those after graduation crowds (I went after my graduation and my friends' and it was awesome)

4. The Blind Pig: Another place I've been to only once but it shows up on every NYC bottomless brunch list. Now, I don't talk about drinking a lot on the blog because I try to remain professional but I went here for my 23rd birthday and basically drank myself into oblivion. The drinks are so strong that I don't remember tasting my food -- it was SO GOOD. The menu has duck on it, so it's a little more sophisticated than a typical omelet place. It's also not a party place with a DJ like Libation but you can still make a great time out of it. If you wish to have a more lowkey brunch, this place can cater to that too.




5. JAM: This is another Long Island place, and another place that has a long wait but is also worth it. My favorite part is that they let you make your own mimosas so you get a little jug of orange juice,  a little champagne bottle, and a glass, and voila! You make your own! The coffee cups they give you are reminiscent of Central Perk and the menu is to die for. I went last weekend and got a Lobster Eggs Benedict. It was too good for words! *Important to note like Toast, this is not bottomless! 

Have you ever had a bottomless brunch? If you're in NYC, what is your favorite spot?

xoxo
B

Since starting work full time back in April, my lounge days are limited to the weekends. That means, my Pinterest time is few and far inbetween.

I hadn't made a food concoction in quite a while, but a month ago, during the 4th of July weekend I basically had a 4 day weekend and a little bit of time on my hands.

With this, I started looking through Pinterest and decided that a breakfast casserole was my next project. This is very similar to the breakfast cups I made back in January, but just in a regular casserole form.

I couldn't find a recipe that exactly fit what I want-- a lot used ham instead of bacon, were for serving sizes of 24 people, or just wasn't what I was looking for. I decided to just wing it and make something of my own.

Ingredients:



1 package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Half a package of Hash Browns
8 Eggs
Bacon (as much as you'd like) -- precook before hand
Shredded Cheese (whichever kind, however much you'd like)

Steps:

1. Spray casserole pan with cooking spray
2. Spread package of crescent rolls over the casserole pan, make sure there are no open spaces between the dough, seal up any cracks.
3. Spread raw hash browns on top of the crescent rolls
4. Beat 8 eggs together in a bowl (add salt and pepper if you'd like) and pour over hashbrowns
5. Add pre cooked bacon slices on top (I broke the pieces of bacon in half to cover more space)
6. Sprinkle with shredded cheese
7. Cook at 350 degrees for about 15-25 minutes, or until the edges of the crescent rolls look golden brown, and the eggs are cooked thoroughly.





This casserole lasted for weeks. It was honestly way too much (whoops) so after about 5 days in the refrigerator, I cut it in half and put it in the freezer. It tasted just as good after it was defrosted and heated in the microwave.

This is such a fun brunch idea, if you're having a weekend brunch for your girlfriends -- it's something easy and quick to make that is different!

I took one out of the pan before I could take a pic #bloggerfail