With the hustle that comes on Easter morning with attending church and hunting for Easter eggs, many families will choose to delay their first meal of the day and rather than serving Easter breakfast, serve an Easter brunch. Providing you select a good menu of foods and prepare a bit ahead of time, making Easter brunch can be quick and easy. For more information including tips and menu ideas, read on to learn how to make Easter brunch.

As Easter brunch is generally served in the mid-morning, typically it contains a combination of breakfast and lunch foods. Breakfast items like eggs and pancakes can be served along with main course foods like ham, lamb and salads. Similarly, you'll want to remember to add fruits, vegetables, breads, beverages and desserts.

To make the preparation quicker and easier once Easter morning rolls around, there are a number of foods you can prepare ahead of time, refrigerating them to bake or heat up just before serving. Planning a menu with a combination of pre-made dishes and those that can be made easily just before it's time to eat is a popular choice.

Of course not everything can be prepared ahead of time, such as eggs and pancakes, but often you can save time by combining ingredients to cut down on cooking time. Making things like omelets or breakfast scrambles can combine eggs, vegetables and meats, eliminating the need for cooking them separately.

To make Easter brunch, you'll first need to plan your menu. The next step is preparing foods ahead of time, then finishing the meal and serving it to family and friends come Easter Sunday.

Once you know you will be hosting an Easter brunch, you'll want to know how many guests to expect as well as any specific eating styles they prefer. After this information is all known, you can plan your menu, containing a good combination of pre-made items and those that can be quickly prepared before meal time.http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Breakfast-and-Brunch/Casseroles/Top.aspx

1. As Easter is known for eggs, having at least one egg dish is almost a must. This can be in the form of scrambled eggs, deviled eggs or combination dishes like omelets or breakfast scrambles.http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Breakfast-and-Brunch/Casseroles/Top.aspx
2. Serving a meat is also a near must, with ham, chicken, turkey bacon, sausage or lamb popular choices. Keep in mind if you are eating an Easter dinner later in the day, you'll likely want to select a different meat for your brunch than what is being served at the dinner.
3. Potatoes are a common brunch food, either served as hash browns, mashed potatoes or fried potatoes.
4. Include a variety of grains, like dinner rolls, biscuits, toast, pancakes, waffles or french toast. If desired, oatmeal is also an option.
5. Serve a selection of fruits and vegetables including salads, fruit salad or fresh fruits and veggies.
6. Plan for some simple sweets like cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, cookies or cakes.
7. Don't forget about beverages, with coffee, milk, juice, tea and soft drinks popular choices.http://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/easter-brunch-menus/index.html

As you'll want to maximize your time with family and friends on Easter Sunday, preparing as much as you can ahead of time, such as the day or night before, can assist with that. Many foods, including baked goods and casseroles can be made ahead of time then baked or warmed before serving.http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Breakfast-and-Brunch/Casseroles/Top.aspx

1. If any of your ingredients are frozen, be sure to move them from the freezer to the refrigerator the day or night before to allow them to defrost by the time they will need to be used.
2. Prepare your baked goods, like cookies, cakes, cupcakes and other sweets the day before. Store them in an air-tight container until Easter morning.
3. If you are planning to serve casseroles, combine all of the ingredients in the specified baking pan the night before. Many casseroles, like french toast casserole for example, will require overnight refrigeration, then it can be baked before the meal.http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Breakfast-and-Brunch/Casseroles/Top.aspx
4. Chop ingredients if possible the night before. Salads can be prepared, without dressing, and refrigerated. Fruit salads and fresh fruit can be prepared ahead of time as well, using lemon juice to keep the fruit from spoiling.
5. Make sure you have all of your ingredients for each dish as well as things like dishes, silverware and decorations. Making a quick trip to the store is done more easily the day before than at the last minute.

Now that Easter morning has arrived, it's time to get cooking. If you selected a good combination of pre-made foods and others that can be cooked quickly before the meal, this step should be a piece of cake. Whatever your menu, you may wish to enlist the help of a buddy, especially if you are cooking for a large group of people.

1. Begin with whichever foods will take the longest to cook, like casseroles that need to be baked or meats that must be roasted. The goal here is to have all foods finish cooking at the same time so each is hot when served.
2. While your hungry guests are waiting for the main meal, serve them pre-made items, like baked goods, sweets, fruits and vegetables, along with beverages. This will hold them over until the big meal is ready.
3. Prepare the final dishes just before serving including eggs, potatoes, meats and vegetables. If possible, cook foods together in the same pan, such as in a breakfast scramble, to reduce the cooking time and energy.http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Breakfast-and-Brunch/Casseroles/Top.aspx
4. If foods finish cooking before others, cover them with aluminum foil and place them in a warm place, like your oven, until ready to serve.
5. Remember to set the table and put up any last-minute decorations. This is a great task for children, occupying them while you cook and keeping them away from Easter candy for a little while.