Meal No. 536: Unexpected Brunch

It's really terrific having Andrea and Mark Bailey spending time here as they make the journey from New Orleans to see Andrea's folks in New Bern, NC. I fretted privately that they'd feel too pushed to get up and get gone this morning, and I wanted them to hang out here a while. Bless 'em, they gave me just what I wanted.

I'm not beyond taking advantage of a good situation, so I got an early start this morning and worked on a partial construction of the standard Roediger House brunch meal. Couldn't put all of the usual pieces together, but I hope it was sufficient to please the brunch palates around the table.

On the menu: blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, zucchini bread (thanks to a recipe from Laura Thomas), bacon, and creamy cheese grits.

I'd been meaning to make blackberry buttermilk cake again, and it seemed like a good option for a brunch dessert. It seemed to come out particularly tasty this morning, if I can say so myself.

---

"Blackberry Buttermilk Cake," in Bon Appétit, July 2011, p. 109 (pictures on p. 106).