Last weekend an old friend was in the city.  You may have heard it was cold here in Boston.  Frigid is not the right word.  Neither is arctic.  Try dangerously bone-chilling.  In fact, meteorologists warned that frostbite could occur after only a ten-minute exposure to the absurd temperature.  Needless to say, strolling through Boston’s Italian-American neighborhood, the North End, was no longer an option.  Likewise, shopping on Newbury Street was out of the question.  We had no choice but to chill – no pun intended – and stay in.

So I made brunch.

Brunch is, in my opinion, a highly underrated meal.  Think about it: you don’t have to get up early; you get to eat bacon; and you have permission to pour some prosecco in your OJ or vodka in your tomato juice even though it’s not quite noon-time.
Call me the Queen of Brunch, but I like setting a colorful table.  A vase of red tulips, burgundy water glasses, and a few Marimekko red poppy plates are a great antidote for the winter blues.  A pot of strong coffee, an egg and veggie frittata, a warm fruit salad and you’ve got yourself the perfect meal for a lazy day.  And then there are the orange cranberry scones…

Are your weekdays harried and stressful?  Mine sure are.  When the weekend comes, we need to take a break, catch up with friends and family, stop texting and start talking.  What better way to do that than to stay in next weekend and make brunch?

Orange Cranberry Scone Recipe