Easter will be here soon, and you may be thinking about Easter brunch. Of course, you could go out to a restaurant for brunch on Easter Sunday, but you know what it will be like – extremely crowded. There is another choice. You can host Easter brunch at home.

It may seem like a lot of work to host brunch, but when you do a little planning and use some of these tricks, you can host a delicious Easter brunch that all of your guests will enjoy.

1. Set Your Table in Advance: If you plan on having a sit-down brunch, set your table on Saturday night. This will take one thing off your Sunday to-do list. You can grab your dishes and silverware and set a beautiful table without having to worry about prepping dishes or guests arriving while you are doing it if you were to wait until Sunday. Also, this gives you time to add some special touches for the Easter holiday – like flowers or other decorations.
2. Self-Serve Drinks: It would be nice to say that you’re not going to have anything to do on Sunday when your guests arrive but to sit and chat with them. Most likely though, that will not be the case. One way you can buy yourself some time on Easter Sunday is to set up a self-service drink area for your guests. Coffees, teas, and juices should all be readily available for your guests. If you’re serving bloody marys or mimosas, let your friends and family help themselves. This will allow you to put the finishing touches on brunch while everyone enjoys a beverage.
3. Use All of Your Appliances: If you have several hot dishes that you will be serving, take a look around your kitchen and see what appliances you have available to you. Obviously, you have a stovetop, oven, and microwave, but perhaps you have a slow cooker, deep fryer, toaster oven or instant cooker. Put these additional things to use for brunch. A hashbrown casserole might be made in your slow cooker. Soft cooked eggs can be made in your instant cooker. Your toaster oven can keep pastries warm. Utilize all of your appliances.
4. Mix and Match Your Foods: While you want to make sure you have a great selection of foods, you also want to mix and match – meaning you want some hot items and some cold items for brunch, along with a good variety of sweet items and savory items. Take a look at your menu to make sure you have all of the bases covered.
5. Decide What You Can Prep or Make Ahead: Once you have a menu, take a look at what you might prep or make ahead. Some casseroles can be prepped ahead and put in the oven right before brunch. You may be able to make a quiche ahead of time and warm it up when your guests arrive. Look for dishes that will save you time by providing easy prep ahead of Easter Sunday.
6. Purchase Delicious Pastries: Most brunches have a selection of delicious pastries. And, while you may be a great baker, do you have the time to be preparing pastries for your guests? This is an opportunity for your favorite bakery to provide you with pastries. Be sure to order ahead and pick them up on Saturday to avoid feeling rushed.
7. Include the Kids: If you have kids or are having kids as part of Easter brunch, get them involved. Your own children may be able to help set the table or hang up coats as guests arrive. You can also set up activities for kids during brunch so that parents will have time to talk. And, be sure you have some kid-friendly foods so that everyone can enjoy brunch.

There’s no need to head out for Easter brunch when you put these tips to work. You can host brunch at your home and avoid the hustle and bustle of a restaurant on Easter Sunday.