After one of those amazing Chicago weekends filled with perfect weather, family, friends, and food, I have a particularly bad bout of Sunday scaries. So, if you are like me and find meal planning to be cathartic, here is a fun brunch idea for next weekend!

I love hosting parties. Dinner parties, brunch, really anything that includes food, friends, and fun serveware. Before BB, I would cook all day long and serve a four course meal. My love for hosting has not faded, but my new sous chef prefers to throw tantrums in the kitchen. Even if you don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen, you can still host a fabulous party.

I invited my girlfriends over for a weekend brunch and had grand plans to cook a gourmet meal. Life intervened and I found myself with no time whatsoever to cook a meal. So, I decided to do a no-cook brunch. No-cook is a slight exaggeration, because I did soft-boil eggs. But, let’s be honest, we all have time to soft-boil eggs.

So, here’s how to do it:

FUN SERVEWARE

I almost always start with my serveware and work my way backward. I knew I wanted to use a fun assortment of cutting boards for this brunch, so crostinis were a perfect choice.

FRESH BREAD

Bread is essential for a great crostini, and it must be fresh. Be sure to get your bread the day of. Bonus if you toast them before serving. Ok, another “cooking” step, but I simply drizzled olive oil on the sliced bread and toasted them under the broiler for a few minutes.

TOPPINGS

You can really go crazy here. Anything that looks fresh and pretty is a good crostini topping. Be sure to include some fresh herbs: dill, chives, and basil are all good options.

SLICE, DICE, AND SERVE

Grab your largest platter or cheeseboard. I used a wood charcuterie board. I like to start with a base layer of green, so I sprinkled arugula over the board first. It fills some of the blank space and makes for a prettier display. Then, start adding toppings!

BUBBLY

No brunch is complete without some bubbles. I mean, who doesn’t love a boozy brunch?

CREATE

To make things really fun, I decided to do a create-your-own crostini brunch. So everyone made their own crostini creations.

If you are afraid of the kitchen, this is a perfect gateway, as it really requires no cooking skills whatsoever. I linked everything you need to set up your crostini brunch, below. So pop some bubbly and enjoy your foray into entertaining!