Tips for an easy brunch, a bright spring frittata, and a quick fennel zucchini salad.

Plus, our first Q&A video.

Making Brunch Easy

While I love hosting brunch on a lazy Sunday morning, I always make sure that whatever I’m serving comes together quickly so I don't get stuck in the kitchen all morning, unable to connect with our guests. This past weekend, we had friends visiting Torino from New York and spent the morning in our apartment eating simple and delicious dishes while the kids played and we caught up. It was perfect. And, now that spring is here, creating a fresh, bright, and easy menu took no time at all, as so many tasty fruits and veggies are popping up at the farmer's markets. Here’s a sample spring brunch menu, but feel free to adjust and improvise depending on what ingredients are in season for you.

• COFFEE - Andre is always on coffee duty in our house, and since we don't have a coffee machine yet, he's been using a Bialetti Moka. Here is his step-by-step process for making that perfect cup of coffee.

• FRESH JUICE - If you want to keep it super simple, buy some fresh juice, like orange juice or grapefruit juice, ahead of time at your local market or farmers market. I recently became obsessed with making fresh juice at home with a blender and a nut milk bag (as I don't have a juicer), so I made a Carrot, Apple, Pear, Ginger, and Lemon Juice for our brunch. To make the juice, place 1 cup of water, 5 carrots, 2 apples (core removed), 2 pears (core removed), 1 lemon, and 1 small piece of ginger in a blender and blend on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Then, place a nut milk bag in a large bowl and pour the mixture into the bag. Once all the pulp is in the bag, carefully squeeze out all the fresh juice, pour it into a carafe, and set it in the fridge until your guests arrive. You can also make this the night before so the morning is less stressful.

• ARUGULA SALAD - This is the best salad for brunch. Place arugula in a bowl, add shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, flakey sea salt, and black pepper. Once the guests arrive, toss the salad with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

  

• FRITTATA - the possibilities for this are endless. I love a frittata because it can feed a large group and is still delicious when it’s cooled down to room temperature. I made a frittata with asparagus, leeks, sweet potatoes, parsley, and feta because that is what I had in the fridge, but you can definitely play around with the ingredients, depending on what you have on hand. The full recipe for the Frittata is below.

• FRESH FRUIT - Filling a big bowl with fresh fruit is an excellent addition to any brunch menu and only takes a few minutes to put together. I opted for pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries, but feel free to choose what looks best and is in season in your area. I also added a plate of melon to the table. I kept the melon plain for the kids, but it's also so good if you sprinkle it with mint, flakey sea salt, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

• CAPRESE SALAD - Here's another simple salad to add to a brunch menu. You're all set as long as you can get some good mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, and fragrant basil. Drizzle it with aged balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, flakey sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper right before serving.

  

• TOAST - a fancy toast is something that is super easy to make once everyone arrives and you can even customize it for guests if you like. Our friends were really missing Avocado Toast so I decided to make a big plate of it right when they arrived to add to the table. I also love doing a ricotta jam toast combo reminiscent of something you might have at Sqirl.

• BAKED SWEET (bought or homemade) - Our friends wanted to try the Tahini Brownie they had seen on my Instagram, so I chose to make them that, but you can whip up anything you love baking and that doesn’t stress you out. Maybe some banana bread, a tart, or your favorite cake. And, if you're not much of a baker, you can always pick something up the day before at your favorite bakery or local market. Also, even just adding some cookies to the table brings a sweet component to the meal. I put out a bowl of Bruno's favorite Italian cookies as the final touch.

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Frittata with Asparagus, Leek, and Sweet Potato