Plan a gluten-free holiday breakfast for your family!

Getting together with family and friends during the holiday season is always a highlight of the season for me. Often it’s for dinner, dessert or just finger foods. However you celebrate this season, food is generally involved.

Putting together a breakfast gathering can be a fun change of pace during this busy season. Start your day with a fun breakfast event that everyone will be talking about for months to come. The amazingly tasty foods that you can serve, gluten-free, will surprise even your gluten-loving friends and family.

Much of the cooking of this event can be done ahead of time, allowing you and your guests the opportunity to really enjoy the gathering. You won’t be stuck in the kitchen flipping pancakes or taking waffles off the iron.

One way to accomplish this is to have your guests get involved in the cooking. Have the batter for your pancakes or waffles ready before guests arrive. Once they arrive and you are getting ready to set the table, heat up your griddle or waffle iron close to where you have the food set out buffet style. Let your guests make their own pancakes or waffles. Have a few kinds of fresh or frozen berries or sliced bananas close by for them to add too.

Breakfast should be a relaxed affair, a way to ease into the day. Serving your guests buffet style will help to bring a relaxed feel to your gathering. Let your guests serve themselves a few items, sit and enjoy the company, go back for more or linger over their cups of coffee or tea. Easy for you and relaxing for everyone.

Another great breakfast item is coffee cake. Cranberry coffee cake is very festive and so delicious. Serve it slightly warm and your guests will think they are at a fancy bed and breakfast.

Scones also make a tasty breakfast treat to go along with coffee or tea. How about doughnuts? Both are easily made up ahead of time and served when guests arrive.

English muffins served along with the fixings for an egg sandwich are also a huge hit. Allowing your guests to cook their own egg, almost omelet style with veggies, cooked bacon and sausage and cheese also allows you the freedom to just enjoy. If you want to cook, have a hot plate set up near where your guests are gathering to cook their eggs to order.

The goal here, is to allow you the freedom to enjoy the guests you are inviting. I always feel a bit of a let down if I get to the end of a gathering and find that I spent the entire time cooking and not enjoying the guests. Do what will work for you and your guest list, your kitchen set up and your menu.

Try making some festive muffins to go along with your other dishes. Use some fancy muffin papers to bring some flair to your table. You can often find foil muffin papers that look so bright and festive for the holiday season.

Another idea, if you don’t want your guests to have to cook for themselves is a breakfast casserole. You can make it ahead of time and have it ready to pull out of the oven in time to serve your guests.

Get creative with your menu. Plan some fun and festive dishes that everyone will enjoy. No one will leave your gathering missing the gluten, only feeling very blessed to have had the opportunity to spend time with good friends and loved ones enjoying delicious food.

Have a very Merry Christmas season!