By The week after the announcement. The afterglow. Everyone knows. Linda calls every day — sometimes twice — to ask how Megan is feeling, what she's eating, whether she's sleeping. Colleen calls every other day with Irish pregnancy advice that mostly involves tea and prayer and a special blanket her mother made in County Kerry. Patrick texted me a photo of baby-sized Packers gear he found at a store. Tom called once, said, "Good news," and hung up. These are our families. Loud love and quiet love. Both valid. Both essential.
The gender is unknown. We chose not to find out at the twelve-week scan. We'll find out at twenty weeks. Or at birth. We haven't decided. Megan says she wants the surprise. I say I want to know so I can plan. She says, "Plan what?" I say, "The room. The clothes." She says, "Everything can be yellow." She's right. Everything can be yellow. Or sage green. We already have the room.
At the brewery, I told the head brewer. He said, "Congratulations. When's the due date?" I said, "October." He said, "That's Oktoberfest." I said, "I'll work around it." He said, "You better." Then he poured me a beer and clinked my glass and said, "Kid's going to grow up in a brewery." The image of a small Kowalski toddling through the barrel room made me grin for the rest of the day.
Made a pot of Babcia's chicken soup because the occasion demanded it. The soup of celebration. The soup of "everything is going to be okay." Homemade stock, carrots, celery, dill, egg noodles. Megan ate two bowls. The morning sickness is fading. She's eating again — really eating, with appetite and enthusiasm. The baby is growing. The soup is helping. Everything is helping.
Babcia’s chicken soup carried the first wave of good news, but once the calls started rolling in from Linda and Colleen and everyone else, it became clear this season was going to call for more than one celebratory meal — and with Megan’s appetite finally returning in full force, a proper brunch spread felt like exactly the right thing to build toward. Mother’s Day is coming, and for the first time, it lands differently: Megan is going to be a mother. These are the recipes I’ve been circling, flagging, and quietly planning around, because everything can be yellow, but the food can be anything you want.
30 Beautiful Brunch Recipes for Mother’s Day
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 10 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 375°F. Position a rack in the center.
- Whisk the egg base. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until smooth and slightly frothy. Set aside.
- Saute the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a 10-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach and roasted red peppers and cook just until the spinach wilts, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the filling. Spread the vegetables evenly across the bottom of the skillet. Scatter the feta cheese and fresh dill over the top.
- Pour in the eggs. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables and cheese. Let it sit undisturbed on the stovetop for 2 to 3 minutes, until the edges just begin to set.
- Bake until golden. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the center is fully set and the top is lightly golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Rest and garnish. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Scatter fresh chives over the top before slicing into wedges and serving directly from the skillet.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 165 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 390mg