Our 50 Essential Brunch Recipes For 2016

We are all well aware of the magical, curative powers of brunch. A long, late morning or early afternoon meal, which comes as the result of a slow and delayed start to the day, is the best way to while away those lazy weekend hours. Brunch has to be everyone's favorite meal, as it's the one time we can all sit around a table where there are no rules and restrictions on what you can and can't eat or drink. The happiest of brunches will feature an eclectic mix of dishes and drinks, from mugs of strong black coffee to Champagne flutes filled with fruity cocktails, from stacks of blueberry pancakes to cheesy spinach frittatas.

50 Essential Brunch Recipse for 2016 (Slideshow)

Hosting a weekend brunch party, whether it's for two or 20, is one of the most idyllic things you can do with your weekend. Celebrate a sun-drenched summer Sunday with fresh fruit and iced cocktails, or cozy up on a cold, grey, winter's morning with a comforting casserole and health-boosting smoothies. Either way, no brunch is fun to host when it involves getting up at the crack of dawn to prepare the dishes you'll be serving, defeating the point of this leisurely meal that was made for a morning of healing, recuperation, and recovery.

Brunch recipes shouldn't induce stress or involve a crazy, last-minute rush. The essential brunch recipes that you need in your life should be those you can make — at least in part — in advance, or put together in a matter of minutes. These 50 recipes will put an end to those unwelcome early mornings, which hosting a brunch party previously demanded, and will show you that it is possible to host brunch, and enjoy it too. This in-between meal should be calm and lazy, soothing the stomach and the soul, as it wipes away the cobwebs of the night before.

These 50 essential brunch recipes were carefully selected according to what we consider to be vital criteria when making a morning meal: The ability to be made ahead of time (at least in part), the ease with which the dish can be made, and, of course, how tasty and appetizing the end result is. This is not a list of the best brunch dishes ever — if you're eating out and you see eggs Florentine with smoked salmon on the menu, we definitely recommend that you order it — but a selection of the recipes which will be best for you to make at home, whether you're feeding a child-centered family, a boozy bunch of friends, or just your sleepy other half.

Here are our 50 essential brunch recipes for 2016, which should be more than enough to inspire you to host the best, tastiest brunch parties every weekend for the rest of the year.