Weekend brunch

My parents visited this weekend, and it was a whirlwind weekend of visiting and eating. Jeremy and I pulled together brunch Saturday morning of muffins, an omelet for many and a platter of fresh fruit.

Pumpkin muffins
From Fresh Every Day: More Great Recipes from Foster's Market

Makes 12 large muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups golden raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tin.

Stir flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl.

In a separate large bowl, stir the sugar, butter and eggs together. Stir in the pumpkin puree, milk, and raisins and pour into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened; do not overmix.

Using a 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Bake the muffins on a center rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Country French omelet
From Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients

(We adapt this recipe by making 1.5 times the ingredients - it typically serves 4-6)

1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (1-inch-diced) unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned but not crisp. Take the bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until very tender and browned, tossing occasionally to brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same plate with the bacon.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together with a fork. After the potatoes are removed, pour the fat out of the pan and discard. Add the butter, lower the heat to low, and pour the eggs into the hot pan. Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes, and chives evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven for about 8 minutes, just until the eggs are set. Slide onto a plate, divide in half, and serve hot.