For a die-hard Cowboys fan living in California, it’s really fun that several of the season’s games fall at 10:30 am here due to the time change. It gives me something to look forward to first thing in the morning (Mimosas! Cowboys!) and more importantly, is a perfect excuse to invite friends over for a boozy brunch! Here are some (amateur) iPhone snaps from a recent brunch Luke and I threw to kick off the season! Scroll down for how we put it all together.

First thing’s first… I greeted friends with spiked almond milk lattes. Espresso, frothed almond milk, a little coconut sugar and some Leopold Bros. French Press Style Coffee Liqueur to taste.

After some unfortunate McGiver-ing with the whole NFL Redzone/Chromecast/Apple TV/Why-the-F-did-we-cancel-cable/streaming situation, we finally got the games on and moved on to some much deserved hard stuff… And by hard stuff I mean Ballast Point Bloody Marys with Hangar One Chipotle Vodka and my juicy Gin Punch, packed with tons of fresh citrus juice and some KROBĀR Gin I picked up last weekend in Paso Robles!

{ Unfortunately Hangar One no longer produces the roasted chipotle flavor so I would substitute with St. George Green Chile Vodka }

For the food I went a little over board, I’ll admit. But brunch is my favorite and football is my favorite so whatever, I didn’t hear anyone complaining.

I started out with a little platter of smoked salmon, super thinly shaved deli ham, red onion, cucumber and some cream cheese I softened and then mixed with fresh dill, chives and parsley. Add some toasted everything bagels and boom. Done.

Next I did two types of quiche. I loooooove quiche and we have vegetarian friends so I knew I wanted to make two versions. I made this Chicken Tortilla version from the Kitchy Kitchen (anyone else obsessed with her?) and a Mushroom Leek version. Both were amazing but I think the Mushroom Leek took the cake.

Speaking of cake, I made Blueberry Lavender muffins from my favorite paleo baking cookbook, Every Last Crumb, by Brittany Angell. I take her recipe for strawberry cream cheese muffins (page 134) and swap out freeze-dried blueberries for the strawberries, leave out the cream cheese filling and add a teaspoon of crushed dried culinary lavender for a fun twist. Thanks to Caroline for inspiring my love of Paleo baking!

Next up was the healthy addition to our spread. We chopped up one fresh pineapple, half a small watermelon and two mangos. Then we tossed them cocos frescos style with lime juice and Tajin! I’m never making fruit salad any other way again! Inspired by this. 

You can’t have a Sunday brunch without bacon and oh my god, we did it right. I preheated my oven to 450 degrees F and placed as many slices of bacon I could fit on a parchment lined baking sheet. I let them cook until our desired crispiness, brushing them halfway through – and then again when I took them out – with a mixture of equal parts pure grade B maple syrup and dijon mustard. Side note: I would up the mustard-to-maple syrup ratio next time, as I didn’t get that tangy dijon flavor as strongly as I’d hoped. 

Lastly, another Kitchy Kitchen dish: Roasted Tomato Tart with Paleo Cauliflower Crust. The execution of the crust was a bit touch-and-go, as paleo baking can often be, but the flavors were on point. One perk was that the recipe for the Pisto that goes on top of the crust before baking a second time made way too much and was subsequently amazing over a seared piece of fish last night!

Sadly not pictured is the incredible pumpkin stuffed pretzel french toast my friend Nusha made and brought! She totally outdid herself, this pretzel pumpkin magic was so so decadent and served as the perfect accompaniment to the otherwise savory spread we prepared.

As for decor I kept it simple: fresh flowers, Lilly Pulitzer for Target carafes & ice bucket, disposable “football” plates, napkins (Cowboys blue, obviously), cute little bamboo cutlery and chevron paper straws, duh!

That’s all, folks! I hope this inspires you to throw a football brunch of your own this season. Oh, and go Cowboys!

P.S. Here’s the cute e-vite we sent out a week or two before –>

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