I am not a morning person and I've never been a great fan of breakfast first thing. It takes me a while to fully wake up and get my blood pumping. I'll grab coffee or juice and then I'm out the door.
But once a year my children wake me up too early on a Sunday, confine me to bed and then bring in enough food to feed several lumberjacks. This is Mother's Day - a day to be pampered, followed by Mom's Clean-Up Day where you finish cleaning up the messes left behind.
Tom Chapin has a wonderful children's song called *surprise* "Mother's Day". In the song, the children interchange baking soda for baking powder, put every imaginable ingredient into the pancakes, and are convinced that Mom will eat bacon (or anything else!) on this one day of the year. And of course she does. ("It's mmmm...indescribable!")
Last Mother's Day I was treated to coffee, orange juice, bacon, scrambled eggs and a huge stack of pancakes. The pancakes had strawberries and chocolate chips cooked inside, with powdered sugar and maple syrup on top. o.O The children stood there with eager faces, waiting for me to heap glowing commendations and profuse thanks on them. And of course I did. My son gave me some flowers in a jar. These were not wildflowers though and I cringed inside knowing that now a neighbor's garden was sporting some bald spots. Even so it was one of the sweetest gestures I've ever experienced. :)
The fact is, mothers love whatever efforts children make to please them on Mother's Day. They could bring in a piece of burnt toast on a paper Star Wars plate and Moms would get teary-eyed. But it would be more desirable to present her with palatable food on an attractive tray. Use a cloth napkin for a special touch and a pretty plate or even a china plate. Flowers on the tray always look nice in magazine pictures, but unless they are in a small, stable container and there is plenty of room on the tray, just place them on a bedside stand. What to serve? Here are some suggestions:
Breakfast Burrito
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large, nonstick frying pan and scramble some eggs. Meanwhile, warm up the tortillas for a few minutes in the oven at 250 degrees (or for about 45 seconds in the microwave). Fill the middle of the tortilla with the cooked eggs and any of these ingredients - grated Monterey Jack cheese, chopped tomato, diced onion, chopped green or red pepper, diced avocado, salsa and sliced olives. Fold or roll up into a burrito.
Royal Ham 'n' Eggs
1 1/2 C. French bread cubes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish and line with the bread cubes. Cover with layers of ham or sausage, chopped spinach, cherry tomatoes, and grated cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, dried mustard, pepper, and milk. Pour the mixture over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes, or until the cheese turns golden brown.
Eggs in a Nest
Gingerbread Pancakes
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the molasses, oil, buttermilk, and egg. Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and stir until uniform. Lightly grease a griddle or pan over medium low heat and cook the pancakes for about 3 minutes on each side. Serve with real maple syrup and a mug of hot mulled cider.
PB&J Surprise Muffins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the peanut butter with the egg; add the milk, a little at a time, then add the butter. Mix well. Pour the wet batter into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine (the batter will be stiff). Put a heaping tablespoon of batter in the bottom of each muffin cup. Use a finger to make an indentation in the center and put a teaspoon of jelly in the hole. Cover with another heaping tablespoon of batter, or enough to fill each cup about two thirds full. Spread the top batter gently until no jelly is visible. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the muffins onto a wire baking rack to cool. Be careful - the jelly centers can get hot! Makes 12 muffins.
Blueberry Parfait
Wash the fruit. Put a heaping tablespoon of yogurt in the bottom of a tall glass. Put in some fruit. (Bananas and blueberries are a great combination.) Next put a heaping tablespoon of cereal or granola over the fruit. Keep layering till everything is in. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Try crushed pineapple too!
And finally, here's a treat which you can send to your Mom!
Got some tortillas left from Cinco de Mayo? Make a scrumptious burrito for Mom's breakfast! Here's how:
Mom will feel like a Queen when you serve her this!
1/2 pound cooked ham or sausage, cubed (OR strips of proscuitto or bacon pieces)
1 8-oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (OR 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms, chopped broccoli, shredded zucchini or cubed boiled potatoes)
12 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
8 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated
8 eggs
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. milk
Take a cookie cutter and cut out the center of a piece of bread. Melt butter in a frying pan and place the bread (and the cut-out) in the pan. Break an egg into the bread space. When the egg is cooked on the bottom, and before the bread becomes too brown, flip the egg nest to toast the other side and finish cooking the egg, about 1 minute.
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of ground cloves
2 tbsp. molasses
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. strawberry, raspberry, or grape jelly or jam
1/2 c. plain low-fat, yogurt mixed with 1 tbsp. of fruit preserves
1/2 c. fresh blueberries or other fresh or frozen fruit
1/4 c. Grape-Nuts cereal (or granola)
Sprinkle of cinnamon