MOTHER’S DAY MADE EASY
My interest in modifying adult pleasing recipes to help the kitchen novice, the pinch-
hitter and/or the person with many small assistants dates back to 2011. A neighbor’s children, knowing I had a chef service, asked if I could advise them on cooking for Mother’s Day, because their Father was deployed with the military. The following year, their Father asked for help. He had been transferred and the family was in the midst of packing.
On May 10, 2012, I posted an account of the first day’s activities, along with the menu, and on May 2, 2013, wrote up the second day. On May 13, 2014, I introduced my book No Stress Recipes for Mother’s Day, which includes both those menus.
I’ve posted reviews of the book April 30, 2015, April 27, 2016 and April 9, 2018 and May 2, 2019. I wrote it up from the viewpoint of an Empty Nester on May 11, 2017, but my post on April 16, 2020 came from a far different perception of celebrating Mother ‘s Day at home. The holiday went from the busiest date on restaurants’ calendars to the least. Covid made it mandatory to find ways to entertain Mother at home.
Covid restrictions forced people to stay home and many found it pleasant to celebrate by preparing a meal to share with Mom on her day. After all, Mothers aren’t ‘home bound’ now and eating out isn’t only for special occasions. The book has recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus desserts.
Consequently, the 2020 article is still on point. Things really haven’t changed in the past two years. We remain in a state of flux about Covid and options are welcome. So I’m re-posting this article from 2020, because it’s as applicable now as then.
The article explains the book, along with a bit of Mother’s Day history, including how and why the celebrations evolved, and gives a complete overview of the recipes. If you want to see some actual recipes and discover how the modifications simplify them, without loss of flavor or appeal, just click on the links provided above. Do try more than one link, because the postings give different examples.
“From its designation in 1914, Mother’s Day has focused on a special dinner prepared for, not by, Mom. Large housing developments, built continuously since World War II, expanded and/or created suburbs, brought shopping centers and introduced neighborhood restaurants. People got used to eating ‘out’ and getting Mom, not just away from the kitchen, but from the house for her special dinner was a natural move, creating the busiest day of the restaurant year.
About 2000, things began to change. The fact that most women work away from home, combined with cuisine curiosity, expanded pallets, and general interest in cooking altered our perspective. The day’s ‘treat’ returned to personally fixing something for Mom-if not the dinner itself, then breakfast and lunch or a fancy dessert. (For special dessert ideas see April 1, 2021, June 18, 2020, July 30, 2020. and/or consult the Panorama)
2020 left little choice, all celebration were kept at home. Hopefully, after this pandemic is over when options of ways to enjoy Mother’s Day return, we will still want to add that personal touch that says;” We appreciate you.” Of course the success of this type venture depends on the kitchen experience and more importantly, the attitude, of those involved. Without proper guidance this can be a disaster and a nightmare for Mother, not a delight. ‘Proper’ means ‘responsible’. However, with good supervision even a kitchen novice can pull off a great dinner if they are serious about doing it, have a bit of patience and can read.
My book, No Stress Recipes for Mother’s Day, supplies a selection of adult pleasing recipes for every meal of the day, modified for easy child participation with monitoring. The inspiration for the book was a request several years ago from two neighborhood children who had heard I was in ‘the cooking business’. They asked if I’d help them make a nice day for their mother, while their father was deployed in the military overseas.
That holiday’s menu was so successful, that their father appealed to me the next year. He had been transferred and the family was moving within days. He asked me to plan a Mother’s Day menu that would give his wife a break, but wouldn’t interrupt their schedule by stopping to go out or require them to unpack any utensils. Menus and recipes for both years are in the book as illustrations of the fact that lovely meals can be made even by children with a little help and a lot of equipment isn’t always necessary. (To read the original articles and the complete menu directions, go to the links given above for 2012 and 2013.)
So if you want to try making a dinner for Mother at home or simply want to add some restaurant quality, simplified recipes to your repertoire and/or get the family involved in making delicious meals here’s your chance. No Stress Recipes for Mother’s Day is the guide you need. Find it on this site’s Bookshelf and on Kindle.
RECIPES IN THIS BOOK
GOOD MORNING
Baked Eggs in a Cloud – – Page 27
Cheese Pocket Biscuit – – Page 3
Eggs Adeline – – Page 26
Eggs Aurora- -Page 3
Eggs Parmesan—Page 4
Fast Fruit Crisp – -Page 4
French Toast – -Page 4
Frittata – – Page 5
Store Purchased Pancakes and Waffles – – Page 5
Turnovers – – Page 5
Toad in Hole – – Page 28
Yogurt & Bananas – – Page 6
HIGH NOON
Most Mothers favor light, healthy lunches, so I’m concentrating on that type of recipe here.
Recipe Listings:
Cheesy Toasted Tuna Sandwiches – -Page 6
Classic Quiche Lorraine – – Page 7
Greek Pita Pockets – -Page 7
Monte Cristo Sandwiches – – Page 8
Orange Banana Salad – – Page 8
Spaghetti Squash Primavera – – Page 8
Spinach Salad – – Page 9
True Deli Style Sandwiches –Page 9
Tuna and Bean Salad – – Page 9
Vegetable Wraps – – Page 10
Waldorf Salad – – Page 10
Zucchini, Onion Bean Salad – – 11
DINNER TIME
Recipe Listings:
Beef Kabobs – – Page 12
Chicken in Orange Sauce- – Page 12
Chicken with Mustard and Honey – – 13
Chip’s Chuck Roast – – Page 13
Cornish Hens with Wild Rice and Grapes – – 24
Flounder Rolls – – Page 14
Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Melon Salsa – – Page 14
Pork Chops Basil – – Page 15
Pork Loins with Apricot Glaze- -Page 15*
Pork Rosemary – – Page 16*
Salad Nicoise — 17
Salmon with Mustard – – Page 18
Stew on a Grill – -Page 28
*Can also be made with turkey tenderloin whole or sliced
DESSERTS
Recipe Listings:
Cheesecake Bars – – Page 19
Chocolate No-Cook Bars – – Page 19
Easy Angel Berry Cake # 1 – – Page 19
Easy Berry Angel Cake # 2 – – 19
Fruit Pizza – – Page 20
Fruit Rustica – – Page 20
Meringues – – Page 21
Mock Black Forrest Sheet Cake – – Page 22
Pistachio Pie – – 22
Puff Pastry Tower- – Page 23
Wrapper Fruit Cups – – 23
Zebra Cake———23
The Menus for the 2 Mother’s Days are:
Year 2012
Eggs Adeline
Ham, Tomato& Lettuce on Italian Bread
Cornish Game Hens and Wild Rice
Easy Berry Cake Cake/Berries & Whipped Cream
Year 2013
Toad in the Hole
Family Choice
Stew on the grill
Grilled Pound Cake Slices with Berries”
