No Stress Mothers Day Recipes

Is the title of a book I published on Kindle last week. As a mother myself, I’m a veteran of years of vigilance concerning children and kitchens. Around Mother’s Day, the desire to please, the wish to surprise and the urge for adventure all seem to combine to give rise to the idea of doing something special for Mother on her day. Depending on the ages involved and the amount of available supervision this can lead to disaster or delight.

I’ve always believed that teaching kitchen safety was important and that included allowing children to participate to the extent of their ability. A part of this training was teaching a few basic things they could make on their own, but showing them the dangers of overstepping their limitations. Mother’s Day was always the test of how well they had listened. I often considered making a list of “acceptable” recipes for children to make, but the holiday always slipped past and more pressing concerns took my attention. Then my children were grown and the problem disappeared.

Then two years ago, as I wrote in this blog, (please consult the archives), the children of a neighbor, knowing what I did, asked me for help. Their father was deployed with the military and they wanted to do something nice for their mother. The following year they again asked for help on Mother’s Day, this time because their father had been transferred and they were packing. I really enjoyed working with this family and solving their problem. Their pleasure with the results led me to think that a book of child-friendly, easy, but tasty and glamorous recipes, made from available ingredients, would help other families to celebrate Mother’s Day.

The book’s format makes it easy to  plan for one, two or three meals  but  no matter how many you intend to cook, write a menu and then draw up a shopping list of ALL the ingredients required, Be sure to check pantry supplies to avoid duplications, and finalize the list so that one trip to the store will suffice. The following two paragraphs are direct quotes from the book. Following them are some sample recipes.

“A word of warning concerning preparation of chicken recipes; having tasted unwashed chicken, I firmly believe in cleaning, rinsing and brining it. However, remember to protect clothes from splashed water, constantly use soap to wash hands, utensils and any surfaces that may have come in contact with the raw meat. Keep faucet pressure low. I clean it in a bowl of water in the sink; then empty the bowl, re-fill it with salted water to brine the chicken and wash things down. After 10-15 min., I rinse the chicken again, put it directly in the pan and wash everything down again.

A final bit of advice, from someone on the receiving end of Mother’s Day; A simple bowl of cereal with a glass of milk on the side, on a paper napkin used as a placemat, decorated with a wilted dandelion is a far better gift than a beautiful place setting preceded by a lot of bangs and crashes signaling that a real mess awaits in the kitchen. Do not try to overachieve. This is truly a time when less is more.”

BREAKFAST:

Cheese Pocket Biscuit: Serves 4

• ½ cup chopped bell pepper – red or green or mixed
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ cup finely chopped celery
• 1 slice Deli ham chopped OR 2 slices cooked bacon crumbled
• 2 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs lightly beaten -1 Tbs. removed and reserved
• 4 flaky refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

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Cooking spray Spray a non-stick skillet and sauté vegetables until soft- 2-3 min.-add egg and scramble until set-3min.Remove from heat and stir in ham or bacon. Separate each biscuit into layers, and roll each layer between pieces of waxed paper or plastic until they are 5 inch rounds, making 8 pieces. Divide cheese equally among 4 of the rounds, top with equal amounts of egg mixture. Cover with unfilled dough circles. Dampen edges with water and crimp edges to seal. Brush tops with reserved egg. Sprinkle with dried parsley flakes as a garnish. Place rounds on a sprayed cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven 8-10 min or until golden. Serve warm.

Eggs Aurora: Serves 4

• 8oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp. dried basil+ extra for garnish
• 4 large eggs

Pour sauce into a 10 inch skillet, stir in basil. Heat through over medium and break the eggs into the pan, keeping them separate. Cook over medium until set-2 min. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook until egg yolks are done to desired degree. Carefully plate each egg separately, add some sauce and serve at once.  

 

LUNCH                                                        

 

Spinach Salad: Serves 4

• 10 oz. bag of baby spinach leaves
• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• 4 oz. sliced raw mushrooms
• ¼ lb. turkey ham
• 8 oz. bottle of Parmesan Salad Dressing

Gently toss the ham, spinach and mushrooms in enough dressing to lightly coat the ingredients. Divide among 4 plates and garnish each with a quartered hard-boiled egg. Pass the dressing in case anyone wants more.

 

Tuna and Bean Salad: Serves 4

• 6 oz. can solid white tuna in water- drained
• 16 oz. can cannellini or other white beans
• 2 plum tomatoes diced
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• Ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. powdered garlic
• 1 Tbs. oil
• 2 Tbs. Dijon or spicy mustard

Mix the last 5 ingredients well and set aside to let the flavors form a dressing. Gently toss the first 6 ingredients. then add the dressing. Allow the whole to chill for 30 min. at least to meld flavors. Serve on lettuce lined plates garnished with a sprinkle of basil.

 

DINNER  

 

Chicken with Mustard and Honey: Serves 4-easy to divide and/or multiply NOTE: The seasoning ingredients are placed under the skin to help them infuse the meat.

• 4 large chicken thighs
• 4 tsp.honey
• 4 tsp. Dijon or grained mustard
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper–optional

Mix the honey, mustard and pepper, if using. Lift the skin on the chicken and place 2 tsp. of the mixture on the meat. Place the pieces slightly separated in a roasting pan. Bake in a preheated 350 deg. oven for 30- 40 min. or until juices run clear when pricked with a knife point. A pan sauce can be made by adding a bit of apple juice, cider or broth to the pan drippings to deglaze.   *Both the above two entrees go well with broccoli, green beans or asparagus cooked and served with a sprinkle of lemon-pepper, and sweet potato fries cooked along with the meat in the oven.

 

Grilled Swordfish Steaks with Melon Salad: This is a salsa I worked out and find very refreshing. Fresh fruit is necessary though, and try to make it at least 30 min ahead. Mango or peaches would probably replace the melon, and Marlin, or even Tuna the Swordfish.

• 4 thick Swordfish steaks –Tuna will do as well.
• 2 Tbs. butter – divided
• ¼ cup White wine
• ½ a cantaloupe – cut in bite sized cubes
• 1 small red onion diced
• ½ a green bell pepper diced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint or to taste
• ½ a lime juiced
• 1 lemon quartered
• Cooking spray – if broiling
• Kosher salt

Mix the melon, mint, onion, green pepper and lime juice in a bowl and chill to let flavors meld. Prepare grill or broiler. If broiling, put fish in a sprayed pan, and dot with the 1 Tbs. butter. Cook about 6 inches from broiler, about 8 min total, depending on thickness of fish, without turning until fish is opaque. Deglaze pan with wine, and pour over plated fish. For grilling, melt 1Tbs.butter and cook fish over direct hear about 4 min. per side, brushing occasionally with the butter, again until opaque, turning once.  Melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan with the wine, pour over fish and serve. Divide the lemon quarters and the salsa between the plates Suggested sides: If available corn-on the cob, if not, perhaps parsley buttered potatoes. Combine (2) 14oz cans drained, tiny whole potatoes, 1 Tbs. butter and 1Tbs. dried parsley in a microwave safe bowl, and cook until butter is melted and potatoes are hot. Toss before serving. 1 lb. Whole Green Beans cooked and drizzled with oil and lemon pepper.

 

DESSERT   Cheesecake Bars:

• 1 box of Yellow Cake Mix without pudding added
• 4 eggs – divided -2 + 2
• 1 lb. Confectioners’ Sugar
• 8 oz. Cream cheese
• 1 cup melted butter – divided ½ cup + ½ cup
• Cooking spray or Crisco

Grease or spray a 9 x 13 inch pan. Beat cake mix, 2 eggs and ½ cup melted butter together well, and pour into the pan. In a separate bowl beat sugar, cheese, 2 eggs and the other ½ cup melted butter until very smooth. Pour over batter layer in the pan. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 min. Cool completely in pan, and cut into squares.

 

Easy Berry Angel Cake # 2

• 1 purchased pound cake
• 8 oz. tub of Whipped Topping
• 1pt. box of strawberries

Save several nice berries for decoration. Slice the rest and sprinkle with sugar. Allow to rest for a few hours for the juice to extract itself. Just before serving, cut the cake into 3 layers. Spread first with 1/3^rd of the whipped topping, spoon ½ the sliced berries over it allowing the juice to drip down the sides. Repeat with 2^nd layer. Finish with 3^rd layer topped with the rest of the whipped topping and the reserved decorative berries.