What's on your Mother's Day menu?

[goldilocks]

I am having brunch for my mom and mother in law this sunday. Any good recipes to share?

[Luv to Cook]

Hi Goldilocks,

I am doing the same thing this Sunday. I am still working on the menu, but I have decided to have a bunch of appetizers and one main dish.

So far I have decided on:

Wild Mushroom Foccacine
Tiny Heart Scones with Cream and Strawberries
Fruit Platter
Vegetable Curry Puffs
Chicken Tikka on Mini Pappadums
Rolled Crepes with Turkey and cheese and some with ricotta and sage

For the main dish:
Pasta with Asparagus in a Lime Cream sauce
Some sort of chicken dish (can't decide)
Assorted breads and rolls

I cannot decide on a dessert yet. Any suggestions will be welcome...also, need ideas for some fun, pretty drinks.

Have fun!
Anita

[kima]

Wow Anita ! That sound like a wonderful menu- and alot of work!!
Any chance of getting a few of those recipes? I am particularly intrigued with the Curry Puffs and the pasta dish. I would also love to hear about your strategy for making so many dishes. This one area of cooking I would like to improve upon. Thankyou. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to you all!

[adb]

My Mother's Day brunch is still in the works but I am thinking digging out the Belgian Waffle maker for a treat. I have been looking for a great recipe (CL or Not), so if anyone has one to share, I would love to have it!

[This message has been edited by adb (edited 05-08-2001).]

[Luv to Cook]

Hi kima,

I would be more than happy to post some recipes. BTW, these are not light, but hey, even Mom deserves a break!

Also, as far as cooking so many things...I have alreay made the mushroom foccacine and curry puffs and froze them. And the scones can be made a week in advance.

Vegetable Curry Puffs

1 TBS vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 cups cooked potatoes,peeled and cut into small cubes (I boiled them)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas, thaw if frozen
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp garam masala (can be found at Indian store)
1/4 tsp cayenne or more to taste
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 box frozen puff pastry sheets

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and continue stirring for about 1 minute.

Add the cooked potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in peas, coriander, cumin, tumeric, garam masala, cayenne and salt. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated. Do not worry if some of the potatoes get smashed in the process. Cook for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Let potato mixture cool completely.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Divide each puff pastry into 12 segments (to have 24, you can also make them smaller). Place about 1 TBS potato mixture in the center. Bring two corners together to make a triangle and pinch tightly.

Place curry puffs on baking sheet and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

These can be frozen uncooked and baked from the frozen state upon serving.

Asparagus and Lime Pasta

8 oz angel hair pasta
pinch of salt
1/2 lb asparagus spears, halved
2 cups heavy cream
juice and zest of 1 lime
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
shavings of parmesan to garnish
freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat the cream with the lime juice and zest. Add the pasta and the asparagus to the hot cream. Spoon onto serving plates and garnish with parsley and shavings of parmesan. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Have a great Mother's Day!

Anita

[funnybone]

My mom is over 350 miles away, so I can't have any plans with her. My DH and kids are taking me out Sat night (I prefer this day). However, for anyone interested, Southern Living has some Mother's Day menus - I haven't really checked them out, but they may be of interest to some of you. Here's the link:
http://www.southernliving.com/food/mothers_day.asp

[Wendy w]

Wow Luv2cook, you are certainly living up to your name!! Thanks for the recipes
!

Since my sister is a mom, I am making her favorite salad which consists of: grilled corn and red onions, blackbeans, avocado, cilantro and an orange/chili dressing. She has beef out the wazoo in her freezer so I will make a side of carne asada.

We hate going out on Mother's Day because they have a "special" (meaning overpriced) menu and you feel like cattle being herded through so we either go out the day before or I cook.

[kima]

Thank you very much Anita. Both those recipes look amazing. I will be making them soon, although not for Mother's Day as I will be away looking after my sister's boys for her. I have two daughters 18 and 20 and this will be our first Mother's Day apart! Oh well- EVERY day is Mother's Day right??
I am curious what is Mushroom Foccacine? Is that like foccacia? Guess I might be fishing for that recipe as well! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif. No hurry for your reply if you are real busy. BTW you always post the greatest recipes!!

[kima]

Thank you so much for posting those delicious recipes. I will definately be trying them very soon.
Could you tell me what wild mushroom foccacine is? Is it similiar to foccacia? It sounds great- I may have to wangle another recipe from you!! No hurry if you are real busy (and who isn't??). But I am curious as to what a foccacine is!

[SusanL]

Kima I second the request, but no rush!!

[This message has been edited by SusanL (edited 05-10-2001).]

[Luv to Cook]

I would be more than happy to post the recipe for the foccacine, however, I think the name sounds more impressive than it really is. But, it looks nice in the picture!


Wild mushroom foccacine
1 TBS olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 1/2 oz wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tsp finely chopped thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1 recipe unbaked bread dough (I just used a basic dough)
1 tsp coarse salt
3 thyme sprigs, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in frying pan. Add shallots and mushrooms. Stir fry over high heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add chopped thyme, salt and pepper to tast. Cool completely.

Roll out dough to 1/8 in. thickness. Stamp out 40 rounds with a pastry cutter (2 in.) Place 20 dough rounds on a floured baking sheet. Spoon over wild mushrooms. Top with remaining dough rounds. Press edges down to seal (I left one edge open). Sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until crisp and golden, 15 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve warm.

Anita

[karenv]

My brother and I are cooking for my mom. We are having marinated grilled lamb chops, grilled portabellas and asparagus, and new potatoes. For dessert, I haven't yet decided and my brother is coming up with the appy's. I am looking forward to having a nice day.

KarenV

[Grace]

Mother's Day Brunch is a tradition in this house. My house is small, so I can't typically host Christmas or Easter. But Mother's Day is perfect for me, and I love to make brunch. This year I will be having my MIL and SIL (and her two kids) in addition to my own mother. It will be the first time I have my in-laws. I spent most of yesterday coming up with my menu. Since I do this every year, I have typically done the same dishes every year, so I wanted to change things up a little, and that's why it took so long to decide! Here's what made the final cut:

Mimosas
German Apple Pancake
Eggs Benedict (made with canadian bacon, asparagus and low-fat hollandaise!!)
Sausage
Bacon (cooked in the oven w/brown sugar)
Pommes Anna
Cold Shrimp/Cocktail Sauce
Zucchini lemon muffins
Chicken Strudel
Tropical Fruit Salad
Spring Tortellini Salad
Chocolate Mousse
Lemon Sponge Cake with Strawberry Filling
Of course, good freshly brewed Seattle's Best Coffee!

I will do a lot of the cooking on Saturday (the desserts, muffins, fruit salads, pasta salads, etc. can all be made ahead). I know there will be lots of leftovers, but I'll have lots of gladware and let everyone take some home, or my husband and I will eat the leftovers for lunch during the week. When my MIL takes us out to the Hyatt for brunch, there are always so many choices, so I like to have as many choices as possible (a little of everything!), so it seems like "real" brunch (I know, I'm weird). Good thing I have that dishwasher now!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone. I'm "mother" only to my two dogs......I doubt they'll be making me breakfast in bed....

[This message has been edited by Grace (edited 05-10-2001).]

[Chels]

I am having a mother's day lunch on Friday for in-law-mothers & grandmothers as well as my own.
My menu is very much a "ladies lunch"
Chilled cucumber & dill soup
banana bread
Spinch, orzo & chicken salad
mango mold salad
and Petifores (sorry for the spelling) for desert.
For the real mothers day we are having a mexican feast
chicken enchaldas, rice & beans, nachos, salad, maragritas, chips & hot sause.

[Julie A]

I'm having my mother in law. Since there will only be three of us, it's going to be a very simple menu. Actually, I'm doing exactly what CL gives as a menu suggestion - Asparagus and Ham casserole,corn bread, and fresh fruit. I was thinking of the orange tea cake too.
Happy Mothers Day to all you moms!

[chefbec]

Luv to Cook, thanks for posting those recipes! For dessert, how about the Strawberries & Cream Cake from the April issue? It was awesome. You can make it on Saturday and keep it in the frig. We had that at our last supper club.

I am having my parents, in-laws and sister-in-law/nieces for dinner. I'm planning on some type of appetizer (possibly the Peanut Dip from April's issue; I loved that), then I'm making a beet/potato salad from Moosewood's Low-Fat Favorites, grilling steaks & salmon, doing a salad, fresh corn and that yummy Strawberries & Cream Cake. I might also make brownies for the kids.

[This message has been edited by chefbec (edited 05-10-2001).]

[Kelli Kerrigan]

I'll be spending the day with my 87 year old Gram. She has cancer and all she wants to do is go to the forest preserve. So, that it what we will be doing. I'll have to make simple picnic fare...maybe tuna sandwiches since she won't eat a lot nor can cut anything anymore. Or of course, a trip to Burger King would make her happy. Funny how Happy Meals aren't just for kids.........

Grace, your menu sounds wonderful. Watch out for the mimosa's! Are you making the chocolate mousse using tofu?

[Grace]

Hi Kelli!

How wonderful you will be with your Gram. I hope you have beautiful weather so you both can enjoy being outside. May I make a suggestion? Maybe go to the Chicago Botanic Garden - they have so many flowers and things to do - they also have outdoor picnic tables, and if it should be not so nice weather, they have the Garden Spot Cafe which is indoors.

Your Gram is fortunate to have a granddaughter that cares about her. You must bring her a lot of joy.

Yes, I'll have to steer clear of those Mimosas - don't want to have to go to the hospital or anything!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif And yes, I'm making the chocolate mousse with the tofu - but I'm not telling anyone. I made it once already, and it was good, (couldn't taste the tofu), and my SIL and the kids love chocolate mousse, so that's why it's on the menu!

I cheated and made the Pommes Anna once already (it was fantastic - my husband declared it the best potato dish I have ever made), and I'm making it again for Mother's Day, but it is also the dish I am bringing for the supper club next week. Maybe I'll bring something else, too.

I got an e-mail from Susan with the dog, it looks like she'll be able to make the next club meeting - Winston is doing better, so we'll see. Have a great weekend and enjoy your Mother's Day with your Gram. You'll be happy you have the memories in years to come.

[Luv to Cook]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to provide some reviews on my Mother's Day menu.

Wild Mushroom Foccacine - These did not come out so good. I prepared them without baking and froze them. I baked them on Sunday afternoon and they turned out to be way to crispy and dense. The filling was delicious and I think they would be better baked and eaten the same day.

Vegetable Curry Puffs - Mmmm...these were soo good. Everyone wanted more, but I ran out! I highly recommend these.

Tiny Scones - These were yummy too. Not to sweet, but the perfect little snack with some hot tea.

Chicken Tikka on mini-pappadums - These get an A+ in the visual department. I used the bottled chicken tikka paste mixed with yogurt, but I don't think I added enough and had to add a little cayenne at the end. But they were still good...just need to tinker with the ingredients.

Rolled crepes - The turkey ones were delish. I also made some with ricotta, parmesan and salt and pepper. I left out the sage because I just realized that I was not a big sage fan.

I also made a salad that I got from Southern Living. It had an orange vinaigrette
with roasted asparagus. This was really good, because the asparagus are marinated in the vinaigrette prior to roasting.

For dessert I just wrapped puff pastry around chocolate and baked. These were quick and easy and went sooo fast.

That's about it!

Anita

[This message has been edited by Luv to Cook (edited 05-14-2001).]

[kima]

Thanks for the reviews Anita. Almost like being there!!
I know I have already bothered you for alot of recipes but boy that asparagus dish sounds wonderful.....
When I finally make this brunch menu I will name it after you- I promise!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Luv to Cook]

No problem Kima! Here it is...I made a few changes. I only used 1/4 cup of oil and I roasted the asparagus in the oven instead of grilling them. This was sooo good.
:-)

GRILLED ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
1999 Recipe Hall of Fame
Southern Living

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange rind
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds mixed gourmet salad greens
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (optional)
Garnish: orange rind strips


SNAP off tough ends of asparagus; place in a shallow dish.
WHISK together grated rind and next 6 ingredients. Pour one-third of vinaigrette over asparagus; cover and chill 1 hour. Drain. Set aside remaining vinaigrette.
GRILL asparagus, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender; cool.
COMBINE greens, remaining vinaigrette, and, if desired, bacon; place evenly on 6 salad plates. Arrange asparagus over salad. Garnish, if desired. Yield: 6 servings.
Prep: 35 min., Chill: 1 hr., Grill: 10 min.

[kima]

Thankyou again Anita. The asparagus recipe looks amazing! Can I come and live at your house??? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif