In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson set the second Sunday in May as an official holiday, Mother’s Day. It was purposefully referred to in the singular possessive so that people remembered their own mother, not all mothers. According to Wikipedia, AT&T and Hallmark, Mother’s Day is the single largest day for long-distance telephone calls and greeting cards. Churches report their largest attendance since Christmas and Easter, and florists fill a record number of orders.
Holiday celebrations usually include special meals, too, and each family has its own traditions. What would Christmas be without Grandma’s stuffing or Easter without a succulent baked ham?
Mother’s Day is no different. Kids everywhere show their love for Mom by treating her to the ultimate luxury — breakfast in bed. But because kids come in all ages and levels of experience in the kitchen, sometimes this “Ta-da” becomes a “Ta-don’t.”
The recipes below don’t require cooking expertise from supervising dads or helpful children. Most of the recipes can be prepared with minimal supervision of school-age children.
Smaller children love adding the extras — marshmallows in the fruit salad, sprinkles or candy on the berries, varied fillings in the omelet. Convenience foods, such as precooked bacon, fresh fruit and veggies already cleaned and prepped from the salad bar, and instant hot-chocolate mix, can help inexperienced kitchen kids move everything along more smoothly.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Easy Teacup Omelet
Ingredients:
2 eggs
Dash salt
Favorite fillings: Cheese, bacon bits, chopped ham, green onions, cherry tomatoes
Directions:
Crack 2 eggs into a favorite coffee cup. Add a dash of salt, and beat with a fork until well mixed. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of Mom’s favorite fillings, and microwave 45 seconds to 1 minute. Carefully remove from microwave (cup will be hot), and allow to sit 1 minute before serving.
Favorite Breakfast Bars
Ingredients:
1/2 cup peanut butter or Nutella
1 large jar marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 box crunchy flake cereal (like Wheaties Energy Crunch or Crunchy Raisin Bran)
1 cup granola, plain or with nuts
Directions:
In a large bowl safe for the microwave, melt butter for 1 minute. Stir in vanilla. Add peanut butter and marshmallow creme, and stir well to combine.
Add Wheaties or other flake cereal to the mixture, and spread it out in a large (9-by-13-inch) plastic container. Add granola to the top, and press down into the mix with the back of a spatula or spoon. Chill for about 15 minutes until firm. With a spatula or butter knife, cut into bars.
Tropical Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
1 small container orange sections, juice drained
1 small container pineapple chunks or tidbits, juice drained
1 cup sour cream
1 cup coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Stir carefully so you don’t break up the fruit. Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
No-Fail Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
Ingredients:
2 large chocolate bars (Melting chocolate works better. You can use dark or white.)
12 large fresh strawberries, with stems on
Wax paper
Sprinkles, candies and other fun things for dipping
Directions:
Leave the stems on the berries. This way, you can hold them by the stems when dipping. Wash and dry the strawberries. Break chocolate into small pieces and place in microwave-safe bowl. Chocolate is delicate; go slow and take care when heating. Microwave on high for 10 seconds, stir, heat another 10 seconds, stir until chocolate is smooth. Holding by stems, dip each strawberry. Place on wax paper to cool.