Helping Hands in the Kitchen: Mother’s Day Menu

May 3, 2022

Mother’s Day is right around the corner on Sunday, May 8th. Thinking back over the happiest Mother’s Days I have shared or had myself, I believe a BRUNCH or TEA have been the most fun and the best ones of my life. So, today I would like to share some of my favorite recipes that will make a great Brunch or Tea for any occasion. I hope that you have had, do have, and will have a wonderful Mother’s Day. Enjoy your memories as I do, and enjoy memories in the making and the ones to come!

Mother’s Day Brunch

MENU:
Good Morning Orange Juice
Cream Scones & Lemon Curd
Ham, Potato & Cheese Casserole
Fruit Skewers

GOOD MORNING ORANGE JUICE

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons maraschino juice
• 1/4-1/3 cup club soda
• ½ cup orange juice (your favorite)
• Maraschino cherry and orange for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Add about 2 T. maraschino juice and 1/4-1/3 cup club soda.
3. Top it off with ½ cup orange juice or what it takes to fill the glass.
4. Garnish with a half orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

CREAM SCONES WITH LEMON CURD

There are many ways to cut scone shapes, but I prefer the triangle or pie shape. Scones may also be served and eaten with butter, jam, honey, lemon curd, or without a topping.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes (or margarine)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup whole milk (Alt: milk substitutes or a light flavored juice)

Instructions

1. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a bowl.
2. Cut in cold butter or margarine until crumbly.
3. Place the egg in a measuring cup and fill with the liquid to equal 1 cup (the egg is about ¼ cup).
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir just enough to combine. DO NOT OVER MIX!
5. Place dough on a lightly floured board or clean counter and knead the dough until it is no longer sticky and holds together. (Kneading: Combine with your hands, folding the sides of the dough into the middle over and over making ¼ rotations, and turning dough completely over until it combines and is not sticky.) Remember, too much kneading will make the scones too tough. They should be light and flakey.
6. Form the dough into 3 balls. For pie shaped scones, roll each ball into a 6” circle. Keep the center a little higher than the sides.
7. Cut each into 4 pie shaped scones. If you prefer another shape, use a biscuit cutter for round, or cut into squares with a knife or a large cookie cutter.
8. Place all of the scones on a baking sheet. Use parchment paper on the baking sheet, or you can lightly spray or grease the baking sheet to prevent sticking.
9. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Bake about 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 scones.
10. If you want, make a glaze frosting with a little melted butter, a little vanilla, powdered sugar, and a little milk to make a drizzling icing.

TIP: You can vary your recipe by adding dried currants or chopped pecans, chopped dried cranberries or sliced almonds to the dry mix.

LEMON CURD

You can also use orange instead of lemon if you prefer – or even lime.

Ingredients

• 2 extra-large eggs or 3 large eggs
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
• 2/3-3/4 cup granulated sugar (depending on the tartness of the lemon)
• 4 Tablespoons butter cut into 1 Tablespoon pieces (use at room temperature)

Instructions

1. In a stainless or glass bowl that can withstand heat, placed over a saucepan of simmering water (not boiling), whisk together the eggs.
2. Add sugar and lemon juice.
3. Cook, stirring constantly in the bowl over simmering water until mixture is thick, like the consistency of sour cream (160 deg F). This takes about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.
5. Whisk butter into the mixture until melted.
6. Add lemon zest and continue to combine.
7. Let cool. The curd thickens more as it cools. Cover immediately with plastic wrap directly onto the curd to avoid a “skin” forming on the top.

TIP: Makes about 1 ½ cups curd and may be refrigerated for up to a week. You can double the recipe.

HAM, POTATO, AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

You can change up the ingredients to fit what you have or based on preferences. Don’t be afraid to try that, just make sure it binds together as given.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot whole milk
• Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Few grates of nutmeg, just a pinch
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 cups Gruyere cheese, grated (or Cheddar)
• 8  slices bread, crusts removed, generally a white bread
• 4 potatoes cooked, peeled and chopped
• 8 ounces of ham, sliced or cubed (Black Forest or your favorite)

Instructions

1. Make a cream sauce by melting the butter over low heat; add the flour, constantly stirring, letting it cook for about 2 minutes. (This takes away the raw flour taste.)
2. Slowly pour the hot milk into the butter flour mixture and cook, stirring constantly until it thickens.
3. Take off heat and add the rest of the ingredients using ½ cup of the Gruyere (Cheddar) cheese. Set aside.
4. Toast the bread by placing on a baking sheet and baking at 400 deg F. for 5 minutes, turn and bake another 2 minutes until toasted on both sides.
5. Remove the bread and spread the Dijon mustard on each slice.
6. Add a slice of ham (or cut in cubes) and sprinkle with ½ of the remaining Gruyere (Cheddar).
7. Add 1/3 of potatoes, top with another slice of toast then ham and potatoes.
8. Cover with the rest of cheese, including the Parmesan and bake at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. it should be bubbly.
9. Broil 3-4 minutes until light brown and still bubbly.
10. Dice the toasted bread. Serve hot.

TIP: An option is to add poached eggs to the top of the casserole.

FRUIT SKEWERS

A fun way to serve fruit skewers is to poke the end of the skewer into the rind of half a watermelon. You can also place the skewers on a tray or plate! Fruit skewers are good served as is or with a yogurt or yogurt sauce. Any fruits that stay on a skewer are great, but here are a few of my suggestions:  

Ingredients

• Pineapple chunks
• Apples, cubed
• Honey Dew Melon, balled or cubed
• Cantaloupe, balled or cubed
• Seedless grapes
• Watermelon, balled or cubed
• Strawberries, whole or halved
• Kiwi, quartered
• Orange segments

Instructions

1. Wash, dry, and prepare for fitting on skewers. They should not be too heavy or they will fall off.
2. Put in a mixture of ¼ cup pineapple and 2 Tablespoons water to keep the fruit from turning brown.
3. Thread on skewers, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve. If serving as pictured, use a piece of watermelon upside down to stick skewers in.

Mother’s Day Tea

One Mother’s Day, I wanted to surprise my mother and my daughters by giving them a Mother’s Day Tea! I turned my home into a Tea House. I put a hand written sign on the front door, made invitations for the occasion including the menu, and converted the living room into the Tea Room. I made it extra fun and special by having them to wear a hat that they made themselves! I hope they still remember that Mother’s Day with lots of love as I do.

MENU:
Deviled Eggs
Tea Sandwiches (including open-faced)
Vegetables and Fruit
Tarts & Desserts
Tea and Water with Citrus slices

DEVILED EGGS

Ingredients

• 6 eggs

FILLING:

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 t. granulated sugar (based on taste)
• Ground black pepper
• Paprika for garnish, if desired

Instructions

1. Put a single layer of eggs in a saucepan and cover with enough water for 1.5 inches above the eggs. Heat until boiling. Turn off the heat, cover the pan tightly, and let sit for 15 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
2. Run the eggs under cold water until you can handle them. Then crack and peel them under cool running water. (There are several ways to make hard boiled eggs. Use whatever method you prefer.)
3. Slice eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks carefully into a medium bowl and place whites on a platter. Mash the yolks into fine crumble with a fork.
4. To making the filling, combine filling ingredients with egg yolks and mix well.
5. Evenly fill the whites with the filling and sprinkle with paprika if using.

TIP: Remember a whole egg equals 2 deviled egg halves. So, cook the number of eggs you think you will need.

TEA SANDWICHES

I’ve shared MANY kinds of Tea Sandwiches because they are as varied as your own imagination! This is just a sampling. Use vegetables, meats, cheeses, bread of any kind, fresh or baked, even fried if appropriate.

The one thing about Tea Sandwiches is that they need to be about 2 bites, quite small, done elegantly, and tasty. Garnishes are very important for Tea Sandwiches. They NEED to be visually enticing. Mini quiches are great, cream cheese works well in almost all, lettuce wraps, tortilla wraps, or even use vegetables as the base with toppings instead of bread. You will have so much fun, guaranteed!

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT

Any vegetables or fruits prepared for eating with your fingers are very appropriate for a Tea! You can add dips if you want, it’s a wonderful addition both in texture and taste. A variety is nice, but not necessary.

TARTS AND DESSERTS

CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• Meltable chocolate (any flavor, chocolate disks for candy or chips that may be used for melting)
• 1-2 Tablespoons shortening (Crisco or other brand)

Instructions

1. Melt the chocolate and the shortening over hot water until melted and combined.
2. Dip each strawberry about ¾ of the way into the chocolate.
3. Place on a waxed paper or parchment.
4. You can decorate them with opposite colors, or leave plain. There is milk, dark, and white chocolate to melt.
5. Refrigerate until hardened. Serve.

SWEET PASTRIES

Any small bite-sized dessert, up to 3 bites would work well for a Tea dessert. Mini tarts are great such as pecan, chocolate, butterscotch, apple, or cherry. Use refrigerated pie dough for easier making. Baked cookies that are 1-3 bites also work wonderfully such as round ball cookies, small cake cookies, brownies, dipped cookies, formed cookies, or sugar cookies.

Serve with assorted hot teas and cold water with a slice of orange, lime or lemon in a glass with ice.

I hope I’ve given you some great ideas for Mother’s Day or other special occasions. Happy eating and enjoy family!

Bon Appétit
With lots of love,

Download these recipes here