Tell your mom - or spouse - to loaf around for a bit and enjoy some personal catering… no one needs to know how fuss-free the recipes are!
It's that time of year when parents are honoured by their kids, both young and mature. Mother's Day, on Sunday, May 14th, and Father's Day, on Sunday, June 18th, see the tables turned as the younger generation takes time to acknowledge their parents' love, care and support.
Choosing and wrapping a gift may be the easiest way of expressing gratitude, and there are several traditional favourites to consider. While Dad is most often bombarded with shirts, ties or barbecue equipment, there are many treats to lavish on Mom-although some have already passed their peak. Perfume is now taboo in many places, including hospitals and churches. Diamonds are expensive and beyond the means of many. And chocolates, while still much loved by most mothers, feed the fear of larger waists and hips. There's also the spa. If Mom can tear herself away from home and business duties, a facial or massage can be very relaxing.
So what's left? Apart from the treasured phone call from children who have moved away, and the luxury of dining out, there's still the pampering of a home-cooked meal, whether it's brunch, lunch or dinner. While Mom relaxes in her favourite chair, turning a deaf ear to the noises that resound from the kitchen, Dad, daughter or son learn what it's like to get a meal on the table. In many cases, of course, they've done it before and some are quite proficient at it, but it's more fun to think about the inefficient novice that cartoonists love to portray.
In either case, we hope Marie's Menu can offer some help. Let's say the family is coming together for supper. With a little advance planning and assignment of duties, it should run smoothly.
The pampering can start with a nurturing cup of calming Chai. A beverage made with ground black tea, spices and milk, it's boiled several times before serving in a heated china cup or mug. For our easy recipe, you can use either loose black tea in an infuser or a tea bag, but be sure to make a little ceremony of it when you pour it out for Mom. And to make her feel really special, tuck a few little Puffy Bites in a basket to leave with her, while you head back to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
She'll love the Mushroom Soup and you'll appreciate how easy it is to make. Even easier, both the Caraway Bread and the Pork Stroganoff can be made ahead and frozen. Just allow time for thawing. For a delightful finish, the whole family will enjoy the Fresh Pineapple Pie that looks like it takes hours to make. It doesn't. Even if it did, your Mom is worth it.
As for honouring Dad on his day, take a look at Cooking with Brad Forshner, page 57, to see what he likes to barbecue on the hardwood planks he and his wife, Susan Gatti, manufacture in their mill on Folly Mountain, NS.