Mother’s Day Surprise
Recipes for Children to Make for Their Mother
(Appearing in April, 2009 SHE Magazine)
When my husband and our were raising our blended family, our kids always made and brought us breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day. While the earliest efforts were, to say the least, undercooked, the menus and quality of the food improved in time. What did stay the same was the pride the kids took in doing this, their smiles when they brought in the trays and the way my heart always warmed at the sight of them.
So, I thought it might be nice to put together a menu, with recipes, for children who wanted to do something like this. The menu below is good for a 10 or 12 year old to make by themselves, if they are familiar with and in the kitchen. Otherwise, some help by a sibling or father would be good. Most of the meal can be prepared the night before and stored in the refrigerator to take out and cook or plate up on THE BIG DAY!
If you are under 12, you might ask a big sister or brother for help, or maybe even Dad.
If you’ve cooked before, know how to read a recipe and feel good in the kitchen, these are things you can probably make by yourself (if you are over 10)
The Menu
Egg casserole (make the night before )
Herbed Cheese Toast (make the night before)
Fresh Strawberries (cut up night before and sprinkle with sugar)
Juice
On Mother’s Day, you will cook the casserole first, then the muffins. Place all on the table or tray and serve. (p.s…flowers are a nice touch !)
Egg Casserole
What you will need:
9×11 (the long triangle one) baking dish
1 cup croutons
8 eggs
1 cup cream or milk
1 cup cheese
Parsley flakes
Salt and pepper
1) Spray the baking dish with Pam Spray
2) Cover the bottom of the baking dish with croutons
3) Mix together the eggs and milk
4) Add salt, pepper, cheese and parsley flakes and whisk until blended
5) Pour over croutons
6) Cover and put into refrigerator overnight
7) To Cook: Preheat oven to 350
Cook for 30-45 minutes or until eggs are set and not ‘jiggly’
Herbed Toast
What You Will Need:
2 English Muffins
½ C. Olive Oil
1 T. Oregano
1 T. Thyme
1 T. Basil
½ C Parmesan Cheese
1. Open muffins and lay them on a cookie sheet
2. Mix together oil and herbs
3. Using a pastry brush, brush the oil mixture over the muffins
4. Sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese
5. Cover and store in refrigerator until next morning.
6. To Cook, set oven to broil , remove covering and cook for 3-5 minutes, until edges are brown
Strawberries
What You Will Need:
One Pint of strawberries
2 T. Sugar
1. Remove the caps from the berries and wash them off
2. Cut the berries in ½ and place in bowl
3. Sprinkle with sugar
4. Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to serve