Mother's Day is one of our favorite Hallmark Card Days, not just because we are the beneficiaries of the day, but because we know how appreciated the day is by every mom. It's the perfect time for the family to share what many moms do everyday--the preparing and serving of the family meal, with full clean-up service thrown in.
In thinking about this article we decided to make up a dinner that the family could make together for mom, but which would be fun and easy for dad and the children to prepare. Another parameter was that it had to be delicious for the adults and children alike, and still not come in a bag from the nearest fast food pavilion. The recipes we came up with have made a hit in our homes with husbands, children, and even with those pesky begging animals we have around here who get any leftovers in their dog food, so we are guaranteed a winner on all counts.
You'll note in the picture of this meal two ways to mom's heart are included. One is the hydrangeas which mom can have one of the children plant for her on a northern wall after the holiday, and the other is plenty of fresh fruit so that she can have some for breakfast the next day and for dessert for the week. You'll note that we bought tropical fruits like papayas and mangoes as well as tangerines and the last pears of the season, not just apples and naval oranges. A treat is a treat, and mom is worth it.
What do moms want from their families? I remember wishing for different things at different developmental stages of our family, but things remained surprisingly the same. When the children were very young, had you asked, I would have asked for a quiet meal with no one crying, a meal that would last more than 5 minutes before I had to get up to get a bottle, more mush, or clean up a spill. As the children grew, I would have answered that I wished for a real meal, which lasted more than 5 minutes before sibling rivalry reared its green head in the form of a spat, a meal where neither my husband or I got paged about a patient, a meal with classical music. During the teen years, I would have wished for everyone to eat together, no TV, no phone calls from friends for our children about the crisis du jour, and a meal that everyone would eat that took more than 5 minutes. Now our children are grown and away from home, what I would like is a phone call, a card, maybe a flower or ten, and a quiet meal with no beepers going off--a healthy, delicious meal with good music, and, please, let it last more than 5 minutes. The more things change, it seems, the more they remain the same around here. A word to the wise father, husband or significant other.
Our menu was planned for a family with teens and younger children, but certainly if it's you and a spouse, it is easy, quick, and a winner. The skinless salmon is baked very slowly with a coating that makes it succulent with a moist texture you may miss if you cook it more quickly. The oil will bake out of the coating and will not be served with the fish. The pizza is a sneaky way to get children and picky adults to eat vegetables. We call for two 4- ounce pizza shells, but if you wish this is easily doubled. The half pizza is for the diabetic in the family. You can certainly change the ingredients to your liking, but do have someone other than a young child do the slicing. If you or a teen demonstrates how to make the first pizza, then a youngster can get the rest ready and on the pizza stone well ahead of dinner even if the design is his/her own.
Dessert is easy for a teen. We have selected a star shaped puff pastry for mom as she is the "star " of the day, but any shape will work if it means something to her. If she's a dog lover, use her favorite breed, or if she's a gardener, cut out flowers. You get the idea. Remember, it's not how hard you work on dinner, it's that you work together for "her." Now get ready to cook and don't let mom in the kitchen until you've cleaned up after the meal and the kitchen looks as good as it did when you first stepped foot into her domain.
Note that the meal uses a total of three fat exchanges, all or most of a day's allowance. The meal's so delicious, however, that anyone with diabetes won't mind cutting back on her/his fat intake earlier in the day.
(for the recipes, click on The Recipes or click on the individual recipe above)
