An hour for Mom
That’s all it takes to prepare her breakfast in bed
In the United States, the idea of honoring mothers with a special day dates to the early 1900s. In 1902, West Virginia native Anna Jarvis began a campaign to celebrate Mother’s Day in May in honor of her own mother, who had recently passed away.
Her idea took hold throughout the country, but it wasn’t until 1914 when a joint resolution of Congress proclaimed a national day honoring mothers. Since that year, the second Sunday in May has been officially Mother’s Day. Ways to recognize mothers vary from the traditional card and bouquet of flowers to homemade crafts like a macaroni necklace or crayon-drawn family portrait.
Both have their place, but if you really want to show your mom some love, turn off the alarm, let her sleep in and present her with a special breakfast served in bed.
Forgo the easy route of a warm Pop-Tart, a glass of juice and a cup of coffee. With a few easy recipes and minimal shopping, breakfast for mom can become a reality in less than 60 minutes.
Make the breakfast-in-bed project a family affair. A little adult supervision will be needed if older kids are helping with knife and skillet work, but even younger kids can pitch in by helping with the meal assembly and final presentation.
A layered parfait
Jump start mom’s breakfast in bed with a parfait composed of layers of vanilla yogurt, fresh fruit and granola. The assembly work is easy — a perfect project for kids. Divide the yogurt, fruit and granola into separate bowls, and let the kids spoon the layers into kid-friendly (no stems) serving glasses.
For extra embellishments include a small dish of coconut flakes, chopped nuts and chocolate chips.
Extra parfaits make a perfect treat for the kids after they deliver mom her breakfast.
A twist on a classic
An egg-in-a-hole is a classic, fun way to present eggs.
Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make a perfect heart hole in the middle of a piece of bread.
Breaking the eggs into individual custard cups makes it easy for the kids to help by carefully slipping the eggs into the heart-shaped cutouts in the skillet.
A bit of bacon
Make bacon preparation easy by baking it on a sheet pan. Extra flavor and a touch of sweetness come from a quick brushing of maple syrup.
The bacon can be cooked while the eggs are being prepared.
Something sweet
A homemade breakfast sweet is the final component. Try a semi-homemade muffin made with purchased corn muffin mix. Cornmeal gives the muffin a bit of crunch. A dollop of mom’s favorite jam adds sweetness and a spot of color.
Keep the electric mixer in the cabinet. This muffin batter is mixed in a bowl with a spatula.
An edible message to mom
A handmade project from the kids is a must on Mother’s Day. A package of refrigerated crescent rolls, some cinnamon sugar and a strawberry can be transformed into the perfect edible message to mom.
Tear off pieces of dough and let the kids roll them into a rope. Form the ropes into letters that spell “I” and “mom.”
A strawberry sliced through the stem end in half forms a heart.
Place the baked letters on a plate that spells out “I love mom” with the heart-shaped berry standing in for the word “love. “
Have the kids present the edible message to mom first, followed by breakfast served on a tray with a fresh flower and a Mother’s Day hug.