Dine out on Mother’s Day, having a picnic
Usually this time of year, kids both young and young at heart are racking their brains to come up with the best way to surprise their mom on her special day.
Is love best expressed with flowers or a box of chocolate? Is it done with brunch reservations at a chichi restaurant? Or should it be her day off from all the mothering duties.
For those who like to cook, the best gift is often to prepare an entire meal made from scratch. It’s personal, and doesn’t have to cost a fortune. It just needs to demonstrate — quite deliciously — that you’re willing to go the extra mile to show your love and appreciation.
With most of us still sheltering at home because of the novel coronavirus, this year is going to be tough. We can’t gather in big groups with friends and family, and with hand sanitizers in short supply, shopping’s no fun. Also, if we’re being perfectly honest, we’ve all been forced into a lot of family togetherness this past month. Do we really want to share yet another meal with the same people in the same setting?
The answer is, of course! She’s Mom after all! But there are ways to make your Mother’s Day meal more fun, or at least feel special. Our suggestion is to have it outside as a picnic.
Just about everything tastes better when eaten al fresco in the sunshine. That goes for whether it’s sandwiches dished up on a card table on the deck, fried chicken served on a blanket in the backyard or all the fixings for a cookout carried to a picnic table at a local park.
Our menu for Sunday’s celebration hits on all the basics — a refreshing beverage, fingerfriendly entree and sweet dessert.
It’s easy enough that kids could help Dad or a teenaged sibling to make it. If you’re lucky like me, and your self-isolating mom lives just around the corner, it’s also perfect for boxing up to leave on her doorstep. Throw in a bunch of handpicked flowers — lilac bushes are blooming like crazy in my neighborhood — and that’s a celebration.
You might not physically be together, but sharing a meal made with love will make the day feel almost normal, right?