Handmade Gifts – Anything made by hand is sure to be loved by your mother and a handmade gift could be anything your precious hands can create from her favorite desert to a new sweater or quilt. If your not exactly the crafty type, keep in mind that “hand made” might not even have to be “made by your hand.” If your mom likes hand crafted items or maybe you have recently been to a craft fair and your mother has shown interest in a specific item you could purchase it for her as a surprise.

Help Her With Chores – There are a ton of things that your mom might appreciate help with.  Some things that come easily to mind:

• Gardening- mow the yard, weed the garden or help plant flowers and shrubs
• DIY – houses are in constant need of care. Maybe you could visit your mom’s house and make a list of everything that needs to be done from painting to helping with remodeling. Make a seasonal checklist and help your mom make sure her house is ready for each season
• Wash Windows – this is probably her least favorite job anyway so why not help her out by bringing your cleaning solution, buckets, rags and squeegee and get those windows spotless and squeaky clean
• Wash Her Car – clean and vacuum it out, too. A clean car just makes you feel good.

Pamper Her – Call her favorite hair stylist and make an appointment for a cut and style. Then make an appointment for a manicure, pedicure and facial. Be her chauffeur for the day and take her out to lunch, too.

With a little effort and planning you could show your mother how special she really is to you and make this Mother’s Day one your mother will never forget.

What You Need:

1 1/2 C quick cooking rolled oats

1 C + 2 T of flour, divided

3/4 C brown sugar, packed

3/4 C butter

1/4 C sugar

1/2 t + 1/4 t ground ginger, divided

2 C fresh strawberries, sliced

3/4 C powdered sugar

3 t apricot nectar

How to Make It:

Set the oven temperature at 350 degrees and allow the oven to preheat.

Line an 8X8 pan with foil extending the foil over the edges of the pan.

Place the oats into a mixing bowl.

Add 1 C of the flour and the brown sugar and toss to combine.

Use a pastry blender and cut in the butter until the mixture resembles small peas.

Remove 1 C of the mixture and set aside.

Press the remaining oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake 25 minutes or until nicely browned.

Place the sugar in a mixing bowl.

Add the 2 T of flour and 1/2 t of the ground ginger.

Stir in the strawberry slices until well coated.

Spread the strawberry mixture over the hot crust.

Sprinkle the top evenly with the reserved crust mixture.

Return to the oven and bake 32 minutes or until the topping has turned a golden brown and the filling is bubbly around the edges.

Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl.

Add the remaining ginger and the apricot nectar and stir until blended together well.

Drizzle the icing over the top of the streusel bars before cutting.

Makes 16 bars

Preparation Time:  approximately 25 minutes

Baking Time:  approximately 57 minutes

Cooling Time:  2 hours

Mom will love having one of these tasty bars for breakfast, a snack or even as her Mother’s Day dinner dessert.  If she’s not fond of strawberries try blueberries, raspberries or rhubarb instead. 

Your mom is special and although you tell her you love her all year long, Mother’s Day can be the perfect opportunity to let her really see the evidence of your appreciation.

By planning a in advance these thoughtful things can be added to your To Do list for this Mother’s Day.

Take her on vacation – Not everyone will be able to afford to pay for an entire vacation but if you’re already planning a vacation why not include your mother? Lasting memories can be created by taking your mom on a “girlfriend’s getaway” or if you are taking the entire family then bring grandma along for the fun.

Family BBQ – You can make this as simple or elaborate as you would like. Want to just have your mom and the immediate family present? Make your favorite barbequed meat and sides and enjoy your time together. Thinking bigger? Think about making it a family reunion type of event and invite everyone – aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, whomever you think would attend. Ask everyone to bring a side dish or desert and you provide the meat and paper goods.

What You Need:

1 T of bacon grease

1 C onion, sliced

1/2 lb. processed cheese, cubed

1/4 C milk

2 (9 oz.) pkgs. frozen cut green beans, thawed

4 bacon slices, cooked crisp and crumbled

1/4 C almonds, slivered

1/4 t pepper

1/2 C butter flavored crackers, crushed

How to Make It:

Set the oven to 350 degrees and allow the oven to heat while preparing the beans.

Place the onion slices into the reserved bacon grease over medium heat.

Cook the onion slices, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in the cheese and milk.

Stirring constantly cook until the cheese has completed melted about 5 minutes.

Stir in the green beans until covered with the cheese sauce.

Add the bacon and almonds and stir to combine.

Sprinkle the pepper into the mixture and stir until incorporated into the ingredients.

Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the mixture into an ungreased 1 1/2 qt. casserole dish.

Sprinkle the top with the crushed crackers being sure to go to the edge of the dish.

Bake 15 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.

Serves: 6

If you don’t have butter flavored crackers use regular saltine crackers and dab the top of the casserole with 4 or 5 small pieces of butter.

What You Need:

6 bananas, peeled and cut in half lengthwise

1/2 C Mandarin orange sections

1 T brown sugar

2 T of orange juice

2 T of lemon juice

How to Make It:

Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees and allow the oven to heat while preparing the casserole.

Lightly spray a 13X9 casserole dish with a non stick cooking spray.

Layer the bananas in to the casserole dish.

Spread the orange segments over the top of the bananas.

Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over all the fruit.

Place the orange juice into a small mixing bowl.

Add the lemon juice and whisk to combine.

Pour the mixture over the fruit in the casserole dish.

Bake the casserole for 30 minutes.

Serves:  6

This fruit casserole is an easy yet delicious addition to any Easter table.  If you don’t have any orange juice on hand use the juice from the Mandarin orange sections instead.  Maraschino cherry halves can also be added to this casserole.

What You Need:

6 C fresh sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 C mayonnaise

1/2 C brown sugar, firmly packed

1 C pecans, toasted and chopped

1/2 C raisins

How to Make It:

Place the cubed potatoes into a large saucepan.

Completely cover the potatoes with water.

Place the pan over medium heat and bring the water to a brisk steady boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer the potatoes for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Drain the potatoes well and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes.

Put the mayonnaise into a small mixing bowl.

Dump the brown sugar in with the mayonnaise and stir until well combined.

Fold in the pecans and raisins until well coated.

Place the potatoes into a serving bowl.

Add the mayonnaise mixture and stir to coat the potatoes well.

Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator at least one hour before serving.

Serves: 8

If you can’t find toasted pecans at your local supermarket you can toast them yourself pretty easy. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans (pecan halves work best) in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the pecans in the oven for about 6 minutes, stirring them often, until the pecans are nice golden brown. Allow them to cool enough to work with. Use a sharp knife or a chopper to chop the nuts to desired size.

What You Need:

4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 C hot roll mix

3 t yeast (if a packet comes in the hot roll mix use 3 t of that yeast)

1 t baking powder

2 t sugar

1/2 C very hot water (125 degrees)

1 C of flour, divided

4 T unsalted butter, melted

How to Make It:

Spray a rimmed baking sheet lightly with a non stick cooking spray.

Place the butter into a large mixing bowl.

Add the egg into the butter.

Place the hot roll mix and the yeast into the bowl.

Sprinkle the baking powder and the sugar over the yeast.

Pour the hot water over the top of the ingredients in the bowl.

Use a wooden spoon and stir until the butter has blended into the dough.

Sprinkle 6 T of the flour over the top of the dough.

Use the wooden spoon and knead the flour into the dough until the dough is no longer sticky.

More flour may be added 1 T at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Lightly flour your hands and knead 2 T of flour into the dough 3 times or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 5 minutes.

Light flour a cutting board or flat surface.

Flour you hands and place the dough into the center of the floured surface.

Pat the dough out to 1/2 in. thick round.

Use a round cutter to cut out the biscuits.

Reroll the scraps and pat out to continue cutting biscuits until the dough is completely used.

Place the biscuits on the baking sheet.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter.

Fold the biscuits in half and brush the tops with butter again.

Cover the biscuits loosely with plastic wrap.

Place them in a draft free area and allow the dough to rise for about 2 hours.

Allow the oven to heat to 400 degrees.

Uncover the biscuits and bake 12 minutes or until a golden brown on top.

Serves: 12 biscuits depending on size

What You Need:

1 (5 lb.) rack of lamb, trimmed

1 t salt

1 t pepper

3 T canola oil

6 T of Dijon style mustard

1 C Italian style breadcrumbs

6 T Parmesan cheese, grated

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

3 t rosemary

How to Cook It:

Set the oven temperature to 450 degrees and allow the oven to heat up.

Line a large roaster pan with aluminum foil.

Sprinkle the rack of lamb with the salt and pepper being sure to cover the entire piece of meat.

Place the canola oil in a skillet over medium heat and allow the oil to heat.

Place the rack of lamb carefully into the hot oil.

Brown the lamb carefully on all sides for about 6 minutes per side.

Remove the browned lamb from the skillet and place in the lined roaster pan.

Brush the mustard evenly on all sides of the lamb.

Place the breadcrumbs into a bowl.

Sprinkle the cheese into the bowl with the breadcrumbs.

Add in the garlic and the rosemary.

Toss the mixture together until well blended.

Use your fingers to press the breadcrumb mixture into the top of the lamb.

Roast the lamb for 15 minutes for medium rare, 22 minutes for medium or 25 minutes for well done.

Allow the lamb to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Serves: 8

When you purchase a rack of lamb most often it has been already trimmed. If it is not the method to trim it is simple. Cut between the rib bones and scrape the meat off exposing the bottom 3 inches of the bone. Do this at the thick end so you can easily carve off the individual chops when you are ready to serve.