Mother's Day Recipes

Cook up something special for mom this year. Check out some fun recipes that are surprisingly easy to prepare! She'll eat up the attention!

 

Cool Cake for Mom

Dad and company can make this creamy, foolproof confection on their own -- no oven (and no Mom) required! That's because this cake "cooks" in the refrigerator. All you do is prepare a few ingredients.

Ingredients:
* 1 (10 3/4-ounce) pound cake
* 1 (3 1/8-ounce) box of instant pudding
* 1 cup whipped topping
* Fruit (we used 2 bananas and 4 large strawberries)
* Mint sprigs (optional)
* Chilled chocolate syrup

Instructions:
1. Slice the pound cake into several horizontal slices about an inch thick.
2. Prepare the pudding according to package directions. Mix the pudding with the whipped topping.
3. Chop up the fresh fruit you've chosen.
4. Layer the cake, fruit, and a little less than half of the pudding mixture in a loaf pan. Then top the cake with the remaining pudding.
5. Put the cake in the fridge for a couple of hours. When it's chilled, decorate it; we topped ours with trimmed strawberries and mint sprigs.
6. Squeeze on a greeting with chilled chocolate syrup. Then serve Mom a sweet treat on her special day.

 

Bagel Family Portrait

Breakfast in bed on Mother's Day is a traditionbagels that will never go out of style, but it could stand to be jazzed up a bit. So we here is the perfect solution: bagel portraits of Mom and the kids created by the kids (with a little help from Dad). Younger children should enlist Dad's help. In this article, we list all the ingredients you will need, plus detailed instructions for making a bagel portrait of mom, a boy and a girl. Modify your portraits--as well as the number of girls and boys you make--to suit your family.

Ingredients and Materials:
1 large bagel, cut in half, toasted or raw
Mini bagels, cut in half, as many halves are there are kids in the family, raw or toasted
Smoked salmon, sliced into strips
2 small black olives, sliced in half
1 large leaf of curly parsley, cut in half
Red pepper, cut into the shape of Mom's smiling mouth
1 large carrot
A small handful of chives Green pepper, sliced into two circles of equal size, about 1/4-inch in diameter
2 or 3 peanuts, finely chopped
Cherry tomato or small, red grape

Instructions:
• Slice the large bagel in half, and spread it with cream cheese. Arrange sliced smoked salmon along the edge of one quarter of the bagel to make the hair on the top of Mom's head. Curl or drape more salmon for the sides so it looks like your mom's hairdo.
• Place the black olive "eyes" on her cream cheese face. Arrange the parsley leaves so they look like lashes, with the cut part of the leaves close to the olives and the curly part pointing up toward the hair.
• Trim off a small, triangular piece of the carrot and use it to make Mom's nose. Feel free to be creative and make your bagel look as much like Mom as possible.
• Cut the miniature bagel in half. Cover one half with cream cheese.
• Grate the thicker half of the carrot, leaving the small end to make the eyes for the boy bagel portrait. Arrange the carrot hair around the bagel head--lots for a girl with long hair, less for a girl with short hair.
• Cut one chive in half and tie one of the halves into a bow. Stick the bow on the grated carrot hair.
• Place your green pepper "eyes" and chopped peanut "freckles" on the cream cheese face. Cut your grape or tomato in half and place the mouth.
• Cut a miniature bagel in half and spread it with cream cheese.
• Cut some chives into small or long pieces, depending on the length of hair needed.
• Stick the chopped chives into the cream-cheese face. Place the carrot disk "eyes." Tear off a tiny dot of the second black olive for the pupil in the middle of each carrot disk eye. Use the other half of the grape or tomato for the mouth.

Now you are ready to serve them to Mom, complete with a homemade card, and lots of hugs and smiles. Happy Mother's Day!

 

Mother's Day Truffles

This Mother's Day, show Mom or Grandma how much she's appreciated with a plateful of homemade truffles. For the truffles, young chefs will need an adult helper and the ingredients listed below.

Ingredients:
TRUFFLES
* 1/4 cup heavy cream
* 1 1/4 cups milk, white, or semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon flavoring extract, such as orange or peppermint(optional)

TOPPINGS
* Shredded coconut, cocoa powder, confectioners' sugar, or finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions:
1. In a small pan, heat the cream over medium heat (adults only) until it begins to gently bubble. Reduce the heat to low and add the chocolate chips, stirring constantly until completely blended and smooth.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the extract, if desired. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
3. Fill small bowls with the truffle toppings. Roll the cooled chocolate into 1-inch balls, then roll each ball in a topping and place them on a plate or tray lined with waxed paper.
4. Chill the truffles until completely firm, at least 30 minutes. For the best taste, bring the truffles to room temperature before serving.
5. Leftovers will keep for a few days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes about 1 dozen.