Mother's Day Recap

We birthed what will likely be a new tradition this Mother's Day. By a stroke of coincidence (which by the way, I don't believe there is such a thing), my cousin PM was visiting from California for a wedding this past weekend. Because I wanted to spend time with her, AND I wanted to spend time with Candid Mama on Mother's Day, PM's sister M&M and I devised a plan.


We were going to treat our mothers to an elaborate Mother's Day lunch, cooked in its entirety by the three of us, not allowing them in the kitchen for even a moment.


If you've ever met a Portuguese mother, then you know that is a feat in and of itself, because Portuguese mother's are always in the kitchen. Nobody cooks like my mom, so to cook FOR my mom was a bit daunting. But it was a challenge we wanted to undertake.

So, we split up the tasks, and took to our menus. I was in charge of a salad and desserts. M&M was doing the appetizers, and PM was handling the main meal.


I had planned on taking photos of all our food, but it all happened so quickly, an everything disappeared in a flash, so I have no photos for you today. Except for these of Smiley (PM's almost one year old son) and Brainiac (M&M's 9 year old daughter):

Those will have to do for you. But really, how could they not, with smiles like that?

So, moving right along, the menu was quite extensive, and I'm not even 100% sure I'll remember it all, but here's a sampling of what we put together for our moms (and dads and miscl. others who of course also were there):

We started off with M&M's appetizer of flank steak strips on skewers, seasoned with...well, I'm not really sure how she seasoned them, but they were fantastic. They were also the men's favorite dish, because...Meat on a stick...how can you go wrong?

Then it as time for some grilled shrimp, seasoned in ginger and a bunch of other stuff, again by M&M. I really need to ask her exactly what it was she used in her seasonings, but these too were a great success.

We followed that up with my salad, which was actually a bit of an appetizer itself, with slices of tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto, lettuce and drizzled with a homemade vinaigrette sauce. It was also supposed to have basil leaves, but in the middle of all the craziness, the basil never made it onto the plate.

All of these items we served "Hors Doeuvre's" style, walking around and serving our parents as they mingled and relaxed throughout the house.

Then it was time to sit down for lunch, and enjoy the stuffed chickens and green beans. The stuffing, recipe by PM, was fantastic.

We all took part chopping, cooking, putting these dishes together, and it was kind of fun to be in the kitchen, wearing the aprons and making the meal, while our parents sat back and waited to be served.

After lunch it was time for dessert. I had a sugar free option (as my aunt is diabetic) of strawberry jell-o with a strawberry mousse and fresh strawberries on top. And there was also an oreo/vanilla ice cream cake. An ice cream cake made by yours truly. An ice cream cake that rivaled Carvel's, as I was told by more than one person that day. NICE! I was pretty proud of my ice cream cake.

By the end of it all, everyone was sufficiently "stuffed" and we had NO leftovers. NONE. It all went. We were pretty proud of ourselves, and the meal was deemed such a success that we may have created a monster. We've been requested to do Father's Day next.

It was a great day had by all, and we're already planning the next menu. Maybe I'll even take pictures that time.