Before I was a mother, I imagined Mother's Day being the most relaxing day of the year for me. I imagined sitting on a patio with a wine glass in my hand and my feet up, without a care in the world. Man was I dreaming. Back then, I was totally ignorant to the fact that my mom was slaving away to invite everyone over for Mother's Day! Needless to say, today I feel like I owe her. I decided to take a test run at my hosting skills with a small brunch for my Mother in Law, since we have been living with them for a couple months. Of course when I plan, it can't just be any old meal. I scoured Pinterest for pretty looking dishes, and decided to make a whole menu of items I had never made before. Dangerous I know. Mind you, I am not a lady of the kitchen. My husband usually makes dinner because I turn into a ball of stress when it's time for me to make almost anything. I am now proud to say that everything turned out great, and I didn't cry. Not even once. I prepped several items the night before so I wasn't busting my butt in the morning. FINALLY, I planned something right! Take a look at my delish (and easy!) menu for a nice Mother's Day brunch:
1 bakery loaf of butter crusty bread
8 (ounces) low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 small container of fresh blueberries
8 large eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup half and half cream
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1. Cut the loaf of bread into cubes and place in a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in milk, half and half, 1/2 cup of the maple syrup,and vanilla until mixture is smooth. Pour cream cream cheese mixture over the bread. Add the blueberries to the top of the mixture, pushing them in so they are covered in the bread/egg mixture. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
3. Remove souffle from refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Bake uncovered, for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Pour remaining 3/4 cup maple syrup over souffle, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm.
- Strawberry Basil Spa Water
- Purified Water (Use a Brita filter if available)
- 1/2 container of strawberries, whole or halved
- Several large fresh basil leaves ( I used the whole container of Organic Basil from Kroger)
Fill a water dispenser with water ( I used the water from the Brita filter for better flavor) and add the strawberries and basil leaves to the dispenser. Let the water sit over night if you want a more flavorful water, the longer it is aloud to marinade the stronger the flavor will be.
The Preppy Pink Crocodile has many more spa water recipes to try, check it out!
- Bellini Mimosa
- 1 bottle of Sparkling Rose Moscato
- 1 can or jar of sliced peaches in light syrup
Drop one peach slice into each cup and pour a small amount of the syrup into the glass, I filled about a 1/4 of the cup. Add the Moscato or champagne and gently stir. Enjoy!
- Fresh Fruit Salad with Crushed Mint
Your choice of fresh fruit! I used strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes and peaches. Rip or mince several mint leaves and sprinkle in with the fruit. Gently toss everything together. I made mine the day of the brunch, but it might be better to make it the night before so everything has a chance to soak in the fresh mint flavor. Fruit salad is always better the next day anyway. :)
I can't ignore the fact that my husband made his FAMOUS cheesy potatoes. I will have to ask for written permission to use the recipe on this blog, so when I get permission from the creator, I will add the recipe. It really is the best cheesy potato recipe EVER. EEEEEVER.
Entertaining is by no means a simple task. It's a lot of hard work. But when everything is said and done, and you have impressed your guests, it makes it all worth it. Especially for Mother's Day, our mother's deserve to be pampered every once in a while. It's also a day to be reminded of what a great honor it is to be someones mother. It's a hard job, but it's worth every minute!
Happy Mother's Day Modernistic Momma's!!!
