The ancient Greeks and Romans first celebrated mothers and motherhood in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele.  There was also a tradition in Europe and the United Kingdom of “Mothering Sunday” which was a Christian festival on the fourth Sunday in lent where the faithful would return to their “mother” church.  Eventually, the celebration diverged from its religious roots, and became a day for children to give their moms flowers and gifts. In the United States, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children after her own mother died in 1905. President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure in 1914 officially declaring the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

How do you celebrate and pay tribute to your own mother? Flowers, cards, a phone call?  Did you know more telephone calls are made on Mother’s Day than on any other day of the year? But, if your mom lives close enough, you might want to consider fixing her brunch.  Here is a great menu for that special day:

Asparagus, Red Bell Pepper, and Mushroom quiche

Bacon/sausage

Oven-roasted Red Potatoes with Onions and Rosemary

Fruit salad with bananas, mandarin oranges, sliced strawberries, and kiwi

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Start by sitting mom down with a Mimosa (orange juice and champagne) or a cup of coffee.  Hand her the newspaper, tie on an apron and let’s get cooking!

COFFEE CAKE: Actually, I recommend baking the Sour Cream Coffee Cake a day in advance (recipe follows) so you can save the oven for the Oven-Roasted Potatoes and the Quiche – which are both cooked at the same time and are best served warm right out of the oven.

POTATOES: To prep the potatoes, cut small red potatoes in half or quarter them to create bite-size pieces. Place in a casserole dish, add a drizzle of olive oil, a little thinly sliced onion, salt, pepper, a sprinkle of paprika and crushed rosemary. Stir to coat potatoes. Place in 350-degree oven the same time you put the quiche in the oven. The potatoes can be on an oven rack below the quiche. Stir again after 15 minutes to brown evenly and to prevent burning.

QUICHE:  I like to make my own pie crust and generally use a 10-inch glass pie plate. You are free to use a ready-made crust or ready-made pie crust dough.  But don’t forget to grease the pie plate with vegetable shortening! Making a quiche provides the opportunity to use leftover vegetables too.  I think of combinations of any three items like – spinach, mushrooms, scallions, broccoli, red onions, zucchini, yellow bell peppers, etc. But you can also repurpose left over meats like chicken, sausage, bacon, pepperoni, crabmeat, and salmon. The type of cheese you use can vary as well, although it’s best to use cheeses that melt easily like Swiss, provolone, gruyere, Monterey jack, Colby or mild cheddar. My recipe for quiche follows, but don’t be afraid to be creative!

FRUIT SALAD: Assemble the fruit salad while the quiche and potatoes are baking. I love to use a clear glass bowl for the fruit salad so you can see the colors of the fruit.  Slice strawberries, bananas, and peeled kiwis. Add fresh or canned mandarin orange slices.  You can also include chunks of fresh pineapple and blueberries, if you like, to create a rainbow of color. My favorite (optional) “dressing” for the salad is a couple of spoonsful of thawed frozen orange juice. Toss and place in refrigerator until ready to serve.

BACON & SAUSAGE: Bacon and sausage can also be cooked in a skillet on the stove over low heat while the quiche.

Buon apetito!