MAKING MENU PLANS FOR A MOTHER’S DAY LUNCHEON

Don’t  you think it might be fun to plan a little Mother’s Day Luncheon?

Here is what I’ve put together for Sunday at my house for my own Mom.  Just sharing the love with anyone interested in ideas:

MOTHER’S DAY LUNCHEON MENU

DRINKS:               Sweet And SouthernTea and

                                     Old-Fashioned Lemonade

SALAD:                 Pink Ladies in a Cloud on Fresh Watercress

BREAD:                  Mini Cheese Tea-Biscuits

MAIN DISH:        Mom’s Chicken Cheesecake

                                      Mother’s Day Quiche

SIDES:                     Fresh Fruit and Veggie Tray

DIP:                           Hissy Fit Dip with Chips

SIDES:                    Fresh Garden Lady Peas

                                     Extra Special Squash Casserole

DESSERT            Homemade Lemon/Blueberry Cake

                                    With Cream Cheese Icing                                      

                                    Homemade Blueberry Ice Cream

RECIPES FOR THE ABOVE MENU

SWEET AND SOUTHERN TEA

Ingredients:

3 Cups Water

2 Family sized tea bags

1 Cup Sugar

7 Cups Cold Water

Directions:

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan.  Add the tea bags to the water.  Boil for 1 minute longer. 

Remove the tea mix from the heat.  Cover and steep for ten minutes.  Remove and discard the tea bags.  Add sugar and stir until dissolved. 

Pour into a 1 gallon pitcher and add 7 cups of cold water.  Stir well with a wooden spoon. Serve with ice cubes made of frozen lemonade in a pretty pink glass.

OLD-FASHIONED LEMONADE

Ingredients:

Six Cups Cold Water

6 Fresh Lemons

1 Cup White Sugar

Directions:

Juice the lemons and strain out any seeds.  You should have approximately one cup of lemon juice.  In a gallon pitcher combine one cup lemon juice with one cup white sugar and six cups of cold water.  Stir well.  Chill and serve over ice.  

(I always cut up some lemon slices and a few strawberries and put them into the pitcher.)

PINK LADIES IN A CLOUD SALAD (SERVED ON FRESH WATERCRESS)

Ingredients:

One pint fresh strawberries cut into small pieces
1 package (3 ounces) strawberry gelatin

One Cup cold water
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
One can (20 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, well-drained
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted, divided
One carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of cold water to a boil. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Remove from the heat; cool slightly. 

In a food processor, combine strawberries and cream cheese; cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in gelatin mixture until blended. Stir in the pineapple (drained) and 3/4 cup pecans. Fold in whipped topping. 

Pour into an ungreased 11-in. x 7-in. dish. Refrigerate until set. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Cut into squares.  Serve on a crisp fresh lettuce leaf. Yields: 8 servings.

MINI CHEESE TEA-BISCUITS

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1 cups sugar

2 cups shredded cheese

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs well beaten

8 Tablespoons softened butter

3 Teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together well and pour into mini muffin pan.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.  Makes about 24 mini-muffin tea biscuits

MOM’S FAVORITE CHICKEN SALAD CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
6 cups chopped cooked chicken (1 ½ rotisserie chicken)
8 oz. can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
2/3 cup orange-flavored sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup chopped roasted, salted almonds
Garnishes: fresh herbs, blackberries, raspberries, sliced pears.  Have a side tray with either crackers or small tea-sized bread slices.

Directions:  

Whisk together cream cheese and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in chicken, pineapple, and cranberries just until blended.  Spoon the mixture into a plastic-wrap-lined 8-inch round cheesecake springform pan.  Cover and chill mixture at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.   Invert chicken salad onto a cake stand, and remove plastic wrap. Gently press chopped almonds onto sides of chicken salad. Garnish, if desired.

MOTHER’S DAY QUICHE

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

3 onions, chopped into very small pieces

3 bunches of fresh flat leafed spinach leaves (de-stemmed and chopped small)

Sea Salt

Ground pepper

Two cups grated Gruyère cheese

2 prepared pie shells (9 inches round)

8 large eggs

3 cups heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Using a large skillet heat butter and add onions and cook until they are soft; then add chopped spinach and cook it all down until wilted.  Stir and season with salt and pepper as you go.  After about 5 minutes onions and spinach should be cooked enough. 

Transfer mix to a colander to drain any grease and/or liquids well; then divide vegetables into the two prepared pie shells.  Add the cheese next, dividing into two pie shells. 

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, nutmeg, one teaspoon each of the salt and pepper and pour this (dividing evenly) into the two pie shells. (This can be prepared ahead and cooked as you chat on the big day.)

Bake all for about 60 minutes until center of pies are set.

FRESH FRUIT AND VEGGIE TRAY

Ingredients:

1 round loaf of bread that you can scoop the middle from. (Save the middle!)
Baby Carrots
celery
asparagus
deep green leaves (any type)
Tiny tomatoes
cucumbers
red pepper
green pepper
yellow pepper
orange pepper
yellow squash

Directions:

Arrange in a large (huge) martini glass shaped glass stand that has a decorative silver tray underneath it.   Line the dark green leaves in the bottom. Set the scooped out bread in the middle. (Put whatever dip you chose to use inside the bread).

Slice the peppers and arrange them around the bread bowl, with some strips hanging over the edges of the top of the martini glass serving dish. Do the same with celery sticks and asparagus. Mix the colors in chunks of the same color.

In the tray beneath line up fresh-cut cucumbers, red tiny tomatoes, squash in rows around the middle. Layer these rows, and surround the outside with more pepper, asparagus and carrot sticks.

HISSY FIT DIP WITH CHIPS

(Serve with crackers, chips, or veggie sticks – carrots, celery, sliced cauliflower, etc.  I use the vegetable tray mentioned above.)

Rumor has it that the first time this was served at an SEC tailgating party; it was so popular that it was gone in no time flat! One uppity Southern belle who missed tasting the new recipe was distraught and pitched a big hissy fit, hence forth the name. 

Ingredients:

16 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces Velveeta, small cubed
1 cup white American cheese, shredded
½ – 1 pound pork sausage, crumbled, cooked and drained
¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
One teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground sage
¼ teaspoon curry
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash of garlic salt or powder
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients; stirring until well blended.  Place in baking dish you have sprayed with non-stick coating. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

FRESH GARDEN LADY PEAS WITH LEMON-THYME VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh lady peas

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of white wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves

1 Tablespoon honey

One small garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Cook the lady peas on the stove in a boiler full of salted water.  Boil for 8 – 10 minutes, then drain and rinse and let peas cool a bit.  After they are cool place back into boiler and set aside. 

In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, the white wine vinegar, thyme, honey, garlic and extra virgin olive oil.  Pour mixture over drained peas in small boiler and swish around to coat peas well. 

Reheat over low heat on stove for only a few minutes keeping lid on boiler to allow steam help mix flavors soak into peas.  Cook over low or medium heat until peas are heated through but not soft and mushy.  Serve hot.  Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

EXTRA SPECIAL SQUASH CASSEROLE

HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

4 Cups Fresh Blueberries

2 Cups White Sugar

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Salt (to taste)  I use a pinch

One Cup Heavy Cream

1 Cup Whole Milk

One Cup Half and Half

Directions:

Pour the blueberries in a blender and puree.  Add them to a sauce pan and add sugar.  Heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly.  Refrigerate mixture until cold.  Add vanilla, salt, cream, milk and Half and Half. 

Pour into Gelato maker and start machine to churning.  After prepared, freeze until use.  Ice Cream will set up more solid after freezing.

Enjoy!  I hope you have as much fun with these recipes as I did!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY