Recipes to Spoil Mom With
Lynley Jones
If there’s one thing I know about moms, it’s that we’re busy. Straight up.
And what are we busy with? Taking care of you, of course! Which is why, no matter how delicious and enticing a dish might be, we might not get around to making it. You know the deal. Someone won’t eat vegetables, and someone else only wants white food. And please tell me, which one of you is going to volunteer to do all those dishes? Hmmm?
So - if you really want to do something nice for mom, cook for her. Or cook with her. Whatever she wants. The sky’s the limit. (And for goodness sake, clean up the dang kitchen afterwards!)
So here are some recipes you can spoil your mom with on her special day. She might never make these for herself, but she’s secretly wishing you would make them for her.
Every Mother’s Day should start with cocktails.
These are pretty as can be, just like she is. A light, refreshing, fizzy lemonade cocktail is exactly what she needs to get her special day off to a good start.
It’s okay to grow up (but not too fast).
This recipe takes a slightly more sophisticated approach to pancakes and waffles. A creamy sauce steeped with juniper berries, it’s just the thing to finally convince Mom you’re old enough to make your own decisions.
A grown-up sauce to elevate waffles or pancakes with aromatic juniper berries. Floral and intriguing, a little sweet (but not too much), with hints of pine and lots of natural charisma. Check out the Notes section for more about juniper berries and tips for success.
A few vegetables never hurt anyone.
Roasted asparagus with lightly sauteed spring onions in a warm champagne vinaigrette with bacon and preserved lemons, topped with herb leaves and toasted pine nuts.
This recipe is oh-so-good, and it’s made from seasonal spring ingredients like asparagus and spring onions. She’ll be just as impressed with your your cooking acumen and veg-forward lifestyle as she is with your thoughtfulness.
Save room for dessert!
Your sweet Mom deserves a sweet finish! These frozen pops have it all: sweet, chocolatey, a touch of spicy and lots of love. And, as they begin to melt down your arm, you can reminisce about all those summers in the backyard. Ah, bliss.
Ice pops made with semisweet chocolate, Aleppo pepper, Mexican piloncillo sugar, cinnamon and cream. Chocolaty and slightly spicy, with a cinnamon twist.
More recipes for Mom’s special day
Here are more seasonal and special recipes to make Mom’s day. Go crazy! (But don’t forget about the dishes. And the hugs.)
Tender sea scallops seared golden brown and served with a buttery white wine pan sauce. Delicious, elegant, and done in about 15 minutes.
Chocolate pudding with a hint of chile and cinnamon for a delicious twist. Perfect for any Mexican celebration, or anytime you're in the mood to take chocolate in an interesting new direction.
Addictively snackable crunchy chickpeas, roasted with coriander, cumin and fennel seeds, with a pinch of asafetida and a little hot paprika zing.
Chicken thighs browned then simmered over rice perfumed with rosemary, garlic, cinnamon, white wine and herbs. Check out the Notes section at the bottom for detailed tips for success, ideas for leftovers and more.
Roasty-toasty cauliflower with turmeric and other warming spices, tossed with parsley and basil.
Arugula and prosciutto pizza with cracked black pepper and sea salt, drizzled with garlic olive oil and spiked with Aleppo pepper.
A spicy Indian-style curry that uses the whole beet plant from root to leaf. Caramelized beet cubes sauteed along with their stems and leaves in a mixture of onions, garlic, ginger, chiles and Indian spices, and served over spiced yogurt.
Chicken breasts in cherry tomato sauce, infused with white wine, garlic, rosemary and cinnamon.
A classic Mexican breakfast that will stop you in your tracks. A lightly fried corn tortilla topped with flavorful beans, an egg and salsa de molcajete.
Artichoke leaves are an appetizer-delivery device, cooked until tender then topped with salmon, garlic-mascarpone and crispy fried rutabaga straws (my new favorite thing).
Salmon-asparagus-garlicky-lemony goodness, perfect for spring.
Traditional Mexican caramel sauce made from goat's milk. Surprisingly simple to make - drizzle it over fruit or Mucho Mango Tart, spread it on toast or between the layers of a cake, stir it into your coffee or just eat it with a spoon.
The classic dessert, with warm caramelized bananas and vanilla ice cream, topped with rum flambe sauce.
This Moroccan poultry pie combines sweet and savory flavors in one amazing dish. Traditionally served as a starter at festive occasions such as weddings, it can also make for a really special main dish.
Shredded chicken or turkey and veggies drizzled with a coconut-peanut sauce, spiked with Sriracha and wrapped in a lettuce leaf.
Caramelized Brussels sprouts in a maple glaze spiked with a hint of Aleppo peppers.
Cauliflower grilled crispy and brown, then dressed in a rich garlicky-buttery sauce.
Grilled sea scallops drizzled with a green garlic-infused brown butter sauce and topped with spring onions, fresh sorrel and a squeeze of lime.
Served with Grand Marnier cream sauce, this is an elegant and delicious way to welcome strawberry season.
Drizzle it over summer fruit or berries, or desserts such as Brioche Bread Pudding with Strawberries.
Rustic tarts filled with ripe peaches and mascarpone cheese, with a hint of basil and cinnamon. Simple to make, and gorgeous to look at.
A pillowy little bundle of creamy eggs encased in a soft eggy shell. It's a great way to use up leftovers, and it’s a meal that’s ready in 3 minutes flat. (Plus, so delicious you just can't stop eating it.)
Potstickers served with Sriracha sauce and Hoisin sauce. Plus, how to make Asian meatballs with the extra filling!
Creamy, coconutty layer cake, with coconut cream cheese frosting. Once they taste this, people will beg you to make it for them. (Fair warning.)
Cupcakes tinted pink with fresh raspberry puree, with a berry special surprise inside. Frost with Lemony-Basil Buttercream or frosting of your choice.
White buttercream frosting infused with fresh lemon and basil. Sweet, creamy and deliciously different. Created for Pink Raspberry Cupcakes (but would be great with many other kinds of cakes).
Super chocolate-y, decadent pudding. Sure, you can serve it to the kids. If you can keep yourself from eating it all first.
How to Spice up Mom’s special day:
Crushed berry common in Middle Eastern, Persian and north African cuisines. Citrusy flavor, this spice is great sprinkled on meat, veggies, fish, salads, or anything you might add a squeeze of lemon to.
1/2-cup sized jar
Organic. Juniper berries are harvested from evergreen junipers in fall and winter. They have a pleasant, slightly sweet flavor with a piney-floral aroma. Crush them slightly and use them with brines and meat, in cocktails, or to add an herbal note to something sweet.
1/2 cup sized jar.
Originally from Aleppo, Syria, this pepper is now being grown in neighboring Turkey. Mildly spicy, it’s like a cross between ancho chile and red bell peppers. Addictively good on veggies of all kinds, as well as grilled meats, fish and more.
1/2 cup-sized jar.
More recipes from Adventure Kitchen:
All our Adventure Kitchen recipes for spring. Grab your chive blossoms, green garlic, spring onions and asparagus, and get ready to go to town on this season.
You should totally make breakfast for Mom on her special day! Here are some impressive but completely do-able options, even if (especially if!) the kids want to help.
What better way to secure your World's Best Dad status than to spend Father's Day grilling up some amazing food for your family? (That mug is YOURS this year!) Here are some very impressive options for you.
Super-refreshing, fizzy and fun lemonade cocktail infused with basil and sumac.