Everywhere you turn in May you find wonderful Mother’s Day ideas to treat this extraordinary lady in your life. From restaurant brunch specials to fancy (and expensive!) flower bouquets to chi-chi spa treatments. All of these are wonderful and thoughtful gifts you can give your mother or request if you are the mother in question but this year I am taking a pass! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice meal out, a bouquet of fragrant roses and a hot stone massage just like any sane woman but this year I want something different for my mother’s day. I want nothing. And I want to enjoy that nothing on my own! I love my kids and husband to the end of the earth and back again but sometimes a mom just needs to recharge her batteries and she can’t do that at a Denny’s with a rose corsage! So on May 9th I am asking dear hubby to take the kids out for breakfast and a long, long play at the park while I enjoy not one but two cups of Maple Cinnamon Coffee in peace and quiet. I’ll spread out the morning paper and read the sections I want to without interruption and then indulge in a couple of Spinach & Ricotta Hotcakes with Honey Ham (extra Crème Fraiche please.). After that I’ll unlock the door, turn the phone back on and welcome my little family home with open arms, a renewed spirit and satisfied tummy! Happy Mother’s Day.
MAPLE CINNAMON COFFEE
Makes 8 cups
Preparation 10 minutes
Notes: This coffee is an excellent way to start your morning off. The syrup and whipped cream are the perfect exchange for your usual milk and sugar!
Ingredients:
• ½ cup pure maple syrup
• 4 heaping tablespoons good quality coffee
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 cups (2L) cold water
• 1 cup whipped cream - optional
1. Pour the maple syrup into the bottom of a coffee pot.
2. Place coffee in filter and sprinkle cinnamon on top of grounds.
3. Brew coffee. Stir brewed coffee with wooden spoon ensuring maple syrup is dissolved.
4. Pour coffee into mugs or cups and top with whipped cream if desired.
SPINACH & RICOTTA HOTCAKES WITH HONEY HAM
Serves 4
Preparation 10 minutes
Cooking 10 minutes
Notes: These hotcakes are hearty enough for brunch, lunch or dinner. Simply serve a green salad on the side. You could also substitute smoked salmon for the honey ham.
Ingredients:
• 100g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 egg yolks
• 250ml buttermilk
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 50g fresh baby spinach, chopped and wilted
• 2 tbsp chives, chopped
• 125g ricotta
• Olive oil
• 50g honey ham, thinly sliced
• Crème fraiche to serve
1. Sift the flour and the baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the egg yolks and buttermilk until combined. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chives and ricotta
2. Heat a medium non-stick pan over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil and spoon in batter to make 3 small hotcakes about 12cm in diameter. Cook for 2 minutes or until bubbles appear on surface; flip continuing to cook for a further 1 minute. Set aside in a warm place and continue with remaining batter.
3. To serve, top hotcakes with sliced ham and crème fraiche.
Nadine Hughes is the creator and owner of, The Cook’s Companion and The Menu Companion, through which she offers kitchen consultations, menu planning services as well as private cooking classes for adults and teens throughout Southern Ontario. She is also an award winning author. Pick up a copy of her latest cookbook “The Groove Mamma Goes Gourmet – Easy Ways To Put The Fun Back Into Entertaining” (awarded Best Canadian Entertaining Cookbook at the 2009 Gourmand Cookbook Awards) for $7.98 at www.groovemamma.com
©Nadine Hughes 2010