Today we honor and celebrate our mothers. Our mothers give us life and love and nurture us for the rest of their lives.
I don't think we ever stop depending on our mothers in some way. Sometimes roles become reversed, and we begin to care for them as they have cared for us.
Mothers come in all ages, shapes and sizes. The older our children get, the smarter we become.
Those eye-rolling teenagers become young adults and actually listen and even follow our advice.
While substituting last week, I found this list in the classroom. It had no title but gave such wonderful advice.
I was reminded of what mothers might want to say to their children.
•Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
•Marry someone you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
•Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
•When you say, "I love you," mean it.
•When you say, ‘I'm sorry', look the person in the eye.
•Be engaged at least 6 months before you marry.
•Believe in love at first sight.
•Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
•Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.
•In disagreements, fight fairly, no name calling.
•Don't judge people by their relatives.
•Talk slowly, but think quickly.
•When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
•Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
•Say "Bless you" when someone sneezes.
•When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
•Remember the 3 Rs: Respect for self, respect for others and responsibilities for your actions.
•Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
•When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
•Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
•Spend some time alone.
Hope you enjoy today's recipes.
They remind me a little bit of Mama and comfort foods - macaroni and cheese and pizza. What could be better?
Happy Mother's Day, and thanks for reading.
MACARONI AND CHEESE PIZZA
1 package (7½ ounces) macaroni and cheese dinner mix
2 eggs, beaten
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1½ cups pizza sauce
1 (4 ounces) can sliced mushrooms, drained
30 pepperoni slices
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions; stir in eggs.
Spread onto a greased 12-inch pizza pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain well.
Stir in pizza sauce.
Spread over macaroni crust. Sprinkle mushrooms, pepperoni and cheese blend.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes before serving.
PIZZA MACARONI AND CHEESE
6 tablespoons butter
½ cup flour
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounces) jar prepared pasta sauce
2 (8 ounces) packages Italian blend shredded cheese
1 (5 ounces) package grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound linguine, cooked according to package directions
Desired slices of pepperoni
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup sliced black olives
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a 10-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large boiler, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour to the butter, whisking well to combine. Cook for about 3 minutes or until thickened.
Add milk to flour mixture, whisking well to combine - about 4 minutes.
Add pasta sauce to mixture, stirring well.
Add cheeses to sauce mixture and stir well.
Add linguine to sauce and stir well to combine. Pour into prepared pan.
Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake for 40 minutes or until set.
Top with onion, mushrooms, olives and pepperoni slices; return to oven.
Bake until toppings are cooked through - about 10 minutes.
Let cool for another 10 minutes before removing sides from pan.
To serve, slice into wedges.
PEPPERONI PIZZA MUFFINS
3 cups Bisquick
1 can condensed tomato soup
¾ cup water
½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
½ cup diced pepperoni
2 tablespoons chopped ripe olives
1 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
Place Bisquick in a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir until just moistened.
Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Serve warm.
Refrigerate the leftovers.
•Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
