Mother’s Day is a day we all stop what we are doing in our busy lives and pay tribute to our mothers. We should do it every day!
I remember a story a student told me many years ago. It speaks volumes about what mothers do each day. He told me that his whole entire family — Mama, Daddy, all his brothers and sisters — had the stomach virus and were sick throwing up all weekend. I asked who took care of them. He looked at me in disbelief and responded of course, “Mama.”
No one can tell you what being a mother means until they have a child of their own. It is the greatest gift in the entire world.
I wanted to share a poem I read this week about motherhood.
MOTHERHOOD
by Helen Steiner Rice
The dearest gifts that heaven holds,
The very finest, too.
Were made into one pattern
That was perfect, sweet and true;
The angels smiled, well-pleased, and said:
“Compared to all the others,
This pattern is so wonderful
Let’s use it just for mothers!”
And through the years, a mother
Has been all that’s sweet and good
For there’s one bit of God and love,
In all of Motherhood.
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone! I hope you will give this week’s recipes a try. Thanks for reading.
CREAMY FRUIT DIP
1 (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
With mixer, beat cream cheese and marshmallow cream until creamy. Beat in vanilla, and add a little pink food coloring if desired. Refrigerate; serve with strawberries, apple slices, pineapple, grapes and blueberries or any other of your favorite fruits.
HAM AND CHEESE CROISSANTS
16 thin slices of deli ham
8 slices Swiss cheese
8 sandwich croissants, sliced in half
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons honey mustard
Lettuce and tomato slices
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place two slices of ham and one of cheese slices on each croissant. Place open croissants on baking sheet, and heat for 8 to 10 minutes. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise and honey mustard. Remove croissants from oven, and spread with mayonnaise mixture. Top each sandwich with lettuce and a tomato slice.
CHEESECAKE BROWNIES
1 package fudge brownie mix (13-by-9-inch size)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (16-ounce) chocolate frosting
Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spread half of the batter into a greased 9-by-12-inch baking dish, and set aside. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, and beat on low speed until combined. Spread evenly over brownie mixture, and top with remaining brownie batter. Cut through batter with a knife to swirl. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center come out with moist crumbs. Cool completely on wire rack, and spread with frosting.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
