Mother's Day Menu - The Happiest of Days

A happy happy happy belated Mother's Day to all of the Mother's out there. Yesterday was quite honestly, the happiest Mother's Day I can remember, plus it was all about "me". When I was a new mom, since I was a single mom much of my children's lives, Mother's Day focused on my own mother, who was such a critical part of my life and support system. She enabled me to have it all because she helped me so much raising my three children (21, 20, 15), I was able to still have a very successful career. On July 7, 2008, my mother passed away, my life changed on a dime, and the next several years focused on my grief from not having a living mother and how much I missed her.

Yesterday, about 6 pm, I thought about my mom, and when I did, I had the distinct memory that I was moving forward with my grief and I almost woke up this morning feeling "guilty" for not thinking more about her yesterday, so I opened Facebook and did an appropriate tribute.

It was literally the first time in my memory that I felt like a matriarch of my family.

Since it was my day, things went my way...which meant I cooked breakfast. I love love love to cook, but I don't do it as often as I'd like, so I took the opportunity.

Mother's Day Menu

 

Munka - A Swedish Pancake

(also known as Æbleskiver)

 

Apple Syrup

 

Maple Coffee

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Munka
Ingredients:
2 c. buttermilk
3 eggs separated
2 c. flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
Granulated sugar for rolling

Beat egg yolks and stir in buttermilk.  Sift dry ingredients together and stir in buttermilk and egg yolk mixture.  Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Heat the munka pan on the stovetop at medium heat with butter or shortening in each slot (you can also use applesauce). My munka is cast iron, it belonged to my mother. I use a toothpick to turn the munka which will bubble like a pancake will when it's time to turn.

Roll in granular sugar prior to serving. You can also use a ligonberry jam, powdered sugar...anything in your imagination you would typically put on a pancake. I use granulated sugar, because it's a tradition.


Apple Syrup
Ingredients:
1 can Apple Pie Filling
1/2 cup Maple Syrup

An apple flavored munka is not uncommon, thus why I will occasionally use applesauce in the slots, however, I wanted to make it the traditional meal my mom did, thus I used butter. To compensate, because my boyfriend loves apple pie, and it's the easiest thing in the world (to me) to make a flavored syrup, I used a can of apple pie filling. I love to make flavored syrup because it's basically open a can of fresh fruit and add maple syrup, and as Will Farrell said in the movie "Elf", maple syrup was one of the primary food groups, or something like that. I don't feel like looking up the quote, or the spelling of Farrell. You can also use jam. If you use jam I try to make it equal parts syrup to jam. Heat on stove top at medium heat until combined and warm. Serve warm.


Bacon

Bacon is the that in my opinion gives me the most bang for my buck so to speak. I've been dieting "years", in fact, as of today, it's official, I'm 127.2 lbs down (yip yip yip yahoo) and bacon is a food that for the amount of calories it packs, brings a punch of flavor. About 50 to 75 calories a slice, the key is to keep it at 2 slices...I have nothing less to say about that.

Sometimes I'll do bacon in the oven, 425 - 20 minutes on a cookie cooker that is sitting on top of a cookie sheet, but I'll also do bacon in my dutch oven on the stove top. Depends on how crispy I want it. If I start with frozen bacon, I'll use the dutch oven. Using the dutch oven makes the color crispy and black, but sometimes you are just in the mood for lightly burnt bacon.


Maple Coffee
Ingredients:
1 part Half and Half
1 part Maple Syrup
2 parts Coffee

It's magical...trust me, it's my Christmas go to and I was out of coffee creamer at home. Please don't listen to my boyfriend who said he'd wait until next Christmas to try it...

:)

Cook on the stove top, at low to medium heat. Top with whipped cream if you wish. This dish translates beautiful to a very low cal treat, use fat free milk, or fat free half and half with sugar free maple syrup!