May 10, 2010

What makes a great Mother's Day?



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What does it take to make a happy Mother’s day around here? 
How ‘bout a little weeds and wildflowers! That’s what we started with, and then added in a few other things we had around the house.

One of the great things about living out here is that we don’t have to go buy our flowers from a florist. We have plenty of flowers to choose from our own fields and alongside the local highway.

We went on a special hunt Friday morning to find just the right flowers (one certain husband would tend to call them weeds). The flowers graced our table and made the perfect backdrop for our outdoor buffet.
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You never know what you’re going to get with Texas weather, however this day brought a beautiful breeze and mild temperatures.   The decorating began early in the morning. I covered old tables with sheets and burlap, and pulled a couple of potted plants over from the patio. A few water pitchers and a red one marked for sweet tea was placed and ready to go.


 

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The grand kids were so excited to be having this event for her at our home! Right in his back yard next to the playground, the sand box, and the cattle ranch. My son kept asking all day- “We getting ready for Granny’s party?”  “Yes”, I said, then gave him a task to complete to help me along the way!  My daughter helped me all day long, loving every minute of it! (both of us, that is.)


Nieces came over after school to join in the preparations. A menu had been made and place cards were carefully situated at the table. The cousins were all so happy to see each other they wound up staying content by playing while Tracy and I worked in the kitchen and outside completing finishing touches for the evening.

I love eating outside -  so close to nature and where our wonderful food comes from!  Keeping with trying to use what we have, I clipped some fresh rosemary for these Fabulous Buttered Rosemary Rolls. I had baked them a few weeks ago and Granny really liked them. OK. I really liked them too. So I made them again. 

My kiddos loved them. So did the cousins.  And the men. Needless to say – there was not a morsel of these pretty things left!  Thanks to Ree (aka The Pioneer Woman) for the recipe. Hope you you will set aside a little prep time to make some for your family! You won’t disappoint them.

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Another  favorite we added to the menu were these green bean bundles wrapped in bacon.
Sweet, buttery, bacon-wrapped. Need I say more????
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The final presentation was somewhat magical. The porch was shaded by the curtains blowing in the breeze. The arbor vines had put on new foliage and were beginning to wind up the corners. Bright white dishes sat against yellow table linens with fresh flowers. The iced tea was made, a chilled salad set out, and the buffet was absolutely beautiful. The warm west sun was setting as we sat down to pray for our meal and thank God for mothers.

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Dinner Menu

 Spring Salad Mix with Pears

Pecan Crusted Chicken Breasts

Wild Field Rice

Green Bean Bundles

Cranberry Sauce

Buttery Rosemary Rolls

 

Dessert

 Ginger Pear Pudding

Heart Shaped Pear Pies






The cousins enjoyed their own little table and helped the dads serve the moms. I know the dads weren’t sure what to make of all this. They basically showed up for dinner as usual, but were sort of on alert since it was Mother’s Day Dinner.

They quickly clued in that it was their time to contribute, and they did a nice job serving.I know they weren’t wild about a fruity salad, but none of them left a crumb of the pecan crusted chicken on their plate.We managed to honor the moms and satisfy the dads at the same meal! Amazing!

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Dessert brought us all together to eat at one table. This is where the cousins were very excited to help - they served dessert to their moms.  Ginger pear pudding (similar to gingerbread but with chopped pear inside), vanilla pudding and mini baked pear pies (healthy version of fried pies) that were yummmm.

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The battle of pies

I tried two different crust recipes to see which would be the family favorite.  The hands down winning crust was a recipe from an old Southern Living cookbook (1987). Just reinforces my philosophy that you cannot go wrong with a Southern Living recipe, no matter how old.



Granny is known for always having tea parties with the grandkids when they come to visit. So even though we are in South Central Texas and it’s ‘warm’ outside, we still had to have a Tea Party with Granny.

It was ‘her’ party, so of course we had tea (and sugar and cream).  It was a great complement to the dessert.  I think my little man was the happiest to have tea! He sipped and sipped until he got the last drop of his cup.

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Our kids love their Granny. Happy Mother’s Day Mom. 
We are so thankful to have you as a mom!


DSC01527 editedWhat a great evening. When the sun set, the cafe lights under the arbor blew in the breeze and laughter from four very happy cousins playing in the warm grass filled the air. 

Oh, and the reason I noticed the lights and the breeze and the kids . . . is because I was sitting still. The men were in the house cleaning up the dishes! Simply beautiful. 

So glad we are close enough to share this time as a family. We hope all of you enjoyed a very Happy Mother’s Day for yourself, with your mom, mother-in-law or someone that has been a mother to you!  

We are thankful for all the moms we know and all they teach us throughout our lives. Every day has the opportunity to be a happy mother’s day if you’re a mom, or if you have one!

Happy Mother’s Day.



This post is linked to:  Strawberry Picking at Bake@350