(BPT) - Mother's Day is the perfect time to plan a meaningful and memorable celebration focused on cherishing time with family. To help make the day special, New York Times bestselling cookbook author and four-time James Beard Award-winning chef Pati Jinich shares some simple, thoughtful ways to bring families together through food, while keeping the experience joyful and stress-free.
1. Choose recipes that resonate
A shared meal can feel even more special when it reflects your family's story. Consider preparing dishes that reflect your family's heritage, honor traditions or bring back favorite memories. You can ask relatives to share beloved recipes or explore cookbooks to discover something new together that still feels personal to your family.
2. Make it a family affair
Bringing everyone into the kitchen helps turn meal prep into part of the celebration. Invite kids into the kitchen to take the burden off mom as you get ready for your celebration by taking on simple, age-appropriate tasks like mixing, assembling ingredients or helping set up and decorate the table. Not only does this ease the workload, but it also creates meaningful moments along the way.
"Nothing makes me happier than sharing recipes with my kids," said Jinich. "And I appreciate it even more when they take over in the kitchen and prepare me one of their favorite dishes, because then they are bringing their stories into our home."
3. Go with the flow
Create a more relaxed, flexible approach to your get-together so you can really enjoy the day. Rather than sticking to a strict schedule, consider a format that allows guests to gather and connect easily. Whether you offer your guests a casual brunch, grazing table, light bites or a dessert later on, keeping things flexible helps ensure the focus stays on spending time together.
4. Prep dishes ahead to save time
Incorporating a make-ahead recipe can help simplify the day and ensure there's something special ready to enjoy. This takes away some of the stress from your preparations and saves time, too. A recipe like this Mango Key Lime Tart made with Eggland's Best eggs offers a bright, flavorful dessert that can be prepared in advance.
"The best thing is, you can make it the day before and keep it in the fridge overnight, so it's ready to go whenever you need it," said Jinich.
When preparing your Mother's Day menu, choosing high-quality ingredients can help support both flavor and nutrition. You can feel good knowing that Eggland's Best eggs contain 10 times more Vitamin E compared to ordinary eggs, which acts as an antioxidant in the body to reduce oxidative stress and protects the cells from damage. In addition, Eggland's Best eggs are an excellent source of Vitamin B5, which helps maintain a healthy digestive system and assists the body in using other vitamins.
Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 Eggland's Best eggs, large (egg yolks only will be used)
- 6 ounces Maria cookies, ground to a fine crumb, about 2 cups cookie crumbs
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 large ripe mango peeled, cored and cut into chunks (about 1-1 1/2 cups)
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup heavy cream, divided
- 1/4 cup cream of coconut
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a food processor, or in a medium mixing bowl, pulse or stir together the cookie crumbs, butter, 1/4 cup of the sugar and salt until completely combined.
Press the mixture into a 9-inch tart pan so that it covers the bottom and the sides completely. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and baking sheet and cool on a rack until ready to use.
Add the mango chunks and lime juice to a blender and puree until very smooth. Add the egg yolks from the Eggland's Best eggs and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and pulse a few times to combine. With blender running, steadily stream in the sweetened condensed milk until all is combined.
Pour the mixture into the cooled tart shell and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the center is set.
Allow to come to room temperature on a rack, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
While the tart is chilling, in a small bowl, whisk the cream of coconut with 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream until the cream of coconut is dissolved. Add the coconut mixture and the remaining heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer, set with the whisk attachment. Whip until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, remove the tart from the pan and top with the coconut whipped cream. Slice and serve.
Find more recipe inspiration at Egglandsbest.com/recipes and learn more about the nutrition provided by Eggland's Best eggs at EgglandsBest.com.
