Mother's Day Madness

Mother's Day and brunch —it's just an intuitive combo. While, I'm not sure of its origins or why it had to be brunch and not Mother's Day dinner, it's a tradition that I'm fully willing to support. I mean, of all the holidays to put yourself out for, Mother's Day should be it. She is your mama after all. She probably devoted years of her life to tying your shoes, cleaning up barf bags on long car trips and taking care of the lizards you wanted so badly then promptly forgot.

Because she gave you life, you should not subject her to the pancake special at an overcrowded IHOP this Sunday. This is not something you do to a person you love. Instead, use our Mother's Day guide to plan a brunch that begins to express how much you appreciate all the times she checked your homework, tolerated your loser boyfriends and forgave you for being a teenager.

1. Décor— When it comes to decorating a Mother's Day brunch, we believe that tasteful festivity is the name of the game. Of course, you know your mother better than we do and should feel at liberty to riff on any of these suggestions so that they better suit her (not that we're saying your mama isn't tasteful or anything...).

The only thing that might be more closely associated with Mother's Day than brunch is flowers. Luckily, the beginning of May heralds in some of spring's most beautiful blooms. Ranked high among our favorite seasonal flower arrangements are peonies in squat vases with bright green raffia bows — cut the stems short and bundle them together. We like the idea of placing a few vases of snap dragons around the table as well. Lilacs also begin their brief springtime appearance around now. If you're a fan, don't miss the opportunity.

After you've decided on a flower arrangement, match your table cloth or place settings accordingly. For a step by step explanation of an attractive and easy table decoration, check out Real Simple's guide to making a floral table runner. We love the gerbera daisies "growing" out of boxes of wheat grass. Martha, watch your back.

Quick Tips:

* For an offbeat flower arrangement, place your blooms in a brightly colored pitcher, tea pot or any other flea-market china vessel

* Try arranging fruit like mangoes, tangerines or grapefruits in contrasting bowls instead

* To maximize your floral arrangement's lifespan, cut the leaves off the part of the stem that is submerged in water

* When setting the table, remember: forks go to the left followed by knife and spoon on the right. Emily Post would be proud

2. Drink—Again, it depends on your mom, but I feel like a Bloody Mary might be shade too intense for Mother's Day. Maybe I'm reinforcing a dull cliché, but I plan to serve Mimosas. As far as I'm concerned, they're classic and delicious with fresh squeezed orange juice.

However, if you want to get creative, we love Prosecco with a splash of pink grapefruit juice and St. Germain. If you're a religious Behind the Burner follower, you might also have noticed that we're really into Riesling right now. Try a Kabinett Riesling from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer regions of Germany. They're not terribly expensive and their high acidity makes them go well with a wide variety of dishes.

If your mom isn't the drinking-with-brunch type, there are plenty of non-alcoholic options as well. Fresh squeezed juices make the perfect accompaniment to both sweet and savory dishes. You can also follow in the steps of mixologists everywhere and experiment with making your own soda. Mix a splash of ginger juice with lemonade and sparkling water or blend sugar, almond extract, cream and seltzer for an updated version of the egg cream.

Quick Tips:

* If you do decide to go with the Bloody Mary, try garnishing it with pickled vegetable skewers. Add olives, cornichons, caperberries or even marinated white anchovies (if you're of that persuasion...)

* Orange isn't the only Prosecco-friendly juice. Use peach puree to make a Bellini or passion fruit juice for a tropical version

* Buy a coffee grinder. The results will be so much better than the pre-ground stuff that you won't mind the noise or the hassle

* Check out our guide to wine/ food pairings with Alto sommelier, Eric Zillier

3.Eat—Up until this point, we've just been discussing the, ahem, icing on the cake. How you plan your menu will depend on how many people you're expecting as well as your (mother's) personal preferences. Is she watching her weight? Did you invite two aunts and all twelve of your cousins?

My mom thrives on sugar, so I've been collecting sweet breakfast recipes. One perennial crowd pleaser that I make every time I want to show off my skills in the kitchen before noon is Francois Payard's diabolically rich chocolate brioche pain perdu with sautéed bananas. But, if the suggestion of chocolate brioche anything sends your blood sugar spiraling out of control, I recently came across a healthier alternative that also incorporates bananas. Gourmet's recipe for whole wheat oatmeal pancakes with sliced bananas might not sound as sexy as Payard's gussied up dessert as breakfast, but I have a feeling that it will turn out an equally satisfying brunch item.

If you're planning a large get together, try making a big platter of scrambled eggs with good bacon and toast on the side. You can source jams and butter from your local farmer's market and serve a big green salad afterward to leave at least a faint impression of healthfulness.

Quick Tips:

* The sautéed bananas in Payard's recipe are a great way to get rid of aging, excess fruit

* Try glazing your bacon in maple syrup as suggested by this Gourmet recipe. I mean, we said we were going all out, right?

* Serve salad or 2% Greek yogurt with fruit and granola as a light, palate cleansing alternative to the heavier, sweeter foods that everyone will obviously prefer to eat. They'll thank you during their first weekend at the beach

* Make anything that can be pre-prepared ahead of time so you're not up at the crack of dawn making pancake batter

Now start planning. Mother's Day is days away and things always run more smoothly with a strategy. Don't worry too much— even if the entire meal is a catastrophic mess of burnt French toast and misguided attempts at floral arranging, your mom will still be into it just because she's your mom, right? Isn't that what this whole celebration is about, the unconditional love specific to the woman who gave birth to you? But, for heaven's sake, don't forget to do the dishes once you're finished.

— Written by Cecilia Estreich

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