Mother’s Day 2015 will be my 33rd as a mother and third as a grandmother. From lovingly handmade cards (always my favorites) to bouquets of cut flowers, I have always been moved by these gestures of affection. Since my three children are all grown and out of the house, I am no longer expecting to be awakened by the service of a hot breakfast in bed. Other nods to motherhood are perfectly acceptable and, speaking for many mothers, gladly received. If you have left your Mother’s Day errands until Saturday, may I offer you a few suggestions?
1. Breakfast out
Unless you are comfortable in the kitchen, I suggest foregoing the early morning mad dash of trying to prepare Mom a hot breakfast. Instead, take her out and leave the egg poaching to the professionals. Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out. A good hearty breakfast gets the day off the good start and frees you up to enjoy the rest of the day outside soaking up this spring weather. I would rather spend Mother’s Day afternoon and evening relaxing than battling restaurant crowds. Some of my favorite breakfast spots are Relish in Kings Park, Toast and Co. in Huntington, Cook’s Scratch Kitchen and Bakery in Fort Salonga, Tim’s Shipwreck Diner in Northport, Maureen’s Kitchen in Smithtown, Grey Horse Tavern in Bayport (for brunch), Kerber’s Farm in Huntington or a just a classic egg sandwich from our local deli.
2. Bunches of herbs
Cut flowers are lovely, but they only last for a few days at best. How about getting Mom a planter full of culinary herbs? A pot of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme will have Mom feelin’ groovy all summer long. Doesn’t everyone want a groovy Mom? Some nurseries might have herb planters ready to go, but all will have the terracotta pots, soil and herb seedlings needed so you can DIY it for Mom. Try Peconic River Herb Farm in Calverton, Martin Viette in East Norwich or Bayport Flower Houses in Bayport.
3. A bottle and a book
We Moms like wine and some of us really love a nice dry rosé. There is nothing wrong with giving the woman who carried you for nine months a nice bottle of Wölffer Estate Summer in a Bottle, Martha Clara’s Northern Solstice or Bedell Cellars Sparkling Rosé. Pop a bottle in a nice gift bag along with a copy of Behind the Bottle: The Rise of Long Island Wine, written by our editor Eileen M. Duffy (stop by the Parrish Art Museum on Saturday from 2 –4 p.m. and get Eileen to sign a copy) and Mom can sip while being enlightened.
4. A summer cookbook
Like my mom, I am a bit of a cookbook collector. In our upcoming low summer issue, we profile Food Network host, Katie Lee. Katie has just released her third cookbook, Endless Summer Cookbook, a collection of her favorite summer recipes and an homage to Long Island’s farms and fisheries. I am giving it to my mom (shhhh!).
5. Give her a buzz
If nothing else, pick up the phone and tell her you love her.
