Mother's Day Gourmet Breakfast and Brunch Treats

Many mothers request a nice breakfast or brunch on Mother's Day. If you want to give mom something other than the traditional toast and eggs in bed, try any of these simple gourmet tricks to make the plainest food amazing.

Grilled Grapefruit - Slice a grapefruit in half, drizzle maple syrup (or dust with brown sugar) then dust with cinnamon powder. Put in baking dish and in hot oven (use the grill setting) on middle rack. Grill until top is slightly browned. Serve immediately. A nice complement to poached eggs and a warm slice of ham.

Yogurt/granola/fruit parfait - Use tall glass and layer 2 tbsp. Yogurt, then 2 tbsp. Granola, then 1 tsp fruit compote or fresh/frozen fruit, do at least two layers of each, top with a sprinkle of granola, a fresh fruit garnish and a sprig of mint. Beautiful and nutritious.

Fruit/marscapone plate - Use a dark plate, lay a doily on top, then dust lightly with icing sugar. Remove the doily, and lay sliced strawberries, kiwi and pineapple in a circular pattern on top of the plate (just off centre). Put a dollop of marscapone cheese on top of the arranged fruit, garnish with a sprig of mint.

For a woman with a hearty appetite, try making hash browns (with a bit of Cajun spice to liven up the flavours), poached eggs (spray non stick spray in frypan, put water and a tsp of vinegar in - bring to a boil, add the egg and let cook sunny side up until yolk looks glassy, remove from heat and serve hot) and quick-cooked Canadian bacon.

For a simply delicious morning drink, try these non-alcoholic (but decadent) breakfast drinks.

A smoothie can be an incredible start to your morning any day, not just for mother's day. The most basic smoothie includes yogurt or milk (1 cup), about an equal part of fruit (1 cup), up to one cup of water, and can include protein powder. The following recipe for Mango Magic Smoothie is one of my favourites. To your basic recipe (1 cup mango/orange yogurt, 1 cup fresh mango fruit, 2 scoops vanilla protein powder) add one ripe banana and a half cup of double brewed ginger spice tea. Blend well and serve in tall sugar frosted glass.

Orange juice (fresh squeezed) is a popular Mother's Day breakfast treat (with or without champagne). If you don't have a juicer available, and you're not the squeezin' type, then here are a couple other refreshing but tasty alternatives.

Mango nectar is sweet and thick, pour it into a tall sugar frosted glass and garnish with a sprig of mint.
For those with less of a sweet tooth, try a ginger tea with a touch of lemon.

Happy Mother's Day!