| Ah, Mother's Day. Remember when you were small, | | | | chattering, fighting, laughing and loving in Mom's |
| and Mom was everything? Back then, your world | | | | kitchen. Was there one favorite food that Mom only |
| revolved around the music of Mom's voice... the | | | | prepared on special occasions? What about an ethnic |
| padding of her footsteps, and savory aromas | | | | dish that you secretly loved but would never confess |
| wafting from her kitchen, permeating the house with | | | | it to your playmates from school? Think of those |
| the promise of delicious things to come. | | | | hilarious dinnertime mishaps, perhaps something |
| Remember rainy afternoons, and Mom's golden grilled | | | | involving loose baby teeth and corn on the cob. |
| cheese with a thick slab of red-ripe garden tomato? | | | | Remember those little brother antics around the |
| Or how about the Spaghetti-Os that Mom said had | | | | supper table that we all had to deal with... Or how |
| "no nutritional value," but even so you could always | | | | about all the times you slipped your green beans to |
| count on Wednesday mornings with Mom ladling | | | | Harry the hound dog when Mom's back was turned? |
| warm spoonfuls into your plastic Thermos before | | | | Once everyone's submitted their Mother's Day |
| popping the cup-top into place and sending you off | | | | Remember Whens, have one stealthy family member |
| to school. Remember gooey chocolate birthday cakes | | | | root around in Mom's old recipe files when she's not |
| that Mom baked and frosted herself, and would later | | | | around and collect the epicurean evidence of Mom's |
| scrub off your cheeks and chin with the corner of | | | | chef-like wizardry in the kitchen. If you can match a |
| her dinner napkin? You never could figure out how | | | | memory of Mom's cooking with an actual recipes of |
| those crumbs got there, but Mom could spot a | | | | hers that you found buried in the bottom of the |
| chocolate cake mishap from a mile away. | | | | kitchen drawer, include these together in one entry |
| We all have our own distinct memories of life and | | | | of your cookbook. If not... that's okay, too. |
| meals in Mom's kitchen... the recipes that as a child | | | | Finally, you'll need a volunteer to collect photos, and |
| maybe you didn't care for one way or the other, but | | | | also scan them if this Mother's Day cookbook will be |
| then you came home from college and suddenly all | | | | designed on the computer. Rummage through the old |
| you wanted more than anything in the world was a | | | | family photo albums and picture boxes and pull out all |
| plate piled high with Mom's pot roast, carrots and | | | | the snapshots of holiday meals around the dinner |
| mashed potatoes. So this Mother's Day, instead of | | | | table. Maybe you have one of Mom chopping and |
| picking up a last-minute gift at the jewelry cart in the | | | | Dad carving side by side on Thanksgiving Day. What |
| mall or grabbing a potted plant at the nursery down | | | | about those classic birthday cake pics and summer |
| the road... why not gift-wrap some of those | | | | barbecues? Any meal-related photos you can find will |
| cherished recipes and recollections that you and your | | | | serve as the basis for your Mother's Day Cookbook. |
| brothers and sisters grew up with. Give Mom a taste | | | | How many recipes should you include? Ten is a good |
| of yesterday. Create a book of favorite family | | | | number, but if you have more than ten by all means |
| recipes and memoirs from Mom's Kitchen. | | | | load up. If you have only five, that's okay too, as |
| There are no hard and fast rules for creating a | | | | long as your presentation is attractive and the feeling |
| memento of this kind. Your Mother's Day cookbook | | | | is there, which it no doubt will be if everyone puts |
| can be whatever you'd like it to be. If arts and crafts | | | | their all into the project. Again, this is your Mother's |
| is your cup of tea, pick up a brightly colored photo | | | | Day recipe book, created with love... and that means |
| album at the local craft store, one that you can | | | | there is no "wrong" way to do this. On Mother's Day, |
| hand-print personal stories right onto the pages and | | | | have every family member pitch in with a covered |
| fill with photos from your childhood. If you're | | | | dish they made themselves... to create a stupendous |
| graphically gifted, create your cookbook on the | | | | dinner of all Mom's favorite foods that she can enjoy |
| computer. You can even turn your Mother's Day | | | | without lifting a finger. After dessert (homemade |
| cookbook into a web page if you're familiar with | | | | chocolate cake from Mom's recipe box, of course), |
| HTML. | | | | present your family gift, tell your Mom how much |
| The most complicated part of this Mother's Day | | | | you love her and feel really good about yourselves |
| creation will of course be the information-gathering. | | | | as a family. After all the years your mother spent |
| Luckily, if you have several brothers and sisters, then | | | | nourishing your belly and soul with love, comforting |
| you likely have plenty of memories to work with. | | | | and delicious foods, you gave her back a truly |
| Hand out Mother's Day Homework; ask everyone to | | | | meaningful Mother's Day gift that she'll cherish for the |
| poke around the attics of their minds and jot down | | | | rest of her days. |
| their best moments from a lifetime of eating, | | | | |