I Love Me Mommies

Happy Mother’s Day, biological and adopted mothers!

This marks the 3rd annual joint Mother’s Day celebration with our mothers.  We had an extra challenge (and celebration) this year – a baptism ceremony to attend right before lunch.  The added requisite planning and prep were well worth it – cleanup was a breeze!  I think we’re going to try to do this even if we don’t have a pre-event obligation because appetizers were ready right away, and the only thing to cook was the protein.  Ahhh I love a clean kitchen (especially when you have an open floor plan, with no doors to hide unsightly dishes).

We forgot to take pictures of the appetizers, but we took a couple of baguettes from our favorite local European bread bakery – with a couple of croissants to breakfast it out – and turned one into crostini.  I made a crabcake-like mix for the top, yum-o.  Since it was so simple and easy, I’ll share it with you.

Crabcake Crostini
original recipe

Crostini
1 baguette
Olive oil

“Crabcakes”
8 oz. lump crabmeat
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 T red onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped (optional)

Slice baguette on the diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange on a baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil. Broil for 1.5-2 minutes on each side until golden brown but not burned. Remove and let cool.

Combine all crabcake ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to develop. Serve on top of crostini.

The main course:

• Grilled scallops marinated in blood orange, lime juice/zest, red onion garnished with mint
• Shaved local asparagus salad (Mario Batali)
• Roasted beets with balsamic reduction

Hubby and I have a HUGE thing for roasted beets.  Not boiled, not canned, roasted.  Super simple and one hour’s worth of roasting can give you beets for the week.  Just be wary of the dye-namic effect it has on your poo…

I thank God that I have a spouse that loves to grill and kicks butt at it.  I have an innate fear of fire and the grill is no exception.  Those beautiful grill marks (and btw, the exhausting asparagus peeling as well) I must credit my better half.

Tip: Go local or use a trustworthy food source where possible.  The asparagus is grown on a farm a mile away, and the scallops come from the local fishmonger.  Like butta.

Dessert:

Strawberry and Pastry Cream Tart

This tart probably had the best crust I’ve ever made – but was a pain to cut.  Avoid using gigantic Costco strawberries if you want to impress your company with picture perfect slices.  I also skip the currant jam or whatever other gunk they recommend you put on top.  Slimy stuff.

Our mommies went home with flowers, cards, and their own box of pistachio macarons (post to follow).  We love you ladies!