Mother's Day is just around the corner. What better way to celebrate than with brunch? I put together these recipes to be easy enough that even kids can help with them, but "fancy" enough even for an all-adult meal. Treat mom this year to a homemade meal fit for a queen! And just in case you have some last minute shopping to do, I've put a gift guide at the bottom for moms that love to cook!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Palmiers

Makes approximately 18 small palmiers

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1/2 cup strawberry preserves

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) heavy cream

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (not

   chocolate chips)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Sprinkles (optional), for decorating

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet tray with a silicone baking mat and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to approximately 1/2 the original thickness. Spread preserves over entire sheet. Cut sheet in half through the center (you’ll want to cut it through the longer edge, leaving the “skinnier” edges intact). Take one half of the dough. Starting from the (now) longer edge, roll the dough tightly until you come almost to the center of the dough. Repeat with the other side. Using unflavored dental floss, a bench scraper, or a sharp knife, cut the log in to roughly 1/4" pieces. Place palmiers, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining puff pastry.

Place tray with palmiers in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and flip each cookie over. Return to oven and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown on each side. Remove pan from oven, place on cooling rack, and allow cookies to cool completely.

While cookies are baking, make ganache. In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium-high heat to a simmer. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and pour hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute.

Slowly whisk chocolate mixture to combine. Add butter and whisk mixture until smooth. If chocolate does not completely melt, you can place in a microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds at a time until it is fully melted. Do not overheat or the ganache will separate.

Once palmiers are cooled to room temperature, dip one half of each palmier in the ganache and place back on the sheet tray. Add sprinkles while ganache is still wet. When the ganache dries, serve (it will always be a little “gooey” because of the cream).

Smoked Salmon Breakfast "Nachos"

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 large eggs (learn how to crack them here)

1, 8-oz container of crème fraiche, divided

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely sliced, plus additional for garnish

    (learn a trick for cutting them here)

1 bag bagel chips

4 ounces smoked salmon, torn in small pieces

1 small container salmon roe (or other roe)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure:

Crack eggs into a bowl. Whisk vigorously until well combined. Add in 3 tablespoons crème fraiche and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.

Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Add butter. Once melted, add egg mixture. Cook, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, just until eggs start to set (it should still look a little wet). Remove from heat, and fold in chives. Leave mixture in pan to finish cooking.

Place bagel chips on a serving platter, or divide between plates. Top with scrambled eggs. Scatter torn smoked salmon pieces over the top of the eggs. Drizzle with remaining crème fraiche, adding a little water if necessary to thin to drizzling consistency. Top with roe, garnish with chives, and serve immediately.

Breakfast Potstickers

Makes 50-55 potstickers

Ingredients:

1 pound bulk breakfast sausage (or links with casings removed)

1 tablespoon finely sliced chives

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (my favorite is Maille)

1 large egg, lightly scrambled

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

50-55 gyoza (round) or wonton wrappers

Vegetable oil, for cooking

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure:

Place the sausage in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except the wrappers and oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Gently, but thoroughly mix to combine all ingredients.

Sprinkle a little flour or cornstarch on a large shallow tray or baking sheet (lined with parchment if you choose) and keep it near your work surface. Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of a wrapper, then moisten half of the edge of the wrapper with a little water and fold over to form a semi-circle. Press the seam firmly to seal while, at the same time, pressing out any air bubbles.  Set aside on the prepared tray, making sure the bottom of the dumpling is flat. Make the remaining dumplings in the same way.

Heat a large sauté pan with a lid over medium-high heat. When hot, add about a tablespoon of vegetable oil.  When oil is very hot, add Potstickers and cook without moving until bottom is deep golden brown and crunchy.  Add ¼ inch water to the bottom of the pan. Cover immediately, reduce heat and simmer until cooked through and water has all been absorbed, about 5-7 minutes. Repeat until all potstickers are cooked. Serve immediately.

Fruit and Chocolate Pancakes

Makes 16-20 pancakes

Ingredients:

For the ganache:

3/4 cup heavy cream

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

   (not chocolate chips) - one of my favorites is Guittard

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

For the pancakes:

3 cups unsweetened chocolate almond milk

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 cups all-purpose flour - King Arthur is my favorite

1 cup whole wheat flour - Bob's Red Mill is great for this one

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for cooking

2 cups fresh or frozen fruit, plus additional for garnish if desired

Procedure:

Make the ganache:

In a small saucepan, heat cream over medium-high heat to a simmer. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and pour hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute.

Slowly whisk chocolate mixture to combine. Add butter and whisk mixture until smooth. If chocolate does not completely melt, you can place in a microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds at a time until it is fully melted. Do not overheat or the ganache will separate. Set aside and keep warm (you can set over a pan of hot water (no flame should be on the pan) to keep warm).

Make the pancakes:

Mix together almond milk and vinegar and set aside for 5-10 minutes, or until it slightly thickens.

Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk mixture, and 4 tablespoons butter.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Do not overmix.  Batter should still have some lumps.

Heat nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter to pan. When melted, pour 1/2 cup pancake batter in pools 2 inches away from one other. Scatter with fruit. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.  Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter between each batch.  Serve with warm ganache and additional fruit, if desired.

Mother's Day Gift Guide

There are a million gift guides out there, so I will not make this too long. But there a a few things that will make mom's life so much better if she loves to cook! Here are a few of my favorite things.

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