Sunday Lunch on Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

W e celebrated the day with our 90-year-old mother, taking lunch to her house. The meal consisted of chicken casserole, tossed salad, yummy bread and even yummier chocolate four-layer desert. Gone are the days when there was a choice of meat, seven vegetables, four salads and three deserts. Mother was of that generation of Southern women who filled the table at mealtime with many bowls – something for everyone’s taste. Families were large and one never knew who might show up at meal time and the ultimate embarrassment would be to run short of food.

Now times are different. A meat, one vegetable, a salad, bread and desert sometimes optional, as my sister and I and our families are the only ones coming for Sunday lunch. Mother is no longer able to cook so we bring the food – so much easier than trying to get her out of the house for lunch. Her mind is still sharp as a tack, but her frail body prevents her from many of the activities she once engaged in. Still fortunate, however, in that she is able to live in her home, albeit with outside help with daily living.

I made the salad and casserole, my sister the desert and bread:

Greens from the potager, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, green onions, radishes, black olives, dried cranberry, avocado, sunflower seeds and choice of dressings on the side. Those are a few gardenia flowers beside the bowl.

Chicken casserole in progress. Broccoli on the bottom, cooked chicken breasts on top (more chicken was added after this photo).

Note that I used a throw-away pan to simplify clean-up!


Photo above is the finished product straight out of the oven. I made my own sauce instead of the canned cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups I used to use. I'm tired of the high salt, high fat content of canned soups. Homemade is so much healthier. For the cheese topping I used Parmesan Reggaino mixed with Panko bread crumbs and butter. A final layer of slivered almonds gave it a just-right crunch.

I failed to get a picture of my sister's bread and desert! Bread was an Italian loaf with a thick layer of goodness between each slice. Butter, mayo, cheese and herbs bubbling out the sides and top make this one more special treat.

Desert was the addictive four layer concoction:: pastry crust, cream cheese layer, chocolate pudding and a final layer of whipped cream. Finished off with crushed pecans.

We ate well and had a great visit. Here's my mother opening her mother's day gift:



Happy Mother's Day!


We ended the day by bringing the kittens to the house for a short time. I haven't written about the kittens lately, but they are some sweet babies. Six weeks old now. I think we've decided to keep all of them, as we are so attached. Now we must choose names for them. So far, we THINK there are four females and one male. Unfortunately, we lost one of them two weeks ago. I was so heartbroken I couldn't write about it. One morning when I went to feed and check on them, one was dead of unknown causes. I had to dig a hole and bury the sweet baby before I went to work that morning.

Anway, we still have Sox and the quintet, the babies being held here by my sister.

It's so difficult to get a picture with all of them because they won't stay still for a second. But as you can see, they are darlings. The only one not visible is the solid charcoal grey, almost black, one. She is the live wire of the bunch!


And by the way, I've mentioned here that I need a fence around my potager garden. Waiting for me this morning beside the coffee pot was a Mother's Day card, designed by my husband, with a note that I was getting my fence May 28!

Tell me about your Mother's Day celebration.