What To Make On Mother’s Day If You Can’t Cook 

Mother’s Day will be here very soon, and with it the expectation of some sort of brunch-y meal, lovingly prepared for the maternal figure(s) in your life. If you are the sort of offspring/partner who possesses a giant heart but no real kitchen skills, do not fret, you can still serve Mama an excellent morning meal in the comfort of your own home.

Photo: Christine Siracusa (Unsplash)

First, you need to be realistic with your culinary skill level. Now is not the time to stress yourself out with new, complicated recipes. Whether you’re making brunch for your mum, mother-in-law, grandmother, partner, mentor, or some other nice, motherly person, they will be proud of you no matter what you make; that’s just how mums are.

Here we have divided various options up by skill level, so that you can feed Mum without freaking out or, worse, having to go out for brunch.

If you can use a knife

You know what people love? Carbs. You know what requires almost no effort on your part? A bagel bar. Heck, if you get really good bagels, you won’t even have to toast them. Just buy a bunch of Mum’s favourites, get the good, full-fat cream cheese, and round out your spread with lox, capers, sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced red onion.

If your Mum Day target has more of a sweet tooth, get some really good scones, croissants or other pastries from a bakery, and provide the necessary accessories, such as clotted cream, extremely nice jam and the fanciest butter.

If you want to serve the best of both worlds, add some smoked salmon and cream cheese tea sandwiches – that’s just white bread with cream cheese and smoked salmon – to the tray. Serve with a really excellent pot of coffee or tea, whatever your mum prefers. (Or Mum-osas.)

If you can use a blender

If your particular maternal unit is into Instagram and açai berries, you might be best served by making a smoothie bowl. Once you obtain some açai (or other frozen fruit), it’s simply a matter of blending it up, adding any nut butters or sweeteners you think would taste nice, and topping it with fruit, granola, shredded coconut or sprinkles, because this is a special day.

(If you need more direction on this topic, check out our smoothie bowl guide.)

If you can sorta cook eggs

If your egg acumen lives and dies by the scramble, you should make a frittata, which is even easier than a scramble, because you don’t have to push any eggs around in a frying pan. A frittata encompasses all the positive aspects of an omelette (there’s a lot of good stuff in it) while shirking all the bad (the flipping, babying and worrying).

All you have to do is sauté about three cups of your mum’s favourite meat and veggies (we have some ideas in this guide), top that with about a cup of cheese, and – once the cheese is melted – pour six beaten, seasoned eggs on top.

Let the edges set over medium heat on the stove, then pop the whole thing in a 205C oven until the eggs are just set. Top with more cheese, then broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/01/how-to-make-a-frittata-the-omelette-for-lazy-people/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/vs8p66wicv87jsg7ahta.jpg” title=”How To Make A Frittata, The Omelette For Lazy People” excerpt=”Look, omelettes are wonderful little egg dishes – particularly when they involve cheese and other fillings – but there’s no denying they require a bit of babying. If you want a cheesy, vegetable-studded egg dish that is much more forgiving of your dismal attention span, you need to start making frittatas.”]

Now, if you really want to seem like a competent cook who knows their stuff, a poached egg or four will always impress, and we have a very easy, very chill way to accomplish such.

Simply crack some eggs in a shallow pan of simmering water, put a lid on it, turn off the heat, and do something else for three or five minutes, depending on the size of your eggs.

Remove each egg with a slotted spoon, let it drain on a paper towel, and plop it on top of some sort of toasted bread, savoury pancake or a delightful breakfast salad.