Mother's Day Dessert: Buttermilk Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:
· 3 cups all-purpose flour
· 4 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/3 cup white sugar
· 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
· 3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
· 1 cup buttermilk
· 2 tablespoons heavy cream
· 1/4 cup turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
· 8 cups sliced fresh strawberries
· 1/4 cup white sugar
· Optional: whipped cream or non-dairy frozen topping


Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 
2.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
3.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/3 cup white sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. 
4.  Cut in cold butter with a knife or pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (If desired, place flour mixture into the work bowl of a food processor with the butter; pulse several times to cut butter into the flour mixture. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl, and proceed.) 
5.  Stir in buttermilk until the flour mixture is moistened. 
6.  Drop 1/3-cup scoops of the dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet. 
7.  Brush biscuits with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. 
8.  Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. 
9.  Mix together the sliced strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a large bowl. Allow berries to rest until juices develop, about 30 minutes. 
10.  Serve the strawberries with juice over the biscuits.  Top with whipping cream if desired.

Homemade Face Mask and Scrub Recipes

Looking for some inexpensive mother's day gift ideas?  Or just some easy, at-home ways to relax?  Try these!

Avocado Facial mask
Avocados make a moisturizing mask that's nourishing for dry or sun-exposed skin.

Ingredients:
-1 avocado, peeled and seeded
-2 tsp. sweet almond oil or virgin olive oil

Directions:
1.  Mash avocado and add oil.
2.  Apply mixture to face and leave on 15 to 20 minutes.
3.  Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with towel.


Salt Glow
Salt scrubs are among my favorite home spa treatments. This one leaves your skin soft and glowing.

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup coarse salt (sea salt or kosher salt)
-2 Tbsp. virgin olive oil
-3-4 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
1.  Mix salt and oil.
2.  Add lemon juice.
3.  Massage into skin while you shower.
4.  Rinse, pat dry and apply a natural moisturizer.


Gentle Oatmeal Mask
This is a good face mask for oily skin. The recipe makes enough for one treatment and should be applied as soon as it's mixed.

Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. honey (runny)
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 Tbsp. fine oatmeal

Directions:
1.  Mix honey and egg yolk together in a small bowl.
2.  Slowly stir in enough oatmeal to make a soft paste.
3.  Smooth mask across face and neck and keep on for 15 minutes.
4.  Rinse off with lukewarm water and pat dry with towel.


Eye Brighteners
Place a slice of cucumber over each eye. Lie back and relax for 15 minutes while cucumber tones and soothes skin around the eyes. 

Take two tea bags and make tea. Gently squeeze out the brewed tea bag and let cool. Place one slightly damp bag over each eye. Chamomile is good for tired eyes, while Indian tea (such as Darjeeling), an astringent, will firm the skin.

Mother’s Day Lunch: Perfect Pot Roast

Ingredients: 
- 1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) chuck roast 

- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 whole onions
- 6 to 8 carrots whole carrots, peeled
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 cup red wine ( can substitute beef broth)
- 2 to 3 cups beef stock
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, or more to taste
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, or more to taste


Directions:
1. Choose a marbled piece of meat which will result in a good flavor. Generously salt and pepper the chuck roast.
2. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven (oven proof) over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Cut two onions in half and cut carrots into 2-inch slices.
4. When the oil in the pot is very hot, add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
5. Put the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
6. If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
7. With the burner still on high, use either red wine or beef broth (about 1 cup) to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of the drippings off the bottom of the pan.
8. When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups).
9. Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
10. Put the lid on the pan and bake in a 275 degree oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, bake 4 hours.

Mother's Day Brunch Recipe - Bacon Quiche

Anybody that knows me knows that I love, love, love bacon. In fact, while in a book store last week I came really close to buying a shirt that said: "Keep Calm and Eat Bacon." I thought better of it when I realized I already own a t-shirt that says "I'd be a vegetarian if bacon grew on trees." I wear it proudly. However, two bacon t-shirts might be a little of a pork overload to my wardrobe. I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere but I'll not go there. And I'm sure that wearing a bacon t-shirt while working out is a bit a contradiction or oxymoron or something. Okay, let's not go there either. 

Anyway, if you're looking for a great quiche recipe for Mother's Day or any time, here you go. 

Bacon Quiche


Ingredients:

• 1 sheet refrigerated pie pastry 
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 6 eggs 
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice 
• 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper 
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 

Directions:
1. Line a 9-in. deep dish pie plate with pastry; trim and flute edges. Set aside.
2. In a small skillet, sauté green onions in butter until tender.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream and juice. Stir in the bacon, salt, pepper and green onions.
4. Pour into pastry; sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
6. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Mexican Brownies

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 4 large eggs 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides. Press the paper into the corners of the pan and lightly grease the paper with butter.
3.  Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat; do not boil.
4.  Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
5.  Add the sugar, eggs and vanilla to the saucepan and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
6.  Add the cocoa, flour, cinnamon, chili powder, salt and baking powder and mix until smooth.
7.  Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out fudgy, 20 to 25 minutes.
8.  Cool in the pan on a rack and then use the parchment paper to lift out the brownies before slicing.