Guest Author - Jennifer Wolf

Okay, Kids (and Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Grandmas and Grandpas!)…Are you ready? We’re planning an awesome and easy Mother’s Day breakfast. Here’s our menu:

Easy French Toast
Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Orange Slices
Fresh Brewed Coffee

The fist thing you need to do is make sure you have all of the necessary ingredients. The shopping list below will help you. Check off the items you already have, and then ask an adult to take you shopping for the rest. (Do this a few days before Mother’s Day!)

Shopping List:
(Check the pantry; you probably have some of these items on hand.)
 Cooking spray
 Cinnamon bread (or sliced white bread)
 Milk
 Eggs
 Sugar
 Vanilla extract
 Cinnamon
 Ground nutmeg
 Powdered sugar
 Maple syrup
 Butter
 4-6 oranges
 Coffee
 Half-and-half or flavored coffee creamer
 Flowers (for the table; you can even cut a few from the backyard!)

Easy French Toast:
Allow the kids to prepare the egg mixture while an adult helper does the actual cooking on the hot stove.

Cooking Tip: Slightly stale bread makes the best French Toast!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
¾ cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 slices of cinnamon bread or sliced white bread
Cooking spray
1 orange (for garnish)
Powdered sugar
Maple syrup
Butter

Directions:
1. Carefully break open each of the eggs into a large square or rectangular baking dish. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir the ingredients together using a wire wisk or fork.
2. Preheat your skillet on medium heat (or 350º if you’re using an electric skillet).
3. Place two pieces of bread into the egg mixture. Use tongs to carefully turn them over and make sure each side is completely coated with eggs.
4. Spray the skillet with cooking spray.
5. Place the two pieces of bread onto the skillet. Allow each side to cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 until all the pieces of French Toast have been cooked.
7. If desired, place the French Toast in a warm oven while you prepare the rest of the meal.
8. When you’re ready to serve the French Toast, sprinkle some powdered sugar over the plate. To make the garnish, slice one orange in half, cutting across the middle of the orange (rather than through the navel). Then cut one thin slice. Carefully cut halfway through the rind and flesh on one side. Then twist the orange (like you’re wringing out a washcloth) to create an easy, fancy garnish for your French Toast!
9. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Making this part of the meal is especially fun for young children!

Ingredients: 4-6 fresh oranges

Directions:
1. With an adult’s help, cut each orange in half (cutting across the middle of the orange, rather than through the navel).
2. If you have a juicer, simply press and twist each orange half on the juicer to create fresh juice.
3. If you don’t have a juicer, hold the orange half upside down over a large bowl and give it a hard squeeze. The juice will run down over the sides of the orange, while most of the seeds will stay with the flesh of the orange.
4. Of course, before you pour the juice into glasses, remove any seeds that slipped into the bowl!


Fresh Brewed Coffee
If Mom drinks coffee everyday, it may not seem like a big deal to add this to your Mother’s Day menu. But trust me, Moms appreciate it when you remember this detail! With an adult’s help, follow the directions on the side of the coffee can or bag. Use filtered water if you happen to have filtered water on hand.