10 Gluten Free Breakfasts for Mother's Day

Do you make your mom breakfast in bed on Mother's Day?  My mother wisely opted for a late brunch at the dinner table, probably to avoid me and my siblings from covering her room in syrup once a year.  But, we still played it up.  My sister and I would set the table with bouquets of freshly picked buttercups and pale roses from the backyard.  The boys were in charge of positioning our presents and Hoops & Yoyo cards (Her very favorite) so she would see them as soon as she walked in. Dad woke her up.  And, of course, we presented her with with tons and tons of girly breakfast food.  No bacon and sausage on Mom's big day... Instead omelets, waffles, muffins, and fruit salads were served.  Delicacy ruled the day.

How do you celebrate Mother's Day? Flowers, brunch, breakfast in bed, homemade cards, e-cards, phone calls, skype? However you celebrate your Mom, here are a few gluten free ideas for you to make your mother. Hope you spoil her!

Oatmeal Pancakes

Lemonberry Baked Oatmeal

Banana Coffee Cake

Wineberry Muffins (The gf substitutions are noted in the text prior to the actual recipe.)

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the best scrambled eggs ever

Last year, Jason and I celebrated our first anniversary in Atlanta.  One of my favorite memories from that trip was eating breakfast at a little diner near Emory, Rise and Dine. The atmosphere is bright and clean, with vintage mirrors, jars, and knick-knacks lining the walls.  The booth tables are covered in cute, retro tablecloths. And the food!  Not only is it amazing, but it's organic and local and all that jazz.  I loved it so much I asked Jason if we could eat there again before we left. 

My favorite dish was the simple scrambled eggs I ordered our second time there.  They were perfect. Light, fluffy, and completely cooked.  I hate it when scrambled eggs are runny, but if you overcook them they end up chewy and gross.  These folks had found that ever elusive middle ground.  After the first bite, I cornered the hipster waitress, begging for the recipe, promising I was an out-of-towner, and I wouldn't tell a soul.  She just refilled my coffee and said she had no idea. So, after we got back in town I started researching methods.  I was on the quest for perfect eggs.

Then, one day while I was whipping eggs whites for some recipe or another, the thought occurred to me, what if I beat the eggs with a hand mixer just for a few minutes before I scrambled them?  (If this method is actually relatively well-known and practiced in the foodie world, bear with me because it was absolutely the epiphany I'd been searching for.) I tried it that weekend and these eggs were born.  It was amazing how much of a difference a little hand mixing made. The texture is perfect... fluffy and warm.  The eggs aren't tough or overdone and you can flavor them any way your little heart desires. I like to add basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes.  Jason like bacon and sharp cheddar. Serve with toast, coffee, and a cute retro tablecloth.

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strawberry-lemon muffins

Happy Easter! I hope this holiday weekend finds you happily tucked away with family and friends.  Jason and I were chatting before work yesterday and we realized this is one of our last big holidays without a baby.  While we plan to take advantage of it by sleeping in and eating an enormous breakfast before church, we also got really excited.  Next year, we will be able to read our sweet baby the story of the Resurrection, fill a little Easter basket with treats, and head over to grandma's for an egg hunt.

Traditions can be so lovely. Back in Texas, my Great Aunt Wanda has hosted an egg hunt at her home for over fifty years.  My childhood is filled with memories of trotting through blue bonnets to find as many eggs as possible before my cousins found them.  She also has scrapbooks dating back to the 1950s of our family celebrating Easter together.  Our family is so large now and we've lived on the east coast for so long, that there are many faces I don't recognize and many that I do.  The grandmother I never met decked out in a fifties Easter dress.  My grandpa laughing with his brothers.  My mom, hair cropped short in true tomboy style, sporting ragged oxfords and a frilly dress. My siblings and I trying to sit still long enough for a picture to be taken. I hope that we can recreate something like this in Virginia and that in fifty years, my grandkids will flip through scrapbooks of our family. 

One thing is sure though, these muffins will be an Easter tradition.  Made with olive oil, these treats are light, fluffy and really don't taste like olive oil at all.  Rather, the tart lemon compliments sweet strawberries wonderfully.  They will be perfect spring treat for brunch tomorrow.  I think I'll serve them alongside some hash, scrambled eggs, and a pot of french-pressed coffee. 

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