Sunday is Mother’s Day, and millions of people across the country have made plans to celebrate that special person in their life: Mom. Florists are juggling crowded delivery schedules, restaurants are overbooked with reservations and many of us are searching for just the right gift to tie up with a pretty ribbon. And, for those without a dining reservation, the prospect of serving the perfect menu for brunch or lunch can be daunting.

Before going any further on the topic and to entertain the grammarians among us, I’ll note how the holiday is spelled. Instead of Mothers’ Day to signify multiple moms, Anna Jarvis, founder of the Mother’s Day International Association, trademarked her singular spelling in 1912. She wanted the focus to be on each individual person or family honoring their particular mother. 

Jarvis came up with the idea in order to honor the many sacrifices of her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who died in 1905. Ann gave birth to 13 children during her lifetime, and only four of them lived to adulthood, an unfortunately common statistic during this period of time. She spent her life finding ways to aid mothers, organizing work clubs to teach women about hygiene and sanitation to fight high infant mortality rates.

At the time of Ann’s death, her daughter Anna envisioned a celebration from the perspective of a devoted daughter honoring the work done by her mother to improve the lives of others. Anna’s motto was, “For the Best Mother Who Ever Lived – Your Mother,” which may explain why the placement of the apostrophe indicates the day is for a singular mother.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson designated the second Sunday in May as a national holiday. This drove the commercialization of the event, as greeting card companies, florists and candy makers hawked their products as the ideal gifts for every mother. White carnations and specially marked candy boxes saw prices skyrocket and availability plummet, distressing the holiday’s founder. As her well-intentioned gesture took on a life of its own, she became obsessed with repealing the official holiday.

How do you plan to spend Mother’s Day? Several friends have found ways to avoid the crowds on the official date by going to brunch on a previous Sunday or to a favorite restaurant for dinner on Saturday night. Chances are good you’ll have fewer crowds and a more pleasant experience: Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are the busiest days of the restaurant year.

If going out for a meal isn’t your favorite idea, you may want to follow another familiar tradition – a fancy Sunday brunch at home. Here’s the moment to forget about calories and indulge in a multicourse meal, perhaps with a cheese omelet and homemade bagel bites, served with the arugula and feta salad in the photo. Make the moment special by setting the table with starched linens and fancy china, and bring out the silver cutlery. 

As for Mother’s Day gifts, flowers, jewelry or perfume are always appreciated, but my most memorable present was a basket filled with gourmet food items – stuffed olives, sun-dried tomatoes, upscale pasta, hazelnut coffee, three kinds of mustard, a jar of oil-packed tuna fillets, marcona almonds and several types of creamy cheese. It took me some time to enjoy all the goodies. Let’s raise a glass of prosecco in honor of Mother’s Day!

Feta Tomato Salad

2 C baby arugula
1 pt cherry tomatoes
4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1/4 C thinly sliced red onion
2 T olive oil
1 T Balsamic vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t marjoram
1/2 t parsley
1/2 t basil
salt & pepper, to taste 

Spread the arugula across a serving platter or bowl. Halve the tomatoes and scatter over the top. Add the onion slices evenly across the salad and top with feta crumbles. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and serve.

Allie’s Bagel Bites

1C flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 C plain Greek yogurt
4 oz cream cheese
1 whisked egg white
bagel seasoning*

Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add yogurt and stir until a sticky dough forms. Dust a flat work surface with flour. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, rolling each into a ball. Cut the cream cheese into 8 equal pieces. Flatten each ball of dough with the palm of your hand to about 1/4-inch thick. Place a piece of cream cheese on top of each piece of dough and fold up the edges to seal it inside. Roll each piece of dough into a ball to make sure it is sealed. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking pan. Brush the tops with egg white and sprinkle with desired seasoning. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes; serve warm. Yield: 8 servings.

*Seasoning options include everything bagel, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or flake salt.