Don’t forget, or you’ll never live it down- Mother’s Day is this Sunday! Break out of the ordinary this year and really make the moms in your life feel special and appreciated. Whether its your mom, stepmom, the mother of your kids, or another special lady who made you who you are today- she’ll love any or all of these top five.

Photo Credit - Mediterranean Diet

Brunch - Surprise mom this mother’s day with a proper brunch. Treat her to Nordic Eggs Benedict- just butter and toast a round of hearty bread, top with a poached egg, some curls of smoked salmon or gravlax, and a generous swathe of hollandaise sauce, chives and bacon optional. Don’t let the idea of hollandaise scare you; just zip it up in the blender with this foolproof recipe http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/how-tomake-blender-hollandaise-sauce/. Serve alongside some grilled or roasted asparagus, which tastes amazing with the hollandaise as well.
Cocktail – Toast your favorite lady on Sunday with a fresh take on the classic mimosa. Puree two cups watermelon, five or six basil leaves, and the juice from one orange and one lime in a blender. Keep chilled until ready to serve, then fill four champagne flutes half way up with the puree, and top to the brim with chilled champagne, Prosecco, or Cava. Garnish with a sliver of lime and a sprig of basil.
Greenery - Instead of the predictable bouquet of flowers (or in addition to it if you’re really going all out) get mom the gift that keeps giving all summer long. Buy a large circular planter, some potting soil, and her favorite assortment of herbs and nestle them all in the pot together. Try basil, parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, and dill, for a fragrant gift that can live on the kitchen table all summer, providing an instant centerpiece, ready to use add-ins for cooking, and interesting additions to cocktails and drink infusions.
Scrub – If your mom feels more at home in Sephora than William Sonoma, mix up this decadent skin scrub for her on the cheap. Combine two cups dark brown sugar, ½ cup kosher salt, one-tablespoon cinnamon, the juice of one lemon, and enough light olive oil to make it all spreadable. The sugar and salt exfoliate, the cinnamon boosts circulation, the lemon clarifies, and the olive oil moisturizes and seals all the good stuff in. As an added bonus, this scrub magically removes all traces of cooking odors- even garlic doesn’t stand a chance. Put the scrub in a mason jar for safekeeping.
Dinner – End the day on a high note and take her to Halcyon Brasserie. Order up fresh-caught seafood, house made California flatbreads from the new pizza oven, and some seasonal local specials. Toast mom again with a specialty drink from the marble bar.