I can't think of a better way to show our mothers how much we care about them than to prepare a loving meal for them. It can be hard to pull it all together with so much else going on, however. I have some 30-minute menu ideas for you. Let's get started...

You will find that I use several cooking methods, mix and match, to get dinner on the table quickly! (The ingredients in parenthesis show some of my quick-prep steps.) You can always substitute your favorite made-from-scratch recipes when you have more time.

Poultry Dinner Suggestions:
Breast of Chicken en Croute (boneless, skinless chicken breasts, crescent rolls)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Pearl Onions (frozen pearl onions)
Egg and Tomato Salad with Pink Mayo (prepared mayonnaise)
Pears Especialle (purchased coconut macaroon cookies

Roulade de Poulet (boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
Mushroom Rice Pilaf (boxed rice mix)
Broccoli Medley (bagged broccoli / carrot mix)
Nutty Fruit Salad
Fruited Pink Creams (purchased ice cream, jarred maraschino cherries)

Crab Stuffed Chicken (boneless, skinless chicken breasts, canned lump crab)
Pasta with Fresh Vegetables (boxed pasta, broccoli slaw mix)
Crabapple Salad with Pink Mayo (bagged salad greens, jarred crabapples)
Banana Napoleons (puff pastry, instant banana pudding mix, canned whipped cream)

Beef, Lamb, and Pork Dinner Suggestions:
Eye of the Round Roast Beef (crock pot; dried onion soup mix)
Peppercorn Sauce
Mashed Potatoes (frozen mashed potatoes)
Chop House Salad (bottled vinaigrette)
Individual Boston Cream Tortes (purchased pound cake, instant vanilla pudding mix, chocolate sauce)

Garlic and Rosemary Rubbed Prime Rib (crock pot)
Mushroom Sauce (sliced mushrooms)
Mashed Potatoes (frozen mashed potatoes)
Brussels Sprouts
Waldorf Salad
Cherries Jubilee (purchased ice cream, canned cherries)

Lamb Chops with Savory Butter
Rice and Vermicelli Mix (boxed rice mix)
Parslied Carrots (bagged baby carrots)
Beet / Goat cheese / Walnut Salad (canned beets, bottled vinaigrette)
Minted Pears with Ice Cream and Raspberries (purchased ice cream, canned pears)

Spiral Ham (purchased fully-cooked ham)
Quattro Fromage (boxed pasta, shredded cheeses)
Peas with Mushrooms (frozen peas and mushroom mix)
Lemon Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberries (purchased pound cake)

Seafood Dinner Suggestions:
Grilled Salmon with Dill Butter
Long Grain and Wild Rice (boxed rice mix)
Snow Peas
Tossed Salad (bagged greens, bottled salad dressing)
Lemon Affogato (purchased sorbet, limencello or lemon-lime soft drink)

Poached Fish in White Wine Sauce (frozen fish fillets)
Duchess Potatoes (instant mashed potatoes)
Baby Peas (frozen peas)
Baked Tomato Halves
Coconut Cream Pie with Berries (purchased pie shell, instant coconut pudding mix)

Lobster Newburg in Pastry Shells (frozen lobster tails, puff pastry shells)
English Peas with Red Bell Pepper (frozen peas)
Fruit Salad (bagged greens, canned pears, bottled vinaigrette)
Coconut Macaroon Kisses and Strawberries (shredded coconut, chocolate morsels)

Vegetarian Dinner Suggestions:
Linguini Primavera (boxed pasta, grated Parmesan cheese)
Watermelon / Raspberry / Strawberry Salad (bottled raspberry vinaigrette)
Fresh Fruit Tarts (prepared tart shells, canned Mandarin orange sections and pineapple tidbits, canned whipped cream)

Fresh Tomato and Double Cheese Tarts (puff pastry, shredded cheeses)
Steamed Zucchini
Pineapple Salad (bagged baby spinach, canned pineapple)
Embellished Chocolate Cookies (refrigerated chocolate cookie dough, shredded coconut, chocolate morsels)

Lasagna Florentine (jarred pasta sauce, frozen dumpling / pastry, frozen spinach, grated and sliced cheeses)
Hearty Greek Salad (jarred olives and artichokes, bottled salad dressing)
Italian Bread
Chocolate Pies (purchased pie shells, instant chocolate pudding mix)

I hope you have a great week,
Liz Randall and family