A Cozy Mother’s Day With Taryn O’Kelly

A Cozy Mother’s Day with Taryn O’Kelly: A Sweet Story & Seasonal Recipes

My mom has always done so much for my brother and me that I want this year to be perfect.

Mother’s Day was just around the corner, and I wanted to plan something wonderful for my mom. She has always been there for me. When Robert and I broke off our engagement, she was there to help me through the heartache. When I was recovering from my near-death experience, she kept me and Alex, who was also recovering from the attack, well fed. She is like the Energizer Bunny, she keeps going no matter how tired she gets. She’s the family glue, holding everything and everybody together. My grandma does this too, but she is much more feisty about it.

For those of you who don’t know my mom, she cleans when she is stressed. When I say cleans, I mean really cleans. You won’t find a speck of dirt anywhere, however, chemical-free air is scarce as well. With my recent history, my mom is cleaning a lot these days. I am afraid that if one more body shows up, my dad will move out, determining she has weapons of mass destruction and will inevitably use them.

So, since I am the reason my father’s air quality has been compromised and because my mother is the very best, even if she is involved in biological warfare, I am planning our family’s Mother’s Day brunch.

I am making the whole meal from scratch. My mother and grandma taught me how to cook and showed me that everything tastes better from scratch. I have wonderful memories of hanging out in the kitchen watching my mom and grandma cook.

So the menu I planned was a cinnamon roll coffee cake, a ham and Swiss quiche, a charcuterie board, corned beef hash, Spicy Bloody Marys, Mimosas, Fruit salad, and a hash brown casserole. I made it so that almost everything could be pre-baked and warmed up at Mom’s house after Mass. We always attend the 10 am Mass on Sunday mornings at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Mother’s Day Mass is a little bit longer, so brunch is barely brunch by the time we get home. But no one cares, and we will spend the day playing games and snacking anyway.

I had Alex set up croquet in my mom’s backyard on Saturday. The spring flowers were starting to bloom, and the weather was forecast to be 65 degrees. Not really warm but at least not freezing, right? I also planned for a printable escape room. We usually play cards, but today I am changing things up a bit.

I made the quiche, hashbrown casserole, charcuterie board, and fruit salad on Saturday night. I baked the coffee cake and the hashbrowns this morning before Mass.

Alex was at my door 25 minutes before Mass started to pick me up. I live so close to the church and usually walk, but today we drove since we had to get to Mom’s with all the food right afterward. The service was lovely, and the church handed out little pins with a silver cross and lilies to every mom there. The pin came with a scripture reading about moms.

Alex and I headed to my house to load the car up with the food. My aunt Susie had picked up the supplies for the drinks and was going to start making them as soon as she got to Mom’s house. My dad and grandpa wanted me to hurry up with the coffee cake. They both love everything cinnamon roll-like.

When Alex and I arrived, my grandma had the sea shanty music station blasting. She was handing out mimosas while dancing her version of an Irish jig. My mom was watching her closely, probably for fear she was going to trip and fall, and because jumping around with orange juice in the house wasn’t the best choice. My dad rescued the coffee cake from my hands, I knew he couldn’t wait a minute longer. My mom, always watching, snatched the cake from him as he tried to sneak by. I smiled. My family is nuts.

Grandma stopped her jigging long enough to receive flowers from Alex. Grandma blushed and gave him a hug. My granddaughter is lucky to have you, she told him. Then she asked if he knew how to jig and proceeded to teach him. Alex had flowers for my mother as well, which she happily retrieved while rescuing him for Grandma’s dance lessons. See, she is a very busy woman.

I stood guard over the coffee cake while I reheated what I needed to. I placed everything out buffet style across my mother’s kitchen counter. My aunt Susie had a pitcher of Spicy Bloody Marys and a second round of Mimosas ready. My dad poked his head into the kitchen and asked if it was time yet. I let him know everything was ready, and he made the announcement. We stood around the feast and said our family prayer.

The rest of the afternoon, we played croquet. My brother, Scotty, got called out to a house fire. He is a firefighter, and this happens sometimes, but he would stop by as soon as possible. We waited for Scotty to do the escape room. It was a wonderful day, and I know my mother appreciated it. Plus, Alex was seamlessly fitting into my crazy family, and that made my mother very happy!

So Happy Mother’s Day! I hope your day is as fun as ours was. Try out my recipes the next time you want to host a Mother’s Day brunch or a breakfast get-together.

Pink floral garland graphic used as blog post divider for cozy Mother’s Day story

🍽️ Mother’s Day Brunch Menu: (more recipes links next week)

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake – A gooey swirl of cinnamon with a crunchy streusel topping. (Baked in the morning)
Ham & Swiss Quiche – Creamy, cheesy, and baked in a buttery crust. (Baked the day before and reheated.)
Charcuterie Board – A mix of meats, cheeses, nuts, and chutney. (Assembled the night before.)
Corned Beef Hash – Crispy and savory with just the right amount of spice. (Reheated in a skillet right before serving.)
Hash Brown Casserole – The cheesy kind that makes you go back for seconds. (Prepped the night before and baked in the morning.)
Fruit Salad – A bright mix of berries, apples, and bananas. (Tossed fresh the night before)
Spicy Bloody Marys – For those who like a little kick.
Mimosas – Classic, bubbly, and best enjoyed with loved ones around the charcuterie board.