Mamma Mia!

It's the second Sunday in May, so I sincerely hope you all remembered to purchase your flowers and cards and candy for your Mommies. (That's right, yet another Chocolate Occasion. But seriously, if a non-cocoa-holiday actually exists, I'm certainly not interested in commemorating it...) I enjoy the double privilege of both honoring my own mother, and being the recipient of special treatment from Husband and sons. So to begin this reminiscence, allow me to describe Mother's Day traditions as they have occurred at my mom's house in recent years.

First, the participants: Mom and Dad, of course, presiding over the mayhem--ahem, I mean..."festivities". Then to round out the celebration, there's my sister, my brother and his 3 kids, and the four of us. Now, since it's supposed to be a day to shower mothers with respect, gratitude, and pampering...the menfolk are assigned to prepare the meal. This generally translated into my Dad at the grill, charring some meat product, my brother assembling a tossed salad (under Mom's watchful eye, and with plenty of detailed instructions...'cuz you just can't trust the all-important "slicing cucumbers" job to chance), and Husband contributing a pasta salad. While all this is transpiring in and around the kitchen, the ladies are theoretically supposed to relax, chat, sip iced tea...but in the presence of 5 cousins in a 7-year age range, that is, shall we say, "unlikely" (or if you prefer blunt honesty: "not gonna freakin' happen"). The actual tableau tends to resemble something like Kiddie Animal House, with youngsters of various sizes careening around the house, chasing each other, throwing tackles, and periodically punctuating the chaos with shrieks of either glee or pain. Every so often a Parental Referee Situation will arise, requiring one of the pint-sized players to be flagged for such infractions as "illegal tickling" or "unsanctioned use of the elbows as a weapon". (Yes, my brother's kids do in fact watch waaaay too much UFC...) Eventually, of course, dinnertime arrives, and we all sit down for a relatively (no pun intended...okay, a tiny little bit of pun intended) sane and peaceful meal. That is, unless someone doesn't want to eat their salad...or feels very strongly that they got the "wrong plate"...or demands more Hershey's syrup in their milk...Yeah, on second thought, Family Dinners--while absolutely amusing and treasured by all of us--aren't all that tranquil since the kids came along.

Meanwhile, back at Casa WestEnders, I walked in the door yesterday and happened upon Husband and Riley, wearing determinedly innocent expressions (I swear they were practically gazing at the ceiling and whistling, they were trying so hard to be nonchalant) and attempting (unsuccessfully) to hide stuffed grocery bags behind their backs. Riley--Mr. Full Disclosure himself--promptly announced, "We're making you a special dessert, you can't see!"  So I was shooed unceremoniously from my kitchen while they...concocted. By the time I returned from my walk, all evidence had been tidied away, and the sweet surprise tucked into the refrigerator to chill. The only other information that my son proudly shared with me was that, while the recipe came from Paula Deen, they had carefully read all labels on ingredient packages to make sure there was "no partially hydrogenated oils, and no trans fats!" Sniffle...I love my little health-conscious chef! Oh, and Husband added that at no point during the proceedings had Riley felt compelled to let fly with a "yaaaa'llllll". So thank goodness for that! When the moment for the big reveal (and more importantly, taste) came, the culinary delight turned out to be: banana pudding. But not just any old banana pudding--oh no, this one contained sweetened condensed milk, and cream cheese, and whipped topping, and Pepperidge Farms Chessmen cookies...oh yeah, and some fruit! It was rich, it was decadent, it was utterly delectable.

So now I only have one question: can it be Mother's Day tomorrow, too? (Wait, we still have 3/4 of the pan of pudding left...so I believe the answer is YES, yes it can! Bananas make a good breakfast, right?)