Mother's Day recipes: 4 meals that will 'wow' your mom and other guests

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Gifts and gadgets that make great Mother's Day gifts

Alison and Skip Bedell share great gifts that will arrive before Mother's Day from skipbedell.com.

Each year, Mother's Day takes place on the second Sunday of May. 

The special holiday is meant to honor, thank and celebrate mothers across the globe and the significant role they've had or still have in their children's lives.

Whether you're spending the day adventuring with mom or relaxing at home, a nice homemade meal to wrap up the day is a wonderful idea.

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Here are four homemade recipes that are sure to get mom and the rest of the family excited.

1. Roasted tomato sauce
2. Chicken cordon bleu
3. Burger bar
4. Homemade crabcakes

1. Roasted tomato sauce

There is a wide variety of ways to make homemade tomato sauce. 

Often, traditional tomato sauce takes up to eight hours to cook on the stove top.

Maybe you have the time for that, or maybe you don't. If you don't, this roasted tomato sauce is seriously flavorful and will "wow" mom and any other Mother's Day guests.

Homemade tomato sauce does not have to take all day and night to cook. (iStock)

Ingredients for roasted tomato sauce

• 10-15 Roma tomatoes
• 4–6 cloves of fresh garlic
• 1 handful of fresh basil
• A dash of salt
• A dash of pepper
• extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Directions for roasted tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 F. As the oven heats, cut the stems from the Roma tomatoes and slice them in half. Add them to a shallow oven-safe pan. Cut the fresh garlic cloves in half and add them atop the tomatoes.

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Pull the fresh basil from the stems and toss them in the pan. Generously cover the tomatoes, garlic and basil with EVOO and add a dash of salt and pepper. Cover the pan in tinfoil and place it in the oven for 40–45 minutes or until the garlic is soft and falls apart.

Once the tomato skin has blistered and the garlic is soft, add everything in the pan to a blender. Blend all the ingredients. Serve over a bed of pasta, chicken Parmesan or with stuffed peppers.

2. Chicken cordon bleu

Ingredients for chicken cordon bleu

• Chicken breast
• Ham slices
• Swiss cheese
• Breadcrumbs
• 1–2 eggs

Also needed

• Toothpicks or cooking twine

Directions for chicken cordon bleu

For this recipe, begin by removing chicken breasts from the packaging and pounding them with a meat tenderizer. You’ll want the breasts to be about ½ inch thick. This is because after you stuff them with ham and cheese, they will be more difficult to roll up.

Once pounded out, lay the ham slices atop the raw chicken and Swiss cheese slices atop the ham. Roll the chicken slowly, making sure all the ingredients are tightly spun.

From here, lightly dip the chicken, ham and cheese rolls in a whisked raw egg and then cover them in breadcrumbs.

Chicken cordon blue requires just chicken, ham, cheese, breadcrumbs and eggs to make. (Carl D. Walsh/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Tie the meats and cheese together with cooking twine or hold the edges together with toothpicks.

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Bake everything together in an oiled pan in the oven at 350 F for 30–35 minutes. Service with creamy Dijon sauce.

3. Burger bar

DIY food bars come in all shapes and sizes, from charcuterie boards to taco and sundae bars and more. For this particular bar, we’re going with big, juicy burgers surrounded by a wide variety of toppings and condiments. 

Mother’s Day is so close to Memorial Day, and that means grilling season is back. 

Use this homemade burger recipe and show off your skills at the barbecue.

Ingredients for homemade burgers

• ½ pound of lean ground pork
• ½ pound of lean ground sirloin
• ½ pound of lean ground veal
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of pepper
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder

Directions for homemade burger recipe

In a bowl, combine all the ground meat and crack one egg. Add two tablespoons of breadcrumbs as they hold moisture and will help keep the burgers juicy. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder and mix the meat together with your hands. 

Mother's Day comes just in time for grilling season, making it the perfect opportunity to cook some burgers outside. (Kevin Liles /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

You’ll want to mix until all the ingredients are fully combined, and you can’t see chunks of breadcrumbs or strings of egg white or yolk.

Separate the meat into four ounce meat balls and smash them down into a patty. If you also want to include more thin patties for double cheeseburgers, separate them into two ounce patties and do the same.

If you have a grill, you’ll want to follow the typical instructions of both turning it on and getting a flame going. If you don’t have a grill and you’re cooking on the stove, heat a pan on high heat and add butter rather than oil. While you can use oil to cook the burgers, butter will add a more rich flavor.

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For cooking a rare burger, cook one side for two minutes and flip for two additional minutes on the other side. For a medium rare burger, cook the meat patties on one side for two and a half minutes and the other side for the same. For a medium burger, cook for three to three and a half minutes on each side. For a well-done burger, cook for four to four and a half minutes on both sides.

Toppings for a burger bar

You are going to need all the fixings to make this burger bar really spectacular. While the burger will be juicy and delicious in itself, the spread you provide for toppings could make or break the beef. Serve the toppings in mini bowls with spoons, forks and knives or display them in a layered fashion as you would on a charcuterie board.

Top your burgers with whatever ingredients you enjoy. Lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and onions are all popular choices. (Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Include any or all of the following toppings for a colorful and flavorful spread for your mom to enjoy.

Typical burger toppings

You don't need to go all out and overspend on mom this Mother's Day. Some of the most preferred burger toppings for your family are likely already in the refrigerator. These might include cheddar cheese slices, American cheese slices, pepper Jack cheese slices, bacon slices, sliced white onions, sliced tomatoes, sliced pickles, slices of Romaine or head lettuce, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.

Fancy burger toppings

Provide your mom and the rest of the family with some fancier burger toppings, too. These can include Gruyère cheese, crumbled bleu cheese, grilled or cooked portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, fried onion rings, sliced avocado, sliced jalapeños, over easy or medium eggs, garlic aioli, beer mustard and Buffalo sauce.

4. Homemade crabcakes

Ingredients for crabcakes

• 1 pound of fresh lump crab meat
• ½ cup of white onion
• 1 cup of fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
• ½ cup of mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon of mustard
• 1 egg beaten
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Butter

Directions for homemade crabcakes

Begin by combining fresh lump crab meat and finely chopped white onion into a bowl. You can either caramelize the onion on the stove beforehand or add it raw. 

If you prefer a little crunch to your crabcakes, keep them raw.

If your mom is a fan of seafood, consider making her a yummy crabcake. (Brent Lewis/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Include chopped fresh parsley, breadcrumbs, mayo, mustard, egg, salt and pepper in the crab and onion mixture. Mix everything together carefully with your hands. 

If you’re using jumbo lump crab meat, you’ll want to be careful not to break up the meat too much.

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Separate the crab meat mixture into 3 ounce balls and lightly press them into a patty. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake the crabcakes on parchment paper for 25 minutes.

Serve with lemon slices and spicy mayo for dipping.

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