This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Our family is excited for the holiday this year because Jay and Julia’s new baby Layla has bestowed upon them the honor to celebrate their first Mother’s Day and Father’s Day as parents. Kala and James have been celebrating since 2016. Wait a minute. I probably need to clarify: Kala has been celebrating the holiday ever since she turned 4 months old and Jimmy became tightly entwined on her little finger. I think Jay will agree with me on that statement.
It is said that the biggest day to eat out during the entire year is Mother’s Day. It’s Dad helping let Mom know how much he really appreciates her (or that he doesn’t feel like cooking). It’s also the kids fighting for mom to be able to go out to eat because hey, it’s their right. If it wasn’t for them, she wouldn’t have a special day.
Every Mother’s Day, Jimmy would always ask me where I would like to go to lunch for my day. That’s right MY day.
It was soon learned that Kala had an extraordinary obsession with the local restaurant “Beijing House.” She ALWAYS wanted to go eat there. So, when I told Jimmy (with a wink that Kala could not see) that I wanted to go to KFC, Kala was clearly disappointed. When the car miraculously turned into the shopping center for Beijing House…I looked shocked and exclaimed that this isn’t KFC! Jimmy smiled…and Kala had the biggest grin on her face (and a look of clear satisfaction that she had won.)
Jimmy informed me that KALA told him that I really didn’t want to go to KFC. I was really hankering for Beijing House, but thought HE wanted to go to KFC.
Lord have mercy, I think she went into mourning when BH left the Hill. She was absolutely revived and a believer of reincarnation when we found out that the original owners had started a new restaurant in Midway. She called me excited to let me know that life was finally restored and amazing.
Of course, these days, Kala lives about an hour from us with her family of 4.
The distance has done nothing to the tightness around her little finger and Jimmy. When we meet “halfway” to get the boys, it somehow becomes apparent that the mileage has changed and we’re sitting in Midway… NOT midway. If Jimmy is heading to Jesup for one reason or another, he may get a call before he leaves asking if he can stop at the special place. I sometimes ask…why, if it was MY favorite place, how come I’m not getting any of the food in the takeout trays? It’s a rhetorical question: one that everyone knows the answer to.
I have to say that Jay Hires is an amazing son. He has always loved to cook and would surprise me with a homemade breakfast for Mother’s Day or something new on his cooking repertoire. Let me tell ya again…that son of mine can COOK! His crab stew is amazing and is even better than the old Richmond Hill Holiday Inn restaurant that is also no longer in existence. That young man has a wonderful heart. That isn’t saying that Kala doesn’t, but Jay…. he is tied around my ring finger…and that’s because they say the ring finger has an artery that leads straight to the heart. He has such a giving spirit and the best manners. He’d give you the shirt off his back. He would probably even give you that last bit of banana pudding. That’s because he knows that as soon as he tells Momma….
Momma is going to make a batch just for him. He will tell me ,with a heartwarming smile, that my banana pudding is better anyway. He’s also the reason why we went to McDonald’s for Mother’s Day one year. Kala wasn’t too happy, but I shared a smile with my son that loved hot French fries and ice cream.
Thank God for kids….all of them… the grandkids, the in-laws, and the ones that made you a parent. However, Lord, please bless those little children that just don’t know what it’s like to have a parent or relative tied tightly around any finger…. to feel loved 365 days a week.
This Mother’s Day, if you are wanting to share a special treat for a mom in your life, I’ll give you a few easy recipes to try.
Don’t worry about burning any of them!
They are no bake! (Did I hear a sigh of relief? Was that from mom’s that have eaten burnt cookies or from the ones that made them?)
Mocha Ice Cream Pie
(Ice cream pie has been one of Jay’s favorites. You can change out the flavor of the ice cream and the toppings to make it your favorite flavors. Try it with: rocky road, cookies and cream, or even strawberry cheesecake. Switch out the cookie crust with graham cracker crust for a better combination if desired. Now to teach my grandsons how to make it!)
Ingredients 1 quart coffee ice cream,softened 1 9in Oreo cookie crust (or other chocolate crust) 1½ cups chocolate fudge sauce 1 can whipped cream Garnish (ie: toasted pecans, almonds, mini milk chocolate chips) Directions: Spread the coffee ice cream evenly into the pie crust. Cover and freeze until firm. Warm up the fudge sauce according to jar directions.
Spread evenly over the pie. Return to the freezer and allow to freeze for at least 10 hours. When serving, place a dollop of whipped cream in the center of the slice and top with a sprinkling of your choice of garnish.
Deluxe Banana Pudding
(No, it isn’t baked. God bless my mother and grandmother for going that route in the south. However, I’m deeper south than they were when they chose the baked way~ and it just gets too hot in the summer to bake banana pudding.
Besides, yes, this is one of Jay’s favorite ways to eat it anyway. Haha! OH –in the words of Jimmy Hires, don’t be stingy on the wafers. I have found that is why they like mine more. I tend to agree about the cookies.)
Ingredients
1 (8-ounce)package cream cheese 1 (14-ounce)can sweetened condensed milk (Not evaporated milk!
1 (5-ounce)package instant vanilla pudding mix 3 cups cold milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 (8-ounce)container Cool Whip, thawed 4 large bananas (choose ones that are “just ripe” and free of brown spots) 1 largebox vanilla wafers (don’t be afraid to use more.)
Directions: In a large bowl, beat softened cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk. In a separate bowl, mix the pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in about 2 cups of the Cool Whip then fold mixture into cream cheese. Choose a trifle dish or bowl that is at least 2 ½ quarts in size. Line the bottom of the dish with vanilla wafers (for “glue” you can dab a bit of pudding or Cool Whip on the bottom to help them adhere.) Spoon over the wafers about 2 cups of pudding mix, then one banana, sliced. Add a layer of Cool Whip (about 1 cup or 1 inch) then repeat layers using about the same measurements.
Top with the remainder of Cool Whip and garnish with additional wafers.
(I sometimes crumble the wafers into crumbs as the final garnish). Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Additional notes: DO NOT SLICE THE BANANAS until you are ready to use each one. This helps with the bananas browning and you won’t have to put lemon juice on them.
If you don’t have a trifle dish and it doesn’t have to be “fancy”, try using a large Pyrex bowl or even a large serving bowl that is pretty ~ as long as they fit the required size of 2 ½ quarts – 3 quarts.