Despite my best efforts, I fell into some sort of weird breakfast rut the past month or so.  Nothing has sounded particularly good to me…I think in part due to the change in the weather.  So many of the dishes I loved through winter are less appealing now.  That coupled with having about two minutes available for eating breakfast each morning has led to an awful lot of smoothies and sad banana toasts.  Oatmeal has become a favorite of mine in the past few years but I wanted a new spin on it.  This carrot cake oatmeal was the answer.

Okay, obviously it isn’t exactly carrot cake.  I mean, it’s still oatmeal.  But it’s darn good oatmeal.  The carrot, coconut and raisins pack a nice dose of natural sweetness so very little additional sugar is needed.  This recipe will definitely come in handy for all those times that I have random bags of carrots sitting neglected in the veggie drawers.  Enjoy!

Not too long ago, I mentioned my mini love affair with Taste Café in Broad Ripple.  Well, it really hasn’t subsided.  I meet up with friends, or coax coworkers to venture outside of a one mile radius for lunch, and whenever I do, we end up at Taste.  The menu is extensive and they always have tons of great specials, but ever since trying their roasted salmon sandwich, it has been tough for me to order anything else.  It’s just so good.

Recreating a homemade version of this remedied several issues at once.  I can once more feel free to order other things on the menu besides the salmon sandwich, since I can enjoy this sandwich from home.  Also, maybe (just maybe), I won’t feel this borderline obsessive pull to visit the restaurant in the first place.  (If they had a location closer to my house however, all bets would be off for sure.)  And finally, my little man loves salmon and asks for it weekly.  This dinner is his ultimate and we don’t often stray from it because it’s just so simple, but this sandwich was happily Andrew approved and devoured.  I made a garlic chive aioli in part because my chive plant is going crazy, and it was a really nice addition.  Be sure to use a soft bread such as focaccia since, as with most fish, the salmon is fairly tender and flakes easily under pressure.

With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, I thought I’d give you all a little reminder as well as a few suggestions of things you to make for your mom.  It goes without saying that I often express my love through the preparing of food for my family and friends, and I have no doubt that if my mom were still here today, I would absolutely be planning a spectacular meal to share with her.  Also, if your mom has passed or isn’t present in your life and your dad or someone else has done double duty as a result, consider honoring them on Mother’s Day as well.  The role of a mother is a big one, no matter who is filling it.

This baked French toast is a perfect option for French toast lovers.  It has all that great flavor and texture but is made the night before so all you need to do is pop it in the oven in the morning.  Easy peasy, pretty, and delicious!

I don’t remember a lot about what foods my mom loved, but I do remember that she loved scones and she made them on Christmas morning.  I wish I could make these blueberry scones for her.  They are tender, buttery, and the hint of lemon zest is a really nice finishing note.  Don’t tell any of the other scones, but I really think these are my favorite.

Make them for breakfast or even for dessert, but I do suggest you make them.  These chocolate swirl buns are out of this world.

Whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, my family knows that this breakfast panini with herb butter is my ultimate.  It’s the thing guaranteed to put a smile on my face.  If your mom is a fan of breakfast sandwiches, this will make her day.

Moving right along to lunch, these garlicky shrimp and avocado open-faced sandwiches are a great option.  Light, quick and easy but still incredibly tasty.

Greek pita pizzas are a great choice for a lunch that is light, yet full of flavor.  I’ll take one, please!

Grilled cheese is pretty much my all-time favorite lunch, and this spinach artichoke version would be a fantastic Mother’s Day treat in my book.

If you are looking for a dinner that is easy but impressive, look no further than caramelized scallops.  This is my absolute favorite way to prepare scallops and it requires pretty minimal effort.

Lasagna-stuffed portabellos are a simpler version of a classic comfort food and I love them for that.

Cinco de Mayo may have been this past weekend, but in our house Mexican food is always the right answer.  These chicken enchiladas are one of my favorite special occasion/celebration dinners, and I would love to have them on Mother’s Day.

Lastly, a pasta dish that is always welcome on my table, pasta alla vodka.  Classics like this never go out of style.

Of course, if your mom has a sweet tooth, I have too many options too really begin to narrow it down.  Here are just a few of my favorite suggestions.

Oh, tunnel of fudge cake, you chocolate lover’s dream.  How can I resist that gorgeous chocolate glaze and gooey chocolate center?  Oh yeah, I can’t.

Raspberry chiffon pie is pretty, pink, and a lovely choice for spring.

Tiramisu cupcakes.  Just do it.

Homemade rocky road ice cream could be a fun thing to make together with mom, or just a really delicious surprise.

It may be cliché, but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to make churros in time for Cince de Mayo.  Over the past year or so, I’ve become slightly enamored with them thanks to the fantastic churros at XOCO, one of Rick Bayless’ restaurants in Chicago.  Really, fantastic isn’t an adequate word to describe them.  They deserve their own superlative.  A simple piece of fried dough coated in a cinnamon-sugar mixture and dipped in ice cream or chocolate sauce.  Holy moly, they are deserving of the hype.  When we are in Chicago, we always make time for XOCO, even if we’re only there for less than 24 hours.  I was excited at the prospect of making these at home, and I was also curious to know whether they would be difficult.

As it turns out, these are actually easier than most other doughnut-like things.  The batter is mixed and since it isn’t yeasted, it’s pretty much ready to be used right away.  Piping the dough into the hot oil was a bit of a guessing game as to how the shapes would turn out, but I was able to make pretty consistent U shapes without too much trouble.  I almost never make fried things at home but these were worth it.

Have you ever made churros?  Or if you have at least eaten them, what do you like to dip them in?  I think the vanilla ice cream is totally the way to go, but Ben likes the chocolate sauce.  I know some people dip them in hot chocolate, which also sounds pretty great.  I hope you all enjoy some amazing Mexican food this weekend.  I know I will!

1. At the beginning of the month, we took a family road trip to Atlanta to visit my brother and his fiancee, as well as my friend Josie!  We couldn’t resist a trip to the Georgia Aquarium, and I loved this pic of Caroline with the jellies!
2. I posted a picture of this banana toast on my annieseats Instagram feed and one follower gave the best caption EVER: “Sad banana is sad.”  Can you see the frowny banana seeds?  HA!  I crack up every time I think of this now.
3. SO glad it’s time for evening walks around the neighborhood again.
4. Now that Caroline has gotten big enough, she loves walking hand in hand with me when we go places.  And it melts my heart pretty much the entire time.  I love walking with my girl.
5. She also knows how to get down with some Trader’s Point mac and cheese.  Enthusiastic eater, for sure!
6. My guy may be growing up, but he still likes to cuddle.  I can’t resist that sweet face!
7. Pretty spring magnolia at my childhood home.
8. I’ve always adored these pretty little violets that carpet our yard at home.  They look so beautiful in the spring time.
9. I baked these tuxedo cookies for a couple’s 25th wedding anniversary and absolutely loved how they turned out.  Thanks Sweet Sugar Belle for the fantastic idea!
10. I was able to attend a family picnic field trip with Andrew’s class and oh my gosh, we had so much fun!  I’ll never be too old for parachute.  Never.
11. He loved smelling the pretty daffodils on campus.
12. One day I missed my homemade morning coffee and decided on an afternoon pick-me-up from Starbucks.  The barista added a little flair to the name on my cup to make it what I’m pretty sure is the best caption ever on an iced coffee.  (Get it?)
13. Still crushin’ on ranunculus.
14. Silly goose.
15. The kids had spirit week at school and one day was “When I Grow Up”.  That day Andrew felt like being a “builder guy” and Caroline had no clue what we were talking about, so she was a chef.
16. The poor girl caught a stomach bug and missed a couple days of school.  One evening when I came home this was all she wanted to do and cuddled with me for two hours straight!  I don’t like her being sick, but I loved every minute of this.
17. Happy to see me after work while she was still home sick.  Most enthusiastic greeting ever!
18. I reused a shoebox, some wrapping paper and toilet paper rolls to make this marker holder for the kids.  Fun way to reuse from Pinterest, and Andrew has been loving the heck out of this!
19. My good friend Gail recommended this book to me, and as a fellow knitter I couldn’t resist.  It’s our current favorite bedtime story.  So precious.
20.  There are no words for how happy I am that this is our dinnertime view again. Warm weather FTW!

Most of these images are from my personal (private) Instagram account.  You can follow my public stream here: user annieseats.