Make it a Mother's Day party

Mother’s Day always reminds me of a birthday party a friend and I gave for her 10-year-old daughter many years ago.

The invitation said, “Come dressed as your mother.” The girls arrived in their mothers’ shoes and hats with all kinds of jewelry and feather boas. They were beyond adorable and had so much fun dressing up. We ordered Chinese takeout spring rolls and dim sum that we served on silver trays. It was the most fun party I've ever been to!!

Why can’t you do the same thing for Mother’s Day? The kids can come dressed like their mothers (or fathers!), and the grown-ups can serve sparkling apple cider for the kids and champagne for the adults. I think it would be fun to have tables set with colorful flowers and silver trays with all kinds of tea sandwiches, Fruit Juice Shapes, and mini Coconut Cupcakes.

We all love an excuse to dress up!

Ask Ina:

“I made your Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake for Mother’s Day brunch last year and it was delicious. I’m wondering if I can make it the day before this year?”

The Blueberry Ricotta Breakfast Cake is always a little better right out of the oven, but you can make it the day before you plan on serving it. I suggest letting it cool completely, then wrapping it in plastic wrap and refrigerating it. Before you plan to serve it, let the cake come to room temperature and sprinkle it with confectioners’ sugar.

This Week’s Favorites:

• This Saturday, May 2, is the final episode of Be My Guest this season! We saved my dear friend Michael Barbaro for last. You’ll instantly recognize his voice if you listen to The New York Times podcast, The Daily. This weekend, he’s on the other side of the interview, and you’ll finally get to see the face behind that wonderful voice. Our episode airs at 12 PM (ET) on Food Network and is available to stream the next day on HBO Max.

• I had a crazy week, but managed to cook a favorite spring recipe over the weekend: Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables. Jeffrey was definitely happy!

• My assistants and I finished the final copy edits for my new cookbook, Simply Ina, which comes out this fall. It was a very good sign that we kept getting sidetracked talking about how delicious each recipe is!