by Caroline
I spent my first Mother’s Day at the racetrack with my husband, our colicky two month old, my brother-in-law and my horse-loving mother-in-law. We ate a brunch that was as good as you would expect brunch at the racetrack to be, and then I sat on the floor in a back corner and tried to nurse fussy Ben while Nancy and her sons bet happily on the races.
It’s a measure of how I feel about my late mother-in-law that it was an excellent day.
I just don’t have strong feelings about Mother’s Day. Growing up, I knew that my mom didn’t much care for how the original political origins of the day had been diluted into a Hallmark holiday, and at church we celebrated the Anglican tradition of Mothering Sunday. Now that I have kids of my own, I am happy to accept their Mother’s Day bouquets of dyed coffee filter flowers or other classroom art projects, but I don’t feel strongly about being feted or fed, in bed or at brunch or anywhere else.
This year, half the family will be off at the kindergarten camping trip so we’re skipping Mother’s Day entirely, which is really fine by me. But if you want a nice treat, let me recommend the scones Tony and the boys have made for me on Mother’s Days past; they are tender and not too sweet, a perfect way to start the day.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Sift together into a large bowl:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 c wheat germ
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 c sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
Stir in:
1 1/4 c rolled oats
1/2 c raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries
Whisk together, then add all at once:
1 large egg
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) warm melted butter
1/3 c milk
Mix until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be very sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into an 8″ round about 3/4″ thick. Cut into 8 or 12 wedges, then move the wedges to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.