Mother's Day may look different this year

By Terri Hahn

With social distancing still the norm and the common sense move of "shelter in place," a big family gathering to celebrate Mom, Grandma and other important women in our lives probably isn't going to happen on a grand scale this year.

That doesn't mean we can't celebrate Mother's Day, no doubt it's going to be different. FaceTime and Zoom conferencing don't replace actual one-on-one contact of course, but in these uncertain times, that's the best thing to do.

And of course, they still have to eat. While going out to eat so mom doesn't have to cook might not be possible this year, there's no reason not to make brunch at home.

Here are several recipes to help plan your brunch menu. Two can be started the night before and finished on Sunday morning. The other two are easy to make using the popular "sheet pan method" of meal preparation .

Win breakfast with this tasty overnight casserole. Lemon extract adds bright flavor to the muffin-like base swirled with a rich cream cheese and studded with sweet-tart blueberries.

Top it all off with a mouthwatering brown sugar and cinnamon streusel. Prepped the night before and baked in the morning -- of, it makes for an impressive start to the day.

Overnight Lemon Blueberry Muffin Casserole

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

For the streusel topping:

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into chunks

For the casserole:

6 eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, divided

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon lemon extract

2 cups blueberries, divided

For the streusel topping: Mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cover. Set aside until ready to assemble in the morning.

For the casserole: Mix eggs, 1 cup of the milk, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and cinnamon in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add bread cubes; toss gently to coat. Pour evenly into 13-by-9-inch baking dish sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Mix cream cheese, remaining 2 tablespoons each milk and sugar, and lemon extract in medium bowl until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the blueberries. Spread evenly on top of bread cubes. Top with remaining 1 cup blueberries. Cover. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove casserole from refrigerator. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut butter into streusel topping mixture with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 346 calories, total fat 14 g (saturated fat 8g), cholesterol 128 mg, sodium 376 mg, carbohydrates 45 g, fiber 2 g, protein 10 g

Get all the flavor of your favorite morning pastry with just a fraction of the effort! French-toasty hunks of challah are dusted with cinnamon and drizzled with sweet icing in this simple riff on cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients for this Overnight cinnamon roll Casserole come together the night before – bread, milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Morning of, bake until golden brown. A final drizzle of traditional cream cheese frosting takes it to holiday-worthy proportions.

Overnight cinnamon roll Casserole

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Baking time; 25 minutes

12 eggs

1-1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons milk, divided

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, divided

5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, divided

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 loaf challah bread, cubed

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese

3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Mix eggs, 1-1/2 cups milk, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 3 teaspoons vanilla and baking powder in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add bread cubes; toss to coat well.

Pour into 13-by-9-inch baking dish sprayed with no-stick cooking spray. Cover. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove casserole from refrigerator. Mix melted butter, brown sugar and remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon in small bowl until well blended. Drizzle over casserole. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla in small bowl until smooth. Slowly stir in remaining 3 tablespoons milk. Drizzle over casserole before serving.

Makes 12 servings

Nutrition per serving information: 272 calories, cholesterol 223 mg, sodium 313 mg, protein 11 g, total fat 12g (saturated fat 5 g), fiber 2 g, carbohydrates 30 g

Ditch the skillet and bake this hearty breakfast hash on a sheet pan in the oven. Dice up the sweet potatoes, onions, peppers and ham the night before so you just have to crack the eggs in the morning! Taco seasoning gives it an extra kick.

Whole eggs are cracked over the hash and baked in the oven - an entire breakfast on one sheet pan. Top with your favorite garnishes – avocado, sour cream and cilantro – and serve.

Baked Eggs and Sweet Potato Hash

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 45 minutes

1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 tablespoon oil

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 cup cubed ham

5 eggs

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss potatoes, bell pepper, onion and oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with seasoning mix; toss to coat well. Spread vegetables in single layer on large, shallow baking pan sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

Bake 25 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Stir ham into vegetables in baking pan. Bake 10 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender. Remove pan from oven.

Break eggs evenly apart on top of the hash. Carefully, return pan to oven. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until eggs are to desired doneness. Sprinkle with cilantro and assorted toppings, if desired.

Makes 5 servings

Tip: For easy clean-up, line pan with foil and then spray with no stick cooking spray.

Nutrition information per serving: 257 calories, total fat 9 g (saturated fat 3 g), cholesterol 202 mg, sodium 972 mg, carbohydrates 30 g, fiber 5 g, protein 14 g

Stay on the sunny side with these individually baked eggs, set on top a square of puff pastry nestled in Italian-seasoned spring vegetables. Topped with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, this dish is prepped – and baked – on one single sheet pan.

Puff Pastry Baked Eggs

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 25 minutes

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (1/2 of 17.3 ounce package)

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 cup asparagus pieces, (1-inch pieces)

2 teaspoons oil

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese

4 eggs

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place thawed pastry sheet on lightly floured surface. Cut into 4 squares. Place squares on one side of large, shallow baking pan sprayed with no-stick cooking spray. Prick top of pastry squares all over with fork. Set aside.

Toss vegetables with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese and salt; toss again to coat well. Spread vegetables on other side of pan next to the pastry squares. Bake 10 minutes or until puff pastry is lightly browned. Remove pan from oven.

Make an indentation with back of large spoon in center of each pastry square. Place vegetables evenly around indentations, making sure to cover edges of pastry squares. Sprinkle squares with mozzarella cheese. Break an egg into each indentation. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until eggs are softly set.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition information per serving: 392 calories, total fat 24 g (saturated fat 11 g), cholesterol 190 mg, sodium 509 mg, carbohydrates 30 g, fiber 3g , protein 14 g

Recipes from: McCormick

Terri Hahn of Osceola has worked in food media for more than 30 years and has won numerous state and national awards for her writing.