There's nothing better than breakfast-in-bed ... until toast crumbs and sticky maple syrup spill across the covers.
To keep this adorable Mother's Day tradition delicious and tidy, Justin Chapple of Food & Wine's Mad Genius Tips showed TODAY Food some quick and easy breakfast hacks.
Start the Sunday spread with a neat spin on classic ham and eggs, plus silver dollar pancakes skewered with fresh fruit. Then jump into some fun-for-kids-to-make watermelon shapes and edible bouquets.
"The worry of food in bed for someone like me is you spill on your nice white comforter," TODAY co-host Jenna Hager Bush said happily from a bed on set. "This makes it unwieldy, not unweildy."
"It makes it hand held," Chapple added.
To top it all off for mom, Chapple showed us how to put together a simple yet elegant hibiscus mocktail ... because, it's never too early for a mocktail!
1. Ham and Egg Cups
Ingredients:
6 eggs
Thinly sliced ham
Chopped parsley
Hot sauce
Equipment:
Muffin tin
Method:
Line the cups of a muffin tin with ham, then crack eggs inside. Bake in a 350-degree oven until the eggs are cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with hot sauce on the side.
2. Mini Pancakes and Fruit Kebabs
Ingredients:
Mini frozen pancakes
Assorted fruits, such as strawberries, banana slices and blueberries
Maple syrup, for drizzling
Yogurt, for dipping
Equipment:
6-inch food-safe skewers
Method:
Heat up frozen mini pancakes following the directions on the product packaging, then skewer them onto the decorative skewers. Alternate the pancakes with pieces of fruit. Drizzle with maple syrup and serve with yogurt on the side for dipping.
3. Pancake Dippers
Ingredients:
Mini frozen pancakes
Raspberries
Powdered sugar
Yogurt or maple syrup
Equipment:
Toothpicks
Method:
Prepare mini frozen pancakes according to package instructions, then stack three to four in a little pile. Top each pile of pancakes with a raspberry, and then secure it all with a decorative toothpick. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with yogurt or syrup on the side.
4. DIY Edible Arrangement
Ingredients:
Assorted fruits (apple, pineapple and watermelon slices, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, etc.)
Equipment:
Assorted cookie cutters
6-inch decorative skewers
Mason jar
Method:
Cut slices of the larger fruit into fun shapes using cookie cutters or a small knife. Then arrange them, along with the berries, on the food-safe skewers. Pineapples make wonderful sunflowers, while melons and apples are sturdy fruits that will hold a variety of shapes well.
Put the finished skewers in Mason jars to make a little arrangement.
5. Blueberry-Filled Watermelon Wedges
Ingredients:
Watermelon
Blueberries
Equipment:
Heart-shaped cookie cutter
Method:
Cut a 1-inch thick slice of watermelon. Then cut the slice into 4 wedges. Using a heart-shaped cutter, cut out a heart in the middle. Fill the cut out part with berries and serve. Mom will love this berry much.
6. Breakfast-in-Bed Hibiscus Mocktail
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chilled hibiscus tea, such as Starbucks' Passion Tango
Sparkling orange juice or soda, such as San Pellegrino Aranciata, for topping
1 edible flower
Orange twist, for garnish
Method:
Pour the hibiscus tea into a champagne flute. Top with sparkling orange juice or soda, then garnish with an edible flower and an orange twist. Serve to mom and whip up one for yourself!