Even Little Ones Can "Make" Breakfast on Mother's Day

GREER, S.C., May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahh, Mother's Day, that beloved day in May when we show Mom our love. But how do we ensure children can get involved without getting hurt in the kitchen?  The culinary geniuses at Buffets, Inc. brands (owner of HomeTown® Buffet, Old Country Buffet® and Ryan's Buffet®) have been whipping up some no-cook meal ideas so even the youngest chefs can make a meal fit for a queen.

"Fun, food and family go hand in hand during special occasions like Mother's Day," said Greg Graber, Chief Operations Officer for Buffets and father of four.  "Even finger food can be fun and tasty if we use just a little imagination."

Graber says that the key to a memorable meal is in the planning.  "Work with your child to create fun names for the dishes and produce an actual menu describing the meal.  Spend time coloring a placemat or pick some wild flowers, but most of all get creative!"

Dads should use caution, he reminds.  Any child up to at least age ten needs supervision when in the kitchen, even if the stove is not used.  "Young children can drop cans on their little toes or hurt themselves while slicing fruit," Graber says. 

To prepare a meal in less than 15 minutes (minimizing clean up and maximizing fun), try this menu.

No-Cook Mommy Menu Brunch:

Tutti Frutti
Start with prepared fruit salad from your local market's fresh produce department OR a bowl of washed strawberries and blueberries and sprinkle it with confectioners sugar and a teaspoon of whipped cream.

Dill-icious  Sandwiches

• Stack a slice of baby Swiss cheese and deli ham.
• Place a dill pickle spear on one side and then "roll" the ham and cheese around the pickle.
• Secure with a tooth pick.  Place a few on a small salad plate and garnish with a sliced tomato.

Sip Sip Hurray!
Use your little one's first sippee cup and fill it with chocolate milk from 2% reduced fat milk and Hershey's® chocolate syrup.  Make sure you leave a little chocolate on the inside of the cup so Mom knows you made it "from scratch".

Mom Cracks Me Up!
Create a small plate with a variety of crackers and some cubed cheese.

A Hug and a Kiss
Create a beautiful handmade card, place it on a plate and scatter some Hershey's® Hug & Kisses® candies around the plate.

Mother's Day Receipt
Help your child write out a gift certificate for Mom good for a "Mommy & Me" afternoon – complete with a simple sack picnic of favorite sandwiches!  

Dine Out Memories Also Available
Buffets Inc. reports that Mother's Day is one of its busiest days of the year.  To help create that "made with love" feel, the restaurants are giving out Special Mother's Day cards to all children so they can create a refrigerator-worthy piece of art—complete with a "Mommy & Me" gift certificate where Mom can come back again and bring up to two children in for free kids meals.  

About Buffets, Inc.
Buffets, Inc., one of the nation's largest steak-buffet restaurant companies, currently operates nearly 400 restaurants in 36 states.  Aside from 11 Tahoe Joe's® Famous Steakhouse restaurants, the company's restaurants are principally operated under the Old Country Buffet®, HomeTown® Buffet and Ryan's® brands.  Buffets employs more than 20,000 associates and serves approximately 113 million guests annually.

Hershey's® and Hugs & Kisses® are registered trademarks of the Hershey Chocolate and Confectionery Corporation.

SOURCE Buffets, Inc.