Don’t stop with brunch on Mother’s Day — dinner should also be a special occasion. Let the special ladies in your life sit back and relax while you make a super impressive (but incredibly easy) gourmet meal. Heads up: mom might expect a little more out of you in the kitchen after tasting your restaurant-quality creations.
This show-stopping beef tenderloin with a deeply flavored, richly colored red wine sauce is delicious and deceptively simple. The sauce can be prepared mostly ahead of time so there’s very little fussing at the last minute. GET THE RECIPE
Crab cakes are a high-priced menu item at many restaurants, but they’re easy to make at home and perfect for a special occasion. GET THE RECIPE
In this elegant dish, chicken is immersed in a honey, citrus, and chili-infused marinade, and then roasted on a sheet pan with carrots and dates. Before serving, herbs, scallions and pistachios are added for freshness, color, and crunch. Not only is it delicious, it’s no-fuss: everything can be prepared and assembled in advance, so all that’s left to do at dinnertime is pop it in the oven. GET THE RECIPE
This wonderful salmon dish takes a total of 20 minutes -- 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to bake -- yet tastes like something you'd order at a fancy restaurant. GET THE RECIPE
This lasagna is a wonderful choice for a special family dinner: it’s foolproof, feeds a crowd, and can be made in advance. GET THE RECIPE
This easy, over-the-top delicious recipe can be made almost entirely from pantry and freezer staples. GET THE RECIPE
Chicken Marbella is probably the most famous dish to come out of the beloved Silver Palate Cookbook by Julie Rosso and the late Sheila Lukins. The chicken is marinated in garlic and herbs, and then baked with wine, brown sugar, prunes, capers and green olives. GET THE RECIPE
In this quick and easy riff on spinach and ricotta cannelloni, penne pasta is tossed in a creamy spinach, basil and ricotta sauce, topped with cheese, and then baked until gold brown. GET THE RECIPE
Brimming with fresh seafood in a tomato and wine broth that tastes like the sea, cioppino (pronounced cho-pee-no) is a rustic Italian-American fish stew. Serve it with garlic bread or a baguette for sopping up the broth — and don’t forget a second bowl for shells and plenty of napkins. GET THE RECIPE
In this gorgeous vegetarian entrée, the center of the cauliflower is transformed into steaks, while the remaining florets become a creamy purée. GET THE RECIPE