Shaun Smith is a writer, journalist and former chef in Toronto. He is the author of the young adult novel Snakes & Ladders. One Mother's Day when I was a child, I had the temerity to ask my mother when Kid's Day was. She was quick to educate me. "Every day is kid's day," she said.

Let's face it, while being a mom is a wonderful thing, it can also be a thankless task. Moms don't get much rest in this world, so that's why I spoke to three moms — all of whom have authored new cookbooks — to get some great recipes people can cook for their moms this Mother's Day.

Lisa Schroeder, owner of Mother's Bistro & Bar in Portland, Ore., suggests serving mom breakfast in bed with Crunchy French Toast, from her cookbook Mother's Best.

Anne Lindsay recommends keeping things healthy and a little bit exotic with Spicy Seared Scallops on Snow Pea Stir Fry, from her book Lighthearted at Home.

Maude Smith recommends milk for Mother's Day. (Shaun Smith)Rose Reisman sweetens things up with a low-fat Lemon Meringue Custard Pie, from her book Rose Reisman's Family Favourites.

My partner Shannon and I just had our first baby last month. The little one's name is Maude. When I asked the new mommy what she wanted me to cook on her first mother's day, Shannon immediately said braised lamb shanks. It was the first thing I ever cooked for her, years ago when we first started going out.

Frozen lamb shanks from New Zealand are available year round, but in the spring, always head to a local butcher to get fresh.

Luscious Braised Lamb Shanks

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 lamb shanks
• 2 large carrots, cut to a large dice
• 1 large parsnip, cut to a large dice
• 1 rib celery, cut to a large dice
• 4 shallots, cut to a large dice
• 3 sprigs worth of fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup port or red wine
• 5 cups beef or chicken stock
• salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place the lamb shanks on a platter or in a large bowl and season all sides using 1 tsp salt and 10 turns of a black pepper mill.

In a large pot, bring the beef (or chicken) stock to a boil and then turn to low, keeping the stock hot.

Place the diced carrots, parsnips, celery and shallots in a bowl and toss together with 1 tsp salt and 10 turns of a black pepper mill.

Place a 2.5-litre (10-cup) Dutch oven or other heavy, oven-proof roasting pan that has a lid on the stove top over medium-high heat. Leave the lid off for now. Heat the butter and oil together in the Dutch oven. When the butter foams and begins to change colour, add the lamb shanks and reduce heat to medium. Roll the shanks in the butter and oil and sear on all sides till they take on a rich, dark-brown roasted hue. Remove the shanks and set aside.

Immediately add the diced vegetables to the roasting pan and sauté, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown. Add the minced garlic and chopped rosemary to the vegetables and sauté two to three minutes longer, stirring often. Deglaze the roasting pan with one cup of port or red wine. Bring the wine to a boil and then turn off the heat.

Nestle the lamb shanks in amongst the vegetables in the pot and then add the five cups of hot stock.

Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and place it in the oven to cook at 400ºF for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven, skim off any surface fat, and then use tongs to gently turn the shanks over in the pot. (Oven temperatures do vary, so if your stock seems to be getting too low, just top up with one cup of water.) Return to oven and roast at 400ºF for 90 minutes longer. Test for doneness by pulling at the meat with a fork. It should come away from the bone with no resistance.

To serve: These shanks go great with mashed potatoes, but they are quite fragile and ready to fall apart when done. Spoon a mound of mashed potatoes onto each plate, then use a large spoon and a set of tongs to gently lift each shank onto the mashed potatoes. Spoon some sauce and vegetables over and around the shanks and potatoes.

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Lisa Schroeder's Mother's Crunchy French Toast

Mother's Best by Lisa Schroeder. Lisa Schroeder's cookbook Mother's Best is a collection of recipes born of her Portland, Oregon restaurant, Mother's Bistro & Bar, which she opened in January 2000 because she noticed a dearth of restaurants serving what she calls "mother food."

What's "mother food?"

"You always hear the term comfort food, but what I do is more finite than that," says Schroeder, speaking by phone from Portland. "I focus on the foods that mothers make for their families. Slow-cooked foods, things that take hours to prepare and that reheat really well, that can be served from one day to the next, and they're great as leftovers — pot roast, chicken and dumplings, meat loaf, mac and cheese, perogies, matzo ball soup."

What's Mother's Day like at Mother's Bistro?

"It's crazy," laughs Schroeder, who trained as a chef at the Culinary Institute of America. "People start booking a year before. Leading up to Mother's Day, the phone doesn't quit. We'll feed between 750 to 800 people brunch between 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. It's like our national holiday here."

Schroeder herself has a grown daughter and two grandchildren.

"My own mother passed away when I was 21," she says. "Just when I was able to become a good daughter, I lost that opportunity, so I think I'm trying to make up for it by being a mother for all."

This Mother's Day, Schroeder suggests serving Crunchy French Toast, which she learned to make while working at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.

"I think mother's deserve breakfast in bed," Schroeder says. "Start the day off right with extra love. I don't care about presents, that means nothing, just show me the love. Crunchy French Toast is easy for kids to make, and it's fun because they get to crunch up the cornflakes."

Mother's Crunchy French Toast

(Excerpted from Mother's Best: Comfort Food That Takes You Home Again by Lisa Schroeder with Danielle Centoni. Text copyright Lisa Schroeder 2009. Reprinted with permission of The Taunton Press.)

If I had to pick our one signature breakfast dish, this would be it. French toast goes by the name pain perdu in France, which translates as "lost bread." It's a recipe created to save stale bread from being "lost" to the garbage by soaking it in eggs and milk to get it moist and tender again and then frying it up.

Although you can certainly use whatever stale bread slices you have lingering in the fridge (except something strong-flavoured like rye), fresh challah provides a wonderful richness. A roll in cornflakes adds a wonderful, addictive crunch.

Ingredients (makes six 1-inch-thick slices)

• 4 large eggs
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ¾ cup half-and-half
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups cornflakes
• 1 loaf egg (challah) bread, sliced into six 1-inch-thick slices (see "Love Note" No. 1 below)
• 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter (divided), preferably clarified (see Love Note 2 below)
• Confectioners' sugar, for serving (optional)
• Softened butter, for serving
• Maple syrup, for serving

Method

Lisa Schroeder (John Vallis)1. If your pan isn't big enough to cook all the French toast at the same time, heat the oven to 200°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, half-and-half, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla.

2. Place the cornflakes in another large bowl and crush with your hands until the pieces are small (but not like breadcrumbs) and somewhat uniform in size. Place a rimmed baking sheet nearby to hold the prepared bread.

3. Dip a slice of bread into the cream mixture, immersing both sides (saturate it, but do not let it fall apart).

4. Dip the slice into the cornflakes on both sides, pressing to adhere the flakes; set aside on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining slices.

5. Place a griddle or wide (preferably 14-inch) sauté pan over medium heat for several minutes. If using an electric griddle, set the heat to 350°F.

6. Sprinkle the griddle with a few drops of water; they should bounce around before evaporating. If they sizzle away quickly, the heat is too high. If they just sit there and slowly steam, the heat is too low. When the griddle is properly heated, add one tablespoon of clarified butter for each piece of French toast and tilt to coat the pan.

7. Add the prepared bread in an even layer. Cook until golden on one side, about four minutes. Lift each piece with a spatula and put half a tablespoon of butter in its spot. Flip the toast onto the butter to cook the other side, about four minutes more. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread. Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven until all the French toast is cooked.

8. Cut each piece of bread in half diagonally to make triangles. Arrange three triangles like shingles on serving plates, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired, and serve with softened butter and maple syrup.Lisa Schroeder's Mother's Crunchy French Toast. (Ellen Silverman)

Lisa Schroeder's Love Notes

1. Challah (pronounced hall-uh) is a slightly sweet, eggy Jewish bread that's becoming increasingly common at gourmet grocery stores and bakeries. Many bakeries often carry it only on Fridays, for the Jewish Sabbath. If you can't find it, substitute any soft, sweet bread, such as brioche, Hawaiian bread, or thick slices of Texas toast.

2. Clarified butter is important for this recipe because it allows you to cook the French toast at a high enough heat to get a proper sizzle going, ensuring that the toasts stay crunchy. If the butter isn't clarified, the milk solids will melt and impart moisture, which can impede crunchiness. And when the solids inevitably burn, they'll give a burnt flavour to the food.

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Anne Lindsay's Spicy Scallops on Sprout and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Anne Lindsay (Lorella Zanetti)Formerly the nutrition editor for Canadian Living magazine, Anne Lindsay has been working to keep Canada's eating habits healthy now for more than 25 years. She has published six cookbooks, all with a health focus, and her newest book — Lighthearted at Home — collects some 500 of her favourite recipes from those volumes.

She describes her cooking as very simple and easy.

"All my recipe uses ingredients you can find at your local grocery store," she says over the phone from her Toronto home. "It's all healthy cooking, it's all from scratch and of course it's tasty."

For Lindsay, staying away from processed foods and using fresh, natural ingredients are vital parts of proper cooking.

"I want people to use good quality ingredients," she continues. "Always use fresh lemon juice, for example, rather than bottled, and use fresh garlic and ginger. That brings so much flavour and life to a dish without being complicated. There's a whole generation of people who just don't know how to cook. I'm hoping my book will appeal to them and show them just how easy it is."

Lindsay herself has three grown children and four grandchildren. She emphasizes the importance of making the cooking experience fun for children.Lighthearted at Home by Anne Lindsay

"My three-year-old grandchild is learning to cook with me," she laughs. "He'll wash lettuce, and he breaks eggs into the dish and stirs thing for me."

She says the best thing you can do for your mother on Mother's Day is spend time with her doing something she loves, and if you don't live close by, pick up the phone.

"It's always nice to be remembered," she says.

This Mother's Day, Lindsay recommends cooking Spicy Scallops and Snow Pea Stir-Fry — and she has some special advice for anyone cooking for their mothers.

"Do the dishes," she laughs.

Spicy Scallops on Sprout and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

(Excerpted with permission from Lighthearted at Home by Anne Lindsay, Published by John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd, 2010.)

Spicy Scallops

Hot Chinese chili paste adds a little fiery flavour to scallops. Serve with rice and snow peas and sprouts or stir-fried bok choy or broccoli. I like to use the regular-size scallops, rather than the tiny bay scallops, for this recipe.

Ingredients (makes four servings)

• 2 tsp canola or olive oil
• 1 tbsp minced gingerroot
• 3 tbsp chopped green onion
• 1 pound of scallops

Sauce

• 2 tbsp sherry
• 1 tbsp sodium-reduced soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp chili paste or hot pepper sauce

Method

Spicy Scallops on Sprout and Snow Pea Stir-Fry (Lorella Zanetti)Sauce: Stir together sherry, soy sauce, oil, sugar and chili paste. Set aside.

In nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat; stir-fry gingerroot and onion for 10 seconds. Add scallops; cook for about 30 seconds on each side or until lightly browned. Stir in sauce; stir-fry for about two minutes or just until scallops are opaque throughout.

Be careful not to overcook the scallops. They cook very quickly and soon become dry.

Sprout and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

My friend Stevie Cameron is a fabulous cook. I came up with this recipe after tasting a similar dish at one of her dinner parties.

Ingredients (makes four servings)

• 4 cups snow peas (8 oz/250 g)
• 2 tsp canola or olive oil
• 2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 2 tbsp minced gingerroot
• 2 cups bean sprouts (4 oz/125 g)
• 3 tbsp water (optional)
• 2 tsp sodium-reduced soy sauce

Method

Remove stem ends and strings from snow peas. In large nonstick skillet or wok, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic, gingerroot and snow peas; stir-fry for one minute.

Add bean sprouts; stir-fry for one minute or until vegetables are tender-crisp, adding water if necessary to prevent burning. Stir in soy sauce.

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Rose Reisman's Lemon Meringue Custard Pie

Rose Reisman (Lorella Zanetti)Rose Reisman's recipe for Lemon Meringue Custard Pie is based on an odd dessert she developed for a Toronto restaurant.

"I was coming up with shot-glass desserts for the restaurant Glow," says Reisman, "which is a restaurant based on the entire philosophy of my cooking."

Reisman, who has published some 16 previous books on healthy cooking, developed a number of variations on classic desserts for the restaurant. But to keep the calories down, rather than being served in large portions, each comes in a two-ounce shot glass.

"I used low-fat condensed milk for the shot-glass dessert, and then I realized it would make a great recipe for my cookbook," she says. "The combination of the low-fat condensed milk and the lemon juice was fantastic. Instead of using a crust with butter or lard, I came up with a vanilla wafer crust. Everybody's got a recipe for lemon meringue pie, but this is just a touch different."

Reisman's new book, Rose Reisman's Family Favourites, contains 270 such easy recipes that aim to deliver good, fresh flavour while also being healthy. The book features a wealth of advice for helping family members maintain a balanced diet, with subjects including planning family meals, weight control, restaurant eating, grocery shopping, vitamins and food safety.

Rose Reisman's Family Favourites by Rose Reisman "We still have a growing epidemic of obesity," says Reisman. "For every kid born after the year 2000, there's a one in three chance they are going to develop type-two diabetes. That's a result of our fast-paced living. We're not cooking at home, but we can't trust fast food restaurants because there is so much hidden fat and sodium. A regular meal at some of these chains delivers two days worth of sodium. What I want to do is bring an awareness of this situation to families."

This year for Mother's Day, Reisman, who has four grown children aged 18 to 25, suggests that rather than going out to a restaurant, people should get everyone together for a pot luck.

"But make it healthy," she says. "Not diet, but do a great brunch or dinner for mom and make it a little lighter. My own mother passed away just last year, and she never wanted to go to a restaurant. She just loved it when the whole family got together."

Lemon Meringue Custard Pie

(Excerpted from Rose Reisman's Family Favourites , copyright Rose Reisman 2010. Reprinted by permission of Whitecap Books. )

This is a twist on a lemon meringue pie — the filling has a creamier, custard like texture. The meringue I have developed doesn't leak and holds its shape for at least two days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients (makes one nine-inch pie)

Crust

• 1½ cups vanilla wafer crumbs
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Filling

• 1 can (14 oz) plus two-thirds of a cup of low-fat sweetened condensed milk
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• ½ cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 3 eggs yolks (save the whites)

Meringue

• 3 egg whites
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 3 Tbsp water

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a nine-inch pie pan with cooking spray.

To make the crust, combine the crumbs, water and oil a small bowl. Pat into the sides and bottom of the pie pan.Lemon Meringue Custard Pie (Ryan Szulc)

To make the filling, combine the sweetened condensed milk, lemon zest, lemon juice and egg yolks until well combined. Let sit for 10 minutes until thickened. Pour into the pie pan and bake for 20 minutes or just until the mixture is set.

Meanwhile, make the meringue. Combine the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and water in a clean bowl. With an electric beater, whip at the highest level for about six to eight minutes or until stiff peaks form. Spread over the lemon filling. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 10 minutes or until just lightly browned.

Chill until cold and cut into 14 small slices.