The Lady We Love

WHYY helps you "make mom's day"
By Anna Christopher

Mother's Day is about flowers, cards and dinner out -- a day to pamper that special woman in your life to show your appreciation for all that she does. In recognition of the holiday, WHYY has several programming "treats" on TV12 for you and your mother to sit down and enjoy together!

After bonding over two new programs that explore and celebrate the strong connection between a mother and her children, surprise your mom with a delicious brunch or dinner courtesy of chefs Jacques Pepin and Dede Wilson. WHYY helps you make your meal a success by providing recipes for several of the dishes prepared on these programs.

Saturday, May 8

Jacque Pepin Mother's Day Brunch

Instead of making the standard waffles and eggs, take a cue from Jacques Pépin and treat your mother to one of these imaginative egg-based brunch entrees that he prepares on Jacques Pépin Celebrates. Try Pépin's gratin of eggs with sauteed mushrooms topped with a creamy soubise sauce; mollet eggs with stewed asparagus; or the classic fine-herbs omelet (see the link to this recipe below). With such succulent dishes to choose from, the only difficultly will be deciding which one to make! 2 p.m.

Online Extras:

Finely chopped chervil, tarragon and chives add spice and flavor to this traditional omelet. Perfect the dish with Jacques' recipe and instructions.

Read more of Jacques' best kitchen tips and techniques and print his gourmet recipes.

Dede Wilson Mother's Day Dinner

Napa Valley resident Maria Helm Sinsky, author of The Vineyard Kitchen: Menus Inspired by the Seasons, shares her ideas for the perfect Mother's Day dinner menu on Seasonings with Dede Wilson: Cooking & Entertaining for Special Occasions. Emphasizing quality ingredients, her dishes focus on the freshness and flavor of each element and make use of May's seasonal offerings. On the menu are a sweet Vidalia onion and Gruyere souffle; an herb-roasted rack of lamb with roasted garlic fingerling potatoes; and caramelized rum-scented bananas with bittersweet chocolate sauce for dessert. 2:30 p.m.

Applause Online Exclusive: Replicate the delicious Mother's Day dinner featured on Seasonings with recipes courtesy of guest chef Maria Helm Sinsky! These recipes are only available to WHYY Applause Online subscribers.

You can also print out more of Dede Wilson's favorite recipes.

Mother Daughter The Story of Mothers and Daughters

Loving. Complicated. Close. Distant. If you are a woman, chances are you've used these adjectives at one point or another to describe the relationship you have with your mother. In this poignant new special hosted by actress Patricia Richardson ( Home Improvement ), 40 diverse American women of all ages, races and classes intimately share the experiences they have had with this universal relationship. From birth to separation to life anew, the film weaves a repeating pattern of coming together and drawing apart, and shows how the relationship between a mother and her daughters changes over the course of a lifetime. 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 16

Pure Magic: The Mother-Daughter Bond

Katherine Cheng and her fiance immigrated to the United States from China in the 1950s, marrying soon after they began graduate course work at the University of Texas. The first of four daughters, Amy, was born a year and a half later, and Katherine made the difficult decision to abandon her pursuit of a Ph.D. for life as a stay-at-home mother. In this new film, Cheng's daughters speak eloquently about their relationship with their mother and how it has evolved over the years. "One part respect and one part pure magic" is the way youngest daughter Audrey Cheng Trevino describes the connection between her mother and sisters, a connection which all five Cheng women say has been an invaluable source of support, encouragement and affection. 1:30 p.m.