A Mother's Day Dinner Menu That Pulls Out All the Stops

There's only one day a year dedicated to Mom, so Mother's Day is the time to pull out all the stops and prepare a beautiful spring-inspired dinner for her. To help, we've created an elegant menu that shows your mom just how much you appreciate her—and since we appreciate you, we've added in make-ahead tips to help you in the kitchen.

To start, turn pull-apart rolls into mini lobster rolls—it's one of our favorite appetizer shortcuts. Next, you'll revamp roasted chicken by transforming it into an unexpectedly delicious chicken-and-bread salad with spring peas for an impressive main. At their peak sweetness now, baby carrots are delicious roasted and served on top of an addictive herby yogurt sauce with a crumble of feta. Finish the meal with an elegant pistachio-and-rhubarb cake. If you ask us, it's the perfect spring dessert.

To Start

One of our all-time favorite party tricks is turning pull-apart rolls into mini buns. Our Easy Lobster Rolls, seen above, are so simple to make, and everyone loves them. Simply split the tops, stuff with lobster salad, and serve as is—everyone can pull off a roll (or two). Buying cooked lobster makes these adorable appetizers a cinch to prepare.

Make-Ahead Tip: The lobster salad can be made the day before and refrigerated.

The Main

Our Mother's Day main dish is Roasted-Chicken Bread Salad with Peas. This recipe turns a classic dish of roast chicken into a fancy affair by pairing it with buttery croutons and crunchy sugar snap and English peas. Then, a bright lemony dressing is drizzled over the top to bring the dish together, creating a chicken-and-bread salad. Top with delicate pea tendrils for a refined Mother's Day meal.

Make-Ahead Tip: To make the most of your time with Mom, the croutons and peas can be cooked the day before. Be sure to store them separately as the peas need to be refrigerated, and the croutons kept at room temperature.

The Side

These Roasted Carrots with Parsley Yogurt look and taste like they come from a fancy restaurant, but the secret is that they're surprisingly easy to make. Spread a herby yogurt sauce on the bottom of the plate, then scatter roasted baby carrots on top. Finish with crumbled feta and a handful of fresh herbs.

Make-Ahead Tip: To simplify your Mother's Day prep, roast the carrots before you get the chicken started and serve this side at room temperature. The sauce can be prepared and refrigerated up to two days in advance.

The Dessert

For this special meal for Mom, bake a pretty Pistachio-Rhubarb Yogurt Cake that's adorned with rhubarb pieces. A generous sprinkle of granulated sugar before baking gives the cake a crunchy top.

Make-Ahead Tip: No need to worry about dessert day-of. It can be baked the day before.