Taking mom to breakfast or brunch on Mother's Day is a time-honored tradition. While it is a worthy start to her special day, I believe that we can do better. This year, in lieu of waiting around for a table in a noisy restaurant, why not make things a bit more comfortable? Why not serve the mom in your life breakfast in bed?

Do I really need to explain why it's so important to make it a great day for mom on Mother's Day? That part you should already know. What you may not know is that with a little forethought, the breakfast you make her at home can be better than anything you'd order in a restaurant. The first question you need to ask yourself – does she like her breakfast sweet or savory?

There are two types of people in this world, those who prefer a sweet breakfast like pancakes or waffles, and those who enjoy a savory breakfast such as eggs. For this reason I have put together two different menus. Your job is to pick the one that best fits her taste.

The Sweet
Pancakes are great and so are waffles, but in my opinion the tastiest sweet breakfast is Pain Perdu, or French toast to you and me. The reason I'm even mentioning the French term is that understanding its literal translation is the first key to taking this dish to a whole new level.

In French, Pain Perdu means, "lost bread" and refers to a dish that was developed for the sole purpose of reclaiming any "staff of life" that had gone stale. I know that serving stale bread on Mother's Day doesn't sound like a great idea, but trust me when I say it is crucial for getting this dish right.

Fresh bread has a moisture content, which gets in the way of absorbing liquid. Think of it as a wet sponge. Stale bread, on the other hand, is like a dry sponge. The lesson here is that dipping a fresh slice of bread into liquid custard will result in soggy French toast. In turn, the use of stale bread is sure to yield the perfect interior texture.

The type of bread you use to make this dish is also very important. If you're planning on purchasing a product from your local grocery's bread aisle, you may want to rethink your approach. This type of bread is typically loaded with ingredients that keep it from going stale. Bread found in a bakery, even your local market's bakery, is usually a better overall product and contains none of these ingredients.

My suggestion is to visit the supermarket at least one day before Mother's day to do your shopping. You'll understand why in a moment. While you're there, stop by the bakery and pick yourself up a loaf of quality fresh bread. My personal preferences are Jewish challah (hah-lah), French brioche, or good old American egg bread.

The reason I've suggested taking a trip to the market a day or so in advance is because good French toast starts with a few easy steps the evening before you plan on making it. Follow the recipe below and I guarantee you'll have a very happy mom.

Kirk's French Toast (serves 4)

• 8 slices of bakery bread (challah, brioche, egg bread, etc.) cut 1.25-inches thick
  
• 3 large eggs, beaten
  
• 1 C half and half
  
• 2 tbsp honey
  
• 1 tbsp orange liquor (optional)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 3-4 tbsp unsalted butter

The night before...

Place bread slices onto a baking sheet and loosely cover with clean towels. Keep on countertop overnight. This should be more than enough time for the bread to go stale.

In a bowl, combine eggs, half and half, honey, orange liquor, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Whisk well and transfer to a sealable container. Refrigerate overnight.

The morning of...

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove egg mixture from the refrigerator and transfer into a shallow dish.

Dip both sides of bread into egg mixture, allowing each side to soak for 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer the soaked bread slices to a baking sheet and allow them to sit for two minutes.

Meanwhile, melt one tablespoon of butter in a non-stick skillet placed over a medium flame. Place two slices of bread into skillet and fry for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a clean baking sheet and place in the preheated oven for 5 minutes before serving. Repeat this process with the remaining slices of bread.

Serve with syrup, jam, or whipped cream.

The Savory
When you talk about savory breakfast dishes, for the most part you're talking about eggs. The problem, however, is that scrambled or fried eggs aren't exactly special treats. On the other hand, more elaborate egg dishes such as Eggs Benedict and omelets can be a little tricky to make.

My goal for giving you an egg dish to serve on Mother's Day is two-fold. Not only does it need to be a special meal, but it also has to be somewhat simple to pull off. I may have convinced you to forgo restaurants and to cook at home, but asking you to make hollandaise sauce or master the art of omelet making is a whole other story.

The dish I've chosen is something I affectionately refer to as Breakfast Bruschetta. It is elegant, delicious and super simple. The fact that it always gets rave reviews makes it somewhat of a go-to dish for me. I hope you feel the same.

Breakfast Bruschetta (serves 2 to 3)

• 4 large eggs
  
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
  
• 1 12 to 14-inch French baguette
  
• 2-3 tbsp of sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and chopped
• 1 heaping tbsp store-bought pesto sauce
  
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  
• 1 5-ounce package of goat cheese, softened
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together pesto and olive oil and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, cream and a generous pinch of salt. Set aside.

Cut baguette crosswise into 4 equal size pieces. Split those pieces in half lengthwise, yielding 8 pieces total. Using your fingers, scrape out the "bready" part and either reserve for another use, or discard. Toast bread crusts in oven for 5 minutes or until light brown and crisp.

Remove bread from oven and immediately spread with equal amounts of goat cheese. Set aside.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium flame and add butter. Once butter has melted add eggs and scramble to the desired doneness.

Top each slice of bread with equal amounts of scrambled eggs. Sprinkle with equal amounts of sun-dried tomatoes and drizzle with pesto oil. Serve immediately.

The Sides
What would a great Mother's Day breakfast be without a few worthy side dishes? My plan here is to give you two recipes that will each work perfectly alongside either the French toast or Breakfast Bruschetta.

If you're a meat-eater like I am there's a fairly good chance you love bacon. But once again, I can't tell you to just make bacon. It's just a little too pedestrian for this special day. Instead, I'm going to share my method for a chili and maple glazed bacon that's sure to make mom smile. The best part is that there's no standing over a spitting skillet making batch after batch. This bacon gets cooked in the oven.

Maple & Chili Glazed Bacon (serves 4)

• 12 slices of quality thick-cut bacon
  
• 1/4 C grade B maple syrup
  
• Crushed red pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange bacon slices on sheet and place in oven.

Once bacon is 3/4 cooked (to the degree of doneness you like it), remove the baking sheet from the oven. Using a pastry brush, apply a light coating of maple syrup to the top of each slice of bacon. Sprinkle a desired amount of crushed red pepper to each slice and return the sheet pan to the oven.

Continue cooking bacon to the desired degree of doneness. Remove baking sheet from oven and transfer cooked bacon to a clean plate. Allow the bacon to rest for a few minutes before serving.

I can't even begin to tell you how good this bacon is. For those of you who are wondering about Grade B maple syrup, it is a less processed and darker version of the Grade A that most of us are used to. You can find Grade B at many supermarkets, health food stores, and Trader Joe's.

For my second side dish, I've decided to go with a fruit salad. If you were guessing that it's not your ordinary fruit salad you'd be right. This fruit salad comes with dressing. But, the most important part of making our fruit salad is the criteria you follow for picking the fruit.

First and foremost, it has to be fruit that mom likes. Second, it has to in season and delicious. Not sure about what's good at your local market? No worries. Simply ask your produce person. If they are unable to tell you what's good, you are shopping at the wrong market.

Fruit Salad with Lime Yogurt Dressing (serves 4)

• 5 C of assorted ripe fruit cut into bite-sized pieces (pineapple, melon, berries, apple, pear, kiwi, etc.)
  
• 1 C vanilla yogurt
  
• 2 tbsp honey
  
• 1/4 C freshly squeezed lime juice
  
• 1 tsp lime zest
  
• 1 tbsp mint leaves, finely chopped

In a bowl, combine yogurt, honey, limejuice, and zest. Mix well and chill for one hour.

In a bowl, combine the cut up fruit with the chilled dressing. Toss well and allow the salad to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. Garnish with finely chopped mint and serve.

Your Mother's Day menu has been sent. No matter if you choose to serve the mom in your life her breakfast in bed or at the dining room table, one thing is for sure, it is the perfect way to tell her you love her.

Happy Mother's Day!

Kirk Leins has been cooking his entire life. No stranger to professional kitchens, he currently devotes most of his time to cooking instruction, food writing, and producing television. Kirk also provides his services as a personal chef in and around the Los Angeles area. He has made several TV appearances on both the national and local level, and is the Executive Chef for YOU Magazine. Sign up for Kirk’s free newsletter and cooking blog at www.NoTimeToCookDinner.com.