Recently I told you about my brand new IGA supermarket that recently opened up just around the corner from me. The kind people at IGA Australia thought it would be a good idea to show you how easy and hassle-free it could be to surprise all the mothers in your family in one quick visit to IGA.
My IGA is less than 5 minutes from me, I can park at the front door and it’s filled with local and Australian products from one end of the store to the other. They stock the international brands too. I dashed over to the IGA last night for cranberry sauce for my roast chicken dinner and I was in and out in less than 3 minutes.
I would have been out in a minute and a half but they put the cranberry sauce on the top shelf and I had to ask for help getting it down. Seriously. Do tall men ever buy the family’s cranberry sauce? I think not and it should be on a shelf I can reach.
My mother passed away several years ago so I don’t have one of my own to celebrate Mother’s Day with. I do have a mother-in-law and in her area at the aged care facility, she lives with 15 other women and they ALL love to be spoiled. I can walk in with a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolates and I’m like the pied piper walking down the hallway.
To show how easy it would be to make any mother happy, I went around the corner to the IGA today with all my new “mothers” in mind and here’s what I ended up with. Since we can’t bring a proper meal to the nursing home, I went with an indoor picnic theme. The ladies love it when someone brings in a food surprise.
For nibblies, Carolyn loves spicy food and I found these wonderful sweet chili sauce pistachios for her. Not only will they be a hit to eat, shelling the nuts gives the women something to do with their hands. The nuts are just spicy enough to be interesting but not so hot they’ll need a glass of milk and begin fanning themselves. We don’t want the oldies to start getting the vapours.
I had some leftover roast chicken and some leftover rolls and made a chicken salad and bought some cole slaw and this gorgeous white and sweet potato salad. Can you tell I didn’t make that at home? I can’t! Job done.
For dessert it can’t get easier than tossing a plain layered sponge cake in the shopping cart, plate it up, dollop sweet whipped cream between the layers and top with whipped cream and strawberries. This lovely cake took under 10 minutes from start to finish. My mother-in-law loves anything with whipped cream and berries and little Margaret gets excited about fresh strawberries.
This indoor picnic for several women and the three of us took about 35 minutes to prepare and I think you’ll agree that dashing around the corner to your local IGA can make you a hero. It certainly worked for me on my test-run Mother’s Day.
If whipping the cream is too much work on a busy day, these lovely cupcakes with pink icing are perfect for any mother. My ‘other mother’ Mary loves everything pink so I chose these for her. I did pinch a hunk off the one on the left after I finished the photos and it was moist and dense, just like you’d want it to be. Mary will be missing one cupcake.
The IGA also had beautiful white chocolate mud cakes, dark chocolate mud cakes, caramel mud cakes, pies and tarts and sweets of all sorts to choose from. I was spoiled for choice.
Now onto the real sweets! Maybe these mothers might not appreciate Jelly Bellies but I certainly do so I picked up a package of cocktail flavours and I think they go really well with the pink cupcakes. We’ll see how the ladies like them if I don’t eat them all first.
These are Joan’s favourite chocolates. We buy her a big box every week and she shares them with her carers when they come in to make her bed or help her get dressed in the morning. She doesn’t admit it but I suspect she eats a lot of these all by herself.
I could come up with heaps more ideas for surprising your someone special on Mother’s Day but you get the idea that it’s really easy. Don’t beat yourself up by needing to be super people. Just because you’re a great cook doesn’t mean you can’t get some help from your own IGA when you’re extra busy. My new found mothers had the best time when I arrived with all these goodies.
This post was sponsored by IGA Australia.
Mmmm, you will be popular. The IGA is good – best fresh fruit and veggies in Noosa. Enjoy your indoor picnic and happy mums day to you too. x A
What a sweet surprise, your indoor picnic sounds just delightful!
That cake looks like a show stopper, and only done in 10 mins… bam!
It appears like you’ve got everythin’ you need in that IGA. Thanks for sharing!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
…love that tall cake. I want to make one too!
🙂 ela
You are so sweet, Maureen, to shop for picnic supplies for your mother in law and all your new found mothers! And what a picnic spread it is! Totally delish – and you are right, no harm in a little help sometimes from your local IGA – now if only there was one near me…
How thoughtful of you, Maureen. It looks like a wonderful assortment of dishes and treats to share with the ladies at the aged care facility. I wish I had a mom to celebrate with too.
Love that cake and the cup cakes. That is really nice of you and I’m sure your mother in law feel so lucky to have you as her daughter in law.
we have been doing a bit more shopping at our fairly new IGA too lately – it especially has a fabulous range of local and gluten free products (not that I need gluten free, but its range is FAR superior to that of the big two).
I love my IGA too but it’s not as modern and pretty as yours! Mine’s an old Franklins revamped. On Mother’s Day I’m getting together with all my family and there’ll be about 20 of us at the lunch. My job is to bring the hors d’oeuvres so I’ll be heading into my IGA for antipasto ingredients. I just know you’ll be at the aged care facility spoiling your MIL xx
Maureen, you are a beautiful soul, and you will get the blessings of all of them. Your Mom would be ery ery proud of you, and I am sure she is smiling from somewhere up there 🙂 Happy Mother’s Day to all the loely Mothers.
I’ll bet at least once a month I’ll be in the supermarket and someone will ask me if I could do them a favor and reach something on the top shelf. Strange how stores sometimes don’t think of their customers as much as they could. My problem is the bottom shelves — I often have to get down on my hands and knees just to see what’s down there! Such a nice post, and useful to so many people. We’re all so fortunate that we can put together nice food from the supermarket without that much work on our parts (or any). It’s always the thought that counts, of course, but it you can serve something that’s tasty and attractive? Score!
I love IGA supermarkets, Maureen… wish we had one closer in Gungahlin somewhere… we are in Harrison (hint hint to any marketers reading this!). So many delicious things to shop for and bake. Lovely. Happy mother’s day xox
IGA supermarkets are wonderful, we are getting one here and the sooner, the better. I love your chicken salad rolls, moist and welcome. Such a delightul strawberry sponge cake and cupcakes too. It is lovely to take lunch to the nursing home and I hope you have a wonderfully happy mother’s day xx
you have me wandering what products should be on the top shelf for men – what do they like to buy in a supermarket – I know occasionally I am trying to reach stuff on the top shelf and it is quite a challenge.
Your going to spoil those dear little ladies, rotten, and they are loving every minute of it. I would loved to have seen the expression on their faces when your brought them all of those lovely treats. You are so sweet Maureen. The world would be a much better place with more Maureens! Take Care, BAM
Aww. I love that IGA and I love what you do! Everyone will be happy and thankful and FULL! Have a great Mother’s Day, Maureen!
wow, gotta like the IGA… everything looks great! Especially love the sponge cake 🙂
The sponge cake is an absolute thing of beauty! I stared at it for a good minute devouring it with my eyes!! 😀
Great last minute ideas and beautiful pics!
Such a nice idea…indoor picnic…everything sure sounds and looks delicious…but I am really eyeing on the cake.
Maureen, you are such an inspiration…thank you! I am sure that “all the mothers” that you “adopted” are very thankful 😀
This post makes me smile, hugely. You are a wonderful woman, and have clearly made 15 other women very happy. Gorgeous produce too!
What a fun feast! I think I could definitely get lost in there for a few hours. Thanks for sharing all these colorful, springtime inspired delights!
Maureen, you definitely are a shining star and can imagine you make so many people happy with sweet surprises like these. The vapours? What a giggle.
This is such a lovely idea Maureen. The vapours – so funny! What a great collection of treats. I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day down-under!
Wow, I bet your mother-in-law was really touched, I love the pink cupcakes!
I always thought I’d like to be a mouse in your kitchen but now I think being a mouse in your shopping cart would be just as nice … or maybe a mouse in the backseat of your car when you’re on your way to the nursing home or…. I just need to don my mouse outfit and head to Austrailia!!
You did a magnificent shop highlighting the positive aspects of an IGA store. I wasn’t sure how you could pull it. Well done. It was a fun read actually. Smiles.
Oh, boy, you can sure put together a nice spread! Love how you mixed some delicious store bought products with your homemade fare. A wonderful combo!
Shoot! I can’t remember if your comments are held for moderation…and I clicked up to follow you on Instagram. Anyway, so as not to repeat myself too much…great combo of store bought and homemade fare!
I’ve been to IGA a few times and I have to agree that they do have a quite good selection of food items.
I’ve been to IGA a few times and I have to agree that they do have a quite good selection of food items. Your blog is amazing and I love all the food creations you have made :)!
Wow Maureen you sure created a feast out of all of those ingredients. I can’t wait to spoil my Mum on Mothers Day 🙂
Happy Mother’s Day to you Maureen and all the ladies in the home.
How sweet, you sure made many very, very happy.
Know what you mean by items on the top shelves and of course no one in sight when one is needed.
Well you sure have plenty of stuff there to surprise any mum! I’m always amazed at the amount of sweets my parents can eat. It almost seems that the older they get (they’re 80 now) the more the tend to eat chocolate instead of a proper meal. Not sure if that’s a good thing but at least I always know what to get them… 🙂
You are a Beautiful Lady, Maureen! SO sweet of you to think about others too! Love your IGA store and the pink cupcakes are beautiful.
I love this post and love IGA ahh why I dont have one here? Lol
Love that you make by these sweet ladies!
Happy mother’s day
Love your cupcakes and the cake!
Your chicken salad and that sponge cake look beautiful and delicious. And have I ever mentioned that I can eat a 50 gallon drum of jelly beans? Happy Mother’s Day. 🙂
It sounds like you have a really nice store to shop in especially since it is right around the corner from you.
You make me smile Maureen – it’s lovely what you do for the oldies I’m sure they love your visits and it was the perfect selection of snacks you chose.
Krissie x – http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au
What a beautiful cake you made. Done in no more than 10 minutes, sounds a good idea for my next gathering.
What fun finds! I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day, Maureen.
I love IGA!! I have one here on Long Island, right up the road, and it is wonderful!! I love the people who work there and everything is convenient and I am in and out without waiting on long, LONG lines.
A wonderful picnic lunch. Blessings dear. Catherine xo
I am not at all surprised that you pulled such an amazing collection of goodies, all so thoughtful!
Not even sure what I loved the most, that chicken salad over the yellow plate is simply too stunning!
I also love those chocolates, we find them in our Marshall’s store, and every once in a while we’ll bring a box home, then share it with the grad students – you know, spread the love!
great post, glad you spent a nice Mother’s Day….
those cupcakes and that cake is to die for! I mean my word! What blessed and lucky people to have you in their life! AWESOME
This is such a fun, sweet spread that you put together, those lucky ladies must have just loved it!
What a wonderful thing to do, and do thoughtful too. We celebrated other peoples moms too.
What a wonderful idea your indoor picnic was, bet all the ladies loved it. That cake looks really good, its amazing what a little whipped cream and fresh berries can do.
i really love strawberry though all posted pictures makes me salivate more…
Well, it’s such a feast, Maureen, I don’t quite know where to begin. Perhaps, with you hitting the nail on the head. I second that call for supermarkets for petite people. It is so embarrassing (not to mention dangerous) trying to climb the shelf to get at product 🙁
Your picnic! Wow! I think for me, the pink cupcakes are the star – but I’d have to have some of the chicken salad and other savouries first.
I love to be the there and shop and look around.. Your photos look so succulent
Even though I’m a million miles away here in NY, we have an IGA too! I wonder if it’s the same one? Who knows… it’s not like that’s a popular name or something 😉 You are so very lucky to have a lovely, well laid out store to shop in. So fresh and clean! Thanks for giving us a sneak peek into your world…
It’s the same one but different country. 🙂
You will be sainted, Maureen!! Great job on making store bought food look homemade.(LOVE the cake!) I grew up near an IGA in Webster Groves, MO and our house upstate isn’t far from an IGA in Pine Plains, NY – they seem to follow me!
You are delightful. 🙂 It is such a wonderful thing to take the pressure off and just get to spoil someone by buying something beautiful and delicious that someone else made. 🙂
What a great daughter-in-law you are!! The IGA looks like a fun store to browse in.
That store looks soooo clean!! I’m right there with you, take the pressure off and go ahead and buy some pre made foods. YOU made everything look beautiful and that’s the most special part about sharing any dish, the personalized touch you give it!
I’d imagine you’d get such a good deed tingle in your tummy taking that delightful picnic to the old ducks in the nursing home. How very sweet. And to bring such joy to strangers when its needed most, on Mother’s Day, I wish there more people like you 🙂
That store looks beautiful, I’d love to take a browse in it! Beautiful pictures in this post… that are making me oh so hungry! 😉 Have a good one.
What a nice market, and it looks like you made the very best of it!
So true that you don’t have to constantly be a superwoman … shortcuts can be brilliantly delicious and (as you’ve shown here) … and sometimes you can’t even tell it’s not from scratch! Lots of great ideas (here’s looking at you, strawberry sponge cake!). Who wouldn’t feel totally spoiled?!?!? Hope you had a really lovely Mother’s Day! D
I love love love good markets/grocery stores. This would be an ideal way to spend any afternoon (especially one near Mother’s Day!)
hi maureen
how wonderful of you to bring in these goodies for the old dears. hubby’s mum is in a home too and it is really sad to see how some of them get no visitors ever by the look of it. i know i am hoping a loved one brings me in lots of contraband goods and whiskey when i am in a home!!:)
oops not sure my comment went thru but anyway here it is again.
good on you maureen for bringing pleasure into their lives. i want someone to bring me lots of contraband and hard liquor when i am in the home!
You’re such a great daughter-in-law! I was so busy that I fail to send kids’ mother’s day letters to their grandmas in time…. Ahh! This place sounds like a nice store to shop. I love organized store like that. 🙂
Hi Maureen! You are one kind and thoughtful lady! Both my Mom and my Mother in Law passed a long time ago. I am a Mom to a great son and “Mom” to most of his friends, which fills my heart with joy everyday! I have four best friends, first and foremost my husband of 30 years, my best girlfriend of 45 years, my best girlfriend of 30 years and my other best girlfriend of 10 years! I consider myself blessed with these special people! It isn’t how many friends you have, it’s how special the ones you have are! 🙂