Like all true Italians, we cherish and celebrate Mama all year round. But over the years, we’ve given and received some great Mother’s Day gifts. Here are some of our favorites: A box of cookies just for her Of course we have to start our list here. Who doesn’t love a cookie? Mama cooks and bakes for everyone else. We’ve created two Mother’s Day cookie assortments (gluten-free and regular) that feature some of our most popular and favorites so that Mama can enjoy a box of cookies all her own. Wedding cookies, nonna, biscotti, baci di dame, jelly-filled linzers: they are all there. Italian breakfast in bed What a luxury it is to have your children deliver a good fashion (Vogue Italia) or travel magazine (AFAR), coffee and something sweet to you in bed. What kind of something sweet? We have some ideas! The farfalletti is our version of a breakfast cookie. It’s like a miniature croissant with a dab of jam filling: apricot, strawberry or raspberry. There’s no sugar added and the foundation of the cookie is a simple butter and cream cheese dough. For gluten-free Moms, we are partial to a good biscottinni that dunks well. An Italian picnic May can be such a delicious time of the year: perfect for a picnic by the seaside, in the country or at a park. Pick up some good Italian prosciutto or salumi, an assortment of cheese (we’re partial to sweet Gorgonzola and fresh Asiago right now) and some olives. If you eat wheat, Grissini (Italian breadsticks) are a must. Figs, cherries and strawberries are all in season and require no preparation other than rinsing. Here are two gluten-free recipes to make in advance: Antipasto chicken salad Layered Torta with Ham, Provolone, Spinach and Herbs Don’t forget the sparkling water and wine (a lightly sparkling Prosecco or a Pino Grigio) and of course the cookies! Our wedding cookies now come in gluten-free as well as regular and are a perfect picnic treat. Pack it all off with a picnic blanket, some wine glasses, a bottle opener, plates, cutting board, cotton napkins and a knife for the cheese and fruit. Italian garden gifts When we grew up in Italy, everyone had a fruit or nut tree in the back yard. It was from these trees that Nonna would gather the flavors for her cookies: lemon, fig and apricot. You taste these flavors in many of our cookies: lemon nonna (gluten-free and regular), fig cuccidatis (gluten-free and regular) and jelly-filled Linzers (gluten-free and regular). A potted Meyer lemon tree is great for the patio and can be brought inside during winter if you don’t live in a temperate climate. Rosemary, thyme and lavender are classic Italian herbs and also do well in pots. Olivella olive oil skin care Olive Oil soap is a centuries-old skin care secret of Mediterranean women. It naturally replenishes lost moisture, nourishes the skin, and fights the effects of free radicals. Olivella makes luxurious skin care products that are made of 100% pure Italian virgin olive oil and produced right where the olives are grown, in “the green heart of Italy.” We love them! Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Email