When I was a junior in high school, I was elected as a co-chairman for our prom. That meant I was in charge of everything from the decorations to the dance and even the after-prom party. This is all about the after-prom.

The adults involved had a brilliant idea. To keep us all safe and out of trouble, they held our after-prom party at the local YMCA. The deal was after the dance we could all go to the "Y" for the after-prom party and it would go all night but once we were inside, the doors were locked. If you left, you were locked out for the rest of the evening and you were "locked out" of the fun. The thought of being locked out of the fun kept just about everyone from getting involved in drugs, alcohol or anything else that might go on during the night -- unsupervised by an adult. If you were at the "Y" you could swim, play all kinds of games and enjoy a DJ and dancing all night and morning with the promise of a really cool breakfast. Then it was off to bed at home.

Because I was in charge of this grand event, it meant I was also in charge of breakfast, so you guessed it...my mother became involved; personally drafted by me. The good news is she came along willingly. In fact, I'm pretty sure she came along for the ride enthusiastically; except for maybe the part about staying up almost all night. I think she got a nap from about 11PM until 1AM but then it was "up and at em'" getting everything down to the "Y" for the big production. She solicited the help of some of her energetic friends and they made a fabulous breakfast production team.

My mother consulted some with me and the rest of the prom committee but she pretty much picked the menu. She wanted to keep it simple because she had to feed about 400 hungry teenagers at 5AM. Imagine that. My mother was not a professional chef. She had never worked in a professional kitchen and here she saddled herself with the responsibility of running an operation to feed all those mouths from a professional setting. Just the look of the equipment would intimidate most. Not my mother. At least if she was intimidated, she never let on. This woman was an organizational wonder. The trip to the grocery store to feed 400 was enough to amaze the weak-hearted; let alone pull this thing off.

I can't remember all the details but I do remember most of the menu. We had fresh fruits to start off, all kinds of melons, strawberries, etc. A really pretty, colorful display. Then some pastries followed by scrambled eggs, ham, toast, juices and milk; plenty for a hungry teenager to eat. We all planned to stuff ourselves before we staggered home to bed exhausted after, for what for many of us was our first "all-nighter" -- a pass into what we thought was adulthood. What is it about staying up all night that makes you feel like you've come of age? (At this point I have no interest. I value my sleep!)

Anyway, back to that evening...

The whole thing was going along swimmingly. For the most part, I was partying with my friends and not having to supervise much. I can remember that as early morning came it was more exciting to be in the kitchen watching that action than being on the dance floor (where my co-chair was the DJ) or at the gym or the pool. The novelty of all of that had worn off hours before. The kitchen was where the action was at and I had security clearance to get in so I took advantage.

Mom was in full form. Never bossy; just in charge. Each woman knew her job and they were giggling like teenagers themselves as they set about their duties. As 5 AM approached, they were ready to go. The ham had been heating in large roasting pans with just enough water to keep everything from drying out. (That was one of the brilliant ideas that came from the group. Someone had seen that one somewhere.)

The eggs were the biggest production but how hard are scrambled eggs? They had large bowls to mix them using the major-league professional mixers and once they figured out how to turn the thing on they were in Hobart Heaven. After the eggs were cooked and ready all they had to do was transfer them to the "line". Those same stainless roasting pans used for the ham were the ones you use to hold the eggs. Imagine the regular cafeteria line with the pans all lined up and you get my drift. The hot water bath is underneath and the eggs were in the pans on top. They got everything ready about 15 - 30 minutes before the human line formed so all would be perfect before the doors opened and the hungry hoards descended.

But then my mom noticed something funny. Something horrible. The eggs. The EGGS! The EGGS had turned GREEN! Who pulled this horrible stunt! How could this happen! In a matter of seconds the situation turned from blissful to grizzly green. Some kind of chemical reaction with the stainless steel and the eggs had turned this creepy green color!

No time for Plan B. These were the days before 24-hour groceries. No time or budget to buy more eggs! No time to make them! We could serve the ham and all the other stuff but throw away the eggs?!

Not my mom.

My mom decided it was to become part of the theme. Green Eggs and Ham. Just like out of Dr. Suess. She tasted them and declared them just fine -- just funny looking.

The kids loved it! They thought it was a HOOT! They wanted to know how this magical chef had managed to dye the eggs in honor of their prom to remind them of their childhood so they could have Green Eggs and Ham the morning after their prom. My mom was the was the queen of prom. She was the hero of prom. She was the savior of the kitchen and now that she's passed on, I have the silver tray they gave her in thanks to prove it. I'm not sure how Dr. Suess knew of green eggs and ham or if he'd ever eaten them but he would have been proud of my mom.

You too can now eat green eggs and ham. These won't taste quite the same as my mom's because no chemical reactions are necessary; just the addition of pesto. They are so easy and the recipe so short I am going to add another great egg recipe to go along with them so you can do a brunch and have both.

Then I'm also giving you an orange juice drink I came up with this weekend to go with it. We were at dinner with our friends Cathy and Larry at a Mexican restaurant nearby and had an orange mojito. I decided it was so good that a non-alcoholic version would be great on a brunch table... and voila, here it is. Enjoy your green eggs and ham and if you have small grandchildren maybe you'd want to read Dr. Suess's book while you serve these eggs. It could make for a pretty festive morning.

Cheers,
Zola

Green Eggs and Ham

Serves 2 and can be doubled or tripled

4 eggs or 1 cup of egg substitute
1 tsp of butter
2 tsp of prepared pesto
salt and pepper
cherry tomatoes cut in half for garnish
4 slices of quarter-inch sliced ham.

Melt your butter in a small sauté pan on medium heat. Add your eggs and stir. Add the pesto and stir again to incorporate. If you're using the egg substitute the secret to successful scrambled eggs is not to stir too much. Just let them settle in and use a wooden spoon if you have one to mix them up so they form large clumps. Season with salt and pepper when they get to the consistency you like them and garnish on your plate with the cherry tomatoes for color.

Heat your ham while the eggs cook. You can do this in a warm oven or in a separate sauté pan or even the microwave. Serve under the eggs or on the side.

Scallion Scramblers

Serves 4

1 Tbl butter
1 carton of egg substitute or 8 large eggs
6 scallions, cleaned and quarter-inch diced with some of the green part too
4 oz cream cheese
pinch of cayenne-optional
salt and pepper-optional

Heat butter on medium in a medium-sized sauté pan. Add the scallions and cook until loosened; just a minute or less. Add the eggs. Stir just to incorporate the scallions and then let rest until the eggs begin to form. The secret to scrambled eggs; especially when you use egg substitute is not to over-stir them. Just fold periodically until they get to form large clumps and begin to dry up to the consistency you like them. Cut your cream cheese into small globs and scatter them across your finished eggs. Fold the eggs over once or twice to sort of bury the cream cheese and it will begin to melt. Sprinkle on your optional cayenne and salt and pepper and you're ready to serve.

Orange Mojitos

By the pitcher

OJ with no pulp
Club soda
Mint
Orange-flavored vodka (optional)

Two-thirds of your pitcher you'll fill with orange juice, one-third with plain club soda. Chop a handful of fresh mint leave and add them to the pitcher. Stir vigorously.

Serve in a tall glass over ice with a straw. If you don't use a straw you'll be picking mint out of your teeth. One other hint...As you serve it keep the mint stirred in. If you let it all float to the top, the first person will get all the mint and the rest of the guests will be left without. No fair. The mint is what really makes this a mojito.

If you want to make this a real orange mojito, add a shot of orange flavored vodka to each portion.

* Do you suffer from food allergies? Here are some tips on how to substitute for common food allergens so you can enjoy your favorite recipes.