Whew, and I thought March had a surplus of holidays! So far the celebrations of May have taught me the following:

1. The Kentucky Derby is a very exciting two minutes, sure, but it is still only two minutes that we've somehow built an entire day of fancy-hat wearing around.
2. I do not care for mint juleps.
3. Boxing is boring. Also confusing.
4. I always, always forget about Cinco de Mayo. Every year.

I jumped straight to Mother's Day with this curry chicken salad. Gently poached chicken breast, curry powder and mayo combine with celery, pine nuts and raisins for a light and delicious chicken salad with just a hint of curry.  You don't want to go overboard with the curry here, especially since the the best way to eat it is to pile it onto cinnamon raisin toast. Trust me, it's only weird if you have an abundance of curry overpowering everything.

Once you sandwich your curry chicken salad between two slices of cinnamon raisin toast and cut them into cute triangles, you have the perfect addition to a Mother's Day Tea.  I always think of my mom when I think of a fancy tea, because we've shared a lot of them together. I won't actually be spending the day with her, but if I were, the spread would definitely look something like this. 

Curry Chicken Salad

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp curry powder
2 stalks celery, diced
1/8 cup pine nuts
1/8 cup raisins
cinnamon raisin bread, for serving (optional)

1. Poach the chicken breast: in a saucepan, cover the chicken with lightly salted water and simmer about 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
2. Set chicken aside, and when cool enough to handle, shred with a fork or your hands.
3. Mix together mayonnaise and curry powder in a medium bowl, then add in the shredded chicken, celery, pine nuts, and raisins. Toss together all ingredients until fully combined. Add more mayo if mixture seems dry. Taste and adjust for salt.
4. To serve, pile on toasted cinnamon raisin bread.

Also on the menu:

Cucumber with Dill Cream Cheese on Rye Toasts: combine fresh dill and cream cheese, spread on toasted rye bread and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Top with cucumber slices.

Jam Cookie Sandwiches: spread a small amount of jam of your choice (I used peach) on a butter cookie and top with a second cookie.

Berries with Honey-Sweetened Whipped Cream: whip cream and honey together with a mixer until soft peaks form. Serve with berries of your choice.

Tea: Whatever your favorite is is fine, just make sure it's a good quality tea.