Pantastic, musical and drinkable ideas for Mother’s Day

My mother manages to turn out some amazing meals from pans I can’t abide. Wobbly handles and uneven bottoms respond to her touch, but not mine. I wish she’d let me bring her some T-fal fry pans with non stick interior and exterior and an even heat base. While this noted brand does have some more pricy items, the pans are something of a more moderate investment that will surely save stress while frying an egg in the mornings. They’re easy to clean and I absolutely love how easy it is to turn eggs over, sauté onions or melt cheese. The handles are firm and the overall product is sure to make even a novice cook impress diners.

T-Fal Actifry is something I have NOT tried, but you apparently can for about $249 from Bed Bath & Beyond. It’s billed as “A healthy multi-cooker—thanks to its unique technologies, it creates lower fat versions of the foods we all love such as French Fries, Stir Fry, and Mac ‘n’ Cheese with no more than 1 spoonful of oil.” T-fal’s Air Bake bakeware features non-stick insulation when two heavyweight aluminum sheets surround a layer of air. The air reduces the temperature of the metal that comes in contact with the food which makes for even baking and browning. It’s available at www.t-falusa.com. Ingenio, features T-fal’s patented Thermospottechnology and removable handles for easy storage and stacking. The line is exclusive for HSN shoppers and retails for $119.95 and will be available on hsn.com.


Finally, a radio!

I was hoping that freeing the Sansa Clip Zip MP3 Player from its plastic casing would be the most difficult part of getting it from package to my ears. I’m not a techie, but I did get my favorite stations (go KVLU from Lamar University ) into this cool contraption during commercials of a crime drama I sometimes watch. It’s about the size of an old-fashioned lighter and yes, I realize players you can clip to your T-shirt and take on your walk have been around a while. When I saw this one has an FM radio and comes in a rainbow of colors and costs less than $50, I wanted to play with it and I approve. It comes with a few songs I’ll describe as Euro-tech, but you can load your own. I’m waiting for my daughter to do all that for me.

A silver sip

When is high stress good? Apparently the higher elevation of Jalisco, Mexico stresses agave plants into more depth and character for Avion Tequila. After harvesting, agave gets a slow roast in brick ovens and gets distilled in stainless steel pots with copper coils to remove sulfur. I could go on about “ultra slow filtration,” but I’ll just let you know the Silver version is smooth and Mom might like a bit served up on date night. This brand is new to Texas and a maker has San Antonio ties. I love Silver’s aroma, which my research shows has herbal tinges of mint and rosemary, delicate hues of flowers and black pepper and hints of grapefruit and pineapple. A little goes a long way and its smooth. Avion Reposado is aged six months and Avion anejo gets two years in oak casks. I’m sure I’m not the only mother who could go for this. Word is you can try Avion on tap, yes, I said tap of tequila, at Iron Cactus in Austin. Here’s a recipe:

Elevated Margarita

RECIPE:

2 parts Tequila Avión® Silver

1 part Fresh Lime Juice

½ part Agave Nectar

1. Combine ingredients in a shaker and shake with ice.

2. Strain into chilled glass.

ddoiron@panews.com