A mother’s nurturing goes such a long way, you never can tell where it will lead. For the food writers of this section, our moms’ time in the kitchen chopping and mixing, baking and braising, had significant influences. Today, in tribute to the women who perform the daily task of providing sustenance for their families, we each share a favorite dish our own moms prepared for us. Happy Mother’s Day.

NADINE AND PHYLLIS KAM

I liked bonding over food rituals when I was a kid. It started with pancakes. My mom, Phyllis Kam, would make the batter on weekends and, after cooking the “real” breakfast, would turn the batter over to my siblings and me. Never one to follow rules, I would soon be creating dime-size babies, snowmen and other shapes.

Won ton was more complicated because you had to master the fold. To this day I need reminding from Mom about how to do it right.

Through the won tons I learned to appreciate the blend of textures and flavors, of crunchy water chestnuts, chewy mushrooms, the bite of cilantro and fermented flavor of white pepper. I don’t taste these at many Chinese restaurants here, where lazy won tons are usually filled with lots of pork and some shrimp. I guess some diners appreciate that they’re paying for more meat than frills, but the frills make it taste like home. — Nadine Kam, “Weekly Eater” columnist

SOFT WON TON

12 water chestnuts, chopped fine
6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped fine
1/2 cup green onion, chopped fine, divided
1/2 pound ground pork
Salt and Chinese white pepper, to taste
1 package won ton pi
12 shrimp, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Cilantro, chopped, to taste
Packaged saimin or ramen

In large bowl, toss water chestnuts, shiitake and half of green onion, reserving the rest of the green onion for garnish.

Add pork hash to vegetable bowl, sprinkle spices over pork, then mix ingredients until well blended.

Place about 2 teaspoons of pork mixture on center of won ton pi. (Note that won ton pi purchased at Chinatown noodle shops will be smaller and less starchy than supermarket pi. You can use more pork on supermarket pi and the won ton will be larger.) Place one piece of shrimp on pork mixture.

Fold one corner of pi over pork mixture at angle to form two points at top that look like a crown. With points facing toward you, push in mixture to center and fold right corner to left, then left to right, so the won ton has four points on top. Dab drop of water at corner so starch bonds the won ton together. Set aside until ready to cook.

Bring pot of water to boil. Drop in about 8 to 10 at a time. Cook about 3 minutes and remove with slotted spoon. Pass under cold water to prevent pi from becoming soggy. Reserve.

Cook packaged noodles per instructions. Place won ton on top and garnish with reserved green onion and cilantro, to taste. Makes 60 won tons.

Approximate nutritional information, per 2-won ton serving (not including salt to taste): 60 calories, 1.5 g fat, no saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, no sugar, 3 g protein

BETTY AND BETTY ZANE SHIMABUKURO

Christmas cookie baking was a community affair when our family lived in the small town of DeKalb, Ill. My mother, Betty Zane Shi­ma­bu­kuro, remembers joining the neighborhood moms for a marathon of mixing, rolling and baking that always included these Candy Cane Cookies.

After we moved to Hawaii, the bake-athon was limited to the two of us, with these candy canes in our repertoire for years.

As we are on the opposite side of the calendar from Christmas, we suggest that you turn these into Spring Twists or some other shape that reflects the season. Pretend you are playing with Play-Doh. — Betty Shimabukuro, "By Request" columnist

CANDY CANE COOKIES

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract (see note)
1 egg
3-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
A few drops red food coloring (see note)

In large bowl, stir together sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, almond extract and egg. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Divide dough in half. Work food coloring into one half. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For each cookie, pinch off a teaspoon of plain and a teaspoon of red dough. Working on a floured surface, roll each piece into a log about 4 inches long. Place the logs side by side and twist to form a candy cane. Press ends together lightly. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and curve top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until light brown. Sprinkle with more sugar while still hot. Makes about 4 dozen.

Variation: Other flavorings such as peppermint or lemon may be used instead of almond. Dough may be colored in shades to match any season and formed into other shapes, as though working with clay. Tricolor dough can be used to form braids.

Approximate nutritional information, per cookie: 90 calories, 4 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 4 g sugar, 1 g protein

JOLEEN AND ETHEL OSHIRO

My mother, Ethel Oshiro, is well appreciated for her cooking ethic. Her food tastes good because she’s not afraid to go the extra step — or two or 10 — for the sake of a delicious dish.

Take Mom’s rendition of tofu salad. The ingredient list is short and what you’d expect, but preparation requires an investment of time and careful attention.

In the end you’ve got a salad that’s off the ono chart.

"The trick is flavoring the oil with garlic and heating it up real hot so it cooks the watercress," says Mom. "That’s why people like it so much." — Joleen Oshiro, food editor

TOFU SALAD

1 block tofu
1 bunch watercress
1/3 cup oil
4 to 5 cloves garlic
1/4 medium-size red onion or other sweet onion, finely diced
2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
1 can tuna, well drained
1/2 cup shoyu

Place tofu block in colander and slice into large pieces (about 2 dozen long pieces). Place colander in dish and drain tofu for half a day in refrigerator. (Pour off liquid occasionally.)

Rinse watercress, drain and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces.

In small pot on medium, heat oil and garlic. Watch over it; when garlic starts sizzling and browning, remove from heat. Do not let garlic burn. Cool and repeat a couple of times.

In casserole dish or 9-by-13-inch pan, assemble salad in this order: drained tofu, onions, tomatoes, tuna and watercress. Pour shoyu over the watercress.

Reheat oil until garlic sizzles again. (Garlic can be well browned, but do not let it cook until black, which will make oil taste bitter.)

Pour a small amount of oil over watercress. If watercress does not sizzle, oil is not hot enough. Reheat and try again. Pour hot oil over watercress. Serves 3 to 4.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 4 servings): 470 calories, 31 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, greater than 2,000 mg sodium, 14 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 39 g protein

MARIKO JACKSON AND AKEMI SPENDLOVE

I used to cry when my mother, Akemi Spendlove (pictured above, carrying Mariko), made Omurice, or “Omelet Rice,” even though it includes no unpopular ingredient. I was squeamish about undercooked egg whites and cooked carrots. Most kids probably would love it as an excuse to eat as much ketchup as possible.

When I made it for myself this week, I stood at the stove, eating it out of the pan. It’s not fancy or especially nutritious, but I think it fulfills every craving. It’s like the Japa­nese equivalent of a box of macaroni and cheese. This meal just feels like home and reminds me again that my mother’s taste was underappreciated. — Mariko Jackson, “Little Foodie” columnist

OMELET RICE

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup ham, diced
1/4 cup peas
3 cups cooked short- or medium-grain white rice
3 tablespoons ketchup
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 eggs
2 tablespoons milk

Heat oil in wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, throw in bell pepper, onion and ham (you can use different veggies or meats), and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until onion is translucent and just beginning to brown.

Stir in peas and rice, moving ingredients around quickly so rice does not stick to pan, for a few more minutes.

When the rice is evenly mixed with the vegetables and breaks up easily, add ketchup and salt and pepper, to taste. Keep stirring until the rice turns a reddish pink color and is savory enough to stand on its own. Add more ketchup if necessary. Remove rice from pan.

Whisk eggs, milk and salt and pepper. Lightly oil large fry pan on medium heat. When hot, add about two eggs worth of liquid to pan, lightly rotate to spread around entire surface, and cook about 20 seconds or when just lightly set (do not flip over). Egg will still be slightly runny.

Put about a cup of rice in middle of omelet and quickly turn egg and rice together to wrap it. Turn over onto a plate. Repeat with remaining egg and rice. Serves 3 to 4.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 4 servings): 400 calories, 17 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 325 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 47 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 16 g protein

WANDA ADAMS AND ADELAIDE DUARTE ADAMS ROWLAND

My mother, Adelaide Duarte Adams Rowland of Wai­luku, Maui, was a career woman in the days when most women stayed home, keeping house. Mom never had much time for cooking, but she was good at it on weekends, when she and my stepdad liked to have friends over for her famous ribs. On my 30th birthday, when I was living in Seattle, she made shoyu chicken for my girlfriends, who’d never eaten such a thing, and they were awed.

The recipe we picked to share is a cake so scrumptious and beautiful — and, in keeping with my mom’s cooking philosophy, easy — that it always brings compliments and requests for the recipe. We had fun preparing it together for this photo (and then eating it, too). — Contributor Wanda Adams

ORANGE CRUNCH CAKE

>> Crunch layer:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (we like walnuts best, but whatever)
1/2 cup melted butter

>> Cake:
1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 tablespoons grated orange peel

>> Frosting:
1 can vanilla frosting
1 cup thawed whipped topping
3 tablespoons grated orange peel
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
Mandarin oranges for garnish, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour (or oil spray) 2 or 3 (8- or 9-inch) round cake pans.
For crumb layer, in small bowl, toss together crumb layer. Press into bottom of each cake pan, dividing evenly.

To make cake, in large bowl, using electric mixer on low speed, combine ingredients until moistened, then beat 2 minutes at higher speed. Pour batter evenly over each crunch layer. Bake at 350 degrees until toothpick emerges clean and center springs back to the touch — 25 to 30 minutes, depending on depth of layers. Cool on racks 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pan and allow to cool completely on racks.

Frosting: In small bowl, beat frosting until fluffy, adding whipped topping gradually along with peels.

To assemble cake, place bottom layer, crunch side up, on flat decorative cake dish and frost top only, using about one-third of frosting and leaving the sides free of frosting. Place next layer on top, crunch side up, and frost. If using a third layer, repeat. Arrange mandarin oranges on top for garnish. Serves 12 to 16.

Note: You can frost sides, but the contrast of cake-crunch-frosting gives an interesting appearance.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (based on 16 servings): 460 calories, 24 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium, 58 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 42 g sugar, 4 g protein

CHUCK AND ALICE FURUYA

Because my father was in the military, we lived in all kinds of places, and my mother, Alice Furuya, learned many ethnic culinary styles, from Italian to Japa­nese. For all that, she preferred cooking comfort foods for her family at dinner, from beef stew to local-style teri­yaki to miso soup every Sunday.
Every now and then she would make veal piz­zai­ola, Wiener schnitzel or some other ethnic specialty she picked up along the way.
But I believe her most requested dish for family gatherings was this simple, homey version of baked beans. It uses nearly a gallon of canned beans and will easily feed a crowd. — Chuck Furuya, “By the Glass” columnist

BAKED BEANS

1 16-ounce package bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 large Portuguese sausage, diced
1 round onion, minced
2 (53-ounce) cans pork and beans
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Fry bacon, sausage and onions, then mix with pork and beans. Add brown sugar, ketchup and mustard and combine. Bake 2 hours. Serves 15.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 430 calories, 20 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 45 mg cholesterol, greater than 1,300 mg sodium, 52 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 24 g sugar, 16 g protein