A Warming Picnic

 These past few days haven't been Springlike. There's still a wintry chill in the air despite the blooming flowers and bright sunshine.It's still a nice time to gou outside for a picnic, just bring warm food.

A picnic with hot food is an easy gather. You can always buy a whole roast chicken just from the rotisserie at any of your local grocery stores. Pack a sharp carving knife so you can cut slices for sandwiches.  Another idea is bringing buckets of assorted pieces from Popeyes' or KFC along. Make sure you have plenty of wet wipes for afterwards. Of course a barbecue is another way of having warming food on an outing. There's the usual fare of hot dogs and hamburgers but you could also bring steaks or wursts for something different. if you want gravy for the steak, heat it up before hand at home, and then pour into a thermos. This creates a tasty French dip sandwich , perfect for chasing away a a Spring chill. To accompany the meat  think baked potatoes. You can roast them either with or without foil. One usually takes forty -five minutes to an hour  to thoroughly cook through If you want a faster cook precook them for about five to six minutes in the microwave before leaving home.

What about sides? Can they be hot as well? yes. You can easily whip up a hot potato salad and then put it in a container in an insulated bag.  To make this, it's cooking the potatoes in a vinegar and oil mix along with sauteed  chopped onions, flour sugar salt, celery salt and pepper. Bacon gives it an added kick of flavor but you can omit it if you want.  Another side is sauteing  cannelini beans with spinach and garlic.This can also be put into a container and carried to the picnic. A lighter hot picnic can be soup in a thermos with hot grilled bread. You can either make the soup yourself or just heat up cans of Campbells' or Gardein and pour into a thermos.What do you drink it out of? Get a set of camping coffee mugs on Amazon. A set of six stainless steels ones is only $15.99. These are great because they  can be easily rinsed out too. Use these for hot tea, coffee or hot cocoa that you can bring along too. These are the perfect ends to a hot picnic at the park or beach. Bring slices of plain pound cakes or shortbread cookies to end the meal.

Yes it's a chilly Spring right now. Yet you can still enjoy a meal in the fresh air. Just make it a hot one for a more enjoyable experience.

Small Parties Everywhere

 May is almost upon us and that means a slew of parties, from showers to graduation celebrations. it is time to celebrate yet many don't like the idea of big crowds. What do do? Go small. A gathering of only a few people over a series of days is better than a big do.

This is the season for bridal and baby showers. You can scale them down to six to ten people at a time. This makes for easy prepping cooking and clean up. Hosts can spend more time on cooking a smaller variety of nibbles and hors d'ouevres. Showers can have individual mini quiches. These are smaller than the usual nine inch ones and bigger than the appetizer ones. You can customize them with guests' favorite ingredients .Make a bacon and cheddar for one guest and two or three veggies for those who want a vegetarian version. Another great idea for a smaller party is serving Cornish game hens.  All you would need would be three or four for a small party. They can be easily spatchcocked and grilled on an outdoor grill. Think a honey mustard glaze for more flavor. Serve with timbales of rice and minced portabella mushrooms. A simple salad with a vinaigrette is s lovely side. You don't have to go crazy making a huge one. An average sized one will do nicely for a small gathering. As for desserts, think little tea cakes or a tray of prettily colored macarons or meringues.

Graduation parties, especially college ones have always been splashy with kegs and endless burgers on the grill. Suppose the grad leans towards a more intimate get together? Throw a small outdoor party under the backyard trees. You can still have grilled meats but instead of hot dogs and hamburgers, think filet mignons Just slice and marinated in a mix of olive oil, lemon and rosemary. The slices can be put on grilled sliced baguettes. London Broil can also be put on the grilled. Again for a moister meat marinated in olive oil for a juicier bite.  A truly memorable graduation meal for a small crowd is grilled lobster tails.  They're an easy outdoor cook which can be made in under twenty minutes. If lobster is a tad expensive then think of marinated shrimp kebobs for a tasty party meal.Intersperse with onions and grape tomatoes for a fun colorful look. Keep the sides simple. A plain garden salad is your best bet.Add some radishes and bell pepper strips for some color. As for the cake, think a delicate pavlova , a confection of meringue , whipped cream and fresh fruit  layered to airy perfection. You can also think a Bundt cake  that can be served with ice cream.

Little parties are the way to go these days. Think about an intimate dinner , small on guests but big on flavor.It makes for a more memorable gathering all will enjoy.

Happy Gummy Birthday

 There is one candy in every Gen X'ers and Millennium's life that cries childhood. That is Gummy Bears. These classics are celebrating their one hundredth (!!!) birthday this year.

Restaurant critic and new contributor Mahira Rivers wrote about this candy shop staple in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Haribo has been a part of German life for the last century thanks Hans Riegel who adapted a recipe for fruit flavored pastilles to create the first gummy bears. The densely chewy  gelatin based gummies were modeled after real life dancing bears , a form of entertainment at the time. They were rebranded as Goldbears. Gummy candy didn;t take off in America until 1981. It was then that the Herman Goetlitz Candy Company, later renamed Jelly Belly introduced the first American made gummy bear. Haribo cane to the States a year later. The Indiana based company Albanese introduced their version in 1983 and soon after there were gummy everythings. from Trolli's wriggly worms to Mondelez' Sour Patch Kids. Not surprisingly Disney was added to the mix in 1985 thanks to its' medieval themed adventures of the Gummi family in the animated series "Adventures of The Gummi Bears". The pandemic also boosted sales with people comforting themselves with turning to the candy for solace. Sales of chewy candies hit a record high of 4.6. billion in 2021.

The candies are part of the American scene now. There are gummy bear pool floats along with strings of gummy bear lights for parties.The little treats are even gracing other sweets such as raspas - Mexican shaved ice dessert and dulces enchilados a Mexican American snack of chamoy - a sweet and savory paste made with dried fruit and chili. Ashley Garza and her boyfriend Adrian Martinez  m ixes the bears along with other gummy candy like watermelon belts with a generous drizzle of the chamoy followed by a liberal sprinkling of tart chili seasoning. Gummies are a large part of a candy charcuterie platter too according to Elizabeth Bond owner of the Ruby Bond Candy Company. She expertly layers various shapes onto plastic trays to create a sweet charcuterie platter.There are lines of not just bear but also stars,butterflies and other chewy bites. Gummy bears are not without controversy. Haribo used "forced labor" during World War Two, after it declined to donted money to support surviving former enslaved workers.. As recent as 2017, there were allegations that slave labor was being used on the Brazilian plantations that supplied the carnauba wax that helps in creating a non sticky surface. Now the company uses beeswax which may cause future controversy.

Gummy bears have hit their centennial. Their chewy goodness have gladdened the heart s of kids around the world for ten decades now. They'll keep on making little - and big ones happy.

Will Banh MI Be The New Take Out

 Vietnamese food is fasting becoming an integral part of American cuisine. Now it may become part of American fast food thanks to the creativity of Vietnamese American entrepreneurs. Will it replace burger and fries? Possibly. 

Regular contributor, chef and cookbook author Priya Krishna wrote about this phenomena in today's New York Times Food section. It's starting in Texas where there is has always been a huge Vietnamese population.Paul Pham is leading the way with this, starting a chain called Hughie's.It's much more than a McDonald's or Burger King with offerings of wine to accompany the food. One of his in an old Dairy Queen and he does make that chain's famed chicken tenders., complete with their buttermilk brine and thick crust. The menu features such Vietnamese classics as pho soup along with shaken beef - a quick savory and sweet wok fried meat dish and banh mi - the famed sandwich using baguettes, meat and pickled veggies. In recent years several Vietnamese eateries have opened with that same intent - take out. They all have drive throughs which helped a lot during the pandemic. They hope to expand beyond their community and reach other Americans who love the cuisine.

Fast food and the drive through is a great way to introduce a particular cuisine to Americans. The drive through emerged in the mid Twentieth Century  and flourished in the Seventies. It started with burgers and fries thanks to Mc Donald's and Burger King. Mexican fast food chains like Taco Bell and Taco Cabana have also widely accepted it. The pandemic only emphasized the need for it, with no contact for food pick up. Vietnamese dishes such as banh mi and spring rolls are portable and easy to package. However for Kenny To, co owner with Hien Nguyen , owners of To me Vietnamese Sub, the food is much more labor intensive than just the average taco or burger. He bakes the subs himself and creates the marinades for the meat. These can be limited too. A condiment like Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce can be hard to find in non Asian American communities. At least one Vietnamese fast food has already figured out how to deal with a national audience. One of the oldest,Lee's Sandwiches started in 1983 by Ban Le and Hanh Nguyen expanded into Vietnamese neighborhoods across California and eight more states.

Vietnamese fast food will be as ubiquitou as other fast food cuisines. The food is tasty and filling, a level above the usual drive through fare. It will be a refreshing change from the usual.

Disaster For Dinner

 It's just a fact of life that there could be a cooking or baking disaster. Every home chef goes through several during a lifetime.What to do? Keep calm and carry on with some quick thinking and amending.

This happened to me the other night, I was all set to try chickpea gnocchi from Aldi. I was st to my my favorite sauce burst tomatoes, anticipating the sweet -savory flavor of this on the potato dumplings. Unfortunately it was not to be. i taste tested two or three gnocchi, discovering that those had an extremely sour taste. These were ditched right away, the consensus was they had been left too long on the store's shelf.What to do with the sauce? Luckily there was sliced semolina bread. This proved to be a life saver. The sauce was spooned over the slices, sort of like a hot bruschetta. It was delicious and a great idea for a quick lunch in the future. Luckily it was a family meal and not meant for guests. Yet suppose there had been guests? What to do? One good and easy solution is subbing in the gnocchi with already cooked pasta. Barilla offers this and it can be made in the microwave. Rice could also work in this situation too. what happens when the sauce gets screwed up? I'f it's too salty, add more tomatoes or a teaspoon of honey to balance it out. As for meats, cut away the burnt part and if it's too dry, get some gravy to moisten it. Melted butter or olive oil also helps.

Baking and frosting has their share of disasters.Again I recently found this out when I made frosting with Melt plant butter. I thought it would be just like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and produce a thick, creamy icing that would stay in place. It didn't. It slid off my Easter lambs, making them look like they had mange.I just arranged the fallen frosting to make it look like a bed the lambs were resting on. Again luckily these were not made for company. Frosting can be thickened and not just with more confectioner's sugar.. You can use cornstarch, flour and even butter  to create a rich paste. What about if your cake or cupcakes burn? Like with meat, cut away the burnt parts and cover with frosting or a dusting of confectioner's sugar.  The cake's top may be dry and crumbly too, thanks to the excessive heat. Pour melted butter over the top. This will ensure a moist crumb.  This can be done to cupcakes too. Homemade puddings and custards can be amended thanks to an immersion blender  whipping away all those lumps. Also adding whipped cream and turning it into an instant mousse is also a dessert saver.

Disaster sometimes comes for dinner and dessert. Be prepared if ti does. It's easy to fix a meal or dessert gone bad.

A Very Stout Burger

 Can a burger's taste be improved? The answer is most definitely yes. Surprisingly even a drop of alcohol can do wonders to add to the meaty and unami flavors.it does'r have to be a teaspoon of ground onion.

I recently discovered the stout burger during a visit to Paragon Tap and Table in Clark New Jersey. To be honest I was kind of hesitant to go in, expecting the brew house to have a limited menu. It didn't with an abundance of choices. One item from the menu caught my eye.

Their stout burger. This was something to be tried and it didn't disappoint. This was a thick patty served on a buttery brioche bun.A huge slab of bacon along with sauteed  and fried onions(!!) mushrooms and a stout aioli graced it but it was the burger itself that stood out. The waiter was kind enough to give me the recipe.

The stout is Guiness , that  famed creamy velvety brew from Dublin, drizzled onto already made patties and cooked quickly on a hot grill. Instead of the stout's flavor being mixed in and absorbed by the meat as in other stout burger recipes, it stood out on it's own, hence the purer flavor. It was really wonderful, marrying with the beef perfectly. The kitchen used just the right amount  as to not smother the hamburger's own taste. Even without the extras a  plain stout burger  on its' own with just the bun  and an onion would be good. Paragon also offers hanger steak and filet mignon. I wonder how those cuts would taste with a quick splash of stout. Their lamb burger with red wine sounds good too and I may try that on my next trip there.I am planning on using their stout recipe for my Beyond Burgers just to see how the drink holds up against plant based proteins. Will they taste the same?Or have a different taste vibe because real meat wasn't used.

Beer and burgers are always good together, Burgers with a splash of stout added to them are way better. Try one  today on a fun trip to Paragon Tap and Table.

Paragon Tap and Table is located at 77 Central Ave, Clark NJ. It shares the same parking lot as the Clark Target and Marshalls. It's right off the Clark Exit 135 on the Garden State Parkway South.

A Very Fun Food Book

 The world needs a well deserved giggle and smile right now. Luckily there is a book to get those. Author Marie Saba has come out with a fun new book that centers on food and puns.

Her book Don't Worry Be Hapea (Familio Publishers 2022) has the cutest food puns from place names, to movie stars to sayings to placs. Instead of just i about them here are some examples. See. if you can figure them out.

Consider  this book for a fun Mother's Day gift or for National Pun Day May 15th.It's a cheery, cheeky gift for those foodies who have a sense of humor. It's also a fun gift for yourself.

Your Earth Day Challenge

 Today is Earth Day , a day to reflect on our impact on the environment. Instead of thinking, let's do. What can we do in our kitchens to help combat climate change? Let's try to reduce our culinary carbon footprint by large and small actions.

One of the easiest and most delicious ways is reducing your meat intake.Think Beyond Burgers instead of the real beef and turkey ones. Anyone can easily adapt to a meatless diet thanks to such companies as Beyond Burgers, Gardein and Morningstar Farms. Gardein has made the most inroads in the faux meat industry. Try their Chik'n and Rice or Italian Wedding soups. They taste exactly like Campbells and Progresso brands. Their turkey is the best , even beating out the bird itself for flavor. what about reducing our egg and dairy intake? Both industries are off shoots of the meat industry. You're still contributing to hurting the planet by having them. Try Just Egg, which is made from mung beans for your yolk fix. You can make great scrambles and omelets from it along with using it in baking. Almond milk is a great sub in for dairy and there are also other nut and oak milks too. as for the kitchen, reuse leftovers. This has been a common kitchen practice for centuries, yet some have gotten away from it. Use and reuse. For really stale foodstuffs,t hink about giving it to your local wildlife or start a compost heap.

Consider yourself a green  home chef already if you have an air fryer. It may produce more energy than a toaster oven but it's still more energy efficient. This is due to them cooking food faster and no preheating.An air fryer is also fifty per cent less energy consuming than an electric oven and thirty-five more efficient than a gas one. Using your air fryer will also lower your utility bill by a few dollars.You'll also create tastier food too thanks to the air fryer producing crispier foods.As much as people complain about microwaves these do save up to eighty per cent of energy. Try to use it to cook sides and reheat leftovers. It also doesn't heat up a kitchen like a stove does so it does help you cut back on air conditioning.Of course some leftovers and frozen foods do call for the oven. Frozen pizza tastes better if its' been baked in a hot oven as does garlic bread. To save energy while cooking think sheet pan meals. This allows you to cook the main course and sides all together on one pan.

You can easily make your kitchen and eating habits greener. It's easy and delicious. It's just being thoughtful with your choices for ingredients  and how to cook them.

Home Cooking From Afghanistan

 Afghanistan has had an interesting history and cuisine. Is' Silk Road influences are still tasted today in most Asian dishes. Yet its' their own recipes and restaurants that provide comfort to displaced Afghanis looking for a remnant of home in the US.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this and the wealth of Afghani restaurants in the DC area in yesterday's New York Times Food section. There has always been struggles in this crux of the Silk Road from Alexander The Great's reign over it to the recent Taliban takeover. That means diasporas. Many have relocated to Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia in modern times. The region is home to one of the largest populations of resettled Afghanis in the US. Many turned to cooking to survive and created thriving businesses for themselves and their children. They are now taking care of the new wave of fellow countrymen who left the country after the Taliban's August takeover. One by one the restaurants took it upon themselves to feed them along with raising money and finding jobs for them. Chef and restauranteur Hamidullah Noori drew strength from these actions. These people have overcome their fears and left one of the worst regimes in recent history.

Afghanistan was on the Silk Road route and traders bought its' variety of spices. Its abundance was in the warm spices of cumin, cardamon, cinnamon and turmeric as recorded in the great cookbook Parwana. It was written by Durkhanai Ayubi  whose family runs a restaurant in Adelaide Australia where they relocated in the late eighties. Cooking was a way for her mother, Farida to stay connected to her heritage. The one s in the DC area feel the same way. They offer such dishes as sabzi, a spinach and dill stew that also has onions and garlic in it and aushak - dumplings redolent with leeks and scallions. There is also Kabuli pulaw a spiced lamb pilaf made with basmati rice and such Silk Road spices as saffron, cumin , cardamon and turmeric. Other restaurants like The Hellmand in Baltimore, one of the older afrghani eateries serves diners dopiazza - a lamb curry The owner, Qayum Karzi is brother of the former president Hamid Karrzi, he started off as a waiter in the 1970's and took it one step further by opening up a place with his American wife Pam.

Afghani food is a way of giving comfort and showing hope to recently arrived refugees. It gives them promise that they too can create a life in America while keeping their heritage. The ancient recipes connect them.

An Indigenous Sweet Treat

 After all the gooey cakes and chocolates this week, it's nice to find a dessert a bit more natural. This is in the form of grape dumplings , an Indigenous American treat that several East coast and Midwestern tribes make. It may be a centuries old recipe but it still packs a punch.

Kevin Noble Maillard, author of Fry Bread :A Native American Family Story  and a member of the Seminole tribe wrote about this classic indigenous dessert in today's New York Times Food section. They were originally balls of corn mush boiled in the juice of wild grapes. They represent the evolution of Indigenous foodways, along with forced relocation, cultural exchanges and developments in the food system. Modern chefs and cooks are showing a renewed interest in all things Native American along with eating locally grown foods.Earlier tribesmen saw bounties of all sorts of native fruits and veggies according to Cherokee citizen Elise McMullen-Ciotti an NYU graduate student majoring in food studies. The country held an massive amount of grapes. The original recipe calls for a native one called the possum grape. These were smaller than the European ones and had a tangy flavor. They are small and seedy , growing in wild abundance throughout southeastern US. Nowadays, modern Indigenous chefs use either Welch's Concord grape juice or grapes from their local grocery store.

Mr Maillard borrows his mother, Sharmaine's recipe for this recipe. You could use flour or Bisquick but the truest taste belongs to the ones made with cornmeal. They use blue cornmeal but if you can't find that use a medium grind yellow one. Flour is also added  along with one egg for binding  and melted butter. To sweeten it and give it that rich purple color add in a quarter cup Concord grape juice. (Keep in mind that grape juice does settle so you have to shake it before using.) There is also the addition of sweet agave but it can be omitted. The dumplings are made like any other dumpling, sift all the dry ingredients and then make a well in the middle for the liquid ones. Once mixed then roll the dough out into a rectangle after vigorous kneading.It's then cut into rectangles using a knife or pizza cutter.  prick each piece three times with a fork rinesThe sauce is a mix of cornstarch dissolved in cold water and four cups of well shaken grape juice . You also need to add two cups of dark seedless grapes and agave syrup if you want. bring to a roiling boil and carefully add the dumplings to the juice. They should cook for ten minutes. For the juice to turned into a syrup cook it for an additional five minutes on a low-medium heat. Serve with vanilla ice cream and fresh tarragon leaves. You also have them on their own too.

Grape dumplings are a refreshing way to enjoy dessert and honor the Indigenous People. They are a nice way to enjoy natural ingredients without all that sugar .  Make them for a simple but flavorful dessert.

Spring Light

 One of the best aspects of Spring is that there will be a wealth of green ingredients. It makes for not only fresher eating but also healthier eating too.All those newly sprouted veggies hold the promise of more nutrition along with flavor.

Asparagus is big right now. It's a sure sign of Spring and warmer days ahead.It also makes for a great light eating. One spear is only three calories!!!! One way to have them is grilled after being marinated in olive oil and dusted with sea salt and fresnly ground pepper. A more decadent way is Piedmontese style. It's serving steamed asparagus with  a butter sauce and having the spears topped with grated Parmesan and sliced hard boiled eggs. A healthier spin is using Melt instead of butter and vegan cheese. Nix the eggs.Peas are another Spring veggie thar's light in taste and calories One cup  is only one hundred eighteen calories. A tasty recipe is the Italian risi bisi. This is a delicious marriage of the peas and arborio rice. Chopped onions are also cooked in , first in  olive oil with the rice and then vegetable broth. It's a refreshing change up from the usual tomato risotto. Of course mushrooms are abundant during this season too. You can easily make a risotto with cremini and portobellos. On warmer days, grill them on the barbecue for a flavorful alternative to beef or turkey burgers.

Spinach is also a Spring veggie. This is one of the best green ingredients you could have. It's great for eyes, and skin along with helping in weight loss and reduces hypertension.It is also the most versatile too.  You can easily turn it into a tasty and chic salad. Think of combining it with salmon and hard boiled eggs in a low calorie but protein packed salad. An herb laced vinaigrette is the best dressing for this. Of course there's nothing like a crispy spinach frittata, a take on the classic spinach omelet. Add sliced cherry tomatoes and vegan Parmesan for a tasty and quick lunch.Mix the greens with another Spring classic - mushrooms for a pasta sauce that's different and unique. Saute sliced baby bellas in olive oil and garlic and then add washed and dried baby spinach leaves. Cook until leaves turn dark green and wilt and serve with any kind of pasta. It 's wonderful with angel hair or spaghetti but you could also mix it in with rotelli or penne. Celery and carrots are also Spring veggies that come in the latter part of the season. These are great gracing salads but think of them in light vegetable soups.

It's Spring. It's a time for fresh and lighter eating. Use the bounty of spring for this greener, healthier way of cooking.

All Those Easter Leftovers

 The day after Easter means ones thing -- leftovers. what do you do with all that ham, lambs and sides? What about that extra candy and sweets? Get creative ? THere's a ton of new recipes you can try with all that food.

Ham can be turned into tasty hot Croque Monsiurs or a cold, refreshing salad. For the French classic, you can cut the ham extra thick for a heartier sandwich.It would also go well in a grilled cheese too.As for a ham salad, prepare it like you would  a tuna salad. Add mayo along with chopped celery and onions. For added flavor serve on Hawaiian rolls. Their sweetness will offset the ham's saltiness. You can also turn it into a main meal by combining it with rotelli or elbow macaroni. Add peas, chopped carrots and broccoli florets to round it out. As for the dressing you can stick with just mayonnaise or create an Italian dressing to pour over it. What to do with that leftover lamb? Shepherd's pie is a nice way of repurposing it. You can even use those leftover mashed potatoes as the crust. Fill it with chopped carrots and onions along with celery and thyme. A lamb curry is also a great recipe for what's left of that roast leg. It's a great time to experiment that garam masala and curry powder. Serve with warmed naan and yogurt for a different spin on dinner.

You probably also have all that leftover candy too. it may sound strange but you can add chopped jelly beans to a cookie recipe. You could also incorporate them into a fudge if you like a super sweet bite. What about those other super sweet Easter treats - Peeps. A really neat idea is Peeps popcorn balls. This is melting down those chicks and adding plain salted popcorn. To make them even more fun, put  a lollipop stick in them and have a new kind of treat. What about Peeps s'mores? Use that leftover chocolate along with the Peeps on a skewer(think rotisserie Peeps, heated to gooiness over a stove top. Serve on either plain or chocolate Graham crackers. You could also heat just the bottoms and place on cupcakes for a different kind of topping. if those bunnies and eggs  haven't been completely devoured, break them into little bits and serve over anything and everything. They're fun mixed in with hot oatmeal or cold cereal. A layer of them is an extra kick in an ice cream parfait or sundae.

Those holiday leftovers can be repurposed into new and exciting meals and desserts. it's a fun way to reuse them and enjoy them a second time.  Try them  to still celebrate the holiday in a new way.

Little Lamb

  It is hard not to thin k of William Wordsworth's famed poem "The Lamb"with it being Easter Saturday, and baking lambcakes. It's a beautiful poem, that tells a little lamb how it was created and its' Creator was also called a lamb for His meekness and mildness.

Today I finished baking the second lamb, a chocolate one.

Yesterday I baked the vanilla one for friends. Today was frosting. The vanilla one got the traditional vanilla one. The chocolate got the strawberry made with fresh pulverized berries.

It is labor intensive with cutting the berries and then finely mashing them in my chopper. Three tablespoons were added to the frosting mix of confectioner's sugar. Melt plant butter and Crisco vegetable shortening. I added a small amount of vanilla for flavor .The recipe, which originally from Wilton called for a quarter cup of milk . I cut that back to a scant one eighth sinces the berries' juices act as the liquid. The color was a gorgeous shade of pastel pink.

It was tasty too. All in all it was a busy two days, filled with baking measuring, whipping and blending.

Little lamb who made thee? Wordsworth  line echoed today as did the meaning of Easter. The cake and his sweet, amazing poem serves as a reminder of the importance of the Easter story and Jesus's example of kindness and love.

Good Friday Prayers

 it is Good Friday , the holiest day of the Christian calendar. All of our prayers should go to those suffering around the world and especially in the Ukraine and those displaced elsewhere. 

Hope and pray that they can enjoy their Palm Sunday and Easter without fear and with a good meal. The same goes for those observing Passover. 

Some of us have already begun our Easter baking yet our prayers are not only for a well turned out cake but for everyone to enjoy a holiday full of sweets and Spring hopefulness.

Pizza Rustica This Weekend

 Tonight , being Holy Thursday is the start of the Easter weekend. It's a time to think of traditions and the recipes that come with it. One is the Southern Italian dish of pizza rustica. It is a dish that can be made for Easter but also for the days around it.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark wrote about this classic in her A Good Appetite Column in yesterday's New York Times Food review.It;'s sort of like a cross between a quiche and maybe a calzone. It symbolizes  the end of Lent and the return of eggs, meat and cheese to the diet after Lenten restrictions of them. It goes by a variety of different names from torta rustica or rustic cake to pizza di Pasqua and pizza gaina. It is much beloved in Southern Italy where there are many different variations.Nowadays all Italians  bake it and not just for Easter.Ms/ Clark's Roman friend Sophie Minchelli spent the Covid 19 locdown baking all sorts of them. She tried ones with puff pastry and tweaking the filling to what she had on hand. Her Spring  time version forgoes meat and has plenty of seasonal greens like chard. Ms. CLark combines greens and ham in her version, instead of using the traditional and stronger tasting salame and prosciutto.As for the crust she opts for a pasta frolla or sweet crust (!) fragranced with lemon zest. Giving the pie a sweet crust offsets the filling's savoriness.

She provides the recipe which is easy to replicate. Again her pasta frolla crust , taken from Nancy Harmon Jenkins Cucina Del Sole (William Morrow COokbooks ) uses two tablespoons of granulated sugar to provide the sweetness along with three to four tablespoons of a dry white wine (You can sub in white wine vinegar mixed with ice water for this)Th e rest is basically a typical pie crust blend of flour , water and butter. Adding one egg enriches it and gives it color. The filling is a mix of whole milk ricotta and a choice of Pecorino, Romano or Parmesan cheeses.Use half a cup of chopped ham.There are also five cups of s baby spinach or chard cooked for two minutes in olive oil and garlic. It's cooked until wilted but not soaked in the oil. Drain off any liquid . You don;t want that in the pie because it will create a watery texture.It's then making the custardy filling by pureeing the eggs and drained ricotta with the spinach , ham, cheese and spices.Add red pepper flakes for zing. Set aside while you roll out the dough. It's then assembling in a pie pan. Save some dough for creating the traditional lattice top crust.Use an egg wash Cook for fifty to sixty minutes in a preheated 375 degree Farenheit oven.

Pizza rustica is the perfect Easter pie to make for the holiday dinner. It is also perfect for the Easter Monday picnics and Spring parties. Try this Italian classic for a nice warm weather treat.

The Perfect Ham And Eggs.

 The main course to a Easter meal should be the perfect ham. it should be a bright to smoky pink on the inside side and have a deliciously crusty and flavorful glazed exterior. What should accompany it? Eggs of course  but with a Chinese twist.

Regular contributor , food writer and recipe developer Genevieve Ko wrote about these usually breakfast staples in today's New York Times Food section. She gives a recipe for honey ham, taken from her own experience with cooking city hams or as we know them just hams. These are injected with water which can dry out in the oven. The best way to cook and serve them  is to eat them without cooking and at room temperature.according to Brian Heffern, operations manager at the Honey Baked Map Company. This may freak out more than a few home chefs, but keep in mind the meat is already cured, so there's no worry. You could do what ms KO recommends. Cook it on the stove first for thirty to forty minutes and then transfer it to a 450 degree Farenheit oven for the last ten or fifteen minutes.The inspiration cam from her working with the great  Alsacian chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and the German chef Gabriel Kreuther. She helped with editing their respective cookbooks. Her ham has the German influence thanks to first a bath of Reisling wine mixed with juniper berries,peppercorns and honey. An onion is added which will serve as a rack for the ham to sit upon. When it's ready for the oven, it;s rubbed with a mix of brown sugar, Dijon mustard and more honey.

The second recipe comes from Ms. Ko's childhood. It's the tea eggs  that all her "aunties" brought to her childhood church every Easter Sunday.  This is a snack but  it's also a great way of having those hard boiled eggs. They're soaked in a brew of black, tea, soy sauce and ginger. There is also the addition of star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. Use either oolong or jasmine tea loose or in tea bags.Plain eggs are cracked in the boiling process and when peeled, reveal intricate marbled patterns. If you're using your dyed eggs, then peel off the colored shell.Fully peeled eggs will have a richer, more intense flavor  while being dyed a deep brown  Keep in mind that raw eggs should be room temperature before boiling. Cold shells will instantly crack once they hit the hot water and that can create a mess. Tap them lightly with the back of a spoon to create hairline fractures. The tea will seep in and give them that pretty marbled effect. Cook never before cooked ones for six minutes for a jammy yolks  seven minutes for just set ones and eight to ten minutes for hard crumbly ones. After they're cooked, drain the hot water, add cold water from the tap until they're completely cool. The already boiled ones can just be marinated in the heated sauce and then put into containers. These  go into the fridge where they can be stored for up to a week.

Ham and eggs are always a great combination. Yet imagine the ham as a crispy, tender Easter one and the eggs as Chinese tea eggs. It's a nice way of celebrating Easter.

Easter Light Eating

 As with other holidays Easter brings about rich meals and even richer desserts. Yet it doesn't have to be this way. You can easily create lighter fare that's just as tasty and packed with flavor.

Many families have either ham and lamb. While these are traditional, they can be a bit too much in flavor. They 're geared more to Christmas or New Year's Think a lighter taste for Spring. Cornish hen fits the bill especially if it's just roasted with lemon and herbs. As with other poultry like turkey and chicken  you can put butter or a plant sub in like Melt under the skin.It not only imparts a lovely flavor but also gives the meat some moisture too. One is perfect for a small aster dinner for two. What would go with this? Think a side of herbed wild  rice and that Spring favorite asparagus. Herbed rice is made with the chewier, wild version along with a chopped yellow onion and such herbs as  dried, rosemary, thyme and basil. If you want something lighter then think of roasted carrots simply rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper. The asparagus can be made with butter and Parmesan  to emphasize the green's earthy flavor. If chicken isn't your thing, then think salmon. You can go the sheet pan way with a garlic butter sauce  along with roasting it with fingerling potatoes and asparagus.

Easter cakes are always pretty and cute but they are also overloaded with tons of buttercream icing. Family and friends may prefer a simple Bundt cake.  Think one made with Meyer lemons or Cara Cara oranges and a simple glaze. A slice of pound cake would also be a nice ending to the Easter meal. You could bake a chocolate one which is dense but think of a  chocolate chip or a marble one. One of the airiest desserts to make is meringue. These can be made vegan by using aquafaba or chickpea brine. Whipped up it creates the same foamy lightness as an egg white meringue. Coffee meringues are a nice touch or you can try fruity ones, perfect with tea. You will need dried berry powder or freeze dried fruit. These also impart a lovely pink color, perfect to match those Easter eggs. There are two great desserts made with this. One is the Pavlova, named in honor of the great ballerina Anna Pavlova, This is a layer of meringue, whipped cream and fresh fruit such as strawberries , blue berries and raspberries. The other dessert is an Eton Mess, a favorite of the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex. This is like a combination of a Pavlova and a parfait where the meringue is broken into pieces and layered with whipped. cream and berries.

Think Spring when you're cooking and baking for Easter. The lighter flavors are like the season itself - delicate and fresh. It's a nice way to celebrate the day.

Lambing Season

 It's easter and you know what that means - thousands of home bakers will be baking a variety of lamb, egg and bunny shaped cakes again. Is it time to go through another round of intense holiday baking? You bet it is!

Three years I was following my Mom's tradition of baking lamb cakes for everyone. The pandemic hit and for two years Easter was a small affair with a lovely small cake from my local Acme. Now that life is back to normal, I'll be back at the Acme in search of cake mixes, Dream Whip for body, confectioner's sugar and flour.This mold will see active duty again this week and next for Orthodox Easter,It also means a thorough oven cleaning as well.

Of course there are questions and planning. For one friend, maybe a vanilla cake with a strawberry icing. For my house - the ever popular chocolate cake with a coffee frosting for a little brown lamb. Greek Orthodox friends always want the traditional  vanilla cake and vanilla frosting - there can be no other.I've been checking out my go to and best website for frosting recipes Two Sisters to see if there's a different type of coating to try. Then there's the question of full vegan for friends. Do I add almond milk and Just Egg to their cakes as well or can I use real eggs and milk for a fuller bodied cake? The decorations also count.Luckily food coloring has an indefinite shelf life so I can use the ones from the last lamb cake frenzy. As for the chocolate lamb, chocolate decorations work best, so it's buying a new tin of cocoa (and plan making and baking everything from mole to chocolate meringues this Spring). I know I'm not doing a tester cake like I did the last time. There was so much cake by Easter time. I will also need cupcake papers because there will be extra batter  and icing. The overage will yield two or three little cakes which are fun to decorate.

Yes, lambing season is here. That means my oven will be busy once more creating the cake everyone loves.It is a lot of work, but to seeing smiles of gratitude are worth all the baking and frosting.

A Quick Saturday Sandwich

 Let's face it  no one likes to really cook on a Saturday. That's where a quick but tasty sandwich comes in. Layer cheddar and bacon on toast and you have a tasty dream lunch or supper.  You don't even have to fry the bacon. Microwaving or air frying does the trick.

Of course I made the vegan version.I used Miyoko's Creamery new Roadhouse Cheddar. 

This has  nice tang to it and spreads on smoothly.As for bread I used Pepperidge Farm 's Italian bread

However you can also use a toasted baguette or thick slices of toasted sour bread. Warmed rolls would work well here too. It's then using Morningstar Farms soy bacon.

                                                   Cook until crisp for about two to three minutes.        

It's just toast, spread and pile. That's it. The flavor of the bacon and cheese combined is amazing.Cheddary, salty and tangy.  I may try it with a slice of tomato  next time, just for a different spin. Add a square of cooked Just Egg or real egg for a yummy brunch sandwich. If you want, add a handful of chips or some gherkins on the side to make it more substantial.

This is the perfect quick meal for a no cook Saturday.It's a tasty , bite fuill of cheesy, bacon-y goodness. Best of all it's so easy to make.

Easter Savings

 Many home chefs are dreading the holiday.It's not the cooking or creating the perfect meal.It's the price of the ingredients plus the main course that has them freaking out. There are ways to have a less expensive holiday.

One way to combat the high price is varying where you shop. You may find a bargain for your ham or lamb at one store while another may have better buys on veggies.Another idea is heading to more dollar friendly stores like Aldi and Lidl. Right now Aldi has spiral cut ham for only ninety-five cents a pound!! Their lamb leg roast is just $7.49 a pound.Lidl has a whole young chicken for $2.69 a pound.Both stores have excellent pricing on their veggies too. A cheaper alternative to meat is portabella mushrooms which can be prepared a number of ways. Air fried caps are delicious with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and oregano. You can also  grill them if you're planning an outdoor holiday meal. Pasta is another low cost alternative. Think of having a pasta primavera , chock full of veggies,You could also make a carbonera with a bacon laced sauce. This you can have a little splurge with since the eggs and bacon are costly. A veggie lasagna is a great way to go for a crowd. This and a salad can make for a filling holiday meal. As for dessert a home baked cake works well or just cupcakes topped with homemade buttercream icing.

Another idea is having a pot luck dinner. You can provide the main course which means you can spend a little more on getting a bigger cut of meat . Ham would be the best bet. It can feed a lot. As for dishes , you can have people make their signature dishes.  Suppose two guest have the same signature dish?Make a list of who is bringing what otherwise you'll wind up with duplicates. If there are double recipes then persuade the second person to make their second favorite dish.Keep in mind there shouldn't be any dishes left out. Check to see if everything is going to be on the menu, from salads to desserts. Also let the vegetarians and vegan create their dishes while the non vegans bring theirs. That way  everyone is happy with the meal.Also e mail a list of everyone's allergies too to prevent any problems. Suppose it's just a dinner of only three or four people. Condense. A small ham or just a chicken will do  along with  a side of asparagus. Serve the asparagus with butter and cheese for a tasty dish. Also a simple salad is a nice touch. As for dessert you can get a simple small cake at Acme or Stop and Shop. A homemade pound cake also works too.

Don't worry about money this holiday. You can create a low cost yet delicious meal  for very little. It's a memorable feast for a lot less.

The Savory And Sweet Side Of Passover

 Like any holiday Passover has a savory and sweet side. The recipes can be classic but there's always room for new ones. They can be for the main course or for dessert afterwards.

Both Melissa Clark and Joan Nathan had interesting dishes for celebrating in yesterday's New York Times Food section. The holiday starts April 15th,next Friday and ends Saturday April 23rd. These dishes can be made any of the days and even taken to Passover pot luck dinner. Ms. Clark gives the recipe of a pomegranate baked rice and onion casserole in her Good Appetite column. This is huge in the Ashkenazi sector because they were forbidden to eat rice , along with chickpeas, corn, beans and spices.This is the first change in the Passover diet in over 800 hundred years The Sephardic Jewry has always allowed it , with their holiday recipes featuring rice stuffed vegetables. This  casserole comes from Shimi Aaron, an Israeli chef and owner of  EliaMIa, He is more known for his gold dusted babka but this recipe has the same amount of oomph. It's candied onions that have been roasted in a bath of pomegranate juice, laced with honey ,olive oil and dill.It's served on a bed of pine nut speckled rice. The onions are a mix of yeloow, purple and white ones fanned out over the layer of rice. Greek yogurt can be served with it.

Joan Nathan has a sweet Pass over recipe based on the famed Easy Toffee Bars that were reimagined into a Passover treat by Marcy Goldman. The original recipe called for Saltines but as Ms. Goldman found out matzoh also works just as well. It also called for using chocolate .Ms. Nathan subs in kosher for Passover peanut butter for a different spin. These too have been okayed by the Ashkenazi however have been used by the Sephardic for decades.It's first cooking butter and molasses into a syrup and then pouring over a layer of matzohs. This is then baked in a325 degree Farenheit oven for twenty minutes. Warmed  for twenty seconds in the microwave peanut butter is then poured over this,A layer of chopped peanuts and a good sprinkling of flaky sea salt is added. Brittle is best chilled so pop in the fridge right away.It should be there for about thirty minutes or until the peanut butter firms up. This makes for a nice gift if you're invited to someone's house.

Passover has room for both savory and sweet. Make these recipes for the celebration. They are tasty and a new spin on classic dishes that are sure to be favorites.

An Afro Jewish Passover

 The story of the enslaved ancient Israelites means much to African= Americans and more so to African-American Jews. It's no wonder that their Passovers are filled with rich traditions and deep empathy. This shows in their choices for  a meaningful seder that respects one tradition with food from another one.

Regular contributor and columnist to The Bittman Project , Kayla Stewart wrote about them and their traditions. Most face prejudice from Jews of European ancestry according to the Jews of Color Initiative which supports and empowers the African American ones. The number is growing although there have been Black Jews throughout American history There are parallels to both stories and the food reflects both.It is a tale of struggle and liberation. The Jews were enslaved for four hundred years and then finally released after God inflicted ten plagues to persuade Pharaoh to free the Jewish people He also instructed Moses to sacrifice a lamb and mark the door with its' blood so that the Angel of Death "passes over their homes. Moses parts the Red Sea for their escape and  the Jews wander the desert for forty years. There are strong similarities to the African American freeing and struggle. To many the story rings true as they celebrate with African influenced foods. 

Ms. Stewart includes recipes, from chef and historian Michael M. Twitty's  soon to be published Koshersoul  (Harper Collins Amstead 2022). This is  kachumbari an onion and tomato salad with roots in Kenya. There is also a brisket in the West African style spiked with spices as turmeric and ginger. It's cooked with tomatoes , white and yellow onions and bell peppers.  A traditional Passover  food horseradish is added to this. Chef Twitty, who is Afro-Jewish himself also has an interesting fried chicken recipe made with ground matzo meal. The chicken is  dipped in a mix of poultry seasoning blended with a  host of spices from ground ginger and cinnamon to ground allspice and cloves.The chicken parts are left to absorb these for an hour or two in the fridge. Afterwards it's then dipping the chicken in beaten egg and then the matzoh meal , much in the way of any fried chicken recipe. The oil does have to be Kosher  and if following Sephardic Kosher, then use corm or peanut oil.

African American Jews can celebrate Passover with a co mingling of traditional Black and Jewish foods. It all ties in with enslavement and liberation. Both have suffered and shared that suffering with symbolic foods.

Being Vegan For The Holidays

 Easter and Passover are about celebrating with family and friends. Yet what if they are vegetarian or vegan? Do you exclude them from the holiday meal? No! You include them with including vegan and vegetarian recipes. You can create new traditions by using more plant protein!

For the Easter holiday lamb and ham usually are the stars of the table. However there are some great dishes that vegetarians would approve of. Think a spinach or veggie lasagna with using plant based cheeses. You can also serve up a mushroom one too.Savory tarts are a nice change up . You can make a quiche without eggs. Just sub in chickpea flour mixed with soy or any nut milk to get that creamy texture. Try a leek and mushroom one baked in a shortcrust pastry shell. Some vegetarians do allow eggs into their diet so an Easter brunch with a traditional quiche is not out of the question. Instead of ham you can easily crumble soy bacon on top or sub in a variety of different veggies like broccoli or onions. If you want a bigger main course then think about using Beyond Beef for both Easter and Passover. The product is kosher certified so it can be incorporated into the seder. Bake it in a loaf pan and serve it with gravy. For Passover along with Easter, you can also roast portabella mushroom caps or bake cauliflower  steaks for a new classic main course.

Desserts shouldn't be tricky. You can easily sub in Just egg or Vegg Vegan Baking Mix for eggs and any kind of non dairy milk for the real thing. Soy milk is recommended because it has the same texture as cow;s milk. Creating buttercream frosting is just as easy. Use Melt plant butter instead of butter for a creamy textured frosting. Again you can use soy or almond milk to thin it out if it becomes too thick. Aquafaba, or chickpea brine can produce lovely meringues . Divide it up and add a drops of food coloring for meringues the color of Easter eggs. A truly elegant dessert is a pavlova. This is layers of meringue interspersed with whipped cream. Various fruits top this. As for the whipped cream make your own dairy free one by whipping together full fat coconut milk, vanilla extract and a few drops of maple syrup. You just have t skim the "fat' off the top and use that for the whole cream.The Passover seder can end with no bake chocolate macaroons, made with the traditional coconut flakes but with the twist of bananas and coconut oil to bind them.

A vegan holiday meal is easy to whip up. You can create a delicious main course and desserts from plant based ingredients. It's easy to do for Easter and Passover.

Your Easter Treat Selection

 Easter is only less than two weeks away and it's time to start thinking about treats. and dessert. What would be fun for an Easter Egg hunt? What would be the perfect ending to a ham dinner. There are so many choices.

One of the most traditional id the lamb cake or the Osterlamm in German. The American version can be made with any kind of cake mix while the German has a simple vanilla cake recipe. You will need a special mold such as this one.

This was my Mom's that I inherited.it's over forty years old and from Wilton. You can get something similar from Amazon for around twenty three dollars. There is also an Osterlamm mold for $37.98.  You will need to use Dream Whip because this gives the cake body.I've the cake in vanilla and chocolate .each had different icings , from traditional butter cream to chocolate to coffee for the chocolate. Decorating was fun, with colored vanilla buttercream for the outline of the ears and eyes  and the ribbon around the lamb's neck. You can also bake a bunny ro Easter egg Again these are fun to decorate. For a more sophisticated dessert, think a lemon or orange Bundt cake with a lemon or orange glaze. This is perfect with coffee and tea after a big meal.

Smaller Easter egg cakes are a cute handout at Easter egg hunts. You can add M&Ms and jelly beans to the decorations. A fun idea is having the kids decorate them at a trimmings bar and them give a prize out for the best looking one. Easter cookies are also a fun treat any any Easter gathering.Again egg shapes iced and decorated with colored icing, sugars and candies are a highlight to any gathering. Bunny cookies are another sweet treat. You could do a dusting of bright colored sanding sugar to resemble Bunny Peeps.Peeps can also be featured in cookies. Think about wrapping cookie dough around them for a gooey kind of treat.  You can also top plain sugar ones with them as well.Rice Krispy treats can be molded into fun shapes like carrots and chicks. You can also make the traditional squares and then decorate them with melted pastel chocolate, sprinkles and M&Ms. 

There are so many different kinds of goodies to make for Easter. Pick something cute or something sophisticated.Either choice will be a holiday hit.

Spring Cleaning Your Fridge

 Spring is here and that means one thing : cleaning. There are probably plans for the whole house, especially the kitchen. The fridge and freezer need also looking into. It's time to toss and make way for the holiday season ahead.

It's a good idea to look into the fridge and assess what's there. Most likely your fridge door is full of condiments from last year's grilling season. Surprisingly barbecue sauce only lasts for one month after opening. Toss any old gunky bottles. The stuff is probably too congealed to use anyway. Should you replace it with a brand new one? Only if you plan on barbecuing soon or like it over your burgers. ketchup lasts much longer , becoming dark and crusty after six months. This  you can replace because it is usable , especially as we approach grilling season. Mustard is the same. What about those packets of soy and duck sauces along with hot mustard that come with your Chinese take out. They're good as long as they're sealed. Use these to spice up your recipes. Add some hot mustard or soy sauce to a stir fry. The duck sauce is the  perfect sauce for chicken  nuggets or tenders.Leftovers should only be kept for three or four days. If not mold takes over and your fridge has some weird science experiment going on. Cut fruit like cantelope and melon are only good for forty-eight hours before they develop a sour taste. Cheeses on the other hand can lasts weeks. Cheddar is still good even after a month while Brie can last up to three weeks.

Once you've cleaned out the bottom portion, it's time to tackle the freezer. Not surprisingly ice cubes are one of the most durable foodstuffs. They can last up to two years without any noticeable change of taste. However this is not true for actual frozen foods and leftovers. Yes, green beans and Eggos can be stuck indefinitely in your freezer however after two or three years they will degrade in taste. This will make them un appetizing. What about those bumper crops from last summer? Frozen fresh fruits and veggies can really only last about eight months. It's best to have a plan for them before you freeze them as well as putting the date they were frozen on the freezer bags. That way you know what to toss and to keep. Many ask if they can keep their frozen meat leftovers. Yes, but only for s short while.Chicken needs to be trimmed of its' fat otherwise it can become rancid and spoil the meat.(rancidity won't make the chicken toxic but it will ruin its' flavor.) Cooked bacon and sausage will also last for eight weeks and again beware of rancidity.You can keep hamburger for that period of time  before it goes bad. Ice cream lasts only two or three months too, so chuck that ice cream you bought for Christmas or New Year's,

A good refrigerator cleaning is a must especially during this holiday month. Get rid of the old to prepare for the new.It'll make for more room to store all those great foods for celebrating.

Gearing Up For Holiday Cooking

 Three major holidays happen this month and that means prepping the kitchen for holiday cooking. Ramadan, Easter and Passover happen within weeks of each other. it means planning and shopping along with scanning over recipes to see what works.

Ramadan starts tonight and ends on May 1st.There is fasting from dawn to sunset but that doesn't mean there can't be tasty dishes. The fast has to b broken each night with iftar the traditional meal. Of course the fast is usually broken by eating Medjool dates but there are other dishes that can be enjoyed by the family or by a crowd.Samosas are perfect, They're fun , finger foods and can be filled with either meat or potatoes. Think chicken or potatoes highly spiced with a variety of different spices like cumin and turmeric.Another tasty and quick to make dish are kabobs. A good choice is lamb or again chicken interspersed with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers.You could have stuffed veggies too or stews like one with lentils and beef. Sweets could be lokaymat, sweet dough balls fried and soaked in honey. Passover also begins this month and with it comes traditional recipes along with new spins on the classics.Of course there will be matzoh ball soup, highlighted by fluffy matzoh balls lightened a splash of seltzer. Brisket is always served. This savory cut can be seasoned with brown sugar, rosemary and a dash of paprika. What to serve with it? A vegetable kugel would work .it's a host of different veggies baked into a savory cake held together with potato starch and egg. A different dessert would be flourless chocolate cookies instead of the traditional cake.

Easter , itself, brings tradition and new spins.Most families serve ham with some kind of glaze. Southerners love one made with a good splash of Coke or Dr. Pepper. This cuts the meat's saltiness. Martha Stewart offers one with a cognac and brown sugar glaze. For a light  Spring-y meal Cornish hens will work. They have a more delicate taste than chicken and are perfect with an orange based glaze. Asparagus are a must , whether at a Seder or Easter meal. As for desserts, a cake would be nice. Think a bunny one, with  coconut frosting and jelly bean eyes. For all the holidays, make sure you have all the ingredients and the gadgets to prep them. Do you have enough pans for roasts along with plastic bowls and containers for left overs? What about linens? Is it time to get a new Spring tablecloth along with linen napkins. If it's warmer weather then what about having an outdoor holiday feast. Do you have enough outdoor chairs and plastic tablecloths? Now is the time to start buying for it all, along with planning. 

This is a month for holidays. Make sure you're ready with your recipes and ingredients.Planning and prepping will ensure a smoothly run holiday meal.