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.

A Tasty Twist On Macaroons

Passover may be three weeks away but it's always good to think about what to serve ahead of time. One of the most traditional American foods is the coconut macaroon. This flourless treat has been gracing tables for decades. Now there's a new twist on this much beloved cookie.

Coconut macaroons are always a treat  and now Manischewitz has two new flavors, Cold Brew Earl Grey and Birthday Cake.

I like these new flavors.

The Earl Gray one has a delicate flavor - not overpowering and perfect for after dinner or a snack with  - what else - a  steamy cup of Earl Gray.

I also like the birthday cake.It has more of an almond-y flavor with the surprise of multicolored sprinkles inside. It was a bit sweeter than the Earl Gray flavor but not too sugary sweet.

Both are perfect as desserts for the seder and for gift giving. Manischewitz also has other updated flavors such as red velvet, chocolate chip mint, carrot cake and hazelnut chocolate chip. There are also the traditional flavors too such as almond, coconut, chocolate and chocolate chip.

This is the time to start thinking about hope and Spring holidays such as Passover. Think about the addition of Manischewitz's latest flavors, Cold Brew Earl Gray and Birthday Cake to your holiday table. They're a fun  delicious treat, perfect for family and guests.

The Best Grain Free Recipe Book

Grain free living doesn't have to have the limitations that normally go with restricted diets.Thanks to a new and innovative cookbook,those with gluten and grain allergies can not only have delicious meals but mouth watering snacks too. It's packed with advice, info and best of all those yummy recipes.

Laura Fuentes, creator of the Momables Meal plan where parents can get recipes and ideas delivered to their inboxes has written a cookbook similar to them. The Best Grain-Free Family Meals On The Planet (Quanto Publishing Group USA) is based on her experiences dealing with her own gluten allergies as well as her children's,They all needed healthier eating for a better life and that required less processed food and more natural.What is most helpful is the section, called Real Life and Food that  addresses picky eaters and what to do at social functions.She recommends bringing all the dishes out on he table and letting the kids choose what looks good to them.As for social functions it's best to bring a lunchbox or thermos. That way the hosts don't have the worry about guests reacting to certain dishes.Ms. Fuentes also has a list of essentials for a complete grain free pantry and how home chefs can clean out theirs. There is a section about where to get ingredients from , growing them to hitting farmers' markets to becoming a member of shopping clubs CostCo and Sam's Club  offer a trove of fresh produce  along with healthy oils and spices. She also recommends shopping online too. She writes about what tools to use and recommends getting a spiralizer, that fun kitchen tool, that turns zucchini into zuccheti along with the usual hand mixers and slow cookers.

The recipes are divided into sections, from breakfasts to lunchbox favorites. There are also  extensive chapters on family meals and snacks and treats. Kids won't have to sacrifice their favorite dishes , thanks to this cookbook. Breakfast recipes are silver dollar pancakes with coconut flour and blueberry maple breakfast sausages.There are also sorts of muffins ,from a peaches and cream one to a chocolate chip. Ms. Fuentes even has breakfast cookies and the exotic Middle Eastern egg and tomato dish shakshura. The lunchbox recipes are great for both school and those vacation days spent at home.Try the recipe for veggie falafels, made not with chickpeas, but with onion, cauliflower and zucchini.,bound together with almond flower.For a healthy lunch or snack make the seven layer Greek cups, loaded with feta, hummus and kalamata olives. Dinner recipes are equally fun . Kids and parents will love the quick mu shu pork and the shrimp scampi with spaghetti squash. There are recipes for zoodles or zucchetti.Ms. Fuentes even makes a ramen soup with them! Snacks and treats are many , each as tasty as the next. There are plantain and beet chips that will surely replace the bought potato ones. There are flourless bites made with raisins as the binder. These come in yummy flavors like cherry chocolate and apple pie along with coconut brownie. A homemade version of Nutella along with ice cream are also included as are grain free cupcakes with rich fudgy frosting.

The Best Grain-Free Family Meals On The Planet is a kitchen must have for those families with gluten allergies. The recipes are easy and tasty, sure to be family classics .Buy it today and start creating these grain free dishes!