From Scratch

Whenever I can devise a recipe that does double duty in my interfaith life, I am happy. This lightened-up take on a favorite worked for Easter and will work for Passover, when dairy is appropriate. In fact, I can envision this any time a plated dessert is needed.
For those not familiar with Passover dietary laws, grains are […]

To all who celebrate it, Happy Easter.

I hate last-minute cooking for a big meal, holiday or otherwise. That’s why I prepare make-ahead gravy at Thanksgiving. But not every meal includes turkey and often, everyday meals need gravy that I am still not willing to scramble around to make at the final moment.
If you’re the same way, set aside your thoughts about […]

Did you know teal is the hot color for Easter eggs this year? The 125-year-old PAAS company, whose name (which comes from the Pennsylvania Dutch word for ‘passen’, or Easter) is synonymous with egg decorating kits, says teal has replaced purple as the most popular color. The company also says Americans who decorate eggs will fancy up an […]

This will be on my Easter table along with the divine roasted asparagus in the photo. Their flavors complement each other well. I’ve made Coca-Cola Ham for years but decided to try something new and this fits the bill. Its gives the ham a more complex taste, less sweet, and there’s a perfect amount of glaze for a […]

It wasn’t too long ago that the appearance of asparagus at the market, in time for Easter dinner, heralded the arrival of spring. Now, like so many fruits and vegetables, it has become virtually seasonless, nearly always available, although the more tender white variety can be harder to find. Despite that, it’s still a labor-intensive vegetable and therefore […]

Meatless meals are always welcome on my table, and because I observe Lent I have several mandatory meatless days ahead of me between now and Easter. A new recipe as quick and delicious as this one definitely makes life easier. It’s the kind of dish that you can make once and never have to look at […]

The first cookbook I ever bought — that’s it on the left – was chosen for one simple reason: it explained how to boil an egg.
I was a sophomore in college, hooked on chef’s salads, and decided to try making them myself. The catch was that I did not know how to make a hard boiled egg. […]

To all who celebrate it, Happy Easter

I like to do ahead as much of a big meal as I can, and since I love crusty, holey bread, I developed this recipe for what are basically brown ‘n’ serve mini breads, shaped like rolls. They’re a mainstay for holiday meals. I make them in the food processor with the metal blade or in […]

About a decade ago, a cyberpal who is a very good cook raved about making ham with a Coca-Cola glaze, as she was about to do for Easter. It was a popular method, she assured me, even though word of this hadn’t reached me in Manhattan. I was a bit skeptical, but she’d never shared […]

I have a rule: only one carrot item per Easter dinner.  It’s not that I don’t especially like carrots — I love them — but the holiday, after all, is not about a mythical bunny. In fact, if I didn’t love carrots, I might banish them from the Easter menu just to avoid any suggestion of […]

Mr. Knife Skills and I have spent a good part of the day working on our menus and cooking schedules for Passover and Easter. If you haven’t figured it out, he’s the Jewish half, I’m Catholic. My mom, G-d rest her, was Protestant so blended beliefs are a way of life for me. This year, Passover […]