Happy East-over-dan! (Easter + Passover + Ramadan)
The Mother's Day FREE cookbook special is back! Plus Easter/Passover/Ramadan recipes, and new travel dates.
Make a Cookbook for Mom
What do moms want? Time with their family making precious memories! When do they want it? Whenever is convenient for you, don’t worry about me, honey.
It might be an old trope, but your mom really does just want to spend time with you (and the grandkids, if applicable). Because family food traditions are incredibly special, there isn’t a meaningful gift quite like a Family Cookbook experience. And you, lucky reader, are getting first dibs on The Family Cookbook Mother’s Day special.
Here’s how it works: Request a Mother’s Day gift box by May 1 and you’ll receive a FREE bonus cookbook with your package. Gift boxes contain a Family Cookbook session prep guide that walks through all the details of making a custom cookbook, including getting ready for the photo session, how to send in your recipes, and how to make the most of your experience. Once you present mom with the box, you have one year to schedule your photo session.
For more details and to take advantage of the deal, just reply to this email or request the information & pricing guide.
Get the Guide & Request a Gift Box
Ready to schedule your Family Cookbook session or just a regular family session outside of Oregon/Washington? Here are some updated travel dates (and if you don’t see your city on the list, please inquire! I build by schedule around my inquiries).
NYC: April 26-May 3 (April 30 & May 1 in Connecticut)
Utah: May 9-16 (limited sessions!)
Miami (???): August 2022 (still confirming this is actually going to happen)
NYC: September 2022 (specific dates TBD)
Dallas: October 14-18
Get the Guide & Schedule Your Session
Holy Season Recipes
How often to Passover, Easter, and Ramadan overlap? About once every 33 years, according to the internet. The trifecta of holy holidays is upon us with Ramadan currently underway, Passover starting on Friday, and Easter taking place on Sunday. Whether you celebrate one holiday, multiple, or none at all, here is a collection of recipes definitely worth diving into.
For the Seder:
Seder was always very casual growing up (if we had it at all). I’ve never hosted a full-on Haggadah read, and since it’s usually just me and my husband, a small brisket with a couple of sides usually does the trick. Instead of brisket this year, I tried a lamb shoulder recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks A House with a Date Palm will Never Starve. For copyright reasons, I can’t post the actual recipe here but definitely add this book to your shelf or see if you can pick it up at your library. It’s a bit of an intensive recipe since it involves toasting whole coriander, fennel, and cumin, then slightly grinding them with garlic, olive oil, and date syrup. But that mixture slathered on the lamb and roasted for a few hours results in a rich and tasty dish. Many Ashkenazi Jews out there might be opposed to having lamb on Passover, but this recipe would work great with beef as well. It could also work as a nice twist for Easter too!
On the side: Spaghetti squash. I know, not tradish. But still delish. I roasted a halved squash lathered in olive oil, salt and pepper. Then fried up a few chopped garlic cloves in olive oil until they were lightly browned, added the scooped squash, a little more salt and pepper, and voila! Throw in some zaatar or fresh parsley for extra-ness.
My Instagram poll revealed a desire for retro Passover dessert recipes from my Great Grandma’s retirement home cookbook. Instead of making this newsletter even longer by typing them out here, here’s a link to a blog post with five recipes.
Many of you also wanted to see some diverse Seder plates. With the expanse of the Jewish diaspora, many Seder plates reflect the items and cultures Judaism has intersected with. Some of the favorites I found were: Michael Twitty’s African American Seder Plate, and the LUNAR community’s ideas for an Asian Jewish Seder plate.
And one last Passover item: I love matzo brei. I grew up eating it all year round whenever my dad felt like making it. Unfortunately, I now know I’m allergic to eggs and haven’t eaten the dish in years. Next week, I’m going to try a matzo brei recipe with the vegan mung-bean egg substitute Just Egg. We’ll see how it goes, and I’ll reveal all in a reel on Instagram. In the mean time check out this very old blog post featuring my dad’s matzo brei recipe.
For Easter Sunday
I’m not a ham person, sorry. If you were hoping for a ham recipe, I must disappoint. I don’t trust myself enough to root out one that would be tasty. But! I did find a number of excellent world Easter tradition recipes via The Pioneer Woman.
If you’re hunting for a side dish, my mom would always blanch green beans with pearl onions, and toss them in some salt and pepper with slivered almonds. It was always in high demand at our family table, so try it out for yourself!
Another result of the Instagram poll: You want Easter cookies. And unlike the ham, I can determine whether or not a cookie recipe looks top-notch.
First, check out these Greek Easter cookies from my friend Eleni Saltas. I photographed Eleni and her cousin making these light and tasty twisted cookies a few years ago.
Or try uncinetti from an Italian in My Kitchen, intricate Sicilian cuddura from Wander Cooks, go decadent with Crystal & Co’s M&M Easter bars, get crafty with lemon custard egg cookies from Woman’s Day, go sparkly with colorful (and easy) with Easter blossom cookies from My Kitchen Craze, or keep it simple with frosted sugar cookies via Sally’s Baking Addiction.
For Iftar
Ramadan ends on May 1, so between now and then there are a lot of dishes to be tried for breaking each day’s fast. Referencing the Instagram poll again, and Ramadan sweets won heartily. Give these ones a try.
Classic qatayef asafiri from Amira’s Kitchen
Almond halwa from Veg Recipes of India
Basbousa from Cleobuttera (one of my favorites—it utilizes toasted milk powder!)
Bastani for those warmer spring days via Bastani Tehran
Knafah from Dine with Dina
Date-filled maamoul cookies from Munaty Cooking
On top of everything else
There’s so much happening this week, and in addition to all the holiday goodness on tables across the world, I’m also keeping up with regular weekly cooking videos highlighting some other festivals taking place.
This Friday I’m exploring the Water Splashing Festival observed by the Dai ethnic group of Yunnan, China. It’s part of the Dai calendar’s New Year and involves, well, a lot of people getting wet. Yunnan is known for its rice production, and this rice noodle soup from China Sichuan Food showcases the best flavors of the area.
Next week, I get to nerd out on one of Turkmenistan’s many interesting holidays. This one celebrates horses and horsemanship, and if you aren’t familiar with Turkmenistan, just know that horses play a big part in this central Asian nation’s culture. And also the former president is obsessed with them. While chatting all things horse, I’ll be making stuffed eggplants and peppers from Turkmen Kitchen.