Entrees

If Mom loves grilled food, Apple Cider Grilled Baby Back Ribs are an excellent main course for Mother’s Day. This recipe has both a dry rub and a liquid seasoning, for superior flavor. Or lavish Mom with Balsamic Filet Mignon or Beef fillet with red wine.

For something a little more casual, try Beef and Pork Stuffed Cabbage Rolls, Better-For-You Eggplant Parmigiana, or take advantage of in season, spring produce with Artichoke and Beef Fettuccine.

If fish is Mom’s thing, Broiled Lime and Tarragon Trout is a must try. Pork? Blackberry Pork Tenderloin will amaze her. Chicken? How about traditional Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Chicken and Spinach Pie, or Chicken Braised with Wine?

Side Dishes

Asparagus is an excellent choice at this time of year, being in season and at it’s best. Try Asparagus and Pine Nuts, Asparagus with French Orange Sauce, Asparagus with Almonds, or Grilled Asparagus with Ham.

Brussels sprouts are also in season in many areas. To avoid the bitterness sometimes associated with this vegetable, choose the freshest ones you can find, then serve Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.

Thinking again of what’s in season, steamed artichokes or Fried Artichoke Hearts are another excellent choice. Green Peas and Mint is a refreshing dish and very simple to prepare. Or, if you’re grilling, why not just throw some seasonal veggies on the grill?

To round the meal off, try some homemade bread: Easy Buttermilk Biscuits or Buttermilk Bread in a Pressure Cooker. Cornmeal Rolls are another nice choice – or for a sweeter flair, try Banana Rhubarb Muffins.

Dessert

Chocolate is an obvious choice for dessert – but a choice that’s likely to please Mom. How about All-American Chocolate Cake? Tiramisu? Or the very easy Chocolate Delight Dessert?

If you want to try something different, Terrine with orange is an unusual but delicious choice. Or how about easy and excellent Baked Bananas?

* Eating in season is often healthier. Eating fresh, in season produce food means having food with higher nutritional value, according to some studies. That’s because produce that’s grown in greenhouses out of season seem to have lower levels of nutrients.

In addition, if you buy seasonal produce from local farmers (or grow it yourself), your food won’t be picked early so it can arrive at your grocery store looking fresh. That also means the produce has more nutritional value. Finally, varieties of food generally grown for the grocery store market tend to be less nutritious than food grown locally.

* In season produce tastes better. There is really no point in buying plums and peaches in the winter. They taste awful. On the other hand, fresh in season produce – especially if it’s from a local farmer or your backyard – has excellent flavor.

* In season produce saves money. Fresh, out of season produce is more expensive because it costs more to grow it in unnatural conditions. Fresh, in season produce is more abundant and cheaper to grow – and therefore costs consumers less money to buy.

* In season produce saves energy. Out of season produce is generally shipped to your location with trucks, planes, and ships – all of which consume resources. In season produce, on the other hand, can typically be grown locally, and therefore far fewer resources are used to bring it to your kitchen.

* Eating fresh, in season produce helps you enjoy your food. If you have to wait until summer to enjoy a ripe-from-the-tree, juicy peach, you’re going to appreciate it much more.

* Eating in season encourages variety. Eating seasonally does limit your fresh produce choices – but that often leads to trying foods you might have otherwise ignored. This can balance your diet and improve your health – as well as delight your palate.

* Eating seasonal produce will probably encourage you to buy your food from local farmers – which in turn helps you support your local economy.

What’s In Season in Spring

(Click links below for recipes)

Asparagus

Avocados

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Chard

Collard greens

Dates

Grapefruit

Green onions (scallions)

Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)

Kale

Kohlrabi

Kumquats

Lemons

Lettuce

Mushrooms

Mustard greens

Navel and Blood Orange

Parsnips

Peas

Spinach

Strawberries

Tangelos/Tangerines

Turnips

For more seasonal recipes, check out my new cookbook A Vegetable for Every Season.

Citrus cake

Easter is nearly here, but if you’re still not sure what you’re cooking, there’s no need to panic. Whether you are preparing the entire meal or simply supplying one dish, GourmetRecipe has tons of ideas to choose from. Here are some of my favorites.

Main Dishes

Lamb is a traditional Easter food – and for many Americans, something of a treat. Try one of these great lamb recipes:

Lamb Chops and Baked Garlic

Lamb leg from Pierre Salinger

Leg of Lamb with Wine and Mushroom Sauce

Minted Spring Lamb

Moroccan Leg of Lamb

Lamb square cut with fricassee of artichokes

Lamb in a Crust of Fresh Herbs

Lamb square cut in a crust of herbs with apples

Lamb with Stuffed Onions and Zucchini

Grilled Rack of Lamb

Rack of Lamb Jacqueline

Ham is also traditional and very easy choice as the main dish, but you might also want to try beef. For example, Beef fillet with red wine or a Crock Pot Roast.

Side Dishes

Asparagus is an excellent side dish for Easter, since it’s just coming into season. Try Asparagus with French Orange Sauce, Asparagus and Pine Nuts, or Asparagus with Almonds.

Other good side dishes include Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Green pasta gratin with ham and cream, Beet Greens with Garlic, and Grilled Vegetables.

And for 10 Variations on Mashed Potatoes, see our sister site, Gourmandia.

Hot cross buns or resurrection buns are an easy way to point to tradition this Easter. Resurrection buns are particularly easy – so easy, kids can make them with little help.

For dessert, consider Apple Cake. Chocolate Beet Cake is another good choice; it’s really just ordinary chocolate cake made extremely moist by the addition of beets. Or how about Citrus Cake?

Empty tomb cookies make for a sweet treat that are perfect for teaching children about the meaning of Easter. Or, just for fun, how about Baby Chick Cupcakes?

Although people have used buns for religious ceremony as far back ancient Egypt, hot cross buns are specifically an English Tudor invention. In those days, it was illegal to sell spicy, buttery buns except on Good Friday and Christmas. The cross on the buns points to the origins of Easter – Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.

Happily, hot cross buns are easy to make and a fun addition to the Good Friday or Easter meal. You may even wish to have fun with one of the superstitions surrounding the buns: Sharing a hot cross bun with someone else will, it’s said, keep your relationship strong throughout the remainder of the year. As you eat, say “Half for you and half for me. Between us two shall goodwill be.”

Hot Cross Buns Recipe

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

4 1/4 cups all purpose flour (or 2 cups whole wheat flour and 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 egg

Optional:

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup dried cranberries

For the Frosting:

2 1/2 cups powdered (confectioners’) sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon almond extract

Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking pan; set aside. If using the dried fruits, place them each in their own bowl and cover with warm water; set aside.

image courtesy Wikipedia

In the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook (or in a large mixing bowl), pour the yeast and warm water. Allow to sit until frothy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, sugar, cardamom, 1 ¼ cup warm milk, butter, and egg. Mix well and knead.

If using the dried fruit, drain it, then fold into the dough.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces of approximately the same size; shape each piece into a ball. Place the balls in the prepared baking pan, touching. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm location until doubled, about 45 minutes.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap and place the buns in the oven. Bake until golden, bout 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the baked buns from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack. In the meantime, making the frosting: Whisk together the powdered sugar, ¼ cup milk, and almond extract, mixing well.When the buns are cool, drizzle the frosting over their tops to form crosses.

1. Gather together:

½ gallon of milk – any type will do as long as it’s not ultra-pasteurized (a.k.a., UHT, or ultra-heat-treated)

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

½ cup sweetener of your choice (real honey or pure maple syrup are good choices)

½ cup store bought yogurt (or yogurt starter, which can be purchased online)

Heavy pot

Cooking thermometer

2 three-quart glass jars (canning jars are perfect and least likely to break)

Another pot (for boiling water)

Mixing bowl

Spoon

2. Pour the milk into the pot. Add the honey or maple syrup and (if using) the vanilla extract.

3. Over medium to medium-high heat, warm the milk until it reaches 180 degrees F. It should bubble a bit and form a skin.

4. Remove the pot from the stove and let the milk cool to 120 degrees F. To speed things up, you can place the pot in a sink of cold tap water.

5. Fill the second pot with water and bring to a boil. Warm the jars with hot, running tap water, then pour the boiling water over them to help sterilize them. Pour out any water in the jars.

6. Pour 1 cup of the cooled milk into the mixing bowl and add the yogurt or starter. Swirl with a spoon. DON’T mix or stir.

7. Pour the milk and yogurt mixture back into the pot. Swirl (again NOT mixing or stirring).

8. Pour the mixture into the jars. You should already see chunks of yogurt. Divide these chunks between the jars pretty evenly.

9. Screw the lids onto the jars and place them in the large pot. Pour enough hot tap water into the pot that it comes to the rims of the jars. Allow to sit on the counter for 10 – 18 hours, then remove the jars to the refrigerator. After chilling, eat. The yogurt will last 1 – 2 weeks.

“But,” you may wonder, “what if I want flavors, like strawberry?” Just add a wee bit of jam. Yes, really. Store bought yogurt is flavored with sugared fruit, so jam is an easy DIY way of achieving a similar flavor.

Choosing Citrus

Which type of citrus you use depends upon the flavor you’re seeking. But in most cases, citrus is interchangeable in recipes. That’s not to say the dish that calls for lemon will taste the same if you substitute orange – but as long as you enjoy the flavor of oranges, the dish will likely turn out great.

When shopping, select the freshest citrus you can find. If you’ll be using the rind (also called the “zest”), choose organically grown citrus.

Citrus Juice

Unfortunately, most home cooks use bottled citrus juice, which tastes inferior to fresh juice. Unless you’re home canning and need lemon juice that’s been tested for acidity, make your own citrus juice instead.

Before juicing, bring the fruit to room temperature, then roll it on the counter a few times. This helps release some of the juices. Then slice the fruit in half and either use:

* an old fashioned, hand juicer (like this or this)

* an electric juicer

* or simply squeeze the citrus juice into a bowl, fish out the seeds, and apply the juice to the recipe.

It’s fine to freeze any leftover juice.

Citrus Zest

The “zest” of citrus is the outer skin – the part that is colored, not white. It’s commonly sliced thin or grated to add terrific flavor to foods. An ordinary cheese grater with a “fine grate” panel works just fine for this job – or you can purchase a zester. For getting thin strips of zest, a vegetable peeler does the job.

You can also preserve the zest by freezing it. Or cut the peel into strips, remove the white pith, and dehydrate them in a dehydrator or oven. Later, you can grind these peels in a coffee grinder for zest that can be use any time.

Add Citrus Juice and/or Zest to:

* Pancakes, waffles, and French toast batter

* Green salads

* Quick breads

* Yeast breads

* Rice dishes

* Poaching or simmering water

* Lamb, pork, or chicken

Recommended Citrus Recipes:

Citrus Fruit Soup

Baked Oranges

Terrine with Orange

Orange Glazed Salmon

Gilthead with Citrus Fruits

Candied Citrus Peel

Lemon Oregano Chicken

Orange Tureen

Citrus Cake

1. DON’T serve anything with small bones. Fish, for example, seems like a good idea because it’s light and healthy and fairly easy to cook. But nothing will spoil the evening worse than someone choking. Don’t go there.

2. DON’T serve foods with bad lingering smells. Like fish, again, or cabbage. Who wants to smell that all night long? Not very romantic.

3. DON’T serve foods that, well, cause “tummy troubles.” Like cabbage and beans. ‘Nouf said.

4. DON’T serve food that gives bad breath. That means no garlic, onions, leeks, or chives.

6. DON’T serve anything your Valentine is allergic to. This should be a “duh,” but before the big day, be sure to ask if he or she has food allergies!

7. DON’T serve food your Valentine hates. Or even slightly dislikes. In fact, try to serve something he or she really loves to eat. It’s probably a good idea not to guess here; keep it simple and just ask!

8. DON’T get drunk. Sure, serve up a bottle of wine. But sip it. Nothing is less romantic than getting sloshed.

9. DON’T leave your cell phone on. Seriously. All phones and pagers should be turned OFF. Focus on your Valentine!

10. DON’T fuss over the food, even if you think you’ve made a mistake cooking it. Apologize once (if you must), then focus on your special someone.

On the other hand,

* DO keep it simple. A well cooked, simple meal is always more impressive than a fancy meal that’s only so-so.

* DO serve a chocolate dessert. Unless serving chocolate violated one of the “don’ts” above.

* DO relax and enjoy yourself. Valentine’s Day isn’t about pulling off the “perfect” romantic meal. It’s about giving someone you love your full attention and showing him or her in realistic, simple ways that you love that person.

The Menu: Make it Simple

Don’t choose a meal that’s so elaborate you’ll risk not being able to cook it properly. Yes, I know you want to impress your Valentine, but it’s better to cook a simple, delicious meal than an elaborate meal that doesn’t taste (or look) terrific.

It’s also better to select recipes you’re familiar with. If you really want to make something you’ve never cooked before, do yourself a huge favor and cook it at least once before the big day. Not only will this make you feel more comfortable when it’s time to cook for your Valentine, but it will reduce the risk of a cooking failure just when you want to impress him or her most.

Be sure to consider your Valentine’s tastes. For example, there’s no point in making filet mignon – no matter how perfectly prepared – if your Valentine really doesn’t care for beef. And if your Valentine has food allergies, be sure you know about them ahead of time!

You also don’t want to spend all evening slaving away in the kitchen. Ideally, this should be a time to relax and spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. So choose foods that can be made ahead of time.

Setting the Mood

Without a doubt, the setting matters as much as the food. Light some candles (or at least dim the lights), turn on soft music, and put some fresh flowers on the table.

For even more romance, consider eating outside, in a garden area or balcony – but only if it’s warm enough your Valentine won’t need a sweater or jacket to feel comfortable. (And always have a back up plan in case the weather fools you!)

Also remember that time of day matters. Although you could treat your Valentine to three romantic meals on Valentine’s Day (guys, she will be impressed!), if you only choose to make one meal, make it dinner. At the end of the day, everyone is more relaxed – plus the darkness outside makes those dim lights inside more romantic.

Finally, don’t look like you’ve been cooking all day, even if you have. Make sure you are well groomed by the time your Valentine arrives.

Then, relax. Pour some wine. And enjoy.

How to Buy Leeks

Assuming you are buying leeks – which look something like a huge green onion or scallion – look for firm produce with 2 or 3 inches of white. The smaller the leek (and the brighter the leaves), the more tender the veggie.

How to Wash Leeks

Leeks have a way of harboring soil, so just before using them, wash them well. First, cut off the green leaves about an inch above the white part. (These are tough and can be bitter, so most recipes don’t call for them – but don’t throw them away! Instead add them to soups or stews, or save them for the next time you make stock. For any of these uses, its fine to wash the greens, pat them dry, put them in a freezer bag and freeze them for later.)

Now cut off the roots and discard. Slice the leeks in half, lengthwise. Hold the leeks by their green parts and place  under running water, fanning the layers of the vegetable until no sign of dirt is present. Pat dry.

How to Cook with Leeks

Being part of the onion family, leeks can be used as a substitute for onions or green onions (scallions), but they have a more mild, oniony flavor. Leeks are traditionally used in soups, including Potato Leek Soup, Vichyssoise Leek and Chicken Soup, Chicken Leek Soup, and the Scottish Cock-a-Leekie soup. Other ideas include Leeks and Scallops and Zander sauteed with cepe mushrooms, leek and truffles. But for a really simple and stunning side dish, try braised leeks:

Prepare 4 leeks. In a large skillet, bring 4 cups of chicken stock to a boil. Add the leeks and cover. Cook over medium low heat until tender, about 15 to 25 minutes. Be sure to turn the leeks over one time. Transfer the leeks to a serving platter.

Reduce the liquid in the pan by boiling until you have about ½ cup. Remove the skillet from the stove and add 2 tablespoons butter, stirring until melted. Season with about 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. Spoon this mixture over the leeks and serve.

How to Make Flour Tortillas

In a bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour (all purpose, whole wheat, or a mixture of both; tortillas made with all purpose flour are the most tender and soft) and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add 2 ½ tablespoons of melted butter, olive oil, or melted coconut oil; stir. Now add just enough water that the dough isn’t dry and still sticks to your hands. For best results, add a small amount of water and stir; then add more water, if needed. Typically, I use about ¾ cup of water.

Now cut out a piece of waxed paper. Shape the tortilla dough into balls and place each ball onto the waxed paper.

Cut out another piece of waxed paper and sprinkle some flour on it. Place one ball in the center of the paper. Using your hand, flatten the ball into a disc. Sprinkle the top of the dough with some more flour and place another sheet of waxed paper over it. (You may omit the waxed paper and just use flour, but the paper helps keep the dough from sticking and makes cleanup easier.)

Use a rolling pin to flatten the disc so it’s the desired thickness. You can try to roll a nearly perfect circle out – or you can roll the dough out so it has jagged edges, then lay a pot lid over the tortilla and cut out a perfect circle with a knife.

Place the uncooked shells on a floured surface, but don’t stack more than two at a time. Once you’re experienced at tortilla-making, you may wish to cook one tortilla while you roll out the next one. (I don’t recommend doing that at first, because you may accidentally burn the cooking tortilla.)

Place a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Spray with cooking oil. The pan is ready when a little water from your fingertips makes the pan sizzle. You can also use scraps of dough to test the readiness of the pan.

When the pan is ready, spray one side of an uncooked tortilla and place it, sprayed-side down, in the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, or until just golden, flattening any bubbles with a spatula. Spray the opposite side of the tortilla, turn, and cook for about 1 minute. Remove the tortilla from the pan and place on a large, clean dish towel, wrapping the tortilla to keep it warm.

Homemade tortillas may be stored in a large Ziplock bag in the refrigerator.