Whether you’re firing up the grill, having a picnic or just planning to kick back and spend the day drinking, Cookthink wishes those lucky enough to take the holiday a happy Memorial Day!

For mothers who love to cook, staying out of the kitchen on Mother’s Day is out of the question. We asked Emily Franklin, a writer and mother whose new book Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, and 102 Recipes was just published, about her Mother’s Day cooking traditions:

On Sunday evenings growing up, my dad would whip up his version of scrambled eggs with whatever cheese and vegetables we had in the house. Breakfast for dinner is a great fallback, especially on Mother’s Day, when I don’t so much want a day off as I do a cozy day with my husband and four young kids, enjoying the company and, of course, the food.

My night brunch typically consists of easy baked vanilla French toast, a smoked salmon and cheese omelet baked in the oven and roasted asparagus. The key to this menu is simple-to-prepare dishes that do most of the cooking by themselves; unlike children, they can be left unattended for long-ish periods of time.

What are you cooking for Mother’s Day?

It’s looking like cool, damp weather in Louisville for tomorrow’s 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. Having a few friends over to watch the action? If you’re still figuring out what to serve, consider the classics, then consider varying them a little.

(more…)

Photo: Mocha Truffles

Whether you’re celebrating with chocolate, ham, lamb or just something springy, Cookthink wishes you a happy Easter Sunday!

Photo: Braised Beef Brisket (Cookthink)

The weeklong celebration of Passover began last night. Jews celebrate the holiday by keeping kosher and forgoing anything leavened, like bread or pastry. But the traditional Passover seder includes plenty to celebrate — including charoset, brisket, matzo and more.

You know it when you see it, but what exactly is ham?

And if you’re planning to make ham for Easter Sunday, why not try it baked with Bourbon or an apricot glaze?

To us, Easter means seasonal spring lamb. There are many ways you can serve lamb for an intimate gathering or a crowd; here are three of our favorites:

1. Cooked on the bone, a sumptuous and simple grilled leg of lamb with rosemary and garlic smells like heaven on the grill.

2. Cooking indoors? Try this savory butterflied leg of lamb with black olives, thyme and orange that is rolled up and roasted in the oven.

3. And an elegant, simple and crowd-pleasing rack of lamb with a marjoram and parsley crust works every time. Just be sure to ask your butcher to French it.

Want to know how the French celebrate April Fools Day? They run around trying to pin paper fish on the backs of unsuspecting friends and other victims, shouting “poisson d’avril!” if they succeed.

Pourquoi? Well, the most popular theory is that back in 1564, King Charles IX changed the start of the year from April 1 to January 1, displacing the traditional giving of New Years gifts a few months. Because people customarily gifted one another with food in the 16th century, and since April 1 coincided with the end of Lent — that pre-Easter period where Christians eat fish instead of meat — the giving of real fish was replaced with faux fish once the calendar shifted.

Around this time of year in France, chocolate shops get in the poisson d’avril spirit by selling fish-shaped chocolates.

We’re joining President Obama in wishing the Iranian people a Happy New Year. Iranians traditionally ring in the new year with a dish called sabzi polo, but we’re celebrating with saffron, pomegranate , eggplant and pistachio, all classic Iranian ingredients.

We’re celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day by cooking up some cabbage, sausages and a fingerling potato and spring onion salad with mustard dressing.

And for dessert? This Irish whiskey cake followed by an Irish Coffee.