Today, we’re going to feature some of our recipes here that could potentially find their way to your Passover table (like Ree’s Passover Brisket above), or your Easter celebration (like the Easy Easter Egg Bird Nests from taracooks, also in the photo above). And no, we’re not going to accomplish this dual-themed post with a re-enactment of a certain someone’s offering of a honey-baked ham after being invited to a Seder.

Let’s start with some recipes for Passover. This would be a good time for me to add the disclaimer that, despite my little honey-baked ham jab up there, I am in no way an authority on Jewish or Passover cooking. So this post called for quite a bit of research, but I was glad for the time spent learning what I did. The one thing I took from all that was, as specific as the restrictions are, there still is a wealth of possibilities, and the best approach is to focus more on what you can have rather than on what you can’t.

For example, most vegetables are fair game, which would mean the Maple Orange Glazed Roasted Vegetables from myrecessionkitchen would be a wonderful addition to the meal. (Be sure to use pure maple syrup, as imitation versions may contain corn syrup, which is a no-no.) Jaden’s Ginger Orange and Curry Roasted Chicken is another delicious option, as are copykat’s Charoset (of course!), a simple Pot Roast from Ree, and a lovely Country Borscht from mixedlovers.

 
 
 
While most desserts call for flour or other kinds of grain, that doesn’t mean dessert time is a time of deprivation. For one, all fruits are fair game. And if you’re in the mood for something like a frozen treat, why not try sweettooth’s Healthy, Impossibly Easy Banana “Ice Cream” below? Believe it or not, it has only one ingredient: frozen bananas. Or you can do a Carrot Kugel courtesy of elanaspantry, or snack on some fabulous Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons from ashleymac. (It does have condensed milk, so just make sure you use a can with a “Kosher for Passover” label, and wait long enough after your meal to enjoy it so you’re not mixing dairy and meat at the same meal.)

 
 
 
For those celebrating Easter, I found some lovely choices for you, too. Of course, when we think of Easter, usually the first thing that comes to mind is ham. And we’ve got a delicious Southern Honey-Baked Ham here that’ll fit the bill. Or you can whip up a Show Stopping Cranberry Ham Glaze and impress your guests.

Did you know how ham became associated with Easter? Apparently, since they didn’t have refrigeration back then and meat wasn’t a popular commodity during the Lenten season, all the meat that they had left over from the winter was cured in order to help preserve it. And right around the end of the Lenten season was when the meat was done curing, and so ham became a natural and popular choice for Easter celebrations.

It’s amazing what you learn doing research.

For this post, I thought maybe we could find a different way to present the traditional Easter ham. So I thought I’d show you the pretty Ham and Cheese Egg Cups by jodiemo below, which would be great for an Easter brunch. Another traditional Easter food is pretzels, because the shape of the pretzel resembles two arms clasped together in prayer. And I thought we’d veer a bit from the usual sweet bread and instead highlight some Cheesy Homemade Pretzels from Karenpie.

Since Easter and spring are so closely associated together, we’ve got some nice spring recipes from our theme post last week that would make great Easter dishes. Or you can also make a lovely Spicy Asian Slaw with Napa Cabbage, Carrots & Ginger Dressing from cookincanuck, which would go well with either a nice Easter ham or some Broiled Lamb Chops with guinness BBQ Sauce from patiodaddio.

Of course, scalloped potatoes are almost a given as an Easter side. Individual Scalloped Potatoes from The Noshery are a wonderful spin on the classic, and something those little hands can easily handle. And I couldn’t do an Easter roundup without including an Italian Easter Pie from thegoodlifegourmet.

 
 
 
Finally, if there’s one thing that says “Easter” loud and clear, it’s the candy for the kids—the Easter eggs, bunny cupcakes, and marshmallow peeps. Like the White Chocolate Easter Eggs from Cooking Ventures in the photo below, that almost look too good to eat. For the grown ups, how about some carrot cake, served up in cupcake form? Adults and kids alike will want to grab some Carrot Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting from multiplydelicious. Or get all colorful and festive and make some Rainbow Finger Jello from tarverine. Just looking at a bowlful of that is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face!

 
 
 
And that’s our theme roundup for today!

So what are you up to this week? Are you observing Passover? Celebrating Easter? Or maybe it’s neither of those and you’re just looking for something seasonal to make. Why not shout out your meal plans? As I said earlier, I’m no expert on anything, and I’d love to hear what’s traditional in your household. The Tasty Kitchen community is so diverse, and I just know there’s so much I can learn from everyone. I can’t wait to see your comments!