The Crabby Cook - by Jessica Harper

My nephew, who lives in a tiny New York apartment, called me with a recipe emergency. He’d invited a new Potential Girlfriend (PGF) over for dinner and wanted to cook something that was cheap and easy but impressive. I thought this was ambitious for a guy whose cooking skills are limited to pouring cereal and microwaving popcorn, but I had an idea. Read More

I would happily take up golf, If it meant a close encounter with George Clooney…
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It’s April 20th, which means many things. First, I just learned it is National Lima Bean Respect Day, so don’t go dissing your limas for 24 hours. Second, today’s the day when some lucky foodie to wins my Eastover brunch recipe contest! If you have not been following this sizzling hot competition, click here to catch up. Read More

In my childhood home, vanilla treats were favored. We ate vanilla pudding, vanilla ice cream, vanilla cookies and cake. I grew up thinking of chocolate as sort of exotic. To this day, it’s vanilla that makes my world spin: I’m a vanillaholic. Read More

My friend Lynn is a genius.

Lynn is a fabulous cook, who often (if not always) enjoys cooking. But she (like the crabbier cooks among us) has a family that can be annoying to feed. She told me that, during one especially gnarly phase, her son was a vegan, her older daughter was a pescatarian and her toddler would eat nothing but white toast. Lynn herself is fond of lamb chops, so her dinner hour was often a three-ring circus. Read More

Win an autographed cookbook and a Crabby Cook apron!

My mother-in-law, Bette, is coming to stay with us Easter weekend. I know, yikes, right?

But while mothers-in-law in general are often the subject of hostile jokes due to their meddlesome and controlling natures, mine happens to be an excellent representative of the species. She is very smart and kind, and, unlike her daughter-in-law, she is seldom crabby.

Bette’s Jewish, but she likes to celebrate everything. Although Passover was the dominant spring holiday in my husband’s childhood, the Easter bunny showed up annually, too. My mother-in-law’s positive outlook has always led her to rejoice in all of life’s notable moments, regardless of any religion associated with them.

Easter and Passover overlap this year, and I plan on making an Easter blunch (which most people call brunch but, when my daughter Nora was three, she made an adjustment to the word, which stuck). I’ll probably make a ham (perfect blunch entrée for a lazy-ass like me) and since Bette will be present, I want to add something to honor Passover, too. We’re going to call April 24th Eastover. (Or maybe Passter. Maybe Nora will decide.)

So, what would you serve? Any thoughts? I need a nice dish that’s Easter-blunchy and a little bit Jewish-ish all at once. Read More