Favorite Finds for Easter

To be honest, I feel very silly writing this post because I know almost nothing about Easter. Being Jewish, I've never celebrated Easter!

That being said, I still have a love for cute bunnies and anything in pastel, so here's a round up of my favorite things this year if I were celebrating Easter!

1) The cutest floral cupcake decorating kit {link}

2) A perfect addition to your Easter brunch table {link}

3) I am dying to add one of these Mosser Glass cake stands to my collection! {link}

4) Chocolate marshmallow eggs in the loveliest shade of blue {link}

5) Lusting after these dessert plates {link}

Favorite Finds for Passover

Hi everyone! Hope you are having a great start to your Monday. Today's post is dedicated to Passover, a Jewish holiday that starts on Friday evening. 

This spring holiday marks the remembrance of Jews leaving Egypt as free men for Israel, after being enslaved by the Egyptians for many years. It's the story of Moses and the exodus of Jews from Egypt. 

Jews celebrate Passover not only by avoiding bread and leavened food, but also by hosting Passover Seders on the first two nights. Passover Seders (seder means "order" in Hebrew) is a ceremonial meal where Jews retell the Exodus story and drink a lot of wine. 

I did a round-up of some of my favorite Passover-related items that I found on the internet...for when you realize your Bubbie's seder plate doesn't quite cut it anymore. 

Tomorrow, I'll feature some favorite finds focusing on Easter!

1) Seder plate

2) Matzah Cover

3) Magnetic Matzah Plate

4) Passover server 

5) A postcard to send home to your parents 

Kale Lemon Pasta with Preserved Lemons

Yesterday, we talked about preserved lemons. Today, I'm sharing with you a great way to use this unique condiment in a delicious and easy pasta dish.

One of the many reasons why I love pasta is because you can use up all of your leftover odds and ends and turn it into a wonderful meal. And that's exactly what this recipe does!

It's a lemony cream sauce pasta, but I promise it's not a heavy and gloopy sauce. The lemon juice and zest, in addition to the preserved lemon peel, elevates the dish and prevents it from feeling heavy.

Enjoy!

Kale Lemon Pasta with Preserved Lemons

Inspired from Smitten Kitchen

1 pound spaghetti

Salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1 bunch of lacinato kale, chopped into one-inch pieces

3 lemons

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons preserved lemons

Ground black pepper

Cook pasta in extremely salted water (it should taste like the ocean) until your pasta is al dente.

Meanwhile, when the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan over medium. Add the kale to the oil, and saute lightly. Add the juice from 3 lemons, in addition to 1 tablespoon of zest from your lemons. Then, add the heavy cream, and let it simmer to thicken the sauce.

When the pasta is al dente, drain the water, reserving a 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pan with kale and cream sauce, in addition to the cooking liquid. Continue cooking on medium for a minute or two longer. 

Turn off the heat, adding the cheese, preserved lemons, and ground pepper.

Preserved Lemons

My best friend Vivian brought me a special treat this winter, bags filled with Meyer lemons! Her parents have a Meyer lemon tree and didn't know what to do with all of those lemons, so she brought some over to me.

Instead of whipping up a batch of lemonade or lemon bars, I decided to make preserved lemons. Preserved lemons are basically pickled lemons, and according to Wikipedia (the font of all knowledge), preserved lemons are a popular condiment in Indian and South African cuisine. You actually serve the preserved lemon peel, not the flesh.

There are lots of reasons to love preserved lemons. First, they provide a nice tart and briny punch to whatever you add them to. Secondly, it allows you to take advantage of Meyer lemons even after they're out of season. Oh, and they are easy to make. Always a plus in my book!

I'll feature a recipe tomorrow showing you how to use these preserved lemons!

Preserved Lemons

Recipe from NPR

4 lemons (ideally organic!)

4 tablespoons of salt

Juice from 4 lemons, plus more to taste

Wash and scrub the lemons well. Quarter the lemons almost completely through, so that the lemons are still attached at the stem. Stuff each lemon with a tablespoon of salt, and close the lemon. 

Put the lemons in a sterilized canning jar, and squeeze the lemons down so that they are squashed together. Leave the jar out for 3-4 days, allowing the skin to soften. 

Then, add lemon juice so that the lemons are completely submerged. Close the jar and leave in a cool place for at least a month. 

Before using, scoop out and discard the pulp, and rinse the lemon peel under the tap to get rid of any extra salt. 

Favorite Finds: Brown Water Coffee

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am a coffee snob. Part of me hates the fact that I insist on non-Starbucks coffee and I have a preference for Blue Bottle over Four Barrel. If I am going to spend the money on coffee, I want it to be exactly to my liking!

Now, what if I told you that you could get coffee-snob approved beans in addition to helping someone get access to clean drinking water? It's a no-brainer, right?

Brown Water Coffee ships you coffee within 72 hours of roasting, so you get the freshest and best tasting coffee possible. I just ordered their Honduras San Vicente coffee, and I am loving the result. It makes my morning commute so much better to have a delicious and hot cup of coffee with me!

For every bag of beans that someone buys, they provide clean drinking water to an individual. I wish they had more details on exactly what their one-for-one model entails, but I do like their social mission. This year, they are working on a clean water project in Nicaragua. I take for granted that I have clean drinking water, and enough clean drinking water to make delicious coffee.

Check out all of their coffees here!