Red Potato and Sugar Snap Pea Salad

Why is summer the best time of the year?  Extreme heat, popsicles, outdoor movies, long hours of sunlight, and PICNICS.  Yes, I admit it: I'm a picnic partisan and I think everything tastes better al fresco.  And what's a picnic without potato salad?  This recipe includes a little greenery for a healthsome crunch and an olive oil dressing.  Bonus: Using olive oil instead of mayo as the binding/moisturizing agent prevents the potato salad from going bad in the summer heat.  Nobody likes food poisoning.

 

Matzo, Onion, and Mushroom Kugel

Well, Passover is almost over.  But if you're like me, you still have several pounds of matzo (not called "the bread of affliction" for nothing) left over.  You can either feed it to your local wildlife or make it into a much more palatable side dish that goes well with chicken or brisket, or as a starchy centerpiece to a vegetarian meal.

"Kugel" is a Yiddish word referring to a sweet or savory dish, and is basically a baked pudding.  Most of the time, noodles or potatoes form the basis for the recipe, but since this is for Passover, noodles are pretty much out.  This recipe, which has served me well for two years in a row, is a slight modification from one of my favorite cookbooks, Marlena Spieler's Jewish Cooking.