Most cultures have a spring Holiday, to celebrate the renewal of life.  The two major holidays being celebrated now are Easter and Passover. Both are rich in food traditions. Special breads are one of the most common Easter foods, everything from hot cross buns to Italian Pane Di Posqua. Passover’s bread is of a different symbolism. Matzoh bread, or unleavened bread, remembers the Jewish people’s flight from slavery in Egypt, when they fled so suddenly that they couldn’t wait for their bread to rise.

Special Sales This Week

Fry’s—Buy 6 or more items get $3 off. 
Screamin’ Deal—$.49/each, Campbells Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup or American Beauty Pasta or Green Giant Canned Vegetables, part of Buy 6 Sale.

Safeway—Some good Digital and Clip or Click Coupons, many Easter savings.
Screamin’ Deal—$.99/lb, Hormell premium Spiral Sliced Ham, Digital just for U coupon and Whole Pineapples for $.25, also Digital just for U coupon.

Sprouts—Special deals from Earth Friendly Brands, Muir Glen, Epic, Cascading Farms, Annies and Lara Bar
Screamin’ Deal—$1/each, Muir Glen Tomato Sauce and Paste

Special Food Days This Week

April 17—Cheeseball Day
April 18—Animal Cracker Day
April 19—Garlic Day
April 20—Cheddar Fry’s Day
April 21–Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
April 22—Jelly Bean Day. (I have been to the Jelly Belly factory, you don’t want to try this at home.) This is a good time of year to buy Jelly Beans as they are fresher around Easter.
April 23—Cherry Cheesecake Day

Day 1

One Pan Shrimp and Green Beans
Carrot, Orange and Date Salad
Steamed Quinoa with Peas
Store Bought Pie

One Pan Shrimp and Green Beans

Carrot, Date and Orange Salad

Items on Sale

Shrimp, raw, 2 lb bag—$5.99/lb @Sprouts, 13/15 ct. $5.99/lb @Safeway 16/20 ct. $5.99/lb @Fry’s, 31/40 ct.
Green Beans—$.88/lb @Sprouts. $1.49/lb @Fry’s
Salad Greens—$2.50/bag  @Safeway, Fresh Express. $2.99/5 oz box @Fry’s (O)
Carrots—/42.98/5 lb bag @Sprouts
Oranges—$2.98/4 lb bag @Sprouts, Valencia, (O)$3.99/3 lb bag @Safeway, Halo. 
Dates—25% off packaged dates @Sprouts
Bakery Pies—$3.99/each @Sprouts, Apple or Pumpkin. $8.99 @Fry’s, Caramel Apple Streusel.  $5/each @Safeway, Fruit or Meringue. 

Day 2

Deli Chicken
Green Salad
Steamed Broccoli
Jelly Beans

Green Salad

More of a method than a recipe, but some good ideas.

Have you ever had mathematical dessert. Make up math problems using small edible items. If they get the right answer, they get the number of items in the problem, and/or answer. Jelly beans are ideal, also Goldfish crackers and m &m s.

Items On Sale

Deli Chicken—$5/30 oz @Safeway, Whole. $6.99/8 pc baked pieces @Sprouts. $6.99/32 oz @Fry’s, Whole
Salad Greens—$2.50/bag  @Safeway, Fresh Express. $2.99/5 oz box @Fry’s (O)
Cucumbers—$.98/each @Sprouts, Hothouse. $.88/each @Fry’s, English
Small Tomatoes—$2.50/box @Sprouts, Sunset brand. $2.99/box @Fry’s, snacking
Bell Peppers—$.88/each @Fry’s, red, orange, yellow
Avocados—$1.25/each @Safeway, large
Asparagus—$1/99/lb @Fry’s
Tomatoes—$.98/lb @Sprouts, On-The-Vine, (O)
Broccoli—$.99/lb @Safeway

Day 3

Roast Leg of Lamb OR Beef Ribeye Roast
Charoset
Roasted Vegetables
Steamed Mini Potatoes
Milk Gelatin Dessert

Roast Leg of Lamb

Basic and simple. Many cultures celebrate lamb in the spring, because of course that’s when the lambs arrive. Sprouts has boneless lamb legs.

Charoset (a fruity, nutty dish eaten on the first night of Passover)

Roasted Vegetables How To

Milk Gelatin

Items on Sale

Beef Ribeye Roast—$3.97/lb @Safeway, Whole in bag, while supplies last, first 1. $4.47/lb @Fry’s, bone in, Limit 2, With An Additional $25 Purchase.
Apples—$2.98/2 lb bag @Sprouts, Gala/Fuji, (O). $1.79/lb @Fry’s Gala/Fuji, (O). 
Jello—$1/box @Safeway

Day 4

Spaghetti Carbonara (with Vegetarian version)
Focaccia Bread
Avocado Corn Salad
Cherry Cheesecake

Spaghetti Carbonara (for vegetarian, dice a good handful of Shitake mushrooms and substitute that for the Pancetta/Bacon.)

Focaccia Bread

Avocado Corn Salad

Cherry Cheesecake

Items On Sale

Eggs—$2.99/18 ct @Sprouts, Cage Free. $3.49/18 ct @Fry’s, Cage Free.
Pasta—$.49/box @Fry’s, American Beauty, Buy 6 sale
Avocados—$1.25/each @Safeway, large
Corn—$1/6 ears @ Sprouts. $1/8 ears @Safeway
Small Tomatoes—$2.50/box @Sprouts, Sunset brand. $2.99/box @Fry’s, snacking
Cream Cheese—$.97/each @Safeway, with Clip or Click Coupon

Day 5

Honey Glazed Ham
Winter Fruit Compote
Relish Tray
Dinner Rolls
Steamed Asparagus
Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Honey Glazed Ham

Winter Fruit Compote

I like to cook everything but the apples, then add them in and cook just until soft. Vary fruits and alcohol as you wish. Dried pears and peaches, Honeycrisp apples, Brandy or Sherry.

For a relish tray, arrange an assortment of pickles, olives, marinated vegetables along with fresh vegetables such as avocado, celery, tiny tomatoes, carrot sticks, cucumbers 

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Items On Sale

Ham—$.87/lb @Safeway, bone in, shank portion, first 1, while supplies last. $1.27/lb @Fry’s, Kroger spiral sliced, first 2. $1.99/lb @Sprouts, Spiral sliced.
Dinner Rolls—$2.50/12 ct, @Fry’s, Fresh, in Bakery. $2.49/12 ct @Safeway,Butterflake. $2.50/pkg @Sprouts, pull apart Hawaiian.
Pickles—$2.50/jar @Safeway, Mt Olive, $1/jar @Safeway, Vlasic,
Olives—$1/can @Safeway, Lindsey
Cucumbers—$.98/each @Sprouts, Hothouse. $.88/each @Fry’s, English
Small Tomatoes—$2.50/box @Sprouts, Sunset brand. $2.99/box @Fry’s, snacking
Bell Peppers—$.88/each @Fry’s, red, orange, yellow
Asparagus—$1/99/lb @Fry’s
Avocados—$1.25/each @Safeway, large
Strawberries—$$1.50/1 lb box @Sprouts,.$3.34/2 lb box @Safeway.

Day 6

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Composed Salad
Roasted Butternut Squash
Chocolate Cashew Clusters

Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Cheese

Use leftover ham or buy a ham steak.

Composed Salad

A method more than a recipe. Use whatever fruits and vegetables you like. Do a platter or separate plates for each person.

Chocolate Cashew Clusters

Items On Sale

Cheese—$3.99/lb @Sprouts, Bulk Colby Jack. $2.29/pkg @Fry’s, Kraft Shredded, on Buy 6 sale. $1.49/each @Safeway, Lucerne, Shred, Slice or Chunk with Clip or Click coupon.

Bonus Recipes

Hot Cross Buns
Traditional British Hot Cross Buns

Great Technique 

Modern Hot Cross Buns

I would add lemon zest and candied orange peel.

Cheese Ball

I like that they make it in a sort of dome shape, easier to serve.

Garlic Crostini

Basic recipe. Top with almost anything, cheese and olives, crisp fried ham shreds. You name it.

All you wanted to know about preparing garlic.

How to Peel Garlic

This does work, but 1) it helps if you use 2 bowls the same size 2) use a little Duck Tape to hold them together so you don’t end up with garlic cloves all over the kitchen 3) when they say shake vigorously they mean shake VIGOROUSLY, and may be for 30-40 seconds.

How to Roast Garlic

And then there are cheese fries. Probably best eaten when you want a guilty pleasure. Hard to imagine where they’d fit in a meal.

Cheddar Fries