Before I—a Baptist preacher's daughter turned Episcopalian—share some Passover recipes with you, let me tell a story that helps explain my interest in Jewish holidays and food traditions.
When my now-grown children were in preschool, a teacher asked this very diverse group of kids to share which winter holidays they celebrated and what their favorite holiday traditions were. My younger daughter responded that her family celebrated Christmas—and her favorite Christmas tradition was Hanukkah.
Such were the blended celebrations and traditions of our Christian family with our best friends, who were Jewish.
Our kids grew up celebrating Hanukkah, with the lighting of the menorah, eating potato latkes and playing with dreidels. And they observed the Passover Seder, with its ceremonial matzah, bitter herbs, marrow bone and reading of the Passover Haggadah.
Our friends and their kids came to our house for Christmas and joined in the traditions of the Christmas tree, stockings, Santa, Christmas Eve services and Christmas feasts.
We also shared egg hunts and lamb dinners for Easter, and we all enjoyed the bar mitzvah celebrations.
I have never prepared a Passover meal, but kosher.com has a vast collection of recipes that assist the novice or experienced cook in preparing a meal for Passover or any other Jewish feast day or celebration.
Passover, which commemorates the Jews' Exodus from slavery in Egypt, begins this year on April 10.
Here are four recipes to get you started:
