courtesy of Sharon Salomon

Top: Salomon's grandparents, Bubbe and Popper. Bottom from left: Sharon and her sister Rose. New York City, 1951.

Editor's Note: Last week, a well-known Phoenix bakery put out a press release advertising some admittedly tempting Passover desserts, with a curious sales pitch: "Passover is around the corner (starting sundown April 6) and those who love sweets are already thinking of what to serve besides their grandmother's boring old flourless chocolate cake (which was passed down from a recipe in the old country and truthfully not all that tasty)." Actually, there's an entire food trend called "bubbe cuisine" popping up in places like San Francisco (including in their food truck scene). Wondering how people in Phoenix feel about the bubbe thing, we ran this by some friends on Facebook. A few, to be honest, agreed with the baker's press release. Not Sharon Salomon. Salomon, a Phoenix-based registered dietitian and freelance writer, knows her way around the kitchen, kosher or otherwise. And her grandmother was a fantastic cook. We asked for her take. She shared a primer on the holiday and its food tradition as well as her opinion on bakery-made Passover desserts.

The countdown to Passover has begun. Jews around the world are busy cleaning their cupboards, shopping for ritual foods, and getting out their dishes for a special seder meal commemorating the holiday that begins at sundown on April 6.

By the end of the week, they will have eaten their last slice of pizza, their last egg roll, and their last bowl of Cheerios, foods prohibited during the holiday.

Our holidays frequently have food rules attached. Holidays when we don't eat at all and holidays when we eat lots of food and holidays when we have to eat our food outdoors in a specially built shelter. Passover is no different. There are rules.

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To be honest, Jewish holidays can be a big bummer -- celebrations of suffering and (eventual) triumph, lacking cute bunnies and red-coated gift-givers, involving long hours sitting through synagogue services and other rituals. More >>

honeymoonsweets.com

Your Fat Tuesday celebration won't be complete without one of these.

​Finding a King's Cake used to be as tough as finding the tiny plastic baby buried inside one of these traditional Mardi Gras desserts. No more. Now it seems that everywhere we turn, there's green and purple. And although tomorrow's Fat Tuesday, it's still not too late to get your hands on one.

Last year, Chow Bella contributor Carol Blonder shared a bit of history about the King's Cake:

French and Spanish settlers brought the religious feast and celebration associated with Carnival to New Orleans. Marked by Bal masques, parades and a special cake decorated like a jeweled crown. In European countries King cake appears at the start of the holiday in January. Americans associate the sweet cake with Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), although in New Orleans it is featured all during Carnival.

Over time, the bean has been replaced by nuts, coins, ceramic and now plastic babies. Like many holidays rooted in religious celebrations, its commercial potential has taken over.

Bakeries often mount the plastic baby on top of the cake for the customer to hide (chipped teeth or choking=law suit) at their own risk. If you win the prize tradition dictates you buy the next King cake or host the next Carnival party.

We've got word that even at this late date you can still get your cake -- and eat it, too. After all, what else are you going to soak up all that booze with?

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http://www.etsy.com/shop/echoletterpress

​Yep, it happened. Again. It's Valentine's Day and you have nothing. Nada. Bupkis.

Take a deep breath. It's not too late. Plenty of time. Chow Bella is here to help.

And don't worry. We're not talking about a $55,000 diamond ring or that crazy plan Pizza Hut has to sell you a $10 pizza plus a wedding. This is all stuff you can do and get today (assuming you don't have, oh, a job or kids to take care of).

Start with chocolate. Grab some for yourself and your loved one -- here are some ideas from our 14 Phoenix Chocolate Fixes list.

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Jayson Swearington

Editor's Note: The original headline on this post was "The Manly Man's Guide to Cooking for Your Woman," but since our intern Jayson Swearington is still in high school, that didn't feel quite right. And yet you'll likely agree after reading this post about making chicken piccata for Valentine's Day that Swearington is quite a man, indeed. This may be our favorite recipe post ever at Chow Bella. Happy Valentine's Day, Jayson and Renisha.  

Jayson Swearington

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and if you are a man with a girlfriend you have every right to panic. Our "better halves" can be so hard to please sometimes, which makes it nearly impossible to find a gift for them that they will actually appreciate.

Don't worry though, it can be done! I met my high school sweetheart last year, when I was a junior, and we celebrated our first anniversary last Saturday. Now, I don't claim to be a girlfriendologist, but I have managed to get by so far without any major issues or fights, and if there is one thing I know, it's that women love it when you cook for them.

I have seen it time and time again without fail, and I believe this mostly is due to a hormone in women called Romancelin. Romancelin is what causes women to want their boyfriends to be just like the men they see in all the love movies (at least on Valentine's Day). But if you are like most men, your gut churns and your body quivers at the very mention of Valentine's Day.

There is so much pressure to spend money to get the perfect gift for your significant other. But if your girlfriend is anything like my girlfriend, she would appreciate even the simplest gift if you make it yourself. All women love it when you cook for them; they are hard-wired to love sentimental gestures like that and when it comes to Valentine's Day, do not be afraid to be cheesy. In fact, the cheesier the better.

So, in the spirit of the season of love, here is a simple dish that will get the job done for you and have your ladyfriend madly in love.

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Amy Silverman

​Last year -- in some sort of wacky, sugar-fueled, lost-our-mind moment -- we made candy conversation hearts from scratch. And they actually worked. (You can see the post and recipe here.)

So now the question: What sort of Valentine confection would we tackle this year? Macarons are way too hard, sugar cookies too easy. Oh wait. We had it.

High (um, maybe literally) from a wildly successful holiday-time try at grapefruitcello and grapefruit-infused tequila, we decided to tackle the challenge of infusing booze with candy conversation hearts. (The kind you buy at the store.)

And it worked. Sort of. We did learn the secret to making something tasty.

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Flickr- nep

A huge pot of black eyed peas, a New Year's tradition to bring good luck!

Erica O'Neil

Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe serves up these black eyed peas year round.

​​It's about time to say adios to 2011, and after a year like this, we could use every bit of good luck to start off the new year with a bang. Even though we aren't from the South, we are more than willing to celebrate New Year's Eve with a heaping pile of black eyed peas. A scoop of black eyed peas alongside some collards, cornbread, and other soul food staples is also a solid way to chase away the hangover demons on New Year's Day.More >>

It's the home stretch, folks! Tonight marks the mid-point of Hanukkah and, of course, tomorrow night the stockings get stuffed and so do you -- if you aren't already. More >>

Claire Lawton

​Christmas comes a little early to Chow Bella this year -- in the form of some darn good holiday storytelling. Today, Zach Fowle shares a sweet, citrus-tinged tale.

Over the years, as my tastes changed, so did the contents of my Christmas stocking. The candy canes, packs of Starburst and chocolate coins I devoured when very young became guitar picks and DVDs. But every year, no matter what else was in my stocking, one item was a constant: the orange.

Until recently, I had never given a thought to why the orange was such a faithful stocking stuffer. It was simply always there, ready to roll out last when the treats were dumped onto the floor and tallied Christmas morning. I'd set it aside, eat it with breakfast, and forget about it for another 365 days.

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