Selena Day is a local holiday celebrated in Texas on April 16^th. The day celebrates the life and legacy of Mexican American singer-songwriter Selena Quintanilla-Perez.

This traditional Jewish holiday is commenced with the Passover Seder. Seder is Hebrew for order. The Passover Seder is a ritual feast often celebrated by members of the same community or family. Slavery and freedom are the themes of the Seder. Jewish people all over the world pause to commemorate the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. In performing all their rituals, special blessings, and unique Passover songs, Seder participants use the ancient text of the Haggadah.

The Chinese New Year is the longest and most important holiday on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Also known as the Spring Festival, the holiday is based on solar and lunar movements and occurs on different dates each year.  Lasting more than two weeks, the Chinese New Year celebration is based on the legend of the Nian (年).

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It is a day of redemption and purification.The holiday occurs on the 10th day of Tishri and is a complete Sabbath- no work, eating, or drinking.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada takes place annually on the second Monday of October. The national public holiday serves as an opportunity for Canadians to be thankful for the good fortune of the preceding year.

Jelly beans are available in numerous flavors and colors. The mini treats did not always have such a colorful repertoire; the original candy was first only available in single color packets. The exact origins of Jelly Beans are unknown, but a resemblance of the treat can be traced back to Istanbul, Turkey.

Coming of age is a serious event in Japan. So serious that the occasion is celebrated every year during the Seijin no hi (Coming of Age Festival).  In Japan, twenty is considered to be the beginning of adulthood and is the minimum age for drinking, smoking, and voting.

INGREDIENTS

• Oil for frying
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 – 6 medium mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1¼ cups (10 fl oz, 300 ml) vegetable stock (or water)
• 1½ cups (6 oz, 175 g) finely chopped nuts
• 3 cups (6 oz, 175 g) breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• ½ tsp. dried herbs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Flour for coating
• Oil for roasting

After much deliberation, I have chosen to give in to naming this recipe “Love at First Pie”. One day I was walking by with this golden pie in hand and noticed someone was following me.  I turned around.  He was sort of cute and he asked, “What do you have there?” Perplexed by this moment I simply answered, “Eggnog custard pie”. With hearts in our eyes, it would become

Let’s face it, some of the best recipes are stumbled upon and that is exactly what happened in the creation of this cranberry sauce recipe one Thanksgiving.  As I prepared my traditional recipe while cooking at my cousinn’s home I saw an opened bottle of White Zinfandel by the stove and I imagined the possibilities.  The feedback from everyone at dinner proved to be tremendously favorable. - by Crystal Johnson