Too Many Cooks: Behind the Scenes

You'll be hearing from the staff at FOOD52 every week in Too Many Cooks, our group column in which we pool our answers to questions about food, cooking, life, and more.

You've heard about our favorite cooking gadgets and our kitchen tics, but inspired by the fabulous lunches in Christopher and Melissa's Canal House newsletter (check it out if you haven't already), we thought we'd start sharing the best discoveries from our food lives.

It was a truly beautiful weekend in New York. Between Easter, Passover, and the sunny weather, everyone had something to celebrate. We documented some of our fun moments -- some related to food and some not.

"Easter eggs, ready for dying, and then the dying itself -- outside."
- Amanda

"This Sad Easter Pez had too much fun, abandoned between the passenger seat and the center console."
- Merrill

"A random surprise from Michael (a cheese board with a dome and "token of spring"),  and a crazy large egg display at the Conran shop (the carton said "free-range furniture"). Also, ramps!!"
- Kristy

"Haz U Seen My Briz-ket"?
- Peter

Jennifer, our test kitchen manager, shared these gorgeous shoots poking their heads through the soil -- signs of spring! -- as well as her family's marbled Easter eggs.

"A few months ago, my boyfriend's mother mailed us five jars of really amazing jam from the Applegate Valley in Oregon. We finished them off this weekend over plenty of buttered toast. And on Sunday, two friends and I had a picnic in McCarren Park to celebrate the warm weather with rosé, crackers, Italian lard bread, charcuterie (including something called "Baby Jesus salami," which was unexpectedly delicious), and cheese."
- Nozlee

"Here's a custard that I invented for my culinary school Menu Project. It's steeped with ginger and star anise, then topped with a mango gel. And that is an In and Out Double Double Animal Style. Got this in SF at the Fisherman's wharf. Ridiculously good."
- Amanda Li

"Industry City Distillery prints their own labels on a 1930s letterpress -- handmade labels for handmade vodka, all made in Brooklyn."
- Christina

"The first is the end slice of a braided challah that looked suspiciously like a rabbit. Then these are the eggs that my niece and I decorated, and the third is of some beet-pickled deviled eggs that I made.
- Anna

"Scattered with herbs, our Easter lamb and zucchini go into the oven. Easter dinner itself was the lamb, zucchini with tomatoes, and mashed potatoes."
- Laura

Brette made Genius macaroons to have at her family's Seder, where they (adorably) recite the ten plagues while wearing matching animal masks.

"Easter lambs in my neighborhood in Brooklyn…"
- Martine

"Do not forget about kitchen cleanup!"
- Jon