With two big food holidays just around the corner (that’d be Passover and Easter), here are some tips that may make cooking a little easier: Greens- Greens represent spring and renewal and are featured on many tables for traditional feasts. And while green beans tend to be the greenery of choice, if you’re going for something a little different, yet just as complimentary to ham and chicken, try wilted spinach drizzled in a little olive oil and lemon juice.

The key to wilting spinach is to cook it at the last minute, stirring it frequently. You can have it all set to go in the kitchen, turning on the stove just as your guests are sitting down to the table or clearing the plates from the first course.

To ensure the greens don’t enter into bitter territory, be sure to remove them from the heat before seven minutes. (At seven minutes, the cell wall surrounding the chlorophyll collapses and chlorophyll leaks cause the bitter taste.)

Eggs- Whether you’re serving deviled eggs or hard-boiled eggs, if you don’t cook them right, you can get a green ring around the yolk. Yeah, we’ve all been there, done that.  The key to keeping things sunny yellow has to do with taking them off the heat at the right time. Martha says it’s right after the water starts to boil, but at altitude, that makes for soft boiled eggs.

So here’s what to do: place the eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Heat on high letting the water boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the eggs, letting them sit for at least 15 minutes. Carefully drain the water from the pot and submerge the eggs in ice water. Let them sit in the ice water 15 minutes before trying to crack them open.

Of course, this is also something you can do a day or two ahead of time, too. Instead of cracking the eggs, put them back in the egg container (be sure to label them ‘cooked’) and refrigerate until you’re ready for the next step.