Dr. Oetker/Daily Mirror

A cupcake portrait for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

After Mother's Day, it seems only fitting that we celebrate the Queen. More so in a Diamond Jubilee year, as Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrating her 60th year on the British throne next month (the British monarchy is the exception to the typical 75-year diamond anniversary rule). You are planning an elaborate afternoon tea party to celebrate, yes? (If not, maybe try to win one at the Langham.)

If, like us, you're wondering what to make for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, which begins June 2, the Detroit Free Press has an excellent suggestion: Lamprey Pie. The eel pie is traditionally baked only for the Queen's special occasions, such as her coronation in 1952 and her Silver and Gold Jubilee. Unfortunately, the Queen has a little ingredient-sourcing problem: Lamprey are a protected species in England. Good thing we have plenty of the invasive, overabundant, slippery little bloodsuckers in the Great Lakes. Get more on the diplomatic lamprey pie relations, as well as a chocolate pie recipe from one of the Queen's former chefs, after the jump.

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Vidya Crawley/Flickr

Breakfast in bed

Mother's Day is on Sunday, which, depending on your relationship with dear Mom, is the best day of the year or just another day to hear, yet again, about all the pain you caused during childbirth and the ensuing 18-plus years thereafter. In either case, there are many, many restaurants and eateries celebrating this Hallmark holiday with special brunch or dinner menus, and Los Angeles Magazine has a good roundup of them here. To help you decide where to take even the most persnickety of mothers for a nice brunch, we put together a little flowchart with a few of our ideas. And the chart may be handy beyond this upcoming Sunday: As your mom will no doubt remind you, every day is Mother's Day.

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betsyweber/Flickr

Star Wars cookies

If you want to amuse yourself, try calling Williams-Sonoma to ask what they're doing for Star Wars Day. You can imagine a nicely coiffed salesperson on the other end of the line, not completely understanding the question: "Star Wars what?" Or they'll laugh and ask if your kid put you up to this, to which you may or may not confess, no, it's just you, three decades old and more than ready to sprint right past shiny copper All-Clad pans and pastel-colored Le Creusets to get to the sugar cookies shaped like Yoda's head.

If you don't have a kid to remind you, or you're a kid at heart, today is Star Wars Day (say "May the Fourth" fast enough, and it'll turn into "May the force (be with you)" like a verbal flip book). George Lucas envisioned the Millennium Falcon as a "flying hamburger," so it's only fitting that you celebrate this grand holiday with properly themed food. A few ideas, after the jump.

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A. Scattergood

mole at Rocio's Mole de los Dioses

Every year, we read articles revealing the true origins of Cinco de Mayo. Nope, not Mexican Independence Day, which happens Sept. 16. Cinco de Mayo commemorates a minor battle in the state of Puebla in 1862 where an army of mostly Mexican Indians beat Napoleon III's French troops. The holiday isn't celebrated widely in Mexico. It only became popular in the U.S. during the 1970s when Chicano activists grasped the David-and-Goliath symbolism and gave the holiday a boost, recognizing a parallel to their own cause.

These articles generally lament that no one knows the real story, so maybe let's solve that problem by deeming the holiday "Comida de Mayo" and celebrating Mexican food. OK, maybe not. Either way, it's a terrific time to seek out the places to visit this Saturday where Cinco de Mayo really means something. In terms of the food, that is. A few ideas below, in alphabetical order, ranging from haute spots to parking lots.

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amazon.com

It's the Friday before Easter weekend (Really?) and you (we) have no idea what to cook on Sunday (oops). Lucky us, Nigel Slater's new book Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard, which hits stands next week, has just shown up at our doorstep.

We're considering the book's arrival a premonition. We should really be cooking up something beyond the ordinary roast ham or lamb shanks this year, something saffron-scented and intensely colored with turmeric and paprika. The sort of dish that stains the tablecloth, the tips of your fingers, those boiled eggs you forgot to dye earlier this week. And there it is, on page 86: Lamb tagine with apricots. Even the recipe layout is a little offbeat.

And if we can't find fresh apricots, and we suspect we will not, we'll be trying the recipe with dried apricots instead. It's not such a crazy idea, as there are already raisins and preserved lemons in the dish. Besides, we all should have a little Easter egg hunt (recipe) fun, shouldn't we?

More on the book next week. Get the recipe after the jump.

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Amy Silverstein

Passover rolls

Why is this holiday different from all other holidays? For starters, you eat a lot of matzo. Passover, which begins tonight with the first seder or holiday feast, commemorates the exodus of the ancient Israelites from Egypt, after they were freed from slavery. According to tradition, they were forced to leave in such a hurry, that there was no time for their bread dough to rise. Because of that, eating bread or anything leavened is a no-no for the eight days of the holiday.

Typically, on the first night, matzo is a pleasant and crunchy change of pace. By day three or four --- not so much. That's when you start to have un-kosher daydreams about sandwiches. To help keep observers of Passover from having another sin to atone for at Yom Kippur, we're delighted that cookbook author and pastry chef Marcy Goldman shared with us her recipe for a fun holiday treat, special rolls made from matzo meal.

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Jeanne Kelley

stout float

I don't know if a stout float is an Irish dessert, but it doesn't really matter, as St. Patrick's Day celebrations aren't really Irish anyway. A beer float can be awesome, and when done right, it's the perfect creamy-sweet refresher after the traditional American-Irish salty dinner of corned beef and cabbage. (Side note: If you boil corned beef until fork-tender, then slather it with a mix of equal parts Dijon mustard and brown sugar and bake it till glazed -- it's actually quite tasty.)

I first encountered a beer float at a McMenamins pub in Oregon in the '90s. I must admit, I was slightly horrified as I watched the fair-skinned, stocky patrons switch from pints of ale to pint glasses filled with scoops of industrial vanilla ice cream -- with a healthy dousing of stout bubbling over the top as last called neared. But I've since learned that by reducing the scale, and by playing up and off the complex flavors of stout, that frat-boy, beer geek, gut-busting nightcap can be transformed into a damned good, sophisticated dessert.

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Dr. Seuss spent a lifetime weaving cunningly benign rhymes for children about the environment, the dangers of isolationism and materialism, racial equality and the arms race. But ask a kid (or most adults for that matter) what they remember most about Seuss and they're likely to zero in on the food: pink ink drink for the yink or the titular green eggs and ham. Extra points go to the rare Seussical child who names our personal favorite, the "certified strictly Grade-A peppermint cucumber sausage-paste butter," from the cake bakers in Happy Birthday to You. While the later might be a more appropriate literal birthday homage to Dr. Seuss (he'd have been 108 today), we're happy to forgo it for cookies.

Farmer's Kitchen executive chef Ernest Miller will be serving up Green Egg Cookies to Larchmont Charter Elementary students today as part of their annual Suessian celebrations. If you're not a student, or a teacher, at Larchmont, you can also grab yours at the restaurant today only. If you can't make it over to Hollywood, Miller has also provided the recipe, after the jump.

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It's not just breakfast all day, it's free breakfast all day today at IHOP, which is offering a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes to each guest from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m in honor of National Pancake Day.

In return, diners will be asked to make a voluntary donation to support the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals programs at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Children's Hospital Orange County. [List of participating IHOPs after the jump.]

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LA Weekly Flickr pool/aalorber

crawfish boil at Dominick's

We think Paul Simon must have accidentally left out a few lyrics from "Take Me to the Mardi Gras." Sure, we love the "music in the street both night and day" and the chance to "jingle to the beat." But what about the celebratory New Orleans-style food and drinks? Jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish and etouffee. Hurricanes and Sazeracs.

Many restaurants offer this fare year-round. But Fat Tuesday, also called Mardi Gras, is one of the best times to indulge. Diners don fanciful masks and dress up in green, purple and gold (representing justice, faith and power, respectively). On this day, even the cheapest plastic beads will do. Partygoers venture out prepared to eat, drink and live it up -- whether or not they plan to follow Lent's strict prohibitions in the morning. "The people sing and play," and the "dancing is elite," as Simon sings. L.A. isn't New Orleans. But we do know a few good places that offer the appropriate foods or jubilant spirit. Check out our alphabetical list below, and let the good meals roll.

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