Homemade bagels from our own Adam Kuban. [Photograph: Adam Kuban]

It's time, members of the tribe. Tonight's the first night of Passover, which means eight days without the bagels, kugels, and pastrami on rye we love so much. I always take pre-Passover Day as a celebration of starch in all forms: pizza, sandwiches, and noodles gird my stomach for the lean matzo days to come.

But today my last chametz bite was a huge everything bagel, which seemed fitting. Now I have to stock SE HQ up on matzo and prep some more haroset for tonight's Seder (if you need last-minute recipes, check out these). How about you, Serious Eaters? Did you carbo-load for your last meal?

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.