Admit it. Right about now you are cleaning out your refrigerator post-Passover and trying to make sense of the identity crisis going on inside. Pesach food intermingled with a new influx of chometz. And then you stumble onto the leftover horseradish from the Seder. You cried bitter tears over being enslaved in Egypt or more […]
I know, I know…BIG whole roasted turkeys are what Thanksgiving dreams are made of (and holiday movies too). But to be honest, I just don’t want to commit my oven space for that many hours, with every other dish revolving around the holy turkey’s high-maintenance cooking schedule. Also, I hate cleaning that bird. It is […]
The holiday of Shavuot (my favorite dairy time of year!) is just a few days away and it is not too late to to brush up on crepe-making techniques…cuz’ if you are going to spend the time trying to make them, you might as well be happy with how they come out! It’s that subtle […]
With Pesach just around the corner, many students and friends ask me for advice on how to organize and streamline holiday cooking and kitchen preparations at this time of year. Finding versatile recipes which yield a large quantity and can be made in advance easily becomes number one in the pecking order for holiday cooking. […]
Last week was a pre-Chanukah fest at the high school cooking club I teach. We had deliberated what to make in honor of Chanukah – latkes, doughnuts?? Fried Mac ‘n Cheese Balls seemed to come in first place. Being the cheese-lover I am, I could not argue that the only thing better than a good, […]
Thanksgiving menus always seemed contrived to me. The obligatory turkey, congealed cranberry sauce (please, not from the can!), stuffing (fat-infused carbs)…and all served in the name of giving thanks. For a feast of gratitude, I argued, why not serve what you are actually grateful to eat? Give me a thick Wagyu steak with red wine […]
When Autumn brings the cooler weather, it summons within us all the desires for earthy, harvest foods. But that much more so when you’re sitting outside in your sukkah in mid-October – it takes an effort to warm yourself up on some pretty chilly nights. The holiday of Sukkot takes us out to the elements. […]
Once upon a time my husband did not like my potato kugel. This is not my opinion; it’s a fact. And I took no offense at his dislike…everyone’s allowed to be wrong about something. And especially, within the realm of potato kugel, tensions tend to run high. Kugel-eaters can be pretty adamant, and much like […]
My dad’s birthday was July 3. He would have been 75 years old this year. Still ingrained in my mind — even after all these years of him being gone — July 4th weekend was always synonymous with some kind of birthday cake. Something celebratory, both for America’s birthday and his. That said, even the […]
Glorious summer weather means BBQ days are coming. Hot weather seems to go hand in hand with grilling days. And who doesn’t love the smokey flavor of the grill, the relaxed nature of outdoor entertaining?! I’m certainly do…as I do my happy, little, lazy cook dance. Hail to outdoor cooking – the means toward a cooler […]
We are almost halfway through the period known as “sefirat ha-Omer” in the Jewish calendar -the seven weeks from Passover leading up to the holiday of Shavuot. Since I’m always preparing for my classes and articles in anticipation of the next holiday, I’ve got the light, dairy cuisine traditionally served on Shavuot on my brain. For […]
Check out Part 2 of my Kitchen Hacks series for Joy of Kosher: WHAT’S IN YOUR JUNK DRAWER?: TOP 10 ITEMS THAT HELP YOU MANAGE YOUR KITCHEN I’d love to hear what you think! What are your kitchen hacks?
