When I was growing up in Los Angeles, the highlights of our Chanukah celebration included visiting with extended family — uncles, aunts and cousins — lighting the Chanukah candles and eagerly awaiting the platters of fried potato latkes. In our home, the potato latkes were served crisp and topped with sour cream, sugar or apple sauce. Most families have a favorite latke recipe that is made year after year. The…

It all began with Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story, who became a vegan when she married King Ahasuerus and moved into the palace. She favored fruits, beans and grains in her diet, and legend has it that poppy seed pastries were her favorite. Over time, I have developed desserts inspired by the traditional poppy seed hamantaschen that are served during Purim, and my family celebrates the holiday…

ITALY TRIP – JUDY & MARVINO ZEIDLER – FRIDAY – OCTOBER 10, 2008 International Airpor LAX – Lufthansa – Friday – arrived 3pm – checked in – business lounge on 5th floor 3:30pm.  Boarded plane at 4:10pm & left at 4:30pm.  9 ½  hours to Frankfurt – SATURDAY – OCTOBER 11, 2008 – LOS ANGELES – CATANIA Arrived Frankfurt at 12:00 noon – got ride on cart to A14 – flight…

Nationwide, there are all sorts of activities to celebrate Father’s Day, different ways to honor the hard work of dads and their contribution to society. For our family, it is usually a fun party focused on enjoying each other’s company — and a special meal.  When our kids were growing up we lived on a ranch in Topanga Canyon, and we celebrated Father’s Day by having a picnic and a…

Rocky Road Clusters. Photos by Daniel Kacvinski This year, I gathered together all of the Passover dessert recipes I have made, dating back to our first seder in 1950 — more than 125. This was in anticipation of compiling them into my new project, a Passover dessert cookbook. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites in advance of the book’s publication, with a focus on some…

Piroshkis With Chicken Liver Filling. Photos by Lynn Pelkey, Food preparation and styling by Judy Zeidler Now that the hot summer weather is behind us, we are looking forward to winter comfort food such as hearty soups, stews or chili — many made with root vegetables. Cabbage Borscht With Short Ribs has always been one of my favorite cold-weather dishes. Growing up, I remember my great-aunt Mary serving it whenever…