Dipping freshly baked challah in honey is a tradition observed during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This act combines the Shabbat bread with hopes for a sweet New Year. The custom is to serve a round or spiral-shaped challah, one of the symbolic foods eaten during Rosh Hashanah. Typical is the challah baked in a circle to signify the desire for a long life, peace and…
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins this year on Sept. 16 at sundown. In planning the holiday menu, I like to include some of the traditional recipes that many of us learned in our mothers’ and grandmothers’ kitchens, but I always add some new, modern ideas. The symbolic foods for the New Year include apples and honey, representing “a sweet year,” and pomegranates, one of the first fruits of…
We love entertaining friends. The process is easy: We check our calendar, pick a date and discuss whom to invite, usually eight to 10 guests. It is fun to mix couples who have the same interests but have never met. At our last dinner party, we bought white cotton fabric to use as tablecloths and had a large selection of crayons and markers available. We then asked everyone to draw…
Recently we had guests over for dinner and the conversation turned to how to achieve the best backyard barbecue. Fortunately, several of the people were serious home chefs who love to cook. Two of our foodie friends, Lou and Stephen, got into a heated conversation about how they prepare meat or fish, how long it takes to fire up the barbecue, different spices to use, and the effort it takes…
We all have memories of how Mom made us feel special and loved beyond compare. This month, it’s time to return the favor. If your mom, or the mother in your life, likes breakfast in bed, then by all means surprise her before she gets up on Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 13) with a tray filled with her favorite breakfast dishes. If she likes french toast, she is going to…
After many years of reciting the Passover story around our dining room table, we made a major change. My family decided to re-create the seders held long ago. According to the haggadah, when people live in freedom, they can eat in a reclining or relaxed manner. We asked our guests to bring pillows or cushions to lean against as we celebrated Passover with a seder on our living room floor,…
Baking desserts during Passover is a challenge. No leavened foods may be used — nor any leavening ingredients, such as flour, grains, cornstarch, baking powder or baking soda. The baker must substitute matzah meal, potato starch and egg whites to obtain a high-rising dessert. Lemon Meringue Pie. Photos by Dan Kacvinski Dietary laws covering Passover are strict, and some of them make baking complicated, but the good news is that…
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…
How can you not love a holiday that tells you to dress up in costume, make loud noises with a grogger, forget your troubles, enjoy delicious food and drink lots of wine? Of course, it is Purim — often called the Feast of Esther — and is one of the happiest of all Jewish holidays, marking the liberation of the Jews from the king’s cruel adviser, Haman, through the heroism…
The only soups I remember from my childhood are chicken soup and cabbage borscht. But that changed when I got married. My husband, Marvin, loves making soup. When I hear him rattling the pots and pans and using the blender, I know he is making soup. Soup is my favorite comfort food. It can have as few as three ingredients — the best results come from the quality of the…