It is the custom to eat fresh or dried fruit for Tu b’Shevat, an ancient agricultural holiday that is often called New Year of the Trees. Although there are no specific dishes that have traditionally been prepared for Tu b’Shevat, the custom of serving dishes that contain fruits and nuts has emerged. With a great assortment to choose from — and a little creativity — there are endless possibilities. One of…

In the early 1960s, we bought a 45-acre ranch with a big, sprawling house in Topanga Canyon, not far from Pacific Coast Highway. The lush panorama seemed to stretch for miles into Malibu. Our rambling ranch house was a dream come true. From our living room, we had a view of the canyon, with Shetland ponies grazing below, framed by a big bay window. Prior to buying the house, my…

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…

  Hoop Cheese Blintzes. Photo by Dan Kacvinski Shavuot celebrates the receiving of the Ten Commandments and the arrival of the spring harvest. But, for food lovers, it is noted for the array of dairy foods that are served — delicious combinations of cheese, sour cream, milk and eggs. Also in abundance are “stuffed” foods, such as blintzes with cheese fillings. For this holiday, I have experimented with dairy ingredients…