My daughter, Michelle, moved to California after getting married last June. She is a newly-inspired cook and it is so exciting for me to learn new recipes and plating ideas from her. A few weeks ago, when the weather was very cold on both coasts, she asked me to share some crockpot soup recipes with her. A crockpot soup would allow her to quickly start the soup before leaving to school in the morning and enjoy it for dinner with her husband, Scotty. (more…)
Since I started my high-protein, low-carb diet, I have been enjoying vegetable omelets for breakfast. Today, I decided to try something different. I made some low-carb waffles. It was simple. It was dietetic. Unbelievably, it was quite delicious (at least to carb-craving me.)
This diet requires fat like butter and buttermilk You can easily replace the buttermilk with any kind of milk and the butter with olive oil.
I have always had an affinity for Birds of Paradise flowers. Their long angular stems paired with the orange and blue-tinted tropical blossom have made them a favorite of mine. Last week, in my local supermarket floral section, I found birds of paradise packaged with tropical leaves. Since I wanted to stick to the color family of the birds of paradise, I was delighted to find blue thistle. The star-shaped blue thistle flowers are the perfect counterpoint for the birds of paradise, bringing out the subtle blue in the birds of paradise flower. (more…)
For me, the easiest part of my new low-carb, high protein diet is preparing the main dishes. I have just adjusted some of my basic recipes to fit the parameters of the diet, using spices and lo-carb vegetables to wow my palate. Since most sauces contain sugar and are therefore not allowed on my diet, I find that I must use spice combinations effectively in place of sauce. (more…)
Don and I just started a high-protein, low carb diet. I have to admit that I’ve never been on an official diet before and I’m excited for the challenge. I visited my local market today and spent hours perusing the aisles for ingredients that will work for this new diet. I bought items that I never thought that I would use, items like soy flour and sugar-free caramel syrup. Now the challenge will be to create exceptional flavor with new ingredients. I thought that I would start by modifying some of my favorite recipes to meet the parameters of this new diet. To keep the blog updated with these diet-friendly recipes, I have created a new category on the blog menu for low-carb recipes. (more…)
Tzippy Respler
I’m always looking for interesting, nutritious, kid-friendly and delicious recipes for my grandchildren, Avigail (age 2+) and Judah (9 months old).
They are hearty eaters and they will have quite a surprise when I serve these protein cupcakes. I have taken my favorite meatloaf and mashed potatoes recipes and have combined them into these easy and irresistible meat and potatoes cupcakes. Best of all, the leftover cupcakes can be frozen in freezer bags for their next visit. (more…)
Vegetable garnishes can take a plated appetizer or serving platter from simple to wow. I like to create garnishes with ordinary ingredients and tools. There are so many garnishes that can be created using simple tools that you already own.
This garnish elevates a simple scallion (green onion) to a wow garnish with the use of a regular paring knife and ice water. Try it!
Savta loves to knit and she recently knit my two-year old granddaughter the most adorable pocketbook ever. Avigail feels so grown-up carrying her own pocketbook. She has filled it with her own stash of emergency items, just in case. Inside, you’ll find snacks, tissues, a hair bow and her favorite book.
I myself don’t knit, but my mother is a master knitter and crocheter. When I was a small girl, she crocheted ponchos (remember those?) and matching skirts for me. When I was a teen, she knit and crocheted beautiful sweaters with puffy ribboned sleeves for me. Now, she knits all kinds of items for the next two generations.
I have asked my mother to post the instructions for knitting this adorable and beautiful pocketbook. Thanks, Mom! (more…)
Last week, Kaitlyn sent two-year old Avigail to playgroup with a muffin in her lunch bag. The muffin looked and smelled so delicious that Avigail’s teacher asked Kaitlyn for the recipe.
After school that afternoon, Kaitlyn and Avigail made another batch of muffins, wrapped a couple of them for the teacher along with the recipe. Avigail arrived to playgroup the next morning and before anything else, she announced to her teacher. “We made these fresh for you!”
Well, here is Avigail and Kaitlyn’s “fresh” recipe: (more…)
I bake Challah for Shabbos. It is a real treat for our Shabbos table and it makes the house smell heavenly as it bakes.
The mitzvah (commandment) of Challah is especially designed for women and is a privilege and opportunity for special prayer.
I use my Kitchen Aid mixer for kneading the dough. Since it cannot accommodate the full five pounds of flour, I use two bowls, each with half of the ingredients of the final dough. Once kneaded, I combine the dough for rising. After the dough has finished rising, a small piece of the challah is separated. If the dough has been fashioned from at least five pounds of flour, a brocha (blessing) is recited before separating the challah piece. A personal prayer may be inserted at this point.
Baking challah nourishes the body and the soul.
INGREDIENTS FOR EACH KITCHEN AID BOWL
(I use two bowls for a total of five pounds of flour)
1 pkg or 2 tablespoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons for yeast
2 eggs
pinch of salt
2 1/2 pounds (6 cups) of bread or high-gluten flour
optional egg wash (a bit of egg mixed with a few drops of warm water)
sesame and poppy seeds (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS (more…)
On Sunday, my niece Emma had a beautiful Bat Mitzvah party for her friends. A couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law, Suzy, dropped off some materials that she had bought in New York City and I agreed to arrange them for this exciting party. (more…)
Tzippy Respler
February 8, 2016
My wonderful niece, Emma, is turning 12. I wanted to create something for her in honor of her Bat Mitzvah. I decided to wow her by creating a personalized string art design for her bedroom. (more…)
Cholent is a traditional Jewish dish served on Shabbos. Since cooking is prohibited on Shabbos, the cholent is prepared before the Shabbos and left to cook on an even temperature during Shabbos.
Over the past twenty plus years of marriage, I have tweaked my cholent recipe. It started out as my father’s recipe and it still has the basic flavor of his cholent. I have simplified and enhanced the recipe to suit the tastes of the ones closest to me.
Several weeks ago, Jackie, my Friday housekeeper informed me that she would be on vacation for two consecutive Fridays. Jackie usually discards last week’s roses and arranges the roses that my husband, Don, brings home. She most often opts for a traditional arrangement in a silver vase.
Friday arrived and Jackie was not there to toss the “old” roses and arrange the new ones. I was on my own! Firstly, I assessed last week’s roses and decided that they were not so bad, after all. In fact, the older roses had more interesting and mature blossoms than the new roses that were mere rose buds.
I cut off the stems right underneath the blossoms, took a square glass vase, filled it with water to the top and floated the blossoms in a grid-like pattern. I then took the new roses and arranged them in a tall vase and set the table with both vases. Voila!
Tzippy Respler
For years, my friends have urged me to publish my simple tips on how to create the wow factor using simple techniques, recipes and inspirations. This blog will offer DIY (do-it-yourself) ideas to enhance your home, your table and your life. It will show you how to arrange, upcycle and repurpose items and recipes in extraordinary ways.
The posts in the blog will reflect kosher dietary laws (using kosher ingredients and no mixing milk and meat products) and will follow the orbit of the Jewish calendar. I hope to capture the joyful nature of a busy household as well as the elegance of simple solutions.
While some of these ideas are completely original, many are from inspirations that I have garnered, simplified and enhanced over the years. I try to mix things up and share inspiring ideas, new table settings, simple and nutritious recipes, and home decor that will wow you and your loved ones.
I hope that you find your own inspiration in these blog posts. I would love to hear from you.
Tzippy
simple to wow 