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Marshmallow Ballerinas for Kiddush
We hope and pray that Charley fulfills the potential in her name. May she steer her own family through life’s travails and dance through life’s simchas (joys). To celebrate this special occasion, I created a stage of spinning ballerinas with the help of June, Scotty’s mother. It was an adorable centerpiece that really was simple to…
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DIY Sanding Sugar
Sanding sugar adds a wow to so many of my simplest desserts. While some recipes call for sanding sugar in colors that are impossible to find, others call for such minute or such immense quantity that it makes no sense to purchase. And, sanding sugar is so simple to create in exactly the hue that…
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Sukka Clouds of Glory
Sunday night is the beginning of the holiday of Sukkos, סוכות. We are preparing for the holiday in Jerusalem amid a flurry of shopping, building and cooking. To commemorate Sukkos, we constructed a temporary home called a Sukka that we use during this week-long holiday. Our Sukka is built to commemorate the protective clouds…
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My Grilled Chicken Mentor
My mother found mentors. And, not just any mentors. She sought out the experts in Cleveland in the areas of law in which she needed help. She called the top Cleveland lawyers in each area of law expertise. She introduced herself, gave a brief description of her background and asked if they would be willing to…
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Tisha B’Av: The Sour and the Sweet
On Tisha B’Av, we shed tears over what we had and what we have lost. However, we must find hope in our sadness, sweetness in the sourness of the past tragedies. Our tears should not be the pessimistic tears cried by our ancestors on the night the spies returned. They should be meaningful tears based upon…
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Crunchy Broccoli Kugel
By the time the three weeks rolls around, you, I no longer want to see bags of leftover Pesach (Passover) products. Even if the bags are sealed. And, especially if they have been flattened. As I’m always trying to upcycle, the bag of Pesach potato sticks offered a new challenge. I needed a way to use…
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Simplest Friday Ciabatta Ever
For those who have eaten at our home on Friday night, you most likely have tasted Davida’s delicious no-knead ciabatta. Since Davida will be spending the next few weeks in Israel, I decided that it was high time to take the ciabatta preparation back and make it my own. Making something my own usually means…
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Peach Velvet Salmon
I’ll share a little secret with you. Last week’s leftover homemade dip or dressing becomes this week’s favorite marinade. The reason is simple. Dips have all the components needed in a marinade. They have an oil base for moisture, a flavor profile for taste and usually some acid for tenderizing.
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Baby Carriage Cookies for a Shalom Zachor
Last week, Michelle’s friend, Daniella, gave birth to an adorable baby boy. To welcome the baby to the world, the family hosted a Shalom Zachor (lit: Peaceful welcome male). Michelle prepared these adorable cookies for the Shalom Zachor, held this past Shabbos. I was sitting next to my friend, Carol, at the Shalom Zachor. She…
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Leah’s Smelly Drunken Bridesmaid Dress
Who knew that a gown could benefit from a few shots of vodka? Leah was asked to be a bridesmaid recently and she asked my opinion if she should accept. Personally, I am not a fan of bridesmaids for so many reasons. I don’t like the stress, drama, cost and showiness inherent in having bridesmaids…
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Baby Stroller Fruit Display
So, I took matters into my own hands. Actually, I took matters into the capable hands of my youngest daughter, Davida. And, of course, I wasn’t disappointed. Davida carved a watermelon into this baby stroller complete with a nectarine baby sipping his bottle. It was not too complicated to prepare and it really created a…
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End Of Year Gifts
And, years later, I encountered that teacher. She was still so well-coiffed and smiley and I still had a hard time believing that she was a monster teacher. She remembered Michelle so vividly and asked about her. And, she told me that the gift and the poem are still on her windowsill where she reads…
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Blood-Orange Glazed Salmon
When I was a little girl visiting my grandparents in Willamsburg, Brooklyn, I remember my Oma and Opa bringing home blood oranges as a special treat for Yom Tov (Jewish holiday). I was traumatized by these small oranges tinged with bloodish red coloration throughout. I really believed that there was blood inside these oranges…
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Heimeshe Farfel
When he was younger, Aaron used to love to visit Bubby and Zaidy in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens. While he enjoyed spending time with his grandparents, he was excited by the fact that there was nearly a dozen places where he could buy prepared farfel within a short radius of Bubby and Zaidy’s home. That meant something back then.
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Perfect Strawberry Smoothie
INGREDIENTS 1 cup frozen strawberries 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons honey or strawberry daquiri mix whipped cream (optional) SUPPLIES blender straws DIRECTIONS Add strawberries, milk and honey to blender jar. Blend until smooth. Carefully pour into tall glass and garnish with whipped cream. Add a thick straw. Enjoy! Please Note: This post contains affiliate links…
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Sliders with Onion Slices and Frizzled Beets
And, as you know, I have become an unwitting ambassador for beets. Beets are maligned and ignored, mostly because of the unfortunate texture that many people have encountered in their childhood. Thankfully, beets are making a comeback, mostly because boiled beets are a very small part of the beet preparation pie-chart. In reality, beets are…
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Roasted Vegetable Sliders
This appetizer is one of the most beautiful, delicious and versatile ones that I have up my sleeve. It is simply a stack of roasted vegetables secured with an interesting pick. As you already know, I roast vegetables almost every Erev Shabbos (Friday afternoon) in preparation for our Shabbos. Everyone enjoys the vegetables before Shabbos…
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Onion-Smothered Salmon
While I normally roast salmon at a higher temperature, baking the fish at 350 degrees F yields a dish that is so delicious and so moist. I normally saute a large batch of onions in advance of my marathon Shabbos or Yom Tov cooking. I sometimes even freeze the leftover onions. This dish is the perfect…
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5-Ingredient Cheesecake Brownie Bites
Cheesecake and brownies. Brownies and cheesecake. Two delicious and decadent desserts that deserve each other. This recipe is simple and oh, so delicious. It is the perfect combination of these two classic dessert flavors. The recipe begins with brownie mix and end up as the perfect combination of brownies and cheesecake, marbled to perfection. It…
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Modest Mountain Midrash Cupcakes for Shavuos
Tomorrow night, Davida will be hosting a Shavuos bake sale at our home from 8:00 PM to 10:30 PM. These Shavuos cupcakes will be offered for sale. It comes just in time for the Jewish holiday of Shavuos, the holiday where we celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. There is a beautiful…
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Yom Yerushalayim: A Day of Gratitude, Responsibility and Love
“Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) is a gift given to our generation,” I declare often to my children. “It is not a small gift and it is not a gift to be taken for granted. It came at a high price and we have a huge responsibility to appreciate this treasure and care for it properly.” For generations, we…
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Simple No-Cook Salmon Appetizer
There are times that a simple no-cook appetizer is the way to go. Like, when there are six Yom Tov (holiday) meals in a row and you’re looking for a new creative way to serve an appetizer with minimal effort. The upcoming Shavuos holiday comes on the heels of a Shabbos, calling for six consecutive…
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A Bouquet of Cupcakes with Purpose
Davida volunteered to host a Shavuos bake sale at our home next Wednesday night, May 16th, 2018 from 8:00 PM to 10:30 PM. It comes right on the heels of Mother’s Day and right before the Jewish holiday of Shavuos. Both Mother’s Day and Shavuos are days associated with flowers, so Davida and I prepared a…
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Basil Pesto Butter
It was a luncheon to remember. The food was delicious, colorful and plentiful. The camaraderie among the adults and the kids was remarkable. But, there was one stand-out rockstar at that luncheon. It was the herbed butter.
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Hoop Floral Arrangements
And this old-new arrangement just took my breath away. Not because of the rose-gold hoops. Or, the meandering branches. Or the fuzzy blossom beginnings. Or, even the spectacular magnolia blossoms. It is because of the symbolism. The round world surrounding the flowing beauty of nature, marching to the same rhythm and yet, ever changing. It…
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Challah Braiding Hack: It Really Works
This week, a challah braiding hack by Seth Brandes took the challah-baking public by storm. This hack was shared with me by many of my Whatsapp groups. It seems that Seth shared this terrific shortcut on his Facebook account and it went viral. He showed that simply slicing a lump of challah dough on the diagonal…
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Quince Blossom Arrangement: Admiring the Outdoors Inside
Springtime is the perfect time to appreciate the uniqueness of each blossom indoors as well as outdoors. We have a quince tree in our backyard and it blossoms at different points in the winter and spring each year. There have been years that the quince tree begins blossoming in January or February after a short…
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Tzitzis Plates for Yehuda
Yehuda a.k.a Ju-Ju just turned three! Yehuda was born on Shabbos Hagadol (Shabbos before Pesach) three years ago and arrived several weeks early to the great surprise of us all. For me, his arrival was especially eventful and complicated. I had already arrived in Israel and had just finished preparing everything for Pesach when Kaitlyn…
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Broccoli Encrusted Baked Chicken Cutlets: A Basic Lesson in Sharing
I am on a forever quest to produce great meals with minimal effort. In that endeavor, I have found many shortcuts. One of my favorites is to prepare one starter and use it in multiple recipes and in different ways. I convince myself that it is just another form of sharing, true collaboration between recipes. …
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No-Strain Lemon Curd
I love citrus! I love lemons, limes, grapefruit, mandarines, oranges, pomelos and just about every citrus fruit that I can get my hands on. Even when choosing a synthetic flavor, I opt for the citrus flavors. When I choose a dish detergent, air freshener, floor cleaner or gummy worm, I almost always opt for the…