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Beet Horseradish Dipping Sauce
There is a local restaurant that serves a horseradish sauce with their burgers. The sauce is tantalizingly pink with just the right amount of assertive flavor and sweet bite. I was determined to recreate this sauce. I tried designing this recipe several times until I got it just right. I served this newly minted sauce…
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Simple Radish Flower Garnish
A simple vegetable garnish can really make an appetizer, serving dish or hors d’oeuvres platter look spectacular. I like to create garnishes with simple ingredients and ordinary tools. This radish flower garnish is a simple one to create and can be used in dozens of wow ways. I demonstrate this garnish with a red…
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Simply Spicy Firecracker Salmon
Most of my salmon recipes use a teriyaki-type glaze and cook at a high temperature. This one is quite different. It starts with a spicy marinade and is cooked at 375 degrees F to get that perfectly soft flakiness and to set the spicy glaze. I prepared this new recipe for dinner while my son-in-law, Scotty, was…
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Crockpot Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup
This is one of our family favorites. In fact, when I offer to bring soup to a party or dinner, this soup and my Simply the best chicken soup…ever! are the two most popular favorites. There is something about the natural sweetness of this soup paired with the velvety smoothness of its texture that is…
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Glazed Butternut Squash with Shallots and Grapes
Leah recently spent Shabbos at her friend’s house and came back with this amazing recipe. I simplified the preparation and have prepared this dish over and over again. It is the perfect combination of smooth butternut squash, shallot rings and grapes that just pop in your mouth. It is one of those new recipes that you will…
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Savta’s Sweet Potato Latkes
Savta loves to make latkes and kugels. I vividly remember how delicious they were when we were growing up and Savta’s kugel and latkes have become a real delicacy for my children. This is Savta’s sweet potato latke recipe. It is perfect. INGREDIENTS 4 medium red potatoes, peeled 1-2 onions, peeled 1 sweet potato…
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Strawberry and Brownie Mini Trifles
INGREDIENTS oneFlourless Chocolate Cake or brownie recipe, cut into small cubes whipped cream 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar strawberries, diced decorative cookie (optional) DIRECTIONS Soak, wash and dry strawberries well. Using a paring knife, create one strawberry rose for each mini trifle. For each rose, slice thin petals from close to the top of the…
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Sweet Potato Roses in Salad Box
Who said that salads have to be tossed in a salad bowl? I love the idea of individual salads and especially individual layered salads. There is something wonderful about being served an individual salad, especially when there is a beautiful and delicious garnish to top it off. Here is one sensational salad appetizer that I…
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The 21st of Kislev: The Yarzheit of my Mother-in-law
Tonight begins the 21st of Kislev. This year, the days of December line up with the days of Kislev. It is a sad day in our family as it is the Yahrzeit (commemoration of the anniversary of death) of my mother-in-law, Devorah bas Yitzchok Ahron. We light a yahrtzeit candle, also called a נר…
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Weeknight Oven Roasted London Broil
Want a simple and no-fuss weeknight roast? This one is for you. It takes 3-4 hours of low-heat-cooking, so make sure to start it early. It is one of my simple favorites and will become one of your favorites, too. Our local kosher butchers all sell London broil. It is an inexpensive and rather lean roast,…
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Leah’s Parsnip Latkes
Leah has been in charge of preparing Sunday night’s dinner. Leah has a taste and flair for interesting vegetable combinations. Delegating the responsibility of preparing dinner frees me and gives others a renewed appreciation for all that dinner preparation entails. Best of all, it introduces all of us, the diners, to the cook’s creativity…
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Simply Perfect Sufganiot in a Zipper Bag
I like to stay close to the latest trends in cooking and design. One trendy and helpful technique in preparing dough is to use a zipper bag for preparing and kneading the dough. It is a great idea for most dough and really reduces the cleanup. Best of all, since the zipper bag can be discarded…
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Onion-Battered Baked Tilapia
My mother loves tilapia. She has a difficult time finding kosher fresh tilapia in Cleveland, so it is something that she looks forward to enjoying when she visits. Whenever she comes to visit, I try to prepare this favorite dish for her, battering it in breadcrumbs and frying it in a pan (Savta’s Favorite Breaded Tilapia).…
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Sliced Carrots with Garlic and Shallots
Did you ever have one of those marathon days? This recipe was inspired by that type of day. I had the whole day planned out perfectly. I had to drop something off for signature on the way home from the office and there should be plenty of time to pick up some fish and vegetables.…
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Roasted Sweet Potato Rose
INGREDIENTS sweet potato, scrubbed kosher salt oil SUPPLIES mandoline or wide peeler DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Thinly slice unpeeled sweet potato using wide peeler or mandoline. Place thin sweet potato on parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of oil and kosher salt. Roast for 15-25 minutes, just until vegetables are soft…
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Lazy Weeknight Pulled Beef
I really am lazy about cooking during the week. Just ask my family. I have learned to take just about every shortcut to the dinner table and love to prepare weeknight dinners that require very few ingredients, very little time and a minimum of effort. To justify my weekday laziness, I make sure that weeknight…
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Simple Baked Potato Kugelatkes
Traditionally, we eat potato latkes (pancakes) on Chanukah. We eat foods prepared with oil to commemorate the miracle of the oil in the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) once the Jews were victorious over the Greeks. After the miraculous war, the Jews entered the desecrated Temple and only found enough pure olive oil to light the Menorah…
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An arrangement of Single Roses: Simple, Upcycled and Breathtaking
Last week, I hosted Sheva Brochos (one of seven wedding after-parties, each with seven blessings) for the children of my dear friends, Andrea and Michael. The chosson (groom) and kallah (bride), Davidi and Efrat, are a gorgeous and young couple. The Sheva Brochos was hosted together with five other couples, all close friends of Andrea and Michael. Since this…
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Simple Coffee Spice Rub
I am not a coffee drinker. I just never developed a taste for coffee. To me, it tastes bitter and unpleasant. Thankfully, I wake up with enough energy that I don’t need the boost that coffee provides. Interestingly, though, I love the aroma of coffee. While the taste does not please me, the aroma of…
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A Homemade Warm Compress
I woke up earlier this week with a stiff neck that just seems to get achier. Today, the pain radiated to my shoulder and down my arm. It seems like I may have pinched a nerve. The pain and stiffness really needs some warm relief. My husband, Don, suggested that I design a microwavable compress to ease…
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Simple Baked Sweet Potato Cubes
When I was a young girl, my Aba (father) would tell me that sweet potatoes were nature’s candy. He would also tell me that sweet potatoes are best when cooked right in their skin. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could compare a root vegetable to candy and why anyone would be interested in preparing sweet potatoes…
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Simple Rutabaga and Celery Saute
For me, one of the most exciting things about this blog is the introduction of new ingredients to myself and my readers. It is really about extending one’s comfort zone and affording new ingredients a chance to shine. For some, it is about exploring new ingredients. For others, it is about using old-hat ingredients in…
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Baked French Fried Onion Fish
Last night, as I was preparing dinner, I thought: If everyone likes french fried onion chicken, why not use the same technique for baked fried fish? It is such a simple and delicious way to prepare a main dish. I had bought some fresh haddock and was in the mood of experimenting with a new recipe.…
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Rockstar Roasted Cauliflower
Last week, I roasted cauliflower as a weekday side dish. It is one of our favorite sides and it is the perfect accompaniment for most any main dish. I have served it with all types of fish, poultry and meat. It is always a star side dish, so well received at my table. But, at…
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Lazy CrockPot Chicken with Dumplings
Now that the weather has started to get colder, my crockpot is busy most days. I have been making soup, stews and all in one dinners in the crockpot. Crockpot cooking is simple and requires very little attention during the cooking process. The only thing different about crockpot cooking is getting all the ingredients…
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Burlap and Roses: Simple Yet Wow!
Burlap was never one of my favorite textures. A few years ago, it seemed that everyone was decorating with burlap. There were burlap tablecloths and table runners, burlap lampshades, burlap accents and flowers. I was just burlapped out. Although I love the idea of upcycling and using everyday objects in extraordinary ways, burlap just never…
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That Turkey! Baked Apple
I love warm baked apples. There is something simple about the flavor and preparation, yet it is one of those recipes that never seems to get old. For Thanksgiving, I decided to dress up my Simply Delicious Baked Apples and create a Thanksgiving-inspired baked apple turkey. It really was simple. Oh, and whimsical. And, of…
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Thanksgiving Quinoa Salad
Thanksgiving celebrates the bounty of the harvest. Giving thanks is central to Judaism and offering thanks for agricultural success (Bekurim: First Fruits from Hollister) is an important Jewish theme. Traditionally, foods like cranberry, almonds and corn are included in the American Thanksgiving celebration. This salad celebrates the breadth of so many delicious salad ingredients, some old,…
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Baked Cranberry Salami Slinky
Baked salami is a real treat in our house. It is one of those simple recipes that I prepare to serve in the afternoon before a festive meal. It is a treat for Erev Shabbos (Friday afternoon) and Erev Yom Tov (afternoon before a Jewish holiday). I reasoned: why not dress the recipe up for…
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Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pumpkin Pie Spice is synonymous with the flavor of autumn and is a taste so well associated with Thanksgiving. It imparts that special favor and aroma to pies, soups, stews, roasts and salad toppings. Most recipes call for just a bit of this spice and it is comprised of spices that you probably have…
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It’s All About Plating: Simple Baked Apple Dressed Up
I love simple things done right. Delicious and beautiful does not need to go hand in hand with complicated and time-consuming. It can certainly be something simple just presented in a unique way. I love plated appetizers and desserts. It dresses up the meal and makes each guest feel pampered. It also allows for the simple…