Celebrating Modern Jewish Living Through Food, Tradition, and Family


The Backstory: Since I hadn’t made this dish in decades, I reached out to one of my Mah Jongg players for a good recipe for Salmon Croquettes. They unanimously led me to Debbie. Debbie likes to cook and I understand, prepares s[…]-READ-MORE>

Comfort food at its finest–don’t forget the mashed potatoes!
The Backstory: This recipe is comfort food as its best. The meatloaf itself is juicy and flavorful, but the gravy is just out of this world. Two surprise ingredient[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: I have eaten fried fish sandwiches all my life. I’ve had it at fast food restaurants, in a posh hotel (that shall remain nameless), but the best place I ever had this type of sandwich was at a roadside place c[…]-READ-MORE>

Blini with smoked salmon are elegant appetizers that hit on all fronts: salty, creamy, and perfect two bite noshes.
The Backstory: I first went to The Russian Tea Room in 1999. I was 35 years old and as a born and bred New Yor[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: I haven’t had roast duck in years. Whenever I see this on a menu I immediately think of my mother-in-law, Marcia. Marcia wasn’t the best cook in the world. She didn’t have to be. For the first 40 years of her[…]-READ-MORE>

Roasted bananas are the secret ingredient that make this bread moist, sweet, and one of our top picks.
The Backstory: This is my all-time favorite banana bread recipe. I’m not even doing it justice by calling it banana bread. […]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: Chef’s Salad is one of the easiest dishes to prepare and also one of the most satisfying. It can be made with just about anything you have in your refrigerator.and pantry. Sometimes I make this with leftover ro[…]-READ-MORE>

Cranberry orange bread isn’t a Jewish recipe per se, but it has been on my Thanksgiving table for as long as I can remember. The deliciously tart cranberries and sweet orange combination baked into a vanilla-infused loaf is perfec[…]-READ-MORE>

Where to even begin? These gorgeous marzipan and apricot jam-layered cookies are a throwback to just about everyone’s childhood. How could anyone resist them? Well, you don’t have to and now you can even make them at home with our[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: My cousin Rhonda, who resides in Canada, gave me this recipe. It is from her sister, Ricky. The story of my Canadian relatives go back for decades. My grandfather and Ricky’s grandmother were brother and sister[…]-READ-MORE>

Kosher Whoopie Pies are a cross between a cookie and a cake with soft outer pillows of goodness that sandwich mounds of marshmallowy-light frosting. They’re a New England staple with origins in the Amish country. Once you try them[…]-READ-MORE>

Classic butter pastry is rolled tight with almonds, raisins, and cinnamon.
The Backstory: As far as strudels go, this version is a little more refined than your standard fruit-filled strudel. Oh sure, it tempts you (as do all […]-READ-MORE>