Celebrating Modern Jewish Living Through Food, Tradition, and Family


The Backstory: I vividly remember my mother preparing Borscht. But instead of serving this as a soup, she served it to my dad in a glass. My mom did not make this from scratch. She usually had a cold bottle of store-brought b[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: This is a delicious brisket recipe that comes to me from my cousin, who is a fabulous cook and hostess. The recipe uses red wine as well as chicken stock, as a base for the gravy, and while most of the wine cooks o[…]-READ-MORE>

Kosher lamb stew is a flavorful one-pot wonder with fork-tender meat and veggies bathing in savory sauce. Just add fresh challah for dipping!
The Backstory: This is another comfort, one-pot meal. I remember my mom making thi[…]-READ-MORE>

Sometimes there’s no time for homemade latkes. Not to worry. Our Apple Potato Latke Shortcut serves up perfect latkes that taste just like the real thing in half the time!
The Backstory: I literally live for Shabbat and someti[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: Tzimmes is a traditional dish served at Rosh Hashannah which combines stewed sweet potatoes and dried fruits. From the description, it doesn’t sound all that appetizing, but truth be told, there’s so much sweet goo[…]-READ-MORE>

Invite your friends over for this delicious aromatic cake and a steaming cup of coffee.
The Backstory: Gloria and I met in 1986. We were each on a vacation with our husbands in the Dominican Republic. I must write about the […]-READ-MORE>

Raspberry sour cream mold is a sweet and tart retro dessert that still in style and as delicious as ever.
Backstory: I don’t know how this recipe came to be. I just know that this mold was always on the table for as far back a[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: This delicious, fresh salad originated in the Middle East and has become a popular and welcome staple in many supermarkets and homes in the U.S. and around the world. When people migrated to other countries, thei[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: I will eat potatoes in any way that they are prepared. Potatoes were a staple at every dinner my mother made. My dad was a meat and potatoes guy. The meal was almost always the same: mashed potatoes made with P[…]-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>

A classic New England favorite, our baked scrod is flaky, light, and perfectly seasoned.
The Backstory: This simple recipe for Baked Scrod can be adopted for most fish dishes. Whenever I visit my daughter and her family in And[…]-READ-MORE>

Rhea’s sweet tzimmes has a delicious bright note from sweet pineapple added to carrots, apricots, prunes and honey. Perfect for the High Holidays or Pesach.
The Backstory: Moving to South Florida in 1994 was a shock to my wa[…]-READ-MORE>