Celebrating Modern Jewish Living Through Food, Tradition, and Family


The Backstory: Recently I visited my cousin Clare. Among the many recipes she gave me one was for Chicken Divan. I love this woman. She is funny, smart and at times, well, don’t get her ire going. She stands maybe 5 feet tall[…]-READ-MORE>

Mom’s Tzimmes is a sweet, tender, and succulent fruit stew that cooks up in under an hour. It’s perfect for Passover or the High Holy Days.
The Backstory: This traditional, stewed dish is always served on Rosh Hashanah. I ha[…]-READ-MORE>

Fresh strawberry pie is a gorgeous, lush, wholesome and creamy dessert that’s as luscious as it looks. Better yet–it won’t blow your diet.
The Backstory: This show-stopper dessert (seriously, how gorgeous is it?!) is actually[…]-READ-MORE>

Low-fat rice pudding is sweet and creamy with notes of vanilla and cinnamon. This yummy classic cooks in 20 minutes and tastes just like the original.
The Backstory: This recipe is one of those that happened by accident. I was[…]-READ-MORE>

Beautiful to look at and luscious inside, Gloria’s Jam Roll Cake is a gorgeous dessert that your guest will devour. Be prepared to hand over the recipe!
The Backstory: My friend Gloria gave me this recipe for this fabulous cak[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: When you really want to shake things up at the holidays, these matzoh balls are just the thing to do it. Three deliciously flavored–and easy to make varieties–spinach, turmeric, and tomato–are simply gorgeous to[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: Recently I visited my cousin Clare’s home. She was very pleased to give me some of her recipes. She told me that she makes this soup often. The recipe is simple. I have wanted a potato soup recipe for a very lo[…]-READ-MORE>

On Simchat Torah, Jews rejoice in the Torah and celebrate by dancing with the sacred scrolls. This holiday marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings and the beginning of the next cycle. Simchat Torah begins[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: What a funny name for a sauce. Nowhere does a horse have anything to do with this sauce. Radish does not need any explanation. The only logic that I can think of is when the radishes were harvested some farmer […]-READ-MORE>

Vegetarian chopped liver tastes close enough to the real thing that even Bubbie would approve!
The Backstory: I found this recipe by accident. I was digging through my many folders and notebooks of recipes, news clippings of r[…]-READ-MORE>

Our Lemon Poppy Seed Loan is both sweet and tart and pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea, or as a kids’ snack in a lunchbox.
The Backstory: So here’s the thing: I don’t like poppy seed bagels (sorry, Dad), or poppy s[…]-READ-MORE>

The Backstory: This simple Oven Roasted Potatoes side dish can be made with a variety of seasonings. Whatever suits your taste. But my taste for these spuds is usually rosemary and garlic. Somehow rosemary with it’s “woodsy” ar[…]-READ-MORE>