I understood Joey Tribbiani. When I was single, I wouldn’t have liked a date who took my french fries either.

I’ve always been particular about my food. But my understanding of food–its meaning and purpose–has also evolved somewhat over time.

At every stage in my life, there’s been a loved one who loved my food and wanted to share. In my earlier years, it was little sister, Nina. Regardless of what we were eating–say, homemade vegetarian pasta–Nina always thought it looked tastier on my plate. So, she’d ask for some. If I said no, she’d gaze hungrily at my food, while I noted that we were eating the same meal. Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Parenting
• Tags: cooking, food, recipe

Back when my bigger boys were small, it seemed we had plenty of time at home to hang around. What we needed was stuff to do.

So, along with reading and doing puzzles and playing with trains, I took my cue from cookbooks like Molly Katzen’s Pretend Soup, a bright cornucopia of recipes explained with words and pictures like those simple picture books that preview reading with images in the place of certain words. Together, we made bagel faces and carrot pennies. We baked. We sampled the batter. As the boys got bigger, things got busier; school schedules and activities filled up that unstructured time–and another baby arrived. Our together-in-the-kitchen projects evaporated like so much steam. And then, another baby–years later–joined our family. She is 4, and this time I’m heading back to the kitchen more conscientiously. Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Parenting
• Tags: cooking, cooking with kids, featured, food

I’ve never once been told not to eat when it came to my Jewish family. In fact, the opposite holds true. I’m usually not eating enough.

Have some more matzah balls.

Did you try the stuffed cabbage yet?

Here, take a little bit more tzimmes.

There’s never enough food. The food itself: warm, rich, and soul-satisfying made me feel loved and taken care of, just like I felt about the women and men who prepared it all for me growing up. I’ve taken many of the food-focused life lessons I learned in my Jewish household and have continued to practice them in my adult life. Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Parenting
• Tags: community, cooking, new baby, new parents

The holidays are upon us, and once again, I find myself swimming in a sea of ambivalence. There is so much I enjoy about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; I find so much meaning and inspiration in the words and observance of my friends and community, both online and in real person.

But there’s this one thing that gets me every year, and every holiday. It starts with the constant barrage of recipes on my Facebook and Twitter feeds, and all my favorite blogs. (Yes, I’m talking to you, Kveller. And I don’t appreciate it.) It ends with me in a state of near panic and desperation. Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Traditions
• Tags: cooking, featured, rosh hashanah

There’s an old saying that you can put three Jews together and get four opinions. Well, that’s the way it is with diets in my family. My husband is a vegan, my son is a vegetarian, and I am an omnivore who is abstaining from meat and poultry for the summer. I am going crazy trying to figure out how to feed everyone.

My husband has never tried to veganize me. He has encouraged me to be more informed about my food choices, but until recently I resisted. I was so overwhelmed with learning a new way to cook for him that I couldn’t stomach any more education. Tempeh? Soy? Seitan? I can make chicken soup so good you can taste it in your soul and roast chicken, briskets, and noodle kugels that practically forced me to start a waiting list for Shabbos dinners at my place. I used to pride myself on being a fabulous Jewish cook. Now it feels like I have to start all over and it is very, very hard at times. Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Activities
• Tags: cooking, food, vegan, vegetarian

I absolutely love to cook. It’s a love that has grown over several years, starting as I watched my mother make her annual gefilte fish from scratch for Rosh Hashanah (not from live fish she kept in the bathtub, like her mother did, but close enough). It expanded as I started to keep Shabbat in my teens, and flourished during the time I spent living steps away from the Machane Yehudah market in Jerusalem.

Cooking is something that connects me to every phase of my life so far, and I value it not only for the experience itself but as a thread that weaves together very different experiences and parts of my personality. The fact that I keep kosher now has at times complicated things, but has also increased the joy I get from translating different foods to my own cultural palate. Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Pregnancy
• Tags: cooking, pregnancy

Tori Avey is a food blogger and culinary anthropologist and you would never guess she hasn’t been Jewish her entire life. Tori found that in many ways food brought her to Judaism and she has explored her spiritual path through immersing herself in traditional Jewish cooking which she shares at Shiksa in the Kitchen. She officially converted to Judaism in 2010 and regularly hosts over 40 people at her house for Seder.

1. Jewish holidays like Hanukkah and Purim are easy to share with non-Jewish family, but Passover, the seder in particular, can be intimidating and sometimes confusing. How do you share this traditional meal with your non-Jewish family?

One of my favorite things about food is that it breaks down all boundaries–a yummy meal is something we can all agree on, no matter where we come from or what our background is. Passover is such a food-oriented holiday, which makes it a great opportunity to bring people together. Taking a moment to explain the blessings–and why we’re doing strange things, like eating bitter herbs–helps everybody to enjoy the evening more. My non-Jewish family actually looks forward to the seder. My mom likes to help me cook. Usually I have 40-50 guests for my seder, and many of them aren’t Jewish, but everybody has fun… it’s a festive evening of storytelling, singing, tradition, and incredible food. As a Jewish family, it’s a way for us to welcome others in, to help them better understand our faith. What’s not to like? Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Activities, Parenting, Traditions
• Tags: cooking, Jewish interviews, Passover, recipes, seder, shiksa

If you’re hosting a Passover seder this year, like me, it’s time to figure out your recipes (maybe past time to figure out your recipes, but hey, we can’t all keep to Joan Nathan’s fancy schedule). I’ve been scouring the internet to find recipes to fill in our seder–specifically, looking for some delicious chicken recipes and a new side dish or two. And dessert. Always dessert.

So if you too are looking for the latest and greatest recipes, here’s a place to start–and please, share your favorites below!

1. We always start our seder meal with matzah ball soup. Here’s a traditional recipe, but Meredith Jacobs also makes a beet matzah ball soup infused with ginger. A little exotic twist on the traditional ball.

2. We’re planning to serve chicken on Friday night, and I’m in search of an easy and delicious recipe (because my go-to is cornflake chicken and needless to say, that’s not exactly on the kosher for Passover list). So far I’ve found a few options–what do you think? I’m leaning toward this lemon chili chicken from The Shiksa in the Kitchen,

or maybe this apricot glazed chicken with sage from Dave Lieberman, or these sweet and sour chicken thighs with apricots from Epicurious. (Please, weigh in on this and tell me what will be EASY and yummy!)

3. Now, the star of many a seder is a brisket. This year we’ll be making my husband’s mom’s recipe, but I also think that this one and this one sound delish. Or try a novel spin on the traditional with this cranberry brisket recipe by Meredith Jacobs.

4. But side dishes also play an important role in a quality Passover seder. There’s the ubiquitous potato kugel (either from the box or from scratch like this one from our friends at MyJewishLearning.com), but try changing it up this year and making a carrot kugel.

I also recently discovered that I adore brussels sprouts, and it doesn’t take much to make them delicious–just roast them as in this Ina Garten recipe.  Or there’s always the classic asparagus, which feels so appropriate for Passover as it’s also a sign of springtime. I like this recipe by Zoe Singer–simple and scrumptious.

5. But when it comes to dessert, it feels like we’re always in search of something that’s actually good (and not just matzah meal dressed up as dessert). A few years ago I came across this Tyler Florence recipe for a flourless chocolate cake that I make year-round (just be aware that it definitely needs the butter). But this year I’m also finding inspiration in these raspberry coconut macaroons from Smitten Kitchen (did you catch our Q & A with Deb Perelman a while back?).

And NotDerbyPie makes these chocolate cookies that she swears don’t taste like Passover cookies. I’m inclined to believe her based on the ingredients and the photo. And since my 2.5-year-old loves to make cookies, we might have to try these ones out before Passover.

Oh, and if you’re on Pinterest, head on over and say hi–and check out our list of Passover recipes there too. (We’re Kveller.com, in case you didn’t guess.)

Now, ladies and gentlemen, what classic Passover recipes am I missing? Please link below!

• Posted in Parenting, Traditions
• Tags: cooking, matzah balls, Passover, recipes, seder

This year I’m hosting my very first Passover seder. Oh, and did I mention that I have a 2.5-year-old and I’m 8 months pregnant? And my husband is traveling a few days a week every week between now and Passover?

So yes, I’m a bit nervous. I’ve been working on a menu, and though my family and my husband’s family all have our standard favorites, I kind of want to jazz it up a little bit this year. So I’ve started looking at cookbooks–that’s right, real cookbooks. And some websites too, of course, because yes, I work for Kveller and love the internet. I wanted to share with you some of my favorites–and am hoping you’ll tell me your favorites too!

1. The No-Potato Passover, by Aviva Kanoff

Because the two things I tend to live on during Passover (besides the ubiquitous matzah, of course) are potatoes and eggs. And I’m really psyched to get beyond that this year! The full-color pages are filled with gorgeous recipes that I think I could actually make. Nice.

2. Passover by Design, by Susie Fishbein

This one’s written by the same woman who wrote Kosher by Design, and has a nice blend of the quick and easy recipe and the more-work but great payoff recipe. Oh, and did I mention that many of the recipes are gluten-free?

3. The New York Times Passover Cookbook, edited by Linda Amster

So I’m partial to this one because my husband’s mother got her brisket recipe from the New York Times. But it’s filled with great chefs who write excellent Passover recipes. And yes, it’s been out for a decade, but once a classic, always a classic!

If you’re looking for websites to start your Passover planning, I’ve spent a little time searching on Epicurious, as well as MyJewishLearning.com (be sure to check out The Nosher, their newest food blog), CookKosher, and Joy of Kosher.

So now that I’ve shared some of my favorites, what are yours? What cookbooks am I missing, what websites didn’t I share? And be sure to check out Passover recipes board on Pinterest.

• Posted in Recipes
• Tags: cookbooks, cooking, Passover, recipes, seder

Deb Perelman runs the website Smitten Kitchen, a food blog with recipes and pictures that will literally make you drool like a little baby. In her own words, she is “the kind of person you might innocently ask what the difference is between summer and winter squash and she’ll go on for about twenty minutes before coming up for air to a cleared room and you soundly snoring.” We spoke with her about failure, toddlers in the “no” phase, and the future publication of her first cookbook.

I confess that I’d probably miss marshmallows to make my salted brown butter crispy treats for parties the most. Kosher ones are so hard to find! Read the rest of this entry →

• Posted in Parenting
• Tags: cooking, deb perelman, featured, Jewish interviews, recipes