Yes, I am alive, and today, after six hectic months, I can finally say, ‘alive and well.’ I survived the move from our two-bedroom, one-bathroom townhouse to a three-bedroom, three-bathroom townhouse! Two-and-a-half bathrooms, technically. Now we each have our own…
The inspiration for these beautiful chocolate palettes (rounds) came from a very chi-chi restaurant cookbook called Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook. I’ve never eaten at the restaurant, but I heard from the friend who gave me this book as a…
Bread pudding is like a cake. It’s not something I would eat for breakfast on a weekly or monthly basis. I only make it when I have leftover challah from Shabbat. Last Sunday my husband used a third of the…
While ninety percent of the people on earth need coffee in the morning to wake up, I start my day with herbal tea. I am like a hurricane once I get out of bed. I usually make a large mug…
It’s been a long time… Two days ago I arrived back from a marvelous week in Paris. It was a trip that my mother, older sister and I have been dreaming to do together for years. (Aunt Shuli tagged along.) For my…
I know, it’s oxymoron to call it shakshuka because shakshuka is always made with eggs but it does taste like shakshuka. We, Israelis, often eat our shakshuka with tahini so the combination of cooked tomatoes and tahini is what makes it…
Most of the Moroccan Jews I know, including my mother and siblings, would never ever make any Shabbat or holiday dishes on a weekday, and vice versa. My mother, for example, would never make matbucha, a spicy tomato jam, or…
Harissa with a twist – or as Z calls it “Mexican Harissa.” It’s my mother’s recipe but I decided to experiment so I added two chipotle peppers (I bought a bag at the supermarket in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico but you can find them at any Latino…
I can’t write a post about matbucha, Moroccan cooked tomato, garlic and pepper salad, without writing about Yeruham. The cooked salad and my hometown in the Negev, the desert of Israel, go together. The aroma of tomatoes simmered with garlic…
Yesterday was a fucking, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. It’s started with a blood test (I hate blood tests, they make me insanely paranoid). It continued with a call to Cigna, our health insurance. I don’t know what is worse, the part that…
You must trust me when I tell you that these are the best chocolate chip cookies in the world! Extremely easy to make, about 5 minutes to prepare and 8–10 minutes to bake. The granola is optional but adds a nice crunchiness and wholesomeness.…
Living in different parts of the world, you quickly realize that access to authentic Asian cuisine varies greatly. When we were in New York and Los Angeles, finding excellent Asian food was never a problem. But in Tel Aviv and…
After almost three endless months of never-ending summer vacation, Leo finally started school, a new charter school. Frankly, Z and I were excited about it but he wasn’t. He wanted to be excited, but, instead, he was very nervous. I don’t blame…
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you not to play with your food. Play with it when ever is possible.
I never liked strawberry jam until I made my own strawberry jam and fell in love with it.
This beautiful flatbread was a last-minute pivot from sabich, a popular Israeli street food: pita stuffed with potatoes, eggplant, hard-boiled egg, salads, and tahini sauce. I knew there was a chance that my American boys wouldn’t eat it because they…
I was debating all morning… Should I tidy the house, or work? Should I go to Nordstrom to buy shoes, or stay at home to work? Should we move to a bigger house, or stay in our little, cozy home? Should I…
I’m handing the stage to my dear mother-in-law, who introduced me to this beautiful grain fourteen years ago. Thank you, Estee! I appreciate your help. I love every word you wrote. An on-going, exasperating controversy about Quinoa is how to say it. Most…
No time for BS. Just a quick, sweet recipe I found in a beautiful cookbook called Vegetarian Everyday, written by the sweet Scandinavian couple, who’s behind the blog Green Kitchen Stories. This exactly the kind of recipe I love – a “peace of mind” recipe, delicious and healthy. It’s…
Three words to describe this cake: moist, dense and rich. It finishes usually in thirty minutes. My husband found the recipe in Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine. The picture and recipe didn’t look exciting but I didn’t have eggs and I was curious. I made it a few minor changes.