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Judy Zeidler
Shavuot inspires dairy recipes
Shavuot celebrates the receiving of the Ten Commandments and the arrival of the spring harvest. But, for food lovers, it is noted for the array of dairy foods that are served — delicious combinations of cheese, sour cream, milk and eggs. Also in abundance are “stuffed” foods, such as blintzes with cheese fillings.
The art of Passover baking [RECIPES]
Passover, the Festival of Freedom — also known as the Festival of Unleavened Bread — is celebrated for eight days. Over the centuries, Jewish cooks have produced a rich array of foods for the Passover holiday, and desserts are an especially important course of the meal.
A vegetarian buffet to celebrate Queen Esther [RECIPES]
What makes Purim so special? Maybe it’s the heroic story of Queen Esther. Whatever you decide, it is still one of the happiest of all Jewish holidays. Filled with accounts of bravery, it tells the story of Queen Esther and how she helped defeat the wicked minister Haman in ancient Persia.
A Brentwood Country Club Chanukah [RECIPES]
Chef Brett Swartzman is a chef with passion. The Chicago native started working in his parents’ Jewish bakery when he was 10 years old, making bagels, muffins, cookies, challah and sandwiches.
Saluting side dishes
Thanksgiving is a holiday when American-Jewish families can enjoy the best of both heritages — hearty American food and an occasion to give thanks for their blessings. Food has always been the center of the holiday celebration, and I like to plan an old-fashioned farmhouse menu for the holiday.
Feasting after fasting
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a holiday for serious fasting — no food or drink for 25 hours. At the end of the day, our thoughts inevitably turn to what we want to eat at sundown to break the fast.
All you knead for a bounty of challah
Dipping freshly baked challah in honey is a tradition observed during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This act combines the Shabbat bread with hopes for a sweet New Year.
Position yourself for Passover’s traditions
After many years of reciting the Passover story around our dining room table, we made a major change. My family decided to re-create the seders held long ago. According to the haggadah, when people live in freedom, they can eat in a reclining or relaxed manner.
Poppy seed pleasures
It all began with Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story, who became a vegan when she married King Ahasuerus and moved into the palace. She favored fruits, beans and grains in her diet, and legend has it that poppy seed pastries were her favorite.
Chanukah fare with international flair
Around this time of year, I think of my grandmother and the stories she told me about making beef brisket and potato latkes for her first Chanukah dinner in America. She loved to cook, and sharing her recipes from Russia brought her such delight.
Delizioso: Chanukah with an Italian flair
While enjoying my favorite foods on a recent trip to Italy, I began to think about Chanukah, even though it was only October. This was a natural association, because the Italians love to prepare foods with olive oil, and the traditional dishes served during Chanukah are fried in oil to commemorate the tiny supply of oil that burned for eight days and nights in the ancient temple — a real miracle.
Giving thanks deliciously
Whether you call it Thanksgiving or Turkey Day, the holiday is a festive time for American Jewish families to enjoy the best of both heritages — hearty American food and an occasion to give thanks for blessings.
How sweet it is
Apples, honey and a freshly baked round challah are traditionally served at the beginning of our Rosh Hashanah dinner. The shape of the challah represents unending happiness, and foods sweetened with honey symbolize a sweet and happy new year ahead.
Break the fast with a buffet
As the sound of the shofar officially closes the long day of Yom Kippur prayer, people head home a little weary but spiritually uplifted.
A honeyed new year
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a holiday full of hope and optimism as well as apples, honey and round challahs.
Summertime picnic
Summer is a perfect time to share a picnic meal with friends. There is something exciting about eating outdoors, even if you are only heading to the local park.
Say Cheese: Recipes for Shavuot
During Shavuot, it’s a custom to serve dairy foods, such as cheese blintzes, cheese noodle kugels, cheesecake and even ice cream. But have you wondered where this tradition comes from?
Italian cheeses inspire a unique holiday menu
It all started with Signora Grazia, an elderly cheese maker in Panzano, Italy. While vacationing in this Tuscan village, just 30 minutes south of Florence, we walked by her farm early one morning and saw the sign that read “Pecorino and Fresh Ricotta for Sale.”
Flavors of Israel
My fascination with Israeli food started the first time I tasted a falafel laced with tahini at a little sidewalk cafe in Westwood, near UCLA. Inspired by this simple Israeli dish, I began developing a list of Middle Eastern recipes that grew with each trip to Israel.
More cluck for your passover buck
I have always enjoyed researching and developing new dishes to serve during Passover, but have you ever heard of Mock Gefilte Fish? Because everyone loves chicken, I am constantly looking for new and different chicken dishes to prepare, and I find that each recipe has a story all its own.
Passover Argentina style
In Argentina, although Passover comes in the fall, the celebration is much like that observed by Jews in the United States, and the food is similar to Eastern European dishes, but with a South American flair. Argentina has a Jewish population of more than 250,000, making it the largest in Latin America. Their ancestors immigrated from Poland, Russia, Syria, Turkey and North Africa in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Most of the immigrants spoke Yiddish, formed settlements such as Moisés Ville and Villa Clara, and became gauchos (cowboys).
Market fresh soups
Fresh ingredients for a soup are a chef’s dream, and the best place to find them is at your local farmers market — fresh fennel, squash, mushrooms, ripe tomatoes of all shapes as well as root vegetables. Our first experience with open-air markets was on a trip to Italy in the early ’60s. We walked excitedly through the marketplace looking at the fresh fruit and vegetables, then when we discovered that every village had its own market day during the week, we tried to visit all of them. The melons were sweet, the figs perfect, and the tomatoes, while ripe, still had a little green on them, but they were delicious.
Appetizing oscar night
It will be a night of glitz and glamour, surprises and speeches. From red carpet hits and misses to backstage interviews with the winners, the Academy Awards is Hollywood’s biggest night. Celebrate the 83rd Oscars on Feb. 27 with an award-worthy viewing party. Whether you invite 10, 20 or 30 guests, the real key to any fabulous event is to have a great mix of friends and delicious foods. Feel like a star chef by keeping your Oscar party food simple — serve a variety of hors d’oeuvres and movie snacks.
O, Chanukah! Looking beyond latkes
When I was growing up in Los Angeles, the highlights of our Chanukah celebration included visiting with extended family — uncles, aunts and cousins — lighting the Chanukah candles and eagerly awaiting the platters of fried potato latkes. In our home, the potato latkes were served crisp and topped with sour cream, sugar or apple sauce. Most families have a favorite latke recipe that is made year after year. The real quandary is what to serve with the latkes. In planning a Chanukah dinner, it’s usually a good idea to keep the menu simple. The emphasis should be on foods that can be prepared in advance and will hold up if guests arrive late. Every year, our menu changes. One year, we served Cabbage Borscht With Short Ribs. Another year, it was beef brisket with prunes, almost like a tzimmes, in a wine sauce. It’s fun to serve something new during Chanukah to surprise the family.
Chanukah’s the time for lots of latkes
There is something special about Chanukah, a time when all of our children and grandchildren gather from across the country to celebrate the holiday, which begins this year at sundown on Dec. 1. Lighting the candles, followed by family meals, singing songs, exchanging gifts and playing the dreidel game all add up to quality family time. What makes Chanukah such a festive occasion? Perhaps it starts with the aroma of potato latkes permeating the house. The crispy golden pancakes frying in the kitchen have come to symbolize the Festival of Lights, when we celebrate the miracle of one day’s supply of consecrated olive oil that kept the Jerusalem Temple’s lamp burning for eight days.
Thanksgiving: Let the next generation take over [RECIPES]
After 55 years of celebrating Thanksgiving in our home with family and friends, our son Zeke and son-in-law Jay announced that they wanted to take over the responsibility for Thanksgiving dinner.
Celebrate with Simchat Torah favorites [RECIPES]
This year, to celebrate the tradition, I developed a cookie recipe made in the shape of a flag. Allow the children to participate by helping decorate the cookies with blue and white icing in the shape of a Jewish star.
Dip into honey for new year inspiration [RECIPES]
Rosh Hashanah, literally translated as head of the year, begins this year at sundown on Sept. 8, ushering in a 10-day period for reflection on the past year and making resolutions for the new one. It is a time when families come together for festive meals and where sweet foods are traditionally eaten, symbolizing hope for happiness and a sweet life in the coming year. In some homes, families follow the ancient custom of substituting sugar in salt shakers to be used during the holiday.
Easy cooking for the holidays [RECIPES]
If you are in a dilemma about what to serve your family for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot, expand your menu options to include dishes that can be served in both the dining room and the sukkah.
The Joys of Summer Fruit [RECIPES]
Whether you are taking a picnic to the beach, a local park or the Hollywood Bowl, desserts made from fresh fruits — peaches, apricots, plums, cherries and all kinds of berries — are a refreshing complement to your summer menu.
Topanga Days [RECIPE]
Celebrate Shavuot with the flavors of spring
Shavuot marks an important religious event — the receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.
From Israel with love
Arriving at the crowded restaurant Itzik Hagadol Grill in Encino is like entering the hustle and bustle of Israel. Large groups of happy, noisy people talk at once while consuming platters of wonderful salad dishes and grilled meats that overflow tables.
Passover prep, unbound [RECIPES]
Food plays an important role during Passover — from the six symbolic items on the seder plate to those foods avoided during the eight-day holiday, like chametz (leavened grains) and kitniyot (legumes). But the dinner that follows the seder on the first two nights, when family and friends gather to retell the story of the Jews’ exodus from slavery to freedom, can leave a host slaving away in the kitchen.
It’s a wrap
While growing up in Jewish Los Angeles, I was exposed to many traditional Ashkenazic dishes — kreplach, cheese blintzes and strudel, to name a few. But it wasn’t until I developed an interest in cooking that I realized most other cultures have similar dishes. Kreplach reminds me of Italian ravioli or Chinese pot-stickers, and the wrapping for cheese blintzes is the same as French crepes. My mother always put egg noodles in chicken soup, similar to Italian fettuccini. And the cabbage strudel that I make is like what the Hungarian strudel bars in Budapest serve.
Chanukah in Tuscany
When we were invited for a Tuscan Chanukah dinner at the home of our friends chef Jeff Thickman and musician Igor Polesitsky, who live in a wonderful villa in the wooded hills of Roveta, just outside Florence, the menu included Italian Potato Latkes, Vegetarian Borshch and Stuffed Cabbage, all made with traditional Italian ingredients.
Sukkot Sweets, With Etrog’s Cousin
Sukkot, one of the happiest of all Jewish festivals, is a home-centered holiday that actually takes place outside of the home. The festival’s main symbol is the decorated sukkah, a temporary outdoor booth or hut, where Jewish law requires Jews sleep and eat all their meals for eight days. Families often invite friends and neighbors into their sukkah to share a festive snack or join the family for a meal during the week.
Home for Rosh Hashanah With Chef Todd Aarons [RECIPES]
What does the chef of Oxnard’s Tierra Sur cook for Rosh Hashanah? Since his kosher restaurant — located at Herzog Wine Cellars — is closed during the holiday, Todd Aarons has the opportunity to create a family meal at home.
Judy and Julia
The movie “Julie and Julia” brought back great memories of how I met Julia Child in 1978 and how it resulted in adapting her bouillabaisse recipe for a kosher kitchen.
Thinking Outside the Lunch Box
Coming up with lunch ideas can be more challenging today than in years past. Some schools may elect to forbid peanut butter on campus if a student has a peanut allergy, which removes the old standby of peanut butter and jelly. And almond, cashew or other nut butters don’t always appeal to tiny palates as a substitute.
Celebrate With First Fruits, Italian-Style
Shavuot, which begins exactly seven weeks after Passover, is a holiday that has a special association with two kinds of foods.
RECIPE: Yemenite Charoset/Charoset Truffles
1 cup pitted, chopped dates, 1/2 cup chopped dried figs
RECIPE: Passover Baked Vegetable Stuffing
1/4 cup olive oil, 3 onions, finely chopped
RECIPE: Judy’s Passover Roasted Chicken
3 tablespoons safflower or olive oil, 2 onions, thinly sliced
RECIPE: The Fluffiest Matzah Balls
3 eggs, separated, About 1/2 cup water or chicken stock, 1 to 1 1/2 cups matzah meal
RECIPE: Judy’s Passover Chicken Soup
2 pounds chicken necks and gizzards, tied in cheesecloth, 4 large onions, diced
One-Pot Passover Dinner: Just the Recipe to Cut Costs
Latkes and farinata: Something familiar, something new
Chef Akasha adds fresh twist to holiday traditions
Akasha Richmond, a self-trained chef and artisan-style baker who has been catering events in the Los Angeles area for the past 20 years, shares some Passover recipes.
Top tastes of Purim wrapped up together
The theme for our family Purim dinner this year will be blintzes, but the preparation will be a little different and will include ingredients that are symbolic for the holiday.
Chanukah menu dishes up a travelogue of treats
Just back from Italy, I was inspired by the foods served at our favorite restaurants. My Chanukah menu this year is a travelogue of those culinary experiences.
A sukkah by the sea where produce is on the menu
Ellen Hoffman and Neal Castleman live in a contemporary two-story home that covers a narrow lot in Malibu. We have been guests for several years at one of the dinners the couple host during Sukkot, which are held in a sukkah Castleman built on the only space available -- their rooftop patio overlooking the sea.
Is the pomegranate the perfect fruit?
When I see pyramids of pomegranates displayed in a market it's difficult to deny them space in my shopping cart. Buy them at your local farmers market when they are in season since they keep for several weeks in a refrigerator.
Say ‘grazie’ for ricotta-filled Italian delights
Shavuot begins exactly seven weeks after Passover and brings with it centuries of food traditions. Because some say milk and cheese symbolize the purity of the Torah, it is the festival when dairy foods are normally served. The holiday also celebrates the spring harvest, a time when a new crop of fresh vegetables and fruits begin to appear.
A sweet gefilte fish like his Polish grandma used to make
Try these vegetarian delights— fit for a Persian queen
Make a festive meal fit for your Maccabees
It's important during Chanukah to teach children and grandchildren about Jewish traditions and to recall the miracle of the oil, when a one-day supply lasted for eight days, enough time until fresh oil could be made from the olive trees to keep the flame lit in the Holy Temple.
Easy smorgasbord to break the Yom Kippur fast
Recipes for Yom Kippur.
Mark the New Year with late summer harvest menu
Garden fresh food.
PASSOVER FOOD: Treats to Leaven Desire for Dessert
Something new for the holiday, use the charoset ingredients to make a Passover Fruit Cake filled with nuts and dried fruit that offers a tasty and a crunchy treat. It is similar to the Italian delicacy known as Panforte that originated in Sienna. The mixture is tossed together in a large bowl, spooned into parchment-lined baking pans, and baked for an hour and a half. The good news is that these loaves will easily keep for the eight days of the holiday.
A Yummy Hat Trick of Triangle Treats
The traditional shape of the quintessential Purim dessert, the hamantaschen, is a three-cornered filled pastry. Some say it even looks like George Washington's hat, but I'm certain he wasn't around in those early days. But, what about the shape? What does it represent? Is it the shape of Haman's pocket, his hat or his ear? I think it all depends on the story your grandmother told you.
Italy’s Top Chefs Join to Spice Up Wedding
Famous chefs gathered from all over Italy to cook for the wedding of Max Willinger, son of Faith Willinger, a well-known wine and food journalist who has lived in Florence for almost 40 years. She was overwhelmed by the culinary community who volunteered to cook the wedding feast.
Holiday Celebration of Arts and Eats
But, for the past 15 years, the festivities have included our special friends, artist Peter Shire and his wife, Donna. It all began when we invited Peter to visit the Skirball Museum, which was then located on the campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, next to USC.
Sephardic Dinner Spices Up Holiday
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, I am reminded of our trip to Italy a few years ago. We arrived in Milan in the early afternoon and checked into our hotel, planning to attend Rosh Hashanah services that evening at the Sephardic Synagogue.
Shavuot Food : Turn Torah Fest into a Veggie Feast
Shavuot, which marks the receiving of the Ten Commandments by Moses, was often referred to as the Jewish Thanksgiving or the "Feast of the First Fruits," a time when farm bounty and grains were brought to the ancient Temple. The harvest often included wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.
In modern times, Shavuot inspires the preparation of many delicious and traditional recipes that usually feature a variety of vegetarian and dairy foods. Milk, eggs and cheeses of all kinds are used in abundance.
‘Homemade’ Mandelbrot Fit for a Seder
When I recently attended Kosher World at the L.A. Convention Center, I saw a wide selection of Passover foods. They presented many interesting new food products: sausages, nondairy ice cream, frozen pizza, burritos, pasta of all shapes and sizes, and large selection of kosher wines from all over the world.
Make Menu Shine With Splash of Wine
Purim is always a special celebration for the children -- they dress up in costumes, sing and dance. The grown-ups have their rewards, too, because it is the only holiday when everyone is encouraged to drink a generous amount of wine.
Challah Lesson a Huge Slice of Simcha
For the past 50 years, I have given cooking classes that include recipes for contemporary and traditional dishes, as well as menus for all the Jewish holidays.
Avoid Shower Cliche With Salad Buffet
A bridal shower is one of the most joyous parties you can possibly give, and the occasion calls for light, delicious festive foods. This menu offers four of my personal favorite chicken salad recipes. (For a smaller shower, you could serve just two or three.) The French often serve a sampling of different foods and call it a degustation, or tasting, so here's your chance to be both chic and unique.
Fritter Away Your Time for Chanukah
We just returned from a trip to Italy, concentrating on the provinces of Puglia and Campania close to Naples. It is a region that we enjoy because of the diversity of the foods and wines available.
Soup for the Sukkah
Sukkot is called the Jewish Thanksgiving. It offers thanks for the bountiful harvest of fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains.
A Hearty Meal to
This year Yom Kippur begins on Friday night and continues until sundown on Saturday. Since many families do not cook on Shabbat, I planned a menu that will solve the problem.
Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Meal
The apple, even more than the bibical pomegranate, has become the symbolic first fruit to be eaten during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which will be observed at sundown, Wednesday, Sept. 15.
Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Meal
The apple, even more than the bibical pomegranate, has become the symbolic first fruit to be eaten during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which will be observed at sundown, Wednesday, Sept. 15.
During Rosh Hashanah, tradition calls for a perfect apple to be pared and cut into as many pieces as there are people present. A piece of the apple is dipped in honey and passed to each person at the table before the meal begins to symbolize a sweet and joyous New Year.
Give Matzah a Hand
I still remember the first year we served shemurah matzah at our seder.... It was in the early 1960s and we were living on a ranch in Topanga Canyon.
Charoset to Please Any Palate
On the table at every Passover seder is a plate arranged with foods symbolic of the holiday. Of these, the only one that requires a recipe is charoset.
A Buffet Fit for Your Kings and Queens
This year, the family is invited to an "after-the-Purim-carnival buffet" inspired by the elaborate banquets that were served in biblical days. One long table in the dining room will be set for all the guests, and our collection of Purim groggers (noisemakers) will be arranged at each place setting for everyone to use during the retelling of the Purim story.
A Glazed Miracle Happened Here
During the festival of Chanukah, Jews around the world will prepare the traditional foods that represent their individual cultural backgrounds. Families with Eastern European ties will serve fried potato latkes. In Germany, jelly doughnuts called Berliner pfannkuchen are prepared. Italian Jews deep-fry fritters known there as bombolini. In Israel, they make sufganiyot, jam-filled doughnuts, and it is reported that more than a quarter of a million of them are made there every year during Chanukah.
Ease Out of the Yom Kippur Fast With Salmon and Potatoes
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is a time when Jews are required to fast for 24 hours. At the end of this period, family and friends gather for the traditional break-the-fast meal.
This year at the conclusion of services our family and friends will arrive at our home at various times, since they are coming from synagogues that stretch from San Fernando Valley to West Los Angeles.
The transition from fasting to feasting should be a gradual one. Light, simple food is best. These two quick recipes are perfect for the holiday. Just add a few side dishes to complete the menu.
Rosh Hashanah Made Easy With Chicken
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins this year at sundown on Friday, Sept. 26. It is a time to gather with family and friends and enjoy special holiday foods.
Celebrate Shavuot With Spring Harvest
When I was growing up, two types of food were usually associated with the holiday of Shavuot. There were the dairy dishes -- blintzes, knishes, noodle kugels and, of course, cheesecake. Most of us remember them from our childhood, but they were always laden with cream, butter and cheese, and may not appeal to our diet today.
Seder Yummies From Chicken to Chocolate
Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday, and although cooking for Passover requires a lot of preparation, I look forward to it each year. It is a time when our family and close friends join together to share thoughts and exchange ideas as we participate in the seder.
Seder Yummies
Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday, and although cooking for Passover requires a lot of preparation, I look forward to it each year. It is a time when our family and close friends join together to share thoughts and exchange ideas as we participate in the seder.
De-Stress the Simcha
On Monday evening, we will celebrate Purim, the holiday that commemorates the liberation of the Jews in ancient Persia, and reminds us of
the triumph of Queen Esther and her uncle, Mordecai, over Haman, the wicked prime minister.
A Culinary Surprise
Recently, my husband and I traveled extensively throughout Vietnam, where we took several cooking classes and met talented chefs. But the chef that surprised us the most was Donald Berger at the
Press Club in Hanoi.
Another Oil Miracle
Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is a time to recall the miracle that occurred more than 2,000 years ago, and celebrate the discovery of the small amount of oil that burned for eight days, the amount of time needed to prepare pure oil from the local olive trees to rekindle the flame. That miracle is the focus of the Chanukah celebration that begins at sundown Friday, Nov. 29. Was it also a miracle that this event occurred at this time, since the months of November and December are the usual time for the olive harvest?
In early November this year, we joined Faith Willinger, our Florence-based food-journalist friend, on a trip to Naples and the Campania area of Italy. One of the highlights of our trip was spending several days at the hotel-restaurant La Caveja, located in the small village of Pietravairano, just a one-hour drive north of Naples.
Another Oil Miracle
Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is a time to recall the miracle that occurred more than 2,000 years ago, and celebrate the discovery of the small amount of oil that burned for eight days, the amount of time needed to prepare pure oil from the local olive trees to rekindle the flame. That miracle is the focus of the Chanukah celebration that begins at sundown Friday, Nov. 29. Was it also a miracle that this event occurred at this time, since the months of November and December are the usual time for the olive harvest?
The Grape Taste of Sukkot
As a child, I loved the bunches of grapes that hung from the palm leaves covering the roof of the sukkah.
A Tuna After Atonement
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a holiday for serious fasting -- no food or drink for 24 hours.
Comfort Food for Rosh Hashana
For Rosh Hashana this year, I am sharing three chicken dishes that you can prepare for your family holiday meal. Every family has their own recipe for roast chicken, but if you're looking for something new and different to serve on Rosh Hashana, try one of these.
Gramma Gene’s Gefilte Fish
Passover is a special holiday for me and brings back many wonderful food memories.
Noshin’ Beyond Hamantashen
Our family celebrates all of the Jewish holidays together, but Purim seems to be everyone's favorite.
Olive Oil Treats
Chanukah is a time to recall the miracle that occurred more than 2,000 years ago when the flame in the Holy Temple was relit with a one-day supply of oil that lasted for eight days.
Celebrate with Cheesecake
On the first night of Chanukah, the family always gets together at our home for a special evening. We enjoy lighting the Chanukah candles, eating traditional foods and exchanging gifts.
Dessert is always a highlight of the evening, and this year for Chanukah, I am going to surprise everybody with a special cheesecake. I discovered the recipe on a recent trip to the wine country when we visited the Redwood Hill Goat Farm near Sonoma. After touring the goat farm, we attended a cooking class where the focus was cooking with goat cheese.
A Festival Feast of Fowl
The festival of Rosh Hashana celebrates the beginning of the Jewish New Year, and family meals are an important part of this holiday. Traditions include serving a round challah and apples dipped in honey symbolizing a sweet and well-rounded new year.
Cheese Blintzes for Shavuot
Shavuot celebrates the receiving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai and brings with it centuries of food traditions. It is the time when dairy foods are traditionally served, and cheese blintzes are one of the most popular dishes of the holiday.
Cooking with Chocolate
I absolutely love preparing chocolate desserts for Passover, and now that chocolate is considered a health food, it will give you all the more reason to include it in your Passover recipes. Chocolate desserts are easy to make, and you can create a variety of non-dairy chocolate desserts for Passover that will bring pleasure to everyone.
A Purim SOS
Two weeks ago I got an actual SOS from a ship. Tova and Rabbi Zvi Dershowitz, en route to the Philippines on the Holland America cruise ship M.S. Rotterdam, were requesting a Persian Purim menu and recipes for the ship's executive chef.
Purim Pastries
Purim, sometimes called the Feast of Esther, is one of the happiest of all Jewish holidays. It marks the liberation of the Jews from the cruel prime minister, Haman, through the heroism of the beautiful and good Queen Esther. The story states that she was a vegetarian while in the king's court in ancient Persia. Yes, before it was the fashion, Queen Esther was a connoisseur of fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains, but poppy seeds were said to be her favorite. It is in her honor that on Purim, poppy seeds find their way into salads, kugels and pastries.
Breaking the Fast
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins at sundown on Sunday, Oct. 8, during which time a strict fast is observed.
Perfect Apple-Honey Tarts for Rosh Hashanah
At our home we greet our family and friends with apple slices, fresh challah, and a bowl of honey, and we always end the meal with an apple dessert.
Passover in Cuba
My husband and I just returned from a trip to Cuba. We were on a cultural-art mission with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and one of the highlights was a visit to Cuba's largest Conservative synagogue, the Casa De La Comunidad Hebrea De Cuba, also known as Patronato.
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