Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 52
(The Nosher via JTA)-Breakfast can be hard during Passover-no oatmeal, no toast and certainly no pancakes. (No, the boxed kind do not count.) I like making eggs or matzah brei or even shakshuka. But I am always looking for something a little different to serve as a satisfying breakfast or portable lunch. This veggie "kugel" crust is all those things: great for vegetarian lunch, it's healthful, packed with tons of veggies and it's a super satisfying breakfast. I use spinach in the filling, but...
(Nosher via JTA)-If you've never made compost cookies, but you love desserts that are a little salty and a little sweet, this cookie (and hamantaschen) are for you. Do a quick Google search for "compost cookie" and you will come up with dozens of recipes. But the original compost cookie was born out of the genius dessert brain of Christina Tosi of Milk Bar, one of my baking heroes. The recipe for her famous cookie (and cakes and crazy desserts) can be found in her cookbook, which I adore and...
(The Nosher via JTA)-Kasha varnishkes is a much beloved Ashkenazi comfort food dish. Traditionally made with bow tie pasta, onions, schmaltz and kasha (buckwheat), it is filling, comforting peasant food at its best. I wanted to add a little bit of healthfulness into the traditional recipe, so we decided to swap out regular or egg pasta for some whole grain pasta and include some riced cauliflower into the mix for a serving of vegetables. This recipe is based on this classic recipe for kasha...
(The Nosher via JTA)-Everyone enjoys a good recipe hack, and I think you will love this one: two-ingredient rugelach! That's right: just a package of puff pastry, filling and that's it. You can make flaky, sweet, indulgent rugelach for your next Shabbat dinner, brunch or just because you need something with your afternoon cup of tea, within 30 minutes. I like to use chocolate hazelnut spread, but you could use a cookie butter or jam-or try something savory like goat cheese and herbs. Top with a...
(The Nosher via JTA)-My 4-year-old, previously meatball-loving child has recently decided, in fact, she does not like meatballs any longer. Or tomato sauce. My husband does not like spaghetti squash. And I am trying to cut back on my carbs just a smidge. In short, dinner is becoming harder and harder to coordinate. So when I made sweet and sour meatballs for the first time recently and they were devoured, I knew we had a winner. That is, until my daughter decides she doesn't. I served these...
(The Nosher via JTA)-Are you a deli roll lover? You know deli roll-the beloved Jewish American dish where various deli meats and Russian dressing get all wrapped up inside puff pastry for a guilt-inducing Shabbat lunch dish. It's almost like a deli sandwich-knish hybrid. I never grew up eating deli roll, but when I tried it at a friend's house many years ago, I simultaneously thought: This is so unhealthy, yet I just want more. And so it was just a matter of time before I worked on my own...
(JTA)-Sukkot is probably my favorite holiday of the season to cook for. I love sitting outdoors in the brisk autumn air enjoying harvest-inspired dishes with friends and family. Even so, I understand how slaving away in the kitchen can get tiresome-especially when there are so many dishes to wash. That's when it's time to employ cooking shortcuts. Tricks like store-bought puff pastry, frozen veggies and one-pot dishes will save you time on Sukkot without sacrificing a stitch of flavor. Spiced...
(JTA)-For many families, the Yom Kippur break-fast is bagels and schmear-filled inevitability-just add some lox, maybe some slices of tomato and orange juice, and everyone is happy. For other families, the break-fast is one of the most important meals of the year-almost sacred. Expectations can run high with such a special meal, and I know many people who anticipate the same dishes year after year after year. But what if you want to serve something a little more than just bagels, or veer a...
(JTA)-Some people take great pride and pleasure in planning their Rosh Hashanah menus for weeks or months in advance, chugging away at kugels and cakes and soup to put in the freezer. I know my grandmother and Aunt Ruth both did their High Holidays cooking all summer so they would be "ready." But not everyone cooks for 20 people or enjoys the toil and preparation of holiday cooking for weeks on end. And for those people, this simple menu is for you. Traditional Jewish New Year flavors of apple a...
(JTA)-I first tasted latkes for brunch at a trendy eatery on the Lower East Side about six years ago. Since then, I've seen them across the country on brunch menus everywhere from diners to Michelin Star restaurants. Latkes-or potato pancakes, as they're known to non-Jews-are comfort food that provide the perfect base to any number of savory toppings, but especially a runny egg or salty, fatty smoked salmon. After all, a latke is very similar to hash browns, a quintessential breakfast food....
(The Nosher via JTA)—Thanksgiving was a sacred holiday in my family growing up. There were a series of rituals, smells, sounds and foods we knew we could expect each and every year without fail. The Macy’s Day Parade on TV in the background. Pillsbury biscuits with lots of butter. Stuffed mushrooms. Glazed sweet potatoes. And at least one person lighting themselves on fire by accident. One of the foods that always made an appearance occurred after Thanksgiving itself: leftover turkey noodle soup that my dad would make with the remaining tur...
The high holidays are almost over, and so by my clock time for another sweet challah recipe for the New Year. And one of the easiest ways to make a sweet, crowd-pleasing challah is to add chocolate chips, of course. Chocolate chip challah on its own is delicious and doesn't need much other than a little vanilla and cinnamon. But it's also great when you make double chocolate challah with a chocolate dough or peanut butter and crumb topping. But this High Holiday season I wanted something that wa...
NEW YORK (JTA)—By the time the fast is over on Yom Kippur, the last thing you want to be doing is patchkeing in the kitchen to prepare lots of food. And as much as I can’t wait to shove a bagel and cream cheese with all the fixins in my face, I also like to enjoy something sweet, something salty and something a little fresh with my traditional post-fast carbs. The rich, sweet coffee cake challah can also be baked ahead of time. And the flavors of the custom dill lemon caper cream cheese will only intensify when you let them sit overnight in...
There is just something about store-bought coffee cake, especially Entenmann's, that is irresistible. I cannot control myself when it is around. Several times in the past few years my husband has brought one home, in an attempt to make me smile. And of course I immediately yelled at him for buying it. Then I ate the whole thing in one sitting. What can I say-we all have our weaknesses. My dear friend Danielle recently suggested I should try my hand at mashing up my classic challah with a coffee...
(The Nosher via JTA)-It's officially hot dog season, if ever there was one, and I freely admit: I love hot dogs. I have even found a way to combine a love of hot dogs with a love of challah with my famous challah dogs. What are challah dogs, you might be wondering? Well, it's my answer to the bagel dog or the pretzel dog. And one of the great things about this recipe is you can use any challah recipe you prefer. The key is rolling your challah into roughly 3-ounce pieces and then snaking it...
(The Nosher via JTA)-I love roasted potatoes for Friday night, but sometimes they can get a bit boring. Of course you can dress up your potatoes with zaatar, mustard or even truffle oil, just to name a few of the hundreds of ways you can make roasted potatoes. But I have been perusing a lot of Middle Eastern cookbooks lately and I got it into my head to make a harissa dipping sauce to go with potatoes. What is harissa? It's a spicy chili paste native to North African cuisine and varies from coun...
(The Nosher via JTA)-You got through Mother's Day, Memorial Day weekend and even Shavuot. But folks, it's not quite time to relax: Father's Day is almost here. Another weekend to reserve for family celebrations and another round of gifts to procure. If the special dad or guy in your life loves to be in the kitchen, at the grill or engrossed in a good cookbook, then we've got a couple of great gift ideas to show him how much he is adored. For the meat lover • Facon Beef Bacon from Jack's G...
(The Nosher via JTA)-The hamburger, and definitely the cheeseburger, is arguably the most iconic American food. You would be hard pressed to find a person who doesn't love a good burger. But can the cheeseless kosher burger compare? In New York recently, gourmet kosher burgers have been all the rage. Three upscale kosher burger joints-Amsterdam Burger, Gotham Burger and, most recently Boeuf & Bun -- have opened in the past few years alone to much enthusiasm, and even some decent reviews. Still,...
(The Nosher via JTA)-Summer is almost here; I can feel it. Every time we get a warmer day, the women of New York City are giddy with sandal wearing and summertime accessories. The flowers are blooming, the farmer's markets have returned and the season of grilling is almost upon us. Growing up, barbecue sauce-slathered chicken was a staple, probably only because covering chicken in a sticky, sweet sauce was a surefire way to get the kids to eat it. But at some point I fell out of love with "BBQ...
(The Nosher via JTA) - Move over cupcake, there's a new trendy dessert in town and her name is the donut. Don't get me wrong – I like a good cupcake just like the next sweets-loving gal. But I have been particularly excited to watch as the cupcake has been dethroned while the donut has taken over as the next "it" dessert. Trendy delicious donuts have been cropping up all over the country for the past few years. There are several ultimate lists of where to get the best donuts, including this r...
NEW YORK (JTA)-Hamantaschen talk is always about the filling: prune, poppy, apricot and strawberry, just to name a few favorites. I love being creative with the fillings, but this year I wanted to change up things with a flavored dough rather than just a fun filling. And what better ingredient to include than chocolate. Once you have made your chocolate dough, you can still be creative with the fillings, although I recommend two combinations below: triple chocolate, which is filled with nutella...
(The Nosher via JTA)-I have always had a love of affair with the city of New Orleans. I have traveled there nearly 10 times since my early 20s for work a few times, but more often to visit our growing number of dear friends who live there. I love the warmth of the city, the vibrant culture and history, the music, and of course, the food. While I enjoyed many delicious eats over my travels to the city, the first time I tasted a King Cake was three years ago, just a few months before our daughter...
NEW YORK (JTA)-There's nothing quite like that first night of Chanukah: a platter full of hot, crispy latkes and the accompanying applesauce and sour cream. It's classic, delicious and a beloved comfort food for so many American Jews. But by the third or fourth night, I need a change of pace for my latkes. Or to be more specific, I crave some other toppings. While I love dipping my latkes into a healthy serving of rich sour cream, I also relish serving meat with latkes, specifically pulled...
NEW YORK (JTA)-One of my favorite ways to celebrate Chanukah is over brunch. Yes, it's nontraditional-and you can't enjoy the experience of lighting the menorah together or singing. But it's a great way to change up the routine, especially if you have young kids and want to work around nap and bedtime schedules. Serve Dill Potato Latkes with Caper and Lemon Creme Fraiche and a seasonal winter Blood Orange and Goat Cheese Salad, and add tradition with sufganiyot. Sufganiyot are much more popular...
NEW YORK (JTA)-Janna Gur's "The Book of New Israeli Food" has sat on my kitchen counter with my other favorite cookbooks for years, and I frequently pull it out for friends and family who are unfamiliar with Israeli cuisine, saying, "This is the book you need to buy to understand food in Israel." Gur's newly published sequel, "Jewish Soul Food: From Minsk to Marrakesh" (Random House), is even more beautiful than its predecessor and more accessible to an American audience. While in New York on a...
