The classic fruitcake has been the brunt of many jokes. The often ridiculed cake popular at Christmas is typically a heavy, dense, overly sweet cake laden with artificially colored candied green and red cherries as well as other fruits and nuts. It has usually been soaked in rum or some other liqueur. Supposedly, Johnny Carson…
Sufganiyot (Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts)
It is traditional during the eight days of Hanukkah to eat foods fried in oil commemorating the miracle of the oil. The story goes… After Antiochus’s forces had been defeated and driven from the Temple, the Maccabees discovered that most of the ritual oil had been destroyed. A single container was still sealed by the…
It’s Starting To Look A Lot Like Hanukkah!
Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, began last night with the lighting of the first of eight candles over the coarse of the next eight days. My husband and I sat down to this holiday dinner after what will be the last of many garage sales we have had over the many years in our…
Sweet-And-Sour Cabbage Soup
This is a soup that my mother made regularly, and one that remains popular in the repertoire of Jewish cooks today. It is a delicious hearty soup that incorporates some kind of beef (usually still on the bone such as short ribs or beef back ribs). However, it can be made vegetarian by simply omitting…
Thanksgiving 2012
An arrangement composed of foliage from my garden… Beautiful, beautiful mums from my baby brother… My Thanksgiving mantel… A beautiful birthday bouquet from my brother, sister-in-law, and niece… My husband surprised me with this spectacular serving bowl for my birthday 2 days before Thanksgiving. I loved it, but thought I shouldn’t buy it. I’m so…
AUTUMN COLORS
Turkey Gravy
What would Thanksgiving be without gravy? Gravy for the roast turkey, gravy for the mashed potatoes, gravy for the stuffing…. and then a little gravy to pour on all those yummy left-overs the day after the holiday. My college roommate sent me an e-mail this morning in search of my gravy recipe. I was certain…
Turkey Tetrazzini
Why, you may ask am I making a dish with leftover turkey before Thanksgiving? I’ll explain. My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is a week away. I will be having a larger crowd this year, which means I’ll be making all the same traditional dishes we love, but just in greater quantities. I try to do as…
Spiced Apple Pie
In 1980 we moved from our apartment in Chicago with our sons who were ages 6 and 2 at the time to a very spacious apartment around the corner. This was our third move around the same square block which faced a wonderful park called Indian Boundary Park in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of…
Garlic-Roasted Caulifower
Roasting fresh cauliflower along with fresh garlic and good olive oil will turn this boring vegetable into a colorful and richly flavored dish. And it couldn’t be easier. The recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? cookbook by Ina Garten. I substituted toasted almonds for the pine nuts, but either one…