Welcome the stranger. Protect the refugee. Our family like so many others has survived because of these words and because of the work of an organization called HIAS that has assisted refugees globally for over a century. This holiday season, as we prepare to celebrate the Jewish New Year and reflect on all that we…
Tag: Celebrations
A Tale of Two Briskets
I made my first brisket 20 years ago when I hosted my first Rosh Hashanah dinner as a graduate student in Boston. My mom had kept a recipe card in her recipe box titled, “Mom’s Brisket.” Pictured below, it reads: Season with salt + pepper (Lawry seasoning), 1 can whole cranberries, liptons dried onion soup,…
The Best Ever Banana Cake – made even better!
My littlest one just turned two which provided a needed excuse to bake a birthday cake. I was in a bit of a baking rut, my KitchenAid needed to be sent in for a repair and I’ve been relying on a hand mixer which can surprisingly conquer most baking needs in the kitchen. I didn’t…
Composition of a perfect Thanksgiving salad
Thanks to vaccines and boosters we are resuming our longstanding tradition of traveling to Chicago to be with my family for Thanksgiving this week. For the past several years we’ve gathered at my dad and stepmom’s home where our blended family each gets assigned a dish to be responsible for. Surprising to none, I’ve been…
On Mother’s Day
As I’ve written before, Mother’s Day will always be a bittersweet holiday having lost my mom 8 years ago to cancer. I’ve been thinking a lot about the approaching day and how many of us will be celebrating without moms and grandmothers this year because of coronavirus. Like so many other holidays, carrying on old…
Best Birthday Brownies
It’s hard to believe my oldest baby turns 8 today! We celebrated over the weekend with a sleepunder party. Think all the best parts of a sleepover (pajamas, movie, games, popcorn, ice cream sundaes, flash light tag) but then got to send the girls home to bed for a good night’s sleep. I found these…
Three Cookie Recipes Connecting Families and Generations
We just celebrated three major events this past weekend in Chicago with my family. The birth of my nephew Bernie, my dad’s 70th Birthday, and the baby naming of my niece Maeve. For me, these gatherings are always a way to bring together past and present and as with most Jewish celebrations involve spreads of…
A Garden Tea Party in Celebration of Friendship (Menu and Tips Included!)
One of the greatest joys of my thirties has been the new friendships that come along with being a mom. There is something so special about the bond formed over shared parenting and life experiences. I’ve been lucky to meet some amazing women over the years in Brooklyn who happen to have kids around the…
Shanah Tovah – the power of food and community.
Rosh Hashanah arrived especially early this year, the end of summer and back to school rush seemed to leave little time for holiday preparations. The week leading into the New Year I received news that one of my oldest childhood friends tragically passed away. While we had grown apart over the years, I felt a…
The Only Holiday Cookie Recipe You Need
As we’ve just said goodbye to the last night of Hanukkah I might be a little late to post this, but Christmas is still a few days away and felt the need to share what I think is the best basic sugar cookie recipe for the holidays. These make the perfect dinner party or teacher…
Bedford Balabusta 