Remember how I recently discussed how hard I find the process of making decisions? Well tonight's post is basically a post script to that one, because if you thought deciding between pecan pie or brownies was hard, imagine trying to decide between chocolate glazed peanut butter donuts or glazed nutella (chocolate hazelnut) donuts! I know, it totally boggles the mind. Well I, for one, don't believe in making such difficult decisions. So I thought to myself...why choose? Yep, that's right. I made both peanut butter donuts and nutella donuts. Which means, if you think about it, that these donuts are super easy to make. Because I started making them late at night, and still had time and … [Read more...]
Holiday Gift Ideas for the Cook or Baker in Your Life
People who know me are super lucky when it comes to buying gifts. I have such specific hobbies that if you want to buy me something, all it takes is a kitchen gadget or a photography "toy" and I am happy. I figured that some of you might be looking for gift ideas for kitchen loving folks in your life, so I put together a list. Most of these items are things I have and love, others are items that I want really badly. (This may or may not be a hint to people in my life. Ahem. Readers, I invite you to forward this link on to people in your life who might otherwise buy you a useless or unwanted gift. Hints are nice, right? Let's start with a big one, in case anyone wants to buy something … [Read more...]
Pecan Pie Topped Mini Fudge Brownie Pies
Let's talk about decisions, shall we? I don't know about you, but I for one, hate making them. I'm talking about literally the smallest decisions there are. Like in the ice cream store when they ask if I want chocolate, vanilla or mixed. Um, so I know I don't want plain vanilla; my love of chocolate is just too strong. But as between chocolate or mixed...I don't know! How should I decide? And when the decisions get bigger, oy. Don't get me started. I hate decisions. That's why this dessert is so darn awesome! Say you just finished a humongous meal, like, the biggest one of the year. It's time for dessert, and you don't have much room. Imagine choosing between a fudgey chocolatey dessert … [Read more...]
Pastrami Stuffed Chicken (Capons)
Every now and then, one of my recipes puts me in a weird position. A while ago, I made a delicious meat dish. I carefully measured the ingredients so I could post it here, and then, before I posted it, I thought of googling the cut of meat I was using. The cut was, as called in kosher butcher shops, minute steak. Kosher cooks will be very familiar with this type of steak. However, according to google (and I assume most of my non-kosher readers), minute steak is a thin cut of steak that can be grilled in a minute or less. It's a logical term, I must admit, but the minute steak I know usually involves about 200 minutes of cooking at a low temperature. Needless to say, I didn't post the recipe. … [Read more...]
Sukkos Recipe Roundup
Here's what I was supposed to do yesterday. I was supposed to photograph this amazing appetizer recipe and post it for you folks. But then I got home from work at 7:30. You read that right. Work. On a Sunday. I don't recommend it. I got cooking right away, and at 2 in the morning I was wise enough to realize that posting the recipe at that point would have been a really bad idea. So I went to sleep for like, four whole hours. Anyhoo. Here's a handy dandy list of stuff you should totally be making for Sukkot. They are a sampling of recipes from the archives, so feel free to dig around for even more! New recipes are a'comin, I promise. Wait, I don't. I have so much left to do! But I really do … [Read more...]
Mini Chocolate Pomegranate Bundt Cakes with Pomegranate Glaze
Before we talk about the recipe I'm posting tonight, can we discuss the most amazing thing that happened? Two weeks ago, I published a recipe in the Ami magazine for a butterscotch bundt cake. I've been writing the column for more than half a year now, and have gotten some nice feedback before, but I was completely unprepared for this. Emails poured in from all over the world. People had made my cake and loved it, people who wanted to make my cake and had questions, and people who just plain love my column. My ego is still a little swollen, so bear with me because I'm still bragging. Turns out, the cake was popular enough to cause butterscotch chip shortages in Kosher grocery stores all … [Read more...]
Pomegranate and Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Giveaway Closed! A couple of weeks ago my friend Leah was super nice and stopped by my office with a salad she had picked up for me at a nearby restaurant . (Friends bring you ice cream. Real friends bring you salad. Everyone knows that.) The restaurant had called it a tropical salad. It has lettuce, apple and mango, and a delicious dressing. I immediately began thinking of how I would recreate it. Then the folks over at Pom Wonderful were kind enough to send me a couple of bottles of pomegranate juice, and I immediately knew I would be making the pomegranate version of this salad. Seriously, the pomegranate juice is kinda like magic when making a salad … [Read more...]
Lemon Glazed Honey Cookies
I just realized how brief my posts have been lately. I mean, I've tried really hard to post recipes, but I've been posting just a line or two about said recipes, and somewhere in the delusion section of my brain, I've convinced myself that I've got this huge and adoring fan base that likes to read my rambling thoughts and random useless observations. Yeah. So I feel like I've disappointed my fans. And by fans I obviously mean my mother and the other lady who sits in her office who like to stalk my foodgawker profile. Ahem. So I've disappointed you (and now we've established who "you" is) with my lack of writing. So I'm gonna write now. Partly because I'm on the train and reception is bad, … [Read more...]
Rosh Hashanah Recipe Roundup
This week, instead of a Photography Friday post, I figured I'd share a bunch of awesome Rosh Hashanah recipes, all in one place. I know, I know, I just hosted a blog party where you guys got almost 30 great recipes. But there are lots of great recipes in my archives as well as other blogs, so click on over for more help in your Holiday menu planning! Firstly, you really need to get a copy of this week's Ami Magazine, where I have three fabulous recipes: Butterscotch Bundt Cake, Honey Shortbread Cookies and Apple Pie Wontons. You don't want to miss these! Simanim: Spicy Baked Carrot Chips Butternut Squash Fries Healthy Orange Carrot Muffins Healthy Butternut Squash Muffins (leave off … [Read more...]
Mini Apple and Honey Tarts and a Rosh Hashanah Blog Party
Giveaway Closed! It's hard to believe that this entire party was conceptualized and came to this point in such a short time! About a week and a half ago, on Twitter, my friend Jessie (who happens to be one of my food photography heroes!) and I were talking about the upcoming holiday of Rosh Hashanah, and how we should do something fun to celebrate the occasion on our blogs. I don't think at that point that we imagined that it would be this big or popular, but here's the scoop: What: A Rosh Hashanah Blog Party When: Right now! Where: here, and a whole bunch of awesome blogs. Scroll down past the recipe for the list! What else: Lots! Firstly, the event is hosted by myself and Jessie … [Read more...]