If you keep kosher and live in the New York area, chances are, you've heard of The Prime Grill. This iconic kosher restaurant has been at the forefront of upscale kosher cuisine for over 10 years. And for those of us, like me, who have never been to this restaurant, they've released a beautiful new cookbook full of delicious recipes, including some signature dishes from Chef David Kolotkin. I'm super excited to review The Prime Grill Cookbook today! Scroll past my review for a sample recipe and a chance to WIN a copy! At a first glance: Wow, now I really want to go eat in the prime grill! The food looks delicious and it's beautifully presented. Most importantly, the chef's desire to … [Read more...]
Golden Cauliflower and Plum Tomatoes and a Review and Giveaway of Starters and Sides Made Easy
As you all know, I love cookbooks. Basically all cookbooks. But it's not every day that my good friends and colleagues publish a book, so this one has me extra excited! The dynamic author-duo of Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek have done it again. You may remember my review of their last joint effort, Passover Made Easy, and how much I loved it. Well, they have absolutely outdone themselves in their latest effort, Starters & Sides Made Easy. Ready to read what I thought? (Scroll down past my review for your chance to win your own copy!) At first glance: As with their previous book, Starters & Sides Made Easy is chock full of creative and inventive ideas, beautifully photographed … [Read more...]
Garlic Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Basil and a Review and Giveaway of The No Potato Passover
With Passover coming, everyone I know is scrambling for recipes and ideas. I don't know about you, but when I think Passover, I think potatoes. And when I think of the day after Passover, I think about being intensely sick and tired of potatoes. And that's why I think everyone celebrating passover can appreciate The No Potato Passover by Aviva Kanoff. Read what I thought of it, then enter below for one of two chances to win a copy! At a First Glance: First I was all, "no way I want to go through an entire Passover without a potato." But as I read through the cookbook, I was impressed with the idea. Sure I'm going to eat potatoes. But this book has some refreshing ideas of recipes that … [Read more...]
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad and a Review and Giveaway of Passover Made Easy
I know that nobody really wants to think about the imminent arrival of the Passover holiday, but face it, friends. Passover is coming. The good news is that today I am reviewing a cookbook that aims to make Passover cooking easy. I know, it sounds too good to be true. But this book proves that it can be done! Passover Made Easy is a brand new book, written by the fabulous duo of Leah Schapira (or Fresh & Easy fame) and Victoria Dweck, food editor of a number of top kosher magazines, including the one I write for. The book is a project of CookKosher.Com, and actually features about a third of the recipes by a number of the members, myself included! Leah and Victoria took the recipes, … [Read more...]
Soft Frosted Vanilla Sugar Cookies and a Review and Giveaway of Pure Vanilla
I know it's been a while since I did a book review, but this one is super fun, and I love this recipe for Purim (or pretty much any time. Ever.) The frosting is vanilla flavored, but add in some food coloring to match your color scheme and you're all set. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for a giveaway of this book! Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever is a super fun and creative book that aims to change your impression of vanilla from a minor side ingredient to a star of the show. Here's what I thought of it. At a First Glance: I never thought of vanilla as such a starring ingredient before. To me, vanilla means no other flavor. But this book spotlights it in the most amazing ways! There's … [Read more...]
Personalized Letter Cookies and a Review and Giveaway of Decorating Cookies
Giveaway Closed! I am totally excited about the book I am reviewing (and giving away!) today! I usually review ordinary cookbooks, but today I am reviewing something kind of different. Because of that, I am not going to do my regular set of cookbook review questions, but let me tell you about this fabulous book. I still remember the first time I discovered Bridget Edward's blog. My jaw dropped open further and further as I clicked for another page, and another. The woman is insanely talented, and has the most fabulous cookie decorating ideas! When I heard she was coming out with a book, I knew I had to get my hands on it. And this book didn't disappoint. Decorating Cookies starts out with … [Read more...]
Mushroom Beef Sliders and a Review and Giveaway of CHIC Made Simple
Giveaway Closed! I'm super excited to be reviewing another fabulous and hot new kosher cookbook, CHIC Made Simple. The author, Esther Deutch, actually writes for the same magazine as me, Ami Living's Whisk magazine. Oddly enough, I didn't meet her until Kosher Fest, when we practically bumped into each-other. "You're Overtime Cook?!" She exclaimed. "I am such a fan." Well. After an introduction like that, I couldn't wait to see her beautiful cookbook and try some of the recipes. At a First Glance: CHIC Made Simple is beautiful. And I am not talking simply about the pictures (which are really nice!). This book is big, hard covered, and really nice all around. Every page has a … [Read more...]
Yemenite Beef Soup and a Review and Giveaway of Kosher By Design Cooking Coach
Giveaway Closed! I've been getting a lot of questions lately about my thoughts on the new cookbook by Susie Fishbein, Kosher By Design Cooking Coach, and I am excited to finally share my thoughts on this fabulous cookbook with you. I should start by mentioning that if you aren't a kosher cook, don't stop reading. Susie's ideas are amazing, and you don't have to keep kosher to appreciate them! At a first glance: As is the case with all of Susie's previous books, this is a visually beautiful book. I opened it up and marveled at the absolute wealth of information. The book promises to be more than just a list of recipes, and it certainly delivered. Each chapter starts with a "game … [Read more...]
Cinnamon Sugar Scones and a review and giveaway of Mini Treats and Handheld Sweets
Giveaway Closed! I'm so excited to be reviewing a new cookbook today. Not just any book, but one that I'm totally nuts over. No jokes. I think the author, Abigail Dodge is my soul sister, because how perfectly me is a cookbook called "Mini Treats and Handheld Sweets?" Not only it it a cookbook full of glorious desserts, but they're mini, and pretty much every recipe in this book is right up my alley. Lets discuss this, shall we? At a First Glance: My first reaction when flipping through this book was "ohmygosh I want to make everything." The book is a treasure trove of delicious recipes that are either totally out of the box, or a brand new twist on an old favorite. (Why make carrot … [Read more...]
Quinoa Cakes and a review of Herbivoracious
When I was given the opportunity to review Herbivoracious, by Michael Natkin, I knew it would be perfect for the nine days. Remember how I said I can't eat meat all week? Well what better time to review a vegetarian cookbook? None, I say. I loved these quinoa cakes, and enjoyed this cookbook! At first glance: There is such a wide variety of recipes in here, you wouldn't imagine that this book is vegetarian. The pictures are beautiful and eye-catching, and best of all, inviting. Some features I liked: You would think that there wouldn't be a wide variety of sections in a vegetarian cookbook (no meat, poultry and fish sections) but the cookbook was very cleverly organized. Main course … [Read more...]