I know this blog has been non-stop purim treats recently. And I know that Purim is this week and most of you already have your Purim planned out, if not done. And I know that there should be some kind of witty introduction written here. Some kind of story, or a clever joke. Or maybe something to get everyone into the Purim spirit. But I must admit, I am exhausted. Too exhausted to write. Because every time I try to think of something to write by way of introduction to this post, I think about the crazy day I had at work today. I think about the million emails I didn't answer (or so it feels. In reality it was probably more like 50) and the 29 orders I haven't finished. (Not that I counted or … [Read more...]
Spinach Stuffed Roasted Chicken
Let's talk for a couple of minutes about memory. No, not memories, as in I spent quality time with my family and formed lovely memories. I mean digital memory. I know I'm quite young, but no topic in the world does more to make me feel like an old grandma than this one. Let's go back and talk about my first encounter with digital media. It was seven years ago when I first purchased a digital camera. By today's standards it was a piece of junk, but in those days it was a top of the line camera. It had 5 megapixels and came with a 32 megabyte card. After spending a bundle on a camera, I didn't want to drop the additional cash on a larger card. I opted instead to use my 32 MB … [Read more...]
Spicy Baked Zucchini Sticks
Spicy Baked Zucchini Sticks are bursting with flavor and so easy to make! ***Before we start – have you signed up for my email newsletters? You’ll get new recipes, cooking tips, menu suggestions, kitchen deals – and more! Click here to signup.*** Last week I discussed how a certain food has come to be associated with a memory. Little did I imagine that just a couple of days later, I would accidentally stumble on to another food with deep memories attached. It started when I saw zucchini on sale at my local grocery store. I wasn't sure what to do with them, but I bought a big bag and decided that I would figure it out. I started to cut them into wedges, probably out of laziness, then … [Read more...]
Spiced Corn Fritters
I know it's just the beginning of February, but one can hardly blame me for making summer food. Last week, I went out for my daily lunch-break walk (hey, it's better than nothing!) with no coat. In February. In New York City. It was surreal, but absolutely amazing. And now, I can't get this out of my head. It's practically spring, which means it's basically summer. Which means it's time for frozen concoctions, grilled recipes, and corn. So what if I am totally jumping the gun here? These fritters are made with a bag of frozen corn. (Shh. Don't tell anyone.) And they're super easy to make. Forget our friend the groundhog and his little prediction of doom. And don't worry about summer being … [Read more...]
Broccoli Kugel Muffins
I recently posed the question on twitter: "how does one describe broccoli kugel to non-Kosher eating folks?" For someone like me, who grew up eating kosher, Jewish style foods, kugel is a no-brainer. But when you stop and think about it, try to determine how one can define kugel, it gets infinitely complicated. Is it a side dish? Maybe. Is it savory? Occasionally. A sweet dish? Can be. Something eaten on Shabbos (sabbath)? Often times. Is there one blanket definition of kugel? Sadly not. So while my Jewish readers will probably know exactly what a broccoli kugel is, it may be perplexing to my non-Jewish readers. What exactly is a broccoli kugel, you may be asking yourself. Well, … [Read more...]
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
I am a recovering soup-aholic. Don't get me wrong. I still love soup, enjoy soup, even crave soup. But there was a point in my life when all I wanted every day, all day, was soup. This was in the days before I spent quite so much time in the kitchen, so most of the soup I consumed during that period of my life was bought. Here's the funny thing about store bought soup, though. You can order something very benign sounding, such as "vegetable soup" or "broccoli soup" and instead of a healthy dish, you just inadvertently consumed half of your daily allotment of calories. If I had tasted this soup in a restaurant or any other food establishment, I would have been wracked with guilt, convinced … [Read more...]
Healthy (Mock) Breaded Cauliflower
Healthy Mock Breaded Cauliflower is crispy and delicious, without all that fat! It's Chanukah now, which means that most of my readers, particularly the Jewish ones, will be expecting all kinds of deep fried delicacies to appear on the front page of this blog. After all, what kind of good Jewish girl isn't making latkes and donuts now? Okay, so I won't go so far as to say that I am not making any fried goodies this week. In fact, I have a whole bunch of deliciousness up my sleeve, (or in my frying pan, as the case may be). Hopefully, those will be here soon. But in the meantime, I figured I would preempt the unhealthy treats with my latest veggie creation. I think obsessed is a very … [Read more...]
Garlic and Shallot Topped Smashed Potatoes
If the name of these potatoes seems complicated and difficult for you to pronounce, you can call them by their other name: Good Sister Potatoes. Why, one might ask, would these potatoes catapult me into the realm of a good sister? Well, that is a very good question, my friend. Y'see, I made these only because my sister asked me to come up with some new side dish ideas for her. And because I had some baby potatoes to cook. And these are delicious. But let's not discuss that now, shall we? In case you haven't noticed, I love making desserts. You haven't? This must be your first time here. Sure, a gal's gotta eat, and I really do enjoy cooking, baking and desserts will always have a soft spot … [Read more...]
Roasted Vegetable Chickpea Salad
***Before we start – have you signed up for my email newsletters? You’ll get new recipes, cooking tips, menu suggestions, kitchen deals – and more! Click here to signup.*** This salad has a long history. Very long. It started about three (maybe four?) years ago when I ate dinner with an excellent cook named Batya. She made a salad with some roasted vegetables and chickpeas, and I absolutely loved it. I went home and copied it, and served it to my sister. My sister loved it, and made it again, for me, when I visited her. Then I forgot about this salad, and I thought my sister did too. Fast forward a couple of years, when I spent the weekend at my sister's house. As I have mentioned many, … [Read more...]
Baked Butternut Squash Fries
While the majority of my job involves sales, I work on sales on a corporate level, so it's also a matter of building relationships with people, keeping customers happy, and other aspects of customer care. And while my company has a very loyal base of happy and completely satisfied customers, we are human, and like every company there's glitches that pop up and issues that happen and customers that get upset. And it's my job to deal with those unhappy people. And if an unhappy customer who spent a hundred dollars is a problem, you can imagine that an unhappy customer who spent a hundred thousand dollars is about a thousand times more of a problem. But it happens. And we deal with it. And … [Read more...]