Hanukkah parties are notoriously difficult to dress for: What’s appropriate? How much sparkle is too much? Will Jim from marketing get sloppy drunk and spill his spiked eggnog all over you? It’s basically a crapshoot. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go all-out; we believe that when it comes to holiday parties, there’s no such…
On the 4th of July, which this year falls on the Sabbath, I plan to celebrate the Jewish role of Revolutionary-period chocolate in North America with a homemade, refreshing, frozen hot chocolate. I recommend that you do the same. Drinking chocolate became a very popular substitute for politically incorrect tea in the Colonies around the…
What do you do when you want to bring the housekeeper to your home in Florida for Passover, but she can’t fly because she is undocumented? This is the conundrum that Israel, a private taxi driver, is here to help you solve. But it will cost you a chunk of change — and it comes…
The last time I was in a gallery that smelled distinctly and deliciously of chocolate I was in Barcelona visiting Museu de la Xocolata. That is, until this week, when I entered the Herbert and Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica at Temple Emanu-El on New York’s Upper East Side (where my grandparents were members), to…
Our family likes to celebrate Valentine’s Day, which I realize isn’t a Jewish holiday, but makes for harmless fun, especially when the grandkids are involved. Some of the best times are when we cook together. The children feel proud of their efforts and wind up with something delicious. I get to pass on a zillion…
My great-grandmother Goldie never measured what she cooked, so these are the approximations that my mom and Zayde wrote down when they were cooking with her. My mom usually uses less margarine (or butter) and sour cream but more noodles. Zayde usually uses more sour cream, butter and noodles. It always tastes great! 8-ounce package…
I made my standard latkes last night, mixing things up only a little: Since one friend was gluten-free, I substituted brown rice flour for regular flour (or matzo meal) and it worked perfectly. And because I wasn’t in the mood for the fancy crème fraîche and salmon-roe garnishes I used when I took this picture,…
When it comes to latkes, we are a sour cream family. In fact, my mother thinks sour cream goes with everything. Not that there’s anything wrong with applesauce. But sour cream, or smetana in Russian, is in our DNA as one of the key ingredients in Russian cuisine. So this year, I’d like to take…
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