Help with my Hamentashen

I made dozens of Hamentashen today, but I froze when I rolled out my dough and it crumbled. Lucky for me, I was able to call up the cookbook author, because she’s a dear family friend. She talked me through and gave me extra tips. While I was baking, I thought about the many times…

Adjusting my crown

Latkes with brisket, applesauce, and sour cream Chewing has ranged from uncomfortable to painful for the last three weeks, so today I returned to my dentist for an adjustment on my recent same-day crown. Thankfully, no numbing was required, just a bit of grinding down until my bite was even. I was thrilled to be…

Fluffy challah

Mama and I celebrated Shabbat tonight with a fresh, locally baked challah that I picked up at the market today. It was delicious and today’s #OneGoodThing! Shabbat shalom! Day 145 of 365. And Day 876 in a row (here’s the first 366 & the following 365)!  1 year ago today: Going even shorter 2 years ago today: A special something for Abby…

Brisket delivery from treasured friend

My sweet friend Mark delivered his incredible, homemade brisket to us tonight. Not only did Mark reach total mensch levels by driving HOURS to get to us, but this brisket was the best I’ve ever tasted. Yep, even better than the damn good brisket I slave over myself. This delicious brisket comprises our Passover celebrations and…

Latkes, brisket, donuts and good friends

We celebrated the sixth night of Chanukah with homemade latkes, mouthwatering brisket, jelly donut holes, and our sweet neighbors! I make homemade latkes exactly once a year because the grating and frying is labor intensive. Mama and I followed the recipe in our favorite Jewish cookbook: “Chocolate Chip Challah” by Lisa Rauchwerger. We made them…

Jewish penicillin

A nasty cold bug hit our house hard several days ago. We’ve gone through countless tissue boxes and cups of tea with honey. Today I was vertical long enough to make us some matzoh ball soup — and it was so worth the effort! There’s something innately healing and comforting about matzoh ball soup. The…