I first read about Lotus Biscoff cookie butter back in 2010 when cookbook author David Lebovitz raved about it on his blog. Biscoff cookies are Belgian spice cookies, similar to gingersnaps. They have more than a hint of cinnamon and ginger and deep caramel bass notes. Biscoff cookie butter is a smooth spread made of blended Biscoff cookies. Imagine being able to lick a not too sweet caramelized gingersnap right…
“My trip’s been cancelled”, I reported dejectedly to my son. Israel has extended its closure to all foreign travelers for another ten days and my greatly anticipated plans for reunions with friends, exploring the country from north to south, and visiting holy sites, evaporated with the disappointing news. “Mom, I think it’s time for some caramel corn”, Sonny opined. Smart boy. Caramel corn can assuage many of life’s small disappointments,…
After a two year Covid hiatus, we were privileged to join our children and their families for the last four days of Chanukah. Candle lighting was beautiful as each family member lit their own menorah. The flames danced and flickered in the darkness while we joined in singing Ma’oz Tzur, the Jewish liturgical poem or piyyut, celebrating our spiritual deliverance from our enemies. On Sunday we celebrated with a family…
Doughnuts fried in oil are traditionally eaten at Chanukah time to commemorate the miracle of the menorah oil that lasted eight days. My personal favorites are doughnuts that are not fried, but rather cake doughnuts that are baked, like these apple cider doughnuts by recipe developer and cookbook author Erin Jeanne McDowell, published in the New York Times. Light and fluffy, these doughnuts have cinnamon and nutmeg in the batter…
“Do you still have your waffle maker”, I asked my sister. “I’m not sure”, she replied thoughtfully. Since Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing hit book store shelves in 2014, decluttering has reached amateur sport levels in North American homes. Decluttering with the KonMari method means only keeping objects in your home that “spark joy.” Objects that…
I stared at my blank computer screen in disbelief. Three hours worth of work had vanished. I was the “lucky” recipient of a new computer at work the previous week. Regrettably, this event was not accompanied by the same unbridled joy that I felt when I waved a happy farewell to my lumpy desk chair or even cracked open the plastic wrapper on a new package of Post-it® notes. The…
At the end of a long day, just a nibble of something sweet can soothe jangled nerves and tired bones. These cravings are easily satisfied with a slice or two of these skinny sensations, a copycat recipe of that popular treat known as Almondina® or THINaddictives. This crispy cookie has no added fat, is wonderfully crunchy, and has a delicious nutty flavor from a mix of almonds and pistachios. Sliced…
“That’ll be one eggs over easy, toasted bagel on the side, one order of French toast, and a hot chocolate to go”, I muttered to myself as I swung into the early morning breakfast rush. And no, I was not working as a short-order cook at Smitty’s waffle house. When our children were school age, breakfast time was twenty minutes of controlled chaos. OK, not so controlled. Kind of like…
My husband Stephen’s face lit up as he read the headline on the front page of the newspaper. According to the findings of experts from the University of Michigan, eating a peanut butter and jam sandwich gives a person more than half an hour of extra life. Vindicated at last! For the past twenty-five years, six days a week, Stephen has eaten rice cakes topped with a thick layer of…
My teenage grandson studied the contents of my fridge with careful consideration. Noshing on a heaped plateful of holiday leftovers as a midnight snack was an honored tradition in our household. Many nights my husband and I were lulled to sleep by the rhythmic mechanical hum of the microwave as our teenage and adult children congregated in the kitchen, reheating the last two slices of brisket and a Miami rib…