Here’s a great recipe for savory hamantaschen.  To make these tasty treats, I use a store bought puff pastry to cut out the circles, fill them with a grated melting cheese, brush the pastry triangles with an egg glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  These golden brown beauties are quick and easy to make and bake.  Get ready for oohs and aahs […]

Since I can’t seem to get enough of these rugentaschen—here’s another fun recipe that uses Hershey’s Hugs […]

One of my all time favorite cookies is rugelach—a scrumptious crescent shaped cookie made from a cream cheese dough.  I decided to use my rugelach dough to make hamantaschen and eureka!  This recipe for hamantaschen made with a rugelach dough, may be one of my favorite hamantaschen yet.  I call my hamantaschen made with cream cheese dough rugentaschen. Here’s a recipe for rugentaschen filled with […]

The Jewish holiday of Purim is just around the corner.  Beginning at sundown on Wednesday, March 16, and ending on Thursday, March 17 at sundown, Purim is a fun and festive holiday observed with much revelry and celebration.  Dating back to the Persian Empire of the 4th century b.c.e., […]

These challah dogs are always a huge hit.  I get hot dog specials from my butcher, whip up a batch of my challah dough, roll handfuls of the dough into strands, wrap the strands around the hot dogs in a spiral, then bake till golden brown.  The combination of thick, juicy hot dogs and fresh challah spirals is simply divine!

Happy National Banana Bread Day!  My recipe originally appeared in the March 2017 edition of Essex Fells Magazine.  Enjoy!

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I recently found my kitchen redolent with the aroma of two bunches of overripe bananas, which I knew were headed for the trash bin in another day or two if I didn’t do some quick thinking.  With “quick” being the operative word here, banana quick bread came to mind.  I have a great go-to […]

A few years ago, I posted this recipe for mini omelet soufflés on my Instagram account to rave reviews.  I was on Weight Watchers at the time and most of the ingredients for this recipe were 0 points.  The whipped topping made from fat free cottage cheese and low fat sour cream added 1 or 2 points per serving.  They are low fat, low calorie, vegetarian, healthy, yet tasty and […]

Here’s a sneak peak at my February 2022 food column. Enjoy!

I recently made this scrumptious streusel topped coffee cake to rave reviews.  I used my basic coffee cake batter and topped it with streusel before baking.  Who doesn’t love a cake with streusel?  Enjoy!

Thanksgiving will be here before you know it and just in case you’re looking for some new recipes and table decor ideas–check out my Thanksgiving menu.

• Chestnut Soup in a Pumpkin Tureen
• Turkey Roulade with Challah, Apple Chestnut Stuffing and Edamame Succotash
• Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole With a Secret Ingredient
• Thanksgiving Cornucopia of Roasted Autumn Vegetables
• Pumpkin Pecan Pie
• Turkey Sugar Cookies

This Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole with a Secret Ingredient is a great Thanksgiving Day Side Dish.  It’s make ahead and you can whip it up in […]

I make this delicious soup once a year at Thanksgiving.  It’s a bit of a production and quite rich, but well worth the time, effort and calories.  For a real showstopper, serve the soup in a hollowed out fresh pumpkin soup tureen, or serve in individual hollowed out acorn squash shells.  Best wishes for a joyous Thanksgiving […]

I must confess—I am not a big fan of the roasted whole turkey. At a time when I need as much oven space as possible for the multitude of dishes that I serve on Thanksgiving, the huge whole turkey monopolizes most of my oven space.  I also find it impossible to get the whole turkey cooked to proper doneness.  If the drumsticks are well cooked, the breast is overdone and vice versa. And the stress of having to carve the turkey, while juggling the remainder of the courses is enough to make me seek out an alternative.

Turkey roulade to the rescue! It is tender, tasty and cooked to perfection. It serves 4 to 6 people, but can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled.  You can make it up to three days in advance.  No carving necessary!  Simply slice the roulade […]

I am often asked for suggestions for Thanksgiving side dishes.  This recipe for roasted  autumn vegetables is one of my favorite side dishes to make for Thanksgiving and other festive autumn and winter get-togethers.  It has a beautiful array or autumn tastes, textures and colors and is a great accompaniment to turkey, chicken or beef.  And, with its combination of carotenoid (sweet potatoes and carrots) and cruciferous (Brussels sprouts and cauliflower) vegetables, this dish is actually healthy, so feel free […]

Pumpkin or pecan?  That is the question.  I adore both pies and when I can’t decide which to bake, I make one pie with a layer each of pumpkin and pecan, and a whole new taste sensation is born.  The pumpkin layer is delicately spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, while the pecan layer incorporates maple syrup, vanilla, rum and lemon.  Both layers are poured into a pie crust that bakes up to golden brown flaky perfection.

So, as the days get shorter, and the air get crisper and cooler and we are dazzled by nature’s stunning display of color in her final blaze of glory […]

Cookie baking season is upon us!  If you’re a cookie baking aficionado, you will want to add these to your repertoire. This recipe produces a sugar cookie for all seasons. You can use just about any cookie cutter on the dough—autumn leaves and turkeys for fall […]

For a soup that will soothe the soul and chase away the cold weather doldrums, check out my November 2017 food column for the Essex Fells Magazine, below.

Those of you who have been following my columns these past 6 years, may have noticed by the disproportionate number of dessert articles in the magazine, that I have an insatiable sweet tooth.  It should come as no surprise then that I’ll be capping off My Year Of Italy with—well—something sweet.  Sfinge, also known as Zeppole, are Italian fried pastries similar to doughnuts […]

This 5-star recipe for Potato Gnocchi with Sausage Ragu is from Davide Odore, Master Chef at the Castello di Guarene, a magnificent restored 18th century palazzo/hotel overlooking the Langhe hills in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.

Potato gnocchi are tiny potato dumplings.  They are light, pillowy and delicate in flavor—a perfect […]

The year of 2016 has been zipping by.  I just realized there are only three more months left for My Year Of Italy, and I have yet to write a column on lasagna.

We can trace the origins of lasagna back to the Middle Ages to Naples, Italy.  Traditional Neapolitan lasagna is made with layers of […]

Since 2016 is My Year of Italy, and September is back to school month, and kids LOVE pizza, we’re going to have some fun with pizza–rolling, spreading, sprinkling, decorating and getting some veggies into the mix.

I’ve provided a kid-friendly basic pizza recipe with a […]

Cannoli are Italian pastries originating from the island of Sicily. A staple of Sicilian cuisine, they are also popular in Italian-American cuisine.

Cannoli get their name from the Italian word “cannolo” which means “little tube”.  They consist of tube shaped shells of pastry dough which are […]

Biancomangiare is a traditional Sicilian white pudding. Dating back to the Middle Ages, biancomangiare, literally means “white food” or “white dish”, and derives its name from […]

Cantucci are Tuscan dipping cookies.  They’re also known as biscotti in other regions of Italy as well as here in the U.S.  I learned how to make these almond studded beauties from […]

True story: I learned how to make this scrumptious pasta dish from a Duchess! Early one morning, last October, a group of about ten of us met Duchess […]

I learned how to make this scrumptious authentic Eggplant Parmesan from a Tuscan chef in the fall of 2015.  Below is my March 2016 food column on the dish that appeared in the Essex Fells Magazine.

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Last October, during our travels in Tuscany, Italy, my husband and I boarded a train in Florence and headed 29 miles southeast to the charming medieval town, Figline Valdarno, to take a private cooking class with […]

In the fall of 2015, my husband and I took a three-week trip of a lifetime to beautiful Italy.  We started our adventure in Rome, then flew south to Sicily and north to the Piedmont region; we then journeyed east to Venice, west to the Tuscany region and concluded our extraordinary voyage […]

Here’s a recipe that will chase away the fruit salad doldrums. The kitchen smells heavenly as the pears simmer in their poaching liquid, redolent of vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and Amaretto. I like to serve the compote accompanied by […]

As always, I baked up a storm for the holidays—lots of round challahs; 3 cakes—Honey, Marble and Apple; two types of brownies—Honey and Dark Cocoa; two types of cookies—sugar and honey; 2 quick breads—banana and applesauce.  I can go on and on—but you get the drift—I like to bake—I probably bake too much—but, it’s a passion—I find it […]

Cookie baking season is upon us!  If you’re a cookie baking aficionado, you will want to add these to your repertoire. This recipe produces a sugar cookie for all seasons. You can use just about any cookie cutter on the dough—autumn leaves and turkeys for fall, snowflakes and menorahs for winter, butterflies and flowers for spring, ice cream cones and a smiley face sun for summer, just to name a few.

I’ve developed this easy recipe with great flavor and texture, that is sure to get an enthusiastic two thumbs up from all your cookie fans.  The dough is pre-rolled and […]

In celebration of autumn’s apple bounty, here are two quick and easy recipes.  The apple tart takes about 15 minutes to prep and then another 20 minutes to bake in the oven.  It is delicious as is, but it becomes sublime when served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  The caramel apples are fun to make with children.  Get creative with the toppings!  In addition to the toppings recommended in the recipe, consider dipping the apples in […]

As the days get shorter and the air is crisper and cooler, I am back in my kitchen baking after a summer hiatus.  One of my favorite cakes to bake during this season is Autumn Spiced Honey Chiffon cake. While this cake is baking, an ambrosial aroma of warm honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves wafts through the house. This scrumptious cake tastes as good as it looks and smells as good as it tastes. To my mind, it  is the quintessential […]

This is my version of Tsimmes–a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish dish of stewed vegetables and dried fruits.  It has sweet overtones to evoke a Sweet New Year.  “Tsimmes” is Yiddish for “fuss”.  This Tsimmes comes together quickly and […]

Here’s a real meat and potatoes treat for the holidays. Braised short ribs in barbecue sauce are tender and succulent and full of flavor.  For the ultimate comfort food, I like to serve the ribs on […]

Here’s my version of the ever popular Sweet and Sour Chicken. This dish evokes fond memories of the days when my children were still living at home. It was my family’s most requested meal. A hit with children, this recipe doubles as a delicious entree to serve your dinner guests. I like to serve Sweet and Sour Chicken accompanied with […]

This delicious dish is my husband’s culinary claim to fame.  The first time he cooked this corned beef for one of our family holidays, it was such a hit with our immediate family, that there was nothing left to serve our guests.  We have since doubled the recipe to ensure that we have enough to go around.  I like to serve Steve’s corned beef with […]

This is my Mom’s epic chicken soup.  Served with her fluffy, ethereal matzoh balls—this is my family’s most requested soup.  Nanny Fela’s chicken soup is a mainstay of my Rosh Hashanah […]

My family just loves this veggie chopped liver, which I like to serve in apple flower cups for Rosh Hashanah.  I’ve made some changes to the recipe, which is from […]

My signature challah recipe is braided and then formed into a circle.  Honey is poured into a hollowed out apple or a small round dish which is placed into the center of the challah for a lovely […]

Since this was the cake that inspired my passion for baking and launched a thousand recipes, it is only fitting that I launch my website with Nanny Fela’s Butter Streusel Cake. My mom baked it often when I was growing up, and I could never resist plucking off the streusel, leaving behind a funny looking pockmarked cake. I could kick myself for not having had the presence of mind to get the recipe from […]