When I was 10 years old, I traveled to Ireland with my grandma and my aunt. We drove along the southern half of Ireland, stopping at castles, landmarks and B&B’s.
As a kid, of course I didn’t appreciate the trip as I should have. Food was weird, people talked funny and none of the places we stayed had TVs.
I did however understand what it meant to see things that were completely outside of my own little suburban world.
Traveling to Israel was my first big trip abroad as an adult.
I think back to who I was in college and can’t believe I actually went on this trip. It required me to step outside of my comfort zone, something I wasn’t very good at, at age 20.
But I did. And it was the best decision I’d ever made.
Do you ever notice things about yourself that you wouldn’t have otherwise noticed until someone points it out? And you get mad at first then you’re like damn I really do that thing don’t I.
Well I’m apparently an easy sell.
It probably stems from the fact that I’m a people pleaser.
What is a Krantz Cake you might ask? And how is it different than a Babka?
I googled this for about 5 minutes and couldn’t come up with a good answer so let’s have it be one of those things we just wonder about. Like the pre-internet days.
I see the major difference between a Krantz Cake and a Babka being that a Krantz has a syrup glaze that infuses into the cake. It’s like an extremely decadent Babka.
Growing up as a non-religious Jew, I didn’t really spend a lot of time celebrating the high holidays. Or at least not the ones that didn’t involve presents (what up Hanukkah).
We didn’t attend a Synagogue and if it worked out that year we’d maybe get together with the grandparents for Passover.
Since I’ve leaned into at home cooking, I learned that I really love Jewish foods. And what better way to eat Jewish foods than to use the high holidays, like Rosh Hashanah, as an excuse.
So I made a huge Rosh Hashanah feast for Toly and I. More to come on those dishes but this was my favorite one of the night.
We’re having a perfect fall weekend here in Denver. Just recovering from an absurd snow storm on Thursday, we’re finally warming back up to the mid 60s.
Yesterday was a pumpkin patch which involved me maxing out my credit cards and eating an unholy amount of apples. Today, it’s making pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds and smoked brisket while I catch up on some blog posts.
One of my favorite things about Israeli food is the mashup of cultures happening in such a tiny country.
Particularly in the major cities, like Jerusalem, you’ll find cuisines from all over the world.
The salad I’m sharing here today is often called, Arab salad, chopped salad, Israeli salad or Fattoush salad. Most restaurants and meals you have in Jerusalem will have this salad accompanying whatever you’re eating for lunch or dinner.
Love SF, primarily for the weather, but you’re never really outside the 50-70 degree range.
We’ve had a brutally hot summer. Then all of a sudden this week, something shifted. Fall is here.
And I sometimes get a low-grade version of this feeling when there’s something going on around me that I feel as if I have no control over.
I watched Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. The climate crisis is barreling towards us and as individuals, it’s like, what are we even suppose to do?Recycle? Eat vegan? Stop driving?
And even then, can we alone save ourselves?
Street food is perhaps the best kind of food.
Street food dishes are usually made from chefs and home cooks who are extremely passionate about their craft. They are out all day/night cooking dishes they’ve worked at for years.
Thinking back to every country I’ve traveled to, my favorite meals have been those I’ve eaten from a tiny cart on the street. These foods also tend to be best consumed after a couple of beers and late at night.
I’d never heard of Tlayuda before I started cooking Mexican food this month. I’ve mentioned before that my short trips to Mexico have been of the resort variety with limited access to authentic Mexican cooking.