Fireworks! Parades! Barbecues! Flag-waving! It’s our nation’s birthday, and celebrating the Fourth of July with any of the above is as American as apple pie. But is our beloved classic dessert really American, I wonder? There were no apples in the New World until the early European explorers brought the seeds, and the ancient Egyptians,

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge recommended the celebration of Father’s Day, but it wasn’t until 1972, during the Nixon administration, that it was signed into law as an official national holiday. The third Sunday in June is perfect grilling weather, and aromas of backyard barbecues waft over fences and through open windows as we celebrate

Jewish cooks are very territorial about their kugels. You bind noodles with eggs, enrich them with fat (butter, margarine, chicken fat, or oil), pepper the mixture with an endless variety of colorful and tasty additions, such as vegetables, fruit, and/or cheese – and, to quote my mother, “What could be bad?” Often you find a

My mother’s name is Lillian, but everyone calls her Honey. When I was expecting her first grandchild, Mom wanted to be called “Grandma Honey.” Mom had high hopes. My children called her “Honey” and it stuck. Even their friends think that that’s her name. My mother is the most reliable person I know. When I

Passover is the most observed Jewish holiday of the year. Even those who never step inside a synagogue pull out all the stops for this one. With our celebratory meal, the Seder, we retell the 3500-year-old story of our ancestors’ flight to freedom from the land of Egypt. And everything on the table is laden

It has all the elements of pulp fiction biblical style: the foolish king (Ahasuerus), the spurned wife (Vashti), the wicked first minister (Haman), the brave and beautiful maiden (Esther) and her honorable protector (Mordecai). Add to the mix an assassination plot foiled and a people saved, leading to millennia of rejoicing. Fast forward 2,500 years,

Don your aprons, light those ovens and…go! Thirty contestants in last month’s Second Annual Simply Manischewitz Cook-Off semifinals chopped, seared and sautéed their way for the chance to compete in the finals, to be held in New York on February 27. The grand prizewinner will take home a $25,000 prize package, including a GE Profile

Schalet, cholent, kugel, charlotte – any connection? My book tour brought me to Cincinnati, where my fifteen minutes of fame consisted of an interview – yes, fifteen minutes – on Cincinnati Public Radio with host Naomi Lewin. When she asked me to talk about the four basic “K” food groups – knaidlach, kreplach, kugel and

Hanukkah comes early this year. You know that old joke? Jewish holidays are either early or late – they never come on time! The highlight, of course, was our Hanukkah party. The pile of latkes! The mountain of presents! The noise! The excitement! The squabbles! Then when we cousins started producing the great-grandchildren, Aunt Sally’s

A&E’s Dog the Bounty Hunter tracks down fugitives and brings them to justice. The History Detectives on PBS search for clues to unlock mysteries of the past. Just call me the Cookery Sleuth, Seeker of Lost Recipes and Restorer of Dreams. Recently, after giving a talk on Jewish cooking at Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton,