I am kind of ashamed to say that I don’t know much about the Jewish culture despite the fact that I worked for a Jewish family for a long time and had a close friend that was Jewish. Also, I have been to a few weddings where they stomped on a glass wrapped in a napkin and yelled “Mazel Tov!” and lifted the newlyweds on chairs. I have even danced the Hora! But one thing I have never done is cook a traditional Jewish dish. Of course I am familiar with some things, like Matzo Ball Soup and Gifelte fish, Potato Latkes and Brisket. But there is one dish I have never tried or even heard of. That is…

Believe it or not, I have been inspired by illness. Unfortunately, I have had a cold all week, complete with stuffy head, runny nose, body aches…you know, the works. And it couldn’t have been a worse week to feel under the weather. It was the second full week of school, complete with “Back to School Night.” Nothing like greeting the parents of your students with “Ah-choo!” Also, having to stay at work late when all you want to do is go home and crawl into bed was no picnic either. But I survived it and although I am still not 100 percent, I am feeling much better. I also found out that I was …

One thing my husband loves is Mexican food. In fact, I sometimes call him the "Burrito King" because he loves to make burritos. It’s his standard "go to" food: rice, beans, chicken or beef and cheese all wrapped up into a nice hand-held package. Sounds great, right? A husband who cooks! And for a period of about three months, he did. He made burritos…breakfast burritos, lunch burritos, dinner burritos. That explains the nickname! Hey, I love Mexican food as much as the next gal, but there are only so many burritos one can eat. Although it was lovely of him to offer to cook for me, I just …

The first few weeks of September are a very stressful and difficult time for many of us. The summer season is coming to a close and students are getting back to their busy college lives. Also, children and parents are getting back into their active routines of school, work, sports and many other activities that coincide with the school year. Not to mention all those teachers who are hard at work getting their classes ready for a new school year. Everyone is busy and at times overwhelmed, which can cause stress. Stress can lead to many health problems including depression. That is why it is …

Let’s face it, the first days of school are not that much fun for many kids. Many of them are riddled with anxiety over the unexpected. Of course, there are some who do enjoy school and are excited about the prospects of the new year. Since my full-time career is teaching, I get to see firsthand how children from all walks of life deal with the first day. Some are fully prepared to kick off the school year and some are just there because they have to be. But no matter which child you have-the exuberant, motivated one, or the one who needs that little push every day to get them going-almost …

My husband recently lost 6 pounds (the jerk) and as he hopped off the scale, he announced, “Losing weight would probably be easy for me if it weren’t for one thing…my craving for rich foods.” I felt like saying “Well, duh!” but I held my tongue. All joking aside, I am proud of his efforts, if he indeed made any. But I also cannot deny the fact that his statement rings true for many people. Rich, calorie-dense comfort foods are extremely tempting pitfalls when we are trying to lose weight. So it made me wonder what I could do to help him with his dilemma of loving “rich” foods and his desire …

Ever have a cake disaster? Sometimes it falls and gets flat. Sometimes it’s over or underdone, or sometimes there is just too much of it lying around. I know what you’re thinking…too much cake? Is there such a thing? Surprisingly enough, it has happened to me. When there are only two people living in your household, there is only so much cake you can consume. But there’s got to be something you can do with it, right? Recently, my husband was craving cupcakes, so we bought a box of cake mix and proceeded to bake them. Turns out, we had a lot of leftover batter due to the fact that I only have …

Boredom. Blahs. Funk. Uninspired. Call it what you will, but this is what I have been feeling lately. Recently, I moved from a house with an awesome kitchen to an apartment with an awful kitchen. Before this unfortunate downsizing, I loved food shopping and creating and planning meals. Meals that were creative, inspired and sometimes, dare I say, transcendent! One thing that made it easier for me was that I had tons of counter space, a large refrigerator and lots of cabinets. Now I am stuck with a tiny galley kitchen, very little space and even less motivation to be creative. My husband and I…