What does a family of New York (once or twice removed) Jews do when Chanukah falls right around Christmas? We carve out some family time. You can’t have a Chanukah party two weeks before Chanukah starts because waiting for the first night will be an eternity for the kids. It is bad enough that they…
Category: Holidays
Holiday Survival Series: Breakfast For Dinner
Okay parents. It is that time of year. We’re festive, we’re fun, we’re decorating, we’re shopping a little, we’re planning, we’re travelling, and we’re starting to get tired and cranky already. Take a deep breath. I decided that I would re-evaluate everything I am doing right now. First I think: Is it necessary? Yes, I…
Top Gifts for Cooks, Foodies & Your Little Sous Chefs
Eco-Friendly Pans On my gift wish list this year I have two items: green pans and some smaller cast iron pans. I cook primarily with one of our Teflon pans or our only large, extremely heavy cast iron pan. There is a time and ingredient for each of these. The problem is that I have…
Cantaloupe and Prosciutto
This is hardly a recipe, but the ingredients really matter. This is an appetizer that takes a fabulous ingredient and highlights it. This is also a finger food that can stretch your dollar. You don’t need a lot of this prosciutto to go a long way. If you are having a dinner party serve this…
Endive Cru Three Ways
I’m not having a party this week. I’m still recovering from Thanksgiving. But, I do want to give you a couple recipes that are quick and easy for a dinner or cocktail party or even a festive after school snack. So this morning, I went to get my coffee at Formaggio Kitchen and I picked up a…
Mamadou’s & Winston’s Flowers
So what’s new? Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery is now open in Winchester. Mamadou’s has been at the farmer’s market in Arlington. Mamadou is from Senegal and is now offering artisan bread all year at their Winchester Bakery on 63 Swanton Street They are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10am – 6pm. Winston isn’t just Flowers anymore. Winston Flowers now has…
Have Children Will Travel: Holiday Open House
The sweet spot for our child-inclusive parties is a Sunday morning or early afternoon. If there are many children I aim for a morning time of 10:00 a.m. because no one is tired, cranky or overly hungry at that time (adults and children alike). I serve plenty of coffee for the adults and try to…
Our Rockefeller: Charles Square Tree Lighting
As a family we are New Yorkers at the core intertwined with our new Bostonian and Cantabrigian roots. Aside from the fact that, as a family unit, we don’t celebrate Christmas (that’s just at Grandma’s house) there is still something magical about the Rockefeller Center treeand the tree lighting. We check in with one another about…
Black Friday: Shop Well, Eat Well
Truth be told, I would not be caught dead shopping on Black Friday, because I have the luxury of being a stay at home mom so I can shop any other time during the week and I have the flaw of becoming hostile and a tad bit cranky when I shop in a crowd. When I wasn’t…
Top Secret: Last Minute Holiday Shopping Haven
If you have some last minute things to get for your dinner. Then you probably shouldn’t be reading this now, but if you are…head to Pemberton farms. They’ll most likely have what you need, even prepared foods and it’s peaceful and quiet with no lines. If you need something specific for a recipe just call…
Thanksgiving: Throwing in the Kitchen Towel
You’ve driven what used to take three hours and now takes seven with the kids and it is just not manageable. You invited family to your place and inevitabely someone wasn’t happy with the arrangements. You tried cooking the turkey and it took three hours longer than expected. You ordered prepared foods and couldn’t keep…
Thanksgiving To Do List
Here we go… Whether you are at home or at work this week, tomorrow is a pivotal day in the preparations for Thanksgiving. To do: Make a detailed grocery list for all the ingredients for all the meals before, during and just after Thanksgiving. Do not go shopping (unless you want to go first thing…
Leah's Life: Pearls and Oysters 