Jerry has always had a strong sense… more

A chicken in every pot, getting up with the chickens, chicken out, running around like a chicken without its head and let’s not forget chicken soup! Chicken soup has been called the “Jewish penicillin.” The 12th-century Jewish physician, Rambam, started the chicken soup-as-medicine trend when, in his book, On the Cause of Symptoms, he recommended the broth of hens and other fowl to “neutralize body constitution.” more

For the last few weeks the exchanges have been the same —”Shanna Tova” (“have a happy and healthy new year”) or my favorite, “gut g’benched yur,” as my grandparents used to say. They were very good at “vinching oon” (“wishing upon you” as in “vinching oon a gut, g’benched yur.” Not many people I know use that last phrase, but one who did was my husband’s parrot. more

This past Shabbat, my husband Jerry and I were invited to our next door neighbors and good friends, Ely and Suzy Libin, for dessert. Their mechatanim, Claire and Stuie Hershkowitz, happen to be … more

My stepdaughter Yardena gave birth to her third bouncing boy a few weeks ago and my husband Jerry was planning to head to Israel for the bris. He had such wonderful memories of the last trip to Israel for the last bris that he wanted to replicate it. I advised against a nine-hour layover in Romania, as it would be best if he spent more time with the grandchildren than in the airport. Boy did he ever owe me for that advice. Had he taken the layover, he would have gotten to Israel after all roads to Yerushalayim from Tel Aviv were closed due to snow. more

Napoleon — that delicious flakey pastry oozing with rich pastry cream. How did the pastry get it’s name? In attempting to define “Napoleon,” I found many different explanations as to where and how it was discovered and why the name was chosen. more

My baby is moving to the city. In my day we lived home until we got married. My friends all attended colleges in Brooklyn or Manhattan, most in Brooklyn. Those who attended the Manhattan … more

Yom Kippur. Doesn’t matter how much you eat or drink right before the fast begins. As soon as you get home from Kol Nidrei chances are you’re going to be dying of thirst, and in the morning you’ll be craving that cup of joe (along with a danish or donut, in my case). more

So much has happened since my last article. Two weeks ago, my beloved Braves were up 2–1 in the NLDS. Jerry’s Yankees were up 2–0 over the Twins. The sukkah frame was up too, … more

I had ambivalent feelings writing a baseball article about Derek Jeter right before Yom Kippur. I wondered if it was somewhat sacrilegious to address mundane topics such as sports during this … more