In the dining history of the last century, the American steakhouse was the place for special occasions — dark, plush, vaguely English, manly and old- fashioned, with limited menu choices and unpredictable quality. It was where families went to mark an occasion.
It will be a night of glitz and glamour, surprises and speeches. From red carpet hits and misses to backstage interviews with the winners, the Academy Awards is Hollywood’s biggest night. Celebrate the 83rd Oscars on Feb. 27 with an award-worthy viewing party. Whether you invite 10, 20 or 30 guests, the real key to any fabulous event is to have a great mix of friends and delicious foods. Feel like a star chef by keeping your Oscar party food simple — serve a variety of hors d’oeuvres and movie snacks.
After the unexpected death of his 26-year-old daughter Jessica last August, Dane Kostin found himself searching for a fitting memorial, a project that would benefit the community and provide an appropriate tribute to a daughter who loved cooking with fresh, seasonal vegetables. Thus was born Jessie\’s Community Gardens, a nonprofit trying to set up small-scale gardening operations at community facilities throughout the Hartford, Conn. area. This spring, the first garden will be dug on the grounds of the local Jewish federation. Another will be installed at\nKostin\’s synagogue, Beth El Temple in West Hartford. Kostin also has held discussions with the local Jewish nursing home, assisted living facilities and the two local Jewish day schools, all of which have expressed interest in participating.
Sometimes, for the sake of my marriage, I try to look at myself through my wife’s eyes. Early this month, for instance, my wife came home one day to see me crouched by our fireplace in the living room. My hands were black. Next to me, hot flames were licking at a hunk of beef. There was a dark smear — soot? charcoal? mascara? — beneath my right eye. The house smelled good — fire, smoke, meat — but it was not a normal smell. It was like a campfire, but inside the house. “What are you doing?” she asked.
Lawmakers, Jewish leaders and kosher businesses are lobbying New York\’s new governor Andrew Cuomo to restore the state\’s kosher law-enforcement division. Budget cuts and retirements over the last year have left the division with one employee, the division\’s director, according to The Wall Street Journal. The cuts in the department, which once employed 11 kosher inspectors, will save up to $1 million a year in salary, benefits and services, according to the newspaper, citing a state Department of Agriculture and Markets spokesperson.
The first time I ever spoke to Joan Nathan, it was by telephone, and I wrote out for myself what I wanted to say to her: “Hello, Ms. Nathan, this is Rob Eshman with The Jewish Journal in Los Angeles, and I want to speak with you about your new cookbook. I think you should know that ‘Jewish Holiday Kitchen’ is my Bible.”
Author and Jewish food connoisseur Joan Nathan may be best known for her award-winning cookbooks on Jewish cuisine in America and Israel. But long before any of those projects began, there was Paris.
Craving a kosher cupcake? Magnolia Bakery is cooking up the cure. Now open at 8389 W. Third St., this chic New York transplant looks to quickly become part of the Los Angeles Jewish community. Famous for its pastel-colored cupcakes, fresh-from-the-oven pies and homemade icebox cakes, the stylish sweet shop carries more than 60 products — all of which carry a heksher.
Princeton students are voting on whether to ask the university\’s dining services to provide an alternative brand of hummus.
Here are some recent stories out of Israel that you may have missed.
