Saving Animals and Herbs

Originally posted on koolkosherkitchen:
I’ve had several people ask, “What’s with fresh herbs? Why not use dry stuff that stays fresh forever?” First of all, those things don’t “stay fresh forever, ” and, unfortunately,  they don’t have expiration dates.  So I don’t know about you,  but I don’t exactly trust products without expiration dates. Secondly…

Festiv-e-teas

In an old Japanese tale, a poor peasant catches a badger. He puts the badger into his bag and starts walking home, to bring food to his family. But when he comes home and opens his bag, instead of a badger, he finds a teapot! “What shall I do with it? – cries the poor…

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Only Good Words for Savory Cupcakes

In a wonderful Russian play of the 60’s about love, kindness, and caring, there was a line that bothered me: “Even a cat appreciates a good word.” I could never understand the word “even” in this phrase – why “even a cat”? What about dogs? Birds? People, after all? My grandmother, may she rest in…

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Say CHEESE for Shavuos!

Originally posted on koolkosherkitchen:
Contrary to all other Jewish holidays, when we prepare festive meals that include both fish and meat, signifying rejoicing in His benevolence that grants us abundance, traditional Shavuos table is laden with dairy dishes, from blintzes to cheesecakes, and anything milky delicious you can think of.  One of the reasons for…

“All You Need Is Love” – Zoodles, Part 4. Chocoodles.

It has been popularly reported that the Nazis ordered all Danish Jews to wear an identifying yellow star, as elsewhere in Nazi controlled territories. In some versions of the story, King Christian X opted to wear such a star himself and the Danish people followed his example, thus making the order unenforceable (Wikipedia). Here is…

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Shlissel Challah – a Key to Wisdom

Controversy is raging around this tradition, dating back to Middle Ages. Since we have laboriously and thoroughly divested our homes of all leavened bread in order to celebrate Passover, as we are commanded, Jewish women are faced with a task of baking the first challahs of the year. So we get creative and insert a…

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A Joke a Day Keeps Unhappiness Away

Originally posted on Lasting Joy Club:
With an apology for yet another glitch caused by technology sabotaging my work, I am happy to report to you, Beautiful People, that our May Lasting Joy club get-together was successful, inspirational, and a lot of fun. In addition to club members who were physically present, the number of…

Blogiversary with Chocolate Tacos

Originally posted on koolkosherkitchen:
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Beautiful People! It coincided with my blogiversary – a year since I clicked on wordpresss.com and jumped into the blogosphere without the slightest notion as to what to do and what to expect.  I thank all of you, awesome bloggers, for letting me learn from you and…

United Colors of a Rainbow

A beautiful shimmering symbol of peace, both a natural phenomenon and a Divine promise to protect and preserve the world, the rainbow is a living statement, a map, if you will, of what really transpires in our lives.  A rainbow is formed when pure white light refracts into seven shades. Red is nearest the original…

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Light the Bonfire of Love with Chocolate Logs!

Happy Mother’s Day, Beautiful People! Our sages said, “Who is wise? One who learns from every person” (Ethics of Our Fathers, 4:1). The first person in our lives we have a chance to learn from is MOTHER. From her we learn kindness, caring, and most importantly, unconditional love. Sometimes, it’s not a biological mother who does…

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Zucchini Caviar from Beyond the Sea

Tzar Ivan the Terrible was a cruel tyrant. Everybody knows that. And just like many things that “everybody knows” and thus nobody questions, the sobriquet “Terrible” should be taken with a grain of salt. Since we are in the middle of Pesach (Passover), I recommend Kosher for Passover Red Sea Salt. True, he did accidentally kill his son…

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