Sheila Lukins, celebrated cookbook author and PARADE food editor, writer and chef, inspired would-be chefs across the country with her creative yet easy-to-prepare recipes. Sheila has often said that one of her greatest compliments was when a PARADE reader told her that preparing one of her recipes was like “having a friend in the kitchen.” My mother used Sheila Lukins’ cookbooks as her North Star in the kitchen. In fact, when I went to clean out Mom’s bookshelves, I opened her treasured copies of Sheila’s “The New Basics Cookbook” and … [Read more...]
Apple Cider Challah
September 17, 2012 By 3 Comments
It’s the Jewish New Year. A time of the year when Mom could be found cooking up some of her favorite holiday delicacies: from brisket to tzimmes to noodle kugels. I miss watching her in the kitchen, keeping it bustling with activity and full of sweet comforting smells. Now her kitchen is sterile and cold, devoid of use and love. This year I committed myself to bake my first-ever challah with my daughter. I have so many fond memories of Mom making unusual breads; watching her carefully place the dough in our dark, hot, creepy furnace … [Read more...]
Seriously Soupy: Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
September 16, 2012 By 1 Comment
It's Seriously Soup day today, featuring one of my favorite bloggers, Serena, who authors a blog called Seriously Soupy. Serena started Seriously Soupy as a creative outlet for herself after her first daughter was born, which combined her passion for cooking with an interest in learning more about soups and soup making. Since it started, she has given soup tours and taught soup classes and has a catalog of over 100 soups on the site! You can join Serena on her Soupy journey at SeriouslySoupy.com and twice a month you can find her here, at My … [Read more...]
Chicken Asparagus Quiche
September 14, 2012 By 2 Comments
This week we resumed our Wednesday night Breakfast-for-Dinner ritual. We’re trying to get back into many of the routines that were forgotten over summer vacation. I decided to adapt one of Mom’s quiche recipes. My kids have loved all the other egg-based dishes I’ve made (calling them egg pies) so, I figured I’d experiment with a Chicken Asparagus Quiche. This quiche dish is very easy to create and contains some short cuts to appeal to any hard-pressed parent trying to get a quick meal on the table. Rather than cooking chicken, just buy … [Read more...]
