Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are traditionally associated with Christmastime.  Even though we don't observe Christmas, this Jew has been to plenty of Christmas "tree trimming" parties where poinsettas and tinsel decorate the room and egg nog and shortbread cookies adorn the table.  In fact, one of the most memorable experiences of my life was as a college student attending midnight mass in the third largest cathedral in the world in Seville, Spain on Christmas Eve.  And, guess what was being offered to all the "congregants" on the way out?  Shortbread … [Read more...]

Honing Your Knife Skills

Have you ever fashioned a knife like scissors to saw open a UPS delivery box? I have. Are all your kitchen knives thrown in a drawer, unprotected? Mine are. Do you even know the proper way to hold a knife? When to use a certain knife? How to sharpen a knife? When I realized that I had been using a knife whose tip had been lost a couple years ago as I was hacking through duct tape on a package, I decided to take a class called “Knife Skills 1” at the Institute of Culinary Education. Up until My Judy the Foodie, my … [Read more...]