Dear Reader, Does September give you back to school vibes even though you're not the one in school anymore? When my kids started school earlier this month, it meant more than just having to set my alarm clock again. I'm more organized about my day and more diligent about sticking to a routine, both at my paying job and my mom job. This is my favorite time of year to become laser-focused on what's working and what's not. In addition to fine-tuning my day-to-day schedule, I do the same with my...
over 2 years ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, I'm sure your inbox and targeted ads are filled with detox diets and the promise of losing weight. However, I'm not a huge fan of detoxes for the sole purpose of losing weight. Weight loss can be a welcome side effect but typically, the lost weight will come back as soon as the detox ends. Instead, I go into a detox with an intention of learning and awareness. We "tox" ourselves with so much everyday that it's hard to distinguish between the things that are serving us well versus...
over 3 years ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, December is a month with alllllll the holidays. In our house, we observe Hanukkah, Christmas and Yule (also known as Winter Solstice). All of these holidays include rituals that work with light. We light the menorah for Hanukkah, we string lights around the Christmas tree, and for Yule, we use the darkest days to better work with the stars and see the light within ourselves. What do all of these things mean? To me, they mean hope and faith in a brighter future. There’s comfort in...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read
I'm gonna keep it real, Reader. I've celebrated a decent amount of Jewish holidays in my time, but I've always bypassed the noodle kugel. I don't like lasagna, and I don't like cheesecake, so when I saw that the components of noodle kugel seemed like a cross of the two, I assumed "not for me". My mother-in-law, however, gave me the ultimate challenge: make a dairy-free version of STEVEN'S FAVORITE noodle kugel recipe. (Steven is my husband, in case you don't know. And in case you don't know...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read
Special spelling intended, Reader! Rosh Hashanah officially started yesterday and ends tonight so this week's post is either perfect if you're scrambling to make a dessert for tonight OR if you're already thinking ahead to Yom Kippur. When I took on this recipe, I'd only ever heard of rugelach but hadn't ever tried it. With no basis for comparison, I was depending on my husband to tell me how it turned out, but as it turns out, he'd never tried it either! Before he met me, he considered fruit...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read
Cheers Reader! Well, try as I might, I can't quite stop missing England. It truly felt like home, and I miss everyone and everything there (except maybe the tiny kitchen appliances). When this feeling hits me, I focus on what England didn't have, such as my American family and friends (and big kitchen appliances). Do you know what else England didn't have? Monty's plant-based butter! Okay, well technically it did for the first month we were there because I packed as many containers of Monty's...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read
And I mean that literally, Reader! Do you believe in coincidences? Because I don't. Last week, I shared my friend Bari's take on Betty Crocker's rice pudding. For my next recipe in the Betty Crocker project, I decided to revamp something from the same category. As I looked through the pudding section, a recipe for "pot de crème au chocolat" caught my eye. When I lived in NYC, there was a restaurant around the corner from me that was my go-to. It was perfect for everything from date nights to...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, Funny story. Last week's newsletter had a typo in it (no, don't go back and look!), and I agonized over it for a full 60 seconds before moving on. That's huge progress for me! Once upon a time, I would've dwelled on that mistake for DAYS. I joke all the time about how I'm a recovering perfectionist. One day, I was on the phone with my friend Bari, telling her how overwhelmed I felt because I had a lot of projects going on at once, but I also like things in my house cleaned a...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, If you plan to host a celebration any time soon (it's Harry Potter's birthday on the 31st, just sayin'), then this week's post is for you. For the next recipe in the Betty Crocker Project, the Instagram community voted, and smoked salmon took a very close second place in the canapés round. My take on smoked salmon canapés turned out feeling fancy and fussy, yet required no fuss at all, thanks to high quality and healthy swaps, such as Monty's butter and cream cheese. Make this...
over 3 years ago • 1 min read