We’re currently in Austin, looking for a permanent home. I can’t believe I used the word “permanent” — nothing is permanent, and “permanent home” sounds like I’m lying to myself and to you. Anyway, the kitchen in the Airbnb we’re…
Or, how to avoid getting frost bites in November in Boston! It was my second time in Boston. The first was about a month earlier, with the whole family. Had Leo, my eldest, not started college there, I probably never…
I’m taking a break from creating new content to focus on a new project: introducing my grandmother’s Moroccan sesame anise cookies to America. Family and friends keep asking for them, so I’ve been mailing cookies all over the place. If…
I love stuffed vegetables but I’m rarely in the mood to make it myself. Though I love stuffing leaves — it’s like rolling a joint (says the woman who, in 51 years, has never actually rolled one). It’s satisfying —…
A friend has been sharing his pain with me about his heartbreak after a 10-month relationship ended—heartbreak that could have been avoided if he had been willing to fully commit to her. I listened, took his side, and held space…
Pita is a hiding place, a sleeping bag, an edible bowl. Anything you tuck into a pita will be delicious. No wonder Eyal Shani’s Miznon restaurants are so successful. He didn’t invent pita sandwiches, but he showed the world that,…
Did you know I was a private chef during the pandemic? I never mentioned that because it was brief and partly and wasn’t as exciting as it sounds. Not even cooking for Hollywood stars and well-known directors made it glamorous.…
Do you know what the problem is with being a digital nomad? You’re always missing something. Family, friends, kitchen tools, an ingredient. Last week I wanted to make my grandmother’s tea biscuits but didn’t have a rolling pin. I could…
I’ve made so many freaking variations of this Waldorf salad—with pineapple like my sister taught me, with blood oranges in the winter, with Asian pear, and now for Rosh Hashanah. With apples and honey. I normally don’t add any sweeteners…
I haven’t eaten granola for years until my new friend, Susan, introduced me to Purely Elizabeth grain-free granola. Susan is as conservative as me when it comes to food. I totally trusted her, but out of habit, I looked at…
I arrived at the Dhamma Vipassana center in North Fork on Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 at 4 PM. My husband drove me there with his mother in the front and my youngest next to me in the back. I could…
I’m going to make a bold statement that might be false, but I’ll make it anyway. Creative cooks don’t do weekly meal planning. The only planning I do is in my head and when I’m walking through the produce section.…
Another childhood dish that I modified and turned into a delicious vegan dish—my Moroccan mother (and grandmother) makes it with chicken legs or beef. When I was little, this was the only eggplant dish I liked. I love it when…
Tamar (date in Hebrew) was the toffee of the Middle East and North Africa long before it became the main ingredient in energy bars, consumed by ancient peoples on their treks throughout the region. Dates flesh was—and still is—used to…
My life is sort of adventurous and exciting, but nothing like those National Geographic photographers. If you haven’t watched Photographer, the documentary series on Hulu, stop what you’re doing and go watch it. These days my main source of adventure…
Yesterday, I accidentally stumbled upon a diary entry from exactly a year ago. It’s in Hebrew, so I translated it for you: Sunday, October 8, 23 (in London at Ruby’s) The situation in Israel is dire. More than 600 people…
Pilaf is a rice dish that has been sautéed in fat then cooked in seasoned liquid. I would normally make a pilaf when I don’t have much in the fridge or when I need something healthy and quick, or when…
Hey Autumn, what’s up? When are you coming? With these hot flashes and our newly naked house, summer is unbearable. If you live in a fire-risk zone in California, home insurance companies won’t insure you or they’ll triple your insurance…
Do I always feel like having a salad? Yes indeed! Do I always feel like making a salad? No, not at all. That’s why most of my salad are 2-5 ingredient salads; steam kale salad, cucumber dill salad, best carrot…
Before Leo leaves for college, I would like to equip him with as many dorm-friendly and nutritious recipes like my easy garlicky potato salad, simple cucumber dill salad, and this steamed kale salad. It was his request, I didn’t offer…