Last night I had dinner with my brother Jake’s family. My sister in law’s parents are in town and they invited me for a Syrian dinner, which her dad (who is Syrian) often makes when they get together. They start by going to the Arab markets on Kedzie, and buying an array of products, many of which …
So I just finished reading Bringing up Bébé, and I really enjoyed it. So many people talked to me about it, and I’m really amazed at the widespread cultural discussion that Druckerman has managed to elicit. For me, it came at just the time when I myself am starting on the parenting journey, and, since … Continue reading Bringing up Bébé
When I was growing up, we often went to Max and Erma’s, a Pittsburgh restaurant that is part diner and part TGIFridays but with better food. Strangely though, aside from the buffalo chicken sandwich, which I still love, I barely remember the entrées, but what sticks out in my mind are the desserts. Oh the … Continue reading Kentucky Pie
Just a quick share of my recipe for a breakfast bread pudding, which really hits the spot on Saturday morning when I’m hankering for something decadent and brunchy, but don’t want to go too nuts. You won’t believe how rich it tastes, even though it only has 2 tablespoons of butter. Somehow, the bananas actually don’t … Continue reading Breakfast Bread Pudding with Bananas
Last night I made something really fantastic. I got it from Grace Young’s The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. It is not only a book of recipes, but is also filled with discussions of how food plays a role in Chinese culture. Young talks about this by way of stories of her family’s immigrant experience and her own re-discovery of … Continue reading Cantonese Comfort
Awhile back, I stumbled on a charming internet show called Clara’s Depression Cooking, in which a 95 year old woman recounts her childhood during Depression-era America and cooks recipes from that time. It’s a great peek into daily life during the Depression, and the woman is anything but depressing. On the contrary, she has one of those … Continue reading Poor Man’s Meal
This recipe, part of the Iranian home cooking repertoire, comes to me from a friend of mine, Sarah. Sarah is married to a man whose family is from Iran, and she has adopted a few Persian staples, including this one. Like my French in-laws, I get the impression that the Iranian in-laws occasionally have their doubts about how well the … Continue reading Persian Lentils and Rice / Adas Polo
Recently I tried a recipe that was a legitimate success with my son. It was for African Peanut Soup, which apparently originated in West Africa after the peanut was brought from South America in the 16th century. I was thinking that adding nut butters to savory dishes would be a wonderful idea for children. It adds a … Continue reading African Peanut Soup
As we look at foods for babies and children around the world, one staple is grain porridges or farinas. Today in the US, we often purchase boxed baby rice or oatmeal cereal to do this, but there are many other ways if we look around the world and into the past. Homemade hot cereal is admittedly … Continue reading The World of Porridge
A couple of years ago, my grandmother passed away, and I was given her binder of recipes. My grandmother Gita was a Russian Jewish immigrant (defector actually) who spent a good chunk of her childhood in Cuba before her family finally acquired visas to stay in the United States. On a side note, she ended up … Continue reading Gita’s Yeast Cake
The Children's Table 