by Geila Bernstein
Quick tip: When preparing a big meal, pace yourself. Prepare this soup ahead of time and just heat it the day of. You can also cube the butternut squash and slice and dice the leeks, celery and carrots a day in advance, and store them in your fridge overnight. This way the day […]

by Geila Bernstein
Quick Tip: Blanching the Brussel sprouts a day in advance can spare you an extra step on your big cooking day. Just boil them until they’re bright green and still a little firm, rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process, and store them in the fridge.
Ingredients:
1 15-oz jar of […]

By Geila Bernstein
Quick tip: The better the quality of your ingredients, the better your dish will taste. In this case, use pure maple syrup. Most commercial brands don’t even contain the stuff. Also, because this recipe is corn syrup-free, feel free to bake this for Passover.
Ingredients:

1 cup pure maple syrup
¾ cups packed brown sugar
3 large […]

by Geila Bernstein
My mother never believes me and every year declares it a miracle that the turkey is done and perfectly moist in two to two-and-a-half hours. You won’t believe it either, until you try it. The key is to have a smaller turkey, say 12-14 pounds. And, make sure it’s fresh!
Ingredients:
1 12-14 lb fresh […]

Answer:
Bland, gray fish doesn’t do it for me, either. That’s why I suggest fish cakes, which make great passed hors d’oeuvres, particularly when served with red pepper mayonnaise. The secret ingredient is mock crab legs, which can be found just about anywhere, from your supermarket to your kosher grocer. Best yet, this faux-fish appetizer tastes […]

By Geila Bernstein
Who’s Allie? She’s the woman who penned this recipe for the Teaneck Jewish Community Cookbook some 30 years ago. I was looking for a good pareve dessert to serve for the High Holidays and I stumbled upon this recipe. It was for your classic rustic apple cake, easy to prepare, nothing too fancy […]

Chopped figs, sliced almonds, minced dates and raisins—no matter how you dress it up, it’s still honey cake. That’s why we flipped when we saw this beehive mold at Williams-Sonoma. It comes with a recipe for lemon pound cake, which isn’t exactly what you serve for Rosh Hashana, particularly when you’ve just chowed down chicken […]