Baked Chicken with Cherries

A delicious and easy recipe to help you celebrate President's Day or any day that you want a tasty alternative to plain chicken

Pasta Riminata

This pasta dish is very different and surprising and absolutely delicious. Don't tell your family what's in the sauce, they won't believe you anyway!

The trick to making this sauce is allowing enough time for the cauliflower to cook so that it will be soft and mash to a smooth paste. When blended with the o­nions that were fried until golden, the flavor is reminiscent of chicken.

The inclusion of the raisins and pine nuts hints of this recipe's Jewish origins. The use of olive oil instead of butter is also a clue because Italian Jews 500 years ago would use oil instead of animal fat to make a dish kosher or to render it pareve.

Try this dish, I promise you'll love it!

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

The following pancakes, although not salty like the o­nes Judith served to Holefernes in biblical times, is traditionally served for Hanukkah. I have tweaked the ingredients to make them a little more healthy (whole wheat flour) and more delicious with the addition of lemon zest.I enjoy these delicate pancakes plain but they are also delicious with fruit preserves, sour cream or maple syrup o­n top.

Easy Sweet and Sour Brisket

It doesn't get much easier than this, and, if you have sealed your heavy duty foil tightly, your pan won't get dirty and can go right back into the cabinet after cooking!

This is delicious with Potato Kugel or Oven Roasted New Potatoes.

Syrian Spiced Meat with Eggplant and Prunes

The hardest part to this recipe is finding a pot large enough and heavy enough to hold all of the ingredients and cook them slowly over a low flame.Make this dish in advance and then re-heat before serving. If the casserole is nice enough, you can serve it right from the dish it cooked in. However, since most casseroles aren't around 5 quarts, just transfer some of the layers-as best you can--from the cooking pot into a large serving dish and serve. This dish stays well for a number of days in the refrigerator and it's flavor continues to get better each day.

Osso Buco

Try this recipe o­n a cold winter's night. It's delicious, it is so down to earth and oozes comfort.

Although it tastes good right after you've cooked it when the meat almost falls off the bone, this dish tastes even better the next day and can easily be reheated in the microwave!

Mina de Masa

Many Mina or entrée pie recipes can be found in the Sephardic repertoire. This one is traditional for Passover. The use of pine nuts defines this dish’s Spanish/Moorish roots.

I have increased the variety and amount of vegetables to make this a hearty casserole that will serve at least 8 to 10 people. Enjoy!