Faith Kramer, at The Blogs

Nov 18, 2023, 1:36 PM

Thanksgiving Thoughts and Leftovers for Shabbat

For me, Thanksgiving, though it is a secular holiday, has Jewish overtones -- and not just because I look forward to turning my leftovers of turkey-and-all-the-trimmings into Friday night dinner for Shabbat. While the American history that the holiday commemorates...

Sep 21, 2023, 11:58 PM

Delicious Turkish Coconut Pudding to Break the Fast

Over the years I have had pretty much every type of Yom Kippur break-the-fast meal you can imagine--from roast beef to scrambled eggs. My conclusion: Choose a menu that is easy to make in advance and quick to get...

Aug 31, 2023, 1:31 AM

Rosh Hashanah Apple Honey Phyllo Baklava Has Layers of Meaning

Rosh Hashanah Apple Honey Phyllo Baklava recipe photo courtesy of the author.

Recipes often tell a story, especially ones we use on Rosh Hashanah. Food and ingredients become laden with meaning as we choose dishes for their symbolic connection to the High Holidays. For some, probably no foods are more emblematic of...

Aug 8, 2023, 12:18 AM

Yemeni Grilled Chicken for Summer Shabbat Dinner at Home or On the Go

Yemeni Chicken recipe photo courtesy of the author

It’s summer in my part of the world – Oakland, California – and I find that the cadence of Shabbat has changed. It starts and ends later in the day, giving me more time to take a break between...

May 5, 2023, 7:33 PM

Celebrate Mother’s Day or Shavuot with Pretty-in-Pink Pancake Cake

Every year, I try to come up with a recipe that works for both Mother’s Day and Shavuot. Pretty-in-Pink Pancake Cake Slathered with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting makes a great Mother’s Day brunch entrée or a dessert for either...

Mar 30, 2023, 8:48 PM

Some Delicious Answers to Passover’s Fifth Question: What Can I Eat?

Strawberry Chocolate Pudding Passover Dessert. Photo courtesy of the author.

Recipes for a matzah casserole with bitter greens and lemon-egg sauce, unstuffed baked cabbage with or without meat and strawberry chocolate pudding Everyone know what Passover’s Four Questions are, but do you know what the Fifth Question is? It’s “What...

Mar 3, 2023, 7:48 AM

What’s in a Name: From Hadassah to Esther and Back

Celebrate Purim's Hidden Meanings and Secret Strengths with Candied Carrot Hamantaschen Purim is the superhero of holidays around our house and not just because my sons’ childhood rabbi dressed up as Superman for the megillah reading. It is a holiday...

Feb 3, 2023, 8:01 AM

Featured Post

A four-species barley pudding for Tu B’Shevat

Foods from Israel turn the trees' 'birthday' into a meaningful holiday, with notes of kabbalah and environmentalism

Dec 17, 2022, 9:29 AM

Hanukkah Cocktails for Holiday Cheer

Sufganiyot Cocktail. Photo courtesy of the author.

Add some adult liquid delights to the Festival of Lights with these four Hanukkah cocktails (plus a mocktail). The recipes were created for an adults-only Hanukkah party for my local Hadassah chapter, Oakland Ruach, California a few years ago...

About Me

Faith Kramer, a former president and current board member of the Hadassah Oakland Ruach Chapter, is a California-based food writer and author of “52 Shabbats: Friday Night Dinners Inspired by a Global Jewish Kitchen.” (The Collective Book Studio). She writes a twice-a-month recipe column for the J, Northern California’s Jewish News Source. See more about her cookbook, other writing, and recipes at faithkramer.com. She can be reached at faith@faithkramer.com

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