Winter
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DIY Yule | Natural, Minimalist Decor for Winter Holidays
Holiday decor is not my specialty. Decor in general is not my strong point. But the ritual of creating natural decorations as a part of my celebration of the seasonal shifts? That is absolutely my forte. In 2019, I know “the holidays” for most people are a break from work and the rare time of year when they see family. And while those both have applied to me on different years, my celebration is typically a much more personal one. And it lasts much longer than a singular day or weekend. The making of these garlands and wreaths and ornaments are the celebration. They’re the therapeutic acceptance of change and…
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Roasted Apple and Butternut Soup (Vegan)
Is it fall again yet? No? Darn. We’re doing this anyway. This soup actually does fit wonderfully into winter, considering the fantastic shelf life of winter squash (which is actually grown and harvested in fall). The acorn and butternut you see in the pictures? I bought them as decor before thanksgiving. If you keep them cool and dry, they can be eaten months later, and there’s hardly a discernible difference. Few fruits or vegetables are that hardy, so these dense squashes are a total gold mine for those who make an effort to eat seasonally. Eat better, save the planet, folks! On the soup: This was inspired by a recent…
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Spiced Walnut and Eggnog Challah
One of the benefits to being an agnostic, atheistic, cynical type, is the flexibility one has with one’s holidays. You can analyze what you’re really celebrating for and how you want to do that, if you want to at all. Do I want to stick to my more beloved traditions? Yes! Do I also want to steal bits and pieces from everything and everywhere to handcraft my perfect, customized winter holiday that has everything I want and nothing I don’t? Also yes. Does that mean taking Jewish cuisine and infecting it with modern Christian tradition to be eaten at a heathen’s table? You bet your butt. In all honesty, I don’t…
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Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad with Simple Lemon Dressing
Are you looking for a fresh, light side dish for your holiday table that isn’t another green salad? Are you looking for simple, seasonal recipes that feature winter produce? Do you just LOVE beets? No? None of those apply? Then just trust me on this one. I know beets are far from glamorous, and some of you may be wondering what fennel even is. –It’s not deformed celery. It’s it’s own thing, but these vegetables, in season right now, are totally underrated. Fennel’s sweet, licoricey bite goes very well with the earthy flavor of beets. Roast them up, add a bit of acidity in a dressing, and you have a gorgeous,…
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Cold Season Soup– Vegetable Soup with White Beans and Quinoa
Myles got a cold last week. I was just waking up when he sent me the text saying he should have stayed home from work. I immediately gulped to see if my throat was sore. Not really. I tried to breathe out of my nose. Success. Relief. When I get sick, I tend to get very sick, and it lasts a long time. When I was in grade school, I got sick a lot. I spent more time sick than not while growing up. So I tend to be a little paranoid when my husband who has an immune-system-of-iron tells me that the germs have gotten to him. When the weekend rolled…
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Rustic Chicken Noodle Soup with Overnight Crusty Bread
“Soup is life, soup is love.” –The Dalai Lama, probably I told you all that I’d make a part II for that roasted chicken recipe, and I’ve decided to be accountable. Because it’s soup… and I was making it anyway, and it’s something to be shared. Is it not? Something about standing over a simmering pot of soup with bread in the oven makes me feel like a cook for a very fine house, somewhere in Europe a very long time ago– which is admittedly much more rosy in my mind than I’m sure it would have been in reality. Or, if it’s been a bad day… I’m probably a…
