Using a grocery de­livery website, I ordered four organic bananas. Four seemed just the right number. They’d rip­en and within four days, they’d simply go from sweet to sweeter before crossing the line into that dark-brown-now-I-must-bake-banana-bread-against-my-will ter­ritory. I don’t care for banana bread.

However, instead of finding four

As you know, I love finding new uses for sta­ples that we have at home. Here are some tips for using olive oil in ways that you may never have thought of.

If you run out of furniture polish try this tip: wipe article with a tea­spoon of olive oil and a soft rag. Add a bit of vinegar to bulk up the clean­ing power.

To help with fingernails,

The three weeks before Tisha B’av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, are characterized by several restrictions on one’s normal actions. Within those three weeks, the nine days immediately prior to Tisha B’av also have additional prohibitions. These include restrictions against getting haircuts, saying Shehecheyanu(possessing something

Cabbage salad, in various incarnations, has been around for hundreds of years. Most original recipes involved vinegar. Pickling is, after all, a great way to preserve produce. And mayonnaise is a mid-18th century newcomer. But the creamy style we know today stems from that mid-century period. That familiar mayonnaise dressing has become integral, even

It’s hard to believe the Nine Days will soon be upon us. Don’t stress. It’s easier than you think. Here are some easy dairy/parve options for you to try for your family.

Chop Suey

1 medium onion diced

1 stalk celery chopped

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons corn starch

1 ½ tsp

While the benefits of brining, and the pitfalls of freezing, can make or break your poultry re­past, distinguished men­tion goes to one exception that makes the rule. Dark meat, higher in fat, weathers the freezer in a way that surprised and delighted me.

Like most economically minded shoppers, I take advantage of good sales. And when my favorite,

Bark is a cross between a candy and a cookie. It is very versatile to serve as a dessert, coffee table fare, or snack for anytime.

Loaded Bark

Ingredients

8 oz. very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

8 oz. very good bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup whole, roasted, salted cashews

1 cup chopped

Nearly a third of all the food produced in the world is lost or wasted, according to the UN’s World Resources Institute. If we con­vert this mass into calories, it constitutes nearly a quarter of all food produced, which could have fed hungry and malnourished people around the world. But new technol­ogy that prolongs the life of fresh fruit and vegetables

Teaneck—What if the Meraglim (spies) had delivered a good report to B’nei Yisrael? What if they had prepared a festive meal to praise and thank God instead of bitterly complaining and publicly doubting Him? “This was not designed to be a tikkun. What we are suggesting by doing this (meal) is to

Culinary trends have always been as respon­sive and influential as any other artistic gen­re mirroring social, polit­ical, and economic change. And the leftovers, as usual, are even better.

Consider the 1920s. Prohibition spurred an unprecedented upheaval in American dining. Restaurants and hotels, stripped of liquor prof­its, went out of business.

We all get those last minute calls, “Can I come for Shabbos?” but you have nothing in the house to serve for dessert because your freezer stash was empty. These cakes can be made in no time at all.

CHOCOLATE CHIP LOAF

1½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup sugar

½ cup (1 stick)

Sautéed kale is ver­satile, the perfect side dish, dressed up with some crumbled feta, toasted pine nuts or al­mond slices, or served with an over-easy egg for a quick lunch or light dinner. It’s the quin­tessential dark, green vegetable, loaded with vitamins K, A, and C, and is known for its anti-oxidant as well as anti-inflammatory benefits. Two