My daughter’s class had a multicultural celebration recently where each kid interviewed a relative about a recipe that’s been handed down in the family.  My daughter interviewed my Mom about her manicotti recipe. Here’s part of what she learned: "Manicotti is from Italy, and it’s been in my family since 1810.  It was passed down from...

Emanuela Marsura wrote to me from Italy and sent this guide to making potato gnocchi.  She wrote: "I sent you photos of the preparation of potato gnocchi." Recipe for Potato Gnocchi Ingredients 2 1/4 pounds Potatoes (1 kg) 2 Eggs (whole or just yolks) Pinch Salt ...

1.  Put your eggs in a single layer in a pot.  These are Large Eggs… 2.  Cover with cold water.  The water should cover the eggs plus go over them by an inch.  Some people add salt to the water to make it easier to peel the eggs later. 3.  Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. 4. ...

So much was learnt because I never baked a whole chicken before.  When I was younger, I was a vegetarian… now an occasional meat eater.  So I had never baked or carved a whole chicken.  It was just one of those things. You know how you have those things that you just think you don’t...

Corned Beef and Cabbage is very easy to make.  The trickiest part is determining the amount of time the corned beef must cook.  Cooking Time: The amount of time corned beef takes to cook is determined by its weight and thickness.  This year for St. Patrick’s Day I made a 2 1/2 pound piece...

Yesterday, Todd Bornfriend told me how he absolutely loves his sister’s Sweet Potato Latkes!  He loves them so much that he has her make him an extra batch to take home every year.  So does his nephew. Luckily for us, Todd was nice enough to share her recipe!  Here it is… Jodi Maisel’s Sweet Potato...

The other day we posted my friend Judy’s recipe for Gluten-free Sweet Potato Pie.  It sounded so good I had to try it.  It was on the spur of the moment and the only ingredient in the house to make a gluten-free crust was buckwheat flour.  So buckwheat flour it was!  The crust was...

Gracie Gralike sent me this wonderful illustration for Halloween.  I love the details! In order to help get you in the mood, I’m posting links to our Halloween songs, poetry and recipes below… Happy Halloween!  Many thanks to Gracie for sharing such a great drawing! Feel free to share your favorite Halloween song, poem or recipe in...

Emanuela Marsura sent this recipe for Pumpkin Gnocchi from Italy and Monique in France made it and sent the photo above! Here’s what Emanuela wrote in English followed by the Italian version of the recipe… I prepare the pumpkin gnocchi like this: the flesh of pumpkin, 1 egg every two people, and flour 00, a little...

Monique Palomares had previously told us about the lentil and sausage dish they traditionally eat in France for the New Year. She just sent me the recipe. Here’s what she wrote: Sonia explained me how she cooks lentils for New Years… She browns the sausages (Saucisse de Toulouse). She cuts pork spare ribs into...

Matzo brei means fried matzo in Yiddish.  The traditional way to make it is with a lot of matzo – you generally use equal eggs to matzo.  Jewish people eat it around Passover. Savory Matzo Brei is salty.  There’s a different recipe for Sweet Matzo Brei. You can put whatever you like into savory matzo...

I’ll give the recipe here for a matzo omelet. It’s inspired by the dish called Matzo brei. There’s a little story behind this and I’ll tell it in a moment. Matzo brei means fried matzo. The traditional way to make it is with a lot of matzo – you generally use equal eggs to...

Matzo Brei means fried matzo in Yiddish.  This is a good dish to make near Passover.  That’s when most Jewish people eat it.  I’d suggest trying it even if you’re not Jewish.  Here’s one good reason: Matzoh is always on sale around Passover and there’s tons of it in the store.  How can you...

Spaghetti Squash with Pasta is a great dish to make in the Winter – since it involves baking the squash – it heats up the house. Squash is also inexpensive and easy to find in the North East U.S. in the Winter, making it an ideal cold weather staple. This is an easy dish to...

Guest blogger, Monique Palomares works with me on Mama Lisa’s World en français. Monique grew up speaking the Occitan language in southern France. Occitan was the language spoken by the troubadours – largely in southern France – but also in parts of Spain and Italy. Last week, Monique wrote about an Occitan Wedding Custom and Song...

I made a leek tart yesterday. My family all agreed (with the exception of my 7 year old daughter who doesn’t like leeks), that it was the best tart we’ve ever had! Leek Tart Recipe 3 Leeks 1 Onion Olive Oil (for sauteing) 3 Eggs 1/2 cup Milk 1 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese Ready-made Pie Crust Preheat the oven to 400 F. Clean...

This recipe is from Monique from France. She gave two versions: one for a dinner tart, the other, a dessert tart. Monique used a banana squash pumpkin in France. In the US, I’d recommend using a small pie pumpkin for this recipe. (Or if you’re tight for time you can use a can of plain pumpkin...

You can use your favorite meatloaf or meatball recipe for this. The important part is to shape it into a Frankenstein like in the photo below. The “stitches” are made of slivers of black olives and the eyes are put in after Frankie comes out of the oven. They’re simply slices...