Esther Schuster (mom) is a recently retired social worker and the former executive director of Collat Jewish Family Services in Birmingham, AL. She now enjoys having time for grocery shopping and cooking in daylight hours, mahjong and other new pursuits. Esther thrives on throwing dinner parties for 40 + people, which “ain’t no thang” in Alabama. She is the mother of one daughter, three refrigerators and four freezers. Crucial in-stock food items for her include canned tomatoes, shelled walnuts and pine nuts, Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (she has over 30 pounds in the laundry room freezer right now…seriously), EVOO, black beans and Jarlsberg cheese. She loves Costco and olives.
These are basic cheese blintzes…my mother’s basic cheese blintzes! To me, they are the defining blintz, and nothing brings back the food memories of my childhood more than this blintz. Mild, buttery, cheesy and creamy—the ultimate comfort food! Their smell, taste and abundance are imprinted on all of us. Bubbe’s grandchildren were lucky enough to be…
For Esther and her family, Passover isn’t a holiday of culinary suffering, but rather a once-a-year opportunity to enjoy special dishes, like this cheesy mushroom and caramelized onion pizza. Yum!
I was recently at a pizza party and had some of the best pizza I ever tasted. The dough was perfect, but what I really loved was the topping of caramelized onions and a variety of mushrooms flavored with a touch of truffle oil. With Passover approaching, I conjured up a vision of a Passover pizza…
Time is flying: Shaina is back from her inspiring journalism-focused trip to Israel, and Esther is reminiscing about her own generation’s idealism and getting ready for Purim—this time with a Persian-inspired dish.
The first time I had this flavorful dish I was in California while helping to prepare a family dinner with an old friend at her old friend’s home. Not only is Lily a gracious hostess, inviting a bunch of strangers into her home for dinner, but she is also a fabulous cook! I am pleased…
The holidays have passed, and Shaina’s visit is over. As she hibernates and fills the freezer with winter comfort foods, Esther reflects on the changing seasons and her daughter’s transformations.
I love pomegranates and will use any excuse to make something with them. I am happy to see their abundant arrival for Tu b’Shevat, the New Year for trees. I crack them open and pop out the seeds in a large bowl of water with a strainer in it. I lift the strainer out with…
I rarely fry foods—except on Chanukah. Even then, I am always looking for a way to lighten it up a bit or infuse the holiday that celebrates oil with some redeeming nutritional value. This year I decided to create a modified version of Southern fried green tomatoes. They are easy to make and a great…
Esther is getting ready for the Chanukah traditions her family has adopted over the years and getting excited about the smell of fried food permeating the house (yes, she actually likes it!).
Home after a month-long trip, Esther is trying to settle back into routines, cleaning and chores and starting to get the house ready for Thanksgiving. First on the list: freezable soups.
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