Savory Mushroom Tart

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This adorable lil mushroom tart is made with fresh thyme and garlic, and encased in rolled out frozen puff pastry (hack!). I was in the mood to experiment with a savory tart, and I had a bunch of beautiful sliced baby Bello mushrooms on hand. This can easily be made GF with GF frozen pastry. Vegan, too, by using egg substitute. Def use fresh thyme instead of dried.

Ingredients, serves 6:

4 cups sliced baby Bello mushrooms
A defrosted sheet of frozen puff pastry
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 2 for the mushrooms and 1 for the puff pastry
1 egg white
1 beaten egg for egg wash
1 tbsp white cooking wine
1/2 tbsp vegan butter, margarine, or butter

Oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet with parchment paper with nonstick spray. Place the pastry sheet on it to defrost.

In a large sauté pan, heat some olive oil on medium low and add the chopped garlic. The garlic burns very fast, deglaze with 2 tsp white wine as needed. When the garlic is fragrant and translucent add the mushrooms. Raise the heat to high, adding the remaining wine to deglaze again. As the mushrooms cook, add the 1/2 tbsp butter of choice and 2 tsp of the fresh thyme leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste, I’d start with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Sauté until the mushrooms are fully cooked and start to caramelize. Remove from heat and let cool ten min. Mushrooms contain a lot of moisture so you’ll want to release that.

Unfold and roll out the pastry with a floured rolling pin (or flour the pastry) so it’s about an inch longer on each side.
Mix the cooled mushrooms with the egg white, stirring to combine. Check seasonings. Place the mixture in the center of the pastry and spread out, leaving a couple inches of dough as a border. Fold over the border and pinch corners to seal. Be gentle with the pastry since it’s delicate. Brush the borders all around with the egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining thyme.
Bake 25 minutes in middle oven rack or until the pastry is puffed and golden, and the mushrooms are slightly puffed and set.
Cut into wedges or squares and garnish with fresh thyme stalks if desired.

Style on Deck

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As a DJ who exists in various spaces, one of them being style, I always dress in a way that will vibe with the gig. Some clients specifically care about this while it doesn’t occur to others at all. Regardless of whether or not there’s a request for me to dress a certain way, out of respect for the gig, the client, and what the event aims to achieve, I see my outfit as a part of the aesthetic. This is a fun detail that I enjoy giving thought to, whether it’s going all out 80’s for a themed birthday party, classy and feminine for a women’s conference, plaid and leather for a punk/metal event, bright red to match the car themed decor for a child’s party, shimmer as seen here, or cool details like safety pins covering my pants. It’s part of my offering as a DJ to look stylish, fun, appropriate, and glamorous. Yes, I’m there primarily to deliver a great musical set, but any event is a full sensory experience and the visuals matter. I love being in the service industry, and as a detail oriented person it’s natural for me to consider the aesthetics. Since my bottom is mostly unseen, I’ll always make sure the top half of me is serving, including makeup. I almost always wear sparky eyeshadow in colors I normally wouldn’t wear so as to amp up the visible factors. It doesn’t matter if no one is paying attention, that’s not my goal. I see my role as one providing entertainment and how I present myself is an extension of that. My clients will always get the full Lady Blaga experience. It matters how I show up in life, especially if someone is counting on me to set the tone.

Not Holding Onto Anger

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One of my wonderful zen teachers, Chodo, delivers this talk on anger. One of the reasons I love Chodo is his total honesty about his own emotional experience. There’s no bullshit with him ever. No pretending he himself doesn’t deal with tidal waves of emotions at times. Anyone who claims to be in a permanent state of equanimity and perspective is lying to both themselves and you, and is likely to implode one day. Emotion is natural and healthy, and simply are a huge part of being a person. It’s how we deal with them that directly affects our quality of life. Anger for me is scary, having grown up in a family that was volatile, unpredictable, and extremely viciously reactive. Picture the proverbial drunk uncle throwing fists and furniture. I was terrified of my own mother’s anger. Emotions of any kind were never modeled in any sort of healthy and sane way, and any sign of anger had me ducking for literal cover. Through my time and study in a zen community, particularly my sangha of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, I have been exposed to healthy ways of dealing with emotions, ways that lead to repair and not more rupture. It has only been the past several months at most where I’m just beginning to trust that anger doesn’t mean I’m going to be destroyed, cast out, attacked, written off, or that I’m the biggest piece of shit to ever have lived. Anger, like all other emotions, can actually lead to increased safety and intimacy when handled skillfully. I did not know this was even within the realm of possibility. What a relief to learn another way, a way in which feelings can be honored, expressed, faced, and don’t have to be suppressed or dropped like an atomic bomb. There truly is a middle way of handling emotions, and it’s not stuffing them down your throat in some phony justifying excuse of “I’m being the bigger person”. Being taught to ignore or snuff out emotions is harmful to everyone. In Eastern medicine it’s known that each of the major organs is a storehouse for a certain emotion. Point being, we must learn ways to wring these painful, destructive emotions out of our bodies before they accumulate to the point of severe illness. One of the ways I do this is with yoga. Eastern activities such as Tai chi and Qi Gong do this as well. In fact, such exercises are specifically designed to free the body and mind of emotional sediment. In order to release anything, it first must be faced, looked at, and held. Vietnamese zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh compared anger to a screaming baby that needs to be picked up and soothed, not punished and shamed. I hope you find this talk helpful in any way. There are many Zen Care podcasts from both my teachers, Kōshin and Chodo, and they are full of wisdom and guidance towards a healthier way of being. I promise there are better answers out there. Seek and you shall find.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/66WVFqJug0LPRSrwqKakjI?si=AuA2x6MDTlyXsmUVWqqYsw

Quinoa Arugula Salad w Peas & Mint

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This is the perfect summer salad. Light yet substantial, this will be your new fave. Crisp peas, fresh mint, and lemon zest tossed with sharp arugula and quinoa, dressed in a classic vinaigrette. This was a snap to put together. The key to cooking the peas is to blanche them then plunge in an ice bath, seen below. The cold water retains the bite and bright green color by disabling the cooking process on contact. The colors of this salad are just as visually stimulating as the taste. Broccoli florets cut small or asparagus would be good substitutions, but the peas are my personal preference.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry quinoa cooked to package directions
3 cups fresh peas
3 cups arugula
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest, save some for garnish
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint, save some whole leaves (pretty ones) for garnish

Dressing:
1/2 cup EACH olive oil and fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

While preparing the quinoa, prepare another pot (medium) with boiling water. When it reaches a boil, add the peas and cook for just 3 minutes. Make the ice bath while the peas cook, filling a bowl with cold water and adding a bunch of ice. At 3 min, take a big slotted spoon and transfer the peas to the ice water. Making sure they’re evenly cooled, drain the peas. You can dry them with a kitchen towel if you like, but I always let them sit in the colander for a few minutes to first dry naturally.
Add the cooked quinoa to a large tin pan, distributing to cool (I like to mix my salads in a large pan to get an even distribution).
Make the dressing, adjusting seasoning to taste.
When the quinoa is cooled or just a bit warm, add the arugula, peas, chopped mint, and zest. Toss gently but thoroughly, adding some whole mint leaves and sprinkling extra zest to garnish.


Neutral Knits

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My theme for new Spring purchases has revealed itself to be palazzo pants and oversized, cozy tops over a fitted or cropped something. I dig the effortless cuteness of a loose bottom (be it pants or a flowy skirt), a little top, and a relaxed cardigan or kimono. My takeaway from Covid Couture has been that comfort is key but that it doesn’t have to be in the form of stained sweatpants. These peachy nude wide legged pants make me happy. Bonus points for the high elastic waist that covers up bloat and hits me at the smallest part of my waistline. A tank in the same nude color family looks coordinated under this yummy chunky cardigan, and the natural macrame necklace is the one needed accessory. Neutral, natural, peachy, easy, and fresh; all words that evoke how I want to feel as I gently move towards a new phase.

Cauliflower Potato Frittata

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With dill, fresh lemon zest, cheese, and sautéed onions! Whew, talk about a mouthful. Inspired by Mother’s Day brunch, I whipped up this yummy frittata that I ain’t mad at. This was a triumph after one attempt. The vegetables, cheese, and herbs here are a delicious suggestion, and you can absolutely play around with whatever options and varieties call your name. Roasting the potatoes and cauliflower, and sautéing the onions, make for built in flavor and tenderness out the gate. While the veggies cooked I prepped everything else. The frittata itself was done in max 20 minutes after combining the ingredients. Brunch is always a good idea, and this recipe is a great addition to the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot where dairy meals are customarily eaten. This easily feeds 10. Make more than one variety to feed a crowd. Yay, choices!

Ingredients for one large frittata:

1 1/2 cups EACH diced cauliflower and red skin potatoes. The cauliflower can be cut into small florets and the potatoes I did a 1 inch dice.
1 diced medium white onion
6 whole eggs, 4 egg whites
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup shredded mixed cheese, or cheddar or mozzarella
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup skim milk
Olive oil, salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Toss the cut potatoes and cauliflower in a pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook until begins to brown and fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Sauté the onion in a pan until translucent and fragrant. Set all veggies aside to cool, about 8 minutes. Keep oven on.
In a large bowl mix the eggs and whites (whisk well), cheese, milk, dill, zest, and garlic powder. Add cooled onions, cauliflower, and potatoes. Mix well. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. I added a nice pinch of each.

Heat a large frying pan or cast iron skillet with 4 tbsp olive oil, spreading the oil around evenly and thoroughly to coat. Add the egg mixture and distribute evenly. Over medium heat, let the egg mixture set and distribute as you would an omelet. Cook just on the underside for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown when gently lifted with a spatula to check. Do not flip.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook about 15 minutes until the eggs are puffed up and set. Go around the edges with a spatula to separate the edges of the frittata from the pan. Slide onto a cutting board or platter and cut into wedges. This looks beautiful served plated next to or atop dressed mixed greens.


The Great British Baking Show

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So I know this show has been around for a number of years. I wasn’t interested in it since I assumed it was a typical baking competition, simply set in another country. While I love cooking shows and have enjoyed many a culinary contest, my initial reaction to this series was, eh, more of the same. After a close friend told me that The Great British Baking Show got her family through covid lockdown, I thought it was worth having a glance. My youngest, my 12 year old son, and I decided to give it a go and I can say with certainty that it’s the highlight of our day. I absolutely love this show and completely understand why my friend was raving about how wonderful it is. It’s so much more than a baking competition. In general, I am a big proponent of watching TV with your kids. I watched a ridiculous amount of TV growing up and learned a lot. Since I was an avid reader and a curious person from a very young age, TV did not replace other educational pursuits. With screen options totally out of control and unhealthy today, I actually feel that TV is the least offensive avenue. It’s almost old fashioned! You can have your Tik Tok, I’m happy with television, watched on a large screen, permanently mounted on a real wall. I truly delight in my kids and I sharing a viewing experience while snuggled on the couch. With modern family fragmentation due to each member having their own devices, it’s a joy just to be looking at the same darn screen. My son and I coordinate our evening schedules and so look forward to relaxing together as we listen to witty English quips and discover what today’s technical challenge will be. I have always been a huge fan of eccentric British humor, and the hosts deliver in such a delightfully, engaging way. I have found so many American cooking competitions to be so different in tone; far more competitive, psychotically high pressured, almost with the contestants to be primed for failure so that the show can have gross audience appeal. It’s definitely an interesting and disturbing comment on the different cultures. My daughter and I were once laughing about this. She pointed out that American cooking shows have names like Cutthroat Kitchen, and that Gordon Ramsey (ironically a Brit) is yelling at the contestants that they don’t deserve to live. I even saw a cooking show commercial in which if the food isn’t satisfactory, it gets thrown over some sort of weird balcony, in the hierarchy of floors/tiers in which the cooks on the lowest tier must work with shitty ingredients (why tho??). It’s actually so crazy, even sad, that even culinary entertainment has to include some bloodthirsty ingredient to engage the audience. Perhaps there are British shows like this as well, just like there are plenty of lovely, sweet American programs. But I can’t help but note the way this particular program has so beautifully constructed a competitive yet warm environment. The judges are honest with exceptionally high standards, without ever having the goal of reducing someone to tears. The contestants help each other and cheer each other on. This component never fails to move me, and my son and I always talk about this piece. What a wonderful example. Every season we’ve watched contains comradeship, sportsmanship, and touching friendship. The end of each season, after the winner is announced, gives a sweet update as to how the contestants have all kept in touch. We love this epilogue! The pastel baking tent, a sight for tired eyes, cooks up beautiful bonds in addition to baked goods. It’s truly a joy to see all these people bonding and supporting each other whilst competing. I have yet to see an iota of ugliness or unsavory behavior. Somehow this show has cooked up the perfect mix of Monty Python humor, sweetly determined home cooks giving bake off a go, Martha Stewart decor, a serene and charming country atmosphere, interesting and historical baking challenges, and judges who are really rooting for you, into an hour of genuinely entertaining television. I swear I look forward to this all day, and when my son texts me, “meet me downstairs in ten minutes, it’s biscuit week” any residue from the day melts away. It’s a win for us, finishing the day with quality TV that both excites and relaxes. With so much viewing garbage available and accessible to all ages today, I’m so appreciative to have this show to enjoy together with my child. I deeply cherish any shared interest I have with each of my children, and finding and nurturing these interests is one of my most important goals as a mother. Enjoying the present is what creates memories.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you. Be forgiving of yourselves, proud of yourselves, and celebratory of what you pour into your role as mothers.

Earth Day

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Spring. Green. Freshness. This season means so many things. As a chaplain intern, this has been a discussion in my senior community when we meet weekly to discuss spiritual themes and connections. This look is my nod to recent Earth Day. It’s a light, gauzy, natural feeling two piece that almost demands bare feet and wild hair. Maybe one wooden accessory if you must. I love that this outfit is transitional; long pants and a long sleeved top yet airy and light. I have worn this on a windier beach day, as loungewear, and to host my friends for those first outdoor evenings of the season. The pants work separately with a range of top options: a tank or tee, white or light washed denim button down, or a cotton sweater. With this being the first non pandemic Spring in a couple years, I’d say there’s much to celebrate in a fresh way. Let all things be new.

She Was Beautiful

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When she was a little girl
they told her she was beautiful
but it had no meaning
in her world of bicycles
and pigtails
and adventures in make-believe.

Later, she hoped she was beautiful
as boys started taking notice
of her friends
and phones rang for
Saturday night dates.

She felt beautiful on her wedding day,
hopeful with her
new life partner by her side
but, later,
when her children called
her beautiful,
she was often exhausted,
her hair messily tied back,
no make up,
wide in the waist
where it used to be narrow;
she just couldn't take it in.

Over the years, as she tried,
in fits and starts,
to look beautiful,
she found other things
to take priority,
like bills
and meals,
as she and her life partner
worked hard
to make a family,
to make ends meet,
to make children into adults,
to make a life.

Now,
she sat.
Alone.
Her children grown,
her partner flown,
and she couldn't remember
the last time
she was called beautiful.

But she was.

It was in every line on her face,
in the strength of her arthritic hands,
the ampleness that had
a million hugs imprinted
on its very skin,
and in the jiggly thighs and
thickened ankles
that had run her race for her.

She had lived her life with a loving
and generous heart,
had wrapped her arms
around so many to
to give them comfort and peace.
Her ears had
heard both terrible news
and lovely songs,
and her eyes
had brimmed with,
oh, so many tears,
they were now bright
even as they dimmed.

She had lived and she was.
And because she was,
she was made beautiful.

Author: Suzanne Reynolds, © 2019

Photo credit: Nina Djerff
Model: Marit Rannveig Haslestad

Barefoot Contessa | Tomato & Avocado Salad | Recipes

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I have been making this simple, quick salad from Queen Ina several times a week. My girls and I love it, and it’s freshness personified. This will be one of your favorite outdoor BBQ staples. I have also served this atop slices of grilled bread as a cross between an open faced sandwich and crostini. Plus, with Mother’s Day coming up, this salad is easy enough for kids (and culinary challenged dads) to put together for Mom/Me.

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice,

divided (2 lemons)

2 firm, ripe Hass avocados

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved through the stem

½ cup medium-diced red onion

Good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 ounces baby arugula

Pour ¼ cup of the lemon juice into a mixing bowl. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, peel them (or scoop them out with a spoon), and cut in ½-inch dice. Immediately add the avocados to the lemon juice and toss carefully. Add the cherry tomatoes and red onion and toss again.

In a small glass measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Pour enough of the vinaigrette over the tomato and avocado mixture to moisten completely. Add the arugula, add more vinaigrette, sprinkle with 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, and toss well. Taste for seasonings (you want the salad well seasoned!) and serve at room temperature.

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake

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I’m definitely trying this for Passover. This recipe would also be a fabulous year round flourless treat. Chocolate and peanut butter is my all time favorite flavor combo. Passover is a holiday that has extreme dietary restrictions, which originate from the unleavened bread (which evolved into matzo) the Jews made as they fled Egypt. There are entire categories of food that are deemed not kosher for Passover, with different customs applying to Sephardic and Ashkenaz Jews. Over the years, Passover cooking has been majorly elevated to objectively delicious standards. I enjoy the challenge of playing around with alternative fours and ingredients. There’s no need to celebrate the holiday to give this cake a shot.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a36339267/flourless-peanut-butter-chocolate-cake-recipe/

Tuning In

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Let’s talk about attunement. It’s the quality of being in tune with something. Whether we are talking about an instrument or a simple conversation, if an element present is out of tune then the whole situation will tank. Components must be completely in tune in order for things to flow properly. To be even slightly off is to miss the mark. I once had a tuning fork energy session that I loved. It was a no contact appointment which left me fully tweaked, tuned up, and awake. The therapist had a series of tuning forks that she used (played?) to move my energy and frequencies. It was pretty wild that she was able to dial me in all sorts of ways without any touching. I love energy work, and this tuning fork session was incredibly effective and impactful. Energy isn’t tangible; no wonder the forks were able to tune mine from across the room. I felt all the tweaks and adjustments no matter how tiny the fork motions were, which proved how powerful tuning is. Tuning matters, it’s a huge deal.


“Being attuned” is a phrase I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. It’s a crucial awareness in all of life’s interactions, and it’s coming up often in my CPE chaplaincy curriculum. It’s extremely painful when certain people I’m interacting with aren’t attuned to my experience, which has made me realize more and more how I’m not attuned to others either. As much as I try, I miss (or bypass) certain cues for what must be a variety of reasons. There are so many causes for why one would turn away from the reality of another, therefore falling out of attunement. As the gap widens between you and me in such a case, the divide and disconnect grows bigger/sadder/lonelier/more uncomfortable/irritating. I have yet to meet someone who is perfectly in tune with everything and everyone all the time. It’s impossible, but it’s essential that we really try. If we don’t, it’s a covert way of communicating, “your reality doesn’t matter”. We are each our own human instrument for playing our role in the world, and it’s our responsibility to constantly tune ourselves. No one can do this for us.
In observing a certain dynamic in my life, it came crashing down on me recently that this other individual has been extremely out of tune with me in so many ways, for a really long time. I just did not see it as clearly as I suddenly did. It was like the veil was lifted and then all these frustrating and disconnected instances revealed themselves. Holy shit, how on earth did I not see this before?? I knew this situation brought me much aggravation, frustration, and heartbreak but the specific language of attunement never occurred to me. Then I realized that I didn’t see his lack of attunement because I wasn’t attuned to my needs either. Like, at all. His not being tuned in to me was a direct reflection of my own turning away from myself. I actually started to laugh; it was suddenly so clear and obvious. I was not only out of attunement with myself, but with the entire reality of the overall scenario since I didn’t want to admit the truth of the circumstances. Letting go of this situation was too painful, so I turned a subconscious blind eye to the facts, as well as to my emotional truth. This is one of the byproducts of having always been fed crumbs; you just don’t see it because you don’t know any different. This all brought up so many feels: sadness, anger, shame, gratitude for the new clarity and visibility, disgust, disappointment, defiance, and a large helping of grief in being so unaware of my needs. Like, how long had I been operating like this??? Forever, really, until now. I wasn’t having these feelings towards the other person (just a little). It was like looking in a clear lake in which all was being reflected back to me. I have gratitude for this situation and this person because I majorly needed to see all of this in order to live the life I say I want. This painful message happened to come in the form of this genuinely terrific human who I’m deeply fond of. Words are meaningless without actions, and vice versa, so I can’t say I want my life and love life to be a certain way if I don’t choose new actions to get there. The universe will send us the same message over and over until we receive it. This is an act of cosmic love, to lead us to higher planes of existence.


I continue to have numerous conversations with myself, the self I wasn’t attuned to. My higher, vast self can now seek out the smaller, wounded part of me that’s still hurt and healing. In zen we are taught about Big Mind, Parental Mind, Joyful Mind, and Small Mind. Learning about these different facets of the mind has been transformative in terms of self communication (this also spills into how I communicate with others). I have been speaking to my Small Mind in loving, reassuring, unconditionally caring ways that will, over time, re wire her. I have apologized to myself for missing all these signals and red flags, with great understanding and compassion. I know why it happened. Only with this compassion turned inward have I started to feel a space clearing. It’s the compassion that I’ve been waiting for my whole life that I’m just now, through Buddhist practice, beginning to explore and receive. Genuine, honest kindness and attunement to one’s needs is medicinal on the deepest level. We all need to know we matter, not just to others but primarily to ourselves. It’s impossible for others to learn what we need if we don’t know it first. Only by sharply and accurately tuning ourselves can we engage with life in a deeply honest, connective, and fulfilling way. The good news? We are designed to make these adjustments, reflect on what we’ve missed, and choose differently. New tunes and harmonies are always available.

This Passover holiday I’m going to take the time to sit with all of this. What I’ve learned, what I’ve realized, and how I can get very clear on what I want for my life. I’ll be on a beach, sitting on the naked sand and breathing to the rhythm of the ocean. Nature is clear on what it needs to do, it’s always in order. To rediscover nature’s inherent clarity and apply it to my life; this intention alone feels healing. Intention is nothing without application and integration. When those elements are aligned, this is harmony.

Flow State

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Ahhhhh, Spring is here. I feel refreshed just writing that. One of my warm weather staples are long, light, flowy skirts and dresses. That boho look is beautiful and easy, and is a pretty alternative to pants. Almost any type of shoe works with this look; sandals, cowboy boots, sneakers, a kitten heel. As far as outerwear, chunky cardigans, boyfriend blazers, and denim jackets look great. I’d also knot an open button down with rolled up sleeves as an extra layer as the weather transitions. A fitted tank, camisole, or cropped tee is a good counter balance to all that fabric on the bottom. Piling on bangles, rings, and some layered necklaces (but not overkill) completes the look, along with loose hair and natural makeup. I have maxi skirts and dresses in both solids and prints, and I love how versatile, comfortable, and sexy they are. Bonus points for being terrific vacation pieces for the beach, daytime, and dinner and drinks.

https://us.shein.com/High-Waist-Frilled-Layered-Hem-Skirt-p-9402247-cat-1732.html

https://bohobeachhut.com/products/bohemian-rainbow-tiered-maxi-dress

https://www.chicwish.com/timeless-favorite-chiffon-maxi-skirt-in-yellow.html

Espadrilles

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I’ve always had a slightly confused relationship to espadrilles. I can’t entirely decide how I feel about them. I think my occasional dislike lies in that they can feel boring and ubiquitous. Right now, though, I’m liking some of the styles out there for this classic Spanish shoe. I learned more about espadrilles when I made a pair while traveling in Barcelona with my girls. We had a blast at this activity, and thus my renewed appreciation was born. They are definitely comfortable and sturdy, and the typical canvas foot covering is lightweight yet durable. I really dig the black on black pair from Banana Republic. The monochrome is a cool variation on what I used to think were bland mom shoes. That was in 1994. Fast forward to now when I’m a mom (I like to think not a bland one) and I’m re acquainting myself with something I’d written off. Even shoes can be a reminder to be more open minded and flexible.

Classic Matzo Brei Recipe

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Matzo Brei: IYKYK.
With Passover soon approaching, I wanted to share a recipe for my favorite holiday treat. Essentially fried bits of matzo mixed with egg and a choice of sweet or savory add ins (I’m nuts for the sweet variety), this dish brings me bank to a childhood happy place: waiting on the breakfast buffet line at a Passover hotel for a giant plate of matzo brei and syrup. It tastes like French toast, and decades before Passover food got super fancy, matzo brei was the hottest ticket in town. The dietary restrictions are completely different on Passover due to its biblical history and so cooking takes on a whole new form. Over the years Pesach/Passover cuisine has gotten pretty amazing and creative, but I still reach for this classic before any of the more modern offerings. This New York Times recipe offers both a sweet and savory variation.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018671-classic-matzo-brei