The Nosh Pit

Strawberry Lime Swirl Cheesecake

Amy Spiro — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:21:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Try a tasty twist on the Shavuot classic

I'm experiencing a minor obsession with lime these days. Including constant dreams about key lime tart. So I knew I wanted lime in my Shavuot cheesecake, especially since the sweet, tart citrus-y taste pairs so well with the creamy, tangy cream cheese.

French Onion Soup

Amy Spiro — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:40:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Perfect this French classic in your own home.

Over a year ago, when I shared a recipe for caramelized onion quiche, I lamented the recipe writers who pretend that you can get truly caramelized onions in 10-15 minutes. Well, turns out I'm not the only one: Slate wrote an article earlier this month about that exact thing.

Iced chocolate chip oatmeal muffins

Amy Spiro — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:49:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Get your whole grains and your chocolate fix in this treat

When people find out I have a bit of an... obsession with dessert, and that I'm a pastry school graduate, they often have burning questions. They vary, but there's one that comes up again and again: What's the difference between a cupcake and a muffin?

Baked Mushroom Wontons

Amy Spiro — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:13:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Enjoy a low-fat version of a classic Chinese favorite

I love Chinese food - even when it's not Christmas, I get a hankering for the stereotypical Jewish takeout choice. But not all of the choices are exactly diet-friendly... specifically some favorites like fried wontons or egg rolls. But with a little adapting, you can have your wontons and eat them too!

Vegetarian Lasagna

Amy Spiro — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:06:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Enjoy this dish you can serve with any meal, dairy or meat

This recipe came about becase of my vegetarian friend, Rachel. I always like entertaining, and having people over to feed them. And while I have dairy Shabbat meals on occasion, my default tends to be meat, which doesn't leave much room for vegetarian main dishes.

Caramel Apple Pie

Amy Spiro — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:26:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

It's back to chametz with this sinfully delicious dessert

After a week of eating cakes that taste alternatively like matzah or ground almonds, I'm ready to go back to truly delicious - and flour-filled - desserts. This caramel apple pie is just the thing.

Cookin' up Candy

Amy Spiro — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:12:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Experiment in the kitchen this Passover

If you've made it this far: Congratulations. The cleaning, scrubbing, scraping and burning is all over. So with the hard part behind you, take some time this Hol Hamoed to have fun in the kitchen and whip up some delicious, and obviously kosher for Passover, candy!

candy Food Kosher for Passover oranges peppermint recipe

Cooking for Passover

Amy Spiro — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:32:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Take the fear out of feeding your family on the holiday

There is one word that inspires the most fear in Jewish housewives across the world: Passover. But Passover doesn't have to be scary, in fact it doesn't have to be that much different than your cooking throughout the year. To prove the point, here are some recipes from the Nosh Pit over the past year that can be made for Passover with little or no adaptation.

Winter Citrus Fruit Salad

Amy Spiro — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:19:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Enjoy bright flavors all year round

Winter can sometimes be seen as a quiet season for fruit - none of the gorgeous berries, mangos, watermelons that color the summer months. But there is really tons of fruity flavor to be found in January, February and March - in citrus! Oranges, grapefruits, mangos, lemons, limes - all packed with flavor. The tart sweet flavors are perfect in savory applications, like this citrus green salad. Chunks of fresh fruit pair well with greens and a citrus vinaigrette tops the whole thing off.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Amy Spiro — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:51:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Have a healthy snack, breakfast or dessert!

These are really healthy muffins. With things like wheat germ, whole wheat flour, applesauce - this is a dessert you can feel good about. And the best reason for that? You'd never know how healthy they were when you eat them.

Hearty Lentil Soup

Amy Spiro — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:06:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Fill up and stay warm with this tasty dish.

If you (and your teeth) survived the onslaught of sugar that is the holiday of Purim, congratulations! In an effort to stay away from sweets and embrace wholesome, hearty foods, I present one of the most humble of all foods: The lentil. A seemingly quiet, unassuming legume, lentils are super cheap, packed with protein, fiber and vitamins. Oh, and they're tasty.

kosher recipe Lentil Soup recipe

Lemon-Lime Hamantaschen

Amy Spiro — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:26:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Enjoy a tasty twist on the traditional Purim treat

It may come as no surprise to you that I've eaten a lot of cookies in my day. And that includes a lot of hamantaschen. Unfortunately, what I haven't eaten, are a lot of good hamantaschen. For whatever reason, bakeries tend to churn out dry, crumbly, tasteless version of the three-cornered cookies come Purim time. The reason still escapes me, especially since it is the shape - not any particular flavor or recipe - that defines the traditional treat.

Craft the Perfect Challah

Amy Spiro — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:56:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Best tips and tricks for the ideal loaf

Most people have their favorite recipe. Whether it’s been passed down for generations, found in the back of a well-thumbed (and well-stained) cookbook or received from a friend just last month, challah recipes are not hard to come by.

Exotic Mushroom Soup

Amy Spiro — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:58:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Try out some new varieties in this piping-hot dish.

I've come to realize that mushrooms tend to be a polarizing food. Most people I know (anecdotal evidence, of course) either love or hate them. Well I fall strongly in the former camp, and I will put mushrooms in just about anything - pasta, chicken, salad - I'm working on a mushroom dessert.

General Tso Stir Fry

Amy Spiro — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:51:00 +0000

The Nosh Pit

Amy Spiro

Online Jewish Week Columnist

Enjoy a classic Chinese takeout dish in your own home.

There's a well-documented and much touted link between Jews and Chinese food, that has its roots in the turn of the century but is still discussed today. And while I love picking up some egg rolls and sweet and sour chicken, there's no reason you can't enjoy some Chinese favorites in your own kitchen. There are several components to this dish that come together at the end, but they're all fairly simple, and the result is seriously delicious. This is a pretty mild version of the dish, with no hot peppers - feel free to play up the flavors as you wish.