Chanie Apfelbaum - Totally Kosher: Tradition with a Twist! 150+ Recipes for the Holidays and Every Day: A Cookbook

If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to birth a cookbook, and I have so many people who have held my hand along the way.

First and foremost, thank you to God for instilling in me the strength, passion, and drive to persevere despite many odds.

Thank you to my beautiful children, Chuma, Esther, Ari, Peretz, and Rosie. You are the greatest taste-testers, kitchen assistants, cleaner-uppers, cheerleaders, and snugglers. Everything I do, I do for you, and everything Ive accomplished is because of you. You are my most cherished recipe.

To my mom, for being there through thick and thin, and my sister, Sara, for always having my back. To my brother, Mendy, for your wise advice and counsel.

To Adeena Sussman, this is all you, baby! For being my mentor, my greatest champion, and most of all, my friend.

To the friends and colleagues who supported me throughout this journey and beyond. There are no words to convey my gratitude in this space. I am forever grateful to Dina Gorodetsky, Rivka Wineberg, Chanchi and Chony Milecki, Mike Solomonov, Shushy Turin, Chaya Suri Leitner, Melinda Strauss, Jordana Hirschel, Jordana Kohn, Itta Werdiger, Rochel Leah Shapiro, Paula Shoyer, Danielle Renov, Naomi Nachman, Chana Blumes Geisinsky, Beth Warren, Baily Vogel, Lilly Eidelman, Levana Kirschenbaum, Leah Schapira.

To the incredible crew at Clarkson Potter, it was such an honor to work with every one of you! Raquel Pelzel, editor extraordinairefor believing in me and my vision and for bringing it to life with so much integrity and respect, never missing a beat! Thank you, Bianca Cruz, for filling in all the gaps, and to Ian Dingman for your incredible talent in making this book as beautiful as it is.

To my styling dream team, Chaya Rappoport and Rachel Boardman, I could not have asked for a better pair to make each food photo picture-perfect and to celebrate over ice cream at the end of it. I love you ladies! Gefilte fish foodies forever!

Thank you to my agent, Stacey Glick, for being my literary Google and always being there to answer my questions.

To the talented Meir Kruter, for all your graphics and artistic assistance, and to Lauren Volo, for capturing my life behind the scenes so perfectly.

Thank you, Miriam Rosenthal, for organizing the recipe testing and to all of my amazing recipe testers who helped ensure that each recipe was perfect:

Tamar Abell, Sarah Abraham, Melissa Abu, Channah Akkerman, Chana Arnold, Nechama Bachrach, Deveaux Barron, Yakira Begun, Bella Benarroch, Esti Benchimol, Amanda Benishai, Francine Birk, Ruthie Bodner, Esther Braun, Shoshana Brody, Lauren Brookner, Tamar Burack, Jordana Cohen, Rebecca Cohen, Batsheva Dalezman, Fran Davids, Joyce Eisner, Barbara Engler, Sylvia Fallas, Jamie Feit, Robyn Feldberg, Pessy Florans, Hindy Garfinkel, Dani Geft, Aliza Getz, Eti Gipsman, Libby Goldberger, Tzivia Goldfein, Frimee Goldstein, Dina Gorodetsky, Miriam Gross, Esti Hamel, Sema Hammer, Aviva Hassan, Fraidy Hess, Katie Hoffman, Lori Huberfeld, Shira Huberfeld, Miriam Jacknis, Shira Kalish, Chaya Kibel, Sabrina Kudowitz, Sara Leibowitz, Rena Levy, Sarra Lorbert, Mushka Lowenstein, Shoshana Markowitz, Sruly Meyer, Martha Meyers, Anna Mogilevsky, Naomi Nachman, Batya Nadler, Dina Nathanson, Mushka Novack, Bina Oscherowitz, Heidi Pollicove, Sara Popper, Sarah Rabinowitz, Brittany Ray, Joy Resmovits, Yael Rosen, Esti Rosenblatt, Faigy Rosenblatt, Mimi Samet, Raizy Sandel, Melissa Schon, Rivka Schusterman, Sori Schwartz, Jan Shapiro, Kate Shur, Jason Sigal, Michelle Singer, Dina Spivak, Melinda Strauss, Shoshana Sturm, Stefanie Sturm, Yitzi Taber, Shushy Turin, Miriam Vogel, Liora Wittlin, Tova Zafrany, and Henny Zolty.

Special thanks to Seth Leavitt @abelesheymann, Shmayie Friedman @carvingblockmeats, Gourmet Glatt Boro Park @gourmetglattbp, Wood & Stone @woodandstonebrooklyn, Staub @staub_usa, Fortessa @fortessatableware, and Smithey Ironware Co @smitheyironware.

As the Hebrew saying goes, The last is the most cherished. I am especially grateful for the longtime readers, fans, and followers of Busy in Brooklyn, who feed my foodie fire and who have loved and supported me throughout this journey. You inspire me.

Chanie Apfelbaum is the founder of the popular blog Busy in Brooklyn and author of the cookbook Millennial Kosher. She is a contributing writer to Fleishigs magazine and has been featured in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, and more. She was born and raised in Brooklyn and lives there with her five children.

Planning a menu is truly an art form, but its one that can be learned, and its an important one to master. Growing up in an orthodox Jewish family with Ashkenazi roots, there was always an overabundance of food. Im passionate about changing the way we eat and serve because I want to take the pressure out of the kitchen and put the love back into it! Cooking should be fun, and feeding people should be an enjoyable experience for everyoneespecially the cook. Im also conscious of food costs and I never like to see anything go to waste, so Ive mastered the art of a balanced meal.

In true Jewish mother form, scaling back on overfeeding is going to be hard at first, but I promise you no one is going to starve! A well-executed menu, with flavors that complement one another, is so much more pleasurable than serving a smorgasbord of dishes that dont work together. Taking the time to plate your food beautifully and set an elegant table with good wine and a nice ambiance (candles, cloth napkins, maybe a centerpiece of flowers) are all part and parcel of planning a meal.

Taking that all into consideration, whats in a menu? If you take a look at a typical restaurant menu, youll find:

finger food, small bites to be served hot or cold

Examples: nachos, tuna tartare, gefilte fish, dumplings, hummus with topping, salad

optional but suggested for a festive meal

Examples: matzo ball soup, butternut squash soup, lentil soup

includes a protein, carb, and vegetable or salad

Examples: steak with sweet potato pure and arugula salad, chicken with couscous and cauliflower, fish and chips with roasted broccoli

Dessert

Theres always room for this course!

Examples: cake, pie, mousse, fresh fruit, sorbet

To tie a menu together, try sticking to a specific type of cuisine, such as Middle Eastern, Asian, or traditional Jewish foods. Most importantly, you can follow a recipe and plan a menu, but the real secret ingredient? Its love! Remember to have fun and enjoy the process. Its just food. And worst-case scenario: theres always takeout!

Appetizer: World Peace Challah ()

Soup: Moroccan Carrot Soup ()

Entre: Turkey Roast with Zaatar Gravy ()

Dessert: Baklava Palmiers ()

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, so from sundown on Friday evening until nightfall on Saturday night, I, along with others in the Jewish community, observe a day of rest. We celebrate with a festive Friday night dinner that often includes a fish, soup, and meat course followed by dessert. For Shabbat afternoon lunch, a fish course is traditionally served followed by a meat course that typically includes a stew that has simmered overnight.