Photos by Phil Mansfield

Every once in a while I feel sorry for myself because my kids won’t eat my lovingly prepared meals; for comfort, I seek out one of my fellow mom’s, specifically those with teen-agers. Invariably they look at me with a withering ‘well let me get you the violins and a stiff drink fast, your poor thing’ stare, reminding me that I am a mere amateur at kitchen rejection. When I hear their tales of trying to feed their teens, my load somehow seems lighter, more manageable. Snarky, picky, and sometimes downright nasty, it is no easy task to manage teens at the table.

Enter Rozanne Gold and her new book, Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs. I sat down with the author and discovered that the book’s appeal to teens is as organic as its recipes. Gold recently adopted a teen-ager and for the past few years they have been coming together as a family, in and out of the kitchen. Her daughter was one of five teen chefs engaged to prepare and test each recipe. Their collective industry and obvious enjoyment is evidenced throughout the book with hands-on pictures depicting their efforts.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the 4th Annual Manischewitz Cook-Off!” said Chef Pépin. “I always encourage people to experiment with new types of ethnic cuisine and products.”  As the Manischewitz Company announced the launch of the 4th Annual Man-O-Manischewitz Cook-Off, a cooking contest designed to encourage home cooks to challenge themselves in preparing a kosher meal using the new Manischewitz Broth. The contest encourages home chefs to experiment with different ethnic foods and to think of preparing a Kosher inspired meal as part of that experience, in the same way people enjoy preparing Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Chinese and other popular ethnic cuisine.

Entrants will compete for a chance to be crowned the “King or Queen of Kosher” and win the $25,000 grand prize package including GE Profile kitchen appliances, cash and more. Five finalists will win an all-expense paid trip to NYC to compete live on March 18th at the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan.  The contestants will be judged by an on-site cooking panel consisting of food media and other culinary experts.

Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals is not for the faint of heart. His recent article in the New York Times (excerpted from the first chapter) includes stories of his grand-mother, a holocaust survivor, which he uses to define himself as well as frame his book. The Jew and The Carrot’s Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus wrote a nice post about it, including:

“But I what I found most moving was the way he connected his own ethical commitment to vegetarianism to his grandmother’s commitment to kashrut, even under the most extreme circumstances. She gets the last word in the dialogue he recalls,

The deli has been in the spotlight these days thanks to the work of  David Sax.  You  may have read Joan Nathan’s piece in the New York Times about David’s upcoming book, Save the Deli, a call to action to revive deli culture.  Deli has been in most newspapers and on the radio now and is  the talk of the town in a way it hasn’t been since its golden years thanks to one man with a mission.

Early on for the Jew and the Carrot Leah Koenig wrote a post about David’s deli zeal during David’s journey to eat at delis around the world (which he also chronicled on his blog), and now the Jew and the Carrot is eager to announce a deli contest in the book’s honor. The winner will receive a free copy of Save the Deli.

Just leave us a comment on this post about your most memorable deli meal or experience and your name could be drawn to win a copy of his book.  Last day to leave a comment is Thursday October 22nd and the winner will be contacted the next day.

And while we’re on the subject, the Save the Deli book launch will be held this Monday at Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen.  It will be a great time with remarkable deli kitsch.

So, when I agreed to review Dr. David Kraemer’s book Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages, I had a job (thus a daily commute where I can read on the train) and wasn’t really planning on moving.  But subsequently I’ve been laid off and moved – all between Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot.  In other words, I haven’t had much time to sit down and read.

What does eating Jewishly mean to you?  What is Jewish food?  Does it reflect where you come from?  Where your family came from?  Dr. David Kraemer’s 2007 book Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages, recently published in paperback explores just those issues – and you can win a signed copy of his book!

Just leave us a comment on this post what is Jewish food for you and your name could be drawn to win a copy of his book.  Last day to leave a comment is Tuesday October 14 and the winner will be contacted the next day.

Last dusk at Burning Man, photo by Jaki Levy

With Labor Day behind us and our CSA boxes full of root vegetables, can we really believe that summer is slipping into fall?  With all the rain, cold weather and tomato blight (at least for us in the Northeastern part of the US) I know I wouldn’t mind a little more summer.

UJC/The Jewish Federations of North America, collectively among the top 10 charities on the continent, announced last week the launch of the First Annual Jewish Community Hero Awards, which celebrates the selflessness and courage of individuals who are bettering their communities through service and outreach.

The initiative — to-date the largest-ever Jewish social-networking effort — will honor one Jewish Community Hero of the Year, who will receive $25,000 to put towards his or her work, and also recognize four additional finalists. About 50 partner organizations are supporting the initiative, in addition to Jewish Federations across North America.

Any individual or group can nominate a hero through an open, online submission process. After screening, each nominee is posted on the Jewish Community Heroes Web site, where people can vote for their favorite Jewish heroes.

Thanks to everyone who commented, and congratulations to Hilla (proud member of Hazon’s Forest Hills CSA), whose recipe for carrot top pesto won her a copy of Farmer John’s cookbook! Check back this Thursday for The Jew and the Carrot’s next contest.

Don’t forget – our cookbook contest closes tomorrow! To enter, just leave a comment telling us your most creative use for your CSA veggies, and you’ll be entered to win a free copy of Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables.

So you’ve just opened your CSA box to an unfamiliar sight—a strange-looking bulb with long leaves sprouting every which way. After asking Google, your hippie aunt, two of your neighbors and a guy in line with you at Trader Joe’s, you finally figure out that the mystery plant is called kohlrabi. Great… now what do you do with the giant bag of it in your fridge?

Over the last few weeks, Rabbi Jill Jacobs has shared her thoughts on the 1917 Food Riots, fair labor practices and even a personal story about cookies.  But you can keep reading her thoughts by winning a copy of There Shall Be No Needy.

Today is the last opportunity to share your experiences in tzedakah (financial support for the poor) and chesed (acts of loving-kindness) to enter to    Simply leave us a comment about how you have given tzedakah or performed chesed and you will be entered to win her book. Did you intentionally give your CSA share to someone in need?  Have you volunteered at a soup kitchen? Tell us about it.

Food writer Michael Ruhlman has issued a very intriguing summertime challenge: make a BLT from scratch. No, really from scratch. This means curing your own “bacon,” (more on the airquotes in a minute), baking your own bread, growing your own lettuce and tomato, and making your own homemade mayo!

The level of commitment and self-sufficiency required to produce a single sandwich would be compelling enough, but Michael takes it one step further by opening the contest up to foodies of every stripe. To quote from the writer’s own rules:

This is the first of a three part series. Click here to learn how to win her new book There Shall Be No Needy.

I was recently invited to participate in a panel discussion (along with Nigel Savage of Hazon and Nell Geiser of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice) following the June 10 performance of Give Us Bread, a new play about the 1917 New York food riots, which were largely led by Jewish immigrant women.

Wartime food prices had reached levels that few families could afford, and thousands of women throughout New York took to the streets in protest. These women knocked over and set fire to pushcarts, while the police struggled to gain control of the crowd. The New York Times reported that, during a community meeting, “a woman appeared in the meeting room, followed by five little children, and forced her way to the speakers’ platform. She cried out that her husband earned but $8 a week as a tailor’s helper and that she was unable to buy enough food for her babies.” (“Pushcarts Burned in Riots over Food,” Feb. 20, 1917)