Shop Small for Mother’s Day
05/07/21

Look, I’m going to be honest, I forgot Mother’s Day is THIS Sunday? I thought I had one more week to get this post out but, alas, I remembered on Tuesday of this week. Eeeps! I’m so happy to use this space to support other hustling Jews — folks out there trying to make a living and work their passion into that goal. A few weeks ago I sent out a call on Instagram for small businesses being run by Jewish artists and entreprenuers and the following artists came my way. So, if you’re like me and you STILL need a little (or big) something for your mom, bubbe, savta, ima, mum, stepmom, wife, might I suggest one of these crazy talented small business owners? Check them out and remember, Mother’s Day doesn’t have to be JUST one day. It should probably be celebrated ALL. THE. TIME. That’s just an insider tip from a tired, overworked mom. With Love, Whitney

Good Mama Made

She defines herself via her Instagram page as a “Mama, Rabbi’s wife, and Maker”, but Katie, the artist behind Good Mama Made has definitely got my number. First off, according to her Etsy page, her goal is to “have fun while creating Jewish learning experiences.” There’s gorgeous handmade tie-dye, there’s comfy, cozy sweatshirts showcasing challah in a non-kitschy way, and she’s an advocate – so much so that her linktree account has an option for donating to the Jewish Fertility Fund. Now, that’s an artist I can stand behind.

Beesential

Thanks to Molly Weisman, a follower on Instagram, I was introduced to Ohio-made (and parents of a Miami grad), Beesential.  According to their website, about 20 years ago, the self-proclaimed, “accidental beekeeper, agreed to let a co-worker put a beehive on his family farm. He didn’t plan to be responsible for it, but when life events kept him from tending to it, he became a beekeeper. He found bee science and culture fascinating, and soon began researching bees and attending workshops at The Ohio State University agricultural campus. Beyond enjoying the science, the accidental beekeeper found that tending the bees gave him time to reflect. It became a cathartic activity. Now, all these years later, we get Beesential—-a full line of natural products – lip balm, soap, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion – that help our customers keep their skin and hair healthy the natural way. All products are made in the USA!

 

Amy Lilley’s Ceramics

Amy reached out to me via Instagram to advocate for herself as a new business owner. She just launched a homemade ceramics Etsy shop and, being a ceramics junky, I had to check it out. The shop is small right now but it is so gorgeous. Amy’s items are very reasonably priced! Handmade and one-of-a-kind, Amy’s nested bowls would be a lovely addition to anyone’s kitchen. Good job, Amy!

The Brooklyn Teacup

Thanks to my boo, Ariel Stein, I’ve recently discovered another talented Ariel — Ariel Davis, creator and owner of The Brooklyn Teacup. I love the story of how and why Ariel created the Brooklyn Teacup. Growing up, Ariel’s mother and grandmother would bring out their fancy dinnerware for the holidays to mark a departure from our daily routines and signify the preciousness of family time. It was a way to make the day even more special. She started noticing, however, that young couples (like my hubby and I back in the day) aren’t registering for fine china anymore. And those that do end up getting fine china it is because they inherit collections from their parents or grandparents, they don’t know what to do with them. As a result, beautiful family heirlooms collect dust in cabinets and storage units until they are either donated or (gasp!) tossed in the trash. Ariel created a solution — take these hidden treasures and repurpose them into functional stands that can be used for both special occasions and everyday décor. Now instead of languishing on a shelf, they’ll be front and center for you and your family to use and enjoy for generations to come. Genius!!

 

Shop Sara Joy

Another awesome recommendation from Ariel Stein, Sara Joy is all about joy. Seriously. She exudes it. After studying art and design in college, she expanded her knowledge of textiles and fashion working in the garment center in Manhattan. She spent time in a cut + sew design studio, and many years as a print designer. Directing a team of artists and styling prints for store concept rounded out her experience in retail. What I love about her story is that she credits motherhood as giving her the inspiration to jumpstart her own label — a lifelong dream. Now, we have Sara Joy, a women’s accessories label fueled by the desire to bring happiness into this world. Each piece in my collection is thoughtfully designed from artwork that I create – a quality I’m so proud of. You’ll see prints dreamed up from ocean-inspired watercolor paintings to vibrant woven paper projects.

Halo Heart Designs

Cali and Ohio? Yes, please!! Halo Heart Designs creators, Lindsay Flack and Amanda Foley, are friends, mothers, and artists. They literally created this company on our dining room tables. Today, they work full-time from their home studios in Cleveland, OH and Los Angeles. CA. They have sold and shipped thousands of units around the world and take pride in our handmade process. Amanda and Lindsay strongly believe in giving back. Halo-Heart Designs has partnered with celebrities and nonprofits to provide handmade, personalized jewelry gifts that highlight and amplify their message. I smell a Hillel at Miami x Halo Heart Designs collab!

Sam, this is for you!! @frostingandfettuccine

Binah Winery

What Mother’s Day post would be complete without some wine!? I’m so glad that Sarah, one of the co-founders of Binah Winery, reached out to me. I’ve actually had their wine many times before and I can absolutely testify that it is delicious! Binah Winery is a kosher boutique winery (one of only a few kosher wineries on the east coast) in Allentown, Pa. We ship to most states in the continental US. According to Kevin, Sarah’s husband and partner in the business, the mission of Binah Winery is mission is to offer up quality wines, crafted in an artistic manner. It’s clear from their website, that Kevin, the vintner, is passionately dedicate to perfecting his craft and with so many kosher options being subquality, Binah Winery is a wine I 100% endorse.

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Baked Sweet Potato + Pimento Cheese
07/03/16

Sweet potato and pimento cheese jewhungry kosher blog

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but it’s summer time. We moved from the Westside of Los Angeles to the Valley in January and it’s fair to say that it feels like we officially live ON THE EQUATOR. Holy cow, it’s HOT! Last weekend it was a balmy 110 degrees. The husband was out of town and so entertaining 2 kids while not really being able to go outside was challenging, to say the least. We finally settled on a local mall that, lucky for us, was super fancy and so had installed an outdoor splash fountain that kids were allowed to play in. Not so lucky for them (them being the fancy outdoor mall we were at), was the site of my oldest attempting to strip down to her undies so as to really get the full cool-down experience that he fountain had to offer. Luckily, we were with our girl, Aunt Jessie, who quickly and loudly pointed out to us that there was a GIANT sign close by the read, “All patrons must remain clothed”. Oops.

Sweet potato and pimento cheese jewhungry kosher blog

 

Sweet potato and pimento cheese jewhungry kosher blog

Sweet potato and pimento cheese jewhungry kosher blog

Summer brings on a lot of goodness — vacation/break from work, an excuse to eat ice cream every day, and, most especially for me as I get older, LOTS of memories of growing up. I don’t know why but every summer for the last couple of years, I have been getting strong hankerin’s for the South. I’m talking fireflies and fishing excursion, sweet tea and ski-tubing at the lake, and Southern food. This week alone saw some Southern dishes emerging during meal time. I started Monday off with biscuit making. Then mid-week brought us a peach cobbler (on request from the husband) and, of course, pimento cheese! Sweet merciful Lord, I LOOOOOVE me some pimento cheese dip. When I was living in Athens, GA for a hot minute (working at the University of Georgia’s Hillel), I used to hit up a little local cafe and order the same thing — their homemade pimento cheese. I have yet to be able to replicate their perfect cheese dip until I found Sean Brock’s recipe in Garden & Gun. Sean Brock is the chef at McCrady’s and Husk, in Charleston, South Carolina as well as Nashville so I think it’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about about Southern food. I’ve changed a few things but really, very little of his recipe. In my mind, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You can use this recipe as a basic recipe for both the sweet potato and the dip and eat them separately or independently. We ate the dip all week-long. We had it with cut vegetables and pita chips as well as on this here sweet potato. And hey, it’s a gluten-free recipe so, I guess you can kinda consider it healthy, right?

Lately, on the Jewhungry Instagram page.

Lately, on the Jewhungry Instagram page.

 

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Baked Sweet Potato with Pimento Cheese

Ingredients

  • 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1/4 cup jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
  • 4 oz. whipped cream cheese cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ½ cup mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s (cause really, there's no other mayo like it)
  • ½ tsp. Frank's Hot Sauce
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp. sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ⅛ tsp. freshly ground white pepper
  • ⅛ tsp. smoked paprika
  • ¼ cup finely chopped bread-and-butter pickles and brine
  • 1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater

Instructions

  1. For the Sweet Potatoes -- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub the outside of your sweet potato of any dirt. Using a fork, poke holes all over it (careful not to poke yourself!). Place on a baking sheet and roast for roughly 40 - 45 minutes or until a fork can easily move through it.
  2. While roasting, put the cream cheese in a medium bowl and beat it with a wooden spoon until softened. Add the mayonnaise and mix well. Add the hot sauce, salt, sugar, cayenne pepper, white pepper, and smoked paprika and stir to blend. Add the pickles, brine, and cheddar cheese and stir again. Fold in the diced pimentos.
  3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Tightly covered, the pimento cheese will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
https://jewhungrytheblog.com/baked-sweet-potato-pimento-cheese/

Sweet potato and pimento cheese jewhungry kosher blog

 

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Chocolate Hamantaschen with Tahini + Caramel Drizzle
03/14/16

double chocolate hamantaschen tahini caramel

 

double chocolate hamantaschen tahini caramel

Alright, alright. I got one more hamantaschen recipe for ya. What can I say? I like triangle-shaped cookies that can indulge my love of toppings or ‘fixin’s’, as we say down South. Oh man, I love fixin’s. Gimme alllllll the toppings. Be them sweet or savory, I love toppings. As a kid, I had some weird eating habits that revolved around toppings or condiments. One of my favorites was a baked potato in which I would top with shredded cheese and salad dressing (a vinaigrette was my preferable dressing for this delicious dish).

double chocolate hamantaschen tahini caramel

 

double chocolate hamantaschen tahini caramel

 

I also went through a phase in which I ate lunch foods for breakfast. This included, but was not limited to, microwaveable mac n’ cheese and Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs. Have I mentioned I should be 500 pounds? Anywho, for as much as I love condiments (I’ll take all the mayonnaise please), there are a few condiments that if you were to put them on my food, I might threaten to shiv you. These include mustard (Only on hot dogs and THAT IS IT), whipped cream (Waste of calories. It’s just fluffy air), shredded coconut (NEVER. EVER. EVER.). But tehina, yes please!! Oh my goodness, just put it on everything, especially these cookies. I based these hamantaschen off of Danielle Oron’s Salted Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies, made beautifully by Molly Yeh. I’ve been following Danielle on Instagram for a while and truly love what she’s doing with food, especially since she brings so much tehina into the mix. So I took the flavors from those amazing looking salted tahini chocolate chip cookies and made them into a hamantaschen. I think it worked out nicely. Maybe you’ll make them and let me know?

Me in Middle School, circa 1993, probably dreaming about something with cheese and mayonnaise on it.

Me in Middle School, circa 1993, probably dreaming about something with cheese and mayonnaise on it.

double chocolate hamantaschen tahini caramel

 

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Double Chocolate Hamantaschen with Tahini + Caramel Drizzle

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter (or margarine), room temperature
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp milk
  • 1 Tbsp cold, brewed espresso or strong coffee
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/8 cup cocoa powder (I prefer Hershey’s Special Dark)
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 egg + 1 tsp water (egg wash)
  • 1/4 cup dark and white chocolate chips - FOR FILLING
  • 1/4 cup caramel sauce
  • 1/4 cup raw tahini
  • Maldon sea salt

Instructions

  1. Beat the butter and sugar together until smooth.
  2. Add egg, milk, espresso, and vanilla until mixed thoroughly.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and saltl. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture until incorporated.
  4. Note: if the dough is too soft, increase flour amount by 1/4 cup of flour until firm.
  5. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in saran wrap and chill for AT LEAST an hour.
  6. On a floured work surface, roll out dough to a scant 1/4-inch thickness. With a 2 3/4-inch round cutter, or wide=rimmed drinking class, cut out circles; place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Gather scraps, chill, and repeat.
  7. Whisk together remaining egg and 1 teaspoon water in a bowl. Brush circle edges with egg wash. Place 1 rounded teaspoon chocolate chips in center of each circle.
  8. Lift sides of dough toward center, over filling, to form a triangle; pinch seams together. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
  9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center.
  10. Bake cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, 1 sheet at a time, about 12 minutes.
  11. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
  12. Dip a small spoon into the caramel sauce and drizzle over cooled cookies. Repeat with tahini.
  13. Top with sprinkling of Maldon sea salt.
https://jewhungrytheblog.com/double-chocolate-hamantaschen-with-tahini-caramel-drizzle/

double chocolate hamantaschen tahini caramel

double chocolate hamantaschen tahini caramel

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