How to Fail at a Cookie Party

When I was newly married (19!), my then-husband and I moved to a farm between Binghamton and Ithaca, New York. His job was being a farmhand. Mine was reading, watching the only television station available (whatever was playing—whether competitive bowling or I Love Lucy re-runs), and gaining weight. The cookies below helped enormously in that last endeavor. We … Read more

When Santa Stopped Being My Unavailable Man

Stories abound of Jewish people who grow up warm and secure in their faith. Those for whom the eight days of Hanukah didn’t compete with Christmas: Jewish nurses, firefighters, and doctors (the ones my mother wanted me to marry) who take Christmas Eve shifts to ensure that their Christian brethren are home for the holidays. … Read more