Welcome to Cat of the Week! This week, we have Sheba, a gorgeous tortoiseshell who belongs to Rina's roommate, Cornelia! Their apartment doesn't allow pets (tragic, we know), so Sheba lives in North Carolina with Cornelia's mom and step-dad instead.
Read MoreWhole Foods has unreal prepared foods. It should be known that this post is the opposite of sponsored - we spend so much money there (silly millenials!). But seriously, they make killer food . One of my absolute favorite things used to be their take on a torta, a Mexican sandwich that's kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure book, but edible. Their torta was vegetarian, with cheese, veggies and a killer chipotle sauce. I say it used to be one of my favorite things on the menu because they no longer sell it at their sandwich counter. Trés tragique, I know.
Anyway, it fell upon me to re-create the sandwich of my dreams, so I decided to do some research on this hefty sandwich. I am a food nerd, through and through.
Read MoreIn all my years of celebrating Halloween, I can't pinpoint a particularly genius costume. I always opted for the Disney princess, the baby in a giant onesie, the store-bought nurse's costume to match the scrubs my college boyfriend found at a thrift store. This was all in an arguably simpler time - a time before Instagram likes crowned the best costume and being meta was all the rage. Despite my simple costume choices, however, I absolutely adore Halloween.
Read MoreWelcome to cat of the week! This week we have not one, not two, but THREE cats! Meet Fiona, Ollie and Mozart, an adorable cuddle puddle who live with their mama, Karissa. Read all about them down below!
Read MoreWelcome to Baker's Dozen! This week we have spooky Halloween events, cheeky raccoons, dinner party menus and more.
Read MoreThey say, when life gives you lemons; make lemonade. Well, dear idiom inventors, what do you do when life gives you pears? And not just a plastic grocery bag of pears - a huge brown bag of them every week for three weeks (thanks, CSA). Well, I say, when life gives you pears, you make some damn delicious pear scones.
Getting three pounds of scones wasn't exactly what I anticipated this season, but it seemed I couldn't eat them fast enough. And while pears are deliciously sweet on their own, there's only so many yogurt adornments, salad additions and snack time treats before you shout "no more!" Gliding past the whole poached pear thing, which was recommended to me by many a co-worker, I began to research ways I could turn pears into something more comforting. Fruit is great and all, but fall means hot cider, cozy sweaters, crunchy leaves and cinnamon baked goods.
Read MoreI have never trick or treated. Like, ever.
I think I've talked about this before, but growing up my family was pretty observant - we kept strict kosher, observed Shabbat and went to Jewish camps and schools. Since Halloween is not not a historically pagan holiday, at least to a degree, it was a major no-no in the Bergman house. While some families we knew turned off all of their lights and hid in the basement from trick-or-treaters, however, my family always handed out candy to the neighborhood kids (and occasional creepy teenager). Not the typical Halloween tradition, but my family's nonetheless.
Read MoreWelcome to cat of the week! This week, we are joined by the one-toothed wonder cat, Duffalo, or Duffy for short. Duffy lives with his sister Fergie and is quite the model. You can see all of their amazing costumes and tongues-out-Tuesdays on Instagram @squishdelish.
Read MoreWelcome to Baker's Dozen! This week, we have sushi for cats, mattress wars, a Tom Petty tribute and an old TV classic.
Read MoreYesterday, I found out that one of my kickball team's favorite bars closed. It was a pretty tragic revelation for our whole group, to be honest. We had spent many evenings there - from rained-out kickball games to Saturday night skee-ball matches - and, despite the beer towers and stronger-than-words Moscow Mules, we always returned for one thing - the soft pretzels.
Now, these pretzels were hardly what you're thinking - they didn't come from a heated glass box, spinning on a mindless rotisserie, drying out by the minute. No, these pretzels bigger than your head, fluffy and flavorful, full of thick, bread-like texture and accompanied by an out-of-this-world honey mustard dipping sauce. Exactly what you need before (or after!) a night of drinking with great friends.
Read MoreThere are so many things I loved about living in Israel, but something that always irked me was the lack of seasons. Except for a few days of snow during my time in Jerusalem, the weather was hot, kind of hot, extremely hot, or cool-ish. No blizzards, no super strong windy days. Lots of humidity. And definitely no changing leaves. That's what I missed the most about home, I think, besides my family (duh - hi guys!) - I'm from Michigan, land of beautiful fall foliage and autocratic automobile executives.
Read MoreWelcome to Cat of the Week! Meet Arizona Ricecakes, the fluffiest retired pageant cat you will ever see. Arizona lives with her mama, Alisha, in Denver, and you can see all of the fun they get up to on Instagram @arizona_riceakes.
Read MoreI so wanted to save this recipe for Thanksgiving. The idea of bringing a rich and comforting bowl of love to your favorite meat-eater's house in lieu of turkey was just the compliment my favorite holiday needed. But then, life happened. Rina and I have been swamped, as of late, between the Jewish holidays and fall kicking into full swing (though the weather would beg to differ), we haven't been able to cook and shoot as much as we wanted. Thankfully, we had this killer recipe in our back pocket. And you know what? Today might not have been Turkey Day, but it was the perfect day for a bowl of cheesy carbs. If you're in NYC, you'll know that this weather has been absolutely dreadful. Skyrocketing levels of humidity that dare any straightened piece of curly hair to withstand its wrath accompanied by the most depressing grey skies is enough to make a case of Mondays take a turn for the worse. And I know I wasn't the only one feeling a bit anxious and blue today, it seemed that all my friends and coworkers were in the same boat as I was. So, this recipe is just what the doctor called for, and if we're being honest, it's the perfect way to kick off the week.
Read MoreWelcome to cat of the week! This week we are joined by Patchouli, a super cute fluffernutter who lives with his mama, Amanda, in NYC. You can follow Patchouli's adventures on Instagram @patchoulithecat.
Read MoreWelcome to Baker's Dozen! This week, we have a giant crystal sculpture, mob cheese, insane myths about period cravings and more.
Read MoreI pride myself on my intellect. I know, deep down, that I am a smart person. I have two degrees, can memorize large swaths of information, and am really good at applying lip liner. A skill is a skill.
Which is why, when I have particularly stupid moments, I just have to laugh. I say to myself, "Hey girl, it's totally fine that you just shattered that glass baking dish by putting ice cubes in it and then transferring it to a 475 degree F oven! You still know so many animal facts!"
Yeah...when a recipe says to use a cast-iron skillet, it isn't a suggestion. Use the cast-iron skillet. Apart from cockroaches, they'll be the only things left after the apocalypse.
Read MoreWelcome to cat of the week! Meet Montague, a majestic kitty who was rescued by his humans and lives in Queens, NY. You can see all the mischief Montague gets up to on Instagram @montague_the_rescue_cat.
Read MoreIt's Sunday night, and I just got off a plane. Scratch that - I just returned from the airport of horror, LaGuardia. The last thing I want to do, let alone think of, is making dinner. In my imagination, dinner is already ready and waiting for me. Perhaps, for practicality purposes, served by a handful of singing-and-dancing knick knacks?
OK, so maybe my life doesn't involve any Disney movie magic - which is too bad because how cool would a magic carpet be? Especially in New York, you'd save time and health commuting via magic carpet. I digress - but this blog is pretty magical. Especially when it comes to turning an over-abundance of veggies into the most convenient and delicious dishes your Sunday night has ever seen.
Read MoreWelcome back to Baker's Dozen! This week we have a spicy food festival, a guide to British buns, salty licorice, donut power and more.
Read MoreAfter a certain point, living in New York becomes almost natural. I say almost because mysterious subway stenches will never be considered natural, but after a bit of adjustment, the big city mellows enough to make any transplant feel at home. Or at least, said transplant finds the mellow among the chaos.
I've been here for over three years now, and while I've never considered myself a New Yorker, I feel I have the city down pretty well. I know how to outsmart the closing doors, maneuver reckless bikers and eat delectably while on a budget. Despite this, I still find myself surprised by the small things this city quietly offers. Like the tiny corner farmers market just outside Morningside Park. Rina and I went with the intention of meeting Susie's Senior Dogs (more on that, later, we promise), and left with a bottle of the most understated alcohol I've ever encountered: apple brandy.
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