In a Nutshell:

Healthy Snickers Bars

Stuff Medjool dates with peanut butter, cover in melted chocolate, and freeze!

—Rivki Rabinowitz

Just Sayin’

What was your most successful mishloach manos?

Since I don’t have a sweet tooth, I always do savory. I’ve done veggie platters and dip, and the all-time favorite was challah and homemade chummus served in Mason jars.

—Naomi Nachman

Review It!

Restaurant rave

JZ Steakhouse in Hollywood, Florida, has been open for about a month. Their appetizers are superb in taste yet creative and not same-old. The service was fantastic, and the food really consistent. Definite thumbs-up. I recommend it highly.

—Rivky Kleiman

Reader feedback

I enjoyed reading about Naomi Nachman’s travel tips! I just wanted to share a foolproof tip that we’ve used many times over. To keep frozen food from thawing, wrap it in newspaper! Apparently newspaper contains a sort of thermal substance. My family and I have traveled many hours by car and arrived with our food fully frozen. I never travel to Israel without our famous Chicago “Romanian” delights (hot dogs, deli, salamis, roasts, etc.) for my kids, and each package is wrapped once in newspaper and arrives frozen! (It obviously helps that it’s in cargo.) Thank you “Bubby” Harriet M. for this hack; it’s a game-changer for traveling!

—Meira Schur,
Chicago, IL

FT, help me!!

Hi! I was wondering if you can shed some light on chunky chocolate chip cookies. I make a recipe that’s identical to my friend’s. Somehow hers stay high and fluffy, while mine always flatten and spread out. I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. Is it the temp of the margarine?

— Minka R., Lakewood, NJ

Definitely make sure your margarine isn’t too soft to prevent flat chocolate chip cookies. Use it straight from the fridge. Real butter or shortening also helps prevent flattening. And be sure to check those expiration dates on your baking powder and baking soda to ensure that they’re fresh!

Another trick I try is to refrigerate the dough for about half an hour before baking, and then once again on the cookie sheet for an additional 15 minutes. Remember to chill the cookie sheets between batches. That usually does the trick for me!

—Chavi Feldman

Ok, Quick:

Do you tend to give out sweet or savory mishloach manos?

Sweet, nine out of ten times!

—Faigy Grossman

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 782)