In a Nutshell:

Everything Soup

I’m obsessed with making soups all winter long. Here’s one I made recently. Is it a bit random? Yes. But the lesson is to take any vegetable you have in your fridge or freezer and turn it into soup.

1 onion + 2 zucchini + 2 medium potatoes + 2 medium carrots + 5–6 large button or cremini mushrooms + a handful of string beans (frozen is fine) + ¹⁄₄ cup barley + seasoning (I’ll admit I used soup mix for flavor.)

—Chanie Nayman

Just Sayin’

What food trend do you think is a silly fad?

I actually love food trends! They’re creative, interesting, and a perfectly fun way to experiment in the kitchen and break up a mundane cooking routine. I love to try them with my kids and make an activity out of it. The ones that work really well, like the viral hamburger wraps, get incorporated into my dinner rotation, but occasionally, some of them fall short.

I think the silliest (and the grossest!) one we’ve tried was a cored dill pickle stuffed with a chili lime chip and rolled in a fruit roll-up. If it sounds terrible, it’s because it is. But it was everywhere, and I had to try it.

On the other hand, the fruit roll-ups stuffed with ice cream were a huge hit, and now we make them with pareve ice cream every Shabbos Mevarechim as a special treat!

—Danielle Renov

Kitchen Fave

Tonnelli Vodka Sauce is underrated when it comes to making a dish that takes no effort and tastes delicious, and it’s chalav Yisrael too! It’s as easy as mac and cheese but so much more sophisticated. I often add a bit more heavy cream and shredded cheese and top with Parmesan.

—Esti Vago

FT, help me!!

Whenever I bake, I always use one-minute oats even when the recipe calls for old-fashioned oats. Is that okay? 

It’s okay to interchange the types of oats, but they produce different textures. So if you want a chewier cookie, you’d be best off using old-fashioned oats. The one-minute oats offer less texture and may absorb a little more liquid than the old-fashioned ones.

—Faigy Grossman

Ok, Quick:

To pack in the veggies, is it soup or salad for you?

My husband isn’t enchanted by salads, so it’s soups and roasted vegetables for us!

—Barbara Bensoussan

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 882)