When I was really little, Tradition soups were for winter vacation only. No way would my mother let us have that kind of “fake” food more than occasionally.

A bunch of years passed, and someone in the community began selling cases of snacks, some canned items, and the blue Tradition soups (which, in those days, I’m sure you remember, came as a cardstock square around the Styrofoam cup). It was a way to support a local frum business, and my mother embraced the opportunity. And we were the luckiest kids on the block to have a stock of Tradition soups in our garage — which our neighbors picked up on as well.

I don’t know where any adults were, but I vividly recall one Shavuos afternoon, when it dawned on my neighbor and me that we could actually make Tradition soups on Yom Tov. I mean, it was almost a mitzvah at that point to break into a box for a hot soup on a hot day. It became a mini-tradition until we grew out of it, but today the story earns us major relatable points with our kids.

Noodle soups are still in the “treat” category in my mind, great for bribing my kids with, and always a steady for cold-weather vacations. It’s amazing to watch how ramen noodles have become a normal dinner component, and we know how many times you’ve made and remade the recipes we’ve printed with ramen as a base. I don’t know about you, but I still feel a little mischievous every time I rip open a package and take it seriously!

We decided to go big with this topic and give you not one but four new ways to use your (your kids’??) favorite ingredient. Is it okay to incorporate treats into dinner routine along with some nutrient-dense protein? If it adds a spark of lucky to the nighttime routine, I vote very much yes.

CHANIE NAYMAN
Food Editor, Family Table
Editor in Chief, Kosher.com

Cranberry Poached Pears

This is a variation on a recipe that my mother pulled out of a Good Housekeeping cookbook (published 1981) many years ago, but it’s the only poached pear recipe we ever make!

• 12 small pears, peeled, halved, and cored
• 1 32-oz (910-g) bottle cranberry juice
• ¼ cup raspberry jam
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 cups water

Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer on low until pears are soft, about one hour.

You Know This, Right?

I always add a bit of oil to my pasta while it’s cooking. It really helps prevent clumping (especially with spaghetti-type shapes!). Any oil works!

This is not my hack; I’m pretty sure it’s printed on the box!

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 779)