The Sunday before Rosh Hashanah, I found out that I wouldn’t be having cleaning help for the next two weeks because the woman who cleans my house had hurt her hand. I felt terrible about her injury, but at the same time, it knocked me off my feet.

Here I thought I had this making-Yom Tov-while-raising-kids-while-running-a-home-while-working schedule under control with relatively enough room for mini disasters. I panicked a bit, maybe snapped once or twice over a spill, put everyone to sleep, and started cleaning. I was getting major quarantine vibes as I planned that Monday would be Bathroom Day and Tuesday Laundry Day.

I realized that I needed to rethink this approach. Kvetching to my husband resulted in him reminding me of the “pick two” refrain. (You can only pick two: sane mother, happy kids, clean house.) And me telling him, well, “sane mother” is synonymous with “clean house,” so I outsmarted the system.

My ideal goal is to be the paradigm of calm, the anchor of the kitchen. So, just like when we were all home in Covid quarantine, I needed to lower some expectations. Some of the things on my smug menu would have to go, and I would also have to practice in front of a mirror not apologizing to my guests.

In this week’s issue, we have a new column called Round Table. This column will feature a food-related conversation between a group of lively and opinionated sisters. I was moved by the discussion I had with the Kramer sisters, and I walked away with a reminder to do what I can, and the rest is just fine.

Wishing you a beautiful Yom Tov,

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

Coffee Cake Cookies

My daughter Shana wanted to make a cookie that was a little different, so we came up with this. They’re a fun change and a pretty addition to any dessert! I used the base of my chocolate chip cookies, left out the chocolate chips, and added the crumb topping. Fun, different, yet familiar.

Crumb Mixture

• ¼ cup margarine
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ cup flour

Measure out 1 Tbsp of cookie dough. Make an indentation in your cookie using a small measuring spoon. Fill with the crumble mixture and bake according to your recipe’s directions. I did it on 350°F (175°C) for 20 minutes.

Once baked, make a drizzle with 1 cup confectioners’ sugar + 1 Tbsp hot water + 1 tsp of oil + ¹⁄₂ tsp cinnamon + ¹⁄₂ tsp vanilla. (I used vanilla bean powder, but use any vanilla you have on hand, just be mindful of the liquid it’s adding to the drizzle.) Drizzle over cooled cookies.

My BFF in the Freezer

I keep buying the frozen mini Unger’s graham tart shells for quick desserts (and then it usually becomes my daughter’s project). We fill them with cookie dough + Lotus butter, or a rich chocolate batter, or I prebake the crusts and fill them with lemon curd and pomegranate seeds. Delicious!

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 813)