I come from Milwaukee, home to the founders and creators of The Settlement Cookbook — so I grew up thinking I could cook anything easily. If you haven’t ever looked at a copy, the recipes are uniformly succinct — a short list of ingredients, and a few short steps to create. I have taught cooking both in religious school and as one of the arts offerings at Milwaukee Jewish Day School for many years.

The subtitle of the Settlement Cookbook, is “the way to a man’s heart”, but I would say, it’s really a tangible expression of love to cook for someone else. All of the recipes I include are either ones I created or heirloom recipes from my mother and maternal grandmother.

I’ve been dreaming up another program — Shabbat Enabler — where I show up at your house on a Friday, make challah and whip up a simple Shabbat dinner. If you’ve been wondering how to start, and why Shabbat is the cornerstone of Jewish practice, here’s a chance to try it out with no stress. Let’s talk!