"Eat Jewish" Offers Simple Versatile Dishes for Everyday and Passover

With Passover coming up on April 1 and wanting to give readers some cool, new kosher-for-Passover dish options, I was delighted when I came across a recent cookbook by Melinda Strauss called “Eat Jewish: Over 100 Recipes That Blend Jewish Heritage, Modern Flavors, and Family Traditions”. Known as “Jewish TikTok Mom, Strauss has filled her cookbook with both unique recipes that feel fun, yet familiar and cool twists on the dishes we were raised on. She’s shared three of them—Passover Egg Noodles, Passover Bagels and Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Sticks—with readers of my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section. Chag Pesach Sameach!

How to Create a Dog-Friendly Yard

If you’re a dog owner with a yard, creating a landscape that satisfies your desires and aesthetics but also addresses your dog’s needs may seem like an oxymoron. You want a beautiful garden — maybe even a space to grow vegetables — and a place to relax, entertain family and friends, maybe a play area if you have young kids, perhaps have a swimming pool.

Your dog, of course, needs to run around, potty, maybe dig or chew on things as well as relax in the fresh air. And she or he definitely needs to be safely ensconced in the yard with no escape options.

When it comes to creating a dog-friendly landscape — or “petscape” — you might think about what you need in four buckets: dog safety and security, landscape protection, your aesthetics and comfort, and dog play. I spoke with landscape design experts—and the president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society—to get advice for how to make your dream dog-friendly yard come to fruition. Check out my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section to learn how to do it.

Tastes of Citrus Season

We’re deep into February and in peak citrus season. I don’t know about you, but my two Meyer lemon trees are drooping with fruit, as is — surprisingly — my dwarf blood orange tree. Even my little potted lime tree is dotted with baby fruit.

So, what do you do with all this bounty? I checked in with William Eick, the owner and chef of Matsu, the elegant, minimalist Japanese restaurant in Oceanside. He introduced me to three terrific recipes that feature the brightness and tang of citrus: Tangerine Zest Salmon Nigiri, Tangerine Beef and a stunning dessert of Blonde Miso-Vanilla Ice Cream with Caramelized White Chocolate and Orange Dashi Gel. You can get the recipes for these fabulous dishes in my latest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section.

Olivewood Gardens Takes the Kitchenistas to YouTube

If you’re keen to learn some new, nutritious, plant-forward and very tasty recipes from Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center, a nonprofit in the South Bay that’s one of our region’s most treasured community organizations, you’ll want to tune into YouTube starting Feb. 19. That’s when “Cooking with Kitchenistas” will debut.

The series, according to Angelica Gastelum, Olivewood Gardens’ communications and marketing manager, is an offshoot of its “Cooking for Salud” bilingual nutrition education program, taught by Kitchenistas, community members who have graduated from the nine-week Cooking for Salud program. Learn more in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section.

Creating a Playroom That Can Grow With Your Kids

Where do your kids or grandkids play in the house? If you have the space or can carve some out, a playroom could be a great option not just for the children but for you. Imagine not having the entire house—or at least the public rooms—being overtaken by toys and other stuff. I approached a few interior designers for tips and advice on creating playrooms. You can learn a lot from them in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home and Garden section!

Appealing Appetizers from Cherryfish

Soup with benefits. That’s how I like to think of these three recipes from the new restaurant Cherryfish in Pacific Beach, helmed by executive chef Marcus Twilegar. We’re deep into soup season right now, and it’s also almost time for Super Bowl parties, where finger food is everything. Serve them together and you’ll have blissed-out guests.

The soup in question is the richest miso soup you may ever have enjoyed. It’s related by name only to the salty, tofu cube-studded broth you usually get at middling sushi restaurants or just-add-water packets in grocery stores. Twilegar’s miso soup is matched by two finger-food dishes you’ve probably also developed familiarity with: edamame and shishito peppers. But these are a level above. In separate but joyful ways, they are distinctive flavor bombs. And all three dishes have the added benefit of being very easy to make. You can get the recipes in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section. And many thanks, as always, to K.C. Alfred for the gorgeous accompanying photos!