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Beet and Yogurt Salad

By: Danya Weiner As a food photographer I am inherently attracted to the sensuality of food. There are those foods which make my job more difficult, and those foods, like beets that make me excited to be shooting them. On a shoot, I am always on the lookout for the sensuality of the food im shooting, and I try to connect to that place in order to create the most appealing shot. For me, it’s not enough that the food tastes good or that it makes sense from a culinary standpoint, but it has to really look good (I know I sound like one of those superficial girls who only looks at hotties). Even the most delicious of foods that looks unattractive has the ability to dissolve all of my inspiration and creativity.  I’m completely biased towards shooting fresh, seasonal and beautifully inspiring produce and food. Here’s an example: this past Monday we were shooting for the blog. I was in the kitchen shredding beets. The little speckles of beet juice that were shooting around my workspace... 
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Brisket, Celeriac Puree and Sweet and Sour Cabbage: Happy Passover

There are certain foods I grew up with in America that were known as Jewish food. When I first came to Israel I was sure that those “Jewish” foods would be readily available throughout the country. Take bagels for example, probably the most Jewish of foods you can find in America. I have still yet to find a good bagel in the country, and the ones I have found have been over-priced, hard, and nothing like the real “Jewish” American ones. Brisket is another one of these foods. Every American Jewish mom has their own recipe for Brisket, which is actually a beef roast, synonymous with the name of cut the beef. All the briskets I tasted stateside have all shared a common denominator: cooked for hours in a sweet and savory gravy-like sauce. Here is Israel, I have yet to come across a brisket at the dinner table, even during the holidays. This recipe was based on my mom’s famous brisket recipe, which always comes out perfectly soft, sweet and tangy, just the way it’s meant to be.... 
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The Softest Bread Rolls Ever

By: Danya Weiner   In the past few weeks I've gotten into the habit of making homemade bread rolls and freezing them. I warm them up for breakfast, I make sandwiches for the kids to take to school, or as an afternoon snack. This recipe for the perfect bread rolls comes from my sister-in-law, Hani. Hani is 24 years old. She has nine brothers and sisters. She comes from a religious family and is  a mother now to a 9-month old baby. Theoretically, we don't have much in common and most probably wouldn’t have been friends, but that’s only in theory. In actuality, Hani is one of the most sincere and intelligent people I have met. She has an incredible ability to expose her most intimate self, which in itself is the key to creating a genuine and personal friendship. During the weekends that we spend together we dive deep into talks about relationships, kids, religion, family and food of course! A few weeks ago, Hani sent me an email with a recipe she received from her sister who got it... 
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Mejadra Freekeh: In other words, a tasty lentil stew

By: Danya Weiner  When I was still pregnant I heard a rumor at my son’s preschool that one of the assistants at my was quitting and was looking to become a nanny. Being that I always really liked her, I immediately called her in hopes I was the first to “catch” her. Today, Hisin is my son’s nanny (together with another mini-friend, Ella). Not a day goes by that I am not thankful that she is in my life, she has the biggest heart I have ever come across. Beyond the limitless love she gives to my three sons, she spoils Oded and I with her amazing cooking straight from the authentic Arab cuisine. She has brought us fresh zaa’tar (hyssop) homemade by her sister, spicy pickled olives and many other little surprises which never fail to excite me.  At least once a week I come home to find pots and pans filled with delicious stews alongside a perfectly chopped vegetable salad. Last Sunday I came home after a long (sweet) photo shoot, and I was in need of something savory. To my delight,... 
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Homemade Soft Pretzels

By: Danya Weiner The Jewish holiday of Passover (the one where you can’t eat bread) is near, and I’m craving carbs now more than ever. I’m already addicted to carbs, so take them away from me for a week and I go into overload two weeks ahead of time. Unfortunately I am aware of the empty calories related to this love of mine, and therefore I try to be careful to precisely determine if the carbs I’m eating are worth it. Pretzels in all forms are considered worth it. In the past few weeks I’ve come across several recipes for homemade pretzels that looked enticing. I’ve never tried making pretzels at home for a valid reason-I was once shooting a cookbook with a chef who told me that “real” pretzels are boiled in water mixed with a small amount of sodium hydroxide (the stuff I use to unclog my sink). The recipes I’d been looking at recently didn’t include the toxic stuff, so I gave it a second thought and made my first batch of pretzels. I can’t say that the first time... 
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