The Fourth of July

hi friends! i hope everyone had a great Fourth of July, and enjoyed long weekend.  Sadly, I did not get the day off in Israel, but my friends and I had a little Independence Day celebration that evening with some s'mores :)

they were delicious! we couldn't find graham crackers at the grocery store, so we had to make do with tea crackers. Nevertheless, our toaster-oven version of s'mores with melted Israeli chocolate (yum) and pink and white marshmallows was perfection.  I can't count the number of times I've said this, but sharing food with friends just makes me indescribably happy.  As I start get sentimental about leaving college (only one more year!!), I can safely say that my happiest memories in the last three years in school mostly involve eating with friends :)  

Remember last Fourth of July, when I had barely started blogging? I still remember how great it was to eat those crumble bars with everyone. I am so grateful to have friends to eat with, regardless of where i am in the world.

 Beth (pictured above) was the mastermind of Project S'mores. Thanks, Beth, for joining us in Rehovot for the weekend and making this happen :) May we have many more cooking adventures together!

Spicy Broccoli and Red Pepper Pasta

aaand we're back.  After a stressful last month of school, I'm finally sitting comfortably in my parents' house, eating delicious Indian food and spending time with my family.  and what better way to spend Christmas Day than updating the blog?

In my opinion, one of the best parts of being at home is the kitchen; nothing beats a well-stocked fridge, an excellent assortment of cookware, and clean kitchen counters.  It's perfect for trying out new recipes! :)

also, i'm absolutely loving the variety of fresh vegetables in sunny California! after 2 months of mainly sweet potatoes, kale, and butternut squash in the cold northeast, it's exciting to see all the fresh produce.

anyways, here's a festive Christmas pasta that I tried out a few days ago... enjoy!

True Family Dinner(s)

So last time, I posted about how my friends and I get together to have elaborate potluck dinners.  This time, I got to eat dinner with my actual family! This weekend, my brother and dad came to visit me in Boston.  In terms of food and fun, it was absolutely wonderful.  And the fun doesn't end yet, because my brother will be in Boston for the whole week! yay:)

To be quite honest, we spent most of our time this weekend eating or cooking.

Family Dinner

Last weekend, my friends and I decided to get together for a little family dinner.  We like to have family dinners during the school year, and it's generally a time where we bond over good food and have fun:)  Even though many of our friends are away for the summer, we had a pretty good turnout!This dinner was a perfect mix of summery salads, corn bread, and Pei's amazing carrot cake

Dinner with Friends

This week, my friends Pei and Erick moved into their new apartment in Cambridge.  To celebrate, they invited several friends over to their place for dinner! Pei used her magical cooking talents to make barbecue chicken, arugula pasta salad, and almond skillet cake, and I made stuffed red peppers.  After living in a college dorm for so long, it was super refreshing to hang out in a clean, air-conditioned apartment.  And we got to watch the Celtics game in HD:) so much fun.

 

Although I'm a vegetarian, I still enjoyed taking pictures of all of the food! 

Barbecue Chicken: