Customer Reviews

Fast and Festive Meals for the Jewish Holidays: Complete Menus, Rituals, and Party-Planning Ideas for Every Holiday of the Year

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was skeptical that this cookbook could deliver, but it does! I have made many of these recipes and complete menus, and everything has obviously been tested repeatedly; each recipe is a winner! I have gotten many compliments over these dishes. Best of all, I am able to entertain with two small children by following her timelines and preparing in advance. This has become a favorite cookbook of mine for all Jewish holidays.

This is a cookbook that can help take the fear and trepidation out of holiday cooking, especially for novice cooks. There are many reasonable shortcuts (using a cake mix as a base) and interesting ideas. Many of the recipes hav become year-long family favorites. It is a welcome addition to my vast collection of coolbooks.

Last year my sister gave me Fast and Festive Meal..as a Chanakah gift as I was converting to Judaism and had little knowledge of how to cook jewishly. This book is absolutely amazing. Wonderful meal suggestions that have allowed me to incorporate Jewish eating into my new life as a Jew with the attendant rituals. What I find most attractive are her suggestions on the timing of preparations and the possibilities for freezing.

L'année passée ma soeur m'a donné comme cadeau de Hanoucca, Fast and Festive Meals car j'étais en train de me convertir au Judaisme. J'avais besoin d'un guide pour cuisiner en juif Ce livre m'a permis d'incorporer la cuisine juive dans ma vie de tous les jours et ceci avec les rituels prescripts. Ce que je trouve des plus intéressants sont ses suggestions pour l'horaire de la préparations et les possibilités pour la congelation.

Since other reviewers have already praised this book for its purposefulness, this reader wants to speak of its other qualities. By presenting its recipes within the context of a religious culture this book deserves a place on the reference shelf as well as the kitchen. Its knowledge is, thus, doubly delicious. And the candor of the introduction, speaking of the author's having to deal with a conflict of Faith, is a recipe for being; it's grace, suggestive of literature, whets one's appetite for Marlene Sorosky's own story. It is more than surprising, but gratifying, for a cook book to give a real taste of poetry, honesty, intimacy, loving, depth, openness, wit.

I love this cookbook. One of my favorite recipes from this cookbook is the recipe for Gefilte Fish Mousse. It is a very tasty and unusual way to serve gefilte fish. If you get this cookbook, try that recipe. Its great! I enjoyed the whole cookbook. Let's admit holidays and cooking go hand in hand. Who can think of purim without thinking about eating Hamantashen. Read this book if you want to make you Jewish Holidays more special and tasty.

My copy of this great book is spattered, tattered and all else that a well-used and better-loved cookbook should be! I have tried nearly all the recipes and NONE of them has not been fabulous. (Should I say, they have all been wonderful!) People ask for the recipes all the time. What a great commentary! Would that all cookbooks were so easy, creative, and fail-safe! Naturally, with recipesthis good, I don't just use them for Jewish holidays!

The loz & cream cheese pizza was a big hit at my party last week! And the passover desserts are excellent. This book is the best for Jewish holidays. All of the recipes I have made were excellent. I never made the drediel cake as mentioned in another review, but the meals, deserts and even the punch I made were easy to make and big hits at our family gatherings.

I have a huge library of Jewish cookbooks, and this is now the only one I turn to. The recipes are easy to execute, and will make you look like a gourmet cook.
I use this cookbook, even when it is not holiday time.
The stuffed cabbage casserole is remarkable and the brisket is just devine.
The Pesach desserts are incredible, and everytime I make one, someone asks me if it was store bought, they come out so professional looking. They are that terrific. The chocolate chip cookies are so delicious that my Mom could not believe they were Pasidic. I also enjoy the ritual information, and table setting ideas.
The dreidle cake was a major hit at Chanukah.
The is the ONE book that you must have for holiday cooking.
It should be in every household. I have given this book as a gift year after year, and it is always appreciated.

A friend gave me a copy of this book, and it's one of the best gifts I've ever gotten. It's divided by holiday, and the introduction to each holiday also includes some basic advice on organizing the meal, cooking ahead to make things easier that day, prayers to remember, other observances to keep in mind. Then there are the recipes, which are uniformly terrific; unlike some of Joan Nathan's books, they're also well-tested. There's not a single recipe in this book that will fail you. I have cooked dishes from this book for the first time and served them for company, and no one was the wiser. By the way, most of these recipes are just as great for year-round use as for the holidays. But her hamantaschen are foolproof, and her Pesadic section is really good. Thank you, Marlene Sorosky, for a wonderful book!

The recipe for the Crowned apple cake is Awesome!! I make it every year for Rosh Hashana and everyone raves about it. This is just one the many wonderful recipes in this book. The Passover desserts are great, too.