Hey Everyone! Welcome to Liz’s Kosher Kitchen! My full name is Elizabeth Stern, however people have called me Liz my whole life. You are probably thinking I might be Ashkenazi from the last name, however I actually grew up Sephardic. Stern is my happily married name and i’m proud of it! So with that said, you will definitely find a huge variety of recipes on my blog–from Ashkenazi to Sephardic, along with other cultural and tasty foods. I will be making recipes from scratch as well as quick and easy recipes. I always try to use seasonal fruits and veggies when I cook and I don’t like cooking with pretentious or hard to find ingredients. Ain’t nobody got time for that! So every ingredient listed should be easily accessible to you!

REASON I AM STARTING THIS BLOG: Honestly, this whole blog thing is very new to me. Its a little embarrassing to admit but I never really understood what a blog was–I used to hear “blog” and think of a blob (I still do actually). Too high tech for me! Buuuut I love cooking and it has always been a huge part of my life. I love hosting dinner parties and gatherings. Every time I host one, I always get asked for recipes. I also always wanted to make a cookbook of our family recipes but I figured with social media now a days, I better start on the internet. That is when I decided it was time for me to BLOG! Makes sense, right? Now I can share all of my experiences and recipes with  you! Everything from cooking to eating, traveling, hosting gatherings, and spending time with family and friends.

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME: Growing up in a big Jewish, crazy, and loud family, the heart of our home has always been the kitchen. The stove is always cooking and there is always food being served. Anytime I visited my grandparents house growing up, I knew there was no way I could sneak out of their home without eating. It was basically impossible for me to ever be on a diet! Cooking was definitely their way of expressing love and I think I inherited that trait. My grandma owned her own restaurant and bakery in Brooklyn for many years which some of you may be familiar with-Aliza’s Catering. It was one of the first in Brooklyn. I learned so much from her and she has passed down so many great recipes. Since my grandma worked so much, my grandpa became the home cook cooking dinner every night–he was really a great cook! I specifically remember his amazing bar b q’s, his homemade cous cous, his falafel–the list goes on. My mom is also an AMAZING home cook and I will include her in some of my blogs. My dad also cooks from time to time and is pretty good. So you can see that in my family both the men and women cook a lot. Its in our blood!! haha Some memories as a child include following my mom around the kitchen and having weird school lunches that I would try to hide from the other kids–while everyone was eating PB&J, my parents sent me to school with Kibbe! I also remember tasting anything and everything! Not because I particular wanted to (maybe i did) but because my parents would always make my siblings and I taste everything whether we were home, traveling, or eating out. They wanted us to understand different cultures and tastes. That might be the reason why I am least picky eater on this planet. I will always try something at least once and I love different cultures and foods. I am obsessed with cooking channels and shows. I just LOVE cooking everything and learning how to improve as I go along. I will definitely incorporate family recipes and secrets on this blog.

Traveling is also another passion of mine. My husband and I try to travel as much as we can. We love trying all the different cultural foods—er, let me rephrase that–I love trying all the different cultural foods. My hubby is kind of a picky eater (e.g. NO ONIONS, NO SALMON) and is not as open to trying new foods as I am. However he is still a trooper and does try a lot of different things when I am around. We have traveled to many beautiful places around the world and have eaten all kinds of foods, from street markets to fine Michelin Star restaurants.

Another fun fact–my kitchen is super tiny!! It is probably 8×8 feet and that seems exaggerated! On top of that, we basically have double of everything because we keep Milk and Meat separate and I can’t find space for any of it! So I will do my best to use as little cooking tools as possible and I will also share any tips I have on staying organized.

I am hoping that what I share will be interesting and will inspire you.

Feel free to ask me ANY questions and I will respond as quickly as possible.