I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 5!

Hi everyone,

My break is over and I'm back to cooking and blogging through The YALDAH Year. Last night it was... Cheesecake Squares! I'll warn you about this one- it's messy and you may end up eating more graham crackers than you put in the cake because they're good. I hadn't had graham crackers for years when I made this so I was fascinated with what I've been missing out on. Back to the cooking... so much fun. Crumbled graham crackers all over the table... okay, no more about the graham crackers. Here are my pictures...

Above: The graham cracker crust

Above: Crust and filling next to each other

Above: My piece

What do you want me to make from The YALDAH Year for my next blog post? Be sure to comment and let me know.

Quick behind-the-scenes update... we had a Spring 2010 issue planning meeting on Sunday (can you believe that it's almost 2010? I remember 2000... I feel old...). Anyways, great meeting and we have mapped out the Spring Table of Contents and G-d willing Editorial Board assignments will go out in the next week or so. Winter 2009/2010 issue is coming together beautifully with everyone doing their jobs and we're hoping to get it to the printer really soon and then into your mailbox!

One more fun tidbit- http://www.theyaldahyear.com/ is up and there's a page, Reader Photos. Be sure to take photos when you make things from The YALDAH Year and send them in for us to put on the website.

Talk to you soon,

Emily

Long time no speak!

Hi, everyone!

Wow I haven't posted in ages... or so it seems. Then again, you probably didn't miss me because you were having so much fun reading Emily's cook-and-blogs... (Don't worry - I'm also having fun reading them, so I figured I didn't need to post...)

Let's see... do we have a behind-the-scenes update for you today? Hmm... Thursday was the first official staff conference (which I missed because I was at my school's awesome retreat!) which was very good and productive (as I read afterwards). Tomorrow is our spring issue #23 planning meeting (crazy, right? The winter issue's not even finished being laid out yet...).

If you have any article ideas, please email me (nechama@yaldahmagazine.com) before Sunday November 8th at 2:15 NY time... so they can be considered.

Speaking of which, the winter issue is going along... we're trying to finish gathering everything (I guess I should go finish my article!) so we can get this off to the printer on time, which probably won't happen. But that's ok, it usually doesn't! I didn't say that... but you always get it, right? So that works.

I'm listening to Od Yishama on the album Kochvei Hashamayim by All Star. And there's a reason why. I'm listening to my "wedding" playlist, which I made this week when my cousin got engaged!! Mazel Tov :) Her name is Tamar Klein and his is Josh Hirsch. They're from Baltimore.

Hmm. Oh, I have a question for you. Do you read this blog? Please comment on this post if you do (which I'd assume you do if you see this) and you can tell me how often you read it, too. You can tell me what kinds of things you like us to write about... we really want to know! Thanks!

So what was I saying? Oh right, winter issue. Yeah - it's going to be really great! More new features (really cool ones, if I may say so myself).

Ok, so right now I have this much to do [holds hands as far apart as they'll go] so I really have to go and do it all. It's mostly homework, but lots is YALDAH too so you really want me to go do it, right?

Ok, ok...

Gut Voch

(have a good week)

-Nechama :)

P.S. something really cool: I won 3rd place - a $500 savings bond from an Agudath Israel of America essay contest. The topic was: "why you support school choice".

I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 4!

Hi everyone,

I told myself I wasn't going to make any more desserts this week, but I'll be honest- I couldn't resist the Marble Cake. So, I made it last night and even my very-picky-eater-little-brother loved it (and he doesn't like almost everything I make... I wonder if that says something about his tastes... or my baking... ;-)).

Above: Ready to go in the pan and be marbled

Above: Marbled and ready to go in the oven


Above: Done!

Above: My piece :-)

So now I have made Marble Cake, which I was always a little scared of doing, and it was lots of fun! What do you want me to make from The YALDAH Year now? Be sure to comment and let me know! Maybe I will take a break now, but it won't be very long; stay tuned for more cook and blogs!

Now I have to go look over the edits Penina made on my editorial and sort things out to see if I have any questions for our editorial meeting later. So much to do, so little time.

Talk to you soon!

Emily

I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 3!

Hi everyone,

This time I made... Date Nut Bars! Super delicious, really quick and easy to make and my whole family loved them!

Above: The batter, before it went in the oven


Above: The bars; out of the oven


Above: My bar!

Do you like my "cook and blog" posts? Should I continue them? If not, what would you like me to post about? Be sure to let me know in the comments section!

Quick behind-the-scenes update.... almost all the Editorial Board assignments are in and we're working hard to finish up the issue now. Can't wait!

Talk to you soon,
Emily

I cook and blog my way through The YALDAH Year Part 2!

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I wanted to make cookies (I really love making cookies, of all kinds) so I looked at The YALDAH Year and chose the recipe for Snowball Cookies. They turned out great! Here are some pictures:

This photo is of me rolling the cookies in powdered sugar before they go in the oven

This photo is of the cookies before they went in the oven

Finished cookies!

I had so much fun making the Snowball Cookies and they really did look like snowballs when I was rolling them in powdered sugar. Have you made anything from The YALDAH Year? How did it turn out? Be sure to comment and let me know!

Good Shabbos,
Emily

Leah Larson on TV!

Hi everyone,

Not much time to post now, but I just wanted to give you the link to a TV show that Leah Larson was on "Liza with a Z"-- it's on the "In the Media" page on our website, so you may have already seen it. If not, here's the link:

http://www.yaldahmagazine.com/articles/article/4660415/132965.htm

Talk to you soon,
Emily

Hello from Israel!

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been able to update you lately but that's because I'm in Israel! I'll try to fit everything in a short little update. I'm in seminary in Tzfat and loving it! I love the classes, the programs, the friends...and of course just being in Israel! I don't have any 'official' job at YALDAH while I'm here, which is very weird for me. It's the first time in five years! But I'm still busy communicating with our staff members and making sure everything gets done. I have to say that our staff has been doing an incredible job, and already got the fall issue out while I was here. Every issue of YALDAH is a huge job, but the Fall issue even had 16 extra pages, and they managed beautifully!
I spent Sukkos in Yerushalayim with friends which was an incredible experience as well. I went jeeping, toured the Yerushalayim water tunnels, took a 6-hour tour of Yerushalayim, the Kotel tunnels, and of course spent a lot of time at the Kotel and the Old City. Some days I had free to daven and learn at the Kotel and explore the Old City. It was such an incredible place to be during Sukkos, with so many different types of Jews from all over the world gathered together.One of the benefits of running YALDAH is that I get to make friends all over the world. Israel is no exception! When I needed a place to stay for Sukkos I called up Editorial Board member Leah Turner and right away she was able to find me and my friends places to stay in her community. It was great to finally meet Leah in person!

Last week I also got to meet another previous YALDAH staff member - Talya Wasserman! Talya was on the first Editorial Board and was Editorial Board Coordinator for the second Editorial Board. Talya is also in Seminary in Israel, and it was such a treat to be able to meet up with her.

I'm so excited that the YALDAH Year is available and would love to hear your feedback. I can't wait for the other books to come out! I know the book websites aren't running yet, but stay tuned, they should be up any day now.

Hope to meet up with each and every one of you in Yerushalayim with Moshiach now!

Leah :-)

Hello from Israel!

Me & friends at the Kotel

Me & Talya Wasserman

Me & Leah Turner

Learning with friends in the Old City


A great sale!