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Welcome - you probably want koplowiczandsons.com, my professional site.  Koplowicz.com is the personal family repository for all things Koplowicz.  I don't post much here any more, but check out my social links above (especially LinkedIn).

Blog

Sleep Training Advice

koppie

My boys are both well past the sleep training phase, but I was recently asked for my advice, so here it is:

- treat daytime and nighttime different.  At night, the curtains go down, lights get dim, voices get soft, no more playing or exciting interactions.

- bedtime routines are important.  Do the same things in the same order every night.  Pajamas, story, lullaby, then lights out.

I'm Back!

koppie

The truth is I never left; I've just been active on other parts of the internet.  For the new year, I finally fixed that, with a new home page that accurately reflects where I am online these days.  Please follow and engage; that's the whole point, right?  Also let me know what you think about the t-shirt idea.

Passover in 2017

koppie

Yes, this is another trite screed about refugees.  But it's heartfelt.

Passover is coming up, and so for family movie night we watched the Prince of Egypt.  We were watching the scene where the Jews are finally able to leave Egypt, and I turned to Yelena and wondered aloud: "Is this how my grandparents felt when they were liberated from the Holocaust?*  Is this how your family felt when you left Soviet Russia?"

Daddy in the Kitchen

Potato Leek Soup

koppie

Soul food.  Not a desert island dish, but darn close.  Our local organic basket kept sending us potatoes and leeks, so I decided to go with a classic.  Glad I did.  This recipe is everything you want potato leek soup to be.

Homemade Applesauce

koppie

I got this recipe from The Kosher Palette, but it's pretty much the same as every other homemade applesauce recipe out there.  Here's the gist:
Peel, core, and slice apples.  Cook 'em in a pot with a little water - just enough to keep 'em from burning.  When they're soft, mash 'em a little.  Eat.  Wonder at God's creation.

Easiest Pasta and Broccoli

koppie

This one is fast, easy, and tasty.  The trick: you cook the broccoli with the pasta.  I recommend fresh pasta; the broccoli were only in the pot for three minutes so they were blanched rather than boiled.  As usual, I left out the salt & pepper, but I added crushed red pepper flakes (the way I usually do with noodles).
The only critique I can make is that it isn't thrilling - I'd call it "good not great."  But if you're looking for a quick and easy dinner, it's a great way of making plain pasta more interesting.

Sauteed Radicchio and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

koppie

It's hard to find a recipe for radicchio that doesn't involve "put it in a salad."  This is a phenomenal exception.  It's sophisticated, gourmet, perfect for when you have company over.  I recommend pairing it with a dry wine.
As always, I left out the salt & pepper.  I also didn't have chevre, so I used Laughing Cow cheese.  It's a creamy soft-spread cow cheese from France and went perfectly on the lightly toasted bread.
I am definitely keeping this in my entertainment repertoire.