According to Appelbaum, they were inspired by The Book of Judith, set hundreds of years before the Maccabean Revolt. The book, from the Catholic Bible, tells the story of a daring widow who seduced and killed the Assyrian general Holofernes to save Israel from invaders.

It's never too early to start baking holiday cookies. It's fun to see holiday traditions around the world Originally, the kolaczki is said to be from Poland (though its exact origin is unknown), and are popularly seen around the holidays. They seem to be just as popular in Cleveland, where we learned that they are known as Kiffles in Hungarian.

Italy is a young nation in an old land. Through much of its post-Roman history, Italy was fragmented into numerous kingdoms and city-states long before it became a unified republic in 1861. The Italy of today consists of twenty different regions, each offering their own customs and gastronomic holiday traditions. Today, the whole world seemingly knows of biscotti. Pronounced in …

Well, it's been hot in SoCal. And the thought of working in my test kitchen over a hot stove seems a little much for me. So, the time is right for a late summer salad which is both refreshing and innovative. The basis for this dish comes to us from our sister publication, FOOD&WINE, courtesy of Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray.