GOLDA Gang,
Happy 4th of July! We’ve got a special episode of our podcast GOLDA Girls for you, where my co-hosts—the brilliant crew of journalist Gabby Deutch, novelist Esther Chehebar, and Rabbi Diana Fersko—dive into all things Fourth of July, from Gabby’s article about being Jewish in America as the country turns 250 to the Sha-BBQ (aka Shabbat barbecue) Esther is attending this weekend. We’re joined by the one and only Jake Cohen, who helps us with a listener question about throwing a kosher-friendly barbecue and gives us his Fourth of July hosting tips (read on below!).
Listen and subscribe to GOLDA Girls on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Send us your burning questions and quandaries about Jewish life, ritual, or etiquette for our Ask GOLDA segment. Send an email or voice note to [email protected]—be sure to tell us who you are and where you’re calling from!
Last week we asked readers and listeners to write in with their favorite Jewish summer movie for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the new off-Broadway production of A Walk on the Moon. Congratulations to our winners: Taryn Alper (Wet Hot American Summer), Becca Stoltz (Dirty Dancing), Joshua Siva (Heavyweights, a classic), and Wendy Zuckerman, who picked Grease, “even though there is nothing Jewish about it except that my Jewish mom went to high school with John Travolta.” Dayenu—and enjoy the show!
A Walk on the Moon runs through August 22nd at the Laura Pels Theater in New York City.
It's all about prep
You want to be doing as little as possible other than grilling for a summer barbecue. I have a menu called Grills Gone Wild in my latest cookbook, Dinner Party Animal, and you do so much of the stuff in advance. A beautiful potato salad (it’s a honey mustard salad because my sister hates mayo), and then a really lovely blanched green bean and grilled corn summery salad, and pickled red onions.
Go big—and keep it fresh
I’m all about abundance and really focusing on fresh produce. Lots of grilled bread with fresh heirloom tomatoes, anything you can imagine, go for it.
Grill those challahs
In the summer I’ll bake my challahs and let them cool, and I always love to reheat them before serving. I’ll wrap them in foil and throw the whole thing on the grill to warm through, and it gets even a little charred which is lovely. Just have fun with it.
Serve chilled desserts
I love a tiramisu in the summer. I love a trifle. I love an ice cream sandwich that's already in the freezer that you just get to pull out.
For more Jake Cohen, follow him on Instagram @JakeCohen and check out his cookbooks Jew-ish, I Could Nosh, and Dinner Party Animal.
GOLDA Mahjong is heading out East this summer!
Join us Monday, July 13 for an afternoon of open play at Magic Montauk, the new fitness and wellness space from SoulCycle co-founder Elizabeth Cutler. We'll be playing on sets from The Mahjong Line and giving away prizes from Literie Candle, Rowan, Social Goods, NESSI, Sqween sunscreen, Serve it Up Designs, and more. This is not an event for true beginners; all players should be comfortable without an instructor. 4-6 p.m., snacks and refreshments served. Tickets here.
On Tuesday, August 18 we're getting the kids in on the fun with Mini Mahj at ColorPop Workshop’s Southampton studio—an event mentioned in this article about mahjong’s popularity among kids. We'll have treats from Bakeful and Wave Kids, plus mocktails and fun giveaways. Tickets here.
Next week we’ll be announcing the location of our Wednesday, July 15 mahjong night in New York City. WTHN will be on hand offering mini-treatments and we'll have prizes from Tchotchke and other great brands. Tickets here.
Check out all of our GOLDA events here, and get in touch at [email protected] to bring our signature GOLDA programming to your community.
Happy birthday, America! And stay GOLDA.
Stephanie
