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Category Archives: Personal

Our Mexican Date | Date Your Spouse

09-14-17

It has been so long since I have had a delicious ethnic meal. In Eretz Israel, it was Moroccan. In Queens, our friends the Farkas’ tell us that we must try Marani for authentic Kosher Georgian food (will I like Georgian?). But, oh how much fun it is to immerse yourself in another culture and try the foods the way that the locals make it. So I thought of a plan (and I know just how), I’ll make it myself (and I’ll make it right now). I’m planning to make our own Mexican cuisine from A to Z for a date night in. No need for babysitting- except someone please watch the kids so that I can cook! 

So that’s it. It sounds like I’m talking about food, but what I’m really talking about is dating your spouse. If you don’t spend time together and talk about things other than work, money, kids, laundry, and other chores of this world called life, things can get rough. One of the plans for execution? Serving a gourmet meal in, for a change, for excitement, for privacy, and for fun. Let me know if you need the recipes. 

On second thought, are there any authentic Mexican restaurants to give me a night off?

Filed in:Date Night | Personal

Seeking Advice in Marriage | Wedding Tip Tuesday

06-20-17

I was recently with a couple while photographing them on their wedding day. As we were starting their couple portraits, I directed them for posing using “your wife”, and “your husband”. She was so giddy, and said to me, “My husband. I don’t feel married yet! When will we feel married?” It stuck with me because she’s right. Standing there taking photographs together during an event called a wedding (which they both agreed was flying by), they must have just felt like two people who have chosen to spend time together. Earlier in the day, she asked me how long we have been married, and if I have any marriage advice. While I didn’t want to start rattling off random subjects of a marriage there in her hotel room, I did start to think, and I told her “of course”. 

What I think she did right more than anything, was ask. I may or may not have good advice, but a wise person will gather all the information they can get, without making judgements about who might know better than you. Wisdom can come from anyone, and chazal say that the wisest of people are those who seek knowledge from everywhere. 

Filed in:Personal | Wedding Tip Tuesday | Wedding Tips

Chana’s Chocolate Chip Spice Scone Recipe

06-05-17

THANK YOU SOOOOOO MUCH for the delicious scones! It was such a sweet surprise on our wedding night. It was a very thoughtful gesture, and very much appreciated, albeit undeserved. It just goes to show what incredible people you are, and I’m honored to know you.

Chocolate Chip Spice Scones

3 c. All Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting surface

3/4 c. Sugar

1 Tbl Baking Powder

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ginger Powder

1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) Margerine, cold, cut into cubes

1 c. Coconut or Soy milk, plus more for brushing

1 tsp Vanilla

2 Tbl Course sugar for dusting

1 1/2 c. Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 425.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour with dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add cubes of margarine, rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in coconut milk and vanilla until a shaggy dough forms. Add chocolate chips. Gently knead together, keeping the pieces of margerine as separate as possible in order to create the best “flake”.

Transfer to a heavily floured surface. Pat down to about 1-1 1/2” thick. Cut with round cookie cutter or rim of a glass dusted with flour, about 2-2 1/2” in diameter. 

Bake until golden brown, about 13-15 minutes. 

Keep in mind that they taste best fresh, either the day they are made or the next. If you have more than you need from the recipe, I’ve found that it works really well to finish preparing them and freeze them raw on a cookie sheet before transferring them to a plastic bag. Then when you go to bake them next time, they taste as good as they do fresh (and not as much so when you bake and then freeze). 

I have also found that refrigerating them (or trying the pre-feezing method) helps them keep their shape when baking, but it is not necessary if you don’t want to spend extra time. 

A note from a bride:

“Hey Chana!

They came out so yummy. I used the earth balance and organic white spelt and a little bit of organic whole wheat (I was running low on both so I mixed them)                                                                      Image by Avigayil & Avishai

They came out AMAZING 🙂 I love the nutmeg/cinnamon/ginger blend, so rich tasting! Thank you so much for introducing them to us… it was the first dessert I made married and Avishai is crazy about them! 

Ps: Avishai experimented with one with extra chocolate chips- ended up being the yummiest one 🙂 “

Filed in:Personal

AMAZING Experiences | Jewish Photographer

02-23-17

WHAT ARE THE 5 MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCES YOU’VE EVER HAD?

Customer Experience is of upmost importance to us at Laibel Schwartz Photography. We value receiving a great experience, and love editing our system to create a great experience for you. As a side, please be sure to give us a shout when you love what we do so we can continue to give it over and over again.

  1. Our stay at the Gramercy Park Hotel | www.gramercyparkhotel.com
  2. Dinner at NOBO | www.nobowineandgrill.com
  3. Private Ceramics class, just Laibel & Chana (No one else showed up!) | www.potterypeace.com
  4. Makeup by Louise Lerman for our Photography Session with Lindsay Adler | www.facebook.com/louise.baker.9465177| www.lindsayadler.com
  5. Giving Birth (Okay, I know this one doesn’t fit in the box, but I couldn’t help myself) | www.charity.bonsecours.com

Some of the things that made the difference: Surprise gifts, upgraded room, meeting the chef at our table, fuzzy slippers, private instruction, date night, feeling pampered, take home lipstick, guided art tour, friendly staff, and the reward of a beautiful little baby after the hard work of giving birth! 🙂

Share your favorite experiences below.

 

Filed in:Inspiration | PersonalTagged in: |

Jessica & Akiva Expecting a Baby | Jewish Wedding Photography

10-26-14

Photographer :  Laibel Schwartz Photography | www.laibelschwartz.com

anything but your average Jewish New York wedding photographer. Each wedding is treated with care and creativity not found with other New York wedding photography studios. Your wedding day is carefully crafted to offer one of a kind unique photography in the Monsey area.

This is Jewish wedding photography at its best. Laibel Schwartz Photography offers wedding coverage in Monsey, Lakewood, NYC and destinations worldwide, this wedding photography studio is one of the top studios in the country and is located right here in the New York metro area.

Emotional. Elegant. Classic. These are the words typically used to describe this Jewish wedding photographer. With clients based all over the world, Monsey is home to this Jewish wedding photographer.

We take pride in offering our clients the type of Jewish wedding photography they are looking for. Its one thing to take pictures, its another to create art for our clients.

Our Jewish clients are typically looking for artwork for their home rather than snapshots, and that is what draws them into our Jewish wedding photography studio.

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