I had heard a lot of good buzz about this book, and now that I've read this cookbook I can attest that it's true. The word "sababa" is Hebrew slang meaning "everything is awesome" and while I didn't think everything in the book is awesome, overall it checks the boxes: beautiful photos of delicious looking food, engaging stories from the writer's experiences, honest descriptions of how difficult/simple each recipe really is, a useful shopping guide to finding ingredients in the U.S., and the best part - Adeena's enthusiasm and encouragement to try these recipes.

American born author Adeena Sussman is a food writer who is also a professional in the kitchen, and I appreciated how she tweaked the Israeli recipes for American cooks. The format of the book is based on her daily trips to her local Tel Aviv shuk, (Shuk HaCarmel) the outdoor farmer's market that contains an amazing array of spices, produce, meat and fish, as well as favorite vendors who have become her friends. The photos and narrative make you feel like you are right there shopping with her, and then home to prepare the appetizers, drinks, mains, sides, and desserts.

So far I've only tried one recipe, "Chard-wrapped fish with lemon and olives" with great results.

The reason I didn't give 5 stars to this virtual trip-to-Israel cookbook is that I would have liked nutritional information for the recipes. Also several of the recipes included the technique of frying, which I avoid. But you're sure to find many irresistible-looking dishes tempting you as you read through this very approachable cookbook. ( )

Did not make any of the recipes in this book, but may check it out again later.

-neat technique for cutting pull-apart bread on p. 98-99 (za'atar chili feta bread)
-sweet potato frico burekas, p. 106
-roasted tomato and labaneh pappardelle, p. 214
-peach kuchen ("between cobbler and shortcake") looks amazing, p. 342