Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Paula sent this one in. I never cease to be amazed how those not used to this dish consider it almost a delicacy. In the Middle East "Kabob" is really a basic staple and can refer to a myriad of different meats, prepared in a thousand different ways. By the way, I laughed when I read Paula's advice below about soaking the wooden skewers in water. We use them all the time, never soak them, and never had a problem. But then again - with Paula her kitchen might very well burst into flames! She writes: I have jokingly asked for an outdoor kitchen. Of course in New England that would be difficult. I love to cook outdoors when the weather turns warm. When I make Kabobs for the BBQ, I prepare theme the night before to allow the marinade to seep into the meat and vegetables. Remember, if you use wooden skewers, SOAK them in water for half an hour before you fill them or they will go up in flames. Trust me, I have a sister who forgot to do this and we laughed while we watche...

The following hit my email, and of course the first thing I say is "Oy Vey!". Subject: A Request Ted, there is recipe I'd love to find. During one of the memorable dinners at my college roommate's home, her Mom served a side dish called (I think) Carrot and Apple Tzimmes (sp?). I know this dish was sweet and had apples and carrots in it, but I've not found a recipe that sounds like the same thing I had at the Gonchar's house, and sadly my friend and her parents have passed away, so the recipe has been lost forever to me. Here's your challenge: come up with a recipe that is an equivalent or a close one to it and I'll give you my eternal gratitude and a gold star for cleverness and know-how. Nance Well here we go Nance. Your wish is my command. But first some background. Tzimmes is a traditional Casserole made usually for Rosh Ha'Shanah - The Jewish New Year. Of course it is eaten all year around as well, but since the major part of Tzimmes is t...

Paula writes for this one: I have enjoyed trying to guess what rating our gracious host Ted will issue to my recipes. I am guessing this to be a two because of the prep work. Let’s see how close I am. This is best made ahead to allow the flavors to peek. It makes an excellent side dish to any BBQ. Easy Slaw - Cabbage Salad AllPosters.com Utensils You will need: 1 Large Bowl Blender (or mixer) Ingredients: 1 Head of Napa Cabbage , shredded (this is also called Bok Choy or any cabbage) 3 Onions , sliced thin 1 Carrot, shredded (should be approx 3/4 to 1 cup) 2 Tablespoons Soy sauce (I use low sodium) 2 Tablespoons Sugar 1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar 1/4 Cup Sesame Oil 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger 3 Tablespoons Red Chili Pepper flakes 2 Cloves Garlic, minced 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Directions: Place Cabbage, Carrots and Green Onions in a large bowl. In the blender ( or use an electric mixer) combine all the other ingredients. Pour over Cabbage mixture and toss. Chill for at least 24 hours. This c...

We have not heard from Shrugged in a while...well here she is - back and ready with her baking genius. I ran across a recipe for Lemon Bread the other day, and after I tweaked it a bit, came up with this recipe. 'Lemon Bread' was a misnomer anyway - it's much more like cake than bread, but it's baked in a 8" x 4" loaf pan, so it's not really cake either. It has about the same consistency and texture as pound cake, and can be served by itself or with ice cream. It also makes a nice treat to have with coffee or tea. Glazed Lemon Loaf Lemon Thyme Art Print Lane, Linda Buy at AllPosters.com Ingredients: Batter: 1. ½ cup butter or margarine (softened) 2. 1 cup sugar 3. 2 eggs 4. 2 tablespoons lemon juice 5. 1 ½ cups flour 6. 1 teaspoon baking powder 7. 1/8 teaspoon salt 8. ½ cup milk Glaze: 1. 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2. ½ cup confectioner's sugar. Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Grease one 8x4" loaf pan. 3. In a larg...

Nancy sent this one in. Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen seems to have lit the fire in her kitchen! She writes: I have an ancient cookbook titled "The I Hate To Cook Book". It looks like the Dead Sea Scrolls: it's a paper-back with brown, crispy pages which are crumbling at the edges and more than quite a few of the recipes have large grease stains on them (shows you how wonderfully often they were referred to). I checked the publishing date and it reads 1960! I know...I'm as old as Methuselah. The recipes in this cookbook are about as easy as you'll ever find, so if you are in the category of "cooking for dummies", this particular recipe will please you no end. This recipe is one that was so popular that I even took it to weekend get-aways with my husband's cousin and her husband. We two women stayed up all night chewing the fat, and when we saw the morning light sliding through the Venetian blinds in the kitchen, we took the partially devou...

Paula thinks we are going to give her a one-star here for difficulty...shhh...let us see how well she did with this recipe. She also gives us a personal view of her insane kitchen and cooking methods. Well here is what the insane cook sent Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen this time and once again we enter our Pie Fight! Paula Writes: Kids In The Kitchen While I’m packing up my kitchen for the upcoming move, I have come across many things that made me smile at the memories. I have 1 daughter, 12 nephews, 1 niece, 2 great nephews and a great niece. I won’t bore you with all of them, but I wish to share just a few special stories. A few things to keep in mind when allowing your children to help in the kitchen. 1) There will be a much larger mess to clean up in the end, but the bonding will more than make up for it. 2) You will be giving your child/children skills to survive on as they grow 3) You will create some very interesting dishes and feel giddy when you actually like them 4) T...

Nancy submitted this one as well, which is on a new track for Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen . We don't get enough recipes like this one! And I really thank her for making the adjustments to keep it "kosher". She writes: Right now in Pennsylvania spring is beginning to introduce some warmth to us, after a winter of strange excesses of climate changes: very cold snaps followed by very wet periods which produced much flooding. As my youngest son Jacob and I were enjoying our first day out in the sun in our rather ragged looking backyard, I said, "Jake, I am now thinking of chilled summer soups. I can't wait to start making them. How about you? Do you want me to get some together already?" He immediately agreed, but said the first one had to be my specialty, Cucumber soup. Having just showed him this super new blog I discovered (Help! I Have a Fire in My Kitchen!), he suggested I post the soup recipe. So here it is, with some adjustments to make it Ko...

We just did a BBQ post, Grilled Chicken Pieces , but since today was Israel's Independence Day, known as "Yom Ha'Atzmaut" and since this year we did the traditional Israeli BBQ, well, why not? It is cooking is it not? So some of the kids got together, we trudged down from my house to the Valley Of The Cross, which is an extension of a Jerusalem's equivalent to "Central Park" which is called "Gan Saker" (not "Gan Soccer" as some think the name is!) and set up the good old BBQ. Now any Israeli will tell you that trying to find an empty place to set up a BBQ in a park in the city, is an impossible deal. BUT, it happens to be that everyone gravitates to the grass in Gan Saker and few even walk the extra few minutes to the Valley Of The Cross which in itself is a large area full of meandering paths. I walk Rainbow there all the time, when I am trying to work out something in writing. She runs and romps, I talk to myself, and most people wh...

This arrived as a comment, but since it is a full blown recipe - I am going to post it here. This one is from Nance, who lives in Pennsylvania, US and runs a new blog called Writing Late In The Game . She writes: Here's a hamburger recipe from Mary Hemingway (or so the cookbook said) who mentioned that it was Ernest's favorite Cuban dish. It quickly became the favorite of my entire family. I've been making it often for about 40 years. The ingredients sound as though they'd make a weird combination, but it turns out to taste marvelous, and it is easy to do and gets put together and cooked quickly. I don't know whether this is Kosher, or not, but a Jewish friend of mine ate it at a church supper one time and loved it, so hopefully it is. Nance PICADILLO This recipe calls for Pimientos to be stuffed in olives. It could be confusing as "Pimentos" is a term that is used to described Peppers. These peppers can be hot or just plain veggies. (In Israel they are av...

I am often awed at the number of wonderful emails and comments left at Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, which of course makes all the work in keeping the blog interesting and funny worthwhile. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to comment or just stop by - and especially those who catch some of my awful spelling mistakes. I really do appreciate the corrections so keep it up! I do not see a great many votes coming in for the Cake Recipe Contest. So get your friends and family to vote for you. You can find instructions on how to vote in the post: Great Cake Recipe Contest - Voting Is Now Open. You all should vote and get everyone to vote in this contest. Remember voting is open to all, you did not have to submit a recipe to vote in the contest. So lets get going folks! L est you think I do not pay attention to my email at Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen here is something that crossed my inbox today which I think is worthy of putting up here even if does have nothing to ...

Some like them; some hate them. Some consider it a true delicacy; some feel it is just not worth the effort. They can elicit "oohs" and "ahh's" and they can illicit a "yuck". They must be carefully chosen, tenderly held, slowly and delicately discovered and with a great deal of patience and work their soft, willing heart just may be revealed. Or they may prick you suddenly with hidden thorns. Much like the one you love isn't it? Much like how we sometimes feel when we are lucky enough to fall head over heels in love. Such is the Artichoke . Simple and easy to make, and yet one of God's creations that for some reason was given many allegorical qualities to remind us of life and love. (The word "Artichoke" seems to have come from the northern Italian word "articiocco," referring to its pine cone shape.) Many settle for purchasing the artichoke heart. Many will buy frozen artichoke pieces. And yet the artichoke in essence is so...

Admit it! You all thought I forgot about it! HAH! Voting Procedure: Anyone who wishes to can vote! One vote from each email address (You can only vote once from one email address) You can vote for your own recipe Sign your name to your email - PLEASE Due to the fact that I was late with this Voting will be open until May 15, 2007 closing at May 15, 2007 @ 11:59 EST (determined if need be by Email header) It is legitimate to tell your friends to vote for you, family members etc. But ONLY ONE VOTE SET (1st, 2nd, 3rd Place) from one email. An email which has more than one set of votes will be disqualified. Email MUST be sent to the following email address (click on icon to open your email client): Email should be in the following format: Email Subject: Great Cake Recipe Contest Vote Email Body: First Place: Put the title of the Post here Second Place: Put the title of the Post here Third Place: Put the title of the Post here All Entries for the Great Cake Recipe Contest Can Be found by Cl...