Kosher Cooking Carnival (KCC) - 23

A Few Words Of Introduction:

It is my pleasure at Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, to host the Twenty-Third Kosher Cooking Carnival or KCC #23 as it is known. The home page of the Kosher Cooking Carnivals allows those who wish to participate to submit their blogs and URL's to the next Kosher Cooking Carnival. The one that must be thanked for the idea, and the logo above, which believe me is an incredible amount of work, is Batya, over at her me-ander blog. Batya is a dedicated blogger and couples this with a strong community-minded spirit. (I think she is a bit worried about how I present KCC #23 so hopefully she will be surprised :) So you can stop biting your nails and stocking up on the aspirin and Valium Batya!)

The Kosher Cooking Carnivals have but one rule. Actually the same one that applies to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen - which is, the recipes presented must be Kosher. That is it. You do not have to be Jewish to participate nor kosher yourself, as long as the recipes meet with the basic kosher standards, it is fine.

There is no doubt, if one bothers to take a look, the amount of recipe and cooking blogs, kosher and regular on the Internet, is simply mind-boggling. The amount of Kosher recipe blogs, which should come as no surprise these days, is also in the high thousands. It never ceases to amaze me how many variations can be created to make one specific item, even if it is a simple Mac & Cheese for the kids. There is a diverse group represented here and many of the blogs are not purely "recipe" blogs.

As I reviewed the previous KCC posts, it seems everyone presented in their own desired format, sometimes with a short review of the blog, sometimes with a description of the specific recipe, sometimes dividing it up into "meal" categories. Here at Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen I am going to try to stay within the "blog review" format, e.g. try and let you know a bit about the blogs posting the recipes, combine that with some pictures from the blogs, and the recipes or links to the recipes.

However, all that being said, and specifically due to the post I made recently, Comments From Our Readers On Recipes, Fast-Food and Nutrition, I cannot be responsible for the accuracy of these recipes. They are not specific submissions to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen but rather a compendium of some great (kosher) food bloggers on the Internet. Nor does Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen endorse any of the blogs or opinions of the blog owners listed within KCC #23 (be they political, religious, social or otherwise). KCC is about Kosher Cooking and all that goes along with cooking and eating and kosher issues. I keep politics out of my kitchen - even when it is on fire!

Additionally, due to the amount of submissions into KCC #23, unless specifically asked by some readers of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, I will not be linking to any recipes on this blog. There are just too many great submissions, and this post will be much longer than the expected norm as it is.

Since I found it incredibly difficult to categorize the recipes into specific headings, and this post was prepared over a series of days, the only order within these entries, is they are divided into recipes and informative posts. In that way I play no favorites.

If you are new to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen please take some time to browse our recipes and stories. Recipes are categorized in many different ways, and if you are looking for something specific, try the site search. We love comments by the way, suggestions and new ideas. And if you are into submitting recipes, Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen in open to submissions from all over the world. Just read our guidelines here.

Once again thanks goes to Batya over at me-ander for her help and dedication, and a big Mazal Tov over the birth of her new grandchild.


Now down to the fun!

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Recipes

#1 - Spinach Pesto with Penne posted at Best Kept Recipes.

Amanda Harris sent this recipe in from Best Kept Recipes. The site itself has a very pleasing and clear layout and is a perfect example of finding kosher recipes on a non-kosher blog. There are quite a few good recipes over at Best Kept Recipes it is well worth checking out. The introduction to Best Kept Recipes introduces us to its owner.

I’m Linda, an Administrative Assistant by day - a cook and writer by night. I love to create and putter in the Kitchen and at my keyboard, so why not share the recipes my friends and loved ones have come to enjoy? I am so excited to bring these recipes “to life” on the internet and hope you find dishes that you and yours may enjoy too.

The actual recipe itself,Spinach Pesto with Penne, is a mixture of pasta penne, Pecorino Romano cheese and spinach. The actual ingredients are listed below to give you a mouth-watering taste and you can get full directions over at: Spinach Pesto with Penne @ Best Kept Recipes.

1. 3 cups fresh baby spinach, stems removed
2. 2 cups fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
3. 1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
4. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
5. 1/2 stick melted butter
6. 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
7. 3 large garlic cloves, crushed or 1 heaping tsp. minced
8. 1 tsp. kosher salt
9. 1 lb. penne pasta

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#2 - A GOOD RIBBING posted @ Blog d'Elisson

Here is an example of finding an interesting recipe on a blog I would never have come across. Despite the fact that the subtitle of Blog d'Elisson reads: "Another monumental exercise in self-aggrandizement and time-wastage" (which certainly made me laugh knowing how true this is for many of us!) it is safe to say the recipe for Ribs in a A GOOD RIBBING if very good. Indeed it actually shows that Ellison has a handle on cooking and understands different sauces and foods. Here below are the ingredients and for the whole recipe go take a look at A GOOD RIBBING posted @ Blog d'Elisson.

1. 3 scallions
2. 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
3. ½ cup soy sauce (I used ¼ cup Kikkoman low-sodium soy sauce and ¼ cup Tabasco soy sauce)
4. 1 tbsp rice vinegar
5. 2 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil (the seeds are toasted, not the oil, Emeril!)
6. 6 tbsp sugar
7. 1 ripe pear
8. 1 thumb-sized chunk of fresh ginger, peeled
9. You can add a generous squirt of hot chile-infused sesame oil or a dash of red pepper flakes, if you like ’em spicy. I used the hot oil, and it was just right.

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#3 - Baked French Toast posted @ F r u g a l J o u r n e y

Annette Berlin over @ F r u g a l J o u r n e y sent this Baked French Toast recipe in to KCC. F r u g a l J o u r n e y has a very interesting introduction, something I think we can all relate to:

Do you compare prices at the grocery store? Do you try to stay out of debt? If you answered yes to the above questions, you’re in good company. Most people do consider themselves frugal, even thrifty. And yet, according to MSN Money, the average American family is $8,000.00 in credit card debt. How is that possible?

The answer is that in today’s economy, just comparing prices and making small concessions to frugality isn’t enough. In order to balance your budget today, you need to do more. A lot more.

Our site is devoted to making it easier for you to handle your money. You’ll find lots of great hints, tips, recipes, links and articles to help you in your Frugal Journey.

This specific recipe came in with the following remark: "Israel has an abundance of cheap and delicious bread, so we enjoy it during almost every meal." While this is true, I certainly would not suggest eating bread at every meal unless your metabolism burns calories like a jet engine. Go easy on bread and carbohydrates. But this recipe for Baked French Toast is very good and though posted with two variations I will just post the ingredients for Annette’s Baked French Toast Variation, while personally suggesting to add some berries to the whole dish. I personally liked the inclusion of honey and apples. Take a look at Baked French Toast posted @ F r u g a l J o u r n e y for directions and another variation on this recipe.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup milk
2. 6 eggs
3. 1/4 cup honey
4. 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
5. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 8 slices white sandwich bread or challah
8. powdered sugar
9. apple preserves

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#4 - Cooked Vegetables posted @ me-ander



Batya, over at me-ander, posted a short post though important information on how to properly cook veggies in her post Cooked Vegetables. Go read cause veggies and fruit are great for you and great for a healthy life style.

And while we are on healthy eating take a look at the following book reviews here @ Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen which are about health and keeping your body fit. Tosca Reno - The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook Book Review & Holly Cleggs Trim And Terrific Diabetic Cooking - Book Review.

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#5 - Shemitah and Chicken Soup Posted @ Shemittah Rediscovered

This next recipe took a bit of reworking for the ingredients, but one can tell that this is one of these favorite home-made recipes for chicken soup which Robin Ticker submitted. I put the ingredients in some semblance of order and take a look at Shemitah and Chicken Soup Posted @ Shemittah Rediscovered for the directions.

Ingredients For Chicken Soup:

1. 1 chicken
2. 9-10 cups of cold water
3. 1 Medium onion
4. 2 cloves of garlic
5. 2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste
6. 4-5 carrots
7. 1 parsnip
8. 1 turnip
9. 2 celery stalks
10. 1 leek (cut leek down side and wash the individual leaves from dirt)

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#6 - A Warm and Tasty Yom Tov posted @ OU's Shabbat Shalom Featured Articles

Carolyn over @ Juggling Frogs (and you should take a look at Juggling Frogs if only for the name!) sent this submission in. For those who need some background, the OU or Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, has been for many many years a trusted name for Kosher products. When you see their unique stamp on a product you can rely on the fact that it is kosher. I seriously cannot count the amount of times I was stranded in some small town or city during my days in High Tech, and that little stamp on half the products in the local supermarket saved me from starving. From NYC to the deep backwoods of Texas (I kid you not!) I was always able to at least buy some kosher food product. While there are a great many good and trusted names these days, (see the post in Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen entitled: How Do You Know A Processed Product Is Kosher?) I have a soft spot for the OU because my Uncle Nat a'h, was once President of the OU years and years and years ago, and for a few years I worked in informal education in their youth groups, NCSY (National Council of Synagogue Youth) as a Regional Director. O.k. enough with the nostalgia and down to food.

In the post submitted, A Warm and Tasty Yom Tov, there are actually four recipes, and they are certainly not only for the holidays. The recipes were posted by Tamar Ansh who is an author, freelance recipe developer, and food columnist with a very strict copyright notice. Therefore we cannot repeat or reproduce the recipes nor will I repost the ingredients. So if you are interested in any of the recipes below you will have to mosey over to A Warm and Tasty Yom Tov.

The first one entitled, Savory Vegetable ‘n Meat Sauce, is really an excellent recipe and worth a look-see. Check out the directions (which are actually written fairly well) over @ A Warm and Tasty Yom Tov. The next two listed in the post are Veggie ‘n Meat Stuffed Squash and Pumpkin Lentil Soup. If these meet your taste buds then take a peek over there. The final one - the "there goes my diet" one - is Peanut Butter Chip Crumb Cake.

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#7 - Chicken Salad - This one comes from a regular here Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen and submitted especially for KCC 23 - we call her Paula our Insane Cook

She writes:

This is an easy recipe for a light meal. Make extra and it can be used for lunch the next day. I prefer the chicken cold and cut up over my salad.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 Bunch Romaine Lettuce, washed and cut
2. 6 Chicken Breasts
3. 2 Eggs, beaten
4. 2 Cups Seasoned Bread Crumbs
5. Canola Oil for Frying

Variations:

1. Add croûtons
2. Add other vegetables such as carrots, radish, onions, etc
3. Use Panko Rice Flakes (Japanese) in place of bread crumbs (Used also in this recipe: Ultimate Chicken Fingers.)
   

Utensils You Need:

1. 2 Bowls
2. 1 Pan for Frying
3. Large Serving Platter

Directions:

1. Cut up lettuce and place on a large platter
2. Place eggs in bowl and beat with a whisk or fork
3. Wash Chicken and place in bowl with eggs
   
4. Let soak for five minutes
5. Place Seasoned bread crumbs in bowl
6. Take one piece of chicken at a time, place in bowl of bread crumbs. Turn it to coat both sides
7. Heat oil
8. Place chicken in oil to fry
9. Cook for five minutes, turn over and cook until golden brown ( approx 6-8 minutes)
10. Take chicken from the oil and place on paper towel to blot excess oil
11. Cut chicken into strips and place over lettuce
12. Serve with your favorite salad dressing.

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Informative Posts

***There is no order of importance to these listings. Pick and choose to your heart's content.

#1 - Spice Your Way to a Healthier Life Posted @ Healthmad

Carolyn over @ Juggling Frogs a well known blogger in the Kosher food arena, sent this one in. Spice Your Way to a Healthier Life is a great post. Let me say this again...GREAT. The post covers some common uses for some common spices - food and health uses. And after perusing Healthmad for a bit it entered my list of preferred bookmarks. I highly recommend Healthmad if only to give you some extra knowledge about all the things that you can gain nutrition and health from. Let's give an example from the entry on Basil:

Another common spice found in thousands of kitchens would be basil. Basil is a wonderful addition to many of our favorite Italian dishes, but it is also an excellent choice as an insect repellent, and for the treatment of bad breath, warts, emphysema, head aches, and high blood pressure.

Rubbing basil leaves directly on the skin wards off mosquitoes. In the country of India this is quite common practice. If you do not have the luxury of planting outside, this plant will grow quite nicely in a sunny window planter.

There are six compounds found in basil that are useful as expectorants, which make basil beneficial in ridding the body of mucus and congestion. Basil and black pepper each contain six compounds known to lower blood pressure.

Fresh crushed basil leaves can be applied directly to a wart and covered over with a bandage, as basil carries many antiviral compounds. Fresh leaves should be applied and the bandaging changed daily for five to seven days.

Take a peek at Spice Your Way to a Healthier Life Posted @ Healthmad, It is well worth your time.


#2 - Eruv Tavshilin (Cooking on a Holiday for the Sabbath)

Over at Shilo Musings, a blog in the family of Batya who runs KCC, comes a short informative post for those who need to cook from Yom Tov (Holiday) which falls on Friday for the Shabbat immediately following. For just a quick understanding of the problem. Traditional Jews are allowed to use fire on Yom Tov (Holiday) for cooking - but not on Shabbat (Sabbath). The use of fire and all its permutations is forbidden on the Sabbath. The caveat is that the if we cook on the Holiday the food must be actually needed for that specific day. However, when a Holiday falls out on Friday we can with a custom called "Eruv Tavshilin" prepare food and heat it up for the Sabbath as well. You will find a good short explanation in this post Erev Tavshilim, Cooking on Chag for Shabbat over at Shilo Musings.

#3 - Some Health Stores In Jerusalem

Over at Avodah Ivrit, in the post entitled, To Your Health!, there is a short review of two health food stores in Jerusalem. Take a peek.

#4 - What to do with the Lulav & Etrog After Sukkot?

In an interesting post Mystical Paths Blog and Emunah Paths Podcasts: Mitzvah Recycling posted at Mystical Paths Blog & Emunah Paths Podcasts Akiva has some suggestions for the Lulav and Etrog which make use of them after Sukkot.

#5 - Sukkot in Jerusalem

The Streets of Jerusalem is dedicated to Jerusalem. During Sukkot, traditional Jews build the "Sukkah" outside and eat, live and sleep in it for the next 7 days. In looking for a good picture of a Sukkah, I remembered that Batya, the one who runs and organizes the Kosher Cooking Carnivals, loves to post her pictures. So I stole this one from her, (click on the picture to go to her original posting.) Sukkah's can be fancy or simple affairs depending upon the needs and desires of who builds it. In Jerusalem, during the holiday of Sukkot their is a Sukkah Food Fair. Over at The Streets of Jerusalem you can view quite a few pictures of the this year's Sukkah Food Fair in the post: Food, Glorious Food.

#6 - Favorite Kosher Restaurants & The Invasion of Krembos @ Esser Agaroth

Over at Esser Agaroth we find a tagging meme going in which people list there five favorite kosher restaurants. It is a way to get a normal and unbiased reviews of the small restaurants one usually never hears of. Go take a look at Restaurant Meme posted at Esser Agaroth.

If you are interested in finding any Kosher restaurants in Israel with a bona-fide discount from the Internet, take a look at Batya's post in me-ander entitled, Israeli Resturant Guides.

And while you are at it, go take a look at Krembos Have Arrived! in Esser Agaroth as well. I really do not like Krembos, they are disgustingly sweet and made with cheap chocolate. But this is a favorite Israeli treat given to children for a snack, and my children when they were younger could take em or leave em. But Krembos are as much of the scene now as Sufganiyot, and will be around until after Hanukkah.

#7 - Shmitah Subjects over at Life in Israel

If you are interested in following some of the differing opinions on Shmitah a farily well laid article can be found in Shmitta: some of the basics and Otzar Ha'aretz. Shmitah is the Hebrew term form the Bible where every seven years we are commanded to let the land "rest". There are a great deal of laws regarding Shmitah, and certainly it is a hotly debated subject. This is one opinion, well written and articulate. Take a look.

#8 - Baltimore Kosher News & Bagels @ Presence

Presence is a blog devoted to the Baltimore and Greater Washington Jewish Communities. In this post they update the community with new Kosher news. Baltimore Kosher News Update and here an update on a new Bagel Store.


And finally - as they say Save the best for last!

#9 - Coffee & Jazz Heaven in You Could Smell The Coffee over @ me-ander

Some things you just don't pass up. We take café's for granted here. Batya at me-ander
posted about a morning at a café and includes a little about a couple of Jerusalem cafés in her post You Could Smell The Coffee. But really you should look at this post because of the picture she took. In this case a picture is truly worth a thousand words.

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A listing of the previous Kosher Cooking Carnivals.

#1, #2, #3 Thanks Ezzie, #4 Thanks Sarah, #5, #6, #7 Thanks Sadie, #8, #9 Thanks Sarah, #10 Thanks, Elf, #11, #12 Thanks Renegade KC, #13, #14 Thanks Elisheva, #15, #16, #17 Thanks Baleboosteh, #18, #19 Thanks Baleboosteh, #20 Thanks Mom in Israel, #21 Thanks Juggling Frogs, KC meta-Carnival, Thanks Juggling Frogs, #22, #23 - Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

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Tags: Cooking, Baking, Recipe, Cooking Related Appliances, Humorous Stories, Ingredients, Kitchen Appliance, Parve (Meat or Milk) Recipe, Kitchen Utensils, Kosher, Meat Recipe, Milk Recipe, Kosher Home, Spices, Single Parenting, Vegetarian, Cooking Stories