Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen: 02/01/2007

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

A Little Bit Of Nice

Deborah Dowd of Play With Food is, as I have previously said a regular commentator here. Recently I published her Sparkling Punch Recipe which I stole from Play With Food with her permission of course. In that post I made a comment about Deborah not being Jewish and thus her blog was essentially not a "kosher" blog. I did it because the recipe appeared right with a "shrimp" recipe and meant it as a compliment.

Deborah then commented on the post writing:

Teddy,

Glad you don't old my not being Jewish against me. An equal opportunity blogger...

Deborah

When I read that I assumed that Deborah was offended by the remark about not being kosher so I immediately wrote her and apologized and removed what I thought to be the offending sentence. The following is what Deborah wrote back:

Teddy,

Absolutely no offense taken! I took what you said in the manner in which it appeared. No need to be politically correct. I am thrilled if you and your readers can find not only recipes but ideas and attitude from my blog, and I am excited to do the same from yours. Also, do not apologize- I respect that your faith is part of your life and part of your blog. It is very refreshing to see someone who does not apologize for their faith, especilly in a public forum like a blog. We both worship the God of Abraham, so don't sweat it.

And since I have heard there is such a thing as Jewish guilt don't spend another moment on this- I am thrilled to have your readers visit my blog and I hope they find things they can use within the constraints of a kosher diet, and your blog is still prominently linked as one I visit daily.

Deborah

Thanks Deborah. But one small thing you got wrong. Guilt? Me? Hah! (You see I know it is always my fault. That is what makes it so easy!)

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Fifty Percent (50%) of all revenue of any product purchased through Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen goes to help feed needy families in Israel. The funds are donated directly to the needy families - regardless of religion, race or creed. The remaining 50% will be donated to a Rape Crises Center for Women in Israel. (For a full explanation please read this.)

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Hot Milk Sponge Cake - Cake Recipe Contest

Editor Note: This is from Beth whom we called "Shrugged" at Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen. She is a regular contributor of recipes here.

The Great Cake Recipe Contest - Submission # 5

I'd completely forgotten about this recipe! All my life, my mother has been making Hot Milk Sponge Cake. All of us kids loved it, but even so, I haven't thought to make it in years. I've made this recipe successfully dozens of times, but after a major debacle with this recipe, I needed to put in a caveat. I was living in Utah at the time, and I forgot to adjust for altitude. (We were about 4000 ft above sea level.) The result was a sorry mess, so I've added a note on how to avoid my disaster.

You can certainly frost this and serve it, but it doesn't need any frosting. It's perfect all by itself. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I and my family have all these years.

Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Cooking Utensils Required:

2 8" round cake pans or 1 8x11" rectangular cake pan
1 large bowl
Electric Mixer (for beating egg mixture)
1 medium bowl
Fork (for sifting)
Spoon (for stirring in flour mixture and milk mixture)
1 medium sauce pan
Soft Spatula
Toothpicks (for testing)

Ingredients:

4 eggs
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon. salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
Grease and flour – on bottom only – either 2 layer pans or 1 rectangular pan.
In large bowl, beat eggs until appearance is thick and lemony.
Beat in sugar and vanilla.
In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
Gradually stir flour mixture into egg mixture.
In saucepan, bring milk and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add hot milk mixture to batter mixture all at once.
Stir until well combined.
Pour mixture into prepared pan(s) – using spatula to get remaining batter out of bowl, and to spread batter evenly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

(At higher altitudes, make sure to adjust time. Cooking at higher altitudes generally takes about 10-15 minutes longer for this cake. When in doubt, though, stick to the toothpick test for accuracy.)

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No ratings are given for entries into Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen - The Great Cake Recipe Contest

Monday, February 26, 2007

Sparkling Punch

I stole this one from Deborah Dowd's - Play With Food Blog. Deborah is a regular commentator at Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, and I love her philosophy on kids and food. I peek at her blog from time to time (shush..don't tell her!). I decided its about time to steal a few gems. This one is for Purim - with or without the alcohol. Actually it is for Passover and the whole year as well! But we just make this the official Purim drink of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen. After all we can spike it galore and no one will know until they are passed out on the couch! Of course Deborah gave me permission to repost as she wrote:

As long as you provide attribution, I am happy for you to post my recipes. And the punch is really good... much better than the usual Hawaiian Punch type that is too sweet and too watered down. It provdies a great base and you can play with additions to change it, too.

So here you go folks - I LOVE THIS ONE!

Sparkling Punch

This punch is very good and both kids and adults like it- no alcohol- but you could add spirits (rum or vodka) to give it a kick.

Ingredients:

2 cups cranberry juice cocktail chilled
1 cup apple cider (you could use sparkling for extra bubbles)
1 package frozen strawberries, partially thawed
1 liter lemon lime or grapefruit soda

Directions:

Mix cranberry juice and apple cider together, stir in strawberries, and then slowly pour in soda.
Mix gently together to avoid breaking all the bubbles, and serve.

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Even one star for difficulty is too much for this. I love this drink because it is natural and really tastes good. If you are into alcohol then just add some good Vodka. I am going to make this on Purim. Going to spike the drinks, and make sure everyone walks out of my house, not knowing the difference between Haman and Mordechai. That will teach them! You got to love Purim!

Important Prayers To Always Remember While In The Kitchen - Rule #14

Teddy’s Insane Laws For The Kitchen & Cooking

There Really Is A Method To My Madness

Rule № Fourteen

Important Prayers To Always Remember While In The Kitchen

I have zillions of magnets on my refrigerator. The bottom two have been with me through many good and bad times in the kitchen. Here are two prayers to share with you.

When that friend who is always so damn skinny comes over and eats and eats and eats and does not gain even a half of pound, before you go to sleep that night, say this prayer. It does not work but it sure makes you feel good!

Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Now, how about all those friends and family that call you up to ask you for a recipe and suddenly you are cooking a 15 course dinner for 10 people for a party in their house - a party to which you were not invited!

"Oh darling. I know how much you hate mingling and making small talk. I didn't invite you because I wanted to save you the trouble and aggravation. Besides Steven Spielberg is only coming for desert. How much fun would that be? Now when did you say I could pick up all that delicious food?"

The one problem. When I am on the phone and my mouth says "Yes" I always fail to look at the magnets on the refrigerator!

Go Figure!

ETA: Paula's comment reminded me! Here you go folks... never forget this one!

Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

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Real Men Don't Eat Quiche

In my recent post, Honey-Garlic Chicken With A Few Other Tidbits, I told readers of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen the story of the almost-not-done chicken on Friday. What I did not mention is that in the morning I made two dairy dishes. I was kind of stupid. I did not think of taking pictures of the Mac & Cheese one, (which I should have - cause it came out SO PERFECT...sheesh!) but I did think of taking a picture of my potato madness Quiche.

Now this is not really a Quiche... so I am cheating... pfffffttttt. Hell, it kind of looks like Quiche! So I am taking a literary license on this one!

It is actually almost the exact the same recipe as the one I gave in, Mr. Potato Head - The Good Ole' Potato Recipe, but it is worth its own post, me thinks. There is a bit of a change nothing drastic mind you, but if you rather make a dish and not start with the muss and fuss of nice looking potato halves, this will fit the bill quite nicely.

(I did try to make the picture come out nice.. but I am so not a photographer!)

So here it is:

Real Men Don't Eat Quiche

Subtitled: (can you tell I write for a living?)

Potatoes, Cheese and Some Spices To Liven Up Your Taste Buds

Ingredients:
For this dish above:

8 medium potatoes (I have an affinity for medium sized potatoes. The large ones take a long time to bake and get soft - but to each their own)
1 Teaspoon Basil - spice jar is fine here actually recommended
1 Teaspoon Oregano - same as above (use the spice jar not fresh!)
1 Teaspoon Garlic powder or 5 garlic cloves grated fine.
1 Teaspoon Onion salt or 1 small to medium sized onion grated fine.
1 Half Teaspoon Sweet Paprika
200-250 grams (or more depends on your taste) Cheese grated - (whatever you like here - regular, cheddar, mozzarella - go for it!) I buy it already grated in these tight spots. A little more money - a lot less work in the kitchen.
Around 600 gram of sour cream (or 2 pints)
1 Teaspoon Butter
Extra Virgin or Virgin Olive Oil - the good stuff folks not the cheap kind!
(Some people will want to add in one raw egg. I find it totally unnecessary, but to each their own.)

Directions:

Bake or Boil potatoes. If you bake them leave the skin on. If you boil them - first peel them. If potato skin bothers you even after you mash up potatoes then boil them.
To Bake - wrap each potato separately in aluminum foil. Turn the oven up to as high as you dare. Mine is in Celsius - I use 275 degrees Celsius. These babies just have to bake nothing more. Medium size potatoes will take between 60-90 minutes on the average to get soft enough to cut.
To boil - Peel the potatoes and drop them in a pot on the flame (with water in it guys!) and let it go for around 60 minutes. Medium flame. Make sure the water does not boil out!
Check the potatoes after 60 minutes by just putting a fork through the aluminum foil or in the potato in the pot. If they are soft take them out of the oven - use gloves (don't be like me and burn your hands!) If they are not yet soft on the inside leave those babies baking or boiling away!
Once they are soft enough take them out and put them in your serving dish.
Take out a big good fork or flat utensil and mash them up. Go ahead. Take out all your aggression on those potatoes. I give you permission. Make sure there are no small hard lumps!
Take the olive oil and sprinkle very lightly over the cut potato halves. Again VERY LIGHTLY. Just a touch.
They should be steaming so all you have to do is dump the butter inside. Mix it around until it melts.
If you are going to add a raw egg - do it now.
Sprinkle the Basil on the potatoes.
Do the exact same thing with the Oregano.
Do the exact same thing with the Garlic powder. If you are using grated fresh Garlic spread it around.
Do the exact same thing with the Onion salt. If you are using grated fresh Onion spread it around.
Now once again spend around 60-90 seconds mixing it all up in there. Remember you should not have any "potato lumps"!
Take the Sour cream and cover the whole top with it. You should not see any potato once done. Just a layer of sour cream.
Now sprinkle the Paprika very lightly over the sour cream. You should see the red inside the white cream.
Now the grated cheese over the potatoes. Sprinkle on top. As much as you like. I like cheese so I cover the tops with cheese.
Now cover the bowl or pan or whatever you are using with aluminum foil. We need these babies to bake but not too fast.
Make sure your oven is about 200-225 degrees Celsius - 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put the potatoes on and plan on 30 minutes.
Check them after 15 minutes see if the cheese is totally melted down the sides and you may possibly see a bit of the Olive Oil on the bottom of the bowl.
Once done - take out and serve.

This can be refrigerated without any harm for a few days as well. Then heated in the oven or nuked in the microwave.

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Pretty much the same ingredients as the Mr. Potato Head - The Good Ole' Potato Recipe. By the way, you can try adding a bit of curry in here. Here though, you do not have to worry about the appearance of each potato half as it is all in one dish. Plus, this keeps much better if you have leftovers. I am going to repeat again this recipe contains the three C's - Carbohydrates, Cholesterol and Calories. Be careful with stuff like this. This is not a dish to serve to those who want to diet or overweight people.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Ratatouille

Paula writes:

If you like vegetables, this is a great dish either by itself, served as a side dish or over rice. You can add or subtract vegetables to suit your taste. This makes a nice side to chicken or fish (Imagine, One pot.. that’s it)

Ratatouille

You will need:

Large Saucepan

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tomatoes (chopped)
2 Red Onions (cut in half, then sliced thin, separate rings)
2 Zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
1 Eggplant, diced into cubes
1 each – Red , Yellow, Orange and Green pepper , chopped
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Fresh Black Pepper
3 Gloves Garlic, chopped fine
3/4 Teaspoon Thyme
1/2 Cup Worcester Sauce

Directions:

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
Saute’ Garlic and Thyme
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium heat, uncovered for 45 minutes
Stir occasionally

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It is often the simple that is the best. There is no genius here. There is simply a sane combination of veggies to make for a great tasting dish. Not a lot of work and just a bit of preparation when you shop in the dreaded supermarket! And this is a dish to experiment with in terms of Ingredients. Enjoy. Paula often outdoes herself but this dish is something that shows she is truly an expert at feeding her family. And folks take heed - she only uses one pot here. Now that is a miracle!

Chocolate Mousse Cake - Cake Recipe Contest

The Great Cake Recipe Contest - Submission # 4

Editors note on some terminology used in Martha's submission:

Balabusta - means "home-maker" actually refers to the Matriarch of the family. The one who with just one look will make you crawl into your shell!
Pesadik - means Kosher for Passover. (Yiddish-English kind of term)
Parve - as readers of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen know is something that does not contain milk or meat and thus can be eaten with both.
Coeliac disease or celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals in all age groups after early infancy. (See the Wikipedia article on this for more info. or click below on the link for celiacs.)

Martha Greenberg writes about her submission to the Great Cake Recipe Contest:

This cake is my all-time favorite. I got the recipe from my aunt, who is a terrific balabusta. It is not only parve, it is also pesadik (and safe for celiacs), but so good that we make it year-round. It can even be made ahead of time and frozen. If it has any flaws, it is that this cake is so rich and yummy that you can't each very much of it. But if you are chocolate lover, you will love this.

This recipe comes in 2 sizes. To make a large cake, use the first set of quantities and large spring-form pan. To make a smaller one, use the second set and smaller pan.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ingredients [large]:

13.5 oz (200gr) margarine (plus a small amount to grease the pan)
10.5 oz (325 gr) sugar
10.5 oz (300 gr) bitter-sweet chocolate
11 eggs

Ingredients [small]:

9 oz (130 gr) margarine (plus a small amount to grease the pan)
7 oz (215 gr) sugar
7 oz (200 gr) bitter-sweet chocolate
7 eggs

Requires:

1 spring-form pan
Electric mixer
1 egg separator
2 mixing bowls (one large, the other can be smaller)
And either one glass bowl and a microwave or a small saucepan and burner (to melt the ingredients)

Steps (Directions:)

Melt the margarine, sugar and chocolate together (I break up the chocolate bars and put the ingredients in a glass bowl in microwave, you could use a pan on the stove instead).
Separate the eggs.
Beat the yolks.
Add the melted mixture to the yolks.
Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Gently fold the egg whites into the other ingredients.
Grease the spring-form pan and pour 2/3 of the mixture into the pan.
Bake for 30 minutes.
When the cake is cool, add the leftover 1/3 of the mixture (if it hardens in the meanwhile, add more beaten egg-white)

Keep refrigerated or in freezer.

ENJOY!

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Saturday, February 24, 2007

Honey-Garlic Chicken With A Few Other Tidbits

It always seems that Friday brings on the stories... so here is a pretty good one for readers of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen. If you remember last week I posted, Mr. Potato Head - The Good Ole' Potato Recipe. In it I told you the father of a friend of mine is recuperating from difficult heart surgery. Anyway, this week it turns out she had guests she had to feed for Friday night dinner. So since I was making chicken for my own children, I told her not to worry, to bring over a chicken and I would just make two of them together. No real big deal ...

No big deal - USUALLY! But life with Teddy is always full of surprises. So there I was preparing the chickens and they were in the oven, timed to the minute to be ready to be picked up before the Sabbath which began around 5:25 PM, when a little before 4 PM - BANG! - all the electricity goes out in this dumb abode. Well turns out a major fuse had burned out, and the electric company had to come to replace it. They were actually really great and by 4:30 I had electricity back. Now I had to pray that the chicken, rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes were all going to get done in time. (Well the rice was on the flame - gas but of course I was sure it was going to screw up as well!)

Well folks, by 5:20 those suckers were out of the oven - all made, and I even made it to Friday night prayers in the Synagogue. So HAH!

The picture below was taken like at 5:18 and please excuse the parsley all over. I kind of cheated and before she took the chicken and rice I just let the parsley fall where it would - I was really kind of pressed for time. But all is well that ends well.

Honey Garlic Chicken - Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

O.k. what the hell is in this dish? Here you go...actually fairly easy to make. Everyone I know likes crispy chicken skin, which is not as easy to make sure comes out as it sounds, but I will try and explain it below.

Utensils You will need:

Either an aluminum foil pan or a good oven tempered bowl or pan (I used the above to cook one chicken and a bowl to cook the other)
Big serving fork and knife to test the chicken while cooking
Oven gloves - go ahead laugh but I did burn my finger on this one, because I was really *&^%$$ when the electricity went out.
Cutting board
Cutting knives
Aluminum Foil

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken - either fresh or defrosted but make sure it is totally defrosted! If you are caught and need to defrost it fast well that I will teach you how to do in another post.
1-2 medium sized Onions
1 Fresh Garlic
4-5 Tablespoons of Honey
Off the rack supermarket "Chicken Grill Spice" (you can make your own here but now is not the time - this is how the above was made)
Parsley for the end if you like (but much less than I threw on the chicken!)
1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil depending on size of chicken of course.
(If you like the stuff you can use one of the various "bbq" sauces on the market. But not too much of the stuff. Just a bit. Like 2-3 Tablespoons worth over the chicken.
If you want to make the Sweet Potatoes you see cut up on the sides of that plate then just get 2-3 of them, leave them whole, wash them off and wrap them each separately in aluminum foil. Suggestion would be to put them in a bowl of their own as they kind of "leak" while cooking.

Directions:

Place the chicken in the bowl you are going to cook it in.
Pour the olive oil over the chicken.
Cut up onion(s) chop or grate or however you like it. If grated then you should just put the onion all over the chicken so that it can seep in. If chopped just place the onion all around the chicken.
Same with the garlic btw. Either chop or grate.
Hint: Put one clove and a few chopped pieces of onion inside the chicken cavity.
If you are using a bbq sauce then now is the time to put it on and spread it around!
Pour the honey all over the chicken.
Let it sit in a corner now for at least 30-45 up to 2-3 hours minutes so the seasoning can seep in a bit.
When you are ready to cook. Preheat oven to 200° C. (390° F.)
If you are making the sweet potatoes just put them in the oven and take them out after you take the chicken out. They should be soft after around 60-90 minutes in that heat.
Sprinkle real lightly (for now) the "chicken grill spice" all over the chicken especially the part that will now be facing the heating element or exposed to the gas heat in the oven.
Cover the whole chicken for now with aluminum foil.
Place chicken in oven for only 15-20 minutes - we are just bringing the temp up to cooking temp.
When 15-20 minutes are over open oven door, and with your oven gloves on, (pfffttttttt!) pull out the chicken.
Remove the aluminum foil and sprinkle the chicken spice again over the exposed part of the chicken. (It should be covered with the chicken spice if you want crispy skin.)
Get that sucker back in the oven for 20-30 minutes without the aluminum foil now. (Here I say 20-30 minutes because this really depends on the size of the chicken and how much your oven loves you. Be careful here cause this really requires a knowledge of when your oven is acting up or is out to take revenge on you or is in it's "Hey I am the best damn oven you ever had" mood. - Mine seems to always be in the mood of "What can I do today to give Teddy high blood pressure? I love it when his ears turn purple.) All in all your chicken will be cooking between 70-100 minutes.
When the time is over take out the chicken and turn it over. (Chickens do have top, bottom and two sides when you cook.) By the way by now you should see lots of juice in the pan. That is the chicken gravy as well and will be great when you serve the chicken.
20-30 minutes on the other side.
Now look at the chicken. It is going to need (depending on size again) around 15-20 minutes once again on each side. You repeat above sprinkling the "chicken spice" but now waiting until you see the skin turn crispy before turning the chicken over.
Do NOT overcook. Dry chicken is horrible!
Take the chicken out and sprinkle a bit of parsley over it. (If you made the sweet potatoes take them out, cut them in thirds or halves and put them around the chicken.)
Ta-Da!
You will not have any change. Guaranteed!

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You do not need a whole chicken to make this one. You can use all wings, or drumsticks or just chicken breasts. But the amounts and timing in the oven must be adjusted accordingly. When serving just ask the person if they want added sauce or not. Or let them dig in themselves.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Paula Writes:

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, my sister hosted a family that had been displaced. On Sundays, we got together for brunch. Each of us made a dish and swapped recipes. Not only did we have a great opportunity to help a family in need, we also had a wonderful experience sharing a kitchen and swapping recipes.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Utensils - You will need:

Griddle ( or large surface frypan)
2 Mixing bowls
Potato Masher

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Flour
3 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 1/4 Cups Mashed Sweet Potatoes (2 large potatoes)
2 Eggs, beaten
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1/4 Cup Butter, melted

Directions:

Peel and cube Sweet Potatoes and place in medium size pan, cover potatoes with water and cook on medium heat until potatoes are fork tender.
Drain water and mash potatoes
Combine Flour, Baking Powder, Salt and Nutmeg, whisk until blended.
In separate bowl, combine Eggs, Potatoes, Milk and butter.
Whisk until blended.
Add the combo of eggs, milk and butter to the bowl of flour;
Mix only until dry ingredients are dampened.
Drop by spoonful onto hot greased griddle and fry until browned.
Serve with sugar & cinnamon mixture. (Cinnamon & Sugar, mix 1/2 Cup of sugar w/ 3 Teaspoons of Cinnamon)

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This is clearly an easy and interesting recipe. Actually in the end all one is doing is substituting the normal pancake batter for "sweet potato". Enjoy!

Pound Cake

Paula sent this in as a regular submission. She writes:

This is an easy one. The ingredients are something usually in the cabinets and can be made quickly. Make ahead and freeze for those drop in guests… thaws in ½ hour. Ok.. let me guess, you will give it a two for difficulty because it’s baking… but.. again ONE BOWL…highly unlike me.

Pound Cake

Utensils. You will need:

1 Medium Bowl
Electric Mixer
1 Loaf Pan ( Greased)
1 Toothpick (for doneness test)

Ingredients:

1 Stick of Butter Softened
3/4 Cup of Sugar
2 Jumbo Eggs
1 Heaping Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 3/4 Cups Cake Flour (it gives it a better texture)
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Milk

Substitutes and variations (on Ingredients):

Replace milk with 1 Cup of Sour Cream
Use Margarine in place of the butter

Directions:

Mix butter and sugar until blended
Add eggs and mix until blended
Add vanilla and mix until blended
Add Baking Powder and mix until blended
Add Milk and mix until blended
Add flour and mix until blended
Bake @ 350 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Serve topped with fresh fruit

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Yep. Gets a two for baking. Minute you put that baking thing in there... goes from one to two at least! This is an easy cake to make and certainly great for the guests. We are lazy. We buy cakes and cookies and small cakes from the great bakeries around here. But if you are not into bakeries or you just want a cake to have around for the kids and the drop-in guest this fits the bill! Pay attention to how Paula sent in her recipe. Utensils, Ingredients, Substitutions, and Directions. This is really important to allow us all to understand just what craziness Paula is cooking up for us! Seriously... now all Paula has to do is to start sending in PICTURES! (Come On Paula - it is about time for photos of these creations of yours!)

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Tu Bi'Shvat 7 Biblical Grain & Fruit Cake - Cake Recipe Contest

The Great Cake Recipe Contest - Submission # 3

Editors Note on explaining the meaning of Tu Bi'Shvat Before This Recipe:

Tu Bi'Shvat is known as the New Year For Trees - Rosh Ha'Shanah La'Elanot. (Not to be mistaken with the normal New Year which falls out in the fall, on the 1st day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei and which is followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur.) Indeed this is Judaism's "green" holiday. It falls out between Hanukkah and Purim. Tu Bi'Shvat simply means the "15th of the month of Shevat". Tu - is just a transliteration of the number of days. The "T" stands for the Hebrew Letter "Tet" which is equivalent to the number 9. The "u" stands for the Hebrew letter "Vav" which is equivalent to the number 6. 9+6 = 15. Thus "Tu" is fifteen. Shevat being the name of the Hebrew Month - "Bi" meaning in. Thus "Bi'Shevat or Bi'Shvat (spelled both ways with the "e" and without the "e") means "in Shevat".

This is celebrated in Israel and abroad by eating the fruits and grains associated in the Bible with the Land of Israel. These being seven:

Wheat
Barley
Grapes
Figs
Pomegranates
Olive
Honey (which means actually the honey of figs)

Some people also have a festive meal on this day known as the "Tu Bi'Shvat Seder" where all the above are eaten in one form or another. And now that you understand the meaning of Tu Bi'Shvat on to the submission of the Tu Bi'Shvat 7 Biblical Grain & Fruit Cake.

Submitted By Shimon S. - He Writes:

A recipe for T"U B'Shvat - based upon a passage in the Torah [editor: Hebrew for Old Testament]. Its very rich nutritionally, and plenty sweet so I only bake it once a year. The cake can be sliced up into about 40+ pieces No cholesterol! Only 155 calories per piece! & only 5 gr. of fat per piece! Like eating less than 1 slice of bread (per serving)! That's if you can control yourself, of course...

The Verse is from Deuteronomy 8:8 -

"A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates;
a land of olive oil and honey. A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it...".

The Great Cake Recipe Contest - Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Tu Bi'Shvat 7 Biblical Grain & Fruit Cake

Ingredients -The Dough:

4 cups wheat flour (sifted, of course)
Text Box: 3/4 cup of oil (to include 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil)
1/2 cup sugar
1 package baking powder (12 grams)
1/2 cup barley malt beer (black beer)
1/2 cup Pomegranate juice or wine (called Grenadine in Israel)

Spread about 2/3 of the kneaded dough on a greased pan.

Ingredients - The Filling:

200 grams of chopped-up Figs
200 grams of raisins (Grapes)
200 grams of Dates (the biblical Honey)

Directions - The Filling:

Spread this mix over the dough that's in the pan.
Cover this spread with the remaining 1/3 of the dough

To finish up sprinkle over the batter:

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Bake: in an oven, at 180° C. (350° F.) for about 30 min.

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Book Review - Talk Of The Table Kosher Cookbook

Recently I visited the Jerusalem International Book Fair which I wrote about in Cobwebs Of The Mind, in the post, Jerusalem International Book Fair - Flashlight Press. While there, I was handed a cook book with the request to have it reviewed in Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen.

I warned the person requesting the review that I would be brutally honest about the book and gave them a chance to cancel their request for the review. However, and this I say to their credit, they insisted they wanted an honest review of the book in question.

Before I enter into my thoughts on the book, I know that some readers of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen have contributed recipes to this book, as will become apparent soon, since this is somewhat of a conglomeration of recipes from many home cooks and some chefs at some fine restaurants in Israel. So it kinds of puts me on shaky ground, as it is never really a great place to be when you happen to know some of the people who contributed to a book that you are reviewing.

Some parts of this review are harsh. And that does not sit well with my inner voice as I know this book was produced to aid a charitable cause. But it is being sold commercially (which means profits for the publisher), and thus by volition the publisher entered it into a very competitive market. Thus all this has to be done in measure with an eye on the cause and an eye on the "professional" look and feel of the book as well.

Nevertheless, I took some time to think about this review, and my summary, critique and evaluation of Talk Of The Table Kosher Cookbook published by Urim Publications follows.

Talk of the Table Cook Book">Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, as I have said numerous times, is about real people, real cooking, real recipes and real food. Some of those who submit recipes to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen are "people" chefs - others can be either gourmet or the normal down-to-earth variety. Both kind of cooks are great. Both serve a purpose. The recipes in Talk Of The Table Kosher Cookbook for the most part come from the normal down-to-earth home cooks who know what it means to cook for a family.

When a community puts together a Cook Book or recipes from different sources one simply does not and should not expect the same finesse and professionalism that is apparent in the cookbooks written by the great chefs of the world and published in fine, glossy formats. Certainly one cannot expect the same finish on a cookbook from a small publisher as one of the large ones. But then again if you are going to play in the sand box - then be ready to play.

However, cook books by their nature do require certain basics. And if the cover price of a cook book is $20.00 I expect to be given $20 worth of book. Putting recipes in a hard cover on good paper is simply not good enough.

If you are looking for simply interesting and good recipes (all Kosher) then a quick perusal of Talk Of The Table Kosher Cookbook does answer and fit that bill. Some of the recipes are indeed interesting and good. Some seem to be fairly delicious unique food creations.

My problem with Talk Of The Table Kosher Cookbook is not with the recipes. My problem is with the layout and editing of this book.

The editors for this book obviously spell-checked the recipes (I would certainly hope so) and probably made some grammatical corrections. But they did not, it seems, bother to actually take a look at the recipes themselves nor at the way a "normal" reader would read them. This irks me a great deal to be honest and certainly has colored this review.

The ingredients for each recipe appear on the sidebar of the page next to the recipe (two per page). The instructions or directions for creating the plate appear in the middle. There is absolutely no mention of what kind of utensils are needed for each recipe nor is there a mention of amount of pans, bowls etc. By the way, this is my pet peeve with many cookbooks. For some reason the editors and chefs seem to take it as a normative self-understood fact that you will need 6 bowls, 7 frying pans and 15 large spoons for a given recipe. They also don't have to clean the stuff after the cooking is done and the camera, light, action is all over. This book suffers from the same malaise. Suprisingly so because most of the recipes come from home cooks! No where, it seems, did any of these home cooks deem to mention what kind of utensils one may need for which recipe.

One of the faults of the editors here can be best illustrated as follows. One recipe reads as follows: (I honestly broke out in laughter when I read this!)

Combine stock ingredients and bring to boil. Season to taste. Simmer for 1 hour. Add carp and vinegar to stock. Cook for an additional 45 minutes.

You are kidding me, right? This is what you tell a friend over the phone if you are pressed for time, your kids are about to murder each other, your other phone is ringing, and you are late for your nephew's wedding - so you are in a hurry! As a recipe, this just does not cut it. But this is the basic recipe for carp. That cannot be denied. Now someone please tell me what carp is and how I get it. And "season to taste"? What if I never made carp before? And btw, the word "cook" here is wrong. It should be actually "leave on the flame for another 45 minutes". But is it a big flame? Do I bring it to a boil? Do I keep it simmering? Why is there such a paucity on words here?

Small example. Picky? I am not sure. I have been at this long enough to know exactly what people require, what they need and what they should expect from a book on recipes - especially when it is being sold in a competitive market. And this book is geared to the home non-professional cook.

The problem lies in the fact that just placing ingredients before the cook and then giving very concise (and sometimes even terse) directions is often not enough. Home cooks have the recipes. The editors must know how to edit them and explain them to the reading public.

Cookbooks also should have pictures. Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen is a blog, and most often we just don't take pictures of our great recipes. Still pictures are always welcome. BUT then again Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen as all other blogs of its type is FREE. And all good blogs and web sites that I have seen do take the time to explain directions, utensils and ingredients.

All this being said about the downside of the book, I must add the following. This book seems to have been put together as a community effort for a school. That I find laudable and thus for that reason alone I would give it an A+ for effort. But unless it is my child's school or my own recipes or I really believe in the charity I am not going to spend in $20 on effort. Effort in professionally published books which make a profit for the publishers - is just not a reason to purchase something.

The recipes, as I said are fairly good. I was very disappointed with some of the chefs of the fine restaurants in Israel and what they contributed, however, assuming they were not paid for their recipe I assume they just contributed some very basic recipes. Still, professional chefs that submit recipes with their names attached to them should be a bit more circumspect about what they contribute to such a book. If this is the extent of their capability, then the food at some of these restaurants is really overpriced, and certainly the chefs need a course themselves in how to cook.

The book, since it is a kosher cook book, is divided into logical sections - Dairy, Meat, Cakes etc. Makes recipes extremely easy to find if you know what you are looking for. This the editors got right and did with brains. I like that part of the book.

Would I personally buy Talk Of The Table Kosher Cookbook? I would do it to give as a present, knowing the proceeds are going to a worthy charity if I thought that it would serve a purpose. So indeed Talk Of The Table Kosher Cookbook does make a good present to the learning cook for that reason while contributing to a worthy cause - though I have no doubt the publisher is making money off of this and that does irk me because it simply is priced way too high for what one should expect to get.

However, there are some editorial failures in this book sad to say. This does not in any way reflect upon most of the recipes contained within the book. A bit more effort in the editorial process, and yes more money invested in its publication could have made it into a wonderful cook book. However I do find it hard to justify the $20 cover price for this book. That is near 90 NIS in Israel which makes it not a cheap book to buy.

Talk Of The Table Kosher Cookbook is not a coffee table book. You will not learn how to cook from it. You will however, add some really interesting recipes into your repertoire, and with a bit more finesse turn some of these recipes into truly great dishes. It fails at being a true "real" cook book though. And that is sad because the extra effort would have turned this book into a unique gem.

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One final note. Please do not write in or comment that since the book is a community, charitable effort - no matter what - it should get a great review. If it was being sold for $5 or less I would have praised it to the ceiling. After all for $5 it is a good investment. But when I see the $20 price tag - I must professionally ask what is missing and what am I paying for. In the end the recipes are for the most part passable or good, with some unique individualistic creations, and the faults of the publication process and editors should not reflect upon the contributors of these recipes.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Maple Cake - Cake Recipe Contest

The Great Cake Recipe Contest - Submission # 2

Submitted By Manara - She Writes:

A sentence about my recipe: For those who LOVE pancakes, and crave it as dessert (rather than breakfast), well, now you can! Go figure, Maple Cake!

Maple Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 packet (or 1 tablespoons) of vanilla sugar
1 cup of heavy (sour) cream
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (demerara)
1/2 cup oil
3.5 ounces walnuts, finely chopped
Maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
Grease up and flour either 3 loaf tins or 1 medium size cake tin (approximately 9 inch X 12 inch).
Add all ingredients, except for walnuts and syrup, in a mixer until there's a consistent batter.
Pour batter in tin(s) and sprinkle chopped walnuts all over cake.
Bake for 30 minutes or until cake is settled with a golden brownish color.
Check with toothpick.
When cake is ready, remove from oven, and while it's still hot, drizzle maple syrup over the cake until it's glossy. (Not too much syrup because it's very sweet).
Let it cool, and serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

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Sunday, February 18, 2007

Know-Ent, No-ent or just Noent

As you may or may not know, the Ents are Tree Creatures from Lord Of The Rings, where TreeBeard and the Hobbits had some interesting adventures during the Third Age of Middle Earth.

So the name of this dish is actually Noent - but I like to think of it as Know-Ent (because it is sweet and wonderful and full of laughter as the Ents were.)

Today begins the Hebrew month of Adar. In Adar the holiday of Purim falls out. From Purim to Passover is exactly one month - 28 days. The month of Adar has a particular statement associated with it:

"Mi'Shnechnes Adar Marbim Bi'Simcha"

"When Adar Enters We Spend The Month In Joy & Happiness"

Purim falls on the 13th, 14th and 15th of Adar and is a holiday where we celebrate being saved from the dastardly plans of Haman who wanted to destroy, kill and wipe out all the Jews in Ancient Persia. Haman's plan was revealed to King Achsheverush by Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai, along with the King's helper, Harvonah. The story is in the Old Testament in the book of Esther if you are interested.

On Purim we do a few things. The Book of Esther is read in synagogue to much joyous laughter (after it is read) and song. We celebrate being saved from Haman and his plans. We also are commanded based upon the last chapter in Esther to give charity to the poor on this day and to send packages of food to all our friends. Finally we have a festive meal, called in Hebrew a Seudah, where we eat and DRINK. Oh boy do we drink. A whole nation gets plastered on this day - as we are commanded to reach the stage where we no longer can tell the difference between the righteous Mordechai and the evil Haman. A state of "ad de'lo yadah" - "until one does not know".

Strange customs, I agree. And since I do not drink alcohol usually you can imagine my head on Purim when I drink a few glasses of wine or whiskey! And oh boy, can I tell you stories of Teddy getting drunk on Purim!

But Purim for me is also very nostalgic. Indeed way back at the beginning of this blog, Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, I posted a chapter from the Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen work-in-progress-book, Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, entitled: How I Discovered The Kitchen (Part Two). In it I mention Noent.

Not a Purim goes by when I do not remind my children and my sister of my mother’s ‘Noent’, (I have no clue where the name comes from.) It was a mixture of baked honey and walnuts, and was sticky and delicious. Last year when we went to a hotel for Passover, there was a gigantic sculpture of ‘Noent’ for the arriving guests to nibble on before the traditional Seder. I tasted a bit, declared that Mom’s was better, and basked for a moment in my normal atmospheric ponderings, remembering years gone by. Of course, I told my children about Grandma’s ‘Noent’. And of course, they heard me out and said:

“Abba, that is the hundredth time we heard all about Grandma’s ‘Noent’.

You are probably familiar with the "lets make our parents look senile" scene. Don’t you just love it when they roll their eyes and give each other the knowing look that says:

“Our father has to be locked up. He is too embarrassing to take out for his daily walk anymore.”

I can tell you why this simple dish actually makes me almost cry every Purim when I think of Mom making it. Mom had bad arthritis in her hands. She did not cook a great deal, but what she did make she made with love. And every single Purim, Mom would go into that kitchen and take the Walnuts and honey and work her magic into that Noent.

Noent is a candy actually. But it is eaten on Purim and Passover. It is made on Purim because as most Jewish Holidays, Purim revolves around the children. They dress up (much like Haloween) wear costumes and gorge on every candy in the world. It is also eaten on the Eve of Passover, when we can no longer eat bread and are waiting to eat at the Seder that evening.

Noent, (also sometimes called "Ashkenazi Nut Candy" though for this title I have no clue why cause it is not just made by Jews of Ashkenazi descent) as far as I can tell is not well known anymore. The commercial brand and the stuff the hotels make for incoming guests is filled with sugar - for which there is no need. So here is the simple recipe for Noent - and if you do make it, remember, this is one of those dishes that the more love that goes into it, the better it tastes.

I dedicate this recipe to my Mother who was one incredible woman.
May her soul be bound up in the bond of everlasting life.

Requirements:

One large flat pan or oven tray coated with aluminum
One pot

Ingredients:

Walnuts - 1- 2 pounds (One can use pecans here or almonds or hazelnuts. I use Walnuts cause that is how Mom made it!
Oil for greasing the pan
Honey - At least 1 pound - but here the more the merrier. Honey is honey is honey.
1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice for every pound of Honey. (Not required but a good idea)
One-quarter cup of sugar. If you absolutely need it! I don't use sugar at all. Don't think there is a need - but some people claim it gives better consistency in the baking process.

Directions:

Nothing could be simpler. Very lightly grease the pan or aluminum foil with either Mazola or something equivalent.
Mix the honey and lemon juice and if you are using it, sugar, in the pot. Make sure it is consistent and the lemon juice and sugar are totally mixed in.
Put the pot on a medium flame and stir constantly for around 5-8 minutes. NO LONGER. Just make sure the honey is hot. Be careful of your hands. Hot honey splatter hurts like hell! Take it from someone with first hand experience. (Go ahead laugh - pfftttttt!)
Now add the nuts into the pot. Slowly. Keep on stirring for around 20-30 minutes. Keep the pot hot and the honey hot.
Take the pot and now pour it out as evenly as possible into the pan. Let it settle.
Put the pan into a preheated oven at 300 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes.
Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool down for at least 1 hour.
Now you can cut it into pieces or just put the whole pan into the fridge.
In around six hours you will have delicious Noent. (And keep your fingers out of the batter while it is cooling down - that is CHEATING! And besides my kids always see the trail of my finger in the hardened honey!)

And may we all have a year full of sweetness and joy and know no more sorrow. May all the readers of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever race, religion or background you have, be blessed with Joy, Happiness and the sweet melting of honey upon the canopy of your lives.

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Enjoy!
"When Adar Enters We Spend The Month In Joy & Happiness"

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Mr. Potato Head - The Good Ole' Potato Recipe

Here is the story behind this recipe:

As you know Friday is a hectic day when you have to get ready for the Sabbath. I have explained this before. Yesterday was particularly hectic. I woke up thinking I would not have to cook a thing as my synagogue was having a community lunch. I at first turned it down, but after a few phone calls asking me if I was coming, I got the hint and gave in. But that is a good thing because I would not have to cook for Saturday (Shabbat) lunch.

Unfortunately, the father of a close friend of mine just underwent fairly difficult heart surgery. Since he is 85 any surgery at that age becomes very scary. She asked me to come with her to visit her father and also asked if it would not be too much of a problem if she ate Friday night Sabbath meal at my house. Of course I said fine, but then my day which started out as free, became fairly stressed for time as I had to go with her to visit her father and then cook up something.

For whatever reason I could not face the thought of meat. This was not a hamburger meal and though on the Sabbath we try and eat meat meals, I knew on Saturday afternoon I would be eating meat. So my desire was to go the way of a nice meal though not with any meat involved.

I knew she would be really stressed and also knew she would not be in the mood for any seven course dinner. I asked her what she normally liked to eat, like her favorite non-fancy meal, and she said to me:

"Anything with potatoes. Meat and potatoes. Chicken and potatoes. Mashed. Boiled. Fried. I don't care. I love potatoes."

Of course it is not fair. This woman is so damn skinny it kills me! And though in her early forties you would swear seeing her in the street that she is around 28-32. KILLS ME - that she could gobble potatoes down and still stay skinny!

So ummm.. potatoes? Potatoes? I mean what the hell am I going to make with potatoes at 2:30 PM on Friday when the meal will be at 6:30? Sheesh.. of all the things, she goes ahead and says: Potatoes!

So here you go folks. Let me tell you this is incredibly good! And damn easy. We are going to keep this one real easy but with just a bit of imagination you can add or subtract or get fancy. It is also filling and healthy (though see my remarks on this recipe). Let us call this one:

Mr. Potato Head

Ingredients:
Depending upon the amount of people you are going to serve. The only thing you really have to worry about here is the number of potatoes. Let us assume four adults and assume this will not be your main serving- though it easily can be. We want to end up with Potato halves - though in my notes I also say that you can mash them all up and simply follow the directions here. To each their own. But nicely baked and nice looking potato halves baked as we will bake them, are a pleasure on the eyes and also keep one focused on exactly how much one is eating (important in such a recipe!)

Six medium or large potatoes (I have an affinity for medium sized potatoes. The large ones take a long time to bake and get soft - but to each their own)
Basil - spice jar is fine here actually recommended
Oregano - same as above (use the spice jar not fresh!)
Garlic powder
Sweet Paprika
Cheese grated - (whatever you like here - regular, cheddar, mozzarella - go for it!) I buy it already grated in these tight spots. A little more money - a lot less work in the kitchen.
Around 600 gram of sour cream (or 2 pints)
Extra Virgin or Virgin Olive Oil - the good stuff folks not the cheap kind!

Directions:

First off we have to get these darn potatoes soft! I like baking them. Takes a long time, but I like the taste. You can boil them of course, but boiling in this case may make them too soft! So wrap each potato separately in aluminum foil. Turn the oven up to as high as you dare. Mine is in Celsius - I use 275 degrees Celsius. These babies just have to bake nothing more. Medium size potatoes will take between 60-90 minutes on the average to get soft enough to cut.
Check the potatoes after 60 minutes by just putting a fork through the aluminum foil. If they are soft take them out of the oven - use gloves (don't be like me and burn your hands!) If they are not yet soft on the inside leave those babies baking away!
Once they are soft enough to cut in half and even eat as is, take them out of that oven and put them on an open pan or in a bowl that is good for the oven which is big enough to hold them. (I used two bowls cause I was in a rush.) Put the aluminum foil away.
Cut them into halves. Try to make sure they don't kind of flake apart, cause we can also make this one pretty as well.
The following should be done in the order I put down here.
Take the olive oil and sprinkle very lightly over the cut potato halves. Again VERY LIGHTLY. Just a touch.
Now take a knife and tenderly cut a + into each potato half. Easy now so the potato does not kind of all smoosh up and flake away. (Yeah smoosh is a word - MY word!)
Now - chefs of the new age. Wash your hands - open one palm and pour like a half of teaspoon to a teaspoon (depending on the amount of potatoes you are making of course) of Basil into that great palm of yours. VERY LIGHTLY sprinkle it on the potato halves.
Do the exact same thing with the Oregano.
Do the exact same thing with the Garlic powder.
We want the taste. We don't want to drown in it!
Take the Sour cream and cover each potato half lightly with it. You should not see any potato once done. Just a layer of sour cream.
Now sprinkle the Paprika very lightly over the sour cream. You should see the red inside the white cream.
Now the grated cheese over the potatoes. Sprinkle on top. As much as you like. I like cheese so I cover the tops with cheese.
Now cover the bowl or pan or whatever you are using with aluminum foil. We need these babies to bake but not too fast.
Make sure your oven is about 200-225 degrees Celsius - 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put the potatoes on and plan on 15-20 minutes.
Check them after 15 minutes see if the cheese is totally melted down the sides and you may possibly see a bit of the Olive Oil on the bottom of the pan.
Once done - take out and serve.

In a pinch, as for us, it served very well as a main dish in an informal dinner. This can also be a great side dish. In the future I am going to teach you a few other great Mr. Potato Head recipes. All easy. All truly finger-licking good.

I made 8 potatoes. It is Saturday Night. No change. Nothing left. Nada. Zilch.

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Carbohydrates, Cholesterol and Calories. The three C's - and this recipe contains all of them. Be careful with stuff like this. This is not a dish to serve to those who want to diet or overweight people. ALSO, it is really good and addictive. Don't overdo it either. As with everything else eat with some type of self-control. If you want to add to this I will teach you soon how to make this dish incredibly tasty with onions and/or fresh broccoli. BTW - Worse comes to worse you can mash all the potatoes up and add the spices like I told you. Cover it with sour cream and then cheese and bake away as well.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Honey Mustard Chicken

Paula sent this one in:

Ah the humor. I should be embarrassed really but after hearing this conversation
take place all I could do was laugh til I cried.

I cooked all day Saturday as per usual. Sunday, there were enough leftovers and I
took the opportunity to clean the stove, cabinets etc. My daughter and nephew
decided instead of leftovers, they wanted tuna fish.

Daughter - I'll mix the tuna if you open it, I don't know how

Nephew - Ok.. get me the can opener

Daughter - Um.. I don't know what it looks like

Nephew - Is is an electric one or a hand one

Daughter - ???HUH???

Nephew - You really should pay more attention to your mom.

Daughter - Don't tell her I don't know what a can opener looks like.. she will never let me live it down. She still laughs cause it took me forever to figure out the dishwasher thingy.

Honey Mustard Chicken

You will need: 2 Bowls and a Frying pan

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, skinless Chicken Cutlets
1 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
10 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
3 Tablespoons Honey
Canola Oil for Frying
Fresh Parsley

Directions:

In a shallow bowl combine bread crumbs and 2 teaspoons of mustard
In another shallow bowl combine remaining mustard and honey
Dip Chicken in honey mustard mix and coat.
Then dip in bread crumb mixture, turn to coat completely
In a fry pan, heat oil
Fry chicken until golden brown, approx 8 – 12 minutes
Garnish with Parsley

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Chicken is one of those misunderstood dishes. It is fairly healthy and can be made in a million ways. I love making Honey chicken and the way Paula suggests combining the Honey and Mustard is a trick many cooks use in meat. It is one of those rare combinations that seeps into the meat and makes for an incredible taste. Parsley is also an interesting "spice". We use it in Chicken Soup (and I am going to do that recipe soon - and I know there are a million recipes for chicken soup) and in soups in general. I find, interestingly enough, that many people eat the parsley and not only look upon it as a "garnish" for beauty. I will admit I am not a fan of frying chicken, I rather put it in the oven, but this is a great recipe for a quick supper as well. Easy and to the point and certainly tasty!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Oy Vey! What Next?

Well if I had any doubt that Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen was actually being read and used it was put to rest today. Here is a story for you Supermarket shoppers.

Jerusalem has a fairly large English speaking Anglo-Saxon community. Indeed wherever you go you will always run into someone who is from the US, England, SA, Australia etc. It is a huge melting pot of many cultures and backgrounds.

And if you are a regular reader of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen you also know that I hate shopping in supermarkets and that I am at times pathologically shy in situations where I do not know the person I am talking to.

Put English speakers, supermarkets and being shy with people whom I do not know and what do you get?

(This is honestly a fairly accurate rendition of what transpired in the supermarket.)

Well there I was minding my own business in the Supermarket, wanting to go through it like the Flash, and just needing some really basic stuff (and keeping my eye out for that cute lady who shops every Wednesday there to whom I would never talk to - but I can dream!) when suddenly while looking at some frozen ice cream and actually wondering about a recipe to make ice cream, I hear a voice behind me say, "Hi".

Turning around I say "Hello" but figure that I have really hit senility because the woman was not even vaguely familiar to me. She saw the look on my face and said, "Oh you don't me. But I just wanted to tell you I enjoy reading your blog."

Of course like an idiot I totally space out and say, "Blog? What Blog?" but I have an excuse. I mean she was really really pretty, like mega pretty, and caught me totally off guard. And I was also shocked that someone I would meet in my neighborhood would actually be reading my blog!

"You are the one that writes the Fire In My Kitchen Blog. Right?"

"Oh that blog!" I answer.

Silence. Now what do I say? Sheesh!

"Thanks for the compliment." I finally stutter out my hands freezing from the ice cream I am holding. No! It did not dawn on me to drop it in the basket. I was as frozen as that ice cream. My face was a deep red. I was sure of it!

She just stands there and smiles and then says, "Well I know your name. It is Teddy. Mine is X" (No names here folks... she is going to read this one!)

"Nice to meet you." I answer with nothing else in my brain, and then stupidly, "You read my blog?"

She gives me a wide smile. "A lot of people around here read it. My mom in New York emailed me the blog address a couple of weeks ago. She is a big fan of your blog. So am I. You are funny and have some good recipes."

"I am? I do?"

(Hey I never made any claims to being a good conversationalist. And besides I was still way out of my league here.)

She laughs thinking I am just kidding. (Thank God for that!)

Then she asks keeping the conversation going and in total seriousness. "So, any tips on what to buy and to cook? I am having this party and I am really out of ideas for some great recipes."

It took me a couple of seconds but that was when I broke out into laughter! Oy Vey! If Mom and Pop could only see me now! Neighborhood ladies are saying hello to me in supermarkets trying to pry recipes out of me. Now that is funny, I don't care what anyone thinks. How the mighty have fallen! Live and learn.

(The rest of the conversation is being held secret - my nosy readers! And NO I did not ask her out on a date. I would need a straight shot of Johnny Walker to do that.)

So here in honor of humor is a video for all of you. One I find hilarious and yet I have to admit I know a few people like the guy in this video. It is a commercial aired for Jdate.com a Jewish dating site, but still fairly universal. Just don't act like this on your next date. And don't work too hard on those recipes for a nice romantic dinner until you are sure they are well worth the trouble. (Next date? Mine will be in like 5 years at this rate!) For all you single people take heart. At least she got to keep the flowers.

(Brought to you by YouTube.com)

Direct Link To The Video On YouTube

(**ETA: Embedded Video Removed - Doing Strange things with Blogger - Click on link above to see Video)

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Statistics & Interesting Notations - Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Sometimes statistics really open your eyes to things; sometimes they just don't make any sense whatsoever to the logic in your own head. I have long given up trying to figure out exactly how certain "keywords" bring Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen up on the search screen, though in a convoluted sort of way - machine logic - I can usually get to the bottom of why one search term matched something on the web page that came up in answer for the search.

From time to time I spend a few minutes or so taking a look at the statistics for Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen. Mostly I am interested in just what interests people, what recipes or posts they are looking at, and what is the most popular. In other words by looking at stats such as these one can sometimes judge just what it is that browsers to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen are looking for.

Below is a spreadsheet taken directly from the stats. I took out a few items which made no sense in the scheme of things and anything with Unique Views less than seven was erased. These stats come from Google Analytics about as trustworthy a source as one can get and include a period of 10 days.

The first line refers to all those people who ended up at the first page of posts at Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen. After that it is per page and which page got a unique view. In seeing what people look at you must keep in mind the following:

The spreadsheet does not necessarily and in most cases will not have a unique view. As there are 15 posts on the front page of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen it is usually a fair bet that most people read the most current recipes when they hit the first page and not go to that specific post. So you really cannot judge popularity by the Unique or Page Views.
Unique Views work according to cookies (and IP's). Many users who browse from offices cannot allow Cookies on their machines. A lot of numbers get fudged that way.
Remember also that javascript must be allowed in the browser in order for all the stats to be picked up. (Usually it is, but a lot of techies block javascript unless they know the source. FireFox has a great extension for this btw.)
Some of the entries below are not Recipes or Pages, but Categories. Meaning the user clicked on a category to see all the posts attached to that one category. To do some really difficult log trolling one would have to sit over these numbers for hours to try and figure out what went to exactly where.

Most Blog and Web site owners are a bit paranoid about releasing their statistics. I can understand why. However in this case I think the result, if you are interested is interesting. Whereas it is logical that people would come to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen to read about the "Kosher Kitchen" it is incredibly interesting to see which recipes over just one 10 day period received such attention. And again I remind all of the readers out there, that most of the "real" stats are hidden in the very first line.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Honey Wheat Loaf Bread

In her free time (yeah right!) Paula sent this one in. I know that Shrugged is out there thinking up a cake recipe though...:)

This is a very easy, yet delicious recipe. I'm sure you're going to give at least a two in difficulty because it's baking... sheesh... please notice Only 2 Bowls are used for it... not usual for me.

Honey Wheat Loaf Bread

Needed Utensils:

You will need a 9 x 5 Loaf pan
Large Mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl

Ingredients:

2 Cups Wheat Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 3/4 Cups Buttermilk
1/4 Honey
1/4 Cup Melted Butter
1 Jumbo Egg (beaten)
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)
1/2 Cup Raisins

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder.
In small mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, honey, butter and egg.
Add to flour mixture and stir until just moistened.
Add walnuts and stir
Add raisins and stir
Pour into Greased loaf pan
Bake at 350 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes until toothpick inserted inside comes out clean

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Yes, it gets two stars cause of the baking and the toothpick! So there! Pay attention folks. This bread sounds great but it is "Dairy". Indeed as many people who shop for only Kosher foods know, many breads are marked with Kosher Symbol + a "D" for Dairy. When I was a kid I never realized bread could be dairy until Pop caught me and... well we will leave that memory for another time shall we? :) Go for it. This is easy - and if Paula did it in just 2 Bowls you know there is hope for the rest of us.

Fire In The Kitchen - Video Series

The next video of our What You Do Not Want To Cook In Your Kitchen! was inevitable that I find sooner or later. While funny, it should remind us all that even on professional Television Cooking Shows they have no clue what to do when a fire breaks out. If you have not yet read this post, What In Heaven's Name Is A (Kosher) Kitchen? - Part Four, read it now!

So you want to know what it feels like when you finally get enough courage up to walk into the kitchen? Watch this, and welcome to my world!

(Either Click on the Video to watch or use the direct link below to watch in YouTube)

Direct Link to Video - Cooking Show Gone Wrong
**(ETA: Embedded Video removed - doing strange things with Blogger! Click Above To See Video)

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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

The Cake For Any Occasion - Cake Recipe Contest

The Great Cake Recipe Contest - Submission # 1

Submitted By Paula - She Writes:

This cake is a "For Any Occasion that comes up" recipe. It is expected at every birthday, anniversary, new baby, graduation, etc in my family.

As I have mentioned in some of my submissions, my mother and grandmother are very bland cooks. However, one of my great, great aunts was said to have a way with food. Legend of the Ryan family, Aunt Kate cooked the "Sunday" family dinner each week and the extended families would gather at her table. I never had the honor of experiencing her cooking but I have had the ultimate compliment paid to me on many occasions by those who have. Many times the older relatives will say "You cook just like Aunt Kate". I usually end up catering most family functions because I am the only one who truly enjoys cooking and I never tire of hearing the comparison.

She had a plaque hanging in her kitchen with the following blessing:

May there always be room at your table for one more
No matter where they've come from, when they shadow your front door
May your smile be forever welcoming
To each guest that graces your home
For you never know where your kinfolk roam
May kindness warm and show the way
Be a gracious host each and every day

Recently, my grandmother was staying with me while recuperating from surgery and requested "Kate's every occassion cake", (in her lovely Irish brogue).

"Darling, you cook just like me aunt, God rest her soul. Teach yer daughter to love the kitchen and carry on with traditions."

Of course, I made her the cake, who could deny an 86 year old passing out compliments? Not me.

This is fairly easy, yet light and delicious.

Items Required:

2- Round 9 inch cake pans
Electric Mixer
2-Mixing bowls (one for the topping)
Rubber Spatula
Wax Paper
Serving Plate (10 inches or larger)
Cooling racks

Ingredients for cake: ( Topping to follow)

6 Jumbo Eggs (Separated) - Let sit at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour prior to make separating easier
1 Cup of Flour
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

Directions for Cake:

Beat egg whites on high with electric mixer until foamy
Slowly add egg yolks, one at a time, to egg whites, continue to mix with electric mixer as you add the yolks.
Continue to mix after each of the following additions.
Add the sugar
Add the vanilla
Add baking powder
Add flour gradually ( a little at a time)
Mix well
Grease both cake pans and line with wax paper ( outline wax paper using the pan as a template)
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool for ten minutes
Remove from pan and continue to cool on wire racks

While the cake cools, prepare the topping

Ingredients for Topping:

1 Medium sized can of crushed Pineapple
1 1/2 Pints Heavy Cream (for whipping)
3 Teaspoons Sugar
1 Large Jar (or can) of Sliced Peaches (do not drain the juice)
12 Strawberries , cut in half

Directions for Topping:

For the best results with the whipped topping, chill the beaters to the mixer and make sure the whipped cream is nice and chilled, shake well before using.
Using electric mixer, Whip the cream adding one teaspoon of sugar at a time.
Transfer one of the cakes to the serving plate
Spread the Pineapple and 1 cup of whipped topping evenly over the layer
Place the second cake on top of it
Drizzle 1/2 Cup of Peach juice over the top.
Spread the rest of the whipped topping over the top and sides
Decorate the top with the peaches and strawberries.

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If you substitute "Parve" cream here for real cream you can keep this recipe Parve. Otherwise it is Dairy. (No ratings are given for entries into The Great Cake Recipe Contest)

Monday, February 12, 2007

Cooking With The Mangler - Video Series

The next video of our What You Do Not Want To Cook In Your Kitchen! offers an hilarious parody - especially for the Bachelors, Bachelorettes and Single Peeps out there. Enjoy Cooking With The Mangler.

You can view the video here by clicking on the embedded video, or click on the title of the video above to view it at the host.

The funny thing is - my kitchen still operates like this. Oops! Did I say that out loud? Well at least it is the way my kids think I cook.

Cooking With The Mangler

**(ETA: Embedded Video removed - doing strange things with Blogger! Click Above To See Video)

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Dessert Noodle Kugel

In this somewhat poignant memory Paula writes:

In a prior post, Teddy wondered how a Boston Irish woman could submit some of the recipes I have shared. Here is one of the stories behind a few of them.

Growing up I used to be the errand girl for a lot of the older neighbors. Kids today are missing out on so much of the wonderful lessons and history that I was fortunate enough to get. One lady in particular was a favorite of mine. When I was 10 years old she was 87. Mrs. Addleman had outlived her husband and both of her sons. She was a petite lady with the longest braided hair I had ever seen. Even in her little house-dress, she was elegant.

Many afternoons she would call me to clip the hedges in her front yard, go to the store for her groceries or to make her something to eat or just keep her company. After finishing the tasks, I would sit for a long time and listen to her many wonderful memories. In the time we spent together, she talked me through many of her recipes because she had become to frail to do much for herself. She encouraged me to copy the recipes for myself.

This was one of the first dishes she taught me to make and each time I make it, I am brought back to my early days in the kitchen.

I can thank Mrs. Addleman for contributing to my being the Insane Cook that I am today.

Dessert Noodle Kugel

Ingredients:

1/2 Pound Wide Egg Noodles
1/2 Stick Melted Butter
2 Cups Sour Cream
1 Pound Cottage Cheese
6 Eggs
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Golden Raisins

Directions:

Boil noodles in water for 4 minutes
In a large mixing bowl, combine noodles with all other ingredients.
Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes until top is golden brown.

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Fifty Percent (50%) of all revenue of any product purchased through Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen goes to help feed needy families in Israel. The funds are donated directly to the needy families - regardless of religion, race or creed. The remaining 50% will be donated to a Rape Crises Center for Women in Israel. (For a full explanation please read this.)

This recipe causes much tender nostalgia and a sad yet knowing smile. Noodle Kugel brings back an incredible amount of memories. I was brought up on the West Side of Manhattan and though there are an incredible amount of synagogues in a few square blocks, the synagogue we frequented on a daily basis was a "shteebel". Explaining just what a "shteebel" is would take a life time. Suffice it to say that it was a synagogue and a home. A small synagogue where everyone knew each other and most of the members were Holocaust survivors. My father frequented this synagogue and felt at home there. Every Saturday after prayers there was a Kiddish, and cholent and kugel, and Noodle Kugel were served. (It was a parve version and not the dairy version that Paula presented us with though.) Noodle Kugel was a favorite of the old kosher dairy restaurants that populated the Jewish neighborhoods of the Lower East Side as well. It is one of those dishes, that whenever I smell it or see it, brings back memories of simpler days when all I had to do was run into my father's arms and fell him hug me and tell me he loved me... and all was right with the world. It is one of those dishes that though easy to make you will find people waxing nostalgic over and dreamy eyed with memories of days long past. This recipe is going to be tried in my house in the next couple of weeks. It is just one of those dishes where the pleasure will be in just seeing it served and knowing that the memories still live. That in and of itself will make it taste a little like the Garden In Eden. And this in the end is why we cook and feed our children. To give them those wonderful memories for the times when they need it.

Deep Fried Twinkies - Video Series

With this post I am introducing a new series into Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen based upon funny or instructional comedy videos in cooking linked to YouTube or some other Video archives. This series is entitled: What You Do Not Want To Cook In Your Kitchen! (And the title says it all.)

You can see the video here by clicking on the embedded video, or click on the title of the video to view it at the host.

Talk about Junk Food! This first video is entitled: "Deep Fried Twinkies!" (I kid you not!) It is long though - 9 minutes & 30 seconds. Do Not let your kids see this one or you will be making it - guaranteed! Enjoy.
**(ETA: Embedded Video removed - doing strange things with Blogger! Click Above To See Video)

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Sunday, February 11, 2007

Walnut-Applesauce Coffeecake

Shrugged sent this one in with the following remarks:

This would probably do for the cake contest, but I'm just making this a regular submission. No story lies beneath this recipe but an urge to have some coffeecake and profound laziness which kept me from driving to the store. I hope your readers enjoy it.

Walnut-Applesauce Coffeecake

Cake Ingredients:

½ cup butter/margarine softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 12oz tub sour cream (approximately 1 ¼ cups)
½ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon dry spiced apple cider mix
¼ teaspoon salt

Topping Ingredients:

¼ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 Tablespoons cold butter/margarine
½ cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease and flour 9x13" pan.
To make cake: In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs – one at a time – until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, applesauce and vanilla.
Beat applesauce mixture into egg mixture.
In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cider mix and salt.
Gradually beat dry mixture into wet mixture until just combined.
Spread batter into prepared pan and set aside.
To make topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and white sugar.
Cut butter into sugars until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in chopped walnuts.
Sprinkle Topping liberally over Cake batter.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

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If Shrugged is not putting this cake up as a submission in the Great Cake Recipe Contest I have no clue why. Unless she has a few other recipes to knock us off our feet with! The baking part is a bit complicated here, so take your time reading the instructions. So three stars for difficulty. (Pay attention cause it needs a few bowls!) And Yes - Shrugged does have a thing for Walnuts, or so it would seem. :) I will of course allow Shrugged to switch this into an entry for the contest if she desires as well as her previous cake entry recipe.

Dafina - Sephardi Cholent

The following was sent in by a new contributor, Yaffa (from the USA). Because I really try and use the words of the author without changing anything when quoting your stories, I have to explain a few words and ideas here, (as Jews can be a terribly complicated bunch - especially when it comes to food!) I also will not alter your recipes except for spelling mistakes. Therefore this is NOT in the traditional way of presenting a recipe at Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen. However, since this is Yaffa's first, we are going to present it here as she wrote it and give her a bit of leeway!

"Sephardi" refers to the cultural roots of many Jewish communities. As I linked this to Wikipedia, let us just quote a paragraph from there.

A Sephardi is a Jew originating in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) , including the descendants of those subject to expulsion from Spain by order of the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella (as codified in the Alhambra decree of 1492), or from Portugal by order of King Manuel I in 1497.

Sephardi Jews have their own customs and certainly their own way of making food, much different from their Ashkenazi brethren.

Now next word here. "Milchig" is Yiddish for "dairy" or a product that has milk in it. The fact that Yaffa is using a Yiddish word shows cultural pluralism as Sephardim do not as a rule use or know Yiddish as the countries they come from are more often Arabic, Spanish or Ladino speaking countries (though Ladino is no longer used or spoken generally).

"Fleshig" is the Yiddish word for "meat" or a product that has meat in it.

And as all regular readers know "Parve" means that the dish can be eaten with milk or meat as it does not contain any specific meat or specific milk products within it.

"Breslov" refers here to the "hassidim" (followers) of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and Uman is where Rabbi Nachman of Breslov is buried and a place where many Jews travel to, in order to visit the grave of the "Rebbe". (See the Wikipedia article I linked here.)

With these notations made, let us get to Yaffa's submission for Sephardi Cholent, known as Dafina. (Sephardim also use the original Talmudic word "Chamin"as mentioned in the post, The Magic Of Cholent - Introduction.) Dafina and Chamin are not really the same thing though. Dafina is a more "refined" Cholent.

"Shabbat" - simply is the transliteration from Hebrew of Sabbath. It is accepted and used today by most English speakers. You will often here "On Shabbat..." and will not hear "On the Sabbath..."

So as you can see there is a big mixture of words and traditions in this recipe. Another reason I left it like it is. It is a great example of how cultures and traditions merge over the years.

Yaffa Writes:

I love your web site, and I have been trying to read whatever I can when I have time, which hasn't been often...

Here is my recipe for Sephardi cholent which can be made either vegetarian or fleishig. When my late husband Avraham Chaim (a sabra from Kfar Saba) and I moved from Montreal, we made it parve, a bit lighter and so pleasant to be able to have a milchig desert! (Mostly ice cream)!

I agree with you about pots too. I will tell you a wonderful story.

I once put the ingredients of the cholent together at home as I would normally intending to put it in the oven before Shabbat to cook at our hosts home. It was a house of single Breslov men, friends that Avi learned with and went to Uman with. The fellow had an unbelievable stove without a properly working thermostat and the cholent, or dafina as it is called, cooked and cooked without any way to add water! I was going crazy, thinking that it will be impossible to eat after it is all burned up and we will have nothing hot on a freezing Canada day! He had no hot water prepared for Shabbat! No samovar. I prepared it as normal in my blue porcelain oval oven roaster pot and brought it to our guests home in Ville St Laurent and put it in the oven that was already set.

Ingredients & Directions (directly quoted from Yaffa's email):

The way I make it is this:

I take one or two onions and I slice them in about eight sections long. I put them in a saute pan, stainless steel, with a bit of olive oil and a drop of butter or margarine depending on weather or not I use meat or black bean veggie burgers by New Morning! This trick I learned from my late husband who brought me home the wrong thing once! With the onions I add a piece of fresh ginger, and the meat (there is a special cut of meat for dafina which you can buy from any sephardi butcher) or the veggie patties. I saute them until they carmelize and the veggie patties brown on both sides. Over a medium heat, about five minutes..

I take them out and put them into either an oval shaped crock pot or the oval baking pan which comes with a cover.

Everything has a place!! No sloppiness here. It is different from Askenazi Cholent in that you have everything whole. It isn't served like a stew, but rather all separate!

So, I layer the whole bottom with the onions and the piece of ginger. Next, I STACK the veggie burgers or meat into a corner. I place a couple of whole, scrubbed with a veggie brush (I prefer sweet) potatoes in the pot, along with whole, washed eggs, one for each guest. I also add a head of whole, rinsed garlic to the bottom.

I take a tall glass of filtered, good water, add approximately a teaspoon of paprika, a tablespoon of honey, a bit of turmeric, salt and pepper, and a tablespoon or two of extra virgin Olive Oil. I take an oven baking bag and add to it a cup or two of rice, (depending on the amount of guests) along with a bit of tumeric, and bit of salt and pepper. Then add a bit of olive oil (only enough to separate the grains) and mix them so they are all coated with the oil, add a cup or more of water, depending again on the amount of rice, seal the bag and lay it on top of the rest of the ingredients. Stir the glass of water, seasoning, ingredients and pour it over the dafina, adding as much water as is necessary just to cover all and bake overnight on low oven or cook in crock pot on low. Then on Shabbat you take it all out and lay it on a platter. The meat, or veggies burgers, the potatoes, eggs, all on a serving platter in tact and the rice in a bowl. It is a winner! You should also know I make the most amazing whole wheat, sunflower seed, anise, flax seed, Multigrain Challah that I am famous for! Even children love it!

In the case of the Shabbat when we were guests at our friends in Montreal, it turned out that although his oven was very very hot, and I was terrified that the dafina was going to be burnt and dried out because all of the water evaporated and all of the food was browned and crispy-- it was the best Dafina we ever ate and the men happily dined with laughter, Torah, sharing, song, and breaks for dancing. We always say the cholent is only as good as our guests! Well, it was the best Dafina I ever had. It was a great Shabbat!

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With this recipe you are going to have to do your own detective work and mark out all the ingredients. This is truly a real "Sephardi" dish, something I truly know nothing about. Yaffa seems to love cooking though, so we hope to hear more from her. Once again, I did not want to interfere with Yaffa's rhythm of the story telling, so I left her recipe as is. Next time though we will ask her to put her story first and then the ingredients and then directions. As to the mention of eggs here. Even in Cholent as well as Dafina, a lot of people put eggs on top and let them cook all Shabbat until the time for being served. I do not, and of course you will not find it in my cholent recipe. First off, I am not a big fan of hard boiled eggs, and even a less fan of eggs cooked for 24 hours. But that is up to your taste buds. 4 Stars for difficulty as this takes a real long time to prepare as Yaffa makes it clear that you have to layer the pot in a specific order before making it.

Friday, February 09, 2007

The Great Cake Recipe Contest

Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen- Contests

Is Proud To Announce:

Open to everyone out there!

Submissions - Until March 31st - 11:59 EST
Voting From April 1st - April 15th
Winners (First, Second & Third Place) announced (based on votes) on May 1st.

(Read below for exact instructions on how to submit)

Email Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen Cake Contest

How It Works:

You submit a cake recipe (with or without a picture) to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen - the submission must be marked with the subject:

"Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen - The Great Cake Recipe Contest".

Obviously if you have a photo it will look that much better and of course we will post the photo with your recipe. (We may have to make it smaller to put in the blog but do not worry!) This must be a CAKE recipe - no cookies or other such things. Remember without that subject line I will post the recipe as a normal submission and not as part of the contest.

You may submit as many recipes as you care to write out on the computer.
Do not send them as attachments - the recipe must be in the body of the email.
Photos can be sent as attachments.

To submit click on the icon below:

Submissions should have at least the following FOUR sections.

Note from the submitter about the recipe. Story of how the recipe was created or why you make this specific cake. Humorous or serious.
Ingredients - No shorthand! (Remember readers of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen are not used to being in the kitchen!) Spell out teaspoon; spell out tablespoon etc. Number them as well.
Exactly what pots, utensils, supplies are needed. Such as an example:
1. 9X11 Pan
2. Blender
3. Mixer
Getting the Picture?
Directions - Exactly how to make the cake as well.

Remember though - ALL RECIPES MUST BE KOSHER!
(No mixing of meat and milk and the one must be able to obtain kosher ingredients!)

The above four sections are the least amount in your recipe. You are welcome to add anything you see fit as well! - It all gets posted.

It is posted in the blog and marked as Cake Recipe Contest Entry as well. On March 30th all submissions are closed.

Everyone is allowed to participate and vote. So tell all your friends about the The Great Cake Recipe Contest.

Voting:

Upon closure of submissions the voting starts. Voting will last for 15 days - Until April 15th. Each person who wishes to vote will be asked to send in an email, with their real name and first, second and third choices. All votes will be confirmed with an email back to the person asking for confirmation. Unconfirmed votes will be discarded!

There is no catch. All prizes are supplied by moi. Voting is open to all readers of the blog (not only to those who submit recipes).

Of course a special post and links will go up on April 1st. (No this is not an April fools joke! Sheesh!)

Winners:

First Place Winner - $50 Amazon Gift Certificate
Second Place Winner - $36 Amazon Gift Certificate
Third Place Winner - $18 Amazon Gift Certificate

Winners will be announced on May 1, 2007. (And of course the prizes will be given out immediately following.)

Remember: To submit - click on the Gmail icon below (and the subject will already be filled in for you) or just use the email address from the icon. (Please do not use the normal email address of Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen!) & Put in the subject line:
Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen - The Great Cake Recipe Contest

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Thursday, February 08, 2007

Cream Filled Oatmeal Cookies

Hey folks! Look what I found in my in box hiding away and all alone. I missed it. Another recipe from the Insane Cook!

Cream Filled Oatmeal Cookies

Cookies / Ingredients:

1 Cup Margarine
3/4 Cup dark brown sugar
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Jumbo Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 1/2 Cups Oats

Cream Filling / Ingredients:

2 Teaspoons Hot Water
2 Cups (7 ounce jar) Marshmallow
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/3 Cup Confectioners Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together margarine, sugars, molasses, vanilla and eggs.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and cinnamon.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
Add the oats.
Drop dough by Tablespoon onto an un-greased baking sheet.
Bake @ 350 for 8 minutes or until cookies are just starting to darken around the edges.
They will still appear moist in the center. Be careful not to over bake
Cookies should be soft and chewy.
While the cookies bake, prepare the filling.

Filling Directions:

Disolve salt in warm water, set aside
Combine the Marshmallow, shortening, confectioner’s sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy.
Add the cooled salt solution to the filling mixture and combine with the mixer.
Spread the filling over one side of a cookie, (the flat side) and press another cookie on top, making a sandwich.

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Okay this is my weakness. No doubt about it. Reminds me of Oreos! OMG did someone say Oreos? Yummy cookies. What I like about this recipe is that it is Parve, though if you want to use butter instead of margarine - you will make the cookies dairy. Guess it depends on your taste buds too. Gets a 2 star for difficulty as you need timing here and baking. (So you cannot actually phase out of the world while doing the cookies, much like I usually do!)

Graham or Wheat Crackers

Looks like Paula has set up her bedroom in the kitchen. Here is a recipe for Graham or Wheat Crackers (depending on flour you choose). Oh, and by the way, ignorant people like moi need to know just what a S'more is. (So I hyperlinked it to Wikipedia.) Paula writes:

These are great for S'more's. After making the crackers, make sure you have chocolate bars and marshmallows.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups White Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat or Graham flour
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Cup shortening
1/2 Cup Honey
1 Tablespoon Molasses
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
3 Tablespoons Cold Water
1 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

Blend dry ingredients in a bowl.
Add liquids. Stir to blend well and then stir for 3 more minutes.
Divide dough in half
Place the dough on 2 non-greased cookie sheets and flatten with a rolling pin into a square.
Flour rolling pin to prevent dough from sticking.
Score the dough with a knife into 2-inch squares and prick all over with a fork.
Bake @ 425 for 10 minutes (until browned)
While still warm, cut crackers apart, but let crackers finish cooling on the cookie sheet

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This is easy and great for the campfires, for Television and just plain snacks. Since Paula is from Boston and an avid Baseball fan and such a great contributor I decided on the poster above. (Which explains why we have so many recipes because when season rolls around she will probably move out of the kitchen and into Fenway Park.)

Grams, Kilograms, Liters, Gallons, Quarts, Ounces - What A Mishkabobble!

Units and measures can be a mishkabobble and drive us all crazy. As Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen proves, cooking is a universal process BUT measurements are the realm of our education and what country we live in. I still think in miles even though Israel works on a kilometer system.

Recently, one of the regular readers to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen left a comment to which I must address. Barbara wrote as a suggestion:

The first might be a pain but if possible when people or you post receipe if measurements can be put in US mode not metric ( I know we're stupid on this issue but I haven't a clue about grams and kilos- sounds like drugs drugs to me (joke!!!!)

Barbara is right. From now on I will try whenever humanly possible to do a basic conversion and my apologies to all of you.

But for those of you who need quick access to conversion tables,. well first if look at the Menu bar on top of each page you will see a "Measurement Table". Clicking on it or here will take you straight to that post.

For online conversions try the following sites:

(Be aware that all these sites require Javascript to work so you must allow Javascript in your Browser, if it is not already enabled.)

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Wednesday, February 07, 2007

We Talk A Great Deal About Food But...

We talk a great deal about food. We cook, we bake, we go to the grocery and purchase products. We make sure everyone is fed and happy and satisfied.

I write for a living. Indeed Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen began as a book as has been explained in the post, Repost of How It All Began...

I know what it means to be rich and poor. I know what it means to have to count every cent in your pocket when you are in the supermarket or grocery. I also know what it means to be able to be able to throw a party for 200 people as well and not think about the price of the next movie or ballet tickets.

Pop, who was the wisest, kindest and most compassionate man I have ever met on the face of this earth, in a life full of meeting interesting and wonderful people, always taught me to remember that if you see one less well off than you are, remember and never forget:

If not but for the grace of God there goes I.

It is a humbling thought. As life goes on one gains perspective and understands that what is here today can be gone tomorrow. And you remember. You keep that thought close. And because of it you always remember the sorrow and needs of others.

I have been blessed with the ability at times to help really needy families in my corner of the world. Sometimes with just a few cans of food sometimes with a great deal more. So today I am beginning somewhat of a campaign on Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen. At the end of every post there will be a poster or tee-shirt or whatever. If you are in the mood and like such things, all that I ask is that you use the link to click and purchase the item through Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen. It does not have to be that specific item. Once you click on the image or link and go to either Allposters or CafePress whatever you purchase at that time will be accredited to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen.

50% Percent of this revenue will be given directly to needy families here in Israel. The other 50% will be donated to a Rape Crises Center for Women in Israel.

I personally thank you in advance.

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Walnut Graham Cake with Candied Walnut Glaze

Shrugged really has gone and done it now! This is some recipe folks. Just don't get too scared! She writes:

This sounds more difficult than it is, but it does take some work. However, the payoff is well worth the effort. This stuff is awesome. I made it for the first time a couple years ago, and it quickly became my husband's favorite cake. He even requests it for his birthday now. (Good thing we dispensed with putting candles on the adults' cakes, though. The glaze gets too hard to push a candle through.)

Now, I know orange juice sounds weird in a graham cracker cake, but it's necessary. It gives it a special zest, and without it, the cake is a bit boring.

Walnut Graham Cake with Candied Walnut Glaze

Ingredients For Cake:

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts

Ingredients for Glaze:

1 cup walnut halves (or chopped walnuts as desired)
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon walnut extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour one 10" Bundt^® pan.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.
Beat in eggs until light and fluffy.
Beat in orange juice until well combined.
In a separate bowl, soft together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Beat dry mixture into wet mixture by thirds until well combined.
Stir in chopped walnuts.
Pour evenly into prepared Bundt^® pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Let cake sit for approximately 20 minutes and invert pan over cake plate, dropping cake gently onto plate.
Let cool for another 20 minutes.
While cooling, combine all glaze ingredients into small saucepan (adding extra water if mixture is too dry).
Heat gently over low heat until ingredients are smooth around walnuts.
Increase heat to medium high and bring mixture to boil.
Boil for 45 seconds (do not over boil).
Remove from heat and stir until boiling ends and remaining froth is incorporated into mixture.
Gently drizzle by spoonfuls over cake, arranging candied walnuts along the top of the cake as you go until entire glaze mixture is over cake. (Be careful, mixture is extremely hot.)
Cool, slice and serve.

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As easy as Shrugged says this may be, I have to give it a 4 star for difficulty. It has the major ingredients that demand such a rating.

Baking
Concentration
Ingredients
Time

All that being said it sounds really yummy and what I really like about it is that it is Parve so it can be served at the end of a meat meal as well. As to the Bundt^® pan. Bundt is a Registered Trademark^&reg; name. I hyperlinked it to another place on the Internet where you can learn about the Bundt^® pan (though today it is made by many manufacturers. Just like all mixers are called KitchenAid^® and all tissues are called Kleenex^®.

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Baking Powder

This is the last of Paula's recipes for "food & cooking staples" so far. She writes:

Sometimes you run out of an item midway through baking. It is fun to be able to make the missing content out of items you have sitting in your cupboards.

Baking Powder

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar
1 Tablespoon Baking Soda

Just whisk together until evenly blended

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Paula obviously has a knack in the kitchen. I took this recipe but remember folks it implies you have Cream of Tartar and implies Cornstarch and Baking soda. If I had all this stocked in my kitchen - trust me I would also not run out of Baking Powder. BUT baking powder is not something that I would remember to buy (cause the cute ladies in the supermarket distract me!) and thus it is good to keep this recipe around.

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The Magic Of Cholent - Directions For Cooking

If you have not done so already, please read the following two posts before reading this one for an understanding of "Cholent" and how to begin to prepare the dish.

All Right. Let us first recap the Ingredients:

Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Fresh Onions
Fresh Garlic
Carrots
Fresh Mushrooms
Fresh Basil
Fresh Oregano
Turmeric
Fresh Bay Leaves
White Kidney Beans
Dark Red/Brown Kidney Beans
Barley
Hawwaj
Honey
Cooking Wine
Parsley
Meat
Marrow (Meat) Bones
Kishke
Olive Oil

There are only three ingredients here which must be placed in order. The Olive Oil must go in first and the Honey must go in before the Kishke which goes in last. That is about it. So if you screw up don't worry. However, for the sake of making a really good cholent, try and follow the order I put down here. There is method to this madness in terms of the cooking cycle and the pot.

In order to do this "correctly" I am going to do it on a time line. So that you can get an idea as to how long the process will take. Also bear in mind if you are peeling each item as we go along (which is fine) it will take more time to get the food into the pot and cooking. But it is not critical.

For our purpose we are going to assume the Sabbath starts at 6 PM on Friday Evening. Thus you really should start the process of Cholent no later than 12 or at the worst 1 PM on Friday.

As mentioned your pot should be at least 5 liters and a good pot. It must distribute heat evenly and be strong and sturdy. Trying this with anything else is just going to cause for burnt cholent. Remember this pot has to be on a flame now for at least 5 hours and then on an electric plate (Platter) from Friday night before Sabbath starts to around 12 or 1 PM on Saturday afternoon when you eat lunch.

It is 1:00 PM Friday Afternoon.

Lay a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom of the pot. Not much. Just enough to cover to the bottom. That should be all in all just a few drops.
Now Fill the pot one-quarter with water. No more though you may be tempted to do it. Much of what you will be cooking has "water weight" and as it goes into the cholent the water will come out and add to what you already have. As usual some of the water will evaparote in the cooking process. If you see that there is no water on the top as you add in more and more add a cup at a time. Before the Sabbath you will be taking out a lot of that water anyway. You will see the olive oil rise with oil. Not to worry.
Turn on the flame to low and put the pot with water on it.
Peel and cut the potatoes into half or quarters. Drop them in the pot.
Peel your Sweet Potatoes and cut them into pieces. Not small pieces. Drop them in as well. Remember Sweet Potatoes have a habit of "melting" over a period of time being cooked.
Peel your onions cut them in half and drop them in.
Garlic as I mentioned in the previous Cholent Post. Drop the cloves in.
Peel Carrots cut them into half or thirds and drop them in.
Mushrooms are real water weight. Depending on the size and kind you bought cut them in half or quarters and drop them in.
So far you have a potato-onion-veggie soup.
The water by now should be hot if not boiling. During this first phase it is critical NOT to allow the pot to boil. Just remain hot. Make sure your flame is low.
Now on to some of the spices. First drop around 3-6 crushed Bay leaves in. You can crush them with your hand. (Clean hands - sheesh!)
Now the Basil. Take the leaves off the stem and around 2 Tablespoons. Drop them in.
Same thing with the Oregano.
NOW you can take your big serving spoon and stir the pot a bit. Stir all those ingredients around for a minute or so.
Next come the White Kidney Beans & Dark Red/Brown Kidney Beans. Rinse them off if you have not soaked them and drop them in. (I soak them first for a few hours.)
Next the Barley. Drop it in.
Next the Parsley. According to your taste. Drop it in.
Now Stir the pot again for a minute or so.
Now the real magic starts.
Turmeric - As I said it is difficult to guage. BUT this should turn the water dark orange/light brown. It is critical for cooking and taste. Don't skimp but do not put in too much. Just do not leave it out!
Hawwaj - If you can get a hold of this spice then one tablespoon for 5 liters. It is not critical but in experimenting I found it added a great deal to the Cholent.
Now add the Cooking Wine. Good cooking wine.
Use your nose now. Smell the spices. The cholent should be heating up. Stir the pot and close it now for 5-10 minutes. Let the cooking process begin. Do not be in a hurry or hasty unless this is a last minute thing before the Sabbath. (Always happens to me - so do as I preach and not as I practice. Besides I am cute so I get away with burned Cholent from time to time!) Just make sure the pot does not boil yet. And if you do not see any water on top add a couple of cups.
10 minutes later you return to the Cholent. Open the cover. Once again if it has begun to boil put it on a low flame or a smaller flame. No boiling yet.
Put all the meat in the pot. Go ahead. Dump it in.
Stir the Pot and now add a bit more Turmeric.
Take your jar of honey and pour it now into the pot! Stir.
Take the marrow meat bones and put them on top of the pot.
Close the pot and now let it reach a boil. When it has boiled for 30 - 60 seconds lower the flame again and NOW FOR GOODNESS SAKE LEAVE IT ALONE! Let it cook but pay attention to it from time to time that it does not reach a boil. Hot but not boiling.
No I did not forget the Kishke... sheesh.. no faith in Teddy!
It is now 1:45 PM Friday Afternoon.
Every half hour or so, go in and give the pot a couple of stirs.
The only thing you must make sure of the whole time is that you do not smell in the slightest any burning going on. Sometimes with a bad pot or a bad flame or just because the Angels want to have fun with you - this happens. ARGH! If it does TURN OFF THE FLAME AND SWITCH POTS. Just take everything out and put it in the new pot after covering it with olive oil.
By 4:00 PM the smell of the meat and spices should be all over the house. It is a really great smell, but it is going to get better. At 4:00 - 4:30 you will go to the pot and peek inside. It should be bubbling or just really hot.
Now take a ladle and begin to remove any excess water on top - this is important to the process by the way. You need to leave water in the pot, but you should see the ingredients on top of the pot and not the water. Don't worry about the spices in the water. A lot of them are already inside the food.
If the Sabbath begins at 6:00 be ready with the Kishke at 4:30 or 5:00. NEVER defrost the Kishke (if it store bought). If you have one, two or three Kishke's to put in, you are going to take them straight out of the freezer, unwrap them and put them into the top of the pot. Squish the top closed. Don't worry about the Kishke. It will be fine in just a few minutes. By the way it expands. But even if your pot is full to the brim after the Kishke is in don't worry! Kishke is Kishke is Kishke. It will be fine.
Now the Sabbath approaches. If you are observant, turn off the flame and put the pot on the Electric platter (of course make sure the platter is on!) Go get a towel. And cover the top of the pot and as much of the sides as you can. Not the whole pot but most of it. We are trying to keep the pot as warm as possible.
All done? Leave it alone! You made it with love? Sabbath morning you will wake up to an incredibly great smell in the house of meat, kishke, veggies and spices.

And there you have it Cholent. The magic dish which combines food, love and the extra soul of the Sabbath.

So you don't think it is magic? All right. For Aviad's Bar Mitzvah I made 29 Liters of Cholent for the synagogue - "Kiddish" after prayers on Saturday morning. I have witnesses for this following statement. Around 150 witnesses.

IN LESS THAN 12 MINUTES OF THE FIRST PLATE OF CHOLENT BEING BROUGHT OUT THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO EAT!

THAT IS THE TRUE MAGIC OF LOVE & CHOLENT.

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Feel free to experiment with this recipe. Honey is critical though for Teddy's Cholent. So are good meat bones etc. Most of the time when I make it I have to plan as well to be able to transport it to the Synagogue before the Sabbath. This adds an hour or so into the timing and I have to start earlier. Believe it or not after a couple of times your nose will tell you exactly what when and where to do and to add. Pay attention to the smells.

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Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Confectioner’s Sugar

From Paula:

Confectioner’s Sugar

Ingredients:

2 Cups Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
2 Cups Cornstarch
1 Cup Granulated Sugar

Directions:

Combine in food processor or blender and whip until blended and powdered.

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Actually Confectioner’s Sugar is not a bad thing to have around. I know whenever I need it - just is not in the cupboard. But then again with my love of supermarkets (can you hear the cynical tone here?) it is no wonder why I always forget to buy it. This is easy as you get, and is not such a bad idea if you are going to spend time in the kitchen. You can even whip this up while you are cooking something serious and then you will not have to worry about wasting any time in the kitchen.

Posted On: Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Make Your Own Ketchup

The next 3 posts will contain Paula's submissions on how to make some staples for the kitchen if you get into the mood. They are good to have around in a pinch. She writes:

Yes you can buy Ketchup at the market. I have a child who uses this on everything and I find it’s easier to make a few batches and store them.

Ketchup

Ingredients:

6 oz Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup
1/2 Cup White Vinegar
1/4 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat
Whisk until smooth
Bring to a boil
Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
Allow to cool completely
Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

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This is easy folks, but I am still a fan of Heinz. What can I say? However, during those times when your nerves are really frayed, and you either are seriously considering running away from the kids, or want to make a go at your ex, because your ex-spouse found out you forgot to feed the kids or made them fend for themselves, well hit the kitchen and put away the ketchup for the next year. That way the next time the kids want to eat, just open the fridge and show them all the Ketchup you made and tell them to eat that on some bread! (If you try this let me know if it worked. My kids would murder me!)

Posted On: Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Food & More Food

You have to love the Internet at times. It never ceases to amaze me even after years spent as a CTO in high tech, as to the power of the written word and the ability to disseminate information. At Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen we have one totally insane cook of Boston Irish Catholic extraction sending in recipes for braided Challah and Sufganiyot. Paula blogs with poetry @ Poems of The Heart. We also have Shrugged who works real hard on her recipes to make sure they are "kosher" and have no milk and meat mixed together inside, such as her Mini-Frittatas recipe. Shrugged blogs very studiously as well over @ Musings About Life. I don't think such things should be passed over without mention. They show the true camaraderie and friendship of people when they are interested in something and respect one another. I never met either of these people.

Indeed I had no idea that Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen was chosen as a Weblog 2007 Bloggie Finalist in the Weblog Food Category until Talia, a friend from AW and with a blogging passion of her own (see: The Centre for Emotional Well-Being) posted a comment here. But then again I am usually clueless.

So today Deborah Dowd another new name left a comment in the post on describing how to submit a recipe or story to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen, and now I discovered yet another "food" blogger who certainly likes humor. Her blog, Play with Food, is described as follows:

A blog for those who think food should be fun... for those who cook it and those who consume it. Tips, recipes, ideas and suggestions, links to the best ideas in food, best places to find food,and a place to find new ways to make memories with food whether you are a novice or an expert.

Yet another person who believes that the kitchen is a place not only to create good food (or bad, burnt food as in my case!) but also for memories and laughter.

Deborah in her comment brought my attention to the fact that the fairly famous Epicurious WebSite had mentioned Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen in the newest posting on Epi-log the blog of the editor of Epicurious, entitled: "We're Cooking Now". The editor, Tanya Wenman Steel, kind of liked "Teddy's Insane Laws For The Kichen". I kind of like them too!

So the wheel turns. From one to another and yet to another. Of course the other finalists in the Bloggies are also great professional food blogs. And let me list them here as well. I enjoyed each and every one of them, and all are professionally laid out with great recipes.

The whole process is fun. You learn. You make friends and you share experience in life. Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen has really exceeded all my expectations. Now, back to the recipes. I don't want to get too mushy on you guys.

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Monday, February 05, 2007

Mini-Frittatas

Shrugged has come back with yet another one! And here she did some work by making the recipe for Mini-Frittatas adhere to Kosher guidelines. Thanks to her. She writes:

Frittatas are a traditional Italian breakfast food, and are basically just baked omelets. I've kosher-ized the recipe for you. Really you can put anything into this recipe you would normally put in your omelets. The first batch I made had ham and bacon, the next had chopped turkey. But for those of you who eat kosher, you can easily skip the meats and add in sauteed onions or mushrooms or peppers. These are great by themselves, or excellent on mini-bagels for a nice breakfast sandwich.

Ingredients: (Requires a Blender as well)

8 medium to large sized eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream (or whole milk, if you prefer)
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Prepare a 12 muffin pan by spraying each cup with non-stick cooking spray.
Using a blender, beat the eggs until slightly frothy.
Add milk and beat until well combined.
Add in additional ingredients, again beating until well combined.
Pour egg mixture into each muffin cup, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the center of each frittata is firm.
Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly and using a soft spatula gently remove each frittata from the pan.
Serve immediately, or store and heat each in the microwave for a quick snack later.

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First thanks to Shrugged for working to make sure the recipe was kosher! (I think there is usually a combo of meat and milk here and she worked to take it out and make sure it was just as tasty.) This gets a two for difficulty. I think it is fairly easy (but some may find it challenging between a 2 and 3 star for difficulty.) Takes a bit of planning for breakfast and a bit more time in the kitchen that is for sure - but is great for a family breakfast when everyone has the time to sit around and compliment you on what a great chef you are. Just make sure you don't end up doing the dishes!

Posted On: Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Pineapple Cheesecake

Shrugged is back! Woohoo! And no less with Pineapple Cheesecake! She writes:

I created this recipe because I had too many cans of pineapple around the house and frankly, I got bored with making the same old cheesecakes. I've gotten into the habit of making my own crusts, but you can easily use a store bought one, if you don't have the time or the inclination.

Ingredients For Crust:

1 3/4 cups crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup butter or margarine (melted)
2-3 teaspoons white sugar

Directions for Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
Butter a 9" pie pan.
Once your graham crackers are crushed and your butter is melted, throw the cracker crumbs and the sugar together in a bowl.
Pour the butter over the crumbs and stir until all your crumbs are moistened.
Dump the crumbs into the pie pan and spread them evenly across the bottom of the pan, making sure to get enough around the edges so you can press the crumb mixture up the sides of the pan.
Bake for 8-10 minutes - long enough to set, but not long enough to burn. Allow to cool completely.

Ingredients For Filling:

1 can crushed pineapple
2 8oz packages cream cheese (softened)
8 T white sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon brandy

Directions for Filling:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain pineapple using a strainer - reserve the liquid.
In a large bowl, blend together cream cheese and sugar (using either a mixer or a food processor) until well combined.
Add in the egg, cream, brandy and one tablespoon of the reserved pineapple juice.
Mix until well combined.
Fold in the drained pineapple until well combined.
Fold the entire filling mixture into your crumb crust, smoothing it out so it's even.
Bake for 30 minutes or until center is just firm. (Wiggle the pan. If it doesn't jiggle too much, you're probably safe.)
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Once cool, transfer to refrigerator for at least an hour, and preferably overnight.
Serve.

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Once you read the directions it is not as daunting as it first seems. There are indeed two stages. Filling & Crust. As mentioned, you can buy the crust BUT it is so much more fun making it and getting flour all over the place and having to clean it up for days afterwards especially since you sneezed and it went all over the joint. Seriously folks, this is a good recipe. It is also fun to make with the kids when you get their faces out of the idiot box. It is also nice to have Shrugged back from her self imposed exile into the great yonder.

Posted On: Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Sunday, February 04, 2007

The Magic Of Cholent - Preparation & Ingredients

Before reading the following please make sure you read:
The Magic Of Cholent - Introduction
and after finishing this post read:
The Magic Of Cholent - Directions For Cooking

Preparing your cholent for the first time is going to be difficult. A lot of this will work on instinct and knowledge of the ingredients you are going to use. It also demands attention. For this recipe we are assuming a 9 liter pot. (That is fairly large and can feed at least 10 hungry people - if not 25 - with cholent.)

1. Pot(s)

The first and important critical factor in making Cholent - is the pot(s) you are going to use. Do not even try to make this dish in a cheap thin pot. Simply put you will have burned cholent by the time you have to serve it. Completely burned and completely impossible to eat. You need a real good pot(s) for Cholent. So make sure you have them.

I have, actually had, (I will explain the "had" later) until this past Friday, three great cholent pots. My friends call them my "magic cholent pots". They are great and thick and handle the heat in an even and stable manner. Each pot cost me the equivalent of $50-$80 dollars. They are all well worth it. Of course I make other things in these pots but when I have to make cholent for the Sabbath, it is these pots and ONLY these pots which I will use. One pot is 10 liters, one 9.5 liters and one 9 liters. Each pot makes an enormous amount of cholent. I am not used to making cholent for less than at least 10 people who will be eating it. Indeed I find it difficult to make "small" pots of cholent.

Do not even try to make this dish in a cheap thin pot. I am fairly assured then that the distribution of heat and cooking is something that I can rely on. This is critical to the process. So make sure you have a good pot for this.

We are going to be filling this pot completely. Until it will require a miracle to get some more food in. Then we are going to add even more! And the miracle of cholent is that it always works that way. So hang on to your seats!

2. Water In The Pot

The size of the pot will obviously determine how much of each thing you will put in the cholent. However there are some things which must be kept in mind while buying the ingredients. The pot will be originally filled with one-quarter water. No more. Do not be tempted at the beginning to add more water. You can always add more afterwards but I am willing to bet you will find yourself removing water not adding to it.

Cholent without Kishke is like a body without a soul. Professional cooks are going to hate the following comment. There is NO real "amounts" here. There is taste buds and how you like your cholent to come out 24 hours later. The following list is just a suggestion. You can play around with the ingredients and the amounts to your hearts delight. Turmeric and Honey are somethings which must be added though if you want to taste Teddy's Magic Cholent!
Ingredients List

Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Fresh Onions
Fresh Garlic
Carrots
Fresh Mushrooms
Fresh Basil
Fresh Oregano
Turmeric
Fresh Bay Leaves
White Kidney Beans
Dark Red/Brown Kidney Beans
Barley
Hawwaj
Honey
Cooking Wine
Parsley
Meat
Marrow (Meat) Bones
Kishke
Olive Oil

3. The "normative" ingredients

Potatoes - These can be a mixture of the normal "Idaho" potatoes and the red skin variety if you like. This is a meat and potato dish. Thus potatoes are important. The size is not important as you will have to peel them. Assuming medium size potatoes you will need between 8-10 of them. The more the better. (Keep a few on hand not peeled in case you have room at in the pot at the end.)
Sweet Potatoes - Three or four (3-4) of sweet potatoes depending on their size. Peeled of course. These will "melt" in the pot after a few hours. But they give taste and consistency to the Cholent and really add the overall taste.
Fresh Onions - NO onion salt here. No onion spice. FRESH ONIONS. Around 8 of them, medium sized, sliced in half or quarters - no more. Do not chop or dice them. As the Cholent cooks the layers will peel away. (If you cry while peeling the onions wash your eyes with cold water. It works to stop the effect.)
Fresh Garlic - Two and FRESH. No garlic salt or garlic powder. FRESH. Not chopped either. Garlic comes in a round ball with the cloves attached (again for our pot you will need two garlic balls - which have many cloves). What you should do is take the "garlic ball" put it on a cutting board, get out your best cutting knife, and cut from the center down. This way the cloves will be detached. Now comes a bit of an argument and old wives tale. Many people believe that the "skin" on each clove of garlic is where a lot of the "nutrients" are. You can either peel off this skin on each clove or leave it on. Nine out of ten times it will be dissolved in the cooking process. BUT the garlic itself should not be diced or cut. Put in the cloves as they are. Whole.
Carrots - Four or five peeled carrots, cut into thirds. These give taste and color. Try not to leave them out.
Around 10 small Mushrooms
1 Tablespoon of Basil - FRESH.
1 Tablespoon of Oregano - FRESH.
Turmeric (Carcom in Hebrew) - Very difficult to determine the exact amount. This depends on your pot size and your taste buds. In every 5 liters you should have at the very least 2 Heaping Tablespoons of Turmeric.
5-8 Bay Leaves - Fresh
250 grams White Kidney Beans (Kitniyot in Hebrew)
25o grams Dark Red/Brown Kidney Beans (Kitniyot in Hebrew)
100-150 grams Barley (Girisim in Hebrew)
2 Tablespoons of Hawwaj - I have tried and tired and tried to find out what the name of this spice is in English and if it is sold outside of the Middle East. This is an Arabic/Yemenite spice which is made either for cooking or there is also Hawwaj for Coffee. (If anyone out there knows the spice please leave a comment here)
One Jar of Honey (350 grams) - This is a CRITICAL INGREDIENT! (Actually one of my secret ingredients!)
1-2 small glasses of good red cooking wine (kosher of course!)
1 Tablespoon of FRESH Parsley
Meat - now comes the budget and the need. Some people put "flanken" meat into the cholent. This is a fatty meat which I have no love of. Rather what you need is good regular meat (not chopped) from the side of the cow or lamb (or combination of both). Be aware that over the cooking a lot of the meat will shrink and "melt". You need enough meat to give it taste, smell and certainly for people to eat. In a 9 liter pot, at least 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of whatever meat you are using should be minimum. The meat can be purchased from your butcher or your supermarket.
Bones - We are not referring to steak bones here. These are actually the leg bones of the cow which are cut up by the butcher. They have marrow in them and this is one of the most important ingredients which gives the cholent its taste. You need at least 4-5 bones in such a pot. Each bone is cut so figure on one-half a kilo of bones. (Butchers sometimes also refer to other bones from the cow as "sugar bones". These are good additions BUT you need the real strong "marrow" bones for the taste.
Kishke - Cholent without Kishke is like a body without a soul. No Kishke - oy vey! Then no cholent. This is one ingredient that is required. A Must. And worse it has to be good Kishke. Real good Kishke. The better the Kishke the better the cholent. So what the hell is Kishke?

We are going to be filling this pot completely. Until it will require a miracle to get some more food in. Then we are going to add even more! And the miracle of cholent is that it always works that way. So hang on to your seats!Kishke is actually a Yiddish word which refers to "intestines". Such as a parent saying to a wayward child, "You are eating my kishkes out!". And indeed in days long gone by Kishke was really the intestines of the cow. However these are full of disease and unhealthy as all hell. Kishke is what is called "stuffed derma" today. There are hundreds of kishke recipes out there, and most have the basics of oil, flour, salt and onions. Take a look here if you do not know what kishke is.

Kishke can be bought or made. And like cholent depending on who makes it will determine how good it is. Really good Kishke if you purchase it, is something you will have to ask around to see who likes what best - BUT the only way of finding out the perfect Kishke for you and your family is to try a few sold in the supermarkets.

If you make your own Kishke - and again this is not a veggie recipe, then make it with chicken fat in the flour. That will give it an incredible taste. And ONLY use really good olive oil in the flour as well.

Am I done? pretty much so. These are the ingredients you have to get together. The next post on Cholent (coming real soon) will be The Magic Of Cholent - Directions For Making. In the meantime the above will give you an idea on how to make the perfect cholent!

Now before you have a nervous breakdown, get a glass of wine to calm down. You are going to need good red wine to eat with the cholent anyway.

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5-stars for difficulty. As you can see this demands preparation and forethought.

Posted On: Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Mac & Cheese Wars - Watch Out For Flying Kids

A new commenter appeared today and posted a recipe for Macaroni & Cheese in the recent entry of the recipe by our insane cook Paula, for Macaroni & Cheese. I posted that comment of course, but I am going to put the comment here in full as yet another recipe for Macaroni & Cheese.

This was posted by Almost Vegetarian and you can check out her blog by clicking on the link. I obviously have an affinity for anyone who describes their blog as:

One woman’s struggle to find food that is good and good for you while enjoying a laugh or two along the way.

So here you go with Mac & Cheese from Almost Vegetarian:

I have an even faster recipe for mac 'n cheese, if you like (and, sometimes, when dealing with kids, fast makes all the difference).

Boil a package of noodles - macaroni or shells or something of a similar size - to al dente.
In the meantime, shred a package of the best quality, extra sharp cheddar you can find (this is a simple dish, so quality makes all the difference).
Layer the pasta and cheddar in a non-stick pan (you are right, it sticks like crazy), starting with pasta and ending with cheese (three layers should do nicely).
Sprinkle a generous handful of parmegiano reggaino on top, as well as paprika, freshly grated pepper (if you have white, it is prettier, but black is fine if you don't mind seeing the specks), and sea salt. If you like it spicy, add minced garlic.
If you like it gooey (and kids generally do), mix a handful of grated mozzarella (again, best quality) with your cheddar.
Bake at 450 Far. for about half an hour.
You should have a nice crunchy crust, but if you do not, pop it under the broiler for a few minutes (keep an eye; it likes to burn).

The world's fastest mac 'n cheese. And with as little fat as possible. Enjoy!

Yep, fast and quick. Mac & Cheese is a favorite of kids as I commented on in the last post. BUT remember this is cheese and pasta.. loads of calories. Good for kids to use up energy but just because it is easy to make don't be tempted to make it too often. I will be commenting on Obesity later on in a few posts, but always do things in measure. However, just a one star for difficulty here and thanks again to Almost Vegetarian. Hope to see you here more often!

Posted On: Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Friday, February 02, 2007

Macaroni & Cheese

Paula sent in this incredibly simple recipe for Macaroni & Cheese.

Ingredients:

4 cups Elbow Macaroni (cook according to package directions)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
4 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and, while still hot, add the Cheddar.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
Top with additional cheese if desired.

Simple. One star for difficulty. One thing I would add here. Lightly cover the bottom of the baking bowl with just a touch of Olive Oil. Macaroni & Cheese is a very well liked dish in our house. However, you can get fairly complicated with its creation if you wish to. Meaning adding different spices, cheese and/or different types of pasta sauces and experimenting with a whole range of veggies such as adding Broccoli or Spinach or the like. In our house the trick really is to get a Macaroni and Cheese dish that will have that kind of golden-brown topping of cheese (we call it the cheese crust) and most of the kids love to eat that. However, to get that just right you really have to know your oven and you must watch the baking process towards the end. You cannot overdo or undo it. Overdoing it will just cause burnt cheese on top (Yucky!) and under doing you will just have great Mac & Cheese but without the golden brown cheese topping. So be careful.

Posted On: Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

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