Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

Sometimes tracking down spices is difficult, especially when they are considered "regional spices" or only part of a very specific culture. Hawaj is one of these spices. It is kind a mixture of some other, mostly not well known spices and outside of certain circles it would be rare to hear of this wonderful spice. In Israel, it is readily available. Hawaj , has its roots with the Yemenites. Though Wikipedia makes mention of Hawaj in its article on the Cuisine of the Sephardic Jews , I would tend to guess that the person who included Yemenites in an article on Sephardic customs would have to run for his life from a group of Yemenites! The following is the mention from the article above about Hawaj : Hawaj is a Yemenite spice mixture that comes into two varieties. One, a blend of powdered ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom, is added to coffee and baked goods. The other, a blend of turmeric, black pepper, onion, cumin, cardamom and cloves, is added to soup. This is basicall...

This is great for beginners and professionals alike. It is easy, adds to most meals, especially the spaghetti or pasta meals, and takes all of 10 minutes to prepare. The only thing is you have to remember to purchase the ingredients beforehand, but well worth the place for them on your shopping list. Yesterday, after my late afternoon daily run in Valley of the Cross, I came home full of sweat and endorphins while Rainbow, my Golden Retriever was totally out of it, as I had added a bit to the run. After awhile of course, my stomach went into high gear screaming out, "feed me, feed me". Now I will admit swimming laps makes you want to eat a horse, but running also sets in motion that "hunger bell", albeit on a lower sensitivity level. So after showering, I began to scrounge in the fridge. It was just me and I wanted nothing fancy. I was about to gravitate to my favorite meal in the whole world, which is tuna with mayo and some cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce (no brea...

Submitted by: Karen P. - A great cook with a great sense of humor PASTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE ***Special Requirements: Blender or Electric Hand Beater or Really really really strong hands and arm muscles! Ingredients: 1 package sweet Kosher Italian sausage (grocery packs it in 20oz packages) 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes *(fresh onion is great here) 1 teaspoon dried garlic flakes *(fresh garlic is great here too!) 1 teaspoon basil *(fresh is great) 1 teaspoon oregano *(fresh is great) 1 teaspoon rosemary *(fresh is great) ¼ sweet red bell pepper , finely diced. 1 big fresh tomato, well chopped. 1 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes 4 tablespoon (at least Virgin preferably Extra Virgin) Olive oil 2 tablespoon red wine ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon dark brown sugar 1 pinch of black pepper ½ pinch turmeric (if you like Turmeric then a bit more is great!) the barest sprinkle of nutmeg 1 box of whole grain pasta ( Or spinach pasta-linguine) * When using FRESH SPICES (as I have said you should wh...

Submitted by Paula the Insane Cook : Easy Marinated Chicken Wings Ingredients: 5 Lbs Chicken Wings (Frozen are less expensive) 3/4 Cup Melted Margarine - ( Here Paula calls for Margarine - personally I would use Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead ) 1 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce 1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper 1 Cup Brown Sugar 1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard 3/4 Cup Water 1/4 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice - Chinese Five Spice can be purchased. Originating in China, this spice mix combines equal parts ground cinnamon, fennel, star anise, cloves, and Szechwan pepper. It is often used in meat marinades and as a spice in barbecuing. (Mixed with ground salt, it makes a dip for deep-fried Chinese foods.) Directions: Mix all the ingredients and pour over wings. Let sit over night in the refrigerator (This allows for the sauce/spice to seep into the meat) Cook 350 degrees for 2 hours Easy to make thus one star for difficulty. The trick here is the sauce. As noted above I would substitute the Margarine for Ext...

My 12 year old, Aviad, came home tired and HUNGRY. He had called during the day and asked me to defrost steak. Cool. No problem. Only being my normal, scatterbrain self, I forgot to get the steaks out of the freezer until a couple of hours before he came home. Whatever! Then one of my older sons, Avdiel, (don't mix up the names like I always do!), called and apologized cause we were supposed to have coffee together, and said he was going to come over for some supper as well. Only he is my vegetarian and steak don't go well with him. On top of it all I really did not have a lot of food in the house. Hey, I wait for those really pretty ladies in the supermarket to shop. My spies told me they had not come in yet this week. So tough on the kids. Between ogling pretty women shopping and having to fill their stomachs, it just is not a contest. So anyway, I put the oven on real low at 75 degrees centigrade (165 degrees F.) and put the steaks in for five minutes to defrost. Then anothe...

This recipe was submitted by Judi Silva a lover of all things Indian (Her blog, Everything Indian , was reviewed in Cobwebs Of The Mind : Cobwebs Of The Mind Blog Review: Judi Silva's "Writing From Within" & "Everything Indian" ) South Indian Vegetable Curry served with Lemon Rice and Warm Nan Serves 4 South Indian Vegetable Curry Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups peeled and cubed (2 inch) potatoes 1 cup cut green beans 1 cup scraped and cubed (2 inch) carrots 2 cups hot water 1/2 pound eggplant 1/2 cup coconut milk powder 1 teaspoon salt (to taste) 1 tablespoon sunflower or soya oil 10-12 dried curry leaves 1 teaspoon crushed dried chilies 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric Directions for South Indian Vegetable Curry: 1. Put all the vegetables except the eggplant in a large pan and add 1 1/4 cups of the hot water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat a little, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, peel an...

Let us call this one - Teddy's Veggie Soup Madness I did not plan on this being my first recipe here. I wanted to impress all of you with my wonders in the kitchen . But since this took place Friday - I hope this kind of gives those who are scared of the kitchen and come across this recipe and why it happened an idea of what to do. There will be a great more posts from me about some of the topics here, but let us begin. The Story Behind This Recipe First of all please understand this recipe is to teach you how to make due even when you do not have all the ingredients. Even when you cannot find what you really want. It is being inventive and also being realistic. It is a mixture of things - and that is why I am telling this story in detail. As parents, if we cook, it is critical that we are inventive - often in ways no cook book will ever tell you to do. Know why? Cause this is REAL LIFE. Sabbath in a Jewish home is often the time for large family meals, which means moi has to do th...

Well we are off and running. Our first Recipe submitted on the first day of the Blog! Thanks to Cath Smith from Ohio who submitted this recipe to Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen . She writes: Marinara Sauce : Why on earth anyone buys Marinara sauce, I will never know. It really is easy to make - I'm the kind of person who can burn pasta, but even I can make this one. So, you're going to need: 2 (large) tins of tomatoes - any kind will do, but I use sun-ripened crushed tomatoes because I prefer the flavor. 1/2 tin (tomato tin) of water 1 clove garlic Olive oil (editors note here - the olive oil should always be the best you can get even in cooking. In later posts the difference in grades of olive oil will be explained.) Oregano (dried works best here) Black pepper Large Saucepan or Frying Pan or Small Pot (not to deep unless you are making a lot) Preparation: Mince the garlic, trying your hardest not to cut any fingers in the process. Open tins of tomatoes. Check that stew ...