Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen

How do we even go about defining what "Kugel" is? Well I am going to borrow from the entry in Wikipedia for this, and if you like you can read their full entry on Kugel here . Kugel (Yiddish: kugl pronounced koogel or kigel {being that the "u" takes on an "i" sound in eastern european Yiddish}, also often referred to in the diminutive kugele, kigele) is any one of a wide variety of traditional baked Jewish side dishes or desserts. It is sometimes translated as "pudding" or "casserole". Kugels may be sweet or savory (salty). The most common types are made from egg noodles or potatoes and often contain eggs, but there are recipes in everyday use in modern Jewish kitchens for a great diversity of kugels made with different vegetables, fruit, batters, cheese, and other flavorings and toppings. Kugel-making seems to be continually changing and evolving. There are indeed noodle kugels, potato kugels, carrot kugels, veggie kugels - you name it...

Chicken Soup. Jewish Penicillin. The cure for the common cold. What else can be said about it. Seems simple to make and yet...well much can be said about it. And then the Matzah Balls. Some people love them others can live without them. They are usually associated with Chicken Soup but can be put in any soup actually or eaten alone. And truth be told the recipe for Matzah Balls that was posted a few days ago in the post, Grandma (Bubby) Sarah's Matzah Balls , is really fine. But I am going to change a bit of it, (just a little), and for those who want, just choose. Remember though: Matzah Balls are exactly that. Matzah Meal formed and cooked into a ball. The trick is to keep them light and fluffy. And this is done with eggs and possibly the Seltzer mentioned in the post above. Chicken Soup & Matzah Balls Chicken Soup Ingredients: (For an 8 liter pot = 2 Gallons) This assumes you are using fresh chicken. If not you can use frozen as well. The chicken parts supply the "Chi...

My son, Aviad, said I would never post my Matzah Brei recipe, simply because I keep this a secret from everyone. Well... just to show the big mouth kid... here is Teddy's Matzah Brei Recipe. What is Matzah Brei? Oh boy! As you know on Passover we eat only Matzah. No bread or bread products allowed. Now some people will not eat what is called Yiddish "Gebruchts" on Passover as well. Basically this means they will eat nothing that has matzah which is then cooked in water or anything else. This means no Matzah balls and no Matzah Brei. I feel sorry for those who won't eat Gebruchts. But hey, if it floats their boat who am I to argue with it? Matzah Brei night in the Gross Household is officially the night after the Seder. First we clean up and everyone hangs around for me to make the Matzah Brei. Kind of like finishing off the first day of the holiday on a good note. Many people call Matzah Brei - "Fried Matzah". THAT IS SOOOOOOOO WRONG! Matzah Brei well is Ma...

Gefilte Fish is one of those foods that have a rep for being "Jewish". There are, I think, literally thousands of ways to make Gefilte Fish, and of course everyone swears by their Grandmother's recipe. Unfortunately I never met my grandparents and have no clue if they actually made Gefilte Fish. But my mother did make it. It was one of her "dishes" to make on Thursday night or Friday until the arthritis in her fingers became real bad. This is not my mother's recipe. My sister, Francine, has that one, and of course being a male I am not privy to the secrets of the recipe! Hah! But this recipe works and I get praises for it all the time. Gefilte Fish is one of those things that will require a bit of experimenting to get it "perfect". It also requires your sense of smell, your sense of touch and your eyes to get it to that perfect stage. Most recipes for Gefilte Fish will call for you to combine Carp with some other type of fish. Usually for people in...

For the Passover recipes we are going to start with something easy, and something that does not only pertain to Passover. Fruit Salad is something sorely overlooked. It is a great and easy desert to make for the end of a heavy meal, and most people love it - no matter how filled and stuffed they are from gorging themselves (especially at the Seder meal). It is also very good for the stomach and digestive system. This is important as many people have problems with eating and digesting too much Matzah - especially when they only eat it once a year for Passover. Fruit Salad coupled with tea or coffee afterwards is really a fine desert which most people love (not to mention the fact that you have no need to bake a cake!) Fruit Salad As I said before we are very lucky in that Passover marks the beginning of the spring-summer fruit season. Whereas some of the fruit is still expensive, it goes down in price in a few weeks as the days become warmer and the fruit is brought to market. The foll...

OK Folks. In a previous post, The Seder Menu , I told you all what I am going to make. It is now around 2 hours before the holiday, and I cannot believe it but everything is done! I mean even the beds are made and the socks are all in the closets! HAH! So before we get to recipes which I will get to on Tuesday and Wednesday here are a few pictures of what was made! Remember, it is not laid out for the guests yet...cause that happens later. Gefilte Fish Cooking Some shape into patties, I shape into balls. Easier. (Looks like Matzah Balls but I promise that is Gefilte Fish! Picked out the Carp in the tank while they were swimming!) Gefilte Fish on the Platter on the Seder Table Artichokes Cooking To Tenderness With Lemon The Potato Kugel Chicken Soup & Matzah Balls All Home Made with Fresh Chicken One of my children is a veggie. A real one. So for him - Veggie soup! Turkey - 7.2 Kilo (15 Pds.) The Turkey has one hell of a Tushy! Before Cooking When Basted After Cooking Fruit Salad fo...

Grandma (Bubby) Sarah Video Series Of Passover Recipes In continuing our " Grandma (Bubby) Sarah Video Series Of Passover Recipes ", originally sent to us by Michael Schreiber, (Production Director of tv360.tv , which seems to be a new Internet startup. The videos are served from realmeals.tv , part of tv360.tv, which also owns realhealth.tv which is about healthy lifestyles and living.) we now have the great Potato Kugel . This recipe is a gem! Use it! (What is quoted below is the recipe in the video. To see my changes look at Teddy's Note Below the recipe) Grandma (Bubby) Sarah's Potato Kugel Click here if the video above will not play in your browser (You do require Flash Player Installed) Utensils Required: Food Processor or KitchenAid. Aluminum Pan Ingredients: 3 Large Onion 10 Idaho Potatoes 6 Eggs 1 1/2 Cups of Matzah Meal Salt Pepper Oil ***Directions: Rough Cop 2.5 onions Fry them in Oil Cut the Potatoes and then Grind them in the food processor Grind the ...

Grandma (Bubby) Sarah Video Series Of Passover Recipes In continuing our " Grandma (Bubby) Sarah Video Series Of Passover Recipes ", originally sent to us by Michael Schreiber, (Production Director of tv360.tv , which seems to be a new Internet startup. The videos are served from realmeals.tv , part of tv360.tv, which also owns realhealth.tv which is about healthy lifestyles and living.)we now have the all important Matzah Ball . As I mentioned in my post, The Seder Menu, there is a bit of an argument over whether I should take the time to make Matzah Balls or use a pre-mix. This shows you why you can always make them - with a bit of time and thought. Grandma (Bubby) Sarah's Matzah Balls Click here if the video above will not play in your browser (You do require Flash Player Installed) Ingredients: One Cup Matzah Meal 4 Eggs 3/4 Cup Seltzer 1 Teaspoon Chicken Fat 1 Teaspoon of Salt Directions: For clear directions see the video. Mix the Matzah Meal and eggs together. M...

Grandma (Bubby) Sarah Video Series Of Passover Recipes Sometimes among the emails I receive I get a few gems. Today, one such gem from Michael Schreiber, Production Director of tv360.tv , which seems to be a new Internet startup (check it out), sent this one in. The videos are served from realmeals.tv (part of tv360.tv, which also owns realhealth.tv which is about healthy lifestyles and living.) I will quote from his email: Dear Fire in my kitchen, Last weekend I took my video camera and filmed a real bubby making her prized matzah ball soup... medium sinkers. Delicious... easy to replicate as you'll see in the video recipe. She also demonstrates gefilte fish... the mystery is finally revealed! Her potato kugel is great too. I made a short video recipe for each film, which you are welcome to post on your site if you like. So many of these old country recipes will disappear as these great people pass away. It's important that these recipes survive! Best, Mike I have gone th...

This year I decided, through some incredible attack of true craziness to do most food shopping in the famous "Machaneh Yehudah" shuk - (marketplace) in Jerusalem. There are many people that love shopping here, and others who, like me, do not like having to shlep tons of food in bags all over the place. But there is certainly a magic in places like this, and one cannot beat the prices or the selection. So while buying (in two trips) fruit, veggies, carp (to make homemade Gifilte Fish) a 7 Kilo Turkey, spices, drinking glasses, wine glasses, tea and coffee glasses and on and on and on... I snapped a couple of pictures. Machaneh Yehudah is already very crowded as you can see, but will get nutso by tomorrow and certainly on Sunday and then on Monday morning. (Towards Monday afternoon the prices start dropping drastically - but only the brave or the very poor wait till then to buy food for Passover.) There is nothing on this planet that could convince me to go back there over the ...

As you may know the first night of Passover is spent at the "Seder". The "Seder" (literally means "order") is a long festive meal geared to the children and adults like me who pretend they are children - to get them to ask questions about Passover and the celebration of the Jewish people going from slavery into freedom and leaving the shackles of Egypt. This year I have around 15 people coming to my Seder. Essentially the meal begins only after the first part of reading the HaGaddah is done. Some people rush through this and it takes them around an hour with singing songs etc. Some people like moi! - well we spend a great deal of time talking and discussing the Seder, Passover and all those things. We get to the meal around 11:30 PM. The Seder ends for us around 2-3 AM. Some traditional foods such as "Charoset" will be home made. This is a mixture of nuts, apples, cinnamon etc. It is eaten to remind us of the "mortar" used by the Jews w...

Well it looks like this is the month for chopped meat & beef. In a previous entry Real Hamburgers - Back To Basics I discussed how to make a real simple hamburger meal. Then along came the entry, Hamburger With Cabbage & Tomato Sauce . And then Kali submitted her Beef and Cabbage Soup . And of course Paula had to submit the Boiled Corned Beef & Cabbage . So now comes along my own entry again, " Hey Kid! I Dare You To Say This Is Not Good! " And of course it comes with a story. (Sheesh .. deal with my stories!) So it is getting close to Passover. Since Purim many clean their houses (spring cleaning sort of) to get rid of all "Chametz" - bread and bread products. We do so because on Passover, we are not allowed to have any bread or bread by-products in our possession. This comes from the injunction of "you shall not see nor shall you find". The laws are complicated and yet boil down to this. No bread or bread by-products or anything not certifie...

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 ...