Year: 2011

Spinach Rotini Pasta

Like most kids, my girls are pretty picky eaters. I have to drown their food in ketchup to get them to eat it. But this recipe is so pretty and delicious, they ate it down to the last drop. To make it more fun, I used corkscrew pasta (also known as Rotini), and taking a que from the Sandra Lee semi-homemade philosophy, I used frozen garlic cubes and spinach, making this dish come together in no-time! So go ahead, serve it to your kiddies. No ketchup required.

Take Note:

The frozen garlic cubes offer a milder taste to the dish than their fresh counterparts. If you’re making this for adults only (or your kids like the taste of lotsa fresh garlic) go ahead and use the real thing. I would recommend cutting down to 2-3 cloves.

I’ve also opted for extra light olive oil because of the mild flavor. However, if you like the full-bodied fruitiness of traditional olive oil, go ahead and use that instead.

I like to top my pasta with just a sprinkle of toasted bread crumbs. This adds texture and crunch to the dish and takes it over the top. If you don’t like the sound of it, just go ahead and leave it out.

Spinach Pasta

1 box Rotini pasta
1 10oz. box frozen chopped spinach
4-5 frozen garlic cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
extra light olive oil
1/8 cup breadcrumbs, optional

Method:

In a frying pan, drizzle some olive oil and add the garlic cubes. Turn the fire on medium, allowing the garlic cubes to melt as the oil heats up (if you throw the cubes into hot oil, the oil will splatter in every direction and the garlic will burn). Stir the cloves until fully melted and slighly cooked.

Remove the foil from the box of spinach and microwave for about 6 minutes until thawed. If the spinach is hot, wait for it to cool and squeeze the water out in batches, using your hands (I wear gloves for this). Add the spinach to the pan and saute, mixing with the garlic until full incorporated. Add more oil if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta, but not thoroughly, leaving a bit of water. Return the pasta to the pot, and add the spinach mixture. Stir well until the spinach is well incorporated. If the pasta is slightly dry, add a bit more oil. Adjust seasonings if needed.

To toast the breadcrumbs, add them to the frying pan that you used to saute the garlic and spinach. This will infuse it with some of the garlic flavor. Stir on a medium flame, taking care that the breadcrumbs do not burn. Remove from pan when they have reached desired doneness, as they will continue to brown if left in the pan.

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Cowboy Cookies


We decided to throw together a quick Game Night on Motzei Shabbat with the family. I told everyone they could bring something. As for myself, I whipped up a quick batch of cowboy cookies a’ la Martha Stewart. This recipe is chock full of flavor, using chocolate, coconut, pecans and oats. I’m not the biggest coconut fan, but in these, they offer an added chewiness that’s worth it. Why are they called Cowboy Cookies? The origin is unclear, but the cookies do seem hearty enough for the Wild West. As for game night, the girls won by a landslide!


Cowboy Cookies
(Yields 3-4 dozen cookies)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (I used 1 tub of Smart Balance Light)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (I used 1 cup of chocolate chips)
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup pecans (3 ounces)
Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until darkened and fragrant, 10 to 13 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Into a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut until just combined. (Dough can be covered with plastic and refrigerated up to 3 days.)

Coat baking sheets with cooking spray; line with parchment, and spray parchment. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared sheets, about 3 inches apart.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies begin to brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

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Shell Stitch Crochet Hat


It was about two years ago when I finally taught myself to crochet. I started off taking some knitting classes. I loved to knit but my wrists didn’t. I don’t know if it was carpel tunnel or what, but it hurt! I also didnt “get it.” I’d knit basic things, like scarves, and I could never count my stitches. I didn’t know where they started, or where they’d ended. And forget about repairing a lost stitch! I would just unravel the whole thing and start from scratch. But that’s not what got me into crocheting. The love of beautiful hats with big petaled flowers is what did. Oh how I wanted to make those! But the task of circular knitting was too daunting, and so, I gave up. My sister told me about the Knifty Knitter knitting loom and I decided to try a hand at that. It was incredibly easy to make a hat using the loom, but I still yearned to be able to make big, beautiful flowers to adorn my hats. Finally, I decided to give crocheting a try. I started watching YouTube videos by a lady named Teresa, who teaches everything you need to know about crocheting. I remember the first time I tried to make a flower. I had no clue what I was doing, and I must have taken it apart 50 times until I got it perfectly right. I found crocheting to be really easy on my hands. With only one needle, it was quick and I understood what I was doing. I could count and “read” my stitches! So as they say, the rest is history. I like to use basic crochet patterns to start myself off, and go from there, unscripted. Adding earflaps, tassels, aviator foldovers, and of course, lots of flowers, allows me to a finish each project off with my own personal touch. I made the following hat this week for my niece Anya. She lives in Florida, and since it’s been kind of a cold winter for the Floridians this year, I figured she could use it. I opted for the beautiful shell stitch, which is more of an openwork pattern, due to the warmer climate.

Shell Stitch Crochet Hat
Adapted from Mckinley’s Perfect Springtime Hat on Ravelry.com

Size: Newborn (approx 16″ around)

Supplies:
Size G (4.25mm) crochet hook
worsted weight yarn in a few colors
Tapestry needle

Notes:
In this pattern, unless otherwise noted, the ch2 at the beginning of the round DOES NOT count as the first stitch.
The crochet stitches are worked under both top threads.

Abbreviations:
Chain (ch), Slip Stitch (sl st), Single Crochet (sc), Half Double Crochet (hdc), Double Crochet (dc), Treble Crochet (tr), Stitch (st), Stitches (sts).

Foundation: ch4, join with sl st in first st to make a ring.

Round 1: ch2, 9 hdc in ring, join to ch2 space at beginning of round with a sl st. (9 sts)
Round 2: ch2, 2 hdc in each stitch around, join to ch2 space at beginning of round with a sl st. (18 sts)
Round 3: ch2, *2 hdc in first st, 1 hdc in next st* repeat from * around, join to ch2 space with a sl st. (27 sts)
Round 4: ch2, *2 hdc in first st, 1 hdc in next 2 sts* repeat from * around, join to ch2 space with a st st. (36 sts)
(at this point, the basic size of the hat is set, if need be, you can continue to make your round bigger by doing 2 hdc in the first st and 1 hdc in the next 3 sts. In the following row you can increase by doing 2 hdc in the first st and 1 hdc in the next 4 sts etc.)
FOR THE REMAINING ROUNDS, CH2 DOES COUNT AS A STITCH.
Round 5: ch2, 2 dc in next st, *skip 2 sts, 3 dc in next st* repeat from * around, join to ch2 space with a sl st.
Round 6: ch2, skip next 2 sts, *3 dc in space between the shell, skip 2 sts* repeat from * around, when you get to the end, do 2 dc in space and then connect it to the ch2 at the beginning of the round with a sl st. (by doing this, the ch 2 and the 2 dc become a shell with 3 stitches.)
Rounds 7 and 9: repeat round 5.
Rounds 8 and 10: repeat round 6
Round 11: change to contrast color. ch1, sc around, join to first st with a sl st.
Try not the crochet the sc rounds too tightly as it will not have enough give around the head.
12-15: change to finishing color. ch1, sc around, join to first st with a sl st.
To Finish: Cut yarn and fasten off. Weave in the ends with a tapestry needle.

For the flower:

Round 1: ch5, join into a ring with a sl st in the 1st ch.
Round 2: ch3 (counts as first dc), work 9 dc in ring, join to top of ch with a sl st. (10 sts)
Round 3: *ch2, work 3 dc in next st, ch2, sl st in next st* repeat from * five times.
Round 4: switch to contrasting color. ch2. Going behind the petals, sc around the post of the first sc on round 2, ch3, *sc around the post of the next sc on round  2, ch3, repeat from * 3 times. Join with sl st to beginning sc. There are now 5 ch3 spaces.
Round 5: *sc, 3 dc, sc in next ch3 space, repeat from * around. Join with sl st to beginning sc.
Round 6: switch to finishing color. ch2. Going behind the petals, sc around the post of the first sc on round 4, ch3, *sc around the post of the next sc on round 4, ch3, repeat from * 3 times. Join with sl st to beginning sc. There are now 5 ch3 spaces.
Round 7: *sc, 3 tr, sc in next ch3 space, repeat from * around. Join with sl st to beginning sc.
To Finish: Cut yarn and fasten off. Weave in the ends with a tapestry needle. Attach your flower with a tapestry needle and scrap yarn, or glue with a hot glue gun. Top off the center of the flower with a pearl, button, or other embellishment.

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Poached Pears

I was watching Anne Burrell on the Food Network the other day. Now don’t get me wrong, the girl can cook, but, my G-d! she sounds like she is in a hot and heavy relationship with food! If you’ve ever watched her, you know EXACTLY what I mean (hello, darling!)! But the food looks good, I’ve got to hand it to her. I was really inspired by the beautiful poached pears she made for dessert. The ruby color, offset by the mascarpone cheese was just gorgeous. So I decided to make it for dessert for Shabbat dinner this past week, and it was a real hit. While her recipe gave me the goods I needed to learn to make poached pears, I did not follow it, and came up with my own version instead.

Poached Pears

6 Bosc pears, peeled (see note)
1 bottle dry red wine, such as Merlot
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
3 strips of lemon zest (use big strips for easy removal)
juice of 1 lemon
Coconut sorbet
Angel Flake sweetened coconut, toasted

In a large saucepan combine the wine, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the pears and simmer until the pears are cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool in the poaching liquid.

Before serving, remove the pears from their poaching liquid. Simmer the liquid until reduced by half and slightly thickened. (Discard the lemon zest and cinammon sticks).

Arrange a few pear quarters on the plate. Top it with a scoop of coconut sorbet. Spinkle with toasted coconut flakes and drizzle with reduced poaching liquid.

To toast coconut in the oven, spread shredded coconut in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to make sure that the coconut browns evenly.

NOTE: For a striking presentation, serve the pears whole with the stem intact. You will need to cook them in batches (so that they can be completely submerged in the wine), otherwise, you can cut them in quarters, as pictured.

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Dried Fruit Chutney

Today marks the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shvat, Tu B’shvat, which is the New Year for the trees. Traditionally, this day is celebrated by eating fruit, especially those that are known as the Seven Species (seven types of fruits and grains enumerated in the Bible as being special products of the Land of Israel). They include: Wheat, Barley, Grapes, Figs, Pomegranates, Olives and Dates. The following is a delicious recipe for mustard roasted fruits from The Low GI Diet Cookbook (a diet which I fully endorse, but that’s for another day!). If you add in some dates, and spread it atop some whole grain bread (made from wheat and barley), you’ll have covered 4 of the seven species with just the appetizer!

I absolutely love the sweetness and chewiness of dried fruits. Oven roasting them brings out their flavor, and adds a delicious carmelization that is excellent when paired with smoked meats or cheeses.


Mustard Roasted Dried Fruits

1 cup dried figs
1 cup mission figs
1 cup dried pear halves
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1 tbsp mustard powder
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups dry white wine

Method:

Preheat oven to 400. Place fruit in roasting pan and sprinkle over mustard powder, seeds, salt and sugar. Add vinegar and wine and stir gently to combine. Roast in the oven, stirring and tossing occasionally for about 30 minutes or until the fruits carmelize (check them after 20-35 minutes). Will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

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