Author: chanie

Waldorf Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Like me, I’m sure most of your Shavuous menus will involve some sort of pasta and blintzes, and with cheesecake for dessert, there’s not much room for a heavy appetizer. Instead of serving up a bowl of cheesy french onion soup, give waldorf salad a try. It is a welcome addition to the otherwise heavy menu. With sweet & tart apples, crunchy celery, walnuts and grapes in a light yogurt dressing, this salad offers a refreshing start to your Shavuous meal.

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Carrot Muffins

You all know that I’m not that much of a baker, so if I decided to make carrot muffins, there must have been a reason for it. Well, here it goes…

Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. Take this past Shabbos, for example. I had a full house for the weekend, and my menu was planned down to the tee. I usually leave the salad prep to right before the meal, preparing only what needs to be checked or processed in the blender beforehand. I had planned on making a slaw, so I shredded my carrots in my food processor and put it aside in a ziploc. Fastforward a couple of hours and I’m about to prepare the salad. I grab a jar of mayo from my pantry and open it up to find that someone has taken out a spoonful and returned it to the pantry instead of the fridge. I’m afraid to admit that that someone was probably me getting a headstart on my cooking at 12 PM the previous night! So now that there was no mayo, there was no slaw (or caeser salad…or deviled eggs…). Then I realized that we were also out of horseradish for the gefilte fish. While I would normally whip up a russian style dressing, that was not in the cards either. So I served the gefilte fish with wasabi sauce, stashed the shredded carrots back into the fridge, and redid my menu just as my guests were walking through the door.

My mayo-less meal turned out just fine, and that lonely bag of carrots had a calling after all – moist and delicious carrot muffins. You can also bake this into a cake and top with some cream cheese frosting (which I would have done, had I not shredded my carrots in my fleishig food processor). Either way you choose to serve it, you’ll find this recipe delicious. My kids were so excited to come home to freshly baked muffins. I think I have to start doing this baking thing more often!

 

1 year ago: sundried tomato olive tapenade

 

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Crocheted Pacifier Clip

When I haven’t crocheted in while, I always think I’m going to forget what to do. But honestly, it’s just like riding a bike. The second I put that crochet hook into my hands, it just goes. In this case, my friend had recently had her 5th child and being her fourth boy, I just did not know what to get her. She had all the baby equipment she needed, all the toys you could think of, and plenty of boy clothes to go around. So I asked her straight out and all she really wanted was a pacifier clip (and help with making dinner!) Helping with the food was a given, but I also wanted to make her gift a personal one. Crocheting the pacifier clip made for an adorable gift and gave it the personal touch I was looking for.

This crochet project is super easy and perfect for beginners. You can use any yarn scraps you have lying around as well.

Supplies:

size f hook
worsted weight yarn in 2 colors
Tapestry needle
pacifier clip (available on Etsy)
buttons or other decorative accents

How to:

Crochet a chain of 30 stitches. Single crochet (sc) in each stitch across. Repeat until you have reached exactly the width of the loop of your pacifier clip (should be 4-5 rows). With a contrasting color, slip stitch all around and weave in the ends with a tapestry needle.

Pull the top of the crocheted strip through the loop of the pacifier clip and fold over. Sew the folded edge down with a tapestry needle.

To form the loop that holds the pacifier clip, crochet a chain of about 18 stitches. Slip stitch through each stitch to reinforce the chain. With a tapestry needle and some strap yarn, attach the chain to the ends of the strip you made earlier, forming a loop (or you can just continue to crochet into it and secure together with a chain or two).

Decorate the top of the pacifier clip with a button, applique or decoration of choice (that complements the colors of your yarn).

To attach the pacifier to the crocheted loop, pull the loop through the pacifier ring and pull the opposite end of the pacifier clip around the ring and through the loop. Pull to tighten.

1 year ago: headbands in a pinch

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BBQ Chicken & Pineapple Jalapeno Pizza

I’m not usually one for making yeast doughs. I mean, it’s not like I can’t do it, it’s just that I can’t be bothered. With all of the flour mess and sticky dough, I usually just leave it to the companies who prepare the frozen variety. This week, however, the rainy weather was a good excuse to play around in the kitchen. And my leftover hickory BBQ chicken was the perfect inspiration for this dish.

I have to tell you that with Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast, making the dough was super easy. There was no rising time. Simply mix, knead, top and bake. I don’t think I can go back to freezer pizza dough again!

Obviously, cheese on this pizza would probably be delicious but because I’m kosher, I have to leave it out. If you’re brave, you can try using soy cheese but personally that stuff freaks me out!

1 year ago: BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches

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Pepper Steak with Plum Sauce

As the song goes, it’s “back to life, back to reality.” While Pesach was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and friends, there’s something nice about getting back into a routine. Not to mention, being able to eat chometz again!

One of my most favorite chometzdik dinners is a dish my mom makes with pepper steak and plum jelly. She found the gourmet jam in Australia, and every time she visits, she brings home a jar. I decided to try and recreate her recipe without the jam, and I think I came pretty close!

It took me a while to learn how to make pepper steak that didn’t taste like I was chewing rubber. I learned, first and foremost, that good pepper steak has to be quality pepper steak. The better the quality of the meat, the softer it will turn out in the end. The second thing I learned about cooking pepper steak is to cook it low and slow. The longer the steak simmers, the longer the meat will tenderize. Lastly, I learned to add the sauce at the end, so that the sugar in it does not burn and harden the meat.

Have you got any tips for making your pepper steak soft? I’d love to hear them!

 

1 year ago: 1-2-3 decadent molten chocolate chip cakes

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