Author: chanie

Tu B’shvat Truffles

This Wednesday, Jews around the world will celebrate Tu B’shvat, the New Year for the trees. Traditionally, we celebrate by eating fruit and nuts that are native to the land of Israel (grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates). Growing up, they’d always give out carob in school, which they called buxer (yiddish for carob). They were long black pods that were difficult to chew. If you made the effort, you’d be rewarded with a sweet taste. Most of the girls would just throw them away, but I’d always chew away at them. Nowadays, you can find many carob products on the market including coffee, chocolate, cookies and butters.

When I thought about what to make for Tu B’shvat, I wanted to use dates and figs, but also incorporate the chocolate flavor of carob. I decided to throw together some dried fruit truffles, or sugarplums. Sugarplums are balls that are made up of dried fruits, nuts and spices. Think of them as a kind of Larabar in the round!

You can make my traditional Tu B’shvat recipe, or come up with your own combination. To make sugarplums, you’ll need:

Dried fruit (dates, figs, apricots, prunes, raisins,craisins, cherries, apples)
Nuts (pecans, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts)
Seeds, optional (sunflower, pepitas, anise, fennel, caraway)
Spices (cinnamon,  cardamom, nutmeg, mace, cloves, allspice, sea salt, cocoa, orange zest)
Sweetener, used to bind the mixture (honey, agave, maple syrup)
Butters, optional (almond, peanut, carob)
Extracts, optional (almond, vanilla, rum)
Alcohol, optional (rum, orange liquor, chocolate liquor)
Toppings (powdered sugar, turbinado sugar, coconut, cocoa, nuts, chocolate, sesame seeds)

For a healthy boost, add  some oats or flax seeds.

 

Tu B’shvat Truffles

1 cup pitted medjool dates (about 10)
1 cup dried figs (I used 5 calimyrna and 10 mission)
1 cup almonds, pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp carob powder*
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar or ground coconut

Method:

Toast nuts in a 350 degree oven until fragrant. Remove pits from dates and add to food processor along with figs and nuts. Process until finely chopped. Add honey, carob powder, cinnamon and sea salt and pulse several times until the mixture begins to clump together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it is difficult to mix, add to a bowl and incorporate the spices by hand. Roll into bite size balls and dip into turbinado sugar (or ground coconut). Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to one month.

*carob powder is available at health food stores. If you cannot find it, you can use cocoa powder instead.


1 year ago: Mustard Roasted Dried Fruits

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Salad Bar + Quick & Easy Dressings

I can’t tell you how many people I meet who tell me that they just can’t figure out what kind of salad to put together at a salad bar. They usually end up going with classic caeser or greek salad. I, on the other hand, love experimenting with different ingredients and coming up with all sorts of flavor combinations. Otherwise, I’ll just get bored and dread my salad-eating :)

My all time favorite make-you-own-salad-bar combo would have to be:

crisp rommaine
red cabbage
shredded carrots
beets
craisins
red onions
scoop of tuna

For the dressing, I opt for caeser or honey mustard. To make your own at home, follow my easy recipes below.

I thought it might be fun to see what unique salad combinations you all come up with at a salad bar. To get you in the sharing mood, I’m giving away the book of 500 Sensational Salads by Julia Canning. To enter this giveaway, let me know your favorite make-you-own-salad-bar combination in the comments below. I will choose the most original submission on February 15, 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honey Mustard Salad Dressing:

1 cup mayo
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup mustard
1 clove minced garlic

Pareve Caeser Salad Dressing:

1 cup mayo
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 clove minced garlic

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Cheesy Stuffed Mini Peppers


At one of our Chanukah parties recently (was Chanukah really that recent? It feels like ages ago!), my sister in-law decided to bring over some food for the low-carb dieters at the party. I was really intrigued by her idea of making stuffed shells without the pasta. Mini peppers stand in as a great replacement, adding color and sweetness to the dish. I decided to whip up my own variation by peppering up (pun intended!) a version of my mom’s famous lasagna recipe. Truth be told – I still made some stuffed shells for my pasta-loving kids, but I was more than satisfied with my lighter and lower-carb variation.

Cheesy Stuffed Mini Peppers

1 15 oz. container ricotta or reduced fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove water
1 bag sweet mini peppers
1 jar marinara sauce
1 8 oz. bag shredded mozzarella cheese

Method:

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl, mix cheeses, egg, spices and 1/2 of the spinach. Pour half of the marinara sauce into a 9×13 pan. Dot with remaining spinach. Cut the tops off the mini peppers and remove the veins and seeds. Fill with cheese mixture and place in the pan on top of the marinara sauce. Pour remaining 1/2 jar of sauce over the peppers and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, or until peppers begin to soften. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese is browned and crisped around the edges.

VARIATION: For traditional stuffed shells, use large shell pasta in place of the mini peppers.

1 year ago: spinach pasta

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Headbands, Bows & Clips


If you have little girls, you know what it’s like when they come home from school with yet another broken headband (or better yet, without their headband…this I can’t help you with). I’ve even started a little bin with all those bows that won’t snap closed, the ribbons that have unraveled, and the headbands that have all but fallen apart. Every couple of months, I go through my stash and bring new life to the tangled mess.

To do this, you’ll need your own assortment of ribbons, headbands and embellishments. I always keep my eyes open for these when I’m in a Family Dollar or a cheap variety store. You can stock up on plain headbands, cheap ribbons and buttons to keep for future projects. There are no instructions for these – just heat up your glue gun and get creative!


Every pretty bow starts off with a clip. Alligator clips are easy to use and don’t break as easily as others. You can purchase them on Etsy. For a finished look, you’ll want to cover it in ribbon. You can embellish them with buttons, crystals and beads. Here’s how!

First, you’ll need to measure your ribbon to see how long it should be. Place the ribbon inside the clip. Close the clip and wrap the ribbon around, leaving some room around the indent where the spring is. The ribbon should end at the back of the clip, right on top of the opening (see picture). Cut ribbon to size. To remove the frayed edges, hold the ribbon close to candle (don’t put inside the fire, just very close to the heat), you’ll see the thread start to shrivel up. Now, repeat the same steps you did to measure the ribbon, but this time use your hot glue gun to glue it down (see picture). Embellish your ribbon clip with buttons, embellishments or a bow.


1 year ago: shell stitch crochet hat

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It’s our Blogoversary!
Celebrate with {Mulled Wine}

We’ve come a long way since my first post back on January 19th, 2011. Believe me, I never imagined I would make it this far. What started out as a hobby has blossomed into a full blown passion. I’m so thankful to all of my readers who are the reason for my continued success.

Over the past year, BIB has grown considerably, with recipes featured throughout the blogosphere as well as in Bitayavon and Binah Magazines. With bated breath, Busy in Brooklyn finished in 5th place in the Joy of Kosher “2011 Best of Kosher” competition with almost 850 votes.

It’s been a whirlwind! Here are some stats from the past year that I thought you might enjoy:

Most popular category: dessert recipes
Most popular recipe: sushi salad
Most popular craft: shell stitch crochet hat
Most popular how to: caramelize apples
Most commented: black bean brownies

I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store! In the meantime, keep reading, keep cooking, and most importantly, keep commenting! Your feedback really gives me the push I need to keep going!

Do you want to give BIB a Blogoversary present? Share our page on your facebook wall and ask friends to like us and visit our blog!

And now, to celebrate! I figured we should all make a L’chaim to toast to our one year Blogoversary. But a plain old glass of wine just wouldn’t do. Instead, we’re gonna click our glasses with a warm cup of mulled wine. Mulled wine is a spiced red wine that has been warmed with spices and citrus. It is perfect for a cold winter night in which you have cause to celebrate.

The best part about making mulled wine (also known as glogg) is that you don’t need to use an expensive bottle. You can use a combination of whatever whole spices you have on hand, or simply use a few spoons of your bisamim.

Traditionally, mulled wine includes the following:

} dry red wine or a combination of dry and sweet (port is best)
} sweetener, such as, white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey or agave
} juice and zest of citrus, such as orange and/or lemon
} additional alcohol of choice, such as vodka or brandy, (optional)
} dried fruit, raisins, and/or almonds (optional)
} a combination of whole spices, such as:

cinnamon sticks
cardamom pods
cloves
allspice berries
peppercorns
star anise
bay leaves
nutmeg
vanilla pods
ginger root

I prefer to wrap up the spices in a cheesecloth but you can also add them straight to the pot and strain before serving.

 

BIB Blogoversary Mulled Wine

1 bottle dry red wine
1/3-1/2 cup agave
juice of 1 orange
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves
4-5 peppercorns
1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
a few strips of orange zest

Method:

Add spices to a piece of double-lined cheesecloth and knot closed. Add wine, spices, agave and fresh squeezed orange juice to a pot. Cook on a low flame until heated through. DO NOT BOIL as it will cause the alcohol to evaporate.

1 year ago: chicken breast with port wine cherry sauce

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