Category: Dinner

Blogoversary BBQ Brisket

I honestly can’t believe that two years have already passed and the Busy In Brooklyn blog is still going strong. Like many people, I have a tendency to take up new hobbies only to drop them several months later. So when I started my blog back in January 2011, I never imagined it would grow to become so much a part of my life. Cooking is no longer a chore, it has become a full-blown passion. And blogging about it has given me the opportunity to find my voice and express myself. I have truly found my niche, and I am ever so grateful for it.

One of my very first posts on BIB was also for a pulled BBQ brisket. Except it wasn’t mine. Back then, I had no idea how to make pulled BBQ beef from scratch. So I did what any novice cook would do. I followed a recipe. That called for store-bought BBQ sauce.

Fast forward two years and I decided to try my hand at my very own pulled BBQ beef. I put a little of this and a little of that, but I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to come out. When the meat was finally ready (they don’t call it a slow cooker for nothing!), I served it to my finicky kids and they couldn’t put their forks down. I’m telling you people – this recipe is that good. And you know why I’ve been holding onto it for so long?  Because I wanted to save it as a gift to you; my readers. Blogoversary Brisket. It’s the least I can do to say THANK YOU for being such an awesome group of fans.

This mouth-watering shredded BBQ beef recipe epitomizes just how far I’ve come as a cook since I started BIB. Over the past two years I’ve been able to hone my skills in the kitchen, practicing and learning new techniques and flavors. And I would have never made it here if not for you guys. Your constant support, enthusiasm and interest in my recipes have encouraged me to push my limits to create fun and exciting new dishes.


Over the past year, BIB recipes have been featured on sites like Yahoo, Yummly, Dash and countless kosher websites. Numerous recipes have been printed in the Binah Magazine and the The Jewish Press. I’ve even been interviewed on the radio! It’s been a great journey, thanks for coming along for the ride.

Here are some stats for the BEST OF 2012:

Most popular category: dessert recipes
Most popular recipe: roasted eggplant parmesan with feta
2nd most popular recipe: s’mores chocolate toffee bark
Most popular craft: mustache straws
Most popular how to: make sorbet
Most commented (not including giveaways): shlishkes
Most pinned: roasted eggplant parmesan with feta

What have been some of YOUR favorite recipes and crafts over the past year? Share them with me in the comments below!

Keep following, keep commenting and most importantly, keep cooking!

<3 Chanie

Wanna give BIB a Blogoversary gift? Vote for the BIB Blog as the Best Kosher Food Blog in the Joy of Kosher Best of Kosher 2012 Awards!

You can always follow BIB on facebook, twitter, instagram, or pinterest! Sharing the love is always appreciated, so let your friends know about the Busy In Brooklyn Blog by sharing today’s post on your facebook wall!


BIB Blogoversary BBQ Brisket

3 lbs. brisket
1 large onion, sliced into half rings
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper, to taste

Sprinkle the brisket on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and brown the brisket on all sides to seal in the juices. Place the brisket in the crock pot.

In the same pan, saute the sliced onions until translucent, add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, paprika and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce for 20 minutes. Pour the sauce over the brisket and turn the crock pot on to high. Slow cook for approximately 4-5 hours.

Remove the brisket from the crock pot and using 2 forks, pull the meat apart into shreds. Pour the sauce back into the pan and reduce until thick (it should coat the back of a spoon) about 20-30 minutes. Return the shredded beef to the crock pot and pour the sauce over it. Set the crock pot to warm or serve immediately.


1 year ago: It’s our blogoversary! Celebrate with {Mulled Wine}
2 years ago: Hello World!

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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Veal Meatballs

I’m a huge fan of veal. It’s got a lovely flavor and that tender, melt in your mouth quality. It’s also much lighter than beef, so you don’t feel as heavy when you eat it. One of my favorite veal recipes is for these delicious meatballs. I don’t call ’em melt-in-your-mouth for nothing. They really do melt. in. your. mouth. While this recipe uses few ingredients, it’s chock full of flavor, mostly due to the bay leaves. They give the broth and meatballs a delicious flavor while imparting the most heavenly aroma. You’ll wanna make them just for the smell!

Having little kids, meatballs are definitely a staple in my house, but the plain old beef meatballs in marinara sauce does get kind of boring. My kids gobble these down like you can’t imagine. And yours will too!

Have you seen my veal shepherd’s pie with celery root mashed potatoes? It’s another great veal recipe that you must try!

Veal Meatballs

2 lbs. ground veal
2 eggs
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
salt and pepper, to taste
1 large onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cups water
5 bay leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a bowl, combine the veal, eggs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into balls. In the meantime, saute the onion in olive oil until deeply golden and caramelized. Add the water, sugar, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add meatballs. Simmer, covered, for 1-2 hours.

If you wish to thicken the cooking liquid, you may continue to cook it over high heat until reduced to desired consistency.

1 year ago: wild mushroom barley soup
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Easy Pineapple Fried Rice

Have you heard about the custom for Jewish people to eat Chinese food on Christmas? It all started back in the day when there weren’t so many kosher restaurants to eat at, and the only places open on Xmas were Chinese joints. And the only people frequenting their restaurants were the Jews, since they do not celebrate the gentile holiday. To clarify things: it is not, in fact, a Jewish custom to eat Chinese food on Christmas, but some people enjoy doing so just for kicks. This year, my family decided to follow suit, and we ordered takeout from our favorite Chinese spot, EstiHana.

Have you seen this picture that’s been circulating around the web?  Cute, isn’t it?

You know what the best part about ordering Chinese food? All that fresh hot rice they send you, which turns into day-old rice the next day. Leftover rice is the perfect starter for dishes like pineapple fried rice. And contrary to popular belief, most fried rice dishes are not fried at all (we are dispelling lots of myths here today!).  So the next time you have leftover rice, think twice before throwing it away.

Other ways to use up leftover rice:

Rice pudding or breakfast cereal (use in place of oatmeal)
Tomato rice soup like this one
Stuffed peppers
Rice stuffing for chicken
Cheesy Mexican rice
Arancini
Chicken and rice soup

Do you have any good ideas for using up leftover rice? Share them in the comments below!

Easy Pineapple Fried Rice

1 tsp sesame oil
1 cup pineapple, finely diced
12 oz cooked rice (or 1 Chinese takeout container)
2 tbsp eel sauce*
2 tsp soy sauce
3 scallions, chopped

Method:

Heat up a skillet and add sesame oil. Toss in pineapple and saute until it begins to caramelize and brown. Add cooked rice, breaking it up with a spatula. If the rice begins to stick, add a little bit of water. Add eel and soy sauce and stir to combine. When rice is heated through, add chopped scallions and serve.

VARIATION: You can add additional chopped vegetables like peppers (red peppers would be great in this), onions, or carrots. Saute them first and when beginning to soften, add the pineapple. Continue as above.

NOTE: Imitation kosher eel sauce is now widely available in supermarkets (I use the Sweet City brand). If you cannot find it, ask for some “sweet sauce” from your local sushi counter.


1 year ago: black grape and plum compote
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{BIB Fast Food} Spicy Garlic Chicken

Being as I just started a culinary arts program at the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, I’m back to the BIB Fast Food concept. BIB Fast Food is essentially quick and easy recipes with one simple picture and no step by step photos. And you really don’t need ’em because the recipes are just. that. easy. So stay tuned for more of these fast food posts, about once a week.

This spicy garlic chicken is so moist and delicious. Here’s the thing though. It’s not really all that spicy (even though I use spicy garlic duck sauce). So when I say spicy here, I mean rubbed with spices! If you want a super spicy kick, just sprinkle on some red pepper flakes.

Don’t forget to show your love by voting for Busy In Brooklyn as the Best Kosher Food Blog in the Joy of Kosher Best of Kosher Awards! You can vote once per day, per username. Vote Here.

Spicy Garlic Chicken

1 pkg bone-in chicken, cut in quarters or eighths
4 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 cups spicy garlic or sweet and sour duck sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add paprika and garlic powder to a bowl and add a drop of water to form a paste. Rub the chicken with the spice rub and place in a baking pan. Bake, covered, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and baste with spicy garlic duck sauce. Return to the oven and bake at 400 degrees, uncovered, for 30 more minutes.

1 year ago: baked chicken meatballs
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Thankgiving Turkey Roulade with 5-Minute Stuffing

When the “Kosher Connection” Team decided to feature stuffing for the November LinkUp, I was so excited to post this recipe! I also happen to be doing a Thanksgiving demo tonight, so the timing was perfect to develop this dish to perfection. I prefer to make individual turkey roulades using turkey cutlets, but you can also make one larger one using a turkey london broil (essentially a skinless, boneless turkey breast half) that’s been butterflied and pounded. The visual impact is enough to make everyone at the table ooh and ahh. And that’s before they’ve even tasted it.

Now I love a beautiful plate of food as much of the other person, but I don’t like to spend hours in the kitchen. To simplify this recipe, I decided not to sear the turkey breasts (this gives it a nice brown color all around) because that would require me to tie each one up with kitchen twine. Instead, I just rubbed them down with some paprika, garlic powder and olive oil, baked seam-side down in the pan. My 5-Minute (no-joke!) stuffing also keeps things simple, but you can easily stuff the roulades with any store-bought filling (even cold cuts, like in this recipe).

So, if you’re making thanksgiving for a small group, and a whole turkey seems too large for your crowd (or like me, you’re daunted by the thought of cooking the huge bird), give this beautiful and delicious recipe a try!

Gobble, gobble!

For more delicious Thanksgiving stuffing recipes, visit the Kosher Connection Linkup below. Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Roulade

1 pkg turkey cutlets
salt and pepper
5 minute stuffing (recipe below)
paprika
garlic powder
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chicken stock

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place turkey cutlets between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet or rolling pin to even thickness. Remove plastic wrap and season with salt and pepper. Place a spoonful of stuffing on the turkey breast and spread out over cutlet, leaving a 1″ border all around. Starting from the shortest side, roll the turkey breast tightly and place seam-side down in a baking dish. Repeat with remaining cutlets (use a second baking dish, if needed). Sprinkle the roulades with paprika and garlic powder and drizzle with olive oil. Lightly rub in the spices. Pour 1/4 cup chicken stock into the bottom of the pan (repeat with 2nd pan, if you are using). Cover, and bake for 15-20 minutes (more for thicker cutlets). Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Slice each roulade and serve over cranberry sauce. My mulled wine version works wonderfully with this recipe!

VARIATION: Instead of cutlets, you can make a larger roulade using a butterflied turkey breast (or turkey london broil). Pound out the breast to even thickness and continue as above. Bake for approximately 1 hour, until thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

One taste of this fantastic stuffing and you’d never imagine it took only 5 minutes to make! There are few tricks here! Firstly, instead of sauteing up onion and garlic, I just use onion and garlic flavored croutons! Nifty, right? Then, I add just a touch of poultry seasoning (a little goes a long way!) to give it that been-stuffed-into-a-bird-for-hours quality! Using frozen spinach not only eliminates work, it also adds a beautiful touch of green – so festive and autumnesque!

5-Minute Stuffing

1 10oz. box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups chicken stock
1 5.25oz. bag onion & garlic flavored croutons
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

Method:

Using gloves, squeeze out spinach to remove water. Heat up olive oil in a skillet and add spinach. Season with salt and pepper, and stir until heated through. Add chicken stock, stirring to incorporate, and heat through. Add the croutons and poultry seasoning and stir until croutons soften and soak up the chicken stock.

1 year ago: creamy pareve mashed potatoes

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