Watermelon Ice Cubes


The weather here in New York last week was truly unbearable, with temperatures over 100 degrees. I am the kind of person that just cannot stand the heat. Anything over 75 degrees is too hot for me. But of course, I cannot control the weather, so I need to come up with ways to deal with it. If there’s a heat wave going on, I usually don’t leave the house. Otherwise, on hot days, I tend to go from my house, to the car, to any indoor place with air conditioning. If I have to be in the sun, I make sure to have cold water with me, and if there is a sprinkler around, I’m more than likely to drench myself!

It was one such day that I was dreaming up some ideas for an ice cold drink to cool off with. I decided to make some lemonade, but instead of traditional ice cubes that tend to water down beverages, I opted to make some cranberry-juice ones to turn it into pink lemonade. I was about to head out for some lemons when the amazing food guru Alton Brown tweeted about watermelon iced cubes. Brilliant! I knew I had to make them!

Ice cubes are a great way to cool down on a hot summer’s day. Here are some other fun ice cube ideas:

– For iced tea or coffee, make a tray of tea or coffee ice cubes to keep your beverage cold without watering it down.
– Citrus ice cubes are great for tea or cocktails. Juice lemons, limes or oranges and put a quarter slice of citrus in each cube.
– Decorate your ice cubes with sprigs of mint, maraschino cherries, or edible flowers.
– Coke and ginger ale ice cubes are a great addition to any cocktail.
– Punch ice cubes work well in a punch bowl for your next party.

Watermelon Ice Cubes

watermelon
food processor, blender or juicer
bowl or pitcher
mesh sieve, strainer or cheesecloth
ice cube trays

Method:

Cut up watermelon into pieces (they don’t have to be perfect, you’ll be blending them anyway). With a spoon, scrape away any leftover bits of watermelon off the rind. Blend the watermelon in a grinder until pureed. Over a bowl or pitcher, pour the mixture through a strainer and press pulp to remove all the juice. Pour watermelon juice into ice cube trays and freeze. If you have leftover juice, just remove the ice cubes from the tray, store in a ziploc bag and refreeze. You can make more cubes, or, add the juice to lemonade, or use it to make popsicles.

Yield: 1 quarter watermelon equals approximately 2 trays of ice cubes.

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Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

I love stuffed mushrooms and often order them in restaurants. They’re usually filled with parmesan and bread crumbs or covered in a cheesy crust. You may also find them in a pool of marinara sauce. Whatever their filling, stuffed mushrooms serve as a delicious appetizer or side dish. Here is a pareve version that can be served alongside a  fleishig meal.

Check out my tutorial on how to clean mushrooms!

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

2 packages stuffing mushrooms, stems removed and finely chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
Salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
flavored breadcrumbs
olive oil

Method:

Saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and continue to saute until fragrant. Add chopped stems, sauteing until golden. Add spinach, season with salt and pepper and continue to saute until incorporated. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps. Sprinkle lightly with flavored breadcrumbs. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

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Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are a great way to turn a basic food into a gourmet dish. They make for a fun and tasty hors d’oeuvre as well as a low-carb and filling treat. I often serve deviled eggs on Shabbos day instead of egg salad for a more substantial side dish. There are hundreds of recipes and even a few books dedicated to the art of making deviled eggs. But all you really need is a little creativity and perfectly hard-boiled eggs to create this delicious dish. Click here for my tutorial on how to make eggscellent hard-boiled eggs!

I have experimented with many different fillings including sundried tomatoes, horseradish and pickle relish, but my classic recipe below is our all time favorite.

Deviled eggs

7  hard-boiled eggs
1/3 cup mayo
1 heaping tbsp spicy mustard
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
paprika, for garnish
chives, for garnish

Method:

Follow my instruction in this tutorial to hard-boil your eggs. For easier peeling, use 1-2 week old eggs (fresh eggs do not peel well). Peeling them underwater also helps. Cut eggs in half and gently remove yolks. With a fork, mash yolks well and add all ingredients besides for paprika and chives. You can spoon the filling into the eggs, or for a prettier presentation, pipe them using a ziploc bag. To do this, insert a ziploc bag into a measuring cup (this makes them easier to fill), folding the top of the bag over the rim of the cup. Spoon all the filling into the bag and twist closed, pushing all the filling down towards the corner. Snip the tip of the bag with scissors and pipe into egg whites. Garnish with paprika (try smoked paprika for added flavor!) and chives.


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Chanale’s Salad


There are a lot of things I can’t remember about High School. Like which classroom I was in, where I sat, who most of my teachers were, and a lot of what I learnt! One of the clear memories I do have is associated with food. I imagine we all must have a special memory box that holds the tastes and smells of foods we have experienced. Why is it that those memories always seem to be poignantly embedded in our minds?

I never ate in the lunch room in high school. I always used lunch time to cram for the upcoming test, and noshed on rice cakes and carrots (maybe that’s why I can’t seem to swallow raw carrots anymore). There was one girl in my class who would eat in the classroom as well: Chana’le. Every day, she would come with the same carefully packed lunch – a bag of thinly sliced rommaine, a container of dressing, and a ziploc of thin chow mein noodles. Now you have to remember, those were the pre-shmorgasboard-of-shabbos-salad days, and I had never seen chow mein noodles put into a salad! By the time Chanale’s salad was mixed, she had a large audience around her. The stuff smelled so garlicky and yummy, everyone in the class would just drift over. She was always happy to share, and some were lucky enough to get a crunchy noodle from time to time.

I hadn’t thought of that salad in forever. Recently, something spiked the memory, and I decided to recreate it. It took a few tries, but I knew I had it right when one bite seemed to turn back time, and there I was in my high school uniform, getting a taste of Chanale’s salad!

This salad is so light and refreshing, it makes for a perfect summer meal with a side of protein. Or, if you like to serve lots of dips on Shabbos, you can serve a big bowl of this as your greens. If you are watching your diet, you can leave out the noodles (or just put a few), but it’s just not Chanale’s salad without it!

On a very serious note…It would be remiss of me not to make mention of the terrible tragedy that has befallen the Kletzky family. I think there are some forms of human suffering that are above and beyond all comprehension. There are no words, only tears. May the Kletzky family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim. And may Hashem, the ultimate protector, watch over us and our dear children. I, for one, am holding them closer tonight.

Chanale’s Salad

Rommaine lettuce
thin chow mein noodles

Dressing:
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup extra light olive oil

Method:

Clean lettuce and pat dry. Slice thinly. For dressing, mix all ingredients except for the olive oil. Add olive oil slowly, whisking until emulsified. Pour dressing over salad right before serving and top with chow mein noodles.

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Easy Crochet Apple Trivet

When I imagine getting old, I like to think of myself sitting on a rocking chair on a porch somewhere, crocheting. It doesnt have to be for oldies though. In fact, I think crocheting keeps me young. There’s something about sitting down with a ball of yarn that I find so peaceful and relaxing. It really helps me unwind. When I have some free time, especially in the summer months, I love to whip up quick and easy crochet projects in the cool summer breeze.

I recently purchased these cork trivets at Ikea. Trivets really come in handy, especially when cooking for Shabbos. At $2.99 for a 3-pack, they were really a steal and I just couldn’t pass them up. They were not too exciting as far as looks go, so I decided to crochet some fun designs around them.

Since they are made of cork, you can use these for your hot pots, or as little bulletin boards in your kids room!

Front of Apple:

Using red yarn,

Rnd 1: Ch 4, 12 hdc in the 4th ch from hook (12 hdc)
Rnd 2: ch2, 2 hdc in each hdc around, sl st to ch-2 sp (24 hdc)
Rnd 3: ch2 [hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (36 hdc)
Rnd 4: ch2 [hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (48 hdc)
Rnd 5: ch2 [hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (60 hdc)
Rnd 6: ch2 [Hdc in next 4 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (72 hdc)
Rnd 7: ch2 [Hdc in next 5 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (84 hdc)
Rnd 8: ch2 [Hdc in next 6 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (96 hdc)

Back of Apple:

Using white yarn,

Rnd 1: Ch 4, 12 hdc in the 4th ch from hook (12 hdc)
Rnd 2: ch2, 2 hdc in each hdc around, sl st to ch-2 sp (24 hdc)
Rnd 3: ch2 [hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (36 hdc)
Rnd 4: ch2 [hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (48 hdc)
Rnd 5: ch2 [hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (60 hdc)
Rnd 6: ch2 [Hdc in next 4 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (72 hdc)

switch to red yarn,

Rnd 7: ch2 [Hdc in next 5 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (84 hdc)
Rnd 8: ch2 [Hdc in next 6 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, sl st to ch-2 sp (96 hdc)

Sew front and back of apple together around the trivet by sewing in and out of parallel stitches around.

For branch:

using brown yarn,

ch10, sc in each ch from hook.

For leaf:

using green yarn,
ch8, sc in 2nd ch from hook. hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc. ch3. working down the other side, sc, hdc, dc, tr, dc, hdc, sc. sl st all around leaf to finish.

sew or glue branch and leave to front of apple.

For seeds:

using black yarn, sew 3 loops around 2 hdc’s on each side of your circle.

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