Quick & Easy Individual Trifles


I love the look of trifles. All the neat layers and colors are a feast for the eyes. I’ve made salads, as well as desserts, in trifle bowls. The thing about it is, although it looks pretty, it’s just not that practical. When serving salads, it becomes impossible to mix, and all the vegetables start to fall over the sides. Desserts are simple enough to serve, but once you start spooning out portions, it looks less than appealing on the plate. My solution? Individual trifle bowls. I found them a few years ago at Crate and Barrel, but you can easily use margarita glasses, glass cups, or any see-through dish. You can even buy those plastic margarita glasses as an inexpensive substitute for the real thing.

There are no rules to making trifles. You can use your creativity to flavor the toppings and add exotic fruits. Brownies, chocolate cake and vanilla sponge cake are good starting points. Personally, I always fall back on the simple and classic sponge cake-vanilla pudding-whip cream-strawberry trifle.

The basic recipe for a trifle includes (in said order):

1. cake (sponge cake works well because it’s dry and can soak up the juices)
2. syrup or liquor (optional)
3. custard or pudding
4. fruit or pie filling
5. whip topping (you can flavor it with coffee, or chocolate if you’d like)
6. chopped candy bars, toasted coconut, chocolate shavings, etc. for garnish
(if you have room, repeat the layers)

A few weeks ago, I had an entire leftover French Coffee Sponge Cake (similar to a marble sponge cake but with coffee instead of chocolate) that wasn’t touched. Instead of throwing it away, I decided to whip up some mini trifles, along with a quiet game night, for just my husband and I. It took about two minutes to put together (I used ready-made pudding and the air-canister of whip topping) but it tasted like a decadent dessert.

Quick & Easy Individual Trifles

Store-bought sponge cake
Store-bought pudding
ready-made whip topping
chocolate liquor or syrup
chocolate shavings or chopped candy bar, for garnish

Method:

Cut the pound cake into small pieces. Fill the bottom of the trifle bowls with 1/3 cake. Drizzle with chocolate liquor or syrup. Top with 1/3 pudding. Finish with 1/3 whip topping. Garnish with chocolate shavings or a chopped candy bar (nutty chews and viennese crunch work well).

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Baby Boy Newsboy Cap


The best thing about crocheting, for me, is that I can always create the perfect accessory to complement an outfit for my kids. I just go to the yarn store, find a matching color and create hats, bows, headbands or flowers (to sew to socks, shirts, or glue to a clip or headband). My mom purchased the most adorable outfit for my son for Pesach and I knew I had to have the perfect hat to go with it. When he was just born, I made him an aviator style earflap hat to go with his snowsuit, but for this snazzy outfit, and my baby no longer an infant, I envisioned a newsboy cap. I’ve never made one before, so I searched the web for a pattern to create the visor/brim. I found an easy pattern for girls, which I adapted, to create the most adorable cap for my little one.


Baby Boy Newsboy Cap

To create the basic cap, follow the instructions for the “Cheri Hat” here.

To create the strip above the brim, ch30. DC in each stitch across. Slip stitch all around. Sew button on each side of the strip and sew or glue strip to the top of the brim.

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Home-Made Fish Sticks


What is it about kids and sticks? It seems like they’ll eat anything as long as it’s a straight line – even fish. Cucumbers, carrots, you can even get them to eat celery (with peanut butter and raisins – traditional aunts on a log!). Which kid doesn’t love pretzel sticks? I don’t know about yours, but if I were to offer my kids pretzels twists vs sticks, they would definitely go for the sticks. Try frying french fries in circles instead of sticks, would your kids eat them? Mine wouldn’t. I think you get my drift :)

And it’s not just kids. I once did an experiment with waldorf salad. I made a traditional recipe with diced apples, celery, and walnuts and it just didn’t go. I tried the same exact recipe again, but this time, I cut the apples into thin matchsticks. It was gobbled up.

What is it about the texture of sticks that we all love? Maybe it’s that word that rhymes with stick – shtick :)

For this “sticky” supper, I made some homemade fish sticks with tilapia (as long as I call them “fish sticks” my kids will finish them off. Call it fried fish and they won’t touch it), shoestring fries, and carrot and cucumber sticks. Serve it alongside some ketchup, and your “shticky” kids will thank you!


Home-Made Fish Sticks

tilapia fillets
eggs
Panko bread crumbs
spices of your choice (I use salt, pepper, paprika, and onion powder)

How to:

Cut tilapia fillets into strips. Beat eggs and season with spices of your choice. Dip tilapia into eggs and then into panko crumbs, coating well. Fry until crisp and golden.

Tip: when breading and frying fish or chicken, set up a dredging station. Some people like to dip into flour, then eggs, and then bread/panko/corn flake crumbs. I skip the flour step because I don’t find it necessary. I like to use tongs, instead of getting my hands dirty all full of crumbs, and having to keep rinsing them. If you have a few pairs of tongs, like I do, you can use one at each station.

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Sundried Tomato Olive Tapenade


After tasting a delicious olive tapenade at a restaurant a few years ago, I started playing around with different olive dip recipes to serve on Shabbos, alongside the fish. I tried the typical spanish olives with mayo, green olives with garlic and olive oil, and finally this recipe, which proved to be by favorite. The sundried tomatoes add a delicious flavor and color to the dip. When I was plating this for photographing, my two year old daughter asked if she could have some in a sandwich. I put two pieces of crostini together, and she ate the whole thing! If a two year old can appreciate its deliciousness, imagine how much you, and your guests, will!

Sundried Tomato Olive Tapenade

1 19oz can black olives (I use manzanilla)
1/2 jar of sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, about 10
4 tbsp oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes (or extra virgin olive oil)
3 garlic cloves

Method:

Add olives, sundried tomatoes, garlic and oil to a food processor. Pulse until it reaches desired consistency (I like it a bit chopped and piecey otherwise it will have a sandy/grainy texture).

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6-Spice Moroccan Stew

This stew is really chock full of flavor. All the warm earthy spices complement the naturally sweet vegetables for a satisfying meal, when served over couscous. If you wish, you can add beef or chicken as well. The stew freezes very well so I like to freeze single-serving containers that I can eat for lunch. I just cook up some fresh couscous, which takes no time at all.

To view the reel on Instagram click here.

6-Spice Morrocan Stew

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp coriander
1 32oz. container vegetable stock
bottom half of butternut squash (I reserve the top for butternut squash fries), diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
4 small carrots, diced
1 small sweet potato, diced
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 lg handful golden raisins
1 1/2 tsp salt
slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish
Couscous, prepared according to package directions

How to:

Saute garlic until fragrant but not brown. Add diced onion, saute for 3 minutes. Add turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, chilli and coriander. saute for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add stock, vegetables, salt, chic peas and raisins. Cook on high heat until it comes to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Ladle stew on top of couscous and top with slivered almonds.

NOTE: If desired, add stew beef or chicken with the vegetables and cook for an additional 30 minutes (or longer for the meat).

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