Happy Chanukah!!!

We spent our morning shopping for food in Brooklyn and then hit the road to head home for the first night of Chanukah. (That is why Shalom spent the day in his pjs - his preferred travel attire.) While on the Eastern Shore of MD, we watched as the sun sunk into ground and our day turned into night. As soon as it was dark, Shalom made a big announcement that it was now Chanukah. Still being on the road, there wasn't much we could do to celebrate other than break in out in loud "Happy Chanukah" cheers - which we did with great gusto.

We finally arrived at home at around 7 pm..and having been in a car for my entire day, I suddenly found all sorts of energy. As Levi set up the Menorahs, Shalom and I danced around the house singing Chanukah songs! (So that you won't wonder - Mushky is far, far away having a blast in sleep over camp in Arizaon!) Once the Menorahs were lit, we did some more singing and dancing - and then we sat down for an unusual game of Dreidel. We decided to tally up our Gimmels - and whoever had the most after 15 minutes would win the prize...Shalom won by a landslide getting a Gimmel almost every time he gave the Dreidel a spin - Levi and I didn't even come close!

Next, I decided that it wouldn't be Chanukah without latkes...and I opted to do a little experiment and make Zucchini-Potato latkes (well, mostly zucchini). They turned out to be delicious - and when I told Shalom that I put zucchini in them, he tasted them and made sure to let me know that they were perfect and were just as good as "regular ones".

Happy Chanukah everyone!!

(PS...if you are in the 757 - make sure to come to the GIANT Menorah lighting in front of Waterside in Downtown Norfolk tomorrow night at 5:45 pm...lots of Chanukah fun to be had!!)

Zucchini - Potato Latkes


1 sweet onion
2 large zucchinis, unpeeled
2 medium size Russet potatoes
2 eggs
1 cup flour
A tiny  bit of white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying


Peel onion and grind in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Pour onion into a mixing bowl. Remove the chopping blade and set up the food processor with the shredding/grating disc. Grate the two zucchinis  and add to the bowl. Switch the blades and put the chopping blade back in (of course you could do the potatoes first to avoid all the switching - but I wanted to do them last to keep my potatoes from turning grey.) Grind the potatoes until finely ground and add to the bowl. Pour in a tiny bit of vinegar - to help keep the mixture nice and white. Add in the eggs, flour and salt and pepper. 


Heat oil in an electric skillet (more even frying experience!) and drop the batter in by the spoonful (I use a small ladle.) Fry until crispy on one side and then flip. Remove to platter and enjoy!

Raspberry Rollups

Torah and Tea is one of the most fun parts of my week! Each week a group of "girls" get together for an hour of chitchat, treats and some Torah discussion. Taking a little break from my busy week to sit and shmooze with my friends is certainly loads of fun! Each week I put out my pretty box of teas, fill up the hot water pump and prepare some thought provoking qs to go with our summary of the weekly Parasha. Of course we always need something sweet to munch on - and so I make sure prep something yummy for us to enjoy!  The conversations are always lively - and I love that we are always able to draw comparisons between our own modern lives and those of the people we read about in the Torah. It's just a little reminder to me each week that while the Torah was written years and years ago - it is still super relevant to each of us!

Yesterday I decided it was time to bake something different for Torah and Tea. I got out my cookbooks and started to hunt for something interesting. A recipe for rugelach caught my eye in a very old cookbook (more about the cookbook another time.) I set to work on the recipe, but I quickly realized that something was off with the measurements and so I tweaked it a little and hoped for the best. Once the dough was set I took out a big jar of raspberry jam and got to work on filling my little pastries. I rolled them up and set them in the oven to bake.

When my "rugelach" were ready, I tasted one right away (the bit about not eating hot cakes is a myth - right?). I immediately realized that these cookies were not really rugelach, seems to have been the wrong kind of dough - but, whatever they were they were delicious! In my recipe files they are now known as "Raspberry Rollups".

PS: If you are local and would like to come check out a Torah and Tea session - just drop me an email and I'll get the details to you.

Raspberry Rollups


7 cups flour
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup oil
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 teaspoons baking powder
Raspberry jam


Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients, except for the jam, and place in the refrigerator for about an hour. Pull out pieces of dough and roll into balls - then pat them down to flatten them. Place 1/2 a teaspoon of the jam on each flattened piece of dough. Roll up the cookies - and place them on a greased cookie sheet (seam side down to prevent them from opening). Bake on 350 for about 30 minutes.


Mine out came nice and soft and fluffy!

A Healthy Frosty Treat

As you may have figured out by now, I like to create yummy things to eat. If you would come visit my kitchen, you would also know that I love kitchen toys, gadgets and small appliances. After all, how many people do you know with two different stand mixers, two food processors (one is most certainly not enough in my kitchen!), a hand mixer, an immersion blender, a regular blender, a sorbet maker and a deep fryer to name the more popular pieces in my kitchen. 

At some point, Levi let me know that it would be ok if I didn't buy anymore toys for our kitchen for a while - I have no idea why he said that ;)

So I was pretty good and pretty much hadn't bought anything for my kitchen for quite sometime.....until I came across the "Yonanas" machine. Luckily Levi was with me and he too agreed we should buy it and try it out. 

The "Yonanas" machine is really an incredible addition to our kitchen. Using frozen bananas and other frozen fruits of your choice, it creates a delicious - soft serve textured - frozen dessert. The frosty creations it churns out have zero fat and no added sugar. Simplicity and deliciousness at its best!

Truth be told, we were a little skeptical about this so called "super cool treat maker" but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it really does work. All you need to do is peel ripened bananas (finally - a use for those spotted bananas!) and freeze them in a container. You will also need to purchase frozen fruits or freeze some of your fresh fruit. When you are ready for a treat, you simply put the machine together and let the bananas and fruits defrost a little. Then you simply throw the fruits down the shoot - alternating bananas with other fruits - and what do you know, it comes out nice and soft. 

My favorite combination is strawberries and bananas - with a little dollop of whipped cream on the top. 

Soooo...in a nutshell - if you want a healthy, delicious and easy frozen treat - the Yonanas is the perfect solution!

It's Monday...and time to figure out what my family will be eating this week....here is my plan for this week? What yummy foods will your family be eating this week?

Monday: Sweet potato soup, cornflake crumb coated chicken strips, garden salad, rotini with spinach

Tuesday: Sweet potato soup (with star pasta added today!), grilled chicken salad, roasted carrots

Wednesday: Tomato soup, baked salmon with cucumber dill sauce, garden salad, steamed broccoli

Thursday: Tomato soup, salmon croquettes, baked potatoes, garden salad

If you don't want to do any food thinking..u can always pick some things from our menu plan...a good number of the recipes are already featured in this blog...I plan to post the dill cucumber sauce later this week!

Happy cooking and eating!

A Pareve Dessert for Turkey Day!

When I need to go to the grocery store, I try to go during work and school hours so that it is not crowded. Following these guidelines, I never have to wait to checkout at my grocery store of choice. This week has been quite a different story. Finding a parking spot was a challenge - and each and every register in the store had a line to wait in.

 Pre-Thanksgiving rush I suppose. (It's a good thing the whole neighborhood isn't preparing 3 course meals for Shabbat each week - because then my grocery store would always be full!)

As you may know, I have taken a very part time teaching job at the local Hebrew Academy. I love my job and especially love the great conversations I have with my cute third graders. With Thanksgiving approaching, I decided it was a good time for a unit on Modeh Ani. We talked about how we say Modeh Ani each and every morning in order to thank G-d for returning our souls to us - and entrusting us with another day to fill with amazing acts of goodness and kindness. We then moved on to speaking about the many wonderful blessings we have in our lives, and each student listed some of the things they thank Hashem for in their lives. The direction of our lessons then moved on to the importance of gratitude in our lives. We spoke about the importance of thanking those that help us and even wrote thank you letters to some of the important people in our lives. To culminate the unit, we read "Rivkah's First Thanksgiving" by Elsa Oken Rael - this storybook is about a little girl who explains to her immigrant family that Thanksgiving is a holiday for all Americans - and how as Jews in America their family (and all of ours too!!!) has soooo much to be thankful in this wonderful country.

Having spent a good deal of time teaching discussing gratitude with my students - I can say that I have plenty to be grateful for - things like a great husband, two cute kids, health for my family and of course the means to live a comfortable life! Along with the serious thanks - I am also grateful for whipped cream and other yummy treats!

If you are still looking for a pareve dessert to go with your turkey...here is a recipe that I found in Quick and Kosher by Jamie Gellar - hard as it may be to believe, I pretty much followed the recipe in its entirety - and it was AMAZING!

Applesauce Cake with Whipped Cream 
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
12 oz. applesauce
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt (I skipped the salt - just because I always do)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar (I certainly used more of this!)
1/2 cup non-dairy whipped topping (I made a whole container)


Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan. Combine the flour, sugar, oil, applesauce, eggs, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix well. (I used a hand mixer.) Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Pipe whipped topping onto each slice before serving. Enjoy!

What We Are Eating This Week...

Cornflake Crumb Coated Chicken Strips

In case you need a little inspiration for your meals this week...I am sharing my dinner menu for the week. If you take a look, you will see that they are pretty simple dinners to make and include a fair amount of veggies too!

Here is what my crew will be eating this week:

Monday: Veggie soup, hamburgers, mashed potatoes and a veggie stir fry (broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms and red peppers)

Tuesday: Veggie soup, grilled chicken sandwiches (everyone gets to pick their fav fillings!) and a garden salad

Wednesday: Cornflake crumb coated chicken strips (what a long name!), pasta with tomatoes and basil, green beans and a garden salad

Thursday: Zucchini-spinach soup, honey-soy glazed salmon, roasted peppers and brown rice

What are you eating this week?

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

In order for dinner not to get ignored in my very hectic life, I like to create a dinner menu for the week on Sundays. Sometimes I actually follow it, sometimes we end up with more leftovers than I anticipated and can skip some things in the menu plan - and sometimes our days just spin out of control and dinner is whatever I can create super fast with whatever is in my kitchen. While these meatballs aren't in this week's menu, we feasted on them last week.

I had decided that I was going to make some sweet and sour meatballs as there is a recipe for them that Levi LOVES! Knowing that my two cuties don't like the sweet and sour meatballs I normally make, I decided to get two pots of sauce going for the meatballs - one with traditional Italian style sauce and the other with the sweet and sour sauce.

I quickly got to work on the Italian style sauce and poured some tomato sauce into a small pot and added some spices. I then got to work on my sweet and sour sauce and sauteed an onion and then opened a can of cranberry sauce and added it to the pot. This was when I realized that the recipe I normally use needs a whole bunch of ketchup - except all I had was one tiny little bottle of ketchup that was almost empty - not nearly enough. (I love ketchup - no clue how we were on empty of this staple!)

I quickly realized that I didn't have enough tomato sauce to make the Italian style meatballs for the whole family - but on the other hand was missing a main ingredient for the sweet and sour meatballs - and that's when I decided to combine the two.

I emptied the pot of tomato sauce, which was seasoned with oregano and garlic and mixed it into the cranberry sauce with onions. I then finished it off by adding the rest of the ingredients needed for the sweet and sour sauce. I quickly rolled the meatballs and dropped them into the boiling sauce - and then waited for dinner to taste my experiment - I was happy to find that my new creation was amazing!

Sooo..here's the recipe for the meatballs in sweet and sour sauce!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Sauce: 
Canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 15 oz. can of jellied cranberry sauce
1 29 oz. can of Hunt's Tomato Sauce
A few squeezes of Heinz Ketchup
Brown sugar
Oregano
Garlic powder
A splash of rice vinegar


Sautee the diced onion in a small amount of canola oil. When onions are soft, add the cranberry sauce and mix well. Add the can of tomato sauce, ketchup, oregano, garlic, brown sugar and a splash of rice vinegar. Make sure to mix the sauce frequently so that all of the ingredients become a smooth sauce. Bring to a boil - add meatballs - bring back to a boil and then lower the flame and allow to finish cooking. 


Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef (I use extra lean)
1 egg
A few tablespoons of cornflake crumbs
A few squirts of ketchup
Garlic powder


Mix all ingredients together - shape into meatballs and place in boiling sauce.

Hamburger with Basil-Parsley Dip

Time flies when you are having fun! It has been a year since I decided to marry my love of cooking to my love writing - and create this blog. I have loved sharing my thoughts on all sorts of things and more importantly, have loved bringing you into my kitchen! In the past year  I have posted roughly sixty different "recipes" for all of you cooks out there. One year later, I would love to know which recipes you tried and how they turned out. Did you love them? Did your friends and family love your new recipes? Are there certain types of recipes you wish you had seen more often? As I get ready to move into year two of "Un-Recipes", I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions - feel free to comment on this post or simply drop me an email at rashibrashi@me.com

Of course I can't post without adding a recipe - so I will share my sandwich I created for myself last night - I LOVED it!

Awesome Hamburger Sandwich


Hamburgers (When I made these last night they actually fell apart slightly - but they were broiled to a crisp and made for some delicious, crispy and juicy and crumbly burgers)


1 lb ground beef
Cornflake crumbs (Sorry - I'm not really sure how much I poured in..but it was just enough to get a texture that could be formed into burgers.)
1 egg
Black pepper
Garlic powder


Mix all ingredients together and form into hamburgers. Place on a cookie sheet and broil for a few minutes on low - then flip them over and broil on high until they are as done as you like.


Now for the sandwich part...


1 toasted Challah roll
Ketchup
Basil-Parsley dip (recipe to follow)
1 hamburger
Sliced avocado
Fresh baby spinach (taken from my dressed dinner salad)
Cucumber slices (taken from my dressed dinner salad)

After toasting the Challah roll I split it and spread Ketchup on the bottom half. Then I drizzled a little of the basil-parsley dip on both parts of the roll. Next up was the hamburger on the bottom, topped with avocado slices and then some spinach leaves and cucumber slices were pulled from the salad and placed on top of it all.  Place the top of the roll on top of the pile of yummies and enjoy!


Basil-Parsley Dip


Fresh basil leaves
Fresh Italian parsley leaves
Fresh garlic
Olive oil
Salt

Chop up the basil and parsley and garlic and place in a bowl. Cover the herbs with olive oil and sprinkle on a little salt. Mix and enjoy!

Cinnamon-Sugar Cookies

After an incredible month of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah - and countless meals served and tons of games played with the kids...it was time for a little down time.  So Levi and I decided to dash off to DC for two and a half days to get a little break! After making arrangements for our kids and booking our hotel (got the deal of all times!) it was time to pack up the food for our trip. My sister in law always says that if she is going on a vacation where she needs to bring food along - she is going to travel with me - because she knows she will have more than enough food!  So I got to work...first I made sure that we would have plenty of desserts :) We packed strawberries and whipped cream, jello and I quickly baked a batch of cinnamon-sugar cookies and a whole bunch of snacks. Realizing that we can't just eat snacks and desserts for all of our meals, we also took along sliced brisket for sandwiches, oven fried, coated, chicken strips, boiled eggs, tuna and lox. I rounded out our meal plans with some fruits and veggies and delicious salads all prepped and ready to eat in small plastic containers  - we left out the onions, tomatoes and dressing so that our salads were crisp when it was time to eat them. (We dressed them right before we ate them.)

To keep our food nice and fresh we packed all of the perishables right into our plug in cooler. This is one of our favorite toys! The cooler gets plugged in in the car so everything stays cool for the whole trip. Once we arrived at our destination, we plugged the cooler into the wall in our hotel room. No ice, no mess!

I have to say, after a super hectic month it was great to get away for a bit. We chilled out, slept in, visited a museum, took a boat ride, walked along the Potomac River and did some shopping too! As we were leaving DC we pulled into a scenic overlook, which is where I took the included photo - it was really cool to watch these little cloud fluffs passing by at right about eye level!

With all of the food that we brought along we certainly did not go hungry :) Of all of the snacks and desserts I packed, Levi's favorite (and I think mine too!) were the cinnamon-sugar cookies - so I have included the recipe for these cookies.

Cinnamon-Sugar Cookies


4 1/2 cups flour (you may need to use more)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 oil oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Cinnamon and Sugar


Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients (except for the cinnamon and sugar) together. Dough should be somewhat thick. Mix 1 part cinnamon and 3 parts sugar in a bowl. Form cookies by picking up dough and patting down into round cookies. I make mine about the size of my palm (I have little hands). Dip both sides of the cookies in cinnamon-sugar mixture and then place on greased cookie sheets. Bake for about 25 minutes - these cookies seem to be best when the outside is crispy and the inside is soft - the cookies will start to brown ever so slightly when they are ready. Enjoy!

Simchat Torah

I don't know about you, but I love Simchat Torah. It is such a lively and joyous holiday! Amidst all of the singing and dancing, I managed to do some thinking as I watched our holiday unfold. Sooo..here are some of my thoughts.

 I absolutely LOVED watching our Chabad House fill with people this past Thursday night. I loved seeing people who I see all the time, I loved seeing people who I only see a few times a year and I certainly loved meeting new people for the first time as they came to celebrate with the Torahs. After a delicious dinner, the children headed to a separate room for a cool magic show, while the adults got the Hakafot (dancing around the Bima with the Torahs) started. When the magic show was done, all of the kids lined up and marched into the Shul singing "Hashem Is Here" - it was a beautiful sight! I couldn't stop watching as the children sang and danced with our beloved Torahs - for it is the children who will make sure that the Torah and our traditions, are passed on from one generation to the next.

Later in the evening, we said a L'chaim for the safe return of Gilad Shalit, a L'chaim for all of the souls of those who have been lost in senseless acts of terror in Israel and of course we voiced our wishes that Hashem will protect our special land, even with the release of so many terrorists. Then we danced and danced as we dedicated the Hakafah to Gilad and all of Israel  - the energy in the room was kind of surreal.

Throughout Hakafot, something came over me each and every time I saw someone dance by with a Torah. Watching as our Torahs were held with such love and care. I couldn't help but feel an amazing sense of Jewish pride. I had this incredible feeling of how wonderful it is that for thousands of years our nation has held onto our Torah.

On Simchat Torah we read the last part of the Torah, and then we immediately start the cycle all over again - as the study of Torah truly never ends. As we said, Chazak, Chazak when we completed the Torah - I thanked Hashem that we have completed the cycle of the Torah once more...and when we started with Breishit, I looked forward at the coming year and all of the opportunities that will come along with it.

Along with all of the singing and dancing and being sentimental (it happens to me sometimes!), we also did our fair share of eating - sometimes it seems this is what we do best:) At our big Simchat Torah party on Thursday night we served a grand buffet, including a mexican style corn salad - here is the recipe.

Mexican Style Corn Salad


2 cans of corn
1 can black beans
1 small can sliced black olives
1 red pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
Canola oil
Rice vinegar
Cumin
Lemon juice
Salt
Black pepper
Granulated garlic
A little bit of sugar if you would like


Drain the cans of corn, beans and olives and place in a bowl. Add diced pepper and onion. Season with canola oil, rice vinegar, a splash of lemon juice, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic and cumin (and a bit of sugar if you please). Mix and allow to sit for a little while to allow the flavors to mingle. Enjoy!

Scallion Dip

A few weeks back, with Rosh Hashanah approaching, I told my husband that I felt like I was on a roller coaster - doing the climb to the top - and that Rosh Hashanah is the top of the incline and then whooooosh...you zoom down at super speeds to the end of the month of Tishrei. Do you know that feeling? The feeling that sort of makes you go ahhhhhhh, eeeeeeeeeeeeeee....as you head faster and faster from one holiday to the next. Roller coasters are exhilarating and super fast  - the Jewish month of Tishrei has me feeling exactly the same! The planning, the shopping, the cooking and eating, the Mitzvot, the stories and of course the visiting family all add up to an exhilarating ride!

Being that this month seems to rush along at super high speeds, I can barely believe that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have come and gone. As I move forward into Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah I am confidant that Hashem has granted us a wonderful and sweet year - and so I happily  plan menus, shop and cook as we celebrate Sukkot and thank Hashem for many the miracles He performed for us in the desert so many years ago - and for the many blessings and miracles we see on a daily basis.

As you get to planning all of those delicious Sukkot meals - here is a recipe for scallion dip. About two months ago I was trying to think of a new dip to grace my Shabbat table. I happened to remember flipping through my cousin's Chabad House cookbook (Thank you Henya at Chabad at University of Wisconsin!). I based my scallion dip on hers and made a few small changes. Scallion dip has been a huge hit so far and works perfectly as a dip for Challah and  chicken fingers and as a sauce or dressing for fish and salads.

Scallion Dip

2 bunches scallions

Mayonnaise 

Sugar (or Splenda if needed)

Salt

Garlic Powder

Lemon Juice

Wash scallions well and trim the ends. Cu the scallions into chunks and place in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Chop. Add mayonnaise (start with 1 cup) and then process together with the scallions. Add mayo until the dip is smooth and and about the consistency of a creamy salad dressing. Add a dash of lemon juice, a little salt, a little garlic powder and some sugar. Process again. Serve with your favorite foods and enjoy!

Shana Tova U'Mituka

Everyone has their own way of knowing Rosh Hashanah is on the way. Looking at my printouts of menu upon menu is one way. Finalizing hours and hours of kids' programming to be used during services (about 8 hours to be exact - kids at Chabad House are never bored during services!!) is another way. Getting covered in Shofar dust and helping 40 kids and their grown ups make working Shofars is yet another way.

No matter how you get your "Rosh Hashanah is coming signal" - Rosh Hashanah is most certainly on the way!

Rosh Hashanah is one of those holidays that fills me with awe and excitement. Rosh Hashanah gives me time to reflect on the past year. To relive my accomplishments, to revisit the areas in my life that need some working on (as I tell my students, we all can do some mistake fixing) and of course to offer G-d many, many thanks for the bountiful blessings He has bestowed upon me in the past year. I look back and I realize that another year has passed and Baruch Hashem - thank G-d, my family is all healthy, we have a beautiful home to live in and plenty of delicious food to eat, I have an incredible husband and amazing family - and for this I am so grateful to Hashem. I use Rosh Hashanah as a time to speak with G-d and ask of Him to please be kind to my family, my friends, the Jewish nation and the world in general, and grant us all a year that is filled with nothing but pure sweetness.

As I continue to work on my Rosh Hashanah preparations, I wish you a Shana Tova u'Mituka - may the coming year bring you only joy and happiness and may any of your challenges in life be quickly and easily resolved.

In keeping with the sweet theme, I have included my recipe for my Honey Chiffon Cake. The original recipe is from the purple Spice and Spirit cookbook - here it is posted the way I make it. I like my honey cake to be light and fluffy and the only spice I add is cinnamon - however you can certainly add spices such as ginger, nutmeg or cloves should you desire.

Honey Chiffon Cake


3 tablespoons oil
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 3/4 cups flour
a good sprinkling of cinnamon
1 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons instant coffee


Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, cream oil and sugar. Add egg yolks and honey. In a separate bowl,  place baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix the coffee into the orange juice and add to batter. Add dry ingredients to bowl. Mix well. 


Beat egg whiles in a separate bowl and then gently fold them into the batter. Pour into an ungreased pan (9 x 13) and bake for 45 to 50 minutes.


Shana Tova!

An Anniversary Dinner

Maybe I am strange, but I have volumes of wonderful memories which are attached to my parents first set of china. Even so many years after they have stopped using it (eventually it was time to retire it and get a new set), I can still remember the beautiful Shabbat dinners in our home in Virginia Beach and practically taste the wonderful food which was always served up on them. It is a beautiful set of white china with a big black border with intricate designs and gold edging. While my own set of china is probably the polar opposite of their china - I still love the way it looks. A few years back I somehow ended up with these dishes in my possession. With my husband questioning me as to why I could possibly need my mother's old dishes, I responded that one day I would pull them out and serve dinner on them. Yesterday the occasion finally arrived!

Today my parents celebrate their 33rd anniversary and to celebrate we had them over for dinner last night. After deciding on a menu of carrot-sweet potato soup, baked salmon, roasted veggies and sweet potatoes, a garden salad and whipped cream and berries for dessert - I decided to add a special touch to our dinner. I got out my parents' china, dusted it off and set the table with them. A pretty pink tablecloth, cloth napkins tied with green ribbons and beautiful roses completed the look. I was pleased when my mother broke out with a big smile upon seeing her dishes sitting patiently on my table. 

My family enjoyed a lovely dinner together and as my parents celebrate 33 years together, I wish them many more happy years together!

And now for the recipe part...I am going to share my "recipe" for the roasted sweet potatoes we enjoyed last night.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Onion powder

Preheat oven to 400. Peel sweet potatoes and slice thinly. Place sweet potato slices on a pan (I use a jelly roll pan) and sprinkle with olive oil and the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Mix. Place pan on the top rack in your oven. Roast for about 15 minutes and then turn the potatoes over. Continue to roast until potatoes are soft with slightly crispy edges. Enjoy!

Cranberry-Apple Juice - Rosemary Chicken

It may come as a surprise to you, but I am not a huge fan of bone-in chicken. I usually stick to skinless, boneless chicken breast, but every now and then "regular" chicken finds its way to my table. Yesterday was a "regular" chicken for Shabbos kind of Friday. The good news is that I remembered that I had created a chicken recipe a number of years back that was so good that even I loved it - which is pretty unusual. It was a crazy day in my kitchen yesterday as I accidentally poured the lemon juice for the chummus into the rising Challah dough (Challah turned out just fine!), sort of burned my honey-mustard potatoes (for some reason everyone loved them!), and simply couldn't follow instructions while baking a sponge cake (this too turned out delicious!) and so I was thrilled when my chicken came out without a hitch. The chicken was super tasty - and I am assuming that everyone else agreed with me as there was only one small piece left by the time dinner was over. So, if you ever need a no-fail chicken recipe, give this one a try - I think it was the only thing I made yesterday that had no issues from beginning to end.

Cranberry-Apple Juice - Rosemary Chicken

1 chicken, bones in, skin removed

Salt

Pepper

Garlic powder

Dried chopped onion

Paprika

Soy sauce

Fresh rosemary

Cranberry-apple juice

Preheat oven to 385. Place chicken in a pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried chopped onion and paprika. Pour some soy sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with sprigs of fresh rosemary. Pour some cranberry-apple juice into the pan. Cover pan and bake for at least an hour and a half (we like this chicken when it is very well done). When chicken is nearly done, open the pan and spoon the juices over the chicken. Uncover the pan and continue to bake until the chicken is well done (or until it is however done you want it to be - baking it uncovered at the end will give the chicken its pretty coloring). Enjoy!

What's For Lunch?

Running our Chabad House programming from home certainly has its perks! I love that I can take a little break and create myself a dazzling lunch when I feel like it! Today I decided to take out my Cuisinart Griddler and create a grilled chicken panini. I LOVE my Griddler - it works as a griddle, an open indoor grill and as a panini press. Creating a panini is really very simple - you simply need some bread and lots of yummy things to put inside your sandwich. To assemble today's panini I put scallion dip (recipe coming another day!) on one slice of bread and ketchup on the other and then I added thinly sliced grilled chicken breast (dinner leftovers from Monday), a bread and butter pickle spear, a few slices of avocado and a few sliced grape tomatoes - and then closed my sandwich. The big, beautiful sandwich was then placed into the Griddler which was preheated to high. After a few minutes, my sandwich was all pressed and ready to eat - and I have to say, it was delicious!!  If you have a panini press, make sure you use it and try a wide variety of sandwiches in it!

Birthday Pancakes!

We LOVE to celebrate birthdays in our family! Today is a big day in our family - as it is Shalom's 6th birthday! I can barely believe that my little boy is now on to his "second hand of fingers" and is already in first grade! Seems that when you aren't looking, time starts to fly. To celebrate Shalom's birthday we had grandparents, uncles and some family friends over for a BBQ dinner last night. After dinner I decided that the celebration would continue in the morning. (Jewish birthdays are cool as you get to celebrate at night, and then the next day too!)

I woke up super early once again this week in order to create a breakfast pancake party! My kids were thrilled to come down the stairs and find pancakes in the making! Shalom was extra excited to find that I had made him a number 6 pancake in honor of his special day:)

In honor of Shalom's Jewish birthday I am posting my pancake recipe (it is pareve as you might imagine). We love pancakes and sometimes even eat them for dinner (gasp!). Here's to hoping you enjoy these pancakes as much as we do!

Pancakes


2 cups flour
4 tsps. baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup orange juice
1 cup water
2 1/2 tbsps oil
A sprinkle of vanilla extract


Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl (I use a fork). It is ok if the batter is a little lumpy. (I use my Cuisinart Griddler with the griddle plates to make my pancakes - this way I don't need to use oil to fry them.) Using a small ladle, drop pancake batter onto the griddle (set to about 325). When you see bubbles forming it means that it is time to flip your pancakes. Pancakes should be a light, golden brown when they are done.
Serve with your favorite syrup and enjoy!


PS: I have taken leftover pancakes and put them in the freezer - they taste yummy frozen or could be warmed up in the microwave!

An Early Morning Breakfast Party

After an AMAZING month of Gan Izzy, this morning was the first day of school. Not only did my children head off to school this morning, but I also returned to a part time teaching job after a few years of not teaching at the local Jewish day school.  This morning our friend Mushka also went home. Mushka was here to work the last week in our summer camp - and to entertain my kids yesterday while I got my classroom ready. Disappointed that I didn't get to spend too much time with Mushka during her short visit, I invited her to a "breakfast party" before I headed out to work today. I woke up at what felt like the crack of dawn (5:45 is the crack of dawn if you ask me!) and got right to work in my kitchen. I quickly chopped up some onions and mushrooms and through them into a frying pan for the mushroom-onion scrambled eggs. Next I got to work on whipping the whipped cream for our coffee. Then I added the eggs to the frying pan and put some toast in the oven. Breakfast was a hit and we all enjoyed one more meal with our friend!

Here is the recipe for the scrambled eggs we ate today.

Canola oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
6 big mushrooms, sliced 
6 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Garlic


Heat some canola oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the onion and mushrooms to the pan. Sautee until soft. Check the eggs for bloodspots and then mix up with a fork in a small bowl. Sprinkle in some salt, pepper and garlic. With the flame set to medium-high, add the eggs to the frying pan and proceed to scramble the whole mixture. 


An easy and delicious breakfast!

Tomato-Olive Focaccia Bread

Wow! It has been ages since I have last posted to Un-Recipes. Have no fear - while  you may have not read about it recently, my family has still been eating lovely dinners:)

So where have I been? Have you heard about Gan Izzy? Each summer I run a summer day camp for Jewish children - and it keeps me SUPER BUSY! Believe it or not, I have five incredible girls who have moved into my home for the four weeks that they are working as counselors in Gan Izzy. So yes - I am cooking - and for lots of people. We have been eating all kinds of yummy foods and treats and not to worry you will get to read about all of them at some point! (By the way...Gan Izzy is pretty much full for the next two weeks - but if you would like your kids to experience Judaism in really fun fashion, drop  me an email at rashibrashi@me.com and we will see what we can do!)

Sooooo...last week I baked a delicious tomato-olive focaccia bread and every last crumb was finished off. Here is the "recipe", I am pretty sure you will love this one too!

Tomato-Olive Focaccia Bread

Pizza dough (Click here for the recipe I use)

Olive oil

1 small can tomato paste

1 small can sliced black olives

Oregano

Garlic powder

Prepare pizza dough and allow to rise for about an hour. Spray a baking tray with Pam and then spread the pizza dough out on the pan. Pour a small amount of olive oil on the dough and then spread around evenly. Spread the tomato paste evenly on top of the dough. Place the olives all around the dough. Sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano. Bake on 425 for about 15-20 minutes. Delish!!

Three Years Later...

This past week marked three years since the day that darkness descended on the Chabad House in Mumbai, India. Though I never met Gavi and Rivky HY"D, I felt like I knew them - and their absence was sorely felt. While darkness entered the world that day - it only brought forth an abundance of light, with the addition of more and more Mitzvot by individuals around the globe.

The post below was written a few months back - and somehow never got posted. Now seemed like a good time to post..

The birth of a child is always a special occasion. Two weeks ago my friends Hallie and Yehoshua  were blessed with a beautiful baby boy. 

Last Sunday the Chabad House was filled with family and friends who came to celebrate with them at their son's Bris. Of course like everyone else in the room I was curious to know which name had been chosen for this little cutie.

When his name, Gavriel Noach, was announced, I was a little surprised to feel my eyes well up with tears. I was totally moved and turned to Hallie and said, "I love the name, good choice!" (as if they need my approval) ;)

I was so taken by this little boy's name because he was named for the incredible Shliach (Chabad emissary) who was tragically killed in Mumbai, India. The baby's father explained that they wanted their son to grow up in the footsteps of this wonderful Shliach. He continued that they wanted their son to evolve into someone who would do his best to help fellow Jews get in touch with their special roots, just as Gavriel and Rivky Holtzberg did - and as Chabad Shluchim around the globe continue to do.

I am truly excited to watch little Gavriel Noach as he grows up and it is my wish for Hallie and Yehoshua that they get much nachas from their little boy.

So of course being that this is a food blog I will share a recipe:)

As part of the menu we served egg salad. I wasn't actually the one who made the egg salad as I was busy putting together flowers in vases, but I will share my recipe for delicious (I think!) egg salad.

Rashi's Egg Salad

Hard boiled eggs (boiled to the perfect yellow color)

Mayonnaise

Salt 

Black pepper

Garlic powder

Onion powder

This is how I boil eggs.

Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Place the lid on the pot. Place on stove with burner turned to high. When the water starts to boil, remove the pot from the fire and let sit covered for 15 minutes. At 15 minutes, rinse eggs in cold running water for a couple of minutes to stop them from continuing to cook. 

Peel eggs (it is much easier to do right after they are cooked) and place in a bowl. Mash eggs (I usually put on gloves and mush the eggs with my hands.) Mix in some mayonnaise (I actually make my own - but that is for another day!) - I try not to put too much mayo (I feel that the mashed eggs shouldn't be swallowed up by the mayonnaise and lose their identity.) Season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. 

Purple Cabbage - Green Grapes

Being the big fan of food that I am, I love to look through food magazines. A few months back I came across the The Food Network Magazine - and I love reading it. I always find some cool tips, ideas or recipes - and of course I just love to read about food.

Looking at their pretty pictures I always say that I am going to try some of the recipes, but of course I am usually in a hurry and fall back on my tried and true foods.

This past Friday I was flipping through the magazine while Levi drove us to BJs to shop for our Shabbat dinner at Chabad House. I came across a pretty picture of a recipe for a red cabbage and grapes salad  - my first reaction was, "who would eat that?". When I described the recipe to Levi he decided we should try it at our kiddush at Chabad House - so I agreed that we would give it a whirl.

I quickly glanced at the recipe to see what the dressing was made of. Not being a huge fan of some of the ingredients I made a mental note to use certain substitutions. In the end, I realized on Shabbat morning that I had left the recipe in my car before Shabbat. I pretty much only remembered that the recipe called for red cabbage, green grapes and dijon mustard (I used regular mustard), and so I made up the dressing as I went along.

When it was time for lunch we placed the salad on the table and hoped for the best. (I must say that the green grapes mixed in with the purple cabbage really did look beautiful.) The salad pretty much vanished and the few people I asked said it tasted good. I finally tasted it myself and was surprised to find that I loved it!

Purple Cabbage and Green Grapes Salad

Purple cabbage
Green grapes, sliced lengthwise
Scallions
Canola oil
Mustard
Rice vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Sugar

Slice purple cabbage and place in a bowl. Slice grapes and add to cabbage. Slice scallions and add to bowl. To dress the salad pour in a little bit of canola oil and rice vinegar. Then add a few squirts of mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and sugar. Mix well and serve.

Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Salmon

On Monday I decided I was in the mood for some fish. Being that nice husband that he is, Levi went off to the fish store to see what they had gotten in fresh. He came home with a super fresh, beautiful pink salmon that had come in just that morning.

When Levi brought the fish home he let me know that they said it was a sushi grade fish - so he proceeded to have some some sashimi with soy sauce. Having never tasted sushi or sashimi (I've always been terrified to try raw fish) I decided to give it a go - and ate my first piece of sashimi :)

Then I got to work on making dinner. I wanted to have dinner in the oven within about 30 minutes so that I could head out to take my kids bowling.  I quickly washed potatoes and put them in the oven to bake. Then I got to work on slicing mushrooms and onions for a mushroom sauce for the potatoes. Sauce made I quickly created a honey-mustard dressing for the salmon and popped it in the oven. Then I grabbed a bag of washed and ready to cook green beans from the fridge, seasoned them and set them to cook in the microwave. Everything in place I asked Levi to please "babysit" dinner and make the salad.

When we got back from bowling we sat down to dinner - and then I discovered that the honey-mustard mix I put together was the perfect match for the salmon. So...here's the "recipe" for the honey-mustard salmon.

Honey Mustard Salmon

Salmon fillets
Salt
French's mustard
Honey
Pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Preheat oven to 375. Rinse fish and place in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle fish with salt. In a bowl, mix equal parts mustard and honey. Add pepper, garlic and onion powder to the honey-mustard mixture. Mix well. Spoon sauce onto fish. Place fish, uncovered, into the oven. Bake for about 20 or so minutes, until fish flakes easily.

Enjoy!

A Wild Friday

There are Fridays, and there are Fridays. As least week headed towards Shabbat I knew that I was having a few guests in my home for dinner and began to plan accordingly. Then I found out that a friend was headed out of town to be with her mother because her grandmother had passed away. I immediately asked what I could do to help her out. She mentioned that she really needed someone to drop off Shabbat dinner for her hubby and three of her children who would remain at home - I quickly told her that I was on it and that she need not worry. Now I knew I was cooking for 15 people.

Then on Thursday afternoon we found out that another friend was going to be in the hospital for Shabbat to give birth to her first child - and her husband and mother would be joining her too. We of course offered to deliver Shabbat dinner and lunch for the next day. Now we were up to 18.

I made my menu and shopped accordingly. The menu was pretty simple and so I didn't see any great need to get started too early. Luckily I ended up with a great kitchen helper, because little did I know my day was about to just get crazier.

I spent my morning and a nice part of my afternoon dropping someone off for a dr's appt and then waiting for quite some time for him to be ready. By the time I got home and really got to my cooking it was about 3:00 pm. Then I got home and started to cook.

At about 5:00 my husband told me that he had just received a phone call that a couple from NY and their daughter were going to be in Norfolk for Shabbos as their flight to NY had landed here due to weather. They would be staying in a hotel and would love to have food prepared to go. Now I was cooking for 21. I took a deep breath in and asked Levi if he could please go buy some takeout containers because at this point I was prepping food to go for 12 people (my parents had also asked for food to be packed up because they planned to stay home Friday night). So Levi ran to buy the containers and then he called me to say that another plane had been grounded in Norfolk and that two girls from Monsey would be spending Shabbat with us. Now I had a grand total of 23 Shabbat guests - some in my home and some eating in homes, hotels and hospitals.

I looked at the food I had prepared and was still preparing and starting to panic and decided that maybe I should add some foods to my menu. I quickly looked through my fridge and found a giant bag of broccoli that I proceeded to stir fry and then I remembered that I had a container of mushroom-zucchini kugel I had frozen a few months back. I quickly defrosted the kugel and warmed it up and finally had a rounded out menu with enough food for everyone. (Lesson learned - sometimes freezing those leftovers can be a really good idea!)

The day spun out of control as Levi stopped at the airport to pick up the two girls and then brought me the containers which I quickly started to fill. Then he dashed back out the door with boxes of food for my friend's family and then off to the hospital 20 minutes away to deliver food to my other friend. Luckily my mom and the guests staying at the hotel were able to come pick up their dinners.

Levi returned with a few minutes to spare before Shabbat. I checked that everything was ready and then lit my Shabbat candles. I opened my eyes and marveled at how lighting my candles and bringing in Shabbat suddenly brought peace and tranquility into what had been a wild and hectic home just a few minutes earlier.

Here is the recipe for the Mushroom-Zucchini Kugel which I was able to just grab out of my freezer :) This original recipe comes from the Bina Cookbook: Spice It Right by Estee Kafra, I make the recipe with a few small changes  - which is the way I am posting it.


Mushroom Zucchini Kugel


3 eggs
1 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 tsp baking powder
4 zucchini
1 onion
24 button mushrooms
1 clove garlic
Pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, mix eggs, oil, sugar, salt, baking powder and flour. The batter will be sort of stiff. Grate the onions, zucchinis, mushrooms and garlic in a food processor fitted with a grating disc.  Add grated veggies to the mixture in the bowl. Sprinkle in black pepper. Mix well. Coat a 9 x 13 pan with Pam and pour the batter in. 
Bake for at least two hours  - the top will start to get crispy. The kugel will cset after it is removed from the oven and has cooled. This kugel takes a really long time to bake but is well worth it! 

Time to start cooking

It has been ages since I have last posted - and there is a good reason for it too! Generally speaking my posts are inspired by the goings on in my kitchen - and as hard as it may be to believe, I have spent only a few hours in my kitchen in the past few weeks.  I just returned from an incredible 11 days in Israel and had every single meal prepared for me! While I love to cook, I have to say I loved every minute I spent out of the kitchen. This past Shabbat was really a treat! We enjoyed delicious meals at two different hotels and were thrilled to let someone else do cooking and cleaning while we just chilled out. We realized that it was the first time in our 9 years together (we celebrated our anniversary in Israel!) that we spent a Shabbat together on our own. The food was amazing and the people watching in the dining room was loads of fun. After a much needed break, we are back and I am getting right back to creating yummy foods in my kitchen:) So I promise I'll be posting some new recipes for you shortly!

Potato Blintzes and Mushroom Sauce

3,323 years ago, the Jewish nation gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai to receive a special gift from G-d - the Torah! Every single year since then, the Jewish people gather on the 6th day of Sivan to hear the Ten Commandments being read from the Torah.

Each year at Chabad House we host an ice cream and Ten Commandments party. Our annual ice cream party took place in the evening yesterday. A few minutes before 5:30 people started to come in and then before I knew it the Chabad House was filled with people. While the Torah reading got started with the adults, I lead a special program for the children. A little while later it was time to read the Aseret HaDibrot - the Ten Commandments, and so all the children headed downstairs and into the main room. Describing the scene, my father told me today, "it was incredible to watch the kids come into the room, they just kept on coming and coming, more and more kids". As we got read the Torah I looked around the room and saw well over 100 people from all over Hampton Roads. I saw people of all ages from little babies to bubbies and zaidies. People from all walks of life - yet standing there together we all something very much in common - we were the Jewish nation standing once again to receive the Torah from Hashem, and it was heart warming.

Of course along with the reading of the Torah we get to eat lots of food on Shavuot (as on any Jewish holiday!) It is customary to eat blintzes on Shavuot - though in most cases they are filled with cheese. While I couldn't include any dairy in my menu, I still wanted to have blintzes, and so I spent quite some time creating my potato blintzes. In the afternoon when everything was cooked and baked I noticed a container of mushrooms in my fridge so I decided to try my hand at making a mushroom sauce for the blintzes...what a yummy combination that was!

So while most foods I blog about are quick and easy, these recipes are more time consuming - but well worth it. (If you are wondering what you need the recipe for now, I have to say that my kids finished off the last blintzes tonight and let me know they would be a good dinner food.)

Potato Blintzes


Make some crepes:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Oil for frying


Mix the eggs, flour, water and salt until smooth. Heat a small amount of oil in a small frying pan (I think non-stick works best) on medium-high. When oil is hot drop a small ladle of batter into the pan and quickly swirl around to make a very thin pancake. When the crepe starts to bubble it is time to flip it over and quickly cook the second side. Remove finished crepes to a plate line with a paper towel.


Mashed potatoes:
(This "recipe" comes from my father. He was the mashed potato maker in our house and they were always my favorite. So I learned his tricks and now make it myself:)


The amounts listed here filled 24 blintzes and I still had leftover mashed potatoes.


7 large russet potatoes
2 eggs
2 yellow onions
Oil for frying
Salt 
Pepper
Garlic


Peel and cube potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with water. Sprinkle some salt into the pot. Boil and then lower the flame and allow potatoes to cook until they are soft. When soft, drain the potatoes. While potatoes are piping hot add two raw eggs to the potatoes and mash. (I mash mine with my hand mixer!) The heat in the potatoes will ensure that the eggs get cooked while making the potatoes nice and smooth. 
Peel and dice the onions and sauté until very soft. Add the onions to the potatoes and season with salt, pepper and garlic. 


To make the blintzes:
I fried mine in an electric skillet to ensure an even oil temperature. I set the temp to 350. 


Place a small amount of mashed potatoes in the crepes, fold up and then fry until golden colored on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.


Mushroom Sauce


Canola oil
1 lb button mushrooms
2 yellow onions
Dried thyme
Dried marjoram
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Flour
Water


Place oil in a frying pan and heat on medium-high. Add sliced mushrooms and diced onions. Saute mushrooms and onions until very, very soft. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, marjoram and thyme. Mix some flour and water together in a bowl and then pour into the very soft mushrooms and onions. Mix continuously until the sauce has thickened and has an even texture. Serve hot over blintzes

Strawberry-Spinach Salad

Today I had four lovely families over at my home for lunch. We had a full house, but it was a house full of happily playing kids and laughing adults. The perfect addition to all the great company was a super yummy feast for lunch. I must've been hungry when I planned my menu because there was SO much food to eat today.

I baked two styles of focaccia bread, garlic-basil and black olives with sage, and made croutons from left over Challah to put in the garden salad. I Used beautiful strawberries and baby spinach leaves to put together a delicious salad. Pasta was mixed with soy sauce and spices and salmon was baked with simple seasoning. A variety of veggies were marinated and grilled alongside a bright yellow pineapple. For dessert we had oatmeal-craisn cookies and cupcakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries. A great time was had by all and my family barely ate dinner after having a feast for lunch:)

The strawberry-spinach salad was a big hit and there was only about a spoonful left by the time the afternoon was over. With Shavuot around the bend, I think it is a perfect recipe to serve at your holiday meals. (Speaking of Shavuot - if you are in the Hampton Roads area, why not bring your family and friends to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments and relive the giving of the Torah...there will be lots of fun and games for the kids and a yummy ice cream party too!!)

Strawberry-Spinach Salad


Baby spinach 
Strawberries
Red onion

Canola oil

Rice vinegar

Poppy seeds
Sugar 
Salt
Pepper
Garlic


Wash and check spinach leaves for insects and then place in bowl. Wash and slice strawberries and add to spinach. Dice a red onion and to the rest of the salad. Dress with canola oil, rice vinegar, sugar (I used Splenda), poppy seeds, salt, pepper and garlic. Yummy!!!

Grilled Chicken Skewers

When Memorial Day rolls around I think summer. Like many others, I enjoy spending the day with my family doing something fun:) Today we headed out bright and early in the morning and went to Busch Gardens. Yes it was over 90 degrees and we were slowly starting to melt, but I really love watching my kids faces on their favorite rides - and the looks on their faces when Levi and I won the giant stuffed banana they have been eyeing for weeks was priceless.

Along with spending hours outside, barbecuing is another sure sign for me that summer is here. After we got home we busily worked to get dinner ready. We grilled chicken-veggie skewers, onions, asparagus and pineapple and added some corn on the cob to the mix. Kudos to Levi for grilling our yummy feast on this super, duper hot day.

Sometimes I wonder if heading out to an amusement park and finishing the day with a BBQ are proper observances of Memorial Day.  Today while I was doing this thinking, it occurred to me that it is because of our dedicated, brave and committed service men and women that we are able to celebrate in this fashion. Of course I stopped to think about those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and of course I am truly grateful to these brave men and women and their families. At the same time, I am so thankful that we continue to live in a free land - and that we can choose to spend the day enjoying our many freedoms.

Here is the "recipe" for the chicken skewers so that you too can enjoy a yummy summer BBQ :)

Chicken Veggie Skewers


Chicken breast - cut into chunks
Portobello mushrooms
Yellow sqaush
Onions
Red peppers
Fresh basil
Fresh garlic
Canola oil
Rice vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Oregano


(If you are using wooden skewers, you will need to soak them in water for about 20 minutes or so before using - this will prevent them from burning.)


Cut chicken breast and place in a bowl with some oil, rice vinegar, minced garlic and basil, pepper and oregano. Wash veggies and cut into chunks, place in a bowl with oil, rice vinegar, salt, pepper, minced garlic,  minced basil and oregano. Allow both the chicken and the vegetables to marinate (though in a pinch I only let them sit for about 10 minutes).  Alternating with chicken and vegetables, fill the skewers. Grill.


Enjoy!

Patty Pan Squash

Those of us living in Norfolk, VA are no strangers to storms, but the storm that blew through here yesterday seemed to really mean business. Within minutes of the sky turning grey (black?), rain started pounding on our house, the wind started howling and then before I  knew big hail was falling from the sky. Looking out of my window I watched my neighbor's big trash cans swim across the street and then  manage to be blown halfway up their lawn. The noise in my house was super loud and my kids were starting to get super nervous.

Thank G-d the storm blew past us and we only had a few branches fall from our trees. Other areas weren't so lucky, with downed trees and widespread power outages. 

This morning my phone rang at 6:30. I couldn't figure out who would be calling me so early in the morning. I picked up and quickly found out that my kids' school had no power - and that they weren't going to school.

So what to do on a beautifully sunny, no school day? I called a friend and we gathered our kids and headed out to Pungo to go strawberry picking. The kids were thrilled to take their buckets and start picking strawberries.  After baking in the sun and collecting the beautiful red treats for quite some time we headed to the farmer's market to pay. 

While the strawberries were being weighed, I decided to check out the rest of the produce being sold. I came upon a pile of beautiful looking Patty Pan squash that I purchased for dinner.

Once home I gave the squash a good scrubbing and turned them into a delicious side. A little perk - my kids loved the shape of these squash and were excited to try them - and then they loved the way it tasted!

Patty Pan Squash

3 yellow patty pan squash

3 white patty pan squash

Canola oil

Salt

Pepper

Garlic 

Dried sage

Pre-heat oven to 425. Wash squash and slice any way you like. Place in an oven safe dish and drizzle some oil into the dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic and dried sage and mix well. Place in the oven and mix every so often. Remove when the squash very soft. 

Enjoy!

Potato Salad and Painted Faces

Yesterday we celebrated Lag B'Omer with a BBQ and celebration at Chabad House. My brother Shmulie "drove" the grill and turned out delicious burgers and hot dogs. The tables were filled with buns, corn on the cob, cole slaw, a garden salad, potato salad and watermelon - and of course everything needed to make perfect sandwiches:) There were cupcakes for dessert, which the children got to decorate with icing, jelly beans and sprinkles. Cool refreshing drinks completed the menu.

Smiling faces were seen everywhere as the kids happily played on the playground, blew bubbles, used sidewalk chalk and played games with a parachute and hula hoops. The kids also LOVED having their faces painted by an excellent artist and everyone had a blast getting their cotton candy made by Rabbi Levi. 

With lively Jewish music in the air, friends and family all around and delicious food to eat, it was a wonderful event that more than 70 people enjoyed.

Throughout the evening I kept hearing that the potato salad was really good - and so today I will share my recipe for potato salad.

(PS...missed out on the fun yesterday? Not to worry...more fun is just down the road with the annual Shavuot Ice Cream party on June 8 at 5:30 PM)

Rashi's Potato Salad

Red potatoes, (I do around one per person)

Mayonnaise

Bread and butter pickles

Scallions

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Dill (the spice)

Scrub potatoes (do not peel) and boil with some salt in the pot. When the water comes to a boil, lower it and allow to cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. While potatoes are still warm, add sliced scallions, diced pickles and the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, garlic and dill.  Serve and enjoy!

(sorry there are no numbers...but I make it in different amounts each time and don't really have any real numbers to share)

Cholent for Jewish Bikers

Each year the JMA (Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance) hosts a "Ride to Remember". Each year members of Jewish motorcycle clubs from around the world gather in a chosen city for a special weekend together. The main event is, "The Ride to Remember", when they ride to remember the Holocaust and raise money to support Holocaust education.

This year the Ride to Remember was held in Virginia Beach. The festivities began with a BBQ at the oceanfront which my husband Levi and I attended so that Levi could help the guys put on Tefillin.  The next morning, we both attended the ceremony for the bikers held at the local JCC. My father, along with other area rabbis, addressed the bikers and thanked them for biking for a good cause. After the ceremony, everyone crossed the parking lot to hear the students of the Hebrew Academy sing.

At the conclusion of the song, the bikers all climbed aboard their motorcycles and got ready to ride. Someone else also donned a helmet and got ready to ride too - that would be my husband. My kids got such a kick out of seeing him drive off on a motorcycle! I am sure it was the highlight of their day.

After picking up my husband from his fun ride, we dashed back home to get some Shabbos cooking started before we had to run to Chabad House to run our Challah Twists club for a group of children. When the club had ended, Levi worked quickly to peel potatoes and onions, chop them up and mix them in with a bunch of beans and barley and seasoning. Levi had been asked to prepare the cholent for the bikers' Shabbat lunch the next day. Cholents prepared he headed for the oceanfront, delivered the cholent (which we found out after Shabbos was a huge hit!) and dashed back home - arriving roughly one hour before candle lighting.

On that note, today's recipe is not mine, but rather belongs to Levi. Levi is the cholent maker each week at Chabad House, and each week the cholent is finished to the last drop. So here is his recipe :)

Rabbi Levi's Cholent
(recipe is for an 8 quart slow cooker)


6 potatoes, cut into big chunks
3 onions, cut into big chunks
1/2 bag of large lima beans
1/2 bag of kideny beans
1/2 bag of barley
a bunch of ketchup
oil
salt
pepper
garlic
Water


Peel and prepare potatoes and onions and place in pot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover with water. Turn slow cooker to low and allow to cook overnight. Enjoy!