Feed 'em Right

How to Take Your Kitchen on Vacation

Thu, 23 May 2013 07:58:30 -0400

It is Teacher Aprreciation Week so today I am baking for our...

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:51:26 -0400

It is Teacher Aprreciation Week so today I am baking for our Breakfast Bar. I made Morning Glory Muffins (find the recipe from King Arthur here) and Energy bars (a tweak of my recipe here, using almond butter, craisins and almonds instead of the chocolate chips).

Rhubarb!

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:54:27 -0400

Bought my first (of many!) batch of Rhubarb today and now a lovely Rhubarb Crisp is cooling on my counter. Yum! Can’t wait for dessert.

Grandma’s Devils Food Cake is a long standing tradition in...

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:01:03 -0400

Grandma’s Devils Food Cake is a long standing tradition in my family, going back more than four generations. It has been said that my great grandfather always needed to have one in his refrigerator. His wife was a saint to have made so many, the recipe is tricky, especially the icing, but I got this one (for my son who turns 11 today) just right! Can’t wait to eat it! It is a rich chocolate cake with a penuche icing (cooked butter and cream, soooo good).

Find the recipe here.

More cooking done for our seders- above Green Beans Almondine...

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:04:48 -0400

More cooking done for our seders- above Green Beans Almondine and Passover Schnitzel (baked and not fried).

In the oven is Brisket and on the stove is Matza Ball Soup. We will be feasting tonight and tomorrow!

Happy Holidays to everyone

Passover treats are all made! Coconut Macaroons from the recipe...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 13:58:29 -0400

Passover treats are all made!

Coconut Macaroons from the recipe I posted yesterday

Chocolate covered Strawberries that my son made all by himself!

Parsley that my youngest planted on Tu B’Shvat that we will use during the seder to dip in salt water (behind it is a window cling my 10 year old made!)

Delicious Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies

Passover Almond Farfel Brittle

See the recipe for these delicous looking treats here. I will be...

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 12:51:52 -0400

See the recipe for these delicous looking treats here. I will be making these for our Seder!

Super Granola

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 11:44:08 -0400

Have you ever made your own Granola? It is easy as so delicious and the best part is that you get to add only the things you like!

Granola

(adapated from Paula Shoyer)

3 cups oats or matzah farfel (great to make Passover Granola)

1 cup dried coconut flakes (unsweetened)

1.5 cups chopped nuts (I like to use pecans and silvered almonds)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey

2 Tbs oil

1 Tbs brown sugar

1 cup dried fruit (like craisins, raisins, apricots, dates, etc) chopped if necessary

Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl mix oats (or farfel), coconut, nuts, and spices.

In a glass measuring cup mix honey, sugar and oil. Microwave for 45 seconds and stir to dissolve sugar. Pour over mixture and stir well to coat. Spread over baking sheet. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until everything is lightly browned, stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool. Stir in dried fruits. Store in an airtight container.

Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:53:31 -0400

This was a super simple recipe, took about 5 minutes to prepare the dough, which I did before picking the kids up at school. Then it rises for about and hour and bakes for 30 minutes. I almost did not get a photo as the kids dove in right away- it smelled sooooo good cooking there was no resiting it once it came out of the oven! I used the Pizza Dough Flavor and Super Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Seriously Sharp Cheddar by Cabot). It was amazing!

No Knead Cheese and Garlic Flatbread

from King Arthur Flour

Dough

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
3 tablespoons olive oil (plus additional for drizzling into the pan)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon instant yeast
4 teaspoons Pizza Dough Flavor, optional

Filling & Topping

2 cups diced cheese — cheddar, Monterey Jack, flavored cheddar, or your favorite
4 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
pizza seasoning or your favorite dried herbs, to sprinkle on top

Directions

1) Lightly grease a 9” x 13” pan, and drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom.

2) Combine all of the ingredients except the cheese and garlic, and beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 60 seconds.

3) Add the cheese and garlic, beating gently just to combine.

4) Scoop the sticky batter into the prepared pan, cover the pan, and let it rise at room temperature for 60 minutes, till it’s become puffy.

5) While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 375°F.

6) Sprinkle the dough with pizza seasoning, and/or the dried herbs of your choice, if desired.

7) Bake the bread till it’s golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

8) Remove it from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

9) To make crunchy bread sticks: Cut day-old bread into 1/2” slices. Lay the slices on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake them in a preheated 350°F to 400°F oven till they’re a light golden brown and crunchy, 15 to 25 minutes or so; keep your eye on them, as they brown quickly towards the end.

Yield: about 12 to 18 servings bread; or about fifty 6 1/2” bread sticks.

Fergus Henderson's Red Salad recipe from Food52

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 13:46:44 -0400

Fergus Henderson's Red Salad recipe from Food52:

Looks beautiful and delicious!

Revisiting an old favorite

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:59:23 -0400

My daughter this morning came down with the virus that has been passed around her class for the last two weeks. She is feeling punky but has not lost her appetite. So I am pulling out my recipe for Dal, which is far and away her favorite dinner. Yum!

The Best Tuna Noodle Casserole

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:00:40 -0400

My kids love to eat this, and it is a great make ahead for busy days. For smaller families you can make the full recipe and freeze half (do it in two 8x8 pans instead of one 9x13) for another night.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

from Noreen Gilletz- The Pleasures of your Processor

1 package of Mac and Cheese (I like to use Annies Shells and Cheddar)

3 cups broad noodles (or a combo of small pasta, a good way to use up the ends of boxes)

1 onion

3 Tbs butter

1/4 lb cheddar cheese

3/4 milk

1 10oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 7oz cans of tuna, drained

salt and pepper

Cook the pasta together in salted boiling water. Drain and return noodles to pan.

In processor„ process onion with a few on/off pulses. Then add the cheese cut into 1-inch cubes. Process until finely chopped. Add to noodles along with the remaining ingredients (including the cheese packet from the Mac and Cheese box). Mix well. Pour into a greases 9x13 pan. Can be refrigerated here and baked later.

Bake uncovered at 350F. for 35 minutes.

If freezing half, when you want to bake it, drizzle with a bit of milk (about 1/4 cup) and bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes.

Easy Salmon Chowder

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:00:36 -0400

Here is the other recipe I got from the paper, also the Hartford Courant. This one needed more tinkering but it came out great!

Salmon Chowder

1 onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, washed and chopped

3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced

1 Tbs olive oil

2 cups water

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

1 12ox can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups milk

1 15oz can salmon, bones and skin removed

salt and pepper

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and celery and cook until starting to soften. Add the potatoes and the water as well as a sprinkle of salt. Let cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook for a minute or two and then add to the soup pot followed by the evaporated milk and the milk. Stir well and let cook just at a simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the salmon and stir well to break up the big pieces. Do not let it boil. Cook for a few minutes and check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as desired.

I served this with the Amish Pertzels and a big salad and it was a great hit, even with my pickiest eater (though she did need to sit on my lap before she would try it!).

Can you recommend a good parve meatball product?

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:32:17 -0400

I don’t have one that I like very much, most fall short of expectations. I have one recipe on my blog, find it here, made mostly with mushrooms and TVP. Maybe that will help?

Amish Soft Pretzels

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 13:37:00 -0400

I clip recipes from the newspaper all the time but rarely make them. This weekend I pulled out two recipes and had fun trying them. This one came from the Hartford Courant. It was delicious but needed salt, I have added a line for salt in the recipe.

Amish Soft Pretzels

1 1/3 cup warm water

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 Tbs dry active yeast

2 cups bread flour

2 cups all purpose flour

(add here 3/4 tsp salt)

clarified butter (I used Ghee that I use in my Indian cooking)

1 cup cold water

1 Tbs baking powder

kosher salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine warm water, sugar and yeast. Measure in both flours (here is where I would add salt). Use the dough hook to knead into a soft ball.

Cover bowl and let rest until doubled, about 1 hour.

Brush a baking sheet with clarified butter. In a small bowl mix cold water and baking powder. Preheat oven to 500F.

Cut dough into 4 sections and then each section into 8 pieces. Roll into a fat finger. Dip each finger in baking powder water and place on baking sheet (ok to pack them in). Let rest about 5 minutes then brush with more butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake in the hot oven for 5-8 minutes. Pull apart and eat warm.

I put extra rice in the rice cooker for dinner last night and...

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:06:55 -0500

I put extra rice in the rice cooker for dinner last night and then made up some sushi rice (tossed the warm rice with vinegar, sugar and salt). We made simple cucumber rolls with this great mold I have - got it from a place that sells bento box supplies. The kids were so excited to take their lunches to school this morning!

Here is the cake I made last night. We topped it with whipped...

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:41:12 -0500

Here is the cake I made last night. We topped it with whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes. It was delicious! Like a cross between a brownie, cake and a chocolate macaroon. Yum. The pieces were too big as it was very rich, next time I will cut the cake into 15 pieces instead of 12.

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:32:29 -0500

Today is my husband’s birthday and I have tried a new cake! He asked for chocolate and we all love coconut so I tried this lovely recipe from Martha Stewart. If it tastes as good as it looks and smells we will all be very happy!

5 Savory Hamantaschen Recipes, with Culinary Inspiration from Spain, Russia, India, Mexico, and the Middle East: BA Daily: bonappetit.com

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:30:41 -0500

5 Savory Hamantaschen Recipes, with Culinary Inspiration from Spain, Russia, India, Mexico, and the Middle East: BA Daily: bonappetit.com:

So clever! An outstanding set of recipes from Deena Prichep. Enjoy and Happy Purim!

My girls have gotten bored in the coop and don’t want to...

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:35:12 -0500

My girls have gotten bored in the coop and don’t want to play in the snow, so I have been giving them extra treats. To show their appreciation, they gave me these! What good girls :)