Hard to Feed

My little brother came over for Shabbos dinner.  I can't tell you how excited I am to cook for him AND get to hang out with him before he goes off to college next year (I'll have to visit him at University of Arizona!)    Anyway, like his big sister (moi)  he's allergic to a lot of things, namely, nuts, fish, balsamic (dijon and vinegar), watermelon and banana (I'm writing this here so I know how to feed him in the future.   His allergies mixed with my lactose-intolerant vegetarianism makes for quite the challenge.  The one thing he does eat is meat. Like the hubby he loves his red meat.  So putting my qualms aside I decided to make Sweet and Sour Brisket as my main course.  The recipe doesn't have a thing the bro can't eat and its a new one to boot!  The Brisket recipe is from "Art of the Slow Cooker" by Andrew Schloss.  The MIL made another successful recipe from the book so I thought I'd try my hand at it.  


The brisket was apparently super yummy (I'm sure it will be even better today after soaking up all the juices).  I cooked it on high for 3 hours then on low for another 6 hours.  

(Photo from "Art of Slow Cooker")

Meanwhile, the MIL made the veggie side dishes, simply steamed Asparagus and Broccoli...keeping it real and keeping it healthy.


I also made a side of egg noodles with a little bit of margarine to soak up the brisket gravy (and challah of course). 


Finally, I love love love Marzipan and the MIL makes this killer little almond paste pound cake that I adore, the recipe is from the side of the Almond Paste box and she adds some chocolate chips to it and drizzles chocolate frosting on top.  

Quick and Easy Post for a Quick and Easy Dish

Last night I made "Honey-Soy Glazed Chicken" from Martha Stewarts' Everyday Food iPhone App.  I love getting new recipe suggestions everyday.  I  don't always make them, but this one was a winner.
I buy frozen boneless skinless thighs and breasts from Trader Joes instead of the wings the recipe calls for.  Both work.  Enjoy!

(picture from the website, not my own pic)

Friday Night Dinner

This Friday was a great recipe success.  I was very impressed with both and, in fact, didn't really have to change them one bit!


The recipes were from Kosher by Design by Susie Fishbein which has been an incredibly reliable and not because its Kosher but because the food is just plain good.  The two recipes I made from the book were:
Balsamic Chicken and Roasted Garlic Green Beans with Mango.  (I also made Rice Pilaf, not from the book).  


Balsamic Chicken:  
Exceptionally good, but in part thanks to the brand of Balsamic Vinegar I use.  I buy Bistro Blends Heirloom Balsamic Vinegar from the Palisades Farmers' Market but you can buy it online here.  Its expensive but its totally worth it.  Its thick and syrupy and adds quality to anything you use it with, whether it be salad dressing, chicken or just as a drizzle. (I promise, they're not paying me to write this).  The recipe called for two chickens cut up.  I cut the recipe in half and only used thighs and wings because I know what my family likes, and there were only 4 of us.  

Roasted Garlic Green Beans with Mango:
Just as good as the Asparagus recipe from the same book that has made a repeat appearance at our dinner table.  Merely one change, I cut the recipe in half.  Delicious.  

The Rice Pilaf:
I cheated and made the rice pilaf from a box (no one knew, and maybe I didn't really tell anyone either).  But it was quite good.  I recommend the Near East Original Rice Pilaf.  I used two boxes for four people and had plenty of left overs.  

(Last but not least)

Challah:  

My challahs have improved each week.  They are now large and fluffy.  The MIL taught me that if you knock on the challah (or most breads) fresh out of the oven and they sound hollow they're ready!  Oh and was this challah ready, so ready in fact it took a great deal of restraint not to rip into that oh so delicious smelling loaf.  

From All Over the World

I'm a fan of comfort food, especially American comfort food.  Its easy to get into the habit of making the standard, easy, patriotic staples and not venture out of your comfort zone.  But some of the food I've had recently has been spectacularly tasty, easy to make and most importantly, not from around these parts.  

The MIL made a very tasty dish last night and she got the recipe from none other than an "Indian Street Food" restaurant.  Very authentic and very unusual this dish made the husband and I raise an eyebrow until we tried it.  It now must be a frequent visitor to our family's table.  

The recipe was as follows:

2 Russet potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

heaping tbsp. date sauce/chutney (I'm still trying to find out the proper name for this)

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/3 can pinto beans

Indian snack crunchies (something like this)

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until just tender (al dente) - allow to cool

2. Fold together potatoes, onion, date sauce and pinto beans

3.  Refrigerate until ready to serve (should be served chilled)

4. Add and cilantro on top crunchies

Another thing I wanted to mention is that my twin brother got me an awesome cookbook called "The Spice Bible".  My brother has always been one of those people that can't wait to try some new, exotic dish and wanted to share one of his own cooking staples with me.  If you're sick of the standard, salt, pepper and paprika and want to try something new and exciting I highly suggest picking this book up.  It not only explains the different spices, their taste, texture, etc. but has lots of yummy recipes to go with each spice.  

Chickin' and Dumplin's!!

Tonights meal was something I'd never eaten nor made before, Chicken and Dumplings.  It was perfect for a rainy day like today. 


The recipe I made was Chicken and Rosemary Dumplings from Cookinglight.com  


It was delicious.  I made one small substitution, Vanilla Almond Milk instead of Buttermilk in the dumplings.  They still turned out fluffy and not mushy.  I highly recommend this one if you want a one bowl meal on a chilly day.  

So bad...

Okay, I'm terrible at keeping up with all things that involve writing. But I have a couple of great recipes I've made lately that I'd really like to share with you if you'll have me:


Daniel and I had an amazing honeymoon on Maui, in part, thanks to my mentor and Auntie Jana. She sent us to her mother and father's restaurants on the island which were not only the best food on Maui but also some of the best food I've had anywhere.  Suffice it to say I had to order the cookbook.  The book is called: Family-Style Meals at the Hali'imaile General Store (this is also the link to Jana's mom, Bev Gannon's website).  Thus far I've made two recipes from it: Coconut Chicken Skewers & Cauliflower Soup. Suffice it to say both got major thumbs up from my hubby and his folks.  An important note is that Bev's recipes are known more for their tastiness then healthiness.  Instead of frying the chicken I browned it in a pan with a little oil and then baked them for 13 minutes (I'm sure they're even yummier deep fried but we didn't need the cholesterol or the calories).  I didn't put any of the cream in the soup nor did I separate out the carrots or onions -- my family can use as much veggies as they can get!

Another recipe that I thought was delightfully successful was from ye olde faithful Epicurious.com and was Cedar Planked Salmon with Maple Glaze.  Wow, was that tasty and fairly healthy! Its a great dish if you want to present something that looks fancy but is really very easy to make.

Tonight its Mexican food night at our casa and I'm making chicken fajitas/ensaladas. It should be pretty tasty, I'll try to report back tomorrow. 

Back to the Kitchen

Getting back to the kitchen, as with work, can sometimes take some motivation.  Its not that I don't want to cook, but the endless amounts of left overs coupled with out of town guests means a lot more eating out and a lot less cooking in.  That said, Monday I finally got back to it.  


I told my husband that I will only cook red meat if he doesn't eat it for lunch.  He would gladly eat steak for breakfast lunch and dinner (I think he ate In and Out Burger 8 times in one week in college).  But its my job as wife and duty as cook to look out for our health thus the red meat once a day policy.  Well, he had Salmon for lunch on Monday so I made him one of his favorites: 


Irish Beef Hand Pies: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/irish-beef-hand-pies
The recipe calls for cabbage but I substitute it for yellow onion.  My husband has a thing for the umami flavor and you can really get that out of onions. He tends to like to eat the pies with BBQ sauce.   


I am also resolved to cooking more hearty meals for myself.  I found a great recipe in Ready Made magazine for:


Curried Yellow Split Pea & Carrot Soup: http://www.readymade.com/projects/edible_adventure_yellow_split_pea_carrot_soup
I made it without the spicy cream to make it 100% vegan.  Hubby had a little as a side dish and I at it as my main course.  While it says, "soup" it had the consistency of refried beans. It reminded me a great deal of Ethiopian food.  


As another healthy side I also made:


Green Beans with Lemon and Pine Nuts:  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Green-Beans-with-Lemon-and-Pine-Nuts-232986
Super easy to make.  


All in I'd say a successful meal. I'd like to figure out a way that my husband would like the hand pies without BBQ sauce.