Mini Burgers!!

Since we are on the junk food spree, how can we not have burgers?? Which in my opinion, when made at home, on the grill are far from being junk.
And making them mini are just plain fun and can be had as an appetizer.

Mini Hamburger Bun

3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast,
1 cup whole milk, warm
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg

1 egg, beaten with a bit of milk for brushing
Sesame or poppy seeds

In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of flour with the yeast. Add in milk, butter, sugar and salt and mix lightly. In a small bowl, beat egg and add to the flour-milk mixture. Mix together until combined. Cover and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
Add the rest of the flour. Alternatively, knead in additional flour with your hands. Do this for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Be careful not to add too much flour or your buns will be dense and heavy.
Spray bowl or brush lightly with oil. Form dough into a ball and let rise at room temperature  covered, until doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour.
Divide dough into 18 equally-sized pieces. Shape into rolls: Arrange on a baking sheet, and let rise a third time until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to180C . Brush buns with the egg-milk mixture and sprinkle with a few sesame or poppy  seeds. Bake in the center of the oven until golden, about 20 minutes.  I
Remove from oven and transfer to a rack. Allow to cool completely before serving

My Hamburger Recipe

500 grams fresh ground beef

1 onion, minced

4 TBS chopped parsley

1 Tbs. cumin powder

salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients and let sit in fridge for a few hours, covered.

Shape into burgers and grill till done to your liking.

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Chicken Nuggets - Goodbye McDonalds - Hello Homeade!

Don't you always wonder what really goes into junk food? I try not to think about it - since the answer is in the category - junk.
I'm not crazy about fried foods and I definately try not to make any recipes that need deep frying but sometimes I stumble on a recipe that is a must try. This is one of them.
At least I know what they are made of.....
I found this recipe on one of the israeli blogs which I like very much.

Better than McDonalds / Burger King/ Jack in the Box / etc.. Chicken Nuggets

1 chicken breast
juice from 1 lemon

2 egg whites
1/3 cup soda
3 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs/ cornflour
2-3 drops tobasco sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp. salt

Oil for deep frying.

Whisk the egg whites till frothy. Mix in the spices. Add the soda, flour and cornflour - consistency should be like pancake batter.

Cut the breast into bite size pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice and mix.

Heat the oil in a fryer or wok.

When oil is hot enough lower heat and drop each chicken piece in the batter till completely covered. Place cautiously in the oil and fry 4-5 minutes till golden.

Serve with BBQ sauce.

My little childrens meal ponies

Shabbat Shalom with a Perfect Challah

Shabbat Shalom. Fridays are special. Slowly you can feel the unwinding of the people towards evening. If during the day everyone is husling and busling in order to get everything done on time - by afternoon everything gets quieter. And there is nothing more that symbolizes the jewish sabbath than a fresh challah. Some like it sweet, some with raisins, some with poppy, some with sesame seeds. There are round challas and braided, 3 braids, 4 braids and even six. I like my simplicity in my challa. 3 braids, no raisins. I save the sweeter challa for Rosh Hashana.

Every Friday in addition to the Sabbath Candles, I light a memorial candle, for those I love and are no longer with us - Ilan & Safta Rose. Both passed away in the past year. I miss them.

Sabbath Challa

2 Tbs. yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1 Tbs. sugar

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp. salt

6-7 cups flour

Knead all the ingredients until you get a nice soft dough.

Cover with a damp towel and let rise - approx. an hour to an hour and a half.

Knead once more to let out the air.

Make six ropes (for two challas) and braid 3 for each challah.

Brush with egg was and sprinkle with your choice of poppy seeds or sesame seeds.

Cover once again and let rise for approx. 30 minutes,

Preheat oven to medium heat (170C) and bake for 25-35 minutes - till golden.

Shabbat Shalom, my friends.

שבת שלום