prettybaking in Israel

עברנו ל"בית" חדש. בעברית

2011-05-24T15:30:00.004+03:00

http://www.doritamster.blogspot.com/

Purim

2011-03-20T20:47:00.001+02:00

Purim is one of those Jewish Holidays that is impossible not to like. It's our Halloween only without the trivk-or-treating. Instead, we exchange Mishloach Manot. This year the holiday was on a weekend giving us an extra special reason to continue partying and costuming....

Party #1 (with the family) I am Mother Nature

And of course my mishloach manot:

which included hamentaschen, peanut butter cookies, cranberry pistachio icebox cookies, white chocolate chip and cranberry cookies, chocolate chip nutella sandwich cookies and an assortment of chocolates, gummi-bears and candy.

mini hamentaschen

white chocolate chip cranberry cookies

Chocolate chip nutella sandwich cookies

And a poppyseed pie

Happy Purim!!

Trix are for kids.....and not for silly rabbits :-)

2011-03-15T19:17:00.000+02:00

As a kid I always loved the Saturday mornings when it was completely kiddy time on the TV. HR PuffinStuff, Mighty Mouse, etc. I also loved the commercials. From Lucky Charms ("they're magically delicious) to Rodney Allen Rippy for Jack in the Box.
Saturdays were the best!
As an adult I stopped eating the sugary cereals but my kids love them. Or so I thought....Recently I bought 2 boxes of TRIX (on sale). My kids won't touch them. And we don't throw food....(Every time I want to dump something I hear my mom telling me about the hunger in Africa...)
So - why not scheme the kids?
Why not replace the chocolate chips in the cookies with Trix?
And.....it worked!!!

Trix Cookies

100 grams butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups trix

Beat the butter wuth the sugars till fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.

In seperate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Gradually add to the butter mix until blended.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter aprox 1 cm apart.

Bake 10-12 minutes on 170C.

Cool completely.

When your sick and in the dumpsters...

2011-03-14T16:06:00.000+02:00

There is nothing more soothing than soup. Any soup, not just chicken - which is known to be our jewish penicillin. Vegetable soup works too, trust me - I feel better already :-)
With the soup I made some homeade rolls, the smell from the dough baking is such a homey feeling.

So I woke up this morning, took my sick self to the market and got what I needed for soup:

Vegetable Soup That Makes you Feel Better:

3 thin leeks, white part only. chopped
15 small mushrooms, sliced thin
1 stalk celery, sliced thin
3 small zucchinis, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 packet mushroom soup
olive oil

Saute leeks in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add the mushrooms and sautee till softened. Add rest of veggies and cover, stirring occasionally. Add water will covered and bring to boil. Add the mushroom soup and stir. Cook till tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add salt & pepper.

Easy rolls:

500 grams bread flour
2 1/2 tsp. yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. sugar
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups warm water

Coarse salt, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, oats (use your imagination)

Mix all ingredients and knead for 7 minutes.
Let stand, covered, till double in size.
Divide into 6-7 pieces and roll nto rectangular rolls. Place into a bowl of warm water (this will make the rolls easier to strech). Strech the roll and dip in your toppings.
Cover rolls for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 220C and bake for 10-13 minutes till golden.

Smothered in butter

One Word....

2011-03-02T20:43:00.000+02:00

Amazing! And realy easy to make.
Brownie Tart

Happy Birthday Little Sister!

2011-02-27T21:35:00.000+02:00

For my sisters birthday I wanted something extra special - like her. What could be more classy than Srawberries and Champage? After searching the web I found these and played around with it. I omitted the strawberry chocolate part, made my own toppers, added some sparkles and voila! Cupcakes fit for a princess and my sister is a princess (in a good way of course!)

Cupcakes Galore

2011-02-26T07:19:00.001+02:00

I love cakes. But I have never been a fan of frostings. Not that I don't like frosting. I think have a frosting phobia.
Until I saw all the beautiful and versatile cupcakes on Love and Olive Oil blog. I swear, her cupcakes make my mouth water.
So, I decided to get over my fears and off to the kitchen I went. Needled to say, my kids are my little taste testers and by now I am sure that they have frosting running through their veins :-) Luckily - they have friends always willing to try out my experiments....

My first experiment was with these chocolate - cheese swirl cupcakes with chocolate frangelico frosting.

I used the recipe for the cupcakes from "Its Never too Late to Live Happily Ever After" blog omitting the chocolate chips.

And the frosting was made like this:

For Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 1/2 - 3 cups confectioners' sugar
1-2 tablespoons frangelico liqueur
2 tablespoons cream

DIRECTIONS:

For frosting, cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in cocoa powder, along with 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Beat until combined. Beat in frangelico to taste. Continue adding sugar 1/2 cup at a time, adding cream as necessary, until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

My next venture were the prettiest ping sparkly cupcakes Tequila Sunrise, raiding the family bar (I am so happy that I splurge on alcohol that we never drink). I did omit the orange zest because 1) my kids hate the zest. 2) my orange looked a little old.

It's my sister's birthday this week...have to think of something extra special for my extra special sister!

My new love affair

2011-01-26T20:28:00.000+02:00

I have always loved crafting. Lately, though I am an awful blogger, I have started carftin again. I haven't stopped baking - but I have stopped photographing and blogging.
These are my latest

Wedding card

Milk holder

Another milk holder

Boys tissue box

I O U

2010-04-30T16:25:00.000+03:00

I'm a terrible blogger, I have admitted that before, but sometime life keeps us busy - hopefully in a good way :-)
And I have been busy - in a good way :-)

We had Independence day and I made this cake

I loved making it. It was fun and easy!!
It was a simple white pound cake (http://www.playinghouseblog.com/2010/02/perfect-pound-cake.html) which I divided into 2 batches - 1 remained white the other I added blue food coloring.

I also made this - with the Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake (http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=184) and decorated it wit \h a dove of peace (AMEN). The frostinf is whipped ganache.

Furthermore we have these amazing!! apple bars - they are seriously the best I have ever made

The recipe is http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/05/apple-streusel-bars.html and I highly advise you to keep it. They are serioulsy terrific.

Oreo Chip cookies

David Leibovitz's cheesecake brownies

Baked Onion Rings

And told my kids I love them with home-made burgers - straight from the heart :-)

Fatayer - a Middle Eastern vegetarian dish فطاير

2010-03-12T19:28:00.000+02:00

This is a simple savoury vegetarian dish. Its origins are either Syria or Lebanon, maybe even both. I'm not sure. And its got spinach, which makes it a good dish. Pine-nuts can be added to the filling, I didn't since the prices of the pine nuts have rocketed lately.

These are very easy to make, the dough is delightfuly golden & crispy.

For the dough:

3 cups flour
3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup warm milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp dry active yeast
1/4 cup canola or extra virgin olive oil ( I used olive oil)

For the filling:

500 g spinach, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely diced
juice of 2-3 lemons, to taste
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp sumac
salt and black pepper, to taste

Prepare the dough by mixing the oil with the flour, yeast and slowly mix in the milk, water and oil. Add salt to taste and knead for 10-15 minutes or until the dough is soft and elastic.
Let the dough rise foe approx. 45 minutes till double in size.
Knead the dough and let out the air.
Divide the dough into individual small (tennis ball size) balls and cover with a damp towel while you prepare the filling.
Saute the diced onions to soften them. Add the spinach and let Steam it till wilted - about 5 - 7 minutes. Add lemon juice, sumac and salt. Let drain while cooling.
Squeeze out as much water from the spinach as you can and adjust seasoning to taste.
Flatten each ball of dough and add a spoonful of the spinach mixture to the center of the disc while making sure to keep the sides clear of oil or filling. This will help create a better seal later.
Crimp the dough into a triangular shape and set on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Brush egg wash and bake in a 200 degree C oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Serve warm or room temp.

Cookies Galore ... and a Special Rainbow Surprise

2010-03-10T20:58:00.000+02:00

Who doesn't like cookies?
We grew up with them, they made us smile on a rainy day. Even made the booboo go away. It never mattered if they were home baked by mom or store bought. If there were cookies to munch on - we were happy :-)
As we grow up we realize that what is baked at home is full of love - and nothing can beat that. So on one special Saturday morning - I showed my kids - that mommy really loves them.

The first batch were Chocolate spirals from Bonnie's Bakery
Recipe:
(for the vanilla dough)

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
few drops vanilla extract
1/2 egg yolk, beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

(for the chocolate dough)

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
few drops vanilla extract
1/2 egg yolk, beaten
1 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl until soft and creamy. Add the vanilla, egg, and flour into the creamed mixture and stir until it forms a soft dough.
In a separate bowl, make the chocolate dough in the same way.
Knead each dough separately until smooth, cover in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out both pieces of dough to 10 x 7in. rectangles. Brush a little milk on the vanilla dough and lay the chocolate dough on top. Press down gently. Roll up from the short side to make a spiral log. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Cut the roll into (about) 24 slices, arrange 1 1/2in. apart on two parchment paper-lined cookies sheets, and bake for 10-12 minutes.

From this recipe I made "Zebra Hamentaschen" which are traditional cookies for Purim (celebrated at the end of February).

Before

The hamentaschen

The second batch were the prettier ones taken from Super Eggplant (I omitted the peppermint and they are fabulous, so pretty)

Peppermint Spiral Cookies from sfgate.com
Makes about 3 dozen (mine didn't make 3 dozen)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups unsifted cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon flaming red liquid gel food coloring or 9 drops red liquid food coloring
1 tablespoon unsifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups multi-colored nonpareil decors
INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugars in a food processor and process briefly to mix. Add the butter in pieces; process with on/off bursts until the mixture has the consistency of cornmeal. Add the vanilla and process until the mixture just forms a ball. (I didn't really process long enough. My mixture would not really form a ball, so I ended up having to add more butter later.)
Divide the dough into 2 equal portions then return one of the portions to the food processor. Add the peppermint extract, food coloring, and the extra tablespoon of flour to the processor and process until just incorporated.
Roll out each portion of dough between sheets of waxed paper. You want a rectangle about 11 x 8 1/2 inches by 1/8 inch thick. Leave the dough between the sheets of waxed paper and slide onto a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
Remove dough pieces from refrigerator. Pour the nonpareil decors into a shallow rectangular dish (such as a 9 x 13-inch pan.
Peel off the top sheet of waxed paper from both doughs. Brush the vanilla dough very lightly with water. Using the waxed paper, lift the peppermint dough and flip it onto the vanilla dough so they are stacked. Press with your fingertips to seal the two doughs together. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and trim the edges even.
When the dough is just pliable (but still cold), roll up the dough rectangles (begin with the long side) like a jellyroll. As you begin to roll, gently curl the edge with your fingertips so you don't get any air pockets as you roll dough into a log. As you roll, lift the waxed paper to help you roll the dough neatly and tightly.
After forming the dough into a log, throw away the waxed paper, and roll the dough back and forth on the work surface to evenly distribute the dough and form a nice little log. Gently lift the log on top of the nonpareil decors in the dish and roll until the log is completely coated with decors. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to slice (from 4 hours to a week, or freeze for up to 2 months; defrost in the refrigerator overnight before slicing).
Adjust rack to lower third of oven and preheat oven to 325°. To bake, slice the log into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick cookies and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets for 15 to 17 minutes, until the cookies are no longer shiny on top and the bottoms of the vanilla portion are golden.

The third batch were the same - but I used blue food coloring. I'll try a different color next time - the blue non-pareils turned a weird sickish color.

And last, but definately not least.....Rainbow Cupcakes

The method can be found here, just use any favorite white cake recipe.

I used "my Sweet & Saucy" recipe which I honestly think is the best for a buttercream recipe which really isn't a favorite of mine

Vanilla Buttercream

as adapted from Demolition Desserts

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

4 oz. unsalted softened butter

2 1/2 c. or 10 oz. powdered sugar

1/2 t. kosher salt

1 T. plus 1 t. whole milk

1 t. pure vanilla extract

1 t. fresh lemon juice (I put 1/2 t.)

Directions:

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter & salt for about 30 seconds and then add half of the powdered sugar and the milk to the butter and beat again until combined. Scrape down the bowl. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon juice and beat until combined. Scrape down the bowl again. Beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes or until the frosting is fluffy. She says that she prefers to use it the same day, but that it can keep in the refrigerator for 3 days if tightly wrapped. I have also left it out at room temperature overnight (if I was going to use it in the morning) and it was just fine. Make sure and stir the buttercream well though before using to get the air bubbles out of the frosting.

Sushi

2010-03-04T20:01:00.000+02:00

My daughter is a fan of sushi. I, however, am not. But for the occasion of the "Big Brother" finals I decided to make it a sushi night.

Sushi are reaaly easy to make once you get a hang of it and after the second try we were already making inside out sushi.

Sushi

2 cups sushi rice

2 cups water

1/2 cup rice vinegar

2 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Rinse the rice very well, until the water running comes out clear.

Cook the rice with the water till cooked.

Meanwhile heat the vinegar with the sugar and salt until completely disolved.

Pour over cooked rice and mix gently. Make sure all rice is covered. Let cool completely.

Place a nori sheet shiny side down. With wet hands spread the sticky rice, but leave approx. cm at the top. Place your filling in a row in the middle, we used carrots, avocado and an omlette - all julienned.

Roll the sushi tightly and slice.

Piece of pie.

We also made tempura sushi...

Crispy sushi

And mayo-wasabi sushi

Lol....I ate cauliflower tempura....

My favorite way to serve soup

2010-02-25T21:53:00.000+02:00

In a bread bowl

Kung Pao Shrimps

2010-02-20T14:12:00.000+02:00

Kevin. from Closet Cooking has one of the nicest blogs. I love his photos and recipes. So, having shrimp in the freezer - decided that it is about time to try out this recipe which I had my eye on for a long time. I didn't have the rice wine so I just omitted it.

It was delicious.

Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Shao Xing rice wine
1 tablespoon oil
10 dried red chilies (cut in half)
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (toasted)
5 green onions (sliced)
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
3 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chicken stock
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 handful roasted peanuts (roughly chopped)

Directions:
1. Mix the shrimp, cornstarch, water, soy sauce, and rice wine in a plastic bag and let marinate for 10-20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the red chilies and sichuan peppercorns and fry until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the shrimp and saute for a minute.
5. Add the white part of the green onions, garlic and ginger.
6. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chicken stock, sugar and corn starch and cook until the shrimp is cooked and the sauce thickens, a couple of minutes.
7. Serve garnished with the peanuts and the green part of the green onions.

Love is....

2010-02-19T20:28:00.000+02:00

Love is - Strawberries.

Love is - Chocolate.

So the best way to say I LOVE YOU is with a sexy strawberry chocolate tart...

Chocolate Strawberry Tart

Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

2 Tbs. sugar

1 egg yolk

2 Tbs. cold water

1 1/2 stick butter, cold

1/4 tsp/ salt

In a food processor - process all ingredients until they form small crumbs. Do not over-process. Gather the crumbs and form a ball. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for and hour.

Preheat oven to 175C.

Roll dough approx. 1/2 cm thick and place in pie pan.

Cover with foil and place balls or beans on top of the foil (this will stop "bubbles" from forming. Bake for approx. 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake till golden.

Cool completely.

Filling:

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, divided

Stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2 quart saucepan. Combine egg yolks and milk in container with pouring spout. Gradually blend milk mixture into sugar mixture.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Add 1-3/4 cups chocolate chips; stir until chips are melted and mixture is well blended. Pour into prepared pie shell; press plastic wrap onto filling. Cool. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled and firm.
Once firm, decorate with hulled strawberries.

Don't ever forget the romance and don't ever forget to say - I LOVE YOU at least 10 times a day.

How Do I Love Thee....Let me count the shrimps...

2010-02-16T18:23:00.000+02:00

Valentines day is over, but love is always in the air....

I think that shrimp is one of the best aphrodisiacs you can put on a plate.

Today at work, a coworker gave me this simple easy tasty recipe - thanks Liad!

Easy? Even a rookie can make these. Simple

1 can coconut milk

1 cup spicy sweet thai sauce

raw deveined shrimp

On low heat warm the coconut sauce till begins to bubble. Add the thai sauce and mix. Add the shrimp and cook till the shrimp turns pink. DO NOT OVERCOOK!!!

Thats it.

Valentine Roses

2010-02-13T17:41:00.000+02:00

Well, almost roses....

A dozen of them, for my Valentine

Pink Rose Cookies

Dough

2 1/2 cups self rising flour

200 grams butter, softened

3 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla

1 cup sour cream

pinch salt

Filling:

3 egg whites

pinch salt

1 cup sugar

1 envelope instant vanilla pudding

a few drops pink food coloring

heart jimmies

In a large mixer mix all the dough ingredients. Form a ball and cover in saran wrap. Place in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, Beat egg whites till foamy. Gradually add the sugar till stiff peaks appear. Add the pudding slowly, till combined. Gently mix in the pink color.

Divide the dough into 2 parts. Roll each part (approx 1/2 cm thick).

Spread the filling and roll. Sprinkle a few jimmies on each "rose"

Cut each roll approx 1 cm wide. Place on baking sheet and bake approx 20 minutes at 175C.

Cool completely.

Valentines Pizza for my Love!

2010-02-13T17:27:00.000+02:00

How do you say I love you with pizza? Easy!!

Just get a heart shape cutter - and cut your pizza toppings with a heart!!

No better way to say I LOVE YOU, AMORE!

Super Bowl Ranch Burgers

2010-02-07T18:07:00.000+02:00

Know any kids that dislike burgers? Know any adults that will pass a nice hot whopper with all the toppings? Put those together and Super Bowl Sunday - and you got a winner....

I do admit that these burgers were a mistake...recipe -wise. I have been told time and time again to read a recipe from begining to end and then start preparation....but - you can't teach an old dog new tricks. And anyways....sometimes mistakes make marvelous burgers.
The recipe I found called for ranch dressing. Of course the dressing was to be put on the buns...not in the ground beef...lol. I did put it in the beef - and I must say the burgers were extra juicy and tasty.
The recipe can be found here.
And the buns I made are from my previous post - mini burgers.
Just make sure the ranch dressing is in the beef mixture....

And of course - GOOOOOOOOOOO Saints... And Colts!!!

A taste of Childhood

2010-02-06T08:02:00.000+02:00

As a child, teenager, grownup - every time I would stay at my grandmothers I would wake up to the scent of fresh cinnamon raisin bagels - my favorite. No, she did not bake them, but she would always run to the bagel store and they were always on hand. They were my favorite.

When she had to stop driving she would make sure to give me a few dollars and send me to the bakery in Westwood to get them.

These are for you safta, I miss you.

The recipe is long, and I must say that i cut corners in the end (didn't do the water testing thing...) But they came out great nontheless

Cinnamon Raisin Bagels
Yield: 12 bagels
Sponge:
1 teaspoon (0.11 ounces) instant yeast
4 cups (18 ounces) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2½ cups (20 ounces) water, at room temperature
Dough:
1 teaspoon (0.11 ounces) instant yeast
3¾ cups (17 ounces) unbleached high-gluten or bread flour
2¾ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups loosely packed raisins, rinsed in warm water
2 teaspoons malt powder
-OR-
1 tablespoon dark or light malt syrup, honey, or brown sugar
To Finish:
1 tablespoon baking soda
Cornmeal or semolina flour for dusting
1. To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a 4-quart mixing bowl. Add the water, whisking or stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter (like pancake batter). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or untiil the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the countertop.
2. To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl, add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt, malt, sugar and cinnamon. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough.
3. Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes by machine), adding the raisins during the final 2 minutes. The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77° to 81°F. If the dough seems too dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achiever the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.
4. Immediately divide the dough into 4½-ounce pieces for standard bagels. Form the pieces into rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for approximately 20 minutes.
5. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and mist lightly with spray oil. Shape the bagels in one of the following two ways:
5a. Poke a hole in a ball of bagel dough and gently rotate your thumb around the inside of the hole to widen it to approximately 2½ inches in diameter. The dough should be as evenly stretched as possible (try to avoid thick and thin spots).
5b. Roll out the dough into an 8-inch-long rope. Wrap the dough around the palm and back of your hand, between the thumb and forefinger, ovrlapping the ends by several inches. Press the overlapping ends on the counter with the palm of your hand, rocking back and forth to seal.
6. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pans. Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and slip each pan into a food-grade plastic bag, or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
7. Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in thee refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being droppd into the water. Take one bagel and test it. If it floats, immediately return the tester bagel to the pan, pat it dry, covr the pan, and place it in the refrigerator overnight (it can stay in the refrigerator for up to 2 days). If the bagel does not float, return it to the pan and continue to proof the dough at room temperature, checking back every 10 to 20 minutes or so until a tester floats. The time needed to accomplish the float will vary, depending on the ambient temperature and the stiffness of the dough.
8. The following day (or when you are ready to bake the bagels), preheat the oven to 500°F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the wider the pot the better), and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby.
9. Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many as comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds). After 1 minute flip them ovr and boil for another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side. While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal or semolina flour.
10. When all the bagels have ben boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180-degree rotation. (If you are baking only 1 pan, keep it on the center shelf but still rotate 180 degrees.) After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown. You may bake them darker if you prefer.
11. Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.
(Adapted from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart)

Alfarores

2010-02-05T14:58:00.000+02:00

Spiral Cookies

2010-02-05T14:56:00.000+02:00

Next in the oven were spiral cookies. I have wanted to make these forever and for some unknown reason - never have. Silly me. They are great and so easy to make. Wonderful with morning coffee.

Spiral Cookies - Nira Shoyer
200 grams butter, room temp.
21/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 Tbs. lemon zest
pinch salt

Mix all ingredients till incorporated. Divide in 2 halves. To one half add 2 TBS cocoa.
Roll one half into rectangle, then roll the other half. PLace the chocolate half on the white half and roll. Cut into 1 cm thick cookies and bake 10 minutes on high heat.
Cool on rack

A Sweet Friday!

2010-02-05T14:49:00.000+02:00

This weekend is a cold one. Since the waether is usually not terribly extreme we tend to be spoiled. So when it gets under 15 degrees C - we freeze.
So today was a kitchen day. Filling the house with sweet smells and warmth from the oven. I do love baking!

So Istarted the morning with a fresh lof of Walnut Cranberry Bread. This bread has been a huge success and usually doesn't even get a chance to cool off. I will start making it with half the amount of sugar, I think its a bit soo sweet.

Walnut Cranberry Bread

3 cups bread flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

4 tsp. yeast

3 Tbs. brown sugar

2 tsp. salt

5 Tbs. Olive Oil

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup cranberries (or raisins)

Knead all ingreients, except the walnuts and cranberries for 10 minutes. Add the nuts and berrys and knead 2 addidional minutes.

Place in an oiled bowl and cover. Proof dough till double in size.

Roll dough to desired loaf and let rise again till doubled in size.

Flour the top and with a very sharp knife make some slashes on the top of the bread.

Bake in a hot oven 220C for about 40 minutes.

Mini Burgers!!

2010-01-11T21:13:00.000+02:00

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.

Chicken Nuggets - Goodbye McDonalds - Hello Homeade!

2010-01-10T19:43:00.000+02:00

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

2010-01-08T17:07:00.002+02:00

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

The Sephardic Douhnut - Sfenj

2009-12-16T07:45:00.000+02:00

Hannuka, Hannuka - such a fun holiday. Such a fattening holiday, but then again....aren't all the jewish holidays? Judaism is all about food. Trust me. But I do love the "merging" of the different origins during the holidays - the Ashkenzi jews (European decscent) & the Sephardic jews (African descent) have integrated over the years and on a holiday table you can find the ashkenazi gefilte fish sitting by the sephardic "hraime" (spicy fish).

I grew up with a ashkenazi spoon in my mouth. Everything is sweet. Nothing very spicy. Definately hot peppers and spices were not a big part of the culinary ashkenazi life. My Safta Tova is a wonderful cook and baker - raising us on good polish recipes. Her Hannuka sufganiyot are the best in the world. The past few years she hasn't been able to cook nor bake. The years have taken their toll on this amazing woman who is into her 90's (tfo tfo tfo, touch wood, hamsa hamsa, hamsa). So this year I was the sufganiyot maker. She called to say that they were very good. Coming from her - that is the ultimate compliment. I need nothing more in life.
Now, back to the Ashkenaz and Sephardic jewish culinary. We have the sufganyot, which I made last week (and will make again tonight for the office potluck tomorrow) and the Sephardic have the "sfenj" - which is quite like a beignet, only with no sugar in the dough, and usualy served with an aromatic syrup on the side.The Morrocans claim that sfinj is theirs. So do the Tunisians....the Liberians....and so on. Kind of like the Hummous war...but no getting into that! It doesn't really matter. And I don't really care. As long as there are Sfinj's in the world...does it matter?

And these are yummy - best served warm.

Sfinj:

1 kg Flour, all purpose

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp sugar

1TBS. brandy

2 TBS yeast, fast acting

2-2 1/2 cups warm water

Oil, for frying

Place all ingredients in lage mixer bowl, with hook.

Knead slowly for about 5 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. Knead again for 1 minute. Let rest for 10 minutes. One more time - 1 minute kneading. 10 minute resting.

Knead last time to let out air and make approx. 25 ping-pong size balls. Let stand approx. 15 minutes, covered. In the meantime heat deep frying oil on medium heat.

Don't let the oil heat too much, or else the sfinj's will burn.

Oil your hands, take a ball and with you fingers make a whole in the middle, like a sloppy doughnut....:-)

Place carefully in oil and fry 2 minutes per side.

Cover with sugar, powdered sugar, syrup or jam.

Serve warm.

I am a Daring Cook Salmon en Croute

2009-12-14T18:09:00.001+02:00

Salmon en croute:

Ingredients
Mascarpone or creamcheese 5.2 ounces/150 gr
Watercress, rocket (arugula) and spinach - 0.6 cup/4.2 ounces/120 gr
Shortcrust pastry - 17.6 ounces, 500 gr. Use a butterversion such as Jus-rol which is frozen or dorset pastry. or... make your own!
Salmon fillet (skinless)- 17.6 ounce/500 gr
egg - 1 medium sized
Directions:
1.Heat the oven to 200°C/390 F. Put the mascarpone or cream cheese in a food processor with the watercress, spinach and rocket and whizz the lot until you have a creamy green puree. Season well.
2. Roll the pastry out so you can wrap the salmon in it completely (approx. 2-3 mm thick) and lay it on a buttered or oiled baking sheet (it will hang over the edges). Put the salmon in the middle. If it has a thinner tail end, tuck it under. Spoon half of the watercress mixture onto the salmon. Now fold the pastry over into a neat parcel (the join will be at the top, so trim the edge neatly), making sure you don’t have any thick lumps of pastry as these won’t cook through properly. Trim off any excess as you need to. Make 3 neat cuts in the pastry to allow steam to escape and make some decorations with the off-cuts to disguise the join if you like. Brush with the egg glaze.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and browned. To test wether the salmon is cooked, push a sharp knife through one of the cuts into the flesh, wait for 3 seconds then test it against the inside of your wrist; if it is hot, the salmon is cooked. Serve with the rest of the watercress puree as a sauce.
Shortcrust pastry
While this is not mandatory to do, I highly recommend making your own shortcrust pastry as it is very simple to do! As mentioned in the notes; please make sure to not add too much water as that is the key to having a successful shortcrust pastry. Watch this video to check the correct consistency of the dough Making shortcrust pastry
Ingredients:
450 gr (15.8 ounces or 3.2 cups ) of plain all purpose flour
200 gr ( 7 ounce) cold butter
pinch of salt
Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you have a food processor you can use that as shown in the above video.
Stir in the salt, then add 2-3 tbsp of water and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface. Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.
For best results make sure the butter is very cold.
Instructions for Beef Wellington (serves 4)
Button mushrooms - 17.6 ounces/500gr (stalks removed and finely chopped)
Olive oil - 2-3 tbsp
thyme - 1 sprig
Beef fillet, center cut piece - 21.16 ounce/600 gr
English mustard - 1 tbsp
puff pastry (all butter pastry pack) - 17.6 ounce/500 gr
parma ham (prosciutto) - 3 slices
egg yolk - 1 pcs, beaten
For the herb crepes:
plain (all purpose) flour - 0.3 cup/1.76 ounce/50 gr
milk - 0.5 cup/125 ml
mixed herbs - 1 tbsp (chopped, use herbs such as cervil, chives and tarragon
butter - 0.5 tbsp
Instructions:
1. To make the crepes, whizz the flour, egg and milk with a pinch of salt in a blender or processor until smooth. Pour into a jug and stir in the herbs and some seasoning. Leave to rest.
2. Fry the mushrooms in a little oil until they give up all their moisture and it has evaporated, leaving you with a thick paste. Add the thyme leaves and some seasoning and keep cooking for a few minutes. Cool.
3. Stir the melted butter into the crepe batter, heat a 15 cm crepe pan and oil it lightly. Pour in enough batter to make a thin layer on the base of the pan, cook until the top surface sets and then turn over and cook briefly. Remove and repeat with the rest of the batter. This will make a couple more than you need so choose the thinnest ones for the recipe.
4. Sear the beef all over in a little oil in a very hot pan. Brush with the mustard, season and allow to cool.
5. Lay a large sheet of cling-film on a kitchen surface and put two crepes down on it, overlapping a little. Lay over the parmaham (prosciutto). Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham and put the beef in the centre. Roll the cling-film up, taking the crepe with it, to wrap the beef completely into a nice neat log. Chill for 1 hour.
6. Heat the oven to 200°C/390F. Roll out the pastry, remove the clingfilm and wrap the beef in the pastry like a parcel, with the ends tucked under. Trim to keep it nice and neat. Brush with egg, score with shallow lines across the top and chill for 20 minutes.
7. Cook for 20 minutes. The best way to test if the meat is done to your liking is to neatly and carefully stick a skewer into the beef, count to three and then test it against your inner wrist. If it is cold, the beef will be raw, if it is warm then the beef will be rare and if it’s hot, it’ll be cooked through. Leave to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

The salmon rolled in saran wrap

Before going into the oven (I have my nephew's name put on it between the fish)

Yum

Safta Tova's Potato Latkes

2009-12-08T20:44:00.001+02:00

Another fried goodie for Hanukka are latkes - traditional potato pancakes. very easy, very tasty, very fattening.

Latkes are the most notable example of fried foods. Latkes are potato pancakes found in many Jewish homes during Hanukkah. They are made by frying small pancakes of grated potatoes held together by eggs and/or milk. They are usually eaten with apple sauce or sour cream.

500 g potatoes , peeled & grated
1 medium onion , peeled & grated
3 egs
3 tbsp bread crumbs
salt & pepper
vegetable oil for frying
salt and pepper

Transfer the grated potatos and onion into a sieve and with a bowl placed below, squeeze out all the excess liquid. Discard the water, before placing them back to the bowl.
Add the eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper into the bowl of grated vegetables and combine well.
Placing the frying pan onto a medium heat, add some oil and allow it to warm through. When warm, add a spoonful of the latke mixture. Using the back of your spoon, flatten it out into a disk shape. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Allow the cakes to brown on both sides then remove with your spatula. Transfer onto a plate lined with kitchen paper, to drain. Repeat with the remaining mix.
Top with crème fraiche, or dust with some sugar or eat as I do - plain with no toppings

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel - I made it out of Clay....then I made Latkes & Sufganiyot

2009-12-08T20:35:00.002+02:00

Well, partially true. I have never made a dreidel. And the sufganiyot I made many years ago assisted many army's in winning battles when used as heavy bombs....but this year I decided to make amends. I was willing to give the another try. I am not sure my success was wise as sufganiyot are calorie bombs....but Hannukah comes only once a year and with it all the fried goodies...
A little about Hannuka, from Dianes Desserts:

What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is an eight-night celebration. The Hanukkah celebration includes lighting the candles of the Hanukiyah (in English-speaking countries this is often called a Menorah, which is the Hebrew word for a candelabra) on each day of the holiday, playing with the dreidel, eating latkes and exchanging Hanukkah gelt.

The holiday of Hanukkah is spelled several different ways in English, including "Hanukah," "Hanukkah," "Chanukkah," and "Chanukah."

Like another famous winter-time holiday, Christmas, Hanukkah is about history. The celebration of Hanukkah is a commemoration of an event that happened more than 2,000 years ago.

In 167 B.C., the Syrian king Antiochus IV began to outlaw Jewish religious practices and forced Jews to adopt Greek rituals. His men took control of the Jews' Holy Temple in Jerusalem, looted it and erected an idol of a Greek god there. One Jewish family, the Hasmoneans (led by Mattityahu and his five sons), decided to take a stand against the persecution. The Greek forces arrived in the town of Modiin, near Jerusalem. It was here that after refusing to violate his own religion by praying to the Greek god Zeus, Mattityahu attacked the Greek soldiers.

This action began the Jewish rebellion. Mattityahu and his sons became known as the Maccabees, which means "men who are as strong as hammers" in Hebrew. The small army, led by Mattityahu's most famous son, Judah Maccabee, fought sizeable Greek forces. In 165 B.C., the Maccabees were triumphant. On the 25th of the Hebrew month Kislev, the Maccabees reclaimed the Holy Temple.

They decided to rededicate the temple -- the word "Hanukkah" means dedication. The Jewish army was unable to find enough oil to light the Menorah, or candle holder, to be used in the service. The Maccabees found only one bottle of oil, enough for only a single night. Miraculously, the oil lasted eight nights, giving the Jews time to produce more oil.

The holiday of Hanukkah commemorates this miracle. By lighting candles for eight nights, beginning every year on the 25th of Kislev (usually in December on the Western calendar, but not always), Jews celebrate the triumph of the Maccabees, the rededication of the Holy Temple and the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days. This year (2009), Hanukkah begins at Sundown on December 11.

As a child I loved the 8 days of Hannuka. My grandparents would spoil us to death with various gifts and hannuka gelt, The word gelt means "money" in Yiddish. On Hanukkah, there is a tradition of giving real or chocolate coins as presents to children. Most likely because Hanukkah falls near Christmas, giving gelt has evolved into giving and receiving other presents on each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.

So here are my Hannuka goodies - Hope you enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season, whatever your religion is....

Sufganiyot

Active dry yeast -- 1 (1/4-ounce) package
1/4 cupLukewarm water
3-3 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Milk
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons Butter, room temperature
1 TBS Brandy
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Dulche de Leche
Oil for deep frying

Method

Mix the yeast and warm water together in a small bowl and set aside for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and sugar. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast mixture, milk, brandy, beaten egg, butter and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon to mixthe ingredients and bring the dough together. Add a little more flour if the dough is too wet.

Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth but still a little sticky. Lightly butter or oil a large bowl. Add the dough to the bowl and cover it with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Set in a warm corner until the dough is doubled in size.
Return the dough to a lightly floured surface and punch it down to deflate. Knead lightly for another 2-3 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a biscuit cutter or large glass to cut out 24 rounds with a diameter of 3 to 4 inches.
Place 12 of the rounds onto a baking sheet. Put 2 tablespoons of dulche de leche in the middle of each round, taking care to keep a border of about 1/2 inch clean. Place the remaining rounds on top of each filled round and press the edges together to seal. Lightly cover with plastic wrap and set aside again until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.
Add at least 3 inches of oil to a large, deep pot or deep fryer. Set the oil over medium-high heat . Reduce heat to maintain temperature. Working in batches, add a few of the stuffed dough balls to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on one side. Flip over with a spatula or fork and brown on the second side.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain briefly, then toss in the sugar to coat. Set aside and repeat with the remaining dough. Serve warm.
Ganache: 200 ml cream + 200 grams chocolate. Melt over low heat.
Cover each sufganiya with the ganache and sprinkle with candy, nuts etc.

My Tortilla Love Affair

2009-12-06T20:35:00.000+02:00

I do so love tortillas. They are so versatile....fill them with guacamole and salsa - your in Spain. Fill them with Satay chicken and chile sauce - you are in Thailand. You can even fill them with Falafel and tehina and remain in Israel....but here they are so darn expensive. So I figured they must ne difficult to make. They are not. After preparing them once - I assure you that you will never purchase them again.

I found these on Tammy's blog. She has such a great blog, very down to earth.

Tammy's Spinach Tortillas

9 oz. fresh spinach, chopped

1 TBS water

2+ cups flour (you will use more than 2 cups)

1/2 tsp salt or garlic salt

dash of pepper

1/4 cup oil

The dough

Instructions:

1. In a large pan or skillet over medium to medium-low heat, cook spinach in water. Cover, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted and soft. This will probably take about 5 minutes after the pan is hot and the spinach has started to cook.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, and oil. Stir until crumbly.
3. Add the (hot or warm) spinach mixture, including the water left in the pan from cooking. Knead or stir, adding additional flour as needed (may take a cup or more of extra flour) to make a smooth dough. Knead dough for about 5 minutes, which will mix the spinach in better, and give the dough an even consistency.
4. Divide dough into 8 parts (for 10 to 12-inch tortillas) or more (for smaller tortillas).
5. Pre-heat a griddle or large skillet over medium heat.

6. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough portion into a thin circle.

7. Brown tortillas in pre-heated pan for about 5 minutes on each side, just until cooked. A few light brown spots should appear.

Stack cooked tortillas on a plate or in a bowl with a clean towel around them, until all are cooked. Serve warm, filled with your favorite fillings - I used avocado and sprouts - but the sky's the limit.

The BEST Srawberry Cheesecake. Period

2009-12-05T20:08:00.002+02:00

My baby is 24. This is his favorite cake in the world and it had become a tradition on his birthday. It is very rich, beautiful and yet very easy in preparation.
It is from Epicurious

Strawberry Topped Cheesecake with Graham cracker Crust

For crust

20 whole graham cracker (10 ounces total), broken
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar

For filling

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 large eggs

For topping

2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 16-ounce baskets strawberries, hulled
1 18-ounce jar raspberry jelly

Make crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Wrap foil around outside of 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Combine graham crackers, butter and sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, blend until crumbs begin to stick together. Press crumbs onto bottom and 2 3/4 inches up sides of springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.
Make filling:
Beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in large bowl until very smooth. Beat in flour. Add eggs and beat just until blended, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Pour batter into crust.
Bake cheesecake until outer 2-inch edge of cake os puffed and slightly cracked, center is just set and top is brown in spots, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Cool 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
Make topping:
Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl to blend.
Spoon topping over cake, spreading to edge of pan. Bake until topping is just set, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Run knife between crust and pan.
Cool hot cake in pan on rack, Chill overnight.
Release pan sides from cheesecake. Arrange whole berries, points facing up, atop cheesecake; cover completely. Stir jelly in heavy small saucepan over medium-=low heat until melted.Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Brush enough jelly over berries to glaze generously, allowing some to drip between berries. Reserve remaining glaze in saucepan. (Cake and glaze can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover cake and refrigerate.)
Rewarm remaining glaze until pourable. Cut cake into wedges. Pass remaining glaze separately.

Caramel Apples...Is the Circus in town??

2009-12-04T07:57:00.000+02:00

As a kid, my grandparents, especially my grandfather, would take us each year to the circus. Barnum and Bailey. After the first time we kind of understood the concept and foubd it pretty boring. Millions of people, silly clowns that were never really up to our standards and kids that fly from cannon balls. We just didn't buy it. But we knew that my grandfather adored the circus. We were just an excuse for going. Today, I really miss it. I have taken my kids on occasion to circuses but they are never the same. I miss the innocence of the silly clown, the poodles running around and the elephants! Yes. I miss real elephants.

And I miss the caramel apples. No body seems to make them like they do at the circus.

So surfing the net I found a recipe I can handle....They are great.

The caramel has a taste that you certanly cannot purchase anywhere. Completely addicting. They are easy, and they dont break your teeth when trying to take a bite.This is for you Dobby, I hope you are smiling. I hope the circus comes to visit you in heaven.

Caramel Apples:

8 TBS. butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 pinch salt

1 can (14 oz.) sweetene condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

10-12 small Granny Smith apples

popsicle or lolipop sticks

Directions:

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan. Mix in the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cool the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil. Stir in the condensed milk. Cook and stir until a candy or instant read thermometer reads 248 F (firm ball stage) Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Insert a lolipop stick in each apple so that it is firmly in place. Dip the apples one at a time into the caramel mixture, turning slowly to coat evenly. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with wax paper and allow to set. Decorate as desired.

Walima - Celebrating Middle Eastern Cuisine - Aysh el Saraya

2009-11-28T17:26:00.010+02:00

The November sweet was hosted by Joumana from www.tasteofbeirut.com - and she made a wonderful choice!
I did it!!! My first challenge for the Walima Cooking group. At first I was definately skeptical regarding this recipe....the bottom is bread....the top has no sugar in it, hmmmm doesn't sound too tempting. But checking the web and asking friends of Lebanese heritage I understood that this recipe is a winner. And it was. The sweet syrup poured over the bread with a wonderful hint of orange blossom water made this such a wonderfully typical middle eastern dessert.
I took it to my nephew's Bar Mitzva brunch and the dessert vanished way before the other desserts...:-)
This is definately a recipe I will make over and over again!!
I only wish that through our recipes maybe peace will prevail between our countries. AMEN!!!
Walima is a Middle Eastern Cooking Club, with talented cooks from around the globe.

The Club extends the invitation to all Arab Cooks around the world, as well to every cook who enjoys cooking and has passion for Middle Eastern Cuisine! In the mean time, the group does encourage and welcome every cook (blogger and/or non blogger) to join and be part of Walima’s talented and spicy team

The groups goal is to accept, support, and appreciate each other; while educating, respecting and indulging in each member’s culture and catering in a family environment. Moreover, to emphasize and generously the nutritional and healthy aspect of Arabic Food!

Walima November cooking challenge will represent the Lebanese Cuisine. Talking about Lebanon which comes from Laban or the high White Mountain, this also reflects our food and what a coincidence that both recipes have dairy

Sweet Challenge:The Bread of the Seraglio ( Aysh el-Saraya)

1 round loaf white bread, about 8 inches in diameter, 1 day old

9 ounces golden superfine sugar

4 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

scant 1/2 cup boiling water

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

1 tablespoon rose water

1 3/4 cups Lebanese clotted cream or Ashta 2 tablespoons pistachios, ground medium-fine

Cut off the crust of the bread and keep for bread crumbsSlice off the top of the white bread to get one flat slice about 1 1/2 inch thick and put it in a round serving dish about the same size as the bread.Tear the rest of the bread in thick pieces and use them to fill the gaps in the dish.

Put the sugar, water and lemon juice in a deep frying pan and place over medium heat. Bring to the boil and cook, stirring constantly, so that the sugar does not crystallize in places, for about 20 minutes or until it is caramelized.Towards the end of the cooking time, measure 7 ounces of water and bring to a boil in a teakettle. When the sugar is caramelized, start adding the water gradually without taking the sugar mixture off the heat. Be very careful, because the sugar will start spluttering and you could burn yourself!Pour the boiling syrup all over the bread and transfer the soaked bread to the pan. Place over medium heat and cook pressing the bread with the back of a spoon to mash it and make it soak up the syrup.Clean the edges of the serving dish and slide the bread back onto it, spreading it evenly across the dish. Let it cool then cover the bread entirely with cream.

Chill then cover with pistachios right before serving.

Clotted cream or Ashta:

2 slices of white bread without the crust

2 cups half-and-half

Cut the bread in small pieces and place in a saucepanPour the cream or half-and-half over the bread Bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring often.Cool then refrigerate. It should keep for 4 to 5 days. Makes 1 pint.Makes 4

Just a goofy picture because Sylvester was so cute in the garden

Lahma Bi Ajoon - "Meat in Bread" or Meat Pie or "Sfih'a"

2009-11-27T16:07:00.010+02:00

These meat pies originate in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. They are highly popular throughout the Middle-East. They vary from lamb to beef. I am not keen on lamb so I chose the beef version. I also omitted the cinnamon that is very common in meast throughout the Middle-east. I also omitted the pomegranate seeds, only because I did not have any on hand.
They are very easy to make. The dough very comfortable to work with. All in all they are easy to prepare and will defibately make them again. The addition of sesame seeds is my interpretation of how they should be.
Hope you like.
Sfih'a

Dough:
1 kg ap flour
2 TBS fast acting yeast
1 TBS salt
5-6 TBS Olive Oil
2 1/2 cups warm water

Knead about 10 - 15 minutes. Cover and let fremate till double in size.

Meat Mixture
1 large onion, chopped
500 grams chopped beef
1 tomato, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 TBS tomato paste
salt, pepper, paprika
50 grams pine nuts
sesame seeds

Mix all the ingredients, except the pine nuts and sesame seeds.
After dough has doubled inside, knead once again to let out air. Divide into approx. 10 - 12 balls and roll out into pita sized circles. Brush with olive oil and let stand till double in size. Make a "well" in the middle of each "pita". Sprinkle sesame seeds around the well. Take a golf sized ball of the meat mixturre and place in the "well". Sprinkle with the pine nuts.

Bake approx. 20 minutes on medium heat till meat is cooked and dough is golden.
Serve warm with tehina or labane.

Have a Wonderful Eid el Adha!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T20:48:00.002+02:00

Pumpkin soup served in an acorn squash

Have a great Holiday!

Dinner Rolls - not only for dinner...

2009-11-23T20:59:00.009+02:00

I work long hours. Fact. I don't mind. I juggle through my work life, my home life, my mommy life and also I am a Daddy...so thats life. I do my best. Try not to forget anything. Usually do. Today I forgot to by rolls for the kids school lunch. I've made the pita pockets and felt like trying something new. I had my eye on these from Chanit's blog. They are pretty easy to make.
The original recipe is by Dan Lepard and can be found here.

Buttermilk Buns

1 sachet instant yeast
50g wholemeal flour
450g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp salt
50g soft butter
200ml cultured buttermilk
Oil, for kneading

Mix the yeast, wholemeal flour and 100ml warm water in a small bowl and set aside for half an hour. Put the white flour and salt in a large mixing bowl, and rub in the butter. Stir the buttermilk with the yeast mixture, then add to the flour, along with enough water (about 50ml) to make a soft, sticky dough.

Cover the bowl for 10 minutes, oil a 20cm area of work surface and knead the dough on it for 10 seconds. Return the dough to the bowl, cover, and repeat the kneading procedure twice more at 10-minute intervals. Once kneaded the final time, leave the dough to rest for 45 minutes.

Shape the dough into eight equal-sized balls, roll into 10cm long ovals, space out on floured baking trays and dust with flour. Leave for about 30 minutes, to double in size, then bake at 220C (210C fan-assisted)/ 450F/gas mark 8 for 15 minutes. Remove and, as they cool, cover with a cloth to keep them soft.

Falafel Friday

2009-11-20T15:08:00.007+02:00

Falafel. There isn't a human being in the middle east that doesn't love it. For us - it's like Mcdonalds. A fast food. There is the never ending argument in each city of who has the best Falafel. There are even blocks with at least 7-8 falafel stands. Each one announcing that he is king. We have Abraham the Falafel King, next to him is Abraham the King of Kings, and right by him another Abraham, only he is the King of all the kings. I think you get the picture.
Then there is the never ending argument of who invented the Falafel. Was it the jews in Egypt, while in exiled slavery? Did the Lebanese jews bring it with them to Israel?
DOES IT MATTER????
Falafel is Falafel, whether Jews, Israelis, Lebanese or Syrians invented it. It just doesn't matter and definately not worth the argument.
Please see this fact sheet for more interesting info on Falafel.
Since making my wonderful pita pockets I figured its time to make Falafel. And they came out great :-)

Falafel

2 cup dried chickpeas or 16 oz. can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
1/2 large onion
5 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh corriander
2 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tsp. paprika
2pices of dark bread, crumbled
1 tsp. Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying

Preparation:

Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, covering with cold water. Allow to soak overnight.

Drain chickpeas.

In a meat grinder grind the chickpeas,garlic, onion, coriander, and bread. Mix togehter

Add cumin,baking soda, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. The mixtures taste should be a bit bolder than expexted. It will mellow out during the frying.

Let stand 30 minutes to an hour.

Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball.

Fry in 2 inches of oil at 350 degrees until golden brown (5-7 minutes).

Serve hot

The mixture

Serve in pita bread, with salad and tehina

Chicken Rings...no more store bought....

2009-11-17T19:37:00.009+02:00

Ever wonder what they put into your food? Especially Ground meats? Extra especially into your chicken fingers?? DON'T. Trust me - none of us want to know. Nothing good....
The worst part is - that this is what our kids are eating. I do try to make good healthy foods at home. And on occasion I buy the frozen prepared foods. I think those days are over. I finally found a great recipe for chicken rings (If I try - next time they will be made into chicken fingers...).
And at least I know what is in then. Hey - I even ground the chicken myself :-). Not something I like to do (had childhood flashbacks of my grandmother grinding carp fish for Friday night Gefilte Fish - which I despise). The whole grinding is messy but on the other hand totally worth it.

Chicken Rings:
1 kg. ground chicken
2 eggs
salt
pepper
1 cup corn kernals (I used canned)

Batter:
5 eggs
5TBS. self rising flour

Bread crumbs

Mix the chicken, eggs, salt and pepper. Add in the corn.

In a small bowl whisk the eggs and flour.

In an additional bowl put in bread crumbs.

Preheat oven to 180C.
Make golf sized balls from the chocken mix. Place in batter and then in the bread crumbs. make sure the whole chicken ball is completelty covered in crumbs.
Place on parchment paper and using your fingers - form a whole, but make sure you keep the form of a ball. Contimue with all the mixture.
Bake 10 minutes and turn each ring over. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
Serve with ketchup, mayonaise or nothing...:-)

I made a bunch and froze them - so the kids need only to warm them after school.

Easy going!

Eggrolls - Made Healthier

2009-11-15T05:10:00.010+02:00

This is really an easy recipe and is open to any creative ideas you have. It can be adjusted to your tastes and whims. Mine are veggie, but I will definately make my next ones with shrimp...
I tend to wrap each one seperately in parchment paper and freeze them. This way - if ever I have unexpected guests, cravings etc - I just pop them in the oven....15 minutes - ready!
And they are both easy and healthier than store bought and fried.
I posted pictures of the steps of their folding. Each egg roll is about 30 seconds of work :-)

Eggroll Mixture:
Eggroll wraps
Onion, sliced thinly
Cabbage, shredded
Carrots, julienned
Mushrooms, sliced thin
Brussel Sprouts
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Sweet Chile Sauce
Fish Sauce

Heat oil in a pan or wok. Sautee onions. Add carrots. After 2-3 minutes lower heat and add the cabbage and mushrooms. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, chile sauce and fish sauce. Continue muxing and make sure all veggies are covered with sauces.
When the veggies are a bit softer - but maintained their crispness remove from heat.
Place a sieve over a bowl and place the UNCOOKED brussel sprouts (we want these babies as crisp and fresh as possible!) at the bottom. Pour the veggie mixture over the sprouts and let all liquids drain completely.
When mixture is cool and "dried" follow the following steps.
Bake in preheated oven on medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes.

Place filling
Fold one side
Fold the other side
Begin "rolling"
Roll
Done
qǐng màn yòng (eat slowly in chinese)

Little Things Go Such a Long Way....

2009-11-13T18:16:00.003+02:00

Ilan Amster - 1956 - 2008

Thank you Sabah from Sousou kitchen!
Its been a sad today. Today is the year (by the jewish calendar) of my best-friend and father of my daughter. We were together for 15 years. Death is a part of life, but impossible to comprehend with one so young. You live with the mourning on a day to day basis - but never get used to it. Its there. Always.

Sabah - your award warmed my heart on a day full of sadness. How sweet of you. From the bottom of my heart -I thank you!

Homemade goodness...So easy

2009-11-12T19:55:00.005+02:00

I can't beleive how easy it is to make Pita bread at home. No special utensils. No special ovens. No more running to the bakery or supermarket. From now on - I make my own. I just wish I could let you smell the awesome scent of fresh baked bread. Heaven.
Here in Israel, Pita, is part of the culture. It is eaten with Falafel. With Hummus. With Shawarma. Its what a atortilla is to the Mexicans. Calzone to the Italians. And it is so unbelivably doable.
I also made my own Labane - which is a missdle eastern type cheese - also - so easy.

A typical dinner or breakfast. All homemade with love.

Group Pita Picture :-)

I love this pocket.

Pita Bread:
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 TBS. Olive oil
3 1/2 - 4 cups flour

On low speed mix the all ingredients until incorporated. If the dough is too sticky add a bit more flour.
Turn the dough onto a slightly floured surface and knead till sof and flexible. return to bowl and cover with a kutchen towel. Let stand about an hour till double in size.
Give it a good "box" and let out the air (I love this part).
Preheat oven to the highest heat.
Knead till all air is out and the dough is soft.
Divide into approx. 10 balls.
Roll each ball into a circle, approx. 1/2 cm thick.
Place on parchment paper and bake for approx 5-7 minutes. Pita should blow up like a ballon - this is the air pocket we love so much.
Cool (if you can - they are way to tempting not to eat).
Keep warm in a clean kitchen towel.

Labane
1 liter yoghurt (cow or goat - I prefer cows milk)
1 cup sour cream
1 TBS. salt
Cheese cloth
Sieve

Place the ingredients in the cloth and tie over the sink. Let the liquids strain through - approx. 8 hours. Put the cloth in a sieve over a bowl and refrigerate for another 8-12 hours.
Roll into small size balls and place in a jar. Cover with olive oil (I add some xanola as olive oil tends to thicken in the refrigerator).
When serving sprinkle with Za'atar or nigela seeds.

DANGER!!!!

2009-11-09T17:14:00.016+02:00

First of all.... The Queen is Dead....

Long Live the King!!!

Looking at this pie will ruin your diet. FACT.
Not kidding...I warn you and warn you again. And its the BEST!!
There is a reason its called "Gone to Heaven Chocolate Pie" adapted from the Hersheys site. Its to die for. But making it even better - I added a thick layer of peanut butter. Use smooth or chunky, whichever works fine.
I made it for my grandmothers 95th birthday party - but since almost everyone is down with the flu, we will celebrate at another time.

Ingredients:

One 9-inch pie shell
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, divided
Peanut butter
Sweetened whipped cream or whipped topping(optional)

Directions:

1. Bake pie shell; cool. Stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2 quart saucepan. Combine egg yolks and milk in container with pouring spout. Gradually blend milk mixture into sugar mixture.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Add 1-3/4 cups chocolate chips; stir until chips are melted and mixture is well blended. (This is where I first spread the peanut butter) Pour into prepared pie shell; press plastic wrap onto filling. Cool. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled and firm. Garnish with whipped cream and remaining chocolate chips, if desired. 6 to 8 servings.

Egg yolks, milk, cornflour and sugar

Pie Crust (I made from scratch - much better)

Peanut Butter layer

Chocolate melted in the thickened "pudding"

Yummy

Choloate pudding spread over pie crust

Divine

And I definately died and went to heaven.....

Measurement Converter

2009-11-09T08:08:00.006+02:00

Measurement Converter

Posted using ShareThis

Easy peasy spinach spirals

2009-11-06T22:28:00.008+02:00

Just a quickie post with a quickie recipe since my oldest remembered that he needs to bring something for potluck ("HE" for ome reason always means me....). Since kitchenaid passed away a cake is out of the question. Quiche was made the last 3 times and being pretty tired was a major factor. I had a package of whole wheat puff pastry defrosting that I was planning on using for something else and a bag of fresh spinach. Lucky me I even had some feta cheese.
So....

Spinach Feta Pinwheels

1 package whole wheat puff pastry
400 grams fresh spinach, washed and dried
1 onion, chopped
olive oil
salt & pepper

Sautee onion till golden, Add spinach a sautee for no more than a minute. Add salt and pepper. Drain and coll completely.
Roll out puff pastry and spread the spinach evenly.
Grate or crumble the feta over the spinach,
Roll the pastry lengthwise and cut.
Place on baking sheet and bake on medium heat approx. 20 minutes till golden and crisp.

A very Expensive Pizza...or How my Kitchenaid Died..:-(

2009-11-06T13:06:00.006+02:00

The sounds of Silence....RIP Kitchenaid

A Happy Recipe with a Sad Ending....

My Kids Love Pizza. Their friends love pizza. The neighbors love pizza. My family loves pizza. Hey, even I crave pizza on many occasions. Every saturday I make enough pizza dough and keep it in the fridge. This way whenever uninvited teenagers (well - I NEVER invite them) drop over after school I just take it out and in 30 minutes its pretty ready to go into the oven. Everyone is happy and nobody, God forbids, leaves my territory hungry. Happy? Yep. Happy.
A few weeks ago I found a recipe that called for 30 minutes of kneading. Sounded intresting. Big mistake. Huge mistake. After 10 minutes I hear my belove Kitchenaid breathing its last breaths. I thought of mouth to mouth (not a good idea if you don't want to get electrified), I thought of CPR...don't know how. I even thought of 911...But by the time I had thought of all my options...it cranked crackled and popped. RIP my beloved Red Kitchenaid. You were so faithful for the past 10 tears.
A minute of silence....

So....the recipe (exept the stupid 30 minutes kneading, why, oh why does wisdom come late) is a very good recipe for those that like a thin crust pizza. Here - as long as it is pizza - nobiody really cares if the crust is thin, thick or in the middle). Use the recipe wisely and DO NOT knead 30 minutes. 10 minutes is sufficient!
Deadly Pizza
1 pound flour ( I used bread flour)
1 1/4 cups tap water
1 TBS. yeast
2 TBS Olive oil
1 tsp. salt

Mix together and knead 10 minutes. If using a bread machine - I guess 30 minutes is just fine.
Cover with damp towel and let rise (about an hour).
Knead again and divide into 3-4 balls.
Put each ball in a large ziplock bag and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours. The dough can hold up till 5 days.
Before using let the dough come to room temp.

Heat oven to high and roll out the dough. This time I rolled out mine into a rectangle. I swear - it tastes the same as when it is round ;-)
I used my homeade pizza sauce:
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 small tomato
1-2 garlic cloves
3 TBS. Olice oil
Salt, Pepper and oregano
A dash of sugar
Put all ingredients in a food processor and process.

Cover with cheese and whatecer toppings your heart desires (or in my case - whatever was on hand).

Bake for 15 minutes.

Isn't the crust beautiful?? I love those "holes".

Eggplant - not one of my favorite Veggies - but...

2009-10-31T16:58:00.017+02:00

No secret... I am not keen on eggplant. Never was. never will be. BUT....I do love the smell of an eggplant roasting over an open fire. The aroma is something that you cannot ignore. In a good way, not like Guava's for instance (I love the fruit I dislike their scent).
Eggplant is very common both in the mediteranean cuisine and also of the polish jews (well, at least my grandmother used to make it so very often - too often for me). My grandmother used to try to con me into eating it. She succeeded once and it took me 40 years to agree to try it again. And luckily - it was in a Rumanian restaurant, and I loved it. But only this salad. I will never try eggplant in any other way and will never try anything that I suspect may have it in it.
Sorry all eggplant lovers - and I know you are many.

Rumanian Eggplant Salad / Dip

2 medium eggplants
1 jar of roasted red peppers, with the marinade (approx. 500 grams)
1/4 cup vinegar
3-4 garlic
2Tbsp. sugar
salt & pepper

Over an open heat (if you have a bbq ready even better) place the eggplant. If using the stove - cover with aluminum foil, the "charring" is messy. You can also use the broiler - but the charring efect isn't as great. Turn occasionally. The eggplant is ready when it is charred on all sides and its juices start oozing out. Put aside and let cool.
In a food processor process the peppers with the marinade and the garlic till smooth.
Put in a bowl and add the "meat" of the eggplant to the processor and process till chunky.Add to the bowl. Add the sugar and vinegar, salt and pepper. Taste and add more vinegar if necessary.
Cover and serve cold.
Keeps for over a week

Charred meat of eggplant

This is the consistency

Virtual Girls Night In.....

2009-10-27T19:24:00.014+02:00

Silvermoon Dragon from Australia is hosting the October blog event in order to raise awareness for breast cancer. I just saw her post today and hurried to make my Reeses Nesquik cupcakes.
Pink is feminine. Chocolate is feminine - sweet, dark and addicting.
Please please please get your mamography today!

These cupcake are the easiet in the world. No need to take out the kitchenaid - just whisk everything together.

Reeses Nesquik Breast Cancer Awareness Cupcakes

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup Nesquik
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup cream

15 small reeses (I even found the sugarfree kind!)

15 cupcake cups

150 grams bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup cream
1 TBS. Frangelico (optional)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, oil, cream, nesquik and eggs.
Pour about a TBS. of batter in each cup and plac a Reese cup. Fill 3/4 high with remaining batter.
Bake for approx. 25 minutes on medium heat.
Cupcakes will fall in the middle.
Melt the chocolate in a pan with the remaining cream till incorporated. Remove from heat and add the Frangelico.
Pour ganach in each cupcake.
Decorate as you please. I used those mile long bubble gums in order to make the pink ribbon.

Starve a Fever, Feed a Cold...?

2009-10-26T18:58:00.008+02:00

Or in other words - prepare yourself for winter. It is in the air...something crisp and cool after so many days of summer heat. Yes - I love summer, I love the beach, I love the sun. But even I have to admit - there is a special romance in the winter air. Cuddling under warm blankets while the rain pours outside. Those beautiful thunder storms that light up the sky....Oh, who am I kidding - its all about the soups. We love soups. Warm scents that heat the house and heart. And those winter colds and flus that constantly live here. Yes - chicken soup is the jewish penecillin, but beleive me - all soups are a great medication for any cold. The abundance of those winter veggies is here.

Cream of Potato Soup

3-4 leeks, chopped (white part only)
100 grams butter
4-5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1.75 liters chicken broth
250 ml cream (or half & half)
salt & pepper
Goat cheese and croutons for garnish (optional)

Melt butter in pot and sautee leeks till softened - do NOT brown!

Add potatoes and continue to saute.
Add chicken broth and cook till potatos are soft.
Puree the soup.

Add salt and pepper.
Stir in cream.
Garnish with goat cheese and croutons.

And have a healthy warm winter.

I'm Back - and love is in the air...

2009-10-24T14:29:00.017+02:00

I have always envied those that can make the perfect cookie. Although I am far from it, I am sure that with practice - I will get there, or at least as close as possible.
I have found the Ultimate dough and am working on the royal icing, which does need practice. Alot of practice.
But what better way to decorate cookies than - heart cookies. Yeah, I know - Halloween is just around the corner and there is still along way to go - but when love is in the air - than every day is a celebration of love....:-)

Sugar Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbs. milk (which I completly omitted)
3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

In a bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Sert aside.
In a mixer bowl, on high, beat sugar and butter till fluffy. Add beaten egg and milk.
Gradually add the flour mixture on low till the dough is incorporated and unsticks from the side of the mixer bowl.
Divide into two balls, wrap in saran wrap and chill for an hour.

Preheat oven to 140C. use silpat or grease cookie pan.Roll the dough gently and cut with whatever cooke cutters your heart desires. Bake till cookies start turning golden (mine took 6 minutes exactly).

Completely cool on rack.

Royal Icing:

1/2 egg white
1 cup - 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Food coloring of choice - gel!!

This is tricky. Combine egg white and sugar and stir with a fork. The icing should be very very thick. If its not thick than it won't hold and will be pretty runny on your cookie. Add whatever food coloring you choose.

When cookies are completely cool - start decorating. use freehand or baker bag with assorted tips.

Enjoy!

My love to Tamari

2009-07-10T21:04:00.006+03:00

Tamari is my friend...she is a sister. She is always there, in good and bad. Tamari is also an exceptional baker. She is the queen of pastry. With Tamari I never have to look for a recipe...all I have to do is tell her what I feel like making and in 30 seconds I have 10 recipes sent to me.

Dulce de Leche Chocolate Bars

100 grams butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

150 grams flour

In a food processor pulse all ingredients till crumbs form.

Butter a 8 x 8 pan and put crumb mixture.

Bake in preheated oven at 190C for 20-25 minutes till golden.

Cool.

Spread 300 grams Dulce de Leche.

Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Melt 100 grams bittersweet chocolate, 1 TBSP. milk and 1 TBSP butter. Spread over the dulce de leche.

Cut into small squares.

** Tamari says that you can crubmle some halva in the chocolate mixture....

Thank you Sabah from SOUSOUKITCHEN!!

2009-07-10T20:30:00.004+03:00

I won an award!! This is exciting! Especially since I love Sabah's blog. Sabah brings the ethnic food to her blog. The Morrocan cuisine, is in my opinion, one of the finest cuisines in the world. It is rich in flavors and colors.
Here is Israel, we have so many ethnic populations as Israel is really a nationaliy of the worlds. I love jewish morrocan food and I always envy those who grew up on it. So thank you again Sabah for your generosity - both in giving me this award and for enriching my knowlegde!

OMG - Its been over a year since last posting

2009-06-17T06:08:00.003+03:00

It hasn't been a good year. I lost my husband. I lost my grandmother. Sickness has stricken my family and some days I don't think I can find the energy to even look at my kitchen, other days it is my refuge.
I have been cooking and baking (life goes on, does it not?) I just havn't been blogging nor photographing. I cannot promise - but I will do my best to be consistant here.

LOL - I highly wonder if anyone still reads my post.....:-)

Have a wondeful day....I AM back.

The next day cookies - Alfahores

2008-09-01T17:51:00.006+03:00

At first I though the recipe was one of the downfall recipes but apparently - they do get better the day after.

My daughter is the alfahores lover in the family - I sometimes wonder if the stork that brought her didn't make a stop in Argentina.

The dough seemed a bit dry - but as I said - these are the next day cookies. I am not terribly fond of the baker that gave us this recipe - but that is a different matter and I will give hjer credit for this recipe.

Alfahores - by Karin Goren

200 grams butter, at room temp.

200 grams powdered sugar

3 yolks

1 instant vanilla pudding

200 grams cornflour

200 grams flour

2 tspd. baking powder

1q2 tsp baking soda

Dulche de Leche

Coconut

powdered sugar

Mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks till incorporated.

In a seperate bowl sift flkour, cornflour, vanilla pudding, baking soda and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture till well blended.

Chill covered for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 170.

Roll dough and cut with round cookie cutter. Place on parchment paper and bake 10-13 minutes. Cookies should be a light color.

Cool. Sandwich cookies with the dulche de leche.

Roll in coconut and sprinkle with powdered sugar

A Fun Game

2008-08-29T20:36:00.002+03:00

Posted by - http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/

I copied and pasted from her blog.....Please leave her a coment. IU can't beleive how little I have tried from this list....And I can't beleive how many of them I have no idea what they are....!!

"Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:
1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos Rancheros
4. Steak Tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba Ganoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J Sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes - (Pomegranate - YUM!)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Fois Gras
24. Rice and Beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulche de Leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna Cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut - but I didn't like it
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects - well once or twice when a bug flew in my mouth....
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tika masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly Pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baiju
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
.85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse - yes. I did. I', sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Searching for Rose - A Country in Anguish

2008-08-28T06:48:00.003+03:00

Please put Rose in your prayers!

I know this is a food blog. But sometimes, things happen in this world that make us bow our heads in sorrow and cease to enjoy our daily tasks.
This is a feeling that has hit us lately - and hit us hard.
3 days ago we learned about this adorable child who has been missing for 3 months, and nobody knew. Nobody went to the police. Nobody searched for her till it was too late, though we are hoping and praying that she will be found.
The story begins like a Danielle Steel novel or a bad sope opera - only difference is - this is real life and we are prepared for the worst, though still hoping that a miracle might still happen and Rose will be found alive.

4.5 years old - Rose Ron

Its a complex story -you can find here http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/world/middleeast/28rose.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

We are a nation that is rude and prickly on the outside - but once tragedy occurs we unite. And for the past few days - Rose is the daughter we regret we were unable to help. She is the angel we are all searching for to give her the love and caring she never had and never knew. Rose is the child we want to beg for forgivness for not being able to protect her from her family.

We are still hoping that she was not killed at the hands of her grandfather and mother. We are still hoping that she is out there, alive waiting for us to enfold her in our loving arms - an anguished nation - waiting for a miracle.
Please, I beg you, add Rose Ron to your prayers!

Around the World in 26 Letters - A Monthly Blog Event

2008-08-25T19:22:00.003+03:00

I would like to host the following blog event that will both be fun and educating...Foreign cuisines are sometimes very easy and we use them on a weekly basis (Pizza, baguettes, houmous) but there are countries that we rarely visit or even know about. i thought it would be fun to explore the worlds cuisines in 26 letters.
Every month we will follow the ABC around the globe. Anyone who would like to choose a country as per the ABC is more than welcome to send me a mail.
The "rules" are as follows:

Send me an email to doritam1 at gmail dot com with the subject: Around the World in 26 letters.
If you have a blog - post your recipe and picture with a link to this event. It would be neat if you added whyt you chose the recipe
Add you name, blog name and blog address.
Send me a picture.
For those without a blog - just send a mail with your name, recipe and picture and I will post it.

All emails should be sent to me by the end of Setember (september 30th) And I will post the event on the first of each month.

So lets travel the world
:-)

Bon Voyage

Soooooooooooooooooooooo - our first letter is of course A...and A is for....Austria

Ding Dong.....But it's not the Doorbell.....

2008-08-20T20:56:00.006+03:00

When I was a kid I loved two things even more than I loved my Malibu Barbie - Ding Dongs and Pop Tarts. Boy do I miss those.

We can mostly get many american foods here, but these are the two that we don't and I wish we did (well, my figure is glad we don't).

So when I saw this recipe at Joe's site - Culinary in the Desert - I just knew they were meant for me....

They are really easy to make - and its funny that we have the marshmallow fluff - but don't have the Ding Dongs (we also don't have miniature marshmallow but that is another sob story).

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling (Adapted from Food and Wine)

For the cupcakes:

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour

1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated and at room temperature

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons water

For the filling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff

1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cream

For the frosting

1/4 cup cream4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

To prepare the cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 350

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together egg yolks, canola oil, 1/2 cup sugar and water until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir by hand just until combined.

In a clean medium bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Beat one quarter of the whites into the batter to lighten the mixture. Add remaining whites and gently fold the mixture together until no streaks remain.

Evenly divide the batter between the wells of a 12 cup muffin tin coated with nonstick spray (they will be about one-half full). Bake until the cupcakes spring back when lightly touched in the center, about 13 to 16 minutes. Remove and let the cupcakes cool slightly before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To prepare the filling

In a medium bowl, beat together butter, confectioners' sugar, Fluff and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the heavy cream until fluffy. Reserve 1/2 cup of the filling - transfer the rest to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" plain round tip. Beat remaining 1 teaspoon of cream into the reserved 1/2 cup of filling, cover and reserve.

Gently insert the tip of the pastry bag about 1/2" deep into the bottom of each cupcake - lightly squeeze some of the filling into the cupcake.

To prepare the frosting

In a small saucepan, heat cream until steaming. Remove from the heat, add chocolate and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until smooth. Transfer the frosting to a small bowl and dip the top of each cupcake to thoroughly coat. Spoon the reserved filling into a pastry bag fitted with a very small plain tip and pipe swirls across the center of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 10 minutes to set the frosting.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/05/chocolate-cupcakes-with-cream-filling.html

The best part of these Ding Dongs are that they are probably not half as unhealthy as the Hostess ones are (sorry hostess...)

Easiest Tortilla Bowls

2008-08-19T10:52:00.007+03:00

1 tortilla
1 round pan or bowl - that can be placed in oven
Fit the tortilla in the bowl
Bake at 160C for 10-15 minutes
And fill

A is for Apple....Pie

2008-08-17T05:48:00.006+03:00

And there is nothing more american to me than Apple Pie!! And today is my Michael Phelps day!! Boy was I excited. And boy was I exstatic when the "boys" won!! And even more so when the most anticipated 8th Gold Medal was won by Phelps. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PHELPS!! As I blogged last week - I took a day off and visited the upper Galilee where I received a large amount of wonderful apples by a farmer we met on the road.
Since Granny Smith is not our favorite eating apple - something american had to be done..And as mentioned above - nothing more american than apple pie (well and hamburgers I guess).

Beautiful Granny Smith Apples

A slice of apple pie

This recipe was posted on one of the Israeli forums by a very talented lady named Amira. I did make some minor changes...

Apple Pie - adapted from Amira's recipe

Pie Crust:

2 cups all puprose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

4 Tbs. sugar

pinch salt

150 grams cold butter, cut into small pieces

4-6 Tbs. ice cold water

Process in a food processor and add the water 1 TBS at a time until a ball is formed. DO NOT OVER PROCESS.

Divide into 2 discs and wrap in nylon. Refrigerate at least an hour.

Filling:

5 Granny smithe apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 cup fresh tart cherries

1 TBS fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 TBS all purpose flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

25 grams butter, small pieces

1/2 cup cookie crumbs or bread crumbs

Mix together all ingredients except the butter.

Assembly:

Remove one pie crust disc and roll out to fit 9" pie pan.

Sprinkle bread/cookie crumbs over dough.

Cover with the filling and sprinkle butter over the filling.

Roll out second pie disc and cover. I have these little heart shaped cookie cutters which I used to make my decoration....

Bake about 45 minutes at 180 C.

Serve warm

Isn't the decoration cute?

Rustic Pretzels

2008-08-17T05:45:00.004+03:00

I love preztels. Who doesn't??? So everytime I see a new recipe - I must try it. These I found on what geeks eat blog and they are called "hellboy pretzels" LOL and can be found here:
http://www.whatgeekseat.com/wordpress/recipes/pretzel.pdf What i really liked about the recipe is that it didn't call for that 1 hour proofing of the doufh - so basically you can be pretty spontatneous with the pretzels...
They are easy and they taste even better than store bought.
I did make some adjustments in the recipe which worked better for me.

Hellboy Pretzels
2 cups milk, scalded and then cooled to room temp (I added about 4 TBS. more)
3 teaspoons yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons molasses
2 cups of whole wheat white flour
4 cups of white all-purpose flour (I used 3 cups)
1 tablespoon baking soda
3 quart of water

Put the milk, yeast, salt, molasses, and whole wheat white flour in the bowl of your stand mixer and with the paddle attachment mix on medium until well combined, about 2 minutes. Slowly start adding the white flour to the bowl in ½ cup increments. Make sure you've turned the speed down on the mixer otherwise you'll have an incredible mess of flour all over your kitchen. Continue to add the white flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowls. Stop the mixer and scrape the dough off the paddle attachment and fit the mixer with the dough hook attachment. Test the dough to see if it is too sticky, if so add a bit more flour. Run the mixer on low and let it work the dough for 5 minutes or so. Once the dough is smooth remove it from the bowl and let it rest on the counter for 10 - 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Divide the dough into 10 to 12 portions, depending on how large you want your pretzels to be. Roll each portion into a snake and then form the pretzel shape by holding each end in a hand and bringing them together at the middle, twisting them together and anchoring them the bottom dough (which is actually the middle of the snake).
Place a pot on the stove over a medium-high flame and fill it with 3 quarts of water. Once it's boiling add the baking soda and then submerge each pretzel in the boiling bath for a count of 10. Remove and place the pretzel on a rack and then transfer it to a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle it with kosher salt. Repeat until all the pretzels have had a bath.

Bake them for 10-15 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 210°F.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Feeds two hungry hell-boys

Viva Italia

2008-08-15T22:34:00.003+03:00
Yes. I know. Everybody is eating chinese these days. Sleeping chinese. Even speaking chinese...
But when you want a quick and easy meal that is both satisfying and tasty...Italy takes the gold medal in my opinion.
Nothing is better than a plate of pasta and a small salad on the side. And of course...we cannot forget the wine. No italian dinner is perfect without the old vino.
A very inmportant tip regarding cooking with wine. Do not ever cook with a wine you wouldn't want to drink. The very Best Pasta Meat Sauce ( just cuz I don't know how to spell bolognes)

1 Onion, chopped
4 -5 garlice cloves, minced
Olive Oil
500 grams minced meat
1 cup dry red wine
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup water
1 Tbs. brown sugar
3-4 bay leaves
salt to taste

Saute onion till begins to be transparent. Add the garlic and stir. Add meat and cook till brown. Add 1 cup wine and cook till most of the liwuids are gone.
Add rest of ingrediennts and cook on low heat for an hour.
Serve over your favorite pasta.
Sprinkle with parmesan.

Iron Chef Tomatoes - a Blogging Event

2008-08-14T18:30:00.004+03:00

Joelen, from Jeolens Culinary Adventures http://joelens.blogspot.com/ is hosting a Tomato event. There truely are a favorite vegetable. And they are both tasty and healthy! My "donation" to thius event is our favorite middle eastern salad - Matbouha. This is a Moroccan dish and is the moroccan salsa....It is almost impossible to eat at a middle eastern restaurant and not have it on the table. And it is very easy to prepare. I used Roma tomatoes which are found on occasion and I think they really are the best for this dish.Matbouha
6-8 ripe roma tomatoes, cubed
2 bell peppers, cubed
2 small chile peppers (more if you like it extra hot), sliced
4-5 minced garlic
salt
1 heaping Tbsp. moroccan paprika - this is a paprika that has oil added to it and can be found at middle eastern shops
1 cup vegetable oil

In a pot add tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic and chile peppers - cook until almost all fluids are gone.
Add the salt and paprika. Stir in oil.
Cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Can be served warm or cold.
Many add it to make "shakshouka" - which is a middle eastern egg dish that I don't like....so sorry - no recipe for that...LOL

Wordless Wednesday

2008-08-13T15:33:00.002+03:00

And I think to Myself - What a Wonderful World...

2008-08-12T18:48:00.016+03:00

I took the day off and drove to the Northern part of the Galilee. I am always in awe...and to iimagine this part of the country was undergoing constant bombings only two summers ago.... A holy grave (there are hundreds of them in the area)
A Vineyard

View from Kerem Ben Zimra

Another view from Kerem ben Zimra

An Orchader taking his apples for sale. He was so nice and gave us a big sack of apples just for photographing him.

Starking Apple

Pomegranate - We even bought some pomegranate wine. Enchanting.

Grapes

A beautiful Olive tree

More grapes

By a vineyard

A wine Boutique at Dalton - I highly recommend their wines

Specialty Chocolates

Enjoying the day

Beautiful yellow roses

Good Morning Starshine, the Earth Says Hello...

2008-08-12T07:16:00.003+03:00
These are a wonderful breakfast muffin! So full of good and healthy things. So very moist and suo full of delicious flavors.

The recipe is from Cooking Light
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. untoasted wheat germ
2 Tbsp. wheat bran
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/3 cup pitted chopped dates
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 cup low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup boiling water

Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in oats, dates, raisins, cranberries. Make a well in the middle. Comnine buttermilk, egg and vanilla and add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist. Stir in boiling water and let rest 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375F
Spoon batter in muffin cups. Bake for approx. 18-20 minutes
Cool

Reeses to Pieces

2008-08-10T08:30:00.004+03:00

Anything I say will do no justice. These are easy and great. Especially since peaniut butter cups are almost impossible to find in Israel.... The recipe is from here http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/recipedetail.asp?sessionid=&login=yes&id=83&agree=yes

Wanna Nightcap?

2008-08-09T00:26:00.003+03:00
I love prickly pears or what we call Sabres. Sabres is also the nickname for Israelis as we are very prickly on the outside but really sweet and tender on the inside. In other words - don't let our chutzpa fool you. We are all sweet and tender on the inside. Always the first to push you if the line is long but also the first to give you a hand and help you out.
The problem with the fruits itself (after attcking those awful thorns) is that the seeds aren't that great for your digestion. So I just take the fruits and run them through the juicer.
As the summer heat grows warmer I fooled around with some ingredients and came up with my very own Sabres Margarita....

I don't have exact quantities but this is basically what I had:
juice of approx. 12 prickly pears
4 oz. Tequila
3 oz Orange liquer
2 Tbs. sugar
2 ox fresh lemon juice
crushed ice

Run it all through the blender. Taste and add tequila to your liking....

Baking Flatbread on Stones

2008-08-08T08:24:00.005+03:00
The Moroccan flatbread is baked on stones. I really loved the idea and have been planning quite a while to bake this way. I gathered stones, about egg size but kept forgetting them in the car. Then when I did remember I was too lazy since they were pretty heavy (3rd floor - no elevator).
So Finally I did. I washed them really really good. dried them and placed them in the pan.
Something about the stones give the bread a neat texture.

The recipe is called "Faran" or some call it "Farina: (I guess it depends on the moroccan area you are from). I think I should have baked it a bit longer to get a deeper color of brown - but the kids ate it way before it cooled down.
I will probably try it again tonight as it is really easy...

Faran - Moroccan Flat bread
500 grams bread flour
1 to 1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbs. rapid yeast
1/2 Tbs salt
1/2 Tbs. sugar
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the water and knead till you have a soft flexible dough. Shape into a ball and cover. Let rise till double in bulk.
I have a bread machine so I just let it do all the work - but I never bake with the machine. I hate the texture.
Punch the dough an knead again.
Flatten on a well floured surface and let rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven with the pan and stones at maximum temp. - approx. 250C for 30 minutes.
Place bread on the stones and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Let cool.

Wordless Wednesdays

2008-08-06T05:37:00.000+03:00

My Kids....I love them. Need I say more??

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - Honey Mustard Salmon

2008-08-05T17:01:00.005+03:00

For Tammy's Recipes. This a great site. With wonderful recipes and tips - especially for frugal living. Please check out her site on a daily basis.
This recipe is healthy easy and tasty and so full of Omerga 3 and goodness. You can use either pecans or walnuts alone or mix them with homeade bread crumbs.

Honey Mustard Salmon
4 Salmon fillets
Mustard (I used french mustard that was pretty hot, but a milder mustard can be used)
Honey
salt & pepper
1/2 chopped pecans or walnuts
Make sure salmon fillets are skinless (its really easy to peel of the skin when the salmon is still a bit frozen). Brush on the honey and then spread with mustard. Salt & pepper to your liking and then just pat on the nuts.
Bake about 15-20 minutes on medium heat.
Serve with salad and fresh bread.

Mango Salad

2008-08-05T12:49:00.004+03:00

Or in other words....How to Beat the Heat....

Grace, from A Southern Grace blog is hosting a a beat the heat event. The event inludes any dish prepared without using the stove or oven.
This is my "donation" to the event. Its a very satisfying dish which we all love at home. The colors in this salad are breathtaking.
Please visit her blog and the even rules at http://asoutherngrace.blogspot.com/2008/07/beat-heat.html

Mango Sumer Salad

Dressing:

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly grated pepper

3 Tbs. Olive Oil

Salad:

500 grams sliced mango

1 tomato, cubed

1 s,all red onion, sliced thinley

1/3 cup fresh corriander, chopped

Shake dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and serve chilled.

The Fruits of Summer

2008-08-04T21:00:00.003+03:00
The summer is definately my favorite season. Even though it gets terribly hot and humid there is nothing I dislike about it. So many fruits and vegetables. I wish summer would never end.
Two years ago I advised my favorite friend in the world to grow passion fruit in his garden. Since then I am forever thankful as I recive those wonderful wrinkly fruits on an almost daily basis. I take out the pulp and either eat it then and there or I just freeze it.
Today I decided that something must be done. I must bake a passion fruit cake....So I did...:-)

I also have a large bag of pitted cherries that I really had no idea what to do with. So I threw them in too....
The outcome was almost a perfect cake. Why almost?? The cherries kind of sunk to the bottom and ruined the look of the cake in my opinion....
But the taste - is perfection. And I only messed up one bowl and a whisk!!
My Passion Fruit Cherry Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
5-6 passion fruit, pulp only
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 - 2 cups pitted cherries

Just mix all the ingredients except the cherries till incorporated. Stir in the cherries.
Oil and flour an english cake pan.
Bake at 160C for about 35 minutes.

A Bountyful of Coconut

2008-08-01T17:09:00.008+03:00

For all coconut lovers "Bounty" chocolate bar is by no means a stranger. I admit, I am not a big fan of coconut. Its not that I dislike it - but I would rather go with the Snockres community of the world.

Picture taken from chocoblog
Open Bounty bar/ chocoblog

But my daughter is a fan. This summer vacation she has been very busy at various scouts activities. I hardly see her. This week she was off to camp. Tomorrow she will receive her counsler badge. And I am proud of her.

So...Knowing how much she love bounty bars, and eyeing this resipe by a very creative and talented forum friend "sjarjer" (pronounced garger") I sent myself to the local market to purchase coconut milk - a condiment I never hold at home and to be honest - never even used.
The recipe is quite easy. Not messy and only one pan was needed (and washed twice). And to be honest....after tasting one, I think I will move myself from the snickers camp to the bounty camp.

Sjarjer's Bounty Squares

Coconut Filling:
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/3 cup water
1/3 tsp. vanilla
1 can coconut milk
20-250 gr. dessicated coconut

Ganache
250 ml. cream
300 grams bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp. coffee granules

In a medium pan - bring water, salt and sugar to boil. Continue boiling till the mixture thickens but does not turn golden (about 15 minutes). Meanwhile warm the coconut milk and add to the sugar mixture with the vanilla. Continue boiling till mixture thickens again. Add the coconut and mix, approx. 7 minutes, till the coconut seems dry.

Pour into a 9x13 pan. Cool at room temperature overnight. Then freeze for at least 2 hours.
In a medium pan melt chocolate and coffee with the cream until incorporated. Pour over frozen coconut. Keep refrigerated.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-07-30T18:04:00.003+03:00

A lonesome fisherman and his net

My Camera - It's back!!

2008-07-29T21:42:00.003+03:00

And I have so many things now that I want to bake and cook and post....I just wish the weather would cool off a bit.
But I did make bagels tonight.
I found this recipe on a wonderful blog http://happyveganface.blogspot.com/2008/05/bagels.html which has great stuff!!
The recipe is here: http://happyveganface.blogspot.com/2008/05/bagels.html
Next time I will add sunflower seeds and/ or flax seeds.
They are easy and very very good. Gotta get out the lox and cream cheese....

I like the idea of Wordless Wednesdays....

2008-07-23T17:56:00.005+03:00

So I'll take a shot at it (from older pics taken...)

I really miss my camera

2008-07-23T14:32:00.001+03:00
I feel like every food I prepare is a total waste of time if I can't take a picture of it.
I called the shop and hopefully I will have it by next week.
So far you have "missed out" on mexican food night, pasta evening and to be honest - nothing else. It is just way too hot to be in the kitchen. Hot and Humid. That is what the summers are like in Israel. Thank God I live near the beach!
But I am preparing a "to-do" list.....

Bad Girl...

2008-07-12T17:55:00.002+03:00
I dropped my camera....It broke the lense. I sent it to the shop. Hope it comes back soon....So till then - Not many post..:(
Anyway -its really way too hot to be in the kitchen....

Dinner Mexi-American Style

2008-07-05T22:44:00.007+03:00
I think mexican food is the best. I love the spices, I love the heat that comes at you from mexican food. I love anything mexican.
I also love shrimp. I think I am a shrimpaholic....In Israel, due to the Kosher laws, you can't find shrimp at the local market. But luckily I have a great non-kosher store not far from where I live where I can get my shrimp, bacon and whatever non-kosher delights my heart desires (which isn't much - mostly shrimp).
Checking my freezer I noticed an old bottle of tequila with alot of bottle but a little tequila (I keep most of my "clean" booze in the freezer - tequila, vodka, cachasa, gin...) not enough to start a drinking spree but just enough to add auhentiquity to my shrimp...
So I gathered what I had on hand - coriander, chile pepper, salt, olive oil garlic and of course - tequila...I just threw them all on a hot skillet - 4-6 minutes.
Voila - dinner!! And Yummy!!
Close up of Dinner

Frosted Apple Bars

Adapetd from Culinary in the Desert - mine aren't as nice as I used the wrong size pan - but boy are they yummy!!
http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/05/frosted-apple-squares.html

Happy 4th of July my Dearest Friends & Family

2008-07-04T08:42:00.007+03:00
May your celebrations be joyous and your year peaceful and uneventful in a good way, a peaceful way.
May your only worries be if you have enough sugar, flour and spices in the pantry!!
May we all have a year of peace and celebration!!

To me America is either chocolate or apples. There is nothing more american than chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal or apple pie.
So I decided to bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars. I copied this recipe online - and I am sorry to say that I cannot find the site now. But these are great. Very decadent. Very american to me. I guess tonight I will make something cinnamony & appelish....

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 + 2 tsp vanilla
3 cups quaker oats
2 1/2 cups flour
pinch salt
1 tsp soda
1 can condensed milk
2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coarsley chopped walnuts

Beat together sugar and butter. Add eggs and vanilla till light an fluffy.
In a seperate bowl combine flour, oats, salt and soda. Add yo butter mixture till well incorporated.
I a lined pan with parchement paper put in 2/3 of mixture.

in a small pan heat and melt the chocolate with the condensed mil. add vanilla and nuts and pur over batter in the pan. Spoon the rest of the batter on the chocolate mixture.
Bake in preheated oven at 170C for approx. 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Refrigerate till completely cold.

Peanut Butter & Jelly - Sock you in the Belly ;-)

2008-06-28T20:33:00.005+03:00
I always loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I loved wonder bread. And I loved Welches Grape Jelly. I outgrew Wonder bread and we have no Welches here in Israel. But we do have peanut butter! Not as many brands as in the states - but I am definately not one to complain!

One of my favorite blogs is Bake or Break http://www.bakeorbreak.com/ and I seriously advise you to check her amazing photo's. I swear she can probably make chopped liver look appetizing!
Her latest recipe is from Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share (Martha Stewart Living Magazine) .
My only change in the recipe was to use rasberry jam as opposed to strawberry. I like the tartness of the rasberries with the sweetness of the peanut butter.
http://www.bakeorbreak.com/recipes/2008/06/27/peanut-butter-and-jelly-bars/

Chicken Stir Fry

2008-06-28T07:42:00.002+03:00
Stir Fry is so versatile. You can pretty much add to it whatever veggies and oriental spices and flavorings you like. Even nuts (cashews, almonds, peanuts) - I mostly don't add the nuts due to their high caloric value. I like to keep my stir fry diet friendly. I cut my veggies in pretty large sizes, as I like them crisp. For some reason I still don't own a wok. But a nice size pan usualy does the trick.
I marinated my chicken pieces (this time I used breasts) in teriaki sauce, sechuan sauce and soy sauce. Always use the real and good stuff.
I also added lots of garlic. I slice them as opposed to the usual minced garlic.
The longer you marinate the meat - the better the stir fry. The marinada keeps the chicken from getting dried out.
The secret to a good stir fry, in my opinion is to keep it quick. Nobody likes soggy wilted veggies.
I first heat the sesame oil (which I love and adds so much taste) then add 1-2 onions chopped coursely. I add the chicken pieces and whne they start turning white I add the veggies - matchstick carrots first, then celery slices and only at the end do I add my peppers - red yellow and green. A few minutes before it is all done I add large peices of cabbage (I forgot to buy bean sprouts this time - but when you add them add them at the end, turn of the heat and close the pan - this way they remain crisp.
I love the Tahi chile sauce which I add for spiceness.
Decorate with sesame seeds (I had black sesame) which makes the dish colorful.

One of the pleasures of life....

2008-06-26T19:27:00.003+03:00

Is Lasagna.
First of all - its one of the easiest recipes I can think of.
Its fast in making and can be served as a complete meal with a salad on the side. It can be a kids food and it can easily feed the yuppiest of adults with a glass of red wine.
I always have a container of fresh homemade tomato sauce in the freezer. I also keep frozen cheeses such as mozzerela and parmesan (easier to grate this way). My only disadvantage is that I am still afraid to make my own pasta....I figure that one day I will get over that fear...maybe

Lasagna

box of lasagna
1 container homemade tomato sauce + 1/4 cup cream
2 containers cottage cheese (approx. 400 grams)
2 eggs
mozzerela cheese - as much as you like

In a bowl - mix the cottage cheese with the eggs and salt and pepper, easy on the salt.
You can add basil or oregano to the sauce, as you like.
In a rectangular pyrex pan, line the lasagna sheets. Spoon 1/3 of the cottage cheese mixture. Sprinke mozzerela and pour 1/3 of the tomato sauce. Line once again with lasagna sheets, cottage cheese, mozzerela and sauce...then one last time. Cover with cheese and place foil over the pan so that it doesn't burn.
In preheated oven to high, place the pan and bake 20 - 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake 10 minutes longer.

Zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant and tomatoe slices can be added to the layers.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

2008-06-24T21:59:00.002+03:00
My grandmother is in the hospital, so I thought I would bring something cheerful to the ward...Chocolate chocolate chip M&M cookies.
Nothing looks better when it has the colors of the rainbow in it.

A day in Jerusalem.....

2008-06-21T00:20:00.017+03:00

A close up of this wonderful mural
A mural on an old building
A typical Jerusalem street

Such a green tree on such a hot day giving out such wonderful shade

Nablus Gate - the Old City

Nablus Gate

A cafe in the middle of the Old City

The Old City

The Wailing Wall

A religious man resting under an umbrella on a hot summer day
The Golden Mosque

A glance of the Old City

The wailing wall area

The Wailing Wall

Requests to GOD - little notes stuffed in the wailing wall

The Old City

Forgive me Father, for I have Sinned...

2008-06-20T22:25:00.003+03:00

Bacon. And Shrimp.
Shrimp. And Bacon.
Unkosher meat. Unkosher fish.
UNKOSHER. Period.
But Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so good!
Ok. I admit. If I were a hassidic jew I would probably have a street to hell named after me....LOL. But, thank God - I am not!
So I allow myself to sin every once in a while....and if I am already sinning - why not go the whole way....
I cleaned about 2 pounds of fresh tiger shrimp (the cleaning part is kind of icky), wrapped each one with a slice of bacon and fastened each with a toothpick.
I grilled them in the oven 190 C for 12 minutes on the dot.
YUMMY!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me....

2008-06-17T19:00:00.004+03:00
Yup...once again...right on time...its my birthday

So I decided to spoil the folks at work with something special. Last months Daring Bakers assignment were Cheesecake Pops from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor. They looked great and I envied all bloggers that posted them. I didn't have lollipop sticks and the skewers were too long. So they are just plain cheescake balls, but they are wonderful. The idea of serving a cheesecake this way is awesome!
You will love them! And they vanished within seconds. These are a definate do again in my kitchen.
I halved the recipe.
Cheesecake Pops :(Makes 30-40 pops; from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor)
5 x 226g packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
¼cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream
453g dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening ** I used butter
Assorted decorations - optional [I used coloured sugar, strawberry powder, shredded coconut and maple sugar]
Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 166′C. Set some water to boil.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.
Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 56g balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.
When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.
Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.
Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve

Tunisian Salsa - Mashweeya

2008-06-15T18:44:00.002+03:00
I love spicy food. I wonder sometimes how I haven't burned a hole yet in my abdomen....or maybe I have and I don't know yet...:-)
Sometimes I wish I was born to another food culture, something that has more "heat" than the polish foods of my ancestors which I find totally not to my liking....
My granmothers world famous gefilte fish with the jellied whatever surrounding it can make me faint - I go straight for the horseradish, I hog it down with a spoon. The smell of chopped liver makes me wonder why anyone would even want to get near it, not to mention the fact that almost any dish requires sugar....But, I do know that I am a total minority...
Just let me have my jalapno's and I will be happy.

This is a wonderful salsa, originating in Tunis. Its easy to prepare and you can make it as spicy as you like. Eat it on bread, with cheese, on grilled veggies and whatever you like.
As you have probably guessed - I just spoon it down.

Salat Mashweeya
2 green peppers
1 tomato
1 green hot pepper (or more)
3-4 garlic cloves
salt
caraway seeds

Heat oven to medium high.
Grill the tomato, peppers and hot pepper until chafed. The best way to peel peppers is to let them cool in a bag.
Place all ingredients including the seeds in a food processor. Pulse until salsa is course. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Serve warm or cold.

Nostalgia

2008-06-11T19:41:00.005+03:00
My Safta Tova (Safta = grandmother) was a bakers daughter in a small village in Poland. Her family (and those of my grandfathers', may he rest in peace) were all murdered in the holocaust. They came to Israel in the 30's - and were saved.
The day they realized all their loved and dear ones were gone - my grandmother turned old. And sad.
I don't remember much laughing in the house. They both worked hard and raised their 3 children lovingly.
When I think of safta Tova - I see her in the kitchen. Never was there a time - in sickness or health that she wasn't baking or cooking. As children any pain would be gone in her eyes if we ate another cookie, gobbled a piece of cake or grabbed another matzo ball...:-)
When I was sick with the flu as a child I would beg my mother to take me to Safta so that she would watch over me....And I am positive that her cooking alone brought me back to health. This is a woman who made her own noodles for chicken soup way before the pasta machine was invented!
I could live on her rugelach alone. And if I was lucky (and my additional baby fat pounds prove how lucky I was) I would find the box of apricot cookies. Cookies made with homemade jam....ooooh my mouth waters just at the thought.
I am sorry that I never wrote down all her recipes while she was still in a clear mind. So I am always happy when I stumble across a recipe that at first bite sends me back to her kitchen.
\This is such a recipe and I am grateful to my friend Irit for the recipe. I even baked it in my Safta's loaf pan that muxt be at least 50 years old.

Cherry Cake
1 jar pitted sour cherries, drained
1/4 cup of the cherry syrup
2 small apples, peeled, cored and cut small
2 cups self rising flour
3/4 cup oil (I used 1/2 cup)
1 cup sugar
3 egss
almond extract (I omitted)
Topping:
2 Tbsp brown sugar + blanched almonds (I used granola)

Mix together all the ingredients except the apples and cherries until well combined.
Stir in the apples and cherries.
Grease and flour loaf pan and pour in batter. Sprinkle with topping.
Bake at medium heat till toothpick comes out clean.

Abundance of Sunshine + an added warning

2008-06-10T18:56:00.008+03:00
Tomatoes are like gifts from the sun. They are so wonderful especially in the summer. My favorite of course are cherry tomatoes. As most fruits and vegetables I find that the best are those grown in the summer. The sun is wonderful. And the tomatoes look like little jewels!
I do try to preserve fruits and vegetables and make jams and different preserves that will last me through the winter.
Today I dried tomatoes and preserve them in olive oil and garlic. You can also add basil or thyme if you like.

Slice tomatoes and place sliced side up on parchement paper. Sprinkle Kosher salt (not too much)
Aren't they beautiful?!

Heat oven on low and dry the tomatoes for approx. 2 hours. They should look wrinkled but not crispy.
Cool completely

Cut some garlic cloves and place in glass jar. Cover tomatoes with olive oil.
You can add basil or thyme as you please.

BOTULINUM Poisoning can occur so please note - any foods both homemade and commercial MUST be refrigerated and consumed within a week!!
BOTULINUM Poisoning - is fatal!!
Thanks Aviva for opening my eyes to this issue !!

Savoury Onion Cake

2008-06-08T22:10:00.006+03:00
Another one of the holiday recipes - that is based on cheeses and frtuit or vegetables is this savoury onion cake.
The recipe, once again, adapted from Smadar walters recipes was a hit even with the children as the onions loose their sharpness when baked.
Savoury Onion Cake
4 medium white onions, chopped fine
1 cup self rising flour
2 eggs(I used 3)
1 cottage cheese (250 gr)
1 tsp salt
pepper, fresly ground
I added some grated mozeralla cheese - but add whatever hard cheese you like - or you can even omit the cheese.

Mix all ingredients together. I baked the cake in a round silicon pan dor about 30 minutes on medium heat.

Servve warm or cold. As is or garnished with sour cream or salsa - or use your imagination

Healthy, Wholesome Addicting Crackers

2008-06-08T18:59:00.007+03:00
As usual, I am always looking for something that is both tasty and wholesome. Sure - it's easy to go into the supermarket, walk through the health aisle and purchase what seems to be healthy....But I am not always sure that it is 100% healthy. I do know what goes in my foods at home.
This recipe is delicious. It has everything that in my eyes are wholesome, so I know what goes into our bodies.
These are great as a snack. Great with cheese on them and even break them up and put them in soup.
I found them on the net, they are a recipe from a very talented baker called Smadar Walter, who is famous for her breads.
Try them - but do be careful. They are addicting...

Smadars Addicting Wholesome Crackers
1 cup wholewheat flour (130 gr)
1/2 cup natural sunflower seeds (80 gr)
1/3 cup sesame seed (50 gr)
1 Tbs. flax seeds
1/3 cup small bulghur (70 gr)
1/2 cup bran (40 gr)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup water
1 Tbs oil (I use olive oil)
Mix together all the dry ingredients.
Add water and oil and let stand for 30 minutes. Mixture will be sticky.
Divide into two.
I advise rolling on slipat as thinly as possble.
Cut into squares and bake at 175 C for approx. 20 minutes. Keep your eyes open as they burn quickly.

Please check out Tammy's Tuesday kitchen tips http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/2790
for great tips. You will love her site! I do!

Shavout - The Giving of the Torah

2008-06-05T06:44:00.004+03:00
Background:
In the Bible, Shavuot is called the Festival of Weeks Hag ha-Shavuot, Festival of Reaping Hag ha-Katsir, and Day of the First Fruits Yom ha-Bikkurim.
Besides its significance as the day on which the Torah was given by God to the Jewish nation at Mount Sinai, Shavuot is also connected to the season of the grain harvest here in Israel. In ancient times, the grain harvest lasted seven weeks and was a season of gladness. It began with the harvesting of the barley during Passover and ended with the harvesting of the wheat at Shavuot. Shavuot was thus the concluding festival of the grain harvest, just as the eighth day of Sukkot (Tabernacles) was the concluding festival of the fruit harvest. During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, an offering of two loaves of bread from the wheat harvest was made on Shavuot.
Shavuot was also the first day on which individuals could bring the Bikkurim - their first fruits to the Temple. The Bikkurim were brought from the Seven Species - shivat haminim for which the Israel is blessed: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates . In the largely agrarian society of ancient Israel, Jewish farmers would tie a reed around the first ripening fruits from each of these species in their fields. At the time of harvest, the fruits identified by the reed would be cut and placed in baskets woven of gold and silver. The baskets would then be loaded on oxen whose horns were gilded and laced with garlands of flowers, and who were led in a grand procession to Jerusalem. As the farmer and his entourage passed through cities and towns, they would be accompanied by music and parades.
Even today, in modern times this holiday is a festival for farmers. The Kibbutzim and farms decorate their tractors and spend the day in song and dance.
We all wear white, which is a tradition and in addition to eating the fruits of the land - we eat cheese. Therefore this is also a holiday of high cholestoral :-)
But we cannot oppose tradition now, can we.
So our tables are filled with pizza's, quiches, abundance of cheeses, salads decorated with cheese and of course - cheesecakes and desserts.
Jewish holdays are definately all about food....

Cheese Balls:
Any soft cheese (I think a low fat philadelphia will be fine)
sharp cheeses
Feta cheese
Olives, paprika, sesame, zaatar, nigella seeds....
I don't really have quantities....just taste as you fo - add more of this and less of that to your taste. You can use butter too, I found it unnecessary. The mixture is so rich as is....
Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Make golf size balls and roll in sesame / paprika/ nigella seeds and so on.
Keep refrigerated. They are really pretty on the table surrounded by crackers, which, By the way, I will post later on today - Parmesan Mustard Crackers. Yummy!! And also healthy wholesome crackers that are totally addicting!