Mechshe Basal, or Stuffed Onions

July 8, 2011 by Stephanie | Leave a comment

There are a lot of things you can stuff with hashu to turn into a meal. This time, I used ground turkey and (half-cooked) brown rice to make a healthier mechshe.

Since our mom doesn’t like onions, this mechshe wasn’t something we ate much growing up, but it’s definitely still one of my favorites! I love the flavor of slow-cooked onions, which get sweet and caramelized in the oven, and the contrast with tart tamarind sauce is perfect.

Since stuffing these is quite a process, I like to make a double batch and freeze half, so that next time the cravings hits, I can cook up a batch right away; no need to defrost, just cook the frozen onions for a bit longer.

Shakshuka

July 3, 2011 by Stephanie | 2 Comments

Sunday brunch means runny egg yolks to me. I’ve been practicing my poaching skills and getting pretty good consistently runny yolks and cooked whites. But you know what? Poaching in water isn’t your only option! This is something our dad always made growing up, eggs cooked in tomato sauce!

You can make this while you’re still half-asleep on a Sunday morning with slices of leftover challah and your favorite store-bought tomato sauce.

Mango Cilantro Ice Pops

June 30, 2011 by Stephanie | Leave a comment

When Lottie’s Kitchen asked us to come do a food demo last summer, we knew we wanted to make one of our favorite things, ice cream! But then they told us that they were focusing on healthy treats… So in addition to mango ice cream, we created this simple mango ice pop with cilantro.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

June 20, 2011 by Stephanie | Leave a comment

Cinnamon swirl bread, the kind without the raisins, is one of the best types of bread. Of course it’s not that versatile as a sandwich bread, I mean, you certainly can’t make a tuna sandwich with it (or you can, but I don’t think i want to), but toasted up with some cream cheese? It makes a perfect easy breakfast or pre-dinner snack! the best part about homemade cinnamon swirl bread is that it’s even better than that stuff you buy at the supermarket, you don’t even need to toast it or cream cheese it, it’s still the best snack! And it’s pretty, too; there’s no doubt in my mind that when you cut into it you’ll be proud of the cinnamon swirl you find inside.

Candied Apricots with Pistachio, aka Helou Michmosh

June 13, 2011 by Stephanie | 2 Comments

I made this a while ago, but was hesitant to share it because of its mixed reviews. Some people thought it was too sweet, others not sweet enough. I even got one “this is the most delicious thing ever!” So I guess it’s up to you to judge…I happened to like the slightly bitter chewiness of the candy, and snacked on it for weeks.

Rachel’s Challah

June 10, 2011 by Stephanie | 4 Comments

Our friend Rachel makes such delicious challah and is always generous enough to share with us! The first time she brought me a loaf was when we went out to dinner on a Thursday night. She said she made six, so she could spare one. She brought another one when I invited her for a fish taco dinner at our apartment. I told her how much we loved it, so she shared the recipe with me, and now I can have Rachel Challah whenever I want (not that there’s a shortage of challah recipes out there)!

Pizza with Baby Artichokes and Lemon Ricotta

May 23, 2011 by Stephanie | 4 Comments

Springtime means artichokes, a vegetable I’ve gotten familiar with these past few years, but this spring marks the first time I’ve ever made baby artichokes.

Baby artichokes are a smaller, fully mature variety of the globe artichoke. The fun part about them is that there’s no choke to be found in these little guys, so with a little bit of trimming, the whole thing is edible. I guess they should really be called artis?

Herbed Salmon

May 16, 2011 by Stephanie | 2 Comments

I’ve been trying to incorporate more fish into my kitchen, and this fish is a good way to start. It’s easy, comes together super-quickly and it’s tasty; just what you’d expect from Ina Garten!

Roasted Artichokes

May 1, 2011 by Stephanie | 8 Comments

It finally feels like spring and artichokes are here! I admit, artichokes used to scare me. Until a couple of years ago I’d had the frozen kind and the kind that came in a jar, but never the real thing. Then one day Jessica and I decided to buy some and learned how to boil them online. We were instantly converted to fresh artichoke people (while wondering who first figured out that there was a delicious heart hiding among the spiky leaves?!), but I’ve moved on to baking and roasting rather than steaming them these days.

Burnt Caramel Pudding

April 21, 2011 by Stephanie | 6 Comments

Happy Chol Hamoed! You’re probably stuffed, but I think you can make room for some dessert:

I’ve been known to browse the internet for hours, reading recipes and adding them to my ever-growing Things To Make list. Most things are on that list ~~forever~~ for a long time, but not this recipe!

Right after I read this recipe, I was invited to a friend for Shabbat lunch, and excitedly replied, “I’ll bring dessert, hope you’re serving dairy!” She confirmed that she planned on a dairy lunch, and I didn’t stop talking about this pudding all week. Poor David. Continue reading …