Because I said it's different, that's why!

The title of this entry is in reference to the Four Questions (Ma Nishtanah) that are recited at both Passover seders. The first question: מה נשתנה, הלילה הזה מכל הלילות is questioning, "why is this night different from all other nights?"

Without delving into a religious and historical explanation, just the changes in the types of foods eaten during Passover are different from all other nights. Unless you are a matzah-fanatic and eat it all year round.

Quickly, chabad.org gives a nice, brief, but understandable description of the eight-day holiday of Passover.

The preparations for Passover begin well before the holiday begins. For me, I started to clean the kitchen about a week before and I started shopping for food items about five days before.

Probably the most widely know Passover custom is not eating bread. Well, it isn't so simple! Observance of Passover stems to all bread and bread-like products, grains--breads, cakes, cereal, pasta, beer--these items are called chametz. Any food product made with wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn spelt that has been allowed to rise (leavened) is prohibited (chabad.org).

To prepare, I took all of the non-Passover food out of the kitchen refrigerator and off of the kitchen counters. I Lysol-ed these surfaces and covered with aluminum foil. I'm not exactly sure where the foil custom comes from, but it provides a nice, clean barrier from the non-Passover surfaces.

Since throughout the year we cook with chametz, crumbs, small pieces or burnt pieces may cake onto the stove burners or inside the oven, so I must clean these surfaces as well. Making the stove and oven ready for Passover is called kashering (like, making kosher). I turn my burners on for a certain amount of time and also run the oven self-cleaner for another specific time.

Just as we have separate cooking and eating utensils, bakeware, and plates for dairy and meat foods, we have separate cooking bowls, separate cooking utensils and separate mugs/glasses for Passover. This is because throughout the year we eat chametz on our regular dishes and for Passover we must have chametz-free surface! (We even have separate Passover toothbrushes--don't worry we change these every year!)

So now you can see why Passover cooking can be challenging! I will begin posting recipes tomorrow night--I think I'll make two things tomorrow, and I am excited!

Pesach sameach!
I leave you with a Passover Poodle!

I have a beef with last night's dinner...

As you can tell, we don't have beef very often. After Dan said "you should really make a meat recipe, your readers will wonder why we don't have beef." I told him that I explained my rationale in a previous post, but agreed to make a beef recipe. Now, as you all know, it takes a lot for me to eat beef let alone cook it. It has only been a few months where I wouldn't get sick after eating it, but I do not intend to change my ways about eating. Frankly, the human body does not need a large amount of beef--if any.

Any how, I made Beef Curry. This is another recipe from Kosher Delicious. I traveled to Trader Joe's so I could get organic, Kosher meat. I picked up a package of cubed beef and went on my way. I have to say, dinner was pretty good. I love Indian food, and think that next time, I would cook the meat at a lower temperature for a longer time. The inside was nice and tender, but the outside felt a little firm. Dan didn't think so, though. I would recommend this recipe, even to a person who isn't too sure if he/she likes Indian food. The spices were not overwhelming and it wasn't too saucy.

My only qualm with this recipe is that the steps have you saute the onions in a skillet, then add the meat to brown. The problem here is that the meat (and onions) soak in its own fat. My neurotic self decided that this was disgusting and used paper towels to sop up the nastiness that floated at the bottom of the skillet. In doing so, I kidnapped a few onions and had to add more.

For our side, I made Green Bean Bhajee--another recipe from Kosher Delicious. This was good! Basically a mixture of green beans, potatoes, tomato paste, and spices. I'd recommend this as a good alternative to straight-up green beans and the spices and tomato give it a kick!

This was my last non-Passover recipe to be made in the kitchen for a week, and I have to say, it was a good one to end on! Keep visiting, I have a bunch of Passover recipes lined up!



Bon appetit!

Banana and Bulgur, oh my!

Now is a good time to update for this week! My oven is on clean cycle and I am preparing for the scent of 'burn' to overtake the condo. Why clean the oven if the entire place starts to stink and windows require opening? Good question, that is why it only gets cleaned once per year! Passover starts on Monday evening--with preparations beginning days to weeks before! Now, all wit and sarcasm aside, Passover is my favorite holiday.

I do plan to keep up with my blog during Passover---I have a few recipes planned already, and hope to add more. For eight days, I'm hoping to make at least eight recipes. We'll see.

I'll write more about the laws of Passover when it comes to cooking next week as I cook.

We had Stuffed Peppers on Monday. The fun thing about this stuffed pepper recipe is that it comes from a cookbook that the PTA of my elementary school put together when I was in kindergarten! My Mom still uses the same recipe, and I can picture the light pink cover of the cookbook with a white spiral binding. Mom, can I borrow this cookbook for a bit? Sometimes I am not too impressed with the produce at Wegman's. Although, I think they are the best bet in the area for good lookin' veggies, sometimes I wonder what goes on on the farm.
Like, do people stick their fingernails in the zucchini? Or is that a bite from a field mouse?

Anyhow, I chose to go with orange peppers which I stuffed with a mixture of ground turkey, cooked rice, marinara sauce, chopped fresh onion, and garlic powder. I boiled each pepper for about five minutes---drained the water---then stuffed the peppers and baked covered for about 45 minutes and uncovered for about 10 minutes.

My tips: don't over boil the peppers, they will become too mushy. Before putting in the oven, finish with a dollop of marinara on top of the meat mixture in the pepper.


On Tuesday, we had Maple Glazed Salmon. This recipe comes from my Kosher Delicious cookbook. I'll have to say that it was just "okay." The creation and clean-up was messy and next time, I would have off-set the sweetness of the fish dish with a more salty side dish. The flavors of the soy sauce, lemon juice and maple syrup all combined very nicely. I'd give this a chance again, but just not with a sweet flavored side.

So, you're wondering what our side was, right? Well, we had Bulgur Pilaf with Dates and Dried Apricots. The recipe calls for walnuts, but for me, the less nuts the better. Bulgur wheat is a whole grain that is high in fiber and low in fat. According to Sunnyland Mills (a processor of bulgur wheat) it is part of the daily recommended consumption of the Mediterranean diet. If you are familiar with the Mediterranean diet, you know that it is the healthiest diet in the world. I was very happy to include such a healthy starch alternative! Dan actually really enjoyed it and kept asking for more "bulgur".















On Wednesday, we had a creation of my own---Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna and Garlic Toast.
The amount I made could serve four people.

1)I boiled nine lasagna noodles until they were al dente---not soggy or too limp. I laid out three noodles on the bottom of a Pyrex baking dish.

2)Next, I spread a mixture of fat-free Ricotta cheese mixed with cooked spinach over the bottom noodles. I made sure to spread a thick layer.
3)Next, I covered the cheese and spinach layer with another layer of three noodles--side by side. 4)On top of this layer, I spread a mixture of marinara sauce with zucchini squash and eggplant. My suggestions for next time: saute the vegetables first, and use yellow zucchini squash (it cooks faster and adds some yellow to the mix!)
5) Then, I added another layer of three lasagna noodles, and covered this layer with marinara sauce and pieces of ricotta.
6) Bake covered at 350F for 20 minutes, bake uncovered at 350F for 3o minutes.

For the garlic toast, I used parve hot dog buns. They look like breadsticks, right? (I know, you're thinking 'Great idea, Michele!'---Well, thanks, hamburger buns work, too) I spread margarine on top of the buns and sprinkled a liberal amount of garlic powder. I baked then in our toaster oven for about 10 minutes on 250F and then broiled them for about five minutes. Check on them frequently.














By the way, isnt't that a great lookin' eggplant?


Ohhh! We also had The Best Banana Bread baked into muffins. I found this recipe a long time ago and have it printed out on a random sheet of paper. (Email me for a copy!) I liked making them in muffin-sized portions because first, it is portion control and also, they make a yummy breakfast.

They are parve, but I happened to make them with dairy utensils since we had dairy this night.


Bon appetit!

So.Freaking.Full

We've been up to a lot lately. On Friday, Dan's hand repair surgery went extremely well (T''G) and what better way to celebrate not feeling loopy from anesthesia than by having a dinner party?

Both of our parents came over for dinner on Friday, and I knew dinner had to be good. I made three new recipes for that night. We had four side dishes, two main course and two desserts. We also had chicken broth, just in case ;-)

We started with salad.

For our main courses we had the Orange Cranberry Chicken that I previously made as well as left-over (gasp!) meatloaves from the night before.

Side-wise, I made Quinoa Risotto With Mushrooms and Thyme. My friend sister, Lexie, introduced me to epicurious.com. That website is superb! There are so many categories of recipes ranging from easy-to-make to healthy to desserts to breakfasts.

I've always liked quinoa. There is so much that you can do with it. You can make it sweet (cinnamon and sugar for an oatmeal like recipe). You can add any vegetables you choose.

Everyone loved this side dish, so I highly recommend it. Even Daniel, who had a bad experience with quinoa in Pittsburgh, went for second and third helpings. The thyme and white wine really added a nice, fragrant flavor.

I even bought my first herb plant!




The next, new recipe we had that night was Cumin Roasted Carrots

My suggestion, rather than cutting your own carrots---the pieces can get too small (I did this and they were really tiny!), use a package of frozen carrot coins AND your own chopped carrots. Not only will it give the side-dish some dimension---small and large and crinkle cut!, you'll have some more crispy pieces and some larger pieces.

I coated the carrots in the olive oil and cumin seeds (not powder!) and then roasted them in a single layer (without turning) on a piece of aluminum foil in the oven for about an hour. Delish!

Finally, I made Truffles, a recipe I received from Lexel! (Please email me if you would like the recipe, I have the version I used (Lexie's version) in my email account!) They were so good. I can't even describe the chocolatey goodness that became all of our mouths. They were Spicy Chili Chocolate Truffles. I don't think I need a description, just look:








Dinner was fun! I am excited to do my next big "taste-test"! For now, I've been Rosetta Stone-ing it because my fluency in French has significantly waned. The good news, it seems to be all coming back to me!

Bon appetit!

Our First Dinner Guest

We had our first dinner guest on Thursday night. And of course, why go out to dinner when I am willing to cook?

Dan's brother, Rob, came over for dinner on Thursday night since he was doing some work near to us. My new recipe that night came from OUKosher.org. It is a Blueberry Pound Cake that I made pareve (without meat or dairy ingredients) by using regular Rice Milk. It was moist, flavorful, and not un-healthy. For baking, I use Smart Balance margarine for two reasons. First, it is parve which means I take the two containers that come in the package and mark one "D" for dairy and one "M" for meat. And voila, I am set. And second, it is healthy. The new one that I have been buying has flaxseed oil in it.

I like to think I am doing the ole green beans in the meatloaf trick. We're getting some flaxseed (not enough) without really knowing it.

I would recommend this pound cake as a light dessert (it is very fruity!) or as a sweet for brunch. My suggestion, buy a bag of frozen blueberries. This way, you don't have to sort out the mushy gross ones. For blueberry reference, 2 cups equal 1 pint.

For fun, serve with fresh blueberries on top and the drizzle described in the recipe. (softened margarine, powdered sugar and Rice Milk)










<---This was our dinner. All plates were clean.

Spring Italian Pasta

Let's see: The last time I cooked was Tuesday! Gasp! What would Julia say...

When Dan and I were in WalMart the other day, I became very excited when I saw Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the book section. Eventually I would like to get this book. Even if not for the recipes, there is a ton of good information regarding cooking, utensils, and methods of preparation for food.

I better substantiate my excuses for not cooking, right? So here goes. Sunday: Dan fractured his fifth metacarpal and upon returning from the ER, I made us some pasta and veggies. Monday we went out to a delicious Italian restaurant that we go to very often. I had ravioli and Dan had baked ziti because it is easy to eat with only one functional hand.

Tuesday I made Spring Italian Pasta. This is really my own recipe, and it is easy to make. My sequence of preparation included: 1) Pan roasting yellow peppers in olive oil. 2) Pan roasting carrot coins (that I cut!) in olive oil and garlic. 3) Placing vegetables in a separate bowl. 4) Boiling and bowling pasta. 5) Cleaning, cutting into strips (think how they do on a chicken salad), boiling chicken and once cooked, I seared it in olive oil and Italian dressing in a skillet.

I mixed it all together and heated it in the oven for about ten minutes, and it was a really fresh meal. I think it would be good served warm or cold. You really can include any vegetables that you like, but if you aren't using tri-colored pasta, for the sake of the appearance of the dish, include various colored veggies: red pepper, broccoli, yellow pepper, orange pepper, carrots.

If you don't want to use Italian dressing, you can improvise and do it the real way by using: olive oil, vinegar, finely chopped garlic, oregano and parsley, and some kosher sea salt.

And yesterday was my birthday! I had a very yummy sushi lunch (with fried tempura icecream!) with my friend, Lauri! We're starting to make a tradition of a weekly lunch date, which I love!

Then I came home, picked Daniel up from work and we had a delicious dinner with his Mom and Dad at a very delicious steakhouse in downtown Baltimore (right between Fell's Point and the Harbor)--Fleming's.

Tonight, I am having my first blog-dinner guest! Dan's brother, Robbie, will be in town for work, and he and Dan had planned a guy's night, but since Dan's left hand bailed, we're all going to have dinner together. I thought it was really nice that both guys didn't mind if we ate out or at home. I have a delicious dinner planned---one that Dan called "a surefire hit!" awww

Bon appetit!

Gimme a Hand

No worries, no worries...I haven't abandoned my blog--nor cooking! I did manage to cook a dinner on Sunday night (one I never cooked before, at that!) after we got home from the ER....Wait, what?

On Sunday, Dan fractured his 5th metacarpal. It is the "hand bone" on the pinkie side. There are five hand bones...(one for every finger). He is lucky the bone didn't go through the skin; it almost did!

Anyhow, I am now trying to cook with a lot of protein and calcium in each meal. We've been pretty good with adding calcium to our meals and I'm planning each meal around a main protein entree.

Also, Dan requested that our meals be easy to eat. He broke his dominant hand--left hand--so it is extremely hard for him to cut meat, eat soup, or use chopsticks. Anything with portion sizes that can fit nicely on a fork should work. On Sunday, I basically made pasta primavera---tortiglioni pasta and my own sauce. I didn't have time to make chicken for it, plus Dan wasn't really in the mood for a real dinner. To make my sauce I used a small can of tomato sauce (the really plain stuff), I sauteed chopped onion and added it to the tomato sauce. I also added onion powder, garlic powder, and parsley.

So, that is where I've been. This Friday, I am hosting our first blog-dinner extravaganza. I've let our guests know that they will be guinea pigs for whatever I prepare---just like Dan and I are for each meal that I am cooking!

I'm pretty excited! I will be cooking in larger quantities than usual, so we'll see how that goes. My plan for sushi this week probably will be pushed back until after Passover. Or, perhaps we could have sushi appetizers on Friday...

Anyhow...Bone Appetit!

Panko you very much! and Potato has no 'E', Dan Quayle

Daniel had a really late day today, again, so I decided to make a dinner that the prep can be done ahead of time, and then the actual cooking only takes a few minutes. Usually, I like to get everything done at once--while something baking in the oven, I can be working on something on the stovetop, but tonight, I had one large project and then the main course.

And what does Late Night at Work + Thursday Night=?

An elegantly set coffee table for primetime viewing of Grey's Anatomy!


For dinner tonight we had Seasoned Panko Tilapia and Twice-Baked Potatoes. The tilapia really isn't any specific recipe. It is just kind of the outcome of my Mom telling me about this new product (panko) and how it is a healthy alternative to breadcrumbs. I've used panko before (on fish, on chicken, on fried tomatoes) and we liked the texture so much that I stocked up. I believe there are three boxes of Panko crumbs in our pantry. I've started to buy my spices in bulk, maybe I should see if there are wholesale sizes of Panko!

The last time I made breaded tilapia, I baked it. After trying the blackened tilapia recipe which required that the tilapia be cooked in a skillet, stovetop, I figured I'd try to fake-fry the tilapia in a pan. I say fake-fry because I refuse to purchase a deep fryer or fry anything in butter/fat/vats of oil. Simply, I rubbed the fish with olive oil and coated tried to coat the tilapia with a mixture of panko, garlic and onion powders, and paprika. Even before, I've noticed that panko has Teflon properties and easily slides off of whatever it is placed upon. This is why it is easier to coat the fish, throw it on a baking sheet (or two layers of aluminum foil!) and toss it in the oven at 375F for 8-12 minutes (until the fish is white and flaky---kind of like my skin in the summer...)


When I put the fish in a pan, it sizzled, created charred panko and caused me to wish I went for the oven method. Anyhow, I just scooped the burned panko into the sink and lowered the temperature to finish cooking the fish. Some of the panko did stay adhered to the fish, but once it was finished cooking, I just mixed up some more panko and spices and oil and dabbed a bit more onto the fish!


It was tasty! I love "buttery" flavored breaded fish. However, next time, it will be made in the oven. I just have to work on knowing the right time to leave it in the oven to make sure it is done through and through.


Ever since I had my first twice-baked potato, I wanted to have them at my wedding. Well, I found out last month that for some reason, twice-baked potatoes don't really work so well for the wedding...not sure why. Anyhow, if I can't have it at my wedding, I'll have it in my kitchen! If that is my philosophy, Dan is coming home to an entire bar of candy along the diningroom table---in colors of candy that coordinate with the condo color scheme! hehe

Anyhow, I researched for a little bit today about the best way to make a crispy baked potato in the oven. My Gram has an old-fashioned potato baker that sits on the burner and cooks a nice crisp potato. I found out that, at around 375F for 45 minutes, then 450F for another 30 minutes, the oven makes potatoes perfectly! The skin was perfect (I ate two and a half potato skins!) and the inside was nice and fluffy.

So, back to making a twice-baked potato. I kind of figured this out myself. I took the potatoes out of the oven and let them cool a bit. I sliced them in half and scooped out the insides into a small mixing bowl, careful not to puncture the skin.

I then basically made mashed potatoes--potato, margarine, some salt, pepper and garlic. I mashed them up and replaced potato back into each shell. I made sure the tops were "fluffy" and sticking out of the shells. I sprinkled paprika on them and replaced them back onto the aluminum foil on the oven rack.

---I really suggest using aluminum foil especially when putting the re-stuffed potatoes back in the oven, because it lets you kind of use the slats in the oven rack to hold the potatoes upright. (Good tip, right?!)

I put them back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes---until the tops were crispy!

This fish and potato dinner was filling and pretty tasty! Oh, and we had peas as a side ;-)

So, my plan for next week is to make homemade sushi one night. That is, if I am able to get ahi grade tuna at the Weg. I'm not foolin' around here!

Bon appetit!

Pitt Chicken

You know how I know a dinner is good? Because the entire condo smells good when I walk in from going outside. Tonight, it smelled like a barbeque pit in here.

Even though I've never had pulled pork, the texture just has always been appealing to me. I've had pulled venison once. That I ate until I found out it was deer! Anyhow, I tried out a recipe that I can entirely call my own! I wasn't sure how it would turn out...I even had a coupon to our favorite Indian place left out just in case I had to scrap the menu for tonight.

Dan really liked it--he wanted a third pit chicken sandwich, but I cut him off after two.

Michele's Pulled Bar-b-que Chicken

(serves 2)

3 skinless and boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c Jack Daniels Recipe No. 7 Barbeque sauce
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

1) Clean and boil chicken breasts while skimming "gunk" from water.
2) Cool chicken breasts and rinse under cool water.
3) Peel chicken into shredded pieces in a small sauce pan.
4) Add seasonings and barbeque sauce, stir.
5) Simmer on low for about 1-2 hours stirring occasionally.

Since I was going for a barbeque/picnic type theme tonight. I wanted to incorporate a corn dish. To me, nothing says barbeque like corn on the cob! Since corn on the cob isn't really in season. I attempted to make a healthy side dish.








Michele's Fresh Warm Corn Salad

1 15.5oz can golden sweet corn
7 oz black beans
1/2c chopped tomatoes (drain the sauce)
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp salt

1) Mix together and warm before serving.






Since I am well on my way to 365 new recipes, I am thinking of creative things I can do with the blog instead of just making dinner each night. Here are the things I've come up with:

1) Send a recipe to me in a comment and I will make it.
2) One week of challenging recipes: souffle (which could be ruined by the stomp-happy neighbors upstairs), low-fat truffles, etc
3) Hold my first pre-Passover food extravaganza for family.

Bon appetit!

You are What You Eat: Parte Deux

Ever since I can remember, spring time meant tissue time, watery eye time, and experimenting with a new oral allergy medicine time. When I was about 10 years old, my parents took me to an allergist to finally get things under control.

I'm not sure what triggered this major medical decision, perhaps it was that one day, my hay fever was so bad that my eyes swelled shut and crusted shut?

Well, for about seven years, I took allergy shots. Starting with allergy shots is a big process, and the patient has to be dedicated to the schedule or the shots will not produce the antigen-allergen reaction. To begin, the allergist either injects small amounts of possible allergens subcutaneously or rubs small amounts of allergens onto the skin. Based upon the skin's reaction (nothing-large, hard, red bump) he/she determines if an allergy is present. Let's just say I had quite the spotted arm.

The shots work by producing an antigen-allergen reaction. By putting small amounts of something a patient is allergic to into his arm, the body will build resistance (antibody) to the allergen (antigen).

Once a personalized serum is created, I started receiving weekly allergy shots that increased in strength, and then every two weeks, then once monthly. After seven years, I take allergy medication PRN (as needed) rather than daily. Sometimes I feel myself becoming a little bit more sensitive to pollen and dust than I was when I was taking shots, but I know that taking allergy shots was one of the best decisions ever.

Although some days, I'd rather have the runny nose and crusty eyes. When do I want those days? I want those days on the days now when I try a new food and feel my throat tighten, my mouth and eyes become itchy and hives form on my lips. Glamorous!

After telling my allergist which foods give me the itchies (cherries, pears, apples, almonds, peaches, nectarines, and soy) he then said "but, you can eat cantaloupe, bananas, and grapes, right?" Based upon my description, he knew that I had allergies stemming from my seasonal allergy to birch and ragweed.

So, I basically avoid any fresh versions of these foods, no big deal. I can have cooked cherries, pears and apples.

Sometimes I can eat soy--mostly when it is lower in the ingredient list. But I have a strong allergy to soy milk, uncooked tofu (even my fingers itch!) and anything with soy as the first or second ingredient.

What concerns me now, is that I seem to get itchy from eating other foods---my lips itched from eating strawberries the other day.

I'm not really wanting to be allergy tested again here in Baltimore. I mean, what is the old saying: "Dr., my arm hurts when I do 'this'" and the Dr. replies "don't do that!". So, I should just stay away from certain foods, right? I just want to be sure that I am avoiding all that I should be and maybe see if there is a way I can desensitize myself to some foods. Typically there is no "cure" for food allergies.

I mean, simple answer, why write a blog entry about it? With my quest to incorporate more healthful foods and more and more organic products, I am fulfilling two missions. I am trying to have Dan and I eat healthier, but have you ever looked at the ingredients on an organic snack versus a non-organic snack?

I'm being a lot more careful lately and only have had to pop a Benedryl once in the past month. Also, I feel that eating at home has allowed us to have control over most of the ingredients in what we eat.

To delicious eating, and an itch-free tomorrow!

Carrots are a girl's best friend...er, wait...

Tomorrow's a big day! I have my first session as a consumer tester for McCormick & Company. You know, the spice people! I'm very excited! I spend two hours tasting a confidential product and participate in a focus group. This should be fun!

While walking through the supermarket today, I found myself just looking at food and thinking of ways I could create recipes with each item. I am really gaining an appreciation for food. I think the next thing that I am going to incorporate into some of our dishes is flaxseed---that is, after I do a thorough allergy testing on myself. Nothing like making an entire batch of pancakes with flaxseed only to then add some 0.3mg of Epi straight to the thigh.

I've been adding more and more veggies to our dinners and attempting to make each batch taste different from the next.

For dinner tonight, I made a recipe that my Mom gave me that came from the wrapper for Promise Margarine. We had Roasted Chicken with Artichokes and Tomatoes. It was delicious! After almost scrapping the recipe because kosher marinated artichokes were nowhere in sight, I found one kosher pareve jar! Whahoo! I seriously feel a small victory every time I find a new kosher food. (I plan to write a blog entry on the laws of kashrus, not that I am an expert).

The chicken was combined with balsamic vinegar, cherry tomatoes, and artichokes and was rubbed with a mixture of margarine, oregano and pepper. We really enjoyed it!

The only suggestion for next time would to be to marinate the chicken in the balsamic vinegar overnight (or at least four hours).

Also, I made my own Sweetened Crimped Carrots. Did you know that you can simply add 1/2 c water to a small pot and add frozen veggies from the bag? I'm not talking Steamfresh...I'm talking store brand. I'm being a little frugalista here, but really...for two people, one big 89cent bag of veggies lasts at least two dinners. Steamfresh lasts one dinner. I simply boiled my carrots and added brown sugar, stirred and voila...Dan ate his carrots for the first time they weren't in soup!

Bon appetit!

Food Prep

I just wanted to give all of my readers enough time to start preparing tonight's recipe. The first step:















1) Explode margarine all over microwave.


Dinner is in the oven and smellin' good! Oh, and our microwave is now spot-free!

Homemade macaroni and cheese...I got the...yellows?

Helloooo! (In a total Mrs. Doubtfire tone...) This past weekend Daniel and I journeyed to the City of Champions where we had such a nice weekend!

On Saturday and Sunday, I had wedding make-up trials and let me tell you, they were SO much fun! I love having my make-up done and wish I was so talented with make-up brushes! I guess, I'll be happy that I'm talented with a spatula and whisk ;-)

We then enjoyed the nice weather with my parents (and my new look!). I miss Pittsburgh a lot and wish we could move back...you know, for the sake of the blog ;-)--->the food possibilities in Pittsburgh are amazing: fresh produce, pasta, and spices in the Strip, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's so close and the Market District!

For dinner tonight, we had something light since Daniel came home very late. For everyone that is familiar with Kiva Han (in Pittsburgh), they have an amazing Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese. I've had it twice and each time I was amazed. I mean, who thinks of making cajun mac 'n' cheese---Genius!

Michele's adapted Kiva Han Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese

Choose your own quantities, I trust you. I used tortiglioni pasta because there is nothing that is cooler than a textured, shaped pasta. After boiling the pasta and draining, I melted cheese in the same pot over the noodles, shook a liberal amount of Old Bay over the mac 'n' cheese and served it! Before we ate it, I sprinkled some Old Bay on top and ta da---Cajun Mac 'n' Cheese!

Bon appetit!

Tilapia Triumph!

After last night's dinner (which Daniel says would have been good minus the tempeh, plus tuna), I knew I had to have a winner winner dinner tonight.
This past week (if you could tell) was my attempt at a "no-chicken" week. With only one slight hiccough last night, it turned out pretty nicely! Dan asked for the meatballs again and even said the stroganoff would be okay again!

After I sent out the email introducing my blog, my Aunt Robin replied with a recipe for Paula Deen's blackened tilapia. I've made tilapia in the past, but was so excited to try this recipe because I thought the spices would give the fish the added flavor it needed. And plus, it is one of my cousin Danielle's favorite dinners.

I've had the tilapia in the freezer since Monday, and after a frantic call yesterday to Wegman's, I found out that you can freeze tilapia (when packaged on a foam tray under saran wrap) for about five days. If packaged in wax paper and paper, fish can freeze much much longer.
The fish defrosted beautifully. I timed dinner correctly because the India Eggplant side dish required an hour in the oven. I first got the India Eggplant underway. When it had about ten minutes to go, Daniel made our salads while I coated and blackened the tilapia. It cooked beautifully and as soon as I went to flip the fillets, they started to flake---whahoo!

The India Eggplant is definitely a keeper. I'd say it is a sweeter version of ratatouille and a really healthy side dish. It consists of, well, eggplant, chopped tomatoes, sauteed onions and peppers, cumin, coriander, ginger, paprika and brown sugar. I found the recipe in Kosher Delicious and would highly recommend this recipe. Cooked eggplant is so delicious! It didn't bother me when Daniel wanted more of the veggies!
I really enjoy cooking with tilapia. The fish is very versatile--you can add mango chutney, panko and breadcrumbs, lemon and lime juice, and spices to blacken it! It can be made into tacos, on a salad, in a sandwich---any which way. I think next week I'll try a new tilapia recipe!

Daniel even got into taking pictures. I mean, the camera is always in the kitchen now--its our newest appliance ;-)






























Overall tonight, as Borat would say, was a great success!


Bon appetit!

A Not-so-Delicious Almost Disaster

For the entire week, I had been excited about tonight's dinner. Not only was it keeping with my "chicken-free" week, I was going to experiment with tempeh, something that I used to eat a lot when I was a vegetarian. Before I give you the recipe (which was ehh on a scale of eww to YUM-E), I will tell you the saga of today which was just calmed by a very knowledgeable Rabbi Shlomo of AskMoses.com
(Addendum: I just went into the kitchen to grab my camera, and saw Daniel taking another helping...hmmm!)
I began to cook my bouillon cube and then poured it over the tofu (the original thought before the tempeh...keep reading) when I realized @%$#! I just made the bouillon cube for my DAIRY dinner in a meat pot. I carefully dumped the bouillon down the drain, dumped the tofu in the trash and headed back out to the Weg.

I came home, cleaned the offending meat pots and utensils and put them away---little did I know that they would be back to haunt me.

I brought out my trust red dairy pots and began to boil the egg noodles. I stir-fried the mushrooms and my own addition of eggplant. Next was time to make the sauce, I combined the sour cream with the vegetable bouillon, paprika and pepper.

The pasta finished cooking and it was time to strain them. I tried to do the ol' trick of draining the water through a small slit between the pot and lid. Well, that worked, until the lid decided to slip and spill boiling water on my stomach and jeans. My thoughts (after I peeled a noodle (or was it skin?) from my stomach), screw this! It is strainer time!

I strained the noodles and put them back in the pot to mix them with all of the veggies and sauce. Then another %##@! ran through my mind-----the last time I strained noodles in here, they were cooked in a meat pot. I was sure I ruined the pot. So, I pulled out the paper bowls (I wasn't going to ruin the plates nor throw out dinner!) and we ate the less than thrilling mushroom stroganoff, a recipe from a magazine.

After enjoying eating our dinner with plastic flatware and a stylish white paper bowl, I decided to consult AskMoses.com to see if I truly had ruined our pot.

And after a discussion with the Rabbi on the LiveChat, I found out...dum dum dum...my utensils and pot are still Kosher!!! Can I get a shehechyanu here?

The determining factor in his decision (I think) is that I hadn't used the strainer for over a month (maybe two).
So, as I write this, I am happy that my cute red pot isn't ruined...but man! I could have had better pictures for my blog had I used our real plates!

Smoky Mushroom Stroganoff
(taken from Better Homes and Gardens, February 2009)

1 8oz package of wide egg noodles
1 1/2 lb. package sliced mushrooms (button, cremini, or shiitake)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 8 oz carton light sour cream (I'd use 12oz next time)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 c vegetable broth
(eggplant if you like!)
parsley

1) Cook noodles, drain and keep warm.
2) In a skillet, cook mushrooms and garlic in hot olive oil for about 5-8 minutes or until brown. I then added eggplant and sauteed it. Remove with slotted spoon (leave juices/oil in skillet)
3) For sauce, in a bowl combine sour cream, flour, paprka and 1/4 tsp pepper.
4) Add sauce to soup pot with noodles (the pot you used to cook the noodles) and add vegetables. Stir.
5) Place on dish, sprinkle with parsley and...

The recipe was okay. My recommendations for next time--no tempeh, I'd use tuna for a protein source, add more salt to the broth, and increase the amount of sour cream to 12 oz.

All in all, I think I will try this again---with more sour cream and with tuna!

Bon appetit!

Potato-y with a chance of meatballs

I had such a nice day today playing with my 4 year old niece, Sammie and 11 month old nephew, Zach. Sammie is in the imaginative stage and it is so interesting (and sometimes funny!) to hear what ideas and stories she comes up with!

After I got home from playing, I got right to work in the kitchen. I was excited about tonight's dinner because I was recreating a recipe that my Mom usually makes for appetizers. For dinner we had Swedish Meatballs. In order to make it more dinner friendly, I made the meatballs larger. For appetizers, use the same recipe but make small, bite-size meatballs.

It is so easy to make---try it for a delicious, different meal!


1 lb ground meat (I used turkey)
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 jar marinara sauce (16oz)
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c breadcrumbs (more or less depending if you like!)
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp sugar

1) Mix meat with beaten egg, garlic powder and breadcrumbs.
2) In a pot, mix cranberry sauce and marinara sauce and cook until hot.
3) Form meat mixture into meatballs and place into hot marinara sauce.
4) Allow marinara sauce to come to a bubbling "boil" and cover for about five minutes.
5) Stir, and return to low/medium heat. Stir occasionally.
6) Keep on low/medium heat for an hour.

*Depending on your stove, you may have to lower the heat or raise the heat. You dont want the meatballs to bubble while simmering.

I looked throughout my recipe books to find a good side dish to accompany meatballs. I mean, what goes well with meatballs? They usually go with spaghetti! I decided that rosemary roasted potatoes would go well, and they did!

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
(adapted from Kosher Delicious)

(For 2 people)

2 large peeled Idaho Russet Potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp black ground pepper
Dash of salt

1) Peel and cube potatoes. (I soak the potatoes in water after peeling to get rid of extra starch and also to keep them from oxidizing--a tip I learned from my SIL, Nira).
2) Drizzle olive oil over potatoes. Add spices, coat each potato.
3) Place on baking sheet in oven for 50 minutes at 450F.
4) Check potatoes frequently and turn throughout roasting process.

I definitely think these potatoes will be a keeper---you know, when I stop making new recipes each night :-)

These potatoes work well with so many different meals--hotdogs, brisket, roasted chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, many fish dishes.

I think it is very easy for potatoes to be bland, and I really think this recipe makes potatoes delicious! They become crispy in the oven, yet remain soft and "potatoey" on the inside.

Bon appetit!!!

Sounds Fishy To Me

Happy March! This week, we started dinner with fish. This was my first time making salmon at the condo. I've made tilapia before, but I think the error-factor is higher with salmon since it is a meatier fish.

I've also started going to the grocery store once per week. I write out the week's menu day-by-day on a tablet with the necessary ingredients, then head to the store. I like this method, but it is so unlike the everyday trips to Giant Eagle that my Mom and I would make when I was younger. I really give people who do the monthly shopping trip credit! I'm not sure we even have enough freezer space!

One of the other challenges for me is that I am going to start organizing meals in order to maximize ingredient usage. For instance, one of the recipes for this week calls for eggplant. I can assure you that the two of us can't eat an entire eggplant in one night. Basically, I want to arrange recipes with similar ingredients (not necessarily similar tastes) so that I don't waste ingredients. For example, if I buy a tomato to make fried tomatoes, I'll use some of the tomato one night for the fried tomatoes and again the next night in salad. We'll see how this goes. I am pretty good about not wasting vegetables, but I mean...is an eggplant as versatile as a tomato?! I shall see!

Tonight I made another recipe from the Kosher Delicious cookbook. I made Horseradish Encrusted Salmon. I was a little bit nervous because I wanted the fish to have a flavor and not be bland. We both enjoyed it! The recipe calls for a thin coat of the horseradish sauce, but next time I would go all out and smear on a thick layer. After the horseradish sauce, a sprinkling of herb flavored bread crumbs on top, and then some paprika. It was delicious!

I accompanied the salmon with roasted asparagus made by a recipe that my Mom found in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. I coated the asparagus with olive oil, a dash of salt, chopped onion flakes and (feta that I forgot to buy at the store...). I really think the feta would have added so much to this dish, especially tasty with the fish! I roasted the asparagus in the oven for about 10 minutes at 500F. (I had the oven on 500F for about 12 minutes...I think this counts as kashering for passover...if only!)

My suggestions for side dishes for a fish dinner depend on how the fish is prepared. If the fish is given a fruity marinade--lemon juice, mango chutney--I suggest using a more subdued seasoning on the side dish, try a buttered couscous, or basmati rice. If my dish is fruity (sweet) I don't want to compete with something that is very spiceful or more "salty". If my fish has a more distinct flavor--horseradish sauce, buttered breadcrumbs, dill sauce--I like to add another similar taste. For instance, tonight I made wild mushroom rice pilaf. While the tastes both flavorful, they stand alone in their own way---horseradish and wild mushroom.

I am beginning to think of my menus for Passover. Since I'll be cooking this Passover, that means I get to sit at home with the windows open while the oven self-cleans, yippee!

Passover is my favorite holiday and I am excited to incorporate a Passover-friendly recipes into my blog! I already talked to Dan about the challenge of making homemade gefilte fish, but I think chopping up a fish with my bare hands would forever ruin the delicious fish balls forever for me. Send me your favorite Passover recipes and I will get started planning!

Bon appetit!