Food Holiday

April 25th is National Zucchini Bread Day.  Zucchini Bread sometimes made into zucchini muffins is a savory and sweet quick bread that is easy to make and a great way to use extra zucchini.   It is the perfect bread to serve with any meal.  It can be made sweeter and even served for dessert.  It is a wonderful breakfast and a great way to get added vegetables in any time of day.

Zucchini also called Corguettes is a type of summer squash that is in season between May and July, when it is at its peak. You can go find some at your store right now to celebrate this day, but you can also bookmark this article for July when the stores are practically giving the zucchini away.  Zucchini Bread for everyone!

or these Pear and Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini bread is very moist and freezes well.  You can add chocolate, pears, cranberries or anything to zucchini bread, what is your favorite addition?

Main Image – Traditional Zucchini Bread Recipe

An upside-down cake is a cake usually made in a pan with a curved bottom. Once cooked, turned over and allowed to set, the cake is eaten upside-down. Usually, chopped fruits such as apples, pineapples and cherries are placed at the bottom of the pan before the batter is poured in, so that they form a decorative topping once the cake is inverted.

Turning the cake upside-down is a critical process; if done improperly, part of it can remain attached to the pan, ruining the final product. To allow for an easier detachment, the bottom of the pan is usually covered with butter or sugar.

Traditional upside-down preparations include the American Pineapple Upside-down Cake, French Tarte Tatin, and Brazilian Bolo de Banana.

Five Fun Facts:

1. Each pineapple plant only produces just one pineapple per year.
2. Unripe pineapples don’t just taste vile, but can actually be quite poisonous. Eating it causes serious throat irritation and it has a strong laxative effect.
3. Pineapples grow slowly, and can take up to two years to reach full size, so we pick and eat them when they are much smaller, but if they are left to their own devices they can reach up to 20lbs.
4. Traditionally pineapple juice was used as a diuretic and to induce labor.
5. The Bromelain enzyme in pineapples breaks down proteins. This means that you can use pineapple or pineapple juice as a meat tenderizer.

Five Recipes:

Click for more pineapple recipes.

Nutrition information for one pineapple:

Calories: 452   
Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 118 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 9 mg
Protein:  5 g
Sugars:  89 g

Rice balls or “onigiri” are a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori (seaweed). Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume (umeboshi), salted salmon, katsuobushi, kombu, tarako, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative. Because of the popularity of onigiri in Japan, most convenience stores stock their onigiri with various fillings and flavors. There are even specialized shops whose only products are onigiri for take out.

Five Fun Rice Facts:

1. Rice is the second highest worldwide production after maize (corn). Since maize is mostly grown for purposes other than human consumption, rice is the most important grain for human consumption.
2. There are more than 40,000 varieties of rice that grow on every continent except on Antarctica.
3. Rice is a symbol of life and fertility, which is why rice was traditionally throw at weddings.
4. Japanese people believe it is important to not waste rice, so it you leave rice in your bowl it is considered to be rude.
5. There is enough rice that grows in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Missouri to rank the USA as the twentieth largest rice producer in the world and the second largest exported of rice. About half of all the rice grown in the USA is exported.

Five Rice Recipes:

1. Tempura Sushi rolls - Victoria says: This is my go-to dinner when I haven’t gone grocery shopping. Who doesn’t have seaweed in the pantry and imitation crab in the freezer? Some people think of sushi as an appetizer, but this is a complete filling meal. I use homemade panko (my leftover challah processed) for the breadcrumbs. When it comes time to dip, my children love the sweet sauce; my husband and I prefer the spicy mayo.
2. Wild Rice Pancakes- You can warm the maple syrup in the microwave so it doesn’t cool off the pancakes when it’s poured on top.
3. Dairy-Free Banana Rice Pudding- So this is a non-dairy dessert that is so good your kids won’t even know. Wow them next Shabbat.
4. Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Black Sticky Rice - A take on the classic Southeast Asian dessert of fresh mango with coconut white sticky rice, this version has grilled pineapple served over cardamom-infused coconut black sticky rice. The consistency should be that of a loose rice pudding, though black sticky rice is always chewy. For an equally delicious dessert, use grilled banana or mango instead of pineapple.
5. Jeweled Golden Rice - Inspired by a classic Persian recipe, this eye-catching fruit- and nut-studded rice dish goes well with roast poultry. Here, the colorful “jewels” are fresh and dried cherries, chopped celery, green onion and mixed nuts. The dish is prepared ahead, making it very convenient for entertaining.

Click for more rice recipes.

Nutrition information for a one cup serving of long grain white rice, cooked:

Calories:    205
Fat: 0.4 g
Carbohydrates: 45 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 2 mg
Protein:  4 g
Sugars:  0 g

Animal cracker refers to a particular type of small cracker or cookie baked in the shape of an animal, usually an animal one might see at a zoo or circus, such as a lion, tiger, bear, or elephant. The most common variety is light-colored and slightly sweet, but darker chocolate-flavored and colorful frosted varieties are also sold. Whereas animal crackers are made with a layered dough like crackers, they are sweet like cookies. Animal crackers are often sold in zoo or circus-themed packaging containing an assortment of animal shapes.

Five Fun Facts:

1. The product we know today as Animal Crackers came into being in 1902, but it they had existed in similar forms for generations. In the late 1800s, ‘Animals’ (animal shaped fancy cookies) were imported from England. Many of the small, local bakeries in America made different versions called ‘Animals’ or ‘Circus Crackers’. Bakeries began to unite into larger companies with regional and eventual national distribution at the end of the 19th century. One of these was the National Biscuit Company. Packaging became an important factor in marketing on a national scale. Their ‘Animal Biscuits’ were officially renamed ‘Barnum’s Animals’ in 1902.
2. In total there have been 37 different varieties of animal crackers since 1902.
3. The current 17 varieties of crackers are  tigers, cougars, camels, rhinoceros, kangaroos, hippopotami, bison, lions, hyenas, zebras, elephants, sheep, bears, gorillas, monkeys, seals, and giraffes.
4. There are 22 crackers per box.
5. The most famous reference to Animal Crackers is most likely in the Shirley Temple film ‘Curleytop‘, in which she sang “Animal crackers in my soup, Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop, Gosh, oh, gee, but I have fun! “

Five Cookie Recipes:

1. Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies- These cookies are great with tea. Once baked they’ll keep for at least one week wrapped on the counter or keep a stash in the freezer when you want something that’s not too sweet.
2. Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies- Move over chocolate chip, everyone knows there is nothing so tempting as an oatmeal raisin cookie.
3. No-Bake Cookies- Kid-friendly, easy to make and delish … what more could you ask?
4. Yummy Molasses Crackles- Nancy Caverly gave her grandmother’s recipe for ginger molasses cookies a little makeover—reducing the butter and adding crystallized ginger for a spicy jolt.
5. Boot Tracks - These award-winning cookies are made in your waffle iron. Mix up a batch of these chewy, chocolatey treats today and watch them disappear. Patti Anderson, a professional quilter, had never entered a cooking contest before she took our challenge. This quick, no-fuss, chewy chocolate cookie is made on your waffle iron. No need to haul out the big mixer, you can mix the batter with a small hand mixer or even by hand. Kids love these!

Click for more cookie recipes.

Nutrition information per 2 oz box of animal crackers:

Calories:   254 
Fat: 8 g
Carbohydrates: 42 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 275 mg
Protein:  4 g
Sugars: 8  g

Cheeseballs are small to medium sized deep fried balls coated with corn flour, refined flour or breadcrumbs and stuffed with cheese mixture. Cheese balls are the perfect item to be served as snacks as well as appetizers. Not only is the preparation of cheeseballs easy, but also quite quick. It is the best recipe which can be prepared within just a few minutes with nothing but cheese in store, whenever an unexpected guest drops in. The making of this snack item is quite pocket-friendly and can be served with tangy tomato sauce, chili sauce on any holiday, party or get-together. A typical cheese ball is crispy from outside while moist on the inside due to the cheese stuffing. Cheese balls taste great in every bite when the generously stuffed cheese inside melts into the mouth. These snacks become even yummier with the addition of a pinch of seasonings like pepper and herbs like oregano.

Five Fun Facts:

1. Cheese balls are fun party snacks
2. The term “cheese ball” can also refer to the puffed air orange snack that can be purchased in the snack aisle.
3. The earliest mention was found in a 1944 cookbook called “Food of My Friends”. The recipe came from a Minnesota housewife.
4. A “cheeseball” also refers to someone trying to be funny or corny.
5. Cheese Balls are a great snack for a home movie night.

Five Recipes:

Click for more Cheese Ball recipes.

Nutrition information per one serving of cheese balls:

Calories:    105
Fat: 10 g
Carbohydrates: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 0 mg
Protein: 0  g

Mushrooms are of the fungi family subdivision of Basidiomycotina, of the class Hymenomycetes. The word mushroom is derived from the Gallo-Roman mussiro which evolved to mussereroun in Middle English.

There are so many varieties of mushrooms, both edible and toxic, that mass consumption is pretty much limited to those commercially-grown varieties which can be trusted to be edible.

In the eighteenth century, France began cultivating mushrooms resembling the basic mushroom that we all buy at the market.

Prior to 1940, the most widely available mushroom was the Italian brown, now known as the crimini mushroom. From this early lust for fungi arose the taste for more exotic mushrooms, including shiitake, enoki, oyster, morels, cepes, chanterelles, and more. (about.com)

Five Fun Facts:

1. All mushrooms are fungi but not all fungi are mushrooms.  The Kingdom of Fungi also includes yeasts, slime molds, rusts and several other types of related organisms.
2. There are an estimated 1.5 to 2 million species of fungi on planet Earth, of which only about 80,000 have been properly identified.  Theoretically, there are 6 species of fungi for every 1 species of green plants.
3. In some ways, mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants.  Just like us, mushrooms take in oxygen for their digestion and metabolism and “exhale” carbon dioxide as a waste product.  Fungal proteins are similar in many ways to animal proteins.
4. Mushrooms grow from spores, not seeds, and a single mature mushroom will drop as many as 16 billion spores!
5. Some South American Amazon tribes have one word that refers to both meat and mushrooms; they consider mushrooms as equivalent to meat in nutritive value.

Five Mushroom Recipes:

1. Roasted Portobello Caps- Think of a jumbo stuffed mushroom without all the high-fat ingredients but with all the flavor.
2. Chinese Braised Mushrooms & Tofu- Ma Po Tofu, a classic dish from the Sichuan province of China, inspired this recipe. The original is made with soft tofu and ground beef with plenty of heat from dried chile peppers and Sichuan peppercorns. Portobello mushrooms stand in for the meat in our vegetarian version and convenient jarred chile-garlic sauce gives it plenty of kick. Serve with brown rice.
3. Mushroom & Leek Galette- Perfect as an appetizer, or as a vegetarian main dish; This savory Mushroom & Leek Galette is a delicious addition to any party!
4. Mushroom Stuffed Tilapia Rolls- Beautiful enough to use as main course. The stuffing takes only a few minutes to make and freezes very well, so you might consider doubling the amounts and freezing the unused part for another meal. It will be suitable (minus the cheese) to stuff thinly pounded chicken cutlets too, using the same instructions as in this recipe. For a pareve stuffing, add another layer of flavor such as toasted pine nuts, diced tomatoes or spinach.
5. Porcini Mushroom Risotto - This creamy rice dish needs no butter or cream to create a wonderfully smooth and earthy taste and texture. Dried porcini mushrooms and their intense liquid provide a burst of concentrated flavor.

Click for more mushroom recipes.

Nutrition information per 100 g of raw shiitake mushroom:

Calories:    34
Fat: 0.5 g
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 9 mg
Protein:  2 g
Sugars:  2 g

Read More:

Make Room for Mushrooms
The 411 on Mushrooms

Caramel is a beige to dark-brown confectionery product made by heating any of a variety of sugars. It is used as a flavoring in puddings and desserts, as a filling in bonbons, and as a topping for ice cream, custard and coffee.

The process of caramelization consists of heating sugar slowly to around 170 °C (340 °F). As the sugar heats, the molecules break down and re-form into compounds with a characteristic color and flavor.

Five Fun Facts:

1. Caramel candies and caramel apples are made from different substances.
2. Caramel is created from cooking sugar for long periods of time over a specific temperature
3. Many candies are made with caramel flavoring including, caramel apples, pralines, nougats, and crème caramel custard
4. Caramel coloring, a dark, bitter-tasting liquid, is the highly concentrated product of near total caramelization, bottled for commercial use. It is used as food coloring and in beverages such as cola.
5. Caramel candy is a soft, dense, chewy candy made by boiling a mixture of milk or cream, sugar(s), butter, and vanilla flavoring. The sugar(s) are heated separately to reach 170 °C (340 °F), caramelizing them before the other ingredients are added.

Caramel Corn

1. Caramel (Nut) Corn - You can leave the nuts out completely or add a combination of whichever lightly toasted nuts you like. Package this up in paper or plastic bags (decorated by the kids) or store in airtight containers. This is sure to be a hit!
2. Caramel Applesauce with Cumin- Creamy, sweet applesauce with just a hint of cumin—eat this on its own or as the perfect pairing with sweet potato latkes.
3. Caramel Matzo Crunch- An outstanding, unique, and easy confection. If you make only one thing at Passover, make this.
4. Caramel Cream Cheese Custard (Flan de Queso)- This delightful flan would be a hit at your next dinner party or special occasion. Every panaderia (bakery) in Puerto Rico has many flavors of flan, from vanilla to guava. Reduced-fat cream cheese gives this version a rich, comforting texture.
5. Caramelized Pear Bread Pudding - Sweet caramelized pears are the highlight of this comforting, custardy, raisin-studded bread pudding. When turned out of its baking dish, the flanlike pudding sits in a pool of intense caramel syrup, making it worthy of any holiday table. Serve warm or chilled.

Caramel Matzo Crunch

Nutrition information per 10 g of candy caramels:

Calories:   39 
Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 25 mg
Protein:  0.4 g
Sugars:  7 g

Chicken Cordon Bleu is a relatively recent American creation, drawing upon techniques from both Chicken Kiev and similar schnitzel dishes. The earliest reference to “Chicken Cordon Bleu” in The New York Times is dated to 1967, while similar veal recipes are found from at least 1955. The French term Cordon Bleu is translated as “Blue Ribbon”.The chicken dish should not be confused with the cooking school of the same name. It is traditionally made with chicken, wrapped around ham and cheese, but there are many kosher versions that circumvent this. See below.

Five Fun Facts:

1. The first reference to chicken cordon bleu in the “Los Angeles Times” newspaper was in 1968. There are earlier references to its predecessor, veal cordon bleu.
2. The dish did not originate at any of the prestigious Cordon Bleu cooking schools of Europe as often thought. It is not exactly clear who was the first person to prepare and name the dish chicken cordon bleu.
3. The term cordon bleu has come to denote a chef of exceptional quality. The originator may have been playing off that perception when naming the dish. He may have simply been substituting less expensive chicken for veal in veal cordon bleu.
4. Chicken Kiev is a similar dish.
5. Chicken Cordon Bleu can be pan fried or baked in the oven.

Five Recipes:

1. Chicken Cordon Bleu- A staple in french cuisine is the Chicken Cordon Bleu. which is basically shnitzel with ham and cheese rolled inside. To make it kosher, we must 1st replace the ham which is easy, as Jews are known for our delicious deli, but harder to replace is the cheese, i have done that with a simple mayonnaise based dressing.
2. “Cheese” Stuffed Chicken- I found a package of vegan (parve) blue cheese and couldn’t wait to try it out. The flavor is there and it worked great stuffed in this chicken.
3. Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts- Looking for a Great Weeknight Recipe? Order organic chicken cutlets from your favorite kosher butcher and have him cut them “Butterfly Style.” Try this dish on your family- It will become a weekly favorite!
4. Teriyaki Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts- You can stuff and roll chicken with anything, but I love mushrooms. This came out great and was even better the next day.
5. Chicken with Spiced Mango Rice - Savor this fusion of ingredients as they combine to make a melody in your mouth.

Click for more stuffed chicken recipes.

Nutrition information per serving of chicken Cordon Bleu:

Calories:    600
Fat: 27 g
Carbohydrates: 4 g
Cholesterol: 280 mg
Sodium: 1018 mg
Protein:  81 g
Sugars:  1 g

A mousse is a prepared food that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture. It can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick, depending on preparation techniques. Dessert mousses are typically made with whipped egg whites or whipped cream, and generally flavored with chocolate or puréed fruit.

Five Fun Facts:

1. Once only a specialty of French restaurants, chocolate mousse entered into American and English home cuisine in the 1960s.
2. The first written record of chocolate mousse in the United States comes from a Food Exposition held at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1892.
3. A “Housekeeper’s Column” in the Boston Daily Globe of 1897 published one of the first recipes for chocolate mousse. This recipe produced a pudding-like dish very different from today’s stiffer, but still fluffy, mousse.
4. Mousse became as we know it with the introduction of egg whites, separated from the yolks.
5. When white chocolate became the chocolate choice in the 80s, food companies scrambled to devise new ways of using it in tandem with their own products. After chef Michel Fitoussi created a white chocolate mousse in New York City in 1977, people couldn’t get enough. Mousse was perhaps the most popular of the white chocolate desserts.

Five Mousse Recipes:

1. Chocolate Mousse- Chocolate mousse is a great dessert for entertaining because it looks pretty, everyone gets their own serving, and you can make it a day ahead of time. In fact, you do need to make it at least several hours ahead of time. I decided to prepare chocolate mousse using the darkest chocolate I could find (Trader Joe’s has some Belgian 70% cocoa 1 lb bricks). Chocolate mousse is a little bit tricky. If you incorporate the egg yolks when the chocolate is too warm, it will cook, if too cold, it will seize up when the other ingredients are added. If you stir and not fold the egg whites and whipped cream in, your mousse will not be fluffy, but dense.
2. Passover Chocolate Mousse with Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Don’t let the name put you off, the richness of high-quality chocolate is balanced by the fruitiness of the olive oil. This lush parve dessert is perfect for Passover or anytime.
3. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Mousse Pie - this dessert tastes like you spent hours perfecting it, when in reality it takes ten minutes to make!
4. Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie- This needs to be made ahead so it would really surprise the family for Shabbat lunch when this came out to the table.
5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake with Peanut Praline and Caramel Sauce - This GIANT cake will remind you of your favorite candy bar. It has chocolate, peanuts, peanut butter, and caramel all rolled into one. You could make two 2-layer cakes— eat one and freeze the other.

Click for more Mousse Recipes.

Nutrition information per 1/2 cup serving of chocolate mousse:

Calories: 454
Fat: 32 g
Carbohydrates: 32 g
Cholesterol: 283 mg
Sodium: 77 mg
Protein: 8  g
Sugars:  30 g

It is said that the US Military is responsible for the creation of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Both peanut butter and jelly were on the U.S. Military ration menus in World War II (1941-1945).  American soldiers added jelly to their peanut butter to make it more palatable. Peanut butter provided an inexpensive and high protein alternative to meat for soldiers. It was an instant hit and returning servicemen made peanut butter and jelly sales soar in the United States. Food historians haven’t found any ads or other mentions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before the 1940s.

Five fun facts:

1. Americans eat enough peanut butter in a year to make more than 10 billion peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
2. The world’s largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich was created in Oklahoma City, OK, on September 7, 2002 by the Oklahoma Peanut Commission and the Oklahoma Wheat Commission. The PB & J sandwich weighed in at nearly 900 pounds, and contained 350 pounds of peanut butter and 144 pounds of jelly. The amount of bread used to create the sandwich was equivalent to more than 400-one pound loaves of bread.
3. Variations on the classic PB&J include adding marshmallows, bananas, cream cheese, and honey.  It has even been served deep fried with chocolate syrup and whipped cream.
4. 96% of people, when making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, put the peanut butter on before the jelly.
5. Former President George W. Bush said his favorite sandwich was PB&J.

Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Click for more peanut butter and jelly recipes.

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Calories:  327  
Fat:  14 g
Carbohydrates:  42 g
Cholesterol:0  mg
Sodium: 483  mg
Protein: 10  g
Sugars: 12 g

Sourdough is a dough containing a culture, usually in symbiotic combination with yeasts. It is one of two principal means of biological leavening in bread baking, along with the use of cultivated forms of yeast. It is of particular importance in baking rye-based breads, where yeast does not produce comparable results. In comparison with yeast-based breads, it produces a distinctively tangy or sour taste, mainly because of the lactic acid produced by the culture. The actual medium, known as “starter”, is in essence an ancestral form of pre-ferment.

In English-speaking countries, where wheat-based breads predominate, sourdough is no longer the standard method for bread leavening. It was gradually replaced, first by the use of barm from beermaking, then, after the confirmation of germ theory by Louis Pasteur, by cultured yeasts. However, some form of natural leaven is still used by many specialty bakeries.

Sourdough starter is traditionally made with a small amount of old dough, preferably saved from a prior batch. This is traditionally called mother dough or chef, or in more modern usage, seed sour. First-generation starter or spontaneous seed may be created by storing new dough in a warm place and allowing sufficient time for it to sour. This small amount of old-dough starter contains the culture, and its weight is increased by additions of new dough and mixing or kneading followed by rest or leavening period. A small amount of the resulting dough is then saved to use as starter sour for the next batch.As long as this starter culture is fed flour and water weekly, it can stay at room temperature indefinitely.

Sourdough bread is made by combining the increased amount of starter with another new-dough addition, along with any other desired ingredients to make the final dough. The starter comprises about 13 to 25% of the final dough, though particular formulas vary.This final dough may be divided and shaped, then allowed to rise, followed by baking.

It is not uncommon for a baker’s starter dough to have years of history, from many hundreds of previous batches. As a result, each bakery’s sourdough has a distinct taste. The combination of starter processes, refreshment ratios and rest times, culture and air temperature, humidity, and elevation also makes each batch of sourdough different. (Wikipedia)

Five Fun Facts:

1.  Sourdough is the oldest and most original form of leavened bread. The oldest recorded use of sourdough is from the Ancient Egyptian civilizations.
2. During the gold rush days in California, some of the Boudin family who were well known master Bakers from France came to the San Francisco area. They found out that the sourdough culture there was very unique and they became very famous for their bread with this special flavor. The miners flocked to this bakery every morning for this special tasting bread. Since 1849 they have been using the same sourdough culture, which they call a “Mother dough” and the same recipe, flour, water, a pinch of salt and some of the this “Mother Dough”.So important is their “Mother Dough” it was heroically saved by Louise Boudin during the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.
3. The sour taste of sourdough bread comes from lactobacillus, which lives in symbiosis with yeast, feeding on byproducts of the yeast fermentation.  The sour taste itself comes from the lactic acid produced by the lactobacillus.  This also helps the bread last longer without spoiling as most microbes can’t handle the acidic environment created by the lactobacillus.
4. Diabetics can benefit from eating sourdough bread. It has a low glycemic index, which means it will not spike your blood sugar. Studies have shown that eating sourdough for breakfast will also help you process your lunch in a more beneficial way.
5. Commercial yeasted breads require the addition of oils, sweeteners, conditioners, and preservatives to improve flavor and keeping qualities. Sourdough does not.

Everyday Whole Wheat Bread

Five Bread Recipes:

1. Everyday Whole-Wheat Bread- This is a good transitional loaf of bread. Start with this and get ready to go all whole wheat. This whole-wheat loaf is excellent for sandwiches, toast or eating plain. It has a light, springy texture and a mellow, slightly sweet grain taste from cracked wheat. The crust is crisp when the bread is first baked, but gradually softens as it stands.
2. Multigrain Molasses Bread - This home-style, Multigrain Molasses Bread is great for tasty sandwiches, or even by itself as a healthy snack. The flavor of this hearty, home-style multigrain bread is reminiscent of nice, “bran-y” bran muffins. It’s great for toasting, making sandwiches or eating as is.
3. Savory Pumpkin Artisan Bread- Spread these crusty loaves with roasted garlic or be a total food snob and dip in seasoned olive oil.
4. Hot Pretzel Challah- The ballpark meets the Shabbos table!
5. Squash Tea Bread - Give your quick bread a new twist with this winter squash winner.

Squash Tea Bread

Click for more bread recipes.

Nutrition information for one medium slice of sourdough bread:
Calories: 185
Fat: 1 g
Carbohydrates: 36 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 328 mg
Protein: 8  g
Sugars:  2 g

Whenever I make a chicken soup I love to put a turkey neck in it to add some flavoring. When the soup is cooked I will remove the turkey neck and take the meat of the bones and eat it. In honor of National Turkey Neck Soup Day boil up some chicken soup (recipes below), add a turkey neck and enjoy!

Five Fun Turkey Facts:

1. In Mexico, the turkey was considered a sacrificial bird.
2. The fleshy growth from the base of the beak, which is very long on male turkeys and hangs down over the beak, is called the snood.
3. Mature turkeys have 3,500 or so feathers. The Apache Indians considered the turkey timid and wouldn’t eat it or use its feathers on their arrows.
4. The best time to see a turkey is on a warm clear day or in a light rain.
5. A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees. This is the main reason they continue to elude some hunters.

Five  Soup Recipes:

1. Chicken Soup - My mother threw the whole produce market into that soup, and she was paid for her efforts in deep, satisfying flavor.
2. Jamie Geller’s Classic Chicken Soup- The classic Kosher food and healer of all things, Chicken Soup nourishes body and soul.
3. Turkey Barley Soup- A comforting, flavorful winter soup. Great for Thanksgiving leftovers.
4. Chicken Gumbo Soup- I use fresh okra in this recipe, but if you can’t find it, you can use frozen. Don’t be alarmed by the somewhat slimy juices okra gives off. All the sliminess will disappear as it cooks.
5. Thai Coconut Chicken Soup - This soup is so good you’ll think you’re in a restaurant.

Click for more soup recipes.

Nutrition information per 1 cup serving of Turkey Noodle Soup:

Calories: 68
Fat: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Cholesterol: 5 mg
Sodium: 815 mg
Protein:  4 g

A chiffon cake is a very light cake made with vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and flavorings. It is a combination of both batter and foam type cakes. In contrast to butter, the traditional fat used in cake making, it is difficult to beat air into oil, so chiffon cakes, like angel cakes and other foam cakes, achieve a fluffy texture by beating egg whites until stiff, and folding them into the cake batter before baking. Its aeration properties rely on both the quality of the meringue and the chemical leaveners. Its oil-based batter is initially blended before folding into the meringue. (Wikipedia)

Five Fun Facts:

1. The chiffon cake was invented in 1927 by Harry Baker, a California insurance salesman turned caterer. Mr. Baker kept the recipe secret for 20 years until he sold it to General Mills. At this point the name was changed to “chiffon cake” and a set of 14 recipes and variations was released to the public in a Betty Crocker pamphlet published in 1948.
2.  Chiffon cakes tend to be lower in saturated fat than butter cakes, potentially making them healthier than their butter-heavy counterparts.
3. California and Arizona produce 95% of the entire U.S. lemon crop.
4. During the European Renaissance, fashionable ladies used lemon juice as a way to redden their lips.
5. Lemon trees bloom and produce fruit year-round. Each tree can produce between 500 and 600 pounds of lemons in a year.

Five Cake Recipes:

1. Maple Walnut Chiffon Cake- This chiffon cake tastes even better with Brown Sugar Glaze on top. For best results, chiffon cakes should be baked in a round cake tube pan. This allows for the cake to cook evenly.
2. Lemon Lavender Cake- Cake for a winter’s morning. In Israel, Tu Bishvat, is at the end of winter, when the country is beginning to bloom, and the rainy season is in full force. It makes sense that rabbis living in the Middle East would have chosen to mark the birthday of the trees when nature begins to recover from the cold, and lots of fruits are newly available.
3. Lemon Poppy-Seed Cake- A classic lemon poppy seed bundt cake made with whole wheat pastry flour for a healthier touch.
4. Dark Cherry Bundt Cake- There is nothing dark or sinister about this luscious Cherry Bundt Cake!
5. Evelyn Pike Rubin’s Sweet Summer Peach Cake - This easy to bake cake, involves a rich batter layered with perfectly ripe fruit, capturing that just picked summer fresh taste. Peaches are one of those fruits that jump out of the orchard bushel and into your grocery cart when they are at their peak. They should be firm to the touch, but smell sweet and ripe. In the fall, try making this with crisp apples. Follow the harvest and tailor this recipe to whichever fruits are in season.

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Nutrition information per slice of lemon chiffon cake:

Calories:   166
Fat: 0.3 g
Carbohydrates: 37 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 57 mg
Protein:  7 g
Sugars:  26 g

We seem to be drawn to food on a stick – maybe because eating with our hands is so much fun, if a little messy? Kebabs, marshmallows, satay or even desserts – your options are endless.

Five Fun Foods On a Stick Ideas:

1. Corn on the Cob on a Stick
2. Pizza on a Stick
3. Deep Fried Potato on a Stick
4. Hollow out a zucchini, insert hot dog with skewer through it, dip in batter and deep fry.
5. Mac and Cheese on a Stick

Five Fun Recipes:

Nutrition information per corn dog:

Calories:    208
Fat: 10 g
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Cholesterol: 28 mg
Sodium: 490 mg
Protein: 6  g
Sugars: 7 g

Paella is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain’s national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.

There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella, seafood paella and mixed paella , but there are many others as well. Traditionally Valencian paella consists of white rice, green vegetables, meat (rabbit, chicken, duck), land snails – not kosher, beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of meat, seafood (kosher dishes cannot mix fish and meat), vegetables, and sometimes beans. Other key ingredients include saffron and olive oil.

Five Fun Facts:

1. The Spanish rice dish ‘Paella’ takes its name from the pan it is cooked in, which in turn comes from the Latin word for ‘pan’ or ‘dish.’
2. Paella originated in the Valencia region, traditionally cooked outdoors and eaten right from the pan.
3. There was a tradition in Spain that only men could make a good paella!
4.  Saffron, the spice that also turns the rice a wonderful golden color is an essential part of the dish.
5. Before cooking in a paella pan, be sure to season the pan. Although there are different ways to do this, the simplest method is to first wash the pan with warm water and soap and dry with a soft cloth immediately. While the pan is still warm, using a soft cloth or paper towel, rub olive oil over the entire inside of the pan. If the pan is not warm after washing, place it in the oven on warm for a few minutes, then rub the oil on it.

Five Recipes:

1. Vegetarian Paella - I made this with regular veggie sausage, but I think it would be better with Soyrizo if you can find it and you can add any vegetables on hand – it holds up really well as leftovers or Saturday lunch too.
2. Basque Vegetable Rice- Studded with zucchini, onion, tomatoes and peppers, this paella-inspired dish features Valencia rice.
3. Vegetable Fried Rice- Leftover rice? Try this lighter version of fried rice.
4. Chicken with Spiced Mango Rice - Savor this fusion of ingredients as they combine to make a melody in your mouth.
5. Spanish Style Chicken & Rice - Chicken and rice is a classic combination and gets a kick of Spanish spices in this recipe. With a few easy additions to boxed rice mix, you can have a whole new and exciting dish!

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Nutrition information per serving (1 cup) of paella:

Calories:  369  
Fat: 13 g
Carbohydrates: 40 g
Cholesterol: 58 mg
Sodium: 1450 mg
Protein:  23 g
Sugars:  1 g