Did you hear the news? Mike & Ike are back together and I got to go to their reunion party!!!

I remember the day my 8 year old noticed the scratched out Mike on the package of Mike & Ikes and then at some point the scratched out Ike, we followed the story from the sidelines, wondering what was going on with our favorite chewy candies (that I allow and even enjoy in moderation).  Now with the premiere of their movie trailer, The Return of Mike and Ike, the candy duo is reunited and better than ever.

With the support from Grammy winning artist, Nelly, Mike and Ike are back and more passionate than ever about their candy.

With new packaging (shown here in giant size by my sister in law) and a new flavor, Strawberry Reunion, inspired by Mike’s hip-hop song “Strawberry or Die” all of the flavors better than ever and made with real fruit juice.  I can get behind that, can’t you?

This issue is blooming and blossoming with promise, possibility, and flowers that are actually edible.  Learn to cook with flowers and find the perfect vase for every budget.  Go beyond marinara on your pasta this year with beets, buternut squash, arugula, peas and more.  Get back to your roots with ancient grains, learn the benefits and get recipes.  And don’t miss the brilliant idea of serving your very own yogurt bar to your guests this Shavuot or anytime.  Get a little peak and then go and SUBSCRIBE.

Dulce de Leche: There is nothing like home made caramel. It is smooth, decadent and rich and is the ultimate dessert component. Make it at home, with our three easy methods, for a cheaper, more delicious version then anything you will find at your local supermarket. You won’t believe how easy it is.  READ MORE FOR TECHNIQUE & RECIPES

Ancient grains are popping up in breakfast cereals, granola bars, soups, salads and sides.  I had to see what all the fuss was about so I ventured down to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s to see what’s new (which is actually quite old).  As if traveling back in time, I started to rediscover the foods that my ancestors used to eat.  I also learned how even common foods are getting more interesting with varietals that are healthier and better tasting than ever before.  So where do you start?

READ FOR A COMPLETE GRAIN GUIDE PLUS TWO SIMPLE, MOUTHWATERING RECIPES WITH WHEATBERRIES AND FARRO

SEASONAL SALADS: use summer produce from simple (fresh corn salsa) to gourmet (Chef Moshe Wendel of Pardes, seared salmon salad) to create unique salad creations.

Also…What is arame?

On March 21st, 2013 Manischewitz hosted their 7th annual Man-o-Manischewitz Cook-Off at their new factory headquarters in Newark, NJ. After thousands of entries were sorted through five finalists were chosen to come and cook their recipes in front of a panel of judges headed by our very own Jamie Geller.

Check out the cool earings Jamie got to wear!  Don’t you want a pair?

While we were there we got to see how the matzah was made, it was really cool to go behind the scenes and see it in production.

 Then the cook off started, the contestants had 1 hour to prepare their food.  Meanwhile the rest of us got to eat their recipes recreated by a caterer.  It was so nice to meet all the contestants and learn more about them.

Balsamic Mushroom Matzah Panini with Mango Jam was made by Robin Saul from Atlanta, GA.  It was nice to have one Kosher for Passover recipe at the cook off that was less than a week before the Passover holiday. Gave us all some great ideas, I had never thought of a sandwich and without any cheese.

Sweet and Spicy Seared Tuna was served on top of zucchini strips from Michele Kusma from Columbus, OH.  Michele was the fifth finalist chosen from voters online.

Chicken Potato Leek Pie  was made by Allison Hoschander, a mother of 3 and currently residing in Woodmere, NY.  I loved talking to Allison about her dish and how easy it is to mix up with anything you have on hand.

Garlic Chicken Rollatini was made with falafel balls from a Manischewitz mix by Yitzi Taber, a 17-year-old from Bergenfield, N.J..  He even came with his own cheering section.  Always so impressed by the young cooks out there.

The winning recipe: Faux Pho by Rosie Shapiro from San Francisco is a riff of the traditional Vietnamese spicy chicken noodle soup, done with Manischewitz egg noodles and chicken instead of the classic beef and rice noodle, it is Jewish fusion food and looks so easy to make too, let us know if you try it.

“I am beyond thrilled to have been chosen as the 2013 Manischewitz Cook-Off winner; words cannot even express how exciting this journey has been,” Shapiro said in a press release issued by Manischewitz.

For more recipes with Manischewitz products click here.

It was so amazing to see all of you yesterday at #FairwayMarket in Paramus.  I can not believe what a turnout we had.  You came from Teaneck and Passaic and New City and Philly – my hometown!  Our youngest attendee was 7, we had lots of teens who love to cook and then some great grandmas and grandpas in the crowd.

It’s always incredible to meet you all in person – it was so touching to see how many of you are following us and enjoying the site.

We really had a blast!  In record time I demoed 6 quick creative cream cheese recipes – to show everyone how easy it is to beat #matzah fatigue this Passover.  In just 20 minutes we made Creamy Cucumber Gazpacho Soup, Strawberries Romanoff, Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, Creamy Colorful Coleslaw, Smoked Salmon Rolls, Sun-dried Tomato and Herb Cream Cheese and Tartar “Sauce” Cream Cheese.

In a flash we showed you how simple it is to have food that looks and tastes gourmet without spending a year and a day in the kitchen.

Everyone who attended received a FREE copy of our Passover Recipe E-book, if you missed it download your FREE copy here and as a special bonus we gave everyone who attended a FREE copy of the All-Natural Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Passover Magazine – subscribe now so you don’t miss out!

Tamar, Alon, Jesse, Mindy, Jamie, Dana

Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen, from the Fairway crew to the chef helpers from the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, everyone pitched in.    See more pictures and tag your self if you were there on our Facebook page.

I am so touched by how many of you came and came early to get a good spot and it was incredible to hug you all and wish you a Chag Kasher V’Sameyach, Zissin Pesach and Happy Passover.

Love you all!

Cleaning the kitchen can wait!

I’m so excited to be back in New York right before Passover to share my latest Passover recipes and help “spread” the word about Temp Tee Whipped Cream Cheese!

Download our amazing e-book with 24 brand new Kosher for Passover recipes or join me this Sunday at Fairway in Paramus and the first 100 people in attendance will get a FREE 52 page recipe book and a Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Passover Magazine.

Where: Fairway, Paramus
When: Sunday March 17th, 2:00pm

See you Sunday!

The third annual vegetarian food festival will be hosted this weekend in NYC.  This festival features a whole range of vegetarian food companies,  restaurants, and health and wellness vendors including some that are kosher certified.  Even if you don’t go for the food, you will want to go for the entertainment.  There will be three stages at the event, one for speakers talking about a variety of topics, one for amazing food demos and one for kids.

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this festival.  If you simply want to find out more about living a healthy, sustainable lifestyle, you should attend.  It has never been a better time to see for yourself what the vegetarian buzz is about.  There is still time to get your VIP ticket, which gets you express entry into the festival (you avoid the long general admission lines we’ve had in the past and are guaranteed admission) plus 5 raffle tickets per day pass. The raffle benefits For The Animals Sanctuary.  Click here to get your tickets.  \

Based on previous years and the line up for events and vendors this year, we expect the festival to be a lot of fun.  Lots to experience and lots to learn.  Let us know if you will be there.

This issue of Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine is a real eyeopener.  Every scrumptious thing in this issue is kosher for Passover and uses absolutely no processed ingredients!  Zip. None.  It’s a totally different way of thinking about food that your body will thank you for.  We have over 50 new Passover recipes including Gnocchi 3 Ways and inspired homemade Popsicle recipes perfect for a Passover dessert or snack.  We also go fishing for some fabulous seafood recipes with Alessandra Rovati.

Thank you all for nominating and voting on your favorite Best of Kosher companies.  You will be happy to know that you can continue to see all the nominees in each of our 7 categories whenever you like from our Best of Kosher 2012 Page.  Now without further ado, The Winners Are…

For Best Kosher Food Blog

Seven Bites by Lindsay Wess and Sara Yitzhaky.  Seven Bites encompasses the concept of using minimal ingredients to make meals. From appetizers to desserts, they give tips and tricks to help get through some of the most difficult dishes, while only using 7 ingredients. Did you know there were over 60 blogs nominated in this category, don’t miss looking through our list of all the Kosher Food Blogs.

For Best New Kosher Product

Dear Coco Chocolate founded by Rachelle Ferneau transports you around the world through artisan chocolate truffles. We blend premium Belgian chocolate with bold global flavors inspired by exotic locales. 100% handcrafted, gluten & dairy free, vegan-friendly.

Best Kosher Chef

Best Kosher Restaurant

Best New Kosher Cookbook

Kosher By Design Cooking Coach by Susie Fishbein is the hottest book of the season.  Have you ever wished Susie Fishbein could be with you in the kitchen? Now she can! In Kosher by Design Cooking Coach the celebrated cookbook author and international kosher food expert shares her homegrown secrets for creating magical results – as if she were right there with you.

Best Kosher Wine

Best Kosher Caterer

Gemstone Catering is a kosher boutique catering company and sub-division of got cholent? Inc.  We are also very proud to continue our TEXAS SMOKEHOUSE BBQ Pop-up series with weekly pop-up around NYC every Sunday starting Spring.

Monday night Jamie and I had the pleasure of experiencing a lot of kosher food and wine. We also got to meet so many of our online friends, it’s wonderful to see so many of you in person. This was the 7th Annual Kosher Food and Wine Experience hosted by Royal Wine Corporation at Pier 60 in New York City. This event offers the opportunity to taste over 200 wines and sample foods from over 25 restaurants and caterers.

I started the day early so I could get some pictures during the daytime light and sample some of my favorite wines before the crowds. Here were a few of my favorites for you to consider for an upcoming special occasion, Purim or Passover.

I tried a few varieties from Herzog, the Generation VIII To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, the Single Vineyard Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 and my personal favorite the Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2009.

Carmel also offered a few wonderful wines including the Limited Edition 2007 had virtually no tannins and tremendous depth and a real taste of Israel – an interesting contrast to the California wines from Herzog and Covenant. The Carmel Mediterranean 2007 was also excellent.

I have always thought the Domaine Du Castel Grand Vin is one of the finest kosher wines in the world and the 2009 does not disappoint. The Shiloh Secret Reserve stood out as well as tasting of some older vintages of Covenant’s award winning Cabernet Sauvignon wines. The 2003 and 2006 Covenant wines were exceptional and show off the virtue of patience when cellaring a high quality bottle.

I’m not a huge white wine fan and I think many kosher winemakers don’t live up to their potential when making Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc , but I love the Chardonnay from Alexander, a boutique winery in Israel. The Alexander the Great Amarolo 2007 or Grand Reserve 2007 are fit for a king, with a gold label available for special occasions or gifts for that special someone.

I must share with you this perfect Purim addition for your Mishloach Manot, a bottle of sparkling cider with a Joker label from Poland, it screams Purim.  Binyamina also has a nice selection of liqueurs from Limoncello to Triple Sec if you need to spice up your Seudah.

Now on to the food. The first thing I noticed during the early press time was that the caterers really stepped up their presentations and truly went all out this year. Gemstone/Got Cholent/Hakadosh BBQ does so many things well and their diverse display of five different kinds of cholent, a Herring Bar; Caviar Bar (we loved the caviar!), Smoked Chicken Sliders, Smoked Veal Belly with Polenta (my favorite) and a designer Jello Shot Bar (that would make any mixologist proud) to clear your palette had folks buzzing all night.

Pomegranate provided the pass around treats during the early press time and impressed with a Porcini Soup Shooter and a Smoked Tongue with Pickled Onions that had everyone wagging their, umm, tongues with joy. I also loved those little snow globes of seared steak salad – so clever!

Heavenly Events and Catering took vegetables to a whole new level with a natural and bountiful display. Their Brisket was heavenly, too and their fun take on dessert offered Rice Crispy Treats on a stick and an incredible Pistachio Brittle that I will be dreaming about for days.

Later, they served a seared Ahi Tuna in an edible spoon, so cute!

We had so many wonderful dishes from Le Marais’s simple, but perfectly cooked hanger steak to the best burger I ever had, the Porcini Kobe Sliders from Prime Grill, to the gourmet hand crafted chocolates from Guilty Pleasures. One of the biggest surprises from the event was a Cantaloupe Soup from Basil in Crown Heights. The server tells me that the base is just pureed cantaloupe topped with espolette (a red spice I had never heard of), citrus salt, chives and basil oil to create one of the most interesting and tasty dishes I had all night.

Did you make it to the KFWE this year? What were your favorites?

Over 100 people attended the very first annual Kosher Cupcake Bake-Off at Breezy’s in Cedarhurst on Sunday, February 3rd. A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the Achiezer Hurricane Sandy Fund. It was so nice to see the tremendous support from the community, which was a mixture of foodies, friends, and fans of everything cupcakes.

Jamie was the MC and joined Tamar (our JoyofKosher.com editor), Bobbie Lloyd, President and Operating Partner of Magnolia Bakery, and Alessandra Rovati, an Italian food writer and lecturer and founder of dinnerinvenice.com.

The contestants were incredibly talented at their trade! They included Melissa Kaye (who shares many recipes on JoyofKosher with all of us) from lilmisscakes.com, Faige Goldner of cupofcakenj.com, Michelle Goodman Frohlich of cakeabite.com, and Shira Perlman of
DelightfullySweet.com. They all produced some of the most amazing looking, and tasting cucpakes with a few added challenges.

All of these cupcakes, from cake to frosting, were dairy free. They also all had use the following ingredients:

•  Cherry Heering Liqueur and Coffee Liqueur
• King Arthur Flour,
• Fig Jam
• Balsamic Vinegar

They could either use all of them in one cupcake, or use them in three different cupcakes, they did this ahead of time and brought the baked cupcakes to the competition.

For the icing on the cake, literally, the contestants had to pick three of the following ingredients:

• pomegranate seeds
• lavender
• cumin
• cinnamon maple butter
• apricot kernel oil
• wild sweet orange Tazo tea

The theme that they had to create in their cupcakes was Purim. They had a total of 45 minutes to create their frosting from scratch and decorate their cupcakes all while attendees watched, mingled and snacked on some of the baked goods provided by each of the contestants.  It was a very sweet filled day.

When their time was up, the contestants presented their cupcakes to the panel of judges who were able to taste and pick a winner, while attendees found out who won the raffle prizes.  Raffle sponsors included: Joy of Kosher, Earth Balance, KitchenAidUSA, King Arthur Flour, Breezysny.com, Not2Shabbey.com, and Fairway Market.  Every attendee also recieved the most recent issue of Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Magazine – if you don’t have one, Subscribe Now.

And the winner is… Cup of Cake NJ. Faige Goldner.  She created this amazing Fig Cupcake with Pomegranate Cream Cheese Frosting, get the recipe here.

Thank you to all of the event organizers including SweetUP Team Esti Berkowitz and Abbey Wolin, Breezy Beckerman of Breezy’s, and Beth Rosen of 4KeysMedia.com.

Photos from Lia Jay Photography

We are so excited for the upcoming Kosher Cupcake Bake Off to be held in NY next week.  Jamie Geller will be the host of the event and our executive editor, Tamar Genger will be participating as one of the judges.  We will all get together to have fun, eat and raise money for Hurricane Sandy Relief with Achiezer.  Stay tuned for the winning recipe to be featured here on JoyofKosher.com.  We hope you will join us, see below for more info.

Click here to order tickets and enter below to win 1 of 5 pairs of VIP tickets.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The February/March issue of Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller is out and boy is it loaded.  We have hamantashen 3 ways and a Cowboy Seudah menu for Purim.  We got comfort food recipes and tons of edible gifts you and your friends will love.

This is issue is not to be missed, SUBSCRIBE NOW and get your copy in time for Purim.

I am so excited to announce today that I will be the head judge and guest of honor for the 2013 Man-O-Manischewitz® Cook-Off Contest, the seventh year of this now iconic national competition.

The entry period for this competition is going on right now. The competition encourages at-home chefs to experiment with kosher products while preparing delicious recipes that could be a new family favorite or one that has been shared from generation to generation. The deadline for entries is February 4, 2013.  Recipes must include one of the Manischewitz All-Natural broth flavors-NEW Turkey, Chicken, Reduced Sodium Chicken, Beef or Vegetable, as well as one other Manischewitz products as well, with no more than 9 ingredients.

Four finalists will be chosen by the judging panel and five other semi-finalists will be posted on www.manischewitz.com to select the fifth finalist. From February 21st through February 28th, consumers can vote online, and via Facebook and Twitter, to select the fifth finalist.

These five finalists will compete at the Manischewitz Headquarters and Production Plant in Newark, NJ on Thursday March 21, 2013, for the $25,000 Grand Prize, which includes a series of Maytag® appliances, cash and a beautiful crystal trophy. As long time fan of Manischewitz products, I am especially excited to be able to take part in this year’s Cook-Off contest. I wish the contestants great luck and I cannot wait to meet the five finalists at the event.  It is a pleasure to be able to work with a family-friendly brand as my goal is to help families prepare delicious, quick meals; the Manischewitz line of broths are a staple in so many of my recipes.

Check out all our Manischewitz recipes here.

For complete contest details, log onto www.manischewitz.com.

The second annual Best of Kosher awards is here!!!

Our online contest recognizing the best of kosher in seven exciting categories, as voted by visitors to JoyofKosher.com.  You, our dear readers, are the arbiters of taste in all things, but especially in all things kosher. Who better than YOU to select the best of the best in kosher? I can think of no one better suited.

Starting NOW you can nominate and vote for your favorite products, restaurants, kosher food personalities and more!  Winners will be announced online on February 8, 2012 and in the March issue of Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller.

The Joy of Kosher Best of Kosher Awards in addition to being loads of fun will really give everyone a chance to showcase their favorite kosher brands and products.  You can vote once a day in each of the 7 categories, so keep this page bookmarked and come back often.