kosher-tips

Bubbe, known for her cooking show and Feed Me Bubbe Cookbook shares age old tips for us all.

It is very helpful to check out the weekly flyers from the markets.  They always have specials in almost every department and generally it can help you plan your weekly meals plus saving money on some of the specials.  In addition, allow yourself time once a week to check out the newspaper for coupons.  Of course in today’s world of computers there is now an additional option of going online to the supermarket and even the company websites and apply for email newsletter where coupons can be sent to your email.  With all of these different methods you are sure to make a good home cooked meal at a good price.

Always go shopping with a list to avoid impulse buying.  Make believe you are paying rent for your kitchen storage space. Especially for items that you are not planning to use within the next 3 to 6 months and you can do without.  The supermarkets are not going out of business and the shelves are always restocked.  Why clutter your space with items you can do without and are not a necessity.  Limit your snacks by using what you have on the shelf first then you can try something different the next time.

Especially for today’s lifestyle it is very important to read the Nutrition Facts on every item.  It is best to start your eating habits while young and keep in mind important information that will help and protect your life for now and the future.  Salt (listed as sodium), sugar, fats, and carbohydrates are very important to be limited to create good balance health habits for you and your family.  If you have the opportunity check out your library at least for a one time reading related to nutrition.

There is no need to purchase frosting for cakes, a little powdered sugar can do just as well.  Somehow my mother knew about nutrition when I was growing up.  Our meals were so that we were not hungry and we had our cookies and a piece of cake without frosting but when we were hungry we didn’t eat potato chips and candy bars etc.  With freezers and microwaves today most of us can cook and prepare food and freeze ahead of time always ready for the time when we may need an immediate meal.

When it comes to shopping these tips help create a home filled with good meals and snacks.  It takes time to develop a habit.  Once a week plan your food shopping and basic preparation.  This will help you have a fulfilling, easy, and happy shopping experience.

For more from Bubbe go to FeedMeBubbe.com

Xylitol, a natural sweetener used in sugar free gums and mints may prevent ear infections in healthy children.  Six of every 10 kids have ear infections in their first year of life.  The prevalence is not in question to those of with kids, but a way to prevent them would definitely be desirable.  Xylitol is used in chewing gum to prevent cavities and has been shown to have antibacterial properties.  Whether it is the xylitol inhibiting bacteria or the chewing action of the gum, it is an easy way to help ease our ear aches.

Source: Today’s Dietitian

*Chew On This is a weekly fun food fact. It will not always be about chewing gum.

I am sitting here at the computer with a large mug of tea. Being a transplanted Brit living in New York I miss the tea from back home – but currently am working my way through a stash of PG Tips teabags that my friend brought me a while back. When I don’t have access to a decent British tea, I use English Breakfast tea – but I use two teabags as American tea is not as strong.

Making a good cup of tea is actually not so simple. See, if you are truly British, you don’t just boil water, pour it over the tea, let it steep for a moment or two, sweeten and drink.

George Orwell had ELEVEN rules for making tea – however not everyone agrees with his rules. My comments in italics.

1. Use tea from India or Ceylon (Sri Lanka), not China. I agree on this one.
2. Use a teapot, preferably ceramic. Using a teapot for one cup of tea sounds like too much work but it does add to the experience.
3. Warm the teapot over direct heat. My grandma taught me to pour boiling water in to the teapot and swirl it around to warm the teapot. Do this to your teacup or mug too.
4. Tea should be strong – six spoons of leaves per liter of water. Hard to measure this when you use teabags but for the record this would make a very strong cuppa.
5. Let the leaves move around the pot – no bags or strainers. Loose tea, granted, is always best, but teabags are so much more convenient.
6. Take the teapot to the boiling kettle and fill with hot water.
7. Stir or shake the teapot.
8. Drink out of a tall, mug-shaped tea cup. I find I cannot drink tea out of a Styrofoam or disposable cup. It has to be my big huge ceramic mug. Otherwise it just doesn’t taste right!
9. Don’t add creamy milk. Agreed – you should use low fat milk.
10. Add milk to the tea, not vice versa. There are those that totally disagree and say the milk must be added to the cup first.
11. No sugar! Purists drink tea without sugar. I, however, am not such a purist, and need the sugar. My Russian great grandmother used to put the sugar cube in her teeth and sip the tea through it. I shudder to think what the dentist would say!

Some points to note:

It isn’t necessary to stick out the pinkie finger when drinking tea, however, one must never slurp! Adding the teabag to hot water already in a cup is a big no-no. It must be the other way around or you just won’t get the right taste. The tea must steep for at least two minutes in order for the flavor to develop. The teabag must be removed before the tea is sipped.

I am going to go and enjoy another cuppa, and maybe this time I will dunk a digestive biscuit into it. If I close my eyes I can almost imagine I am back in London.

Who said weekday dinners had to be boring? The way to keep them fresh and fun just requires a little preparation. Stock your kitchen with staples like whole-wheat pasta, organic fish, poultry, meats, and organic fruits and vegetables (go frozen if you can’t buy fresh). Then, either cook double on the weekends when you have time, so you don’t have to worry about your meals during the week, or use your slow cooker.

Freeze the food properly in Tupperware freezer containers so your foods will not develop “freezer burn”.  My DVD recipe organizer has a video demonstration with Freezer Tricks that will teach you how to do it correctly.

I have been a big advocate of freezing doubled meals ahead for many years.

Recently, I gave my Crockpot a second look while putting it away after using it for cholent for Shabbos.  I remembered an old recipe I had that is in my book, NOT JUST A COOKBOOK,  entitled Shipwreck Stew.  It was a delicious meal I prepared on those cold days when my children were much younger and my schedule was more hectic.  I would put all the recipe ingredients in the pot right after my children left for school. I would plug it in to cook for eight hours and forget about it!

No matter what kind of busy day I had, I knew I would have a nutritious meal ready for my “crew” that evening.  I could be involved in any myriad of school activities, or my Tupperware business, and not feel pressured to rush back home to cook supper.

I decided to try another recipe I had acquired using chicken, Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken. This time I tried using the Slow-cooker on HIGH which would cook the recipe in 4-5 hours.  It could also cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. I added sweet potatoes, halved. The recipe was delicious!

The entire house had the most wonderful aroma.  When a family member dropped by in the afternoon, he inquired what was I cooking that smelled so good? This recipe will now become my “go to” recipe when I have little time to prepare a meal.

I used a whole chicken, while only needing a half.  The next day, I used the cooked chicken in another recipe I would also like to share that one with you, Speedy Ziti with Zesty Chicken.  This flavorful pasta dish calls for cooked chicken you can make beforehand, so you can have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. Dijon mustard, onion, and parsley add a mouth-watering kick to easy-to-prep ziti so you and your family can look forward to a delicious meal in no time!  In lieu of cooking again, just cut up the cooked chicken, put it on top of a large fresh salad and enjoy!

There are several points to follow when using a slow cooker. Most of the people I speak to never remember to keep the instructions from their appliances.  It would be a good idea to keep a file with all those booklets together in one place for future reference, should you need it.  It is important to refer to your instruction booklet often until you are completely sure of its proper use.

Remember that many vegetables benefit from slow cooking and are able to develop their full flavor.  They tend not to overcook in your slow cooker as they might in your oven or on your stovetop.  When cooking recipes with vegetables and meat, place vegetables in the slow cooker before the   meat.  Vegetables usually cook slower than meat in the slow cooker. Place your vegetables near the sides or bottom of the stoneware to facilitate cooking.

Please let me know how you enjoyed them.

Click here for more slow cooker recipe ideas.

The incredible, edible egg! Do you recall that jingle? It’s been playing in my head for some time now as I’ve been contemplating what to share with you regarding how to prepare the perfect hard cooked egg. I love eggs. Eggs are the perfect whole food, nutritious, delicious and they have their own carrying case! Eggs have the perfect ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates and you can enjoy them any time of day. Perhaps they are so popular for breakfast simply because their rich golden/orange yolk is another form of nature’s sunshine.

Always Start With Good Quality Ingredients

Personally, I prefer organic free range eggs. Cage-free organic eggs from healthier chickens that eat more natural feed and roam freely will have much higher vitamin and mineral levels and a more balanced healthier omega fatty acid ratio.

Recently, I moved out of the city to Long Island and am lucky to be close to some wonderful organic farms. In particular, I frequent Garden of Eve, located on Sound Avenue in Riverhead. I love that I can see the chickens roaming and clucking around!

Farm fresh eggs, yum…. you really can taste the difference. I highly recommend seeking out farm fresh eggs in your local Farmers Market and www.localharvest.org can help you find contact information for farmers’ market sellers across the country. They also have an online store that lets you order them no matter where you live.

Here are some good brands that can be found in your local Whole Foods or neighborhood supermarket. Born Free Organic Free Range Eggs, Organic Valley, Vital Farms, Natures Yoke and NY Eggs by Empire Organics.

The healthy chef in me would not feel complete if I did not share this very important egg fact with you. The yolk is no joke; it’s the healthiest part of the egg!

The yolk is the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients. In fact, yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12 of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain all of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as all of the essential fatty acids.

So, I say, bring on the eggs whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner! How do you like your eggs? I’d love to hear your ideas. Next week I will bring you a step by step guide to creating the perfect hard cooked egg and some great recipes from our classes*. Future egg lessons will feature how to poach, create omelets and crepes and highlight more delicious recipes!

*Culinary Arts classes take place in The Patti Gelman Culinary Arts Center.
Images courtesy of ©doodlehedzphotography (randi l klein)