Kosher Tips

These tried-and-true tips put the fun back into preparing simple and healthy, school lunches. Your kids will thank you!

1. Mix-It Up

Enlist your kids on a Sunday to make a batch of trail or party mix for the week. The possibilities are endless! Most will keep for over a week in an airtight container. When kids need snacks-on-the-go, scoop a handful into a Ziploc bag.

No Bake Trail Mix

For No-Bake Trail Mix: in a large bowl, combine 3 cups whole grain cereal, such as Cheerios, ½ cup plain or yogurt-covered raisins or dried cranberries, ¼ cup mixed dried fruit such as apricots, plums, or apples, ½ cup peanuts, almonds, pecans or walnuts, ¼ cup mini pretzels.

Sweet and Spicy Popcorn

For Sweet and Spicy Popcorn Mix: heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pot, until hot but not smoking. Add ½ cup popcorn kernels, cover. Once the kernels have finished popping, transfer to a large bowl, and add 2 teaspoons brown sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garam masala or sweet curry powder.

2. Make It Mini

Kids love finger-size foods. Spend an afternoon baking bite-size, kid-friendly treats. Store the baked goods in the freezer. Pack them in the lunchbox frozen; they will defrost by lunchtime. Use mini muffin tins to make tiny cupcakes and a melon baller to scoop cookie dough into “cookie bites.”

Mini Cheese Crisps

To make Mini Cheese Crisps: combine 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, ½ cup of softened butter, 1 cup of flour and 1 cup crispy rice cereal. Using your hands, shape mini-size balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

3. Kool Kabobs

What child won’t love eating lunch off a stick?

Perfect for kids with serious aversions to healthy snacks, skewers of melon balls, grapes, blueberries, and orange slices look as gorgeous as they taste. For a new spin, make a sandwich kabob by skewering cheese cubes, grape tomatoes, pickles, and cubes of bread on a stick.

4. Delightful Dips

Stock up on the smallest containers you can find and fill them with dips to accompany bread sticks, fish sticks, cut fruit, and of course, sliced
veggies.
For Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, blend 3 tablespoons mayo, 2 tablespoons Dijon or whole grain mustard, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice.

For Tartar Dipping Sauce, in a food processor, pulse to combine ¼ cup light mayo, 5 baby gherkin pickles, 1 teaspoon minced red onion, ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoonsugar.

For Yogurt Dip, in a blender or fruit processor, combine 1 cup vanilla yogurt, 1/3 cup cream cheese, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

For a shortcut, try Gold’s Squeeze Tartar or Honey Mustard Sauces.

5. Sandwich Cut-Outs

Instead of slicing bread in half to make a traditional sandwich, use cookie cutters to make sandwiches in all sorts of shapes.  Spread peanut butter or cream cheese and jelly on bread. Press a cookie cutter through the sandwich.

More School Lunch and Snack Ideas

Originally published in the Rosh Hashanah 2011 issue of Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller.

Cooking during the summertime can sometimes be a pain. The heat makes you lethargic, so you want to cook something that’s not too tedious or time-consuming, as well as something that won’t make your kitchen feel like a sauna. Here are four great recipes to cook for Shabbat in the summertime.

Gazpacho with Multigrain Croutons

Gazpacho is the perfect started to any Shabbat meal, especially Shabbat lunch. It’s so easy to prepare, since you don’t have to cook anything (except for baking the croutons), and so refreshing after that sweaty walk back from shul! You can serve it in bowls, or for people who online want a little bit, in shooter glasses—no hands required!

Roasted Corn Salad

Nothing says summer like corn, but when you have company over for a Shabbat lunch, you might not want to have everybody eating whole ears of corn, with the kernels getting in their teeth and all over their faces. Clean it up with this Roasted Corn Salad—you roast corn and red peppers on the barbecue, then mix it all up!

Lebanese Chicken Kabobs

Kabobs are always a great dish to serve to guests on Shabbat. The mixture of vegetables in this recipe looks beautiful, with bright summer colors all along the skewer. You can do some of the work Thursday night, and then quickly barbecue them on Friday afternoon at the same time as your Roasted Corn Salad. You’ll even save yourself the cleaning by limiting your pots and pans!

Unstuffed Cabbage

Since winter is a time for cozy, warm foods, summer is a perfect opportunity to shake up your winter recipes. This recipe for Unstuffed Cabbage is sweet and tangy, and delicious either hot OR cold. My family makes it for Friday night, and then we eat the leftovers cold for Shabbat lunch. You can even put it in a tortilla wrap with some freshly cut lettuce, tomato, and onions, for a hassle-free, hand-held meal.

This time of year when the days are so long and hot you really need to think about what to make for the Third meal on Shabbat.  The meal that comes before the end of Shabbat.  Many people wait 6 hours after eating meat until they can eat dairy so this meal usually can’t be dairy, but who wants meat after what is often a huge meat meal at lunch.  Tuna salad and egg salad are many people’s got tos, the classic Shalusetis meal, but in my family, no one really eats either of those.  Here are some third meal recipe ideas for these long hot days, I’ll keep them cool and light for you.

Any type of cold fish can work at this meal, but my new favorite is Ceviche.  Ceviche is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices such as lemon or lime and spiced with chili peppers, but you can make it with any fish and change the flavors to anything from Spanish to Asian.  You can make it with any type of fish so buy whatever is on sale that week and it is actually best made a day ahead.  Try the above recipe for Salmon Ceviche or this Tilapia Ceviche with Mango featured in the main image.  Serve with tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole.

Maybe you want to keep it vegetarian after all that meat you spent so much money on.  Tofu is a fantastic, versatile ingredient.  Let everyone make their own wraps, like this Peanut Tofu Wrap.  Or mix it into a hearty salad.

If you like your tuna and egg salad routine, but just want an easy exchange, try this Mock Crab Salad, goes great on a sandwich and switch up your egg salad to Deviled Eggs.

Finally, if you have your blech on anyways and your family demands hot food, we love Empanadas, I make them with veggie meat or chopped mushrooms or even spinach for non meat options serve with a cold soup. Of course there is always kugel, but I am assuming you had that with lunch.

What do you like to make for Third meal?

After many years of sharing ideas through Tupperware demonstrations and “experimenting” with food and new recipes, I would like to share a chart I have given out at my parties to my customers.

Have you ever found the need to cut a recipe down, but can’t remember how many teaspoons are in a tablespoon or how many tablespoons in a cup?  Now you can just look at this chart and find the equivalent you need for your recipe in no time at all!

Here is an Equivalency Chart for you to print or bookmark and save for future use:

KITCHEN EQUIVALENCY CHART

A pinch……………………………………………………………….1/8 tsp. or less

3 tsp………………………………………………………………..….1 Tbsp.

2 Tbsp…………………………………………………………………1/8 cup

4 Tbsp…………………………………………………………………1/4 cup

16 Tbsp………………………………………………………………1 cup

5 Tbsp. + 1 tsp………………………………………………….1/3 cup

4 oz………………………………………………………………….…1/2 cup

8 oz…………………………………………………………………….1 cup

16 oz………………………………………………………………….1 lb.

1 oz…………………………………………………………………..  2 Tbsp. fat or liquid

1 cup of liquid………………………………………………….1/2 pint

2 cups………………………………………………………………1 pint

2 pt………………………………………………………………….1 qt.

4 cups of liquid……………………………………………..1 qt.

1 qt………………………………………………………………….4 cups

4 qts………………………………………………………………..1 gallon

8 qts…………………………………………………………………1 peck (such as apples, pears etc.)

1 jigger…………………………………………………………..1 ½ fl. Oz. (3 Tbsp.)

I have been asked many interesting questions throughout my years of being an active successful Tupperware Manager, author of a cookbook, and busy Mother, B”H.  The number one question is “How do you fit it all in”?  I am sure that many people reading this article can offer more great tips to add to this article.  I will share some of the ways I have been able to juggle my busy life to include finding the time to write this article!

Menu Planning

If you have a family with children old enough to express their food likes and dislikes, have a monthly family meeting. Take a calendar and make out a general menu for the month.  You probably have certain days you prefer to serve Dairy meals and Meat meals.  Have each child share what they would enjoy eating on those days.  It makes great sense to prepare recipes in which they can assist you in the food preparation.  A recent survey has shown that children will most likely venture to try new foods that they had a hand in preparing.  You never know when one of your little ones will start enjoying a new healthy vegetable simply because they helped select it and helped with that recipe.

Shopping List

List all the ingredients you need for all the recipes chosen.  If you have my DVD Recipe Organizer, you would choose the recipes, press print Shopping List and your list is printed in seconds!   When shopping in a large supermarket, it helps to know the store’s layout so you can zip right through it and not waste any time.  Think of the time of day to shop.  Eat BEFORE you go.  I find that the store is less busy during lunch or dinner time.

Buy in Bulk

Try buying your staples in bulk.  It helps to share a membership in a large superstore, with a family member or close friend. These stores usually give out two membership cards.  This way you don’t have to always go alone, plus you will save money on the year’s membership.

Prepare and Freeze Food

If your menu will include chopped meat, buy a large quantity of lean chopped meat.  You can divide up the meat based on different recipes utilizing it.  My family enjoyed meatballs, hamburgers or meat lasagna.  Therefore, I would make two different meatball recipes.  Sweet n Sour and Italian Meatballs are both favored by my family.  The problem I always had, was half my children preferred one over the other.  Therefore, I had to make BOTH and freeze them so I always had enough for everyone.  Flash freezing is the best method to ensure your food has a great taste every time you take it out of the freezer, and reheat it for your family. I could remove four meatballs or twenty and not worry about over-defrosting and wasting what wasn’t eaten. These two recipes are in my cookbook and DVD organizer.

If your children enjoy eating pancakes, don’t buy the store bought variety. You don’t need the preservatives.  Make your own, puree strawberries; add it to the mixture, and when done, freeze them.  Store in aTupperware Freezermates Large container for perfect storage.   Your children will have a fruit at the same time.  The same can be done with French Toast. Use your leftover Challah bread, make it and freeze it.  Pop it in the toaster during the week for quick breakfasts.

Freeze Leftovers for a Smorgasbord Dinner

There were many times I had a four hour window for dinner!  Some children ate at 5PM.  That was my first shift. The other children, all came home at different times depending on their after- school activities that particular day.   Therefore, I would take all the food not yet served and store them in a Tupperware microwave container, put it in the refrigerator for a family member to take later that evening. This worked well, especially on the nights I was already out holding a Tupperware demonstration when they arrived home late for dinner.

Many times, after returning from my evening out working late, I would discover two of these containers not even touched, since they ate at a friend’s home. I transferred those containers to the freezer since they were also freezer-proof.  After several weeks of this occurring, I would easily have Smorgasbord Dinner one night and not cook at all!  All I had to do was get take out from “Mom’s Diner “! In the freezer, were-all the microwave containers with perfect food inside, that were not eaten on the day I made it fresh.  Everyone was happy because there were such a great variety of food choices for dinner.

Label

Most importantly, remember to label everything you store in your freezer.  “First in, is first out!”   You don’t want UFO’s-unidentified frozen objects!? Rotate your food and you will always have food ready for your family that is healthy and nutritious.

A great recipe to prepare fresh or to freeze is my Herbed Meat Loaf. Double the recipe and you will always have an extra meal ready, when you are tight on time to cook fresh.

The Shavuot holiday and really this time of year with picnics and parties offers the perfect opportunity to pamper your guests with a gourmet cheese plate and wine pairings—it’s an  elegant, no-cook, no-fuss hors d’oeuvre or even dessert course.

Hard cheese, such as Natural & Kosher Cheddar or Fitucci Parmesan
Rich, full-bodied red wines such as the Barkan Classic Cabernet Sauvignon

Creamy cheeses, such as Brie
Acidic wines, like a Chardonnay or dry (AKA Brut) sparkling wine such as the ELVI Adar Brut

Soft goat cheese
Wines with citrus characteristics such as the Baron Herzog Pinot Grigio

Salty cheeses such as Blue cheeses

Sweet dessert wines (such as the Herzog Reserve late harvest wines) and robust red wines such as Weinstock Cellar Select Cabernet Sauvignon

In addition to wine – pair your cheese with:
slices of pear or apple, different types of crackers, or even more
interesting—breads baked with fruit or nuts, like a pecan-raisin loaf or cranberry-walnut bread.

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Kosher White Wine Recommendations

Cheese for Dessert

Here is a step-by-step how-to guide for creating a simple, delicious and creamy Cheesecake:

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Step 1: Gather materials

• 1 – 8 inch spring form pan (a round pan with high, straight sides, about 2.5 to 3 inches high. The bottom of the pan can be removed from the sides when the clamp is released. )
• Hand Wisk or electric mixer
• Rolling pin
• Crust Ingredients
  1 cup graham cracker crumbs (Pulse whole Graham crackers in a food processor to make crumbs)*
  ¼ cup sugar
  ¼ cup butter, melted

• Cheese Filling
  8 ounces cream cheese, softened**
  2 eggs
  1 teaspoon of baking powder
  ¼ cup of milk
  1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Step 2: Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Step 3: Make the Crust

Pour the melted butter and sugar over the graham cracker crumbs and mix them together well. Then use a roller and roll it flat. Butter an 8 inch baking pan and even out the crust mixture on the baking pan by pressing it down and to the sides to form the crust for the cheesecake.

Step 4: Bake the Crust

Bake the crust base in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes.

Step 5 : Make the Cheese Filling

Add the sugar to the cream cheese in a mixing bowl, then using a hand whisk or an electric mixer blend the ingredients together until the mixture is well combined. One at a time break the eggs into the mixing bowl and gradually stir them in.

Finally, add in the milk and baking powder and stir well.

Step 6: Add the cheese filling to the baking pan

Pour the mixture over the prepared crust and even it out by giving it a little shake.

Step 7: Bake

Place the tin in the center of the oven and bake the cheesecake for 60 minutes at 350°F.

Step 8: Remove from the oven and chill

Take the cheesecake out of the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool down gently (see tip below). Then put it in the fridge keeping it in its baking pan and let it chill overnight.

Tip – A well-baked cheesecake will be puffed around the edges. When shaken, about an inch in diameter in the center should jiggle like custard would. There should not be any wet or liquid spots in the center.

Step 9: Serve

Take the cheesecake out of the fridge and gently release from spring form pan. If you did not use a spring form pan run a knife around the edges to help release it. Then, gently ease it out. Slice it up with a warmed knife. You can warm the knife with hot water and dry it. Repeat each cut with warmed knife, and you will get a clean cut of cheesecake.

Optional cheesecake toppings

Cherry pie filling

Your favorite fresh fruit

Cooked Strawberry Topping: Using 1 pint of strawberries, cleaned and Stemmed, cut about 1/3 in half.  In a saucepan over medium high heat, combine strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. In a blender, puree about 1/3 of sauce, then mix back into remainder. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve, then pour over cheesecake.

*I have found that many graham crackers contain partially hydrogenated oils, to avoid this “ingredient” look for Health Valley or New Morning Brand Graham Crackers .Also, Arrowhead Mills makes a good quality pre made graham cracker pie crust.

**The cream cheese must be softened before mixing. If you cannot wait for it to soften at room temperature, you can soften the cream cheese in the microwave oven. Unwrap the cream cheese and scoop it out to a microwavable bowl. Microwave it on high temperature for 15 seconds. Add another 15 seconds for each additional bar of cream cheese.

One of my favorite roles in the kitchen is being the Blintz Queen. I can stand for hours pouring the batter and swirling it around the pan to coat the bottom, while watching it harden and form into a delicious crepe.

The beauty about making crepes is that it’s similar to making a sandwich, giving you the ability to add any filling your heart desires. In general I have a savory palate and when it comes to crepes I love anything from chicken with fried onion to a mushroom or potato filling or even the classic cheese blintz. But in my mind there is nothing like a crepe for dessert.

My Bobby used to put in fresh strawberries, while my husband is a fan of chocolate with ice cream. My personal favorite is raspberry jam, with crushed nuts and vanilla ice cream on the side.  The recipe below is so versatile it can be used for a dessert, side dish or even an appetizer on Yom Tov.  Here is my step by step guide to becoming a Blintz Queen just like me.

They key to a great crepe/blintz batter is letting the mixture stand and thicken in the bowl after you mix it.  The gluten in the flour stretches and makes a nice thick batter.  Make sure you continue to swirl the batter while making crepes as some of the flour will sink to the bottom.

Get all your ingredients ready to go to into the food processor.

• 3 eggs
• 1-cup flour
• 11/2 cups water
• 1-teaspoon oil
• ½ teaspoon salt

Mix in the food processor and let stand for 15 minutes.

Then the real trick is using a great crepe pan.  I bought mine years ago at Bed Bath and Beyond.  It is about 8 inches and the company is Berndes.

I am gently oiling my pan with some canola oil and then wiping it down with some paper towel.  Only use a minimal amount of oil.  Take a ¼ cup of the batter and pour into the pan.  Swirl the pan to get it to cover the bottom.

Cook the crepe in the pan on medium low and watch the batter harden to form a crepe. Set aside on large plate layering one on top of the other.  Repeat until the batter is done – yield about 8 crepes.

Prepare filling of choice.  Get the kids in on the action, let them choose and roll their own.  Here is my step by step guide to get your rolling perfect Crepes.

1.Place desired amount of cheese on bottom third of crepe.

2.Roll up bottom half over the cheese mixture

3.Fold side over towards the center.

4.Then roll up. Perfect Blintzes Every Time!!

Here is my recipe for Cheese Blintzes.

Hi everyone, I am The Cheese Guy or some may say “The Cheese-y Guy. My trademark is high end, small batch, primarily handmade, artisanal cheeses – particularly organic, kosher and low-fat.  My cheeses are a blend of creativity and flavor – a colorful fusion of my Eastern European Jewish heritage, the ethnic Italian neighborhood that I grew up in and my proximity to Amish farm territory.   The Cheese Guy – Raising the “CHEESE-Y” to an Art.  We partner with small and family owned dairy farms in order to produce our extra creamy jacks, crumbled blues, local sharp cheddars, tangy goats and imported Italian and European specialty cheeses.  Some of our cheese wheels are naturally aged and washed with organic extra virgin olive oil by Brent, in our New York cheese cellar. This is done in order to give our cheese a complex flavor and sharpness usually found in European style cheeses. We are excited to be taking Kosher cheeses to entirely new heights.

I know fancy cheeses are new to many of you, so think of this as a cheat sheet to get you started.  Cheese is very subjective and some are an acquired taste, but I urge you to at least open your palate and give them a taste.  All The Cheese Guy cheeses are certified kosher, the ones listed here are all OU and many are Chalav Yisroel (check the packaging).

1.  Pecorino fresco al Pepe Nere

Fresh sheep’s milk cheese with black peppercorns, from Sicily. A mild, tangy and creamy table cheese with a bit of spice that does not overwhelm. Is perfectly suited to make Caccio e Peppe.  All natural, hormone and antibiotic free, gluten free.

2. Pecorino Romano

This pecorino is a hard cheese because it is aged over 2 years (unlike the one above).  Pecorino Romano is a fragrant, sheep’s milk cheese produced in Sardenia, Italy. Good for grating shaving on pasta, salads and for using in risotto dishes. All natural, gluten free and hormone free.

3. Smoked Scamorza – from Lazio region of Italy outside Rome.

It’s naturally low fat and low sodium.  Similar to mozzarella, Smoked Scamorza has a buttery and slightly more bitter flavor than mozzarella. It also has a firmer texture than mozzarella.  Its structure is typically in layers. Its taste is slightly sweet and savory.  It can be eaten either uncooked as it is, or cooked in various dishes to add flavor as it is good for melting. Slice it thinly with extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs.

4. Blue cheese wedge

Handcrafted, “60 Days Aged” blue. Use as a topping on salads, in dressings and on gourmet cheese platters. Made along with 3rd generation Wisconsin Cheese makers.  Try this Vegetarian Cobb Salad.

5. Sharp cheddar

Aged over 6 months, sharp and creamy.  Using NY and Northeast local milk. All natural.  Our sharp cheddar is excellent with fresh fruit, and crackers. It pairs deliciously with red wine for an easy snack with company. With a sandwich and an apple, it’s a protein rich meal for your child’s sack lunch. Cold or melted, sharp cheddar becomes the key ingredient in burritos, pasta, and even on salads.

Now that you know a thing or two about cheese, let’s get cooking.

3 Cheese Pizza

Baked Pecorino Fresco

Cheese Omelet with Horseradish

This list is just the beginning, check out my site, TheCheeseGuy.com for all our cheese offerings and where to buy it for yourself. 

The extra credit question on my first ever chemistry test in high school was, “what household object is the chemical compound NaCl?”

Any takers?

That’s right, it’s salt! Salt is a crystallized mineral composed mainly of sodium chloride. In the kitchen, cooks use salt to bring the flavor out in dishes, as well as to preserve food, particularly meat and fish. There are a variety of salts in the universe, many of which you can find in your local supermarket or gourmet cooking stores.

Today at the house of the family I babysit, the mother was trying to impress on me that I should invest in Fleur de Sel French Sea Salt from Williams and Sonoma, which she swears by. One inhalation and I realized how powerful salt other than Morton’s can be. Here is a guideline of different salts and their common uses.

Note: I am not including sour salt in this list because it is not actually salt—it is derived from citric acid of acidic fruits like lemons and oranges, and adds a zesty flavor to dishes.

Table Salt: The girl with the yellow dress and umbrella adorns the famous Morton table salt container, which contains Iodine, an essential element to your daily diet. This salt is most commonly found on tables to add flavor to dishes in a pinch. Be careful when cooking to see what kind of salt the recipe calls for. One teaspoon of table salt is very different from 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt, as it is much more concentrated and too much of it has the potential to ruin your dish.

Kosher Salt: Typically additive-free, this salt has a much larger grain size than table salt. The large flakey salt is typically used to remove blood from meats to make them Kosher, which is why it has its name. Kosher salt doesn’t permeate foods as easily because of its shape. My favorite use is for making a simple seasoning for grilled meat, like London broil.

Pickling Salt: Has the same fine-grained texture as table salt, but with no additives, which makes it useful in pickling foods.

Sea Salt: The salt distilled from seawater can be fine-grained or coarse. Because it comes from the ocean, it contains trace minerals, which some claim make it “healthier.” It has a distinct strong taste that differentiates it from table or kosher salt. Use when looking to liven up dishes with a flavor that makes people say, “I wonder what that ocean flavor is…”

Smoked Salt: The method of smoking salt over a wood flame imparts a strong, smokey flavor that makes it a great salt for hearty vegetables like potatoes and corn.

Himalayan Salt: This is believed to be one of the purest salts available because it is hand-mined from ancient sea salt deposits in Pakistan. It usually comes in a hard, slab form, from white to deep red, and retains its temperature for an extended period of time. You may recognize Himalayan salt from Iron Chef America, where it has been used as a base for cooking fish to impart a natural, salty flavor.

Flake Salt: This comes from evaporating brine, and produces crystals of varying shapes and sizes. It has lower trace minerals and additives than other salts, and is perfect for adding a delicate crunch to salads.

Finals time is filled with anxiety over work, which creates a horrible anxiety about food. When am I going to eat, where will I go to eat, how long do I have to eat? Since most people will try to eat in as little time as they can, why not make something that will be delicious for every bite through the 3 minutes of eating it: the final grilled cheese.

Ingredients

2 slices bread

2-3 slices American cheese

1 thin slice of beefsteak tomato

2 teaspoons salted butter, separated

Instructions

1. Place frying pan over medium heat.
2. Assemble grilled cheese sandwich: bread, cheese, tomato, cheese, bread.
3. Once pan is hot, add 1 teaspoon butter. Swirl to coat bottom of pan.
4. Place grilled cheese in pan. Place lid for the pan (or a heat-proof plate) over pan. This will help melt the cheese quicker so that you don’t need to burn the bottom of the sandwich.
5. After 1 ½ minutes, check bottom of sandwich for color. Once golden brown, remove with a spatula. (I usually keep the sandwich dangling on the spatula for the next quick move.)
6. Add remaining teaspoon of butter, allowing to melt. Place sandwich back in pan, uncooked side down. Allow to cook until bottom is golden brown and cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
7. Slice diagonally, and enjoy!

For a quick, balanced lunch, heat 1 cup of Trader Joe’s tomato soup in microwave. You can wrap the grilled cheese in foil or parchment paper, and drink the soup in a to-go coffee cup. Quick and delicious!

If you want an alternative sandwich, try using this method with slices of goat cheese and thinly sliced pear; shredded mozzarella and cheddar with salsa; or a simple toasted cream cheese and jelly.

How do you make your grilled cheese?

Blanching and shocking are exactly what they sound like! The technique is essential to properly cooking vegetables, ahead of serving, to a desired doneness, allowing you to reapply heat at the time you want to serve them. It is also a great way of keeping your vegetables longer so they don’t spoil or discolor. The technique works so well you can prepare tender vegetables several hours or even days ahead and then briefly sauté them, toss in a warm sauce or add to a roasted dish.

In the case of green vegetables the chlorophyll is released as a gas in the cells of the vegetable during the blanching process. In the shocking process the gas is trapped in those cells and stays there giving the vegetable its bright color. If you do not shock the vegetable the cooking process will continue even after you remove it from heat and will turn it an unappealing khaki grayish color.

To properly blanch and shock vegetables, prepare a large pot of boiling salted water.

Also prepare a large bowl of ice water with a large strainer that fits into the bowl.

Clean your vegetables and trim to the desired shape and size and place in the pot of boiling water. For the average sugar snap pea or haricot vert the amount of time blanching may be as little as 1 minute. Remove the vegetables from the boiling water and place in a strainer in ice water and allow to thoroughly chill without soaking. Remove the strainer and place the vegetables on a separate plate or bowl to dry.

By using the strainer you can blanch and shock the vegetables in batches without having to change and re-heat the water each time. This is a great process to use for a variety of vegetables that require different amounts of time to cook. Start with the lightest color vegetable first and then proceed to the darker vegetables.

I originally wanted to create quick, healthy recipes you can make during finals season (or taxes, or if you have a presentation at work to give, etc.), until I realized that no one can bring himself or herself to prepare a meal when they feel so overwhelmed with work! So here are my tips for how to survive periods of sheer stress:

Stay hydrated. Without a doubt, the most important thing to do to keep you going is to drink water. Sugary drinks can give you a quick boost but then make you crash, and too much caffeinated coffee will cause you to depend on it, and crash when you don’t have it. Having enough water in your body helps flush out toxins and waste, which prevents your heart from working too hard to pump oxygenated blood to all of the cells in your body (which will leave you feeling tired). Especially during a time when people eat unhealthy fast foods like fattening sandwiches and candy bars that you can eat on the go, water flushes out the by-products of fat breakdown, which will both help you lose weight AND keep you going throughout the day. Additionally, your brain is mostly MADE of water, so it’s important to keep your brain full when you need it most! Water also helps prevent disease and the flu, which is incredibly important during a time when one can simply NOT afford to get sick. Trust me: I had to take finals after summer break due to a health emergency—you do not want to get sick!

Always have a snack handy. As a professional hoarder, I always have a surplus of “points” to spend in the various on-campus dining halls at the end of the semester. Use these to pick up healthy snacks, like Sabra’s pre-packaged pretzels with hummus, Nutrigrain bars, and trail mix. And if not, buy a box of granola bars and hand-held fruit like apples and bananas to last you for a week. This way, even if you are in a panic, there is something in your bag to keep you going, so you won’t be left to grab the first unhealthy thing you see. I usually study in my school’s Hillel building, which provides tea and snacks like granola bars and cereal during reading week. My periodic snack breaks keep me focused during my study-streaks.

Set times to eat. If you have already decided when you sit down in the library at 9:30 am that you will go to lunch at 12:45 pm, the deadline will (a) give you motivation to work diligently until that time and (b) ensure that you don’t skip a meal. Skipping a meal will slow down your metabolism, which makes your body slow down as well. When I hear people complain that they worked right through lunch and they’re “STARVINGGGGGG,” I feel very little pity because or admiration for how hard they worked. In the long run, treating your body well is more important than making a martyr of yourself. You can use your lunch and dinner times as an opportunity to spend time with someone one last time before the semester ends, have a study date, or just relax by yourself.

Eat foods with the vitamins you need. Oranges for Vitamin C, eggs for Vitamin B, broccoli or hamburgers for Iron, and milk for Vitamin D. Having the essential vitamins and minerals will keep your body going when you most need it.

Get some sunshine. Besides from providing you with Vitamin D, fresh air and sun will help clear your mind and boost your positive thinking. It’s also very important to get a change of scenery every once in a while so that you don’t get “textbook hypnosis,” my diagnosis for the condition in which you read the same paragraph over and over again without remembering or digesting any of it. And of course, you should enjoy the Spring weather!

Sources:

http://www.mangosteen-natural-remedies.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.html

http://www.vitamin-insight.com/basics/daily-intake-chart.aspx

View my Kosher Beef Guide for a better understanding of the Kosher Forequarter.

Today, we are focusing on ground beef, which can come from the Chuck section or the Neck. We’ll talk about Chuck some other time.

NECK OF BEEF

Although very tasty, the meat in the neck is made up mostly of connective tissue and bone.  It can either be cubed, minced or used to make stock.

GROUND BEEF/MINCED MEAT

Minced meat (ground beef) is one of my all-time favorites.  Whether it’s cottage or shepherd’s pie (flavored ground beef topped with a layer of mashed potato),  Chilli and tacos, fajitas, Chilli con carne, meat loaf, lasagne, stuffed cabbage, sloppy Joes, spaghetti bolognese, stuffed peppers or dumplings,  it is so versatile and there’s so much you can do with ground beef.

With the BBQ season approaching and to get things ‘rolling’ so to speak, I thought we should start off with Steakhouse Burger Patties.

Here are my tips for the perfect beef burger patties or meatballs.

• Fat – you need a bit of natural beef fat in the meat otherwise they will be as hard as rocks!  It also gives a lovely flavor.
• Ground beef goes bad very quickly, so if you’re not going to use it the same day, freeze it.
• To defrost, place the ground beef in the fridge as it must stay cold.
• Never defrost meat then refreeze it in its raw state.  Defrost it, cook it and then freeze it.
• Cooked ground beef actually lasts for about 4 or 5 days in the fridge.
• All meat shrinks in size when it is cooked and ground beef shrinks even more when it is cooked on a high temperature.
• Cooking ground beef at a moderate temperature will prevent extra shrinkage and retain the moisture.
• Overcooking causes moisture and fat to be drawn out of the meat, making it very dry and tasteless.

A beef patty recipe is probably the most discussed recipe around.   Why? Because people love sharing their secret ingredient for the perfect patty.   Whether it’s  grated apple, BBQ sauce, ketchup, paprika or mustard, everybody believes they have the best!   And why not?  That’s what eating is all about.  Some like it plain, some prefer spicy,  but if there’s one tip I can give for these steakhouse burgers,  it’s that you ask your butcher for a coarser texture than ‘normal’ ground beef.   I prefer mine minced on a  6.5 mm =  1/4 ” mincing plate.  This is the size most steakhouses prefer for their burgers.   A finer mince may cause your patty to be too compact and firm and the coarser mince helps to aerate the beef patty and give it that steakhouse feel!

When combining the ingredients together to form the patties, do it without too much fuss and keep mixing to a minimum.  The best burgers are those that come straight off the grill onto the bun and therefore, partially cooking them and reheating them later, isn’t a good idea!

Another great ground beef recipe is when it is turned into Italian Beef Tomato Sauce.

Click here for a large image of the the kosher forequarter

Who says we were dealt a lousy hand?  Who says the inferior cuts are on the forequarter?  There’s no downside to any cut on the forequarter.  The same nutrients are available from both ends.  We can’t change the hand we were dealt, but we can certainly change the way we play it.  Let’s raise the odds, take the pot and start cooking!  Remember, the “steaks” don’t have to be high, just tender.

Braised Lamb Shanks

Braising

Most beef cuts are made up of muscle tissue. As we know from the gym, the more a muscle is used the stronger/tougher it becomes.  Frequently used muscles like in the leg and shoulder, need to be cooked over a longer period, either by braising (browning the meat first then adding a little liquid and cooking it for a long time) or boiling.

Dry Roast Beef

Dry Roasting

Cuts such as Scotch fillet and side bolo are not exercised as much, so until their personal trainers get involved, dry roasting is the best method of cooking for these cuts.

Besides being delicious, meat has a high nutritional value and no other food group is as good a source of protein.  Understanding the different cuts of beef can be confusing.  Not only do they have different names in different countries, but the butcher around the corner will call his cut by a different name, too!

Buy The Cow

The forequarter is divided into the chuck, rib, foreshank, brisket and plate.  The most economical way of buying beef or lamb is purchasing the whole forequarter and having your butcher cut it into the various cuts to suit your needs.

Every month I will be talking about a different kosher cut of beef and give you recipes and tips on how to cook it.  Check back regularly in The Kosher Beef Guide.

Please comment with any questions you may have, I’m the Kosher Butcher’s Wife and I love to help.