Quick & Kosher

As promised in the previous post, Adopting a Healthy Kosher Lifestyle, we’re launching this new category with a delicious – yet delicate – dessert recipe. No, really, it is still possible to have great desserts even when you are committed to a healthier lifestyle (at least that’s what I am told). I am not a nutritionist; I don’t even play one on TV and I’m not going to profess to have all the answers. But I do know a tantalizing, lite dessert when I see one. I can assure you that these Orange Ginger Poached Pears satisfy a sweet tooth.

This recipe is perfect since pears are in season.  Try swapping coconut milk ice cream for the soy ice cream – or you can forget the “ice cream”, if you wish (why you would do that, I’ll never understand, but to each their own).

The pears are simmered in a broth of orange juice, water, sugar (not too much), salt (a pinch) and ginger.  Ginger is aromatic, pungent and spicy - great in Asian stir fries and fruit and veggie dishes. Cook with ginger, and everyone will think you’re a gourmet (love shortcuts to success).  Fresh ginger root is available year round, just to make your life a bit easier.  After all isn’t that what we are all going for here?

A few nights ago, I dreamt I was eating a cupcake (my favorite, fluffy, fresh baked, vanilla cake, vanilla glaze, rainbow sprinkled Zomick’s cupcake) and Shira, my friend and content manager of this blog, actually dreamt she was a cinnamon bun (we didn’t dream this up on the same night in case you were wondering). Let’s leave Freud out of this.  The point is that no matter what we eat, our subconscious will indulge anyway. So let’s save the calories for our dreams and make something lite this Shabbos!

QUICK & KOSHER PEAR FACTS AND RECIPES

The pear is said to be related to the apple. The apple denies it. They both have several seeds in the core, but unlike the apple, the pear’s skin is paper-thin. Kind of like the thin-skinned relatives you want to avoid.

The Chinese pear is known to have the most medicinal value, or else it just has the best PR. Other varieties are also healthful, but don’t talk about it as much.

We usually think pears are bell-shaped, but some varieties are shaped like a rounded apple. They are not trying to confuse you; they just come that way.

P.S. A pear a day will keep the doctor away! No really – with vitamins A, B1, B2, C, E, folic acid and niacin – that’s good news!

Looking for more great pear recipes? Try these!  Baby Greens, Pear, Walnut and Blue CheeseSalad, Chicken Thighs with Pear and Leek Sauce, Arugula and Pear Salad, Pear and Blue Cheese Flatbread, and Cranberry Pear Chutney.

Dear Jamie,

A crowd is coming over to watch the game at my house on Sunday. How can I prepare and what should I serve?

Stacey, Queens

Hi Stacey,

In honor of the MLB Playoffs, here are 9 tips (one for each inning) on how to host folks for the big game.  You can use these for football or hockey too, of course, not to mention cricket, polo or Olympic luge.

The Warm-up

Before you even sit down to plan a menu, make sure your house is set up to accommodate all of your guests. If you don’t have a large screen TV, consider renting one. If they are coming to your home to watch a game, everyone must be able to see the TV.

Comfortable Seating

Make sure you have enough comfortable seating in the house for everyone. It’s okay to assume that little kids will happily sit on the floor, but the game can be long and adults want to be comfy. If you don’t have enough couch space or cozy chairs, borrow from your friends. This should be done the night before, so that the room can be all set up by game time.

Kid-Proof the Whole Place

Make sure to put away anything valuable that you wouldn’t want broken. If your guests will include young children, they will probably run around the house more than watch the game. While I’m blaming the little kiddies for this caveat, the truth is that the big kids, aka adults watching the game – especially when they get excited – are liable to jump, stomp, scream and swing, not noticing your blown-glass vase on the mantel.

Then Keep the Kids Occupied

You don’t want a bevy of bored children wreaking havoc in your home. Make sure you have plenty of activity options available. If the weather is dismal, a great indoor activity is cupcake decorating! Bake mini-cupcakes in advance of the game and set out icing and edible decorations. The kids can decorate them with sports themes or anything else their little hearts desire.  It’s a win-win activity that the kids will love — and then they even get to eat the finished product! (Anyone out there not like a sweet edible project?)

Paper Beats Porcelain

Game day is definitely the wrong time to bring out the china set you inherited from your grandmother. Save your beautiful dishes for Shabbos and stock up on paper goods. You can even find sports-themed selections, so you can match your plates to the game – but don’t expect the guys to notice.

What Can I bring? Glad You Asked!

My favorite tip of all time: delegate. Some hosts like to run the entire show – soup to nuts – and cater to their guests. To these people I say: more power to ya!  But most of us want some additional help, so feel free to ask your guests to bring something. It could be a favorite drink, an easy-to-make side dish, even a dessert. Most people – especially if they’re you’re friends — realize that hosting a crowd is a big deal, and they want to help out.  Remember though, the host/hostess is always expected to prepare the main dish. The rule of thumb is if the party’s at your place, you’re bringing the chicken!

The Cool Down

Ice, ice and more ice, baby. You’d be surprised how many people forget the ice when hosting a party. But, since you’ll probably have more drinks than refrigerator space, make sure to stock up on loads of ice in advance. It’s also helpful to get a cooler to store the drinks in the viewing room, so you aren’t running back and forth to the refrigerator each time a bottle is emptied. Enlist the help of your kids and have them decorate the cooler with their favorite team’s logo. It will involve them in preparing for the party, and will keep them occupied while you’re busy getting everything else ready!

Plan a Finger-Lickin’ Menu

It’s a misconception that you can’t watch the game without a giant hoagie and lots of beer. As host, you can serve anything you want. Finger foods are the best option here, people, because they can be cooked and prepared ahead of time (Who wants to be stuck in the kitchen when all the action is happening out there?), they’re easy to eat, and create less mess. And no matter how good your food is, supply your guests with nosh – pretzels, potato chips, and crackers. Feel free to add cut vegetables and healthy dips to the spread as well. And don’t forget some yummy desserts!

Tell the Team to Clean Up

Asking your guests to vacuum the family room is a no-no, but you could encourage everyone to throw their own plates into the garbage.  It might take a bit of teamwork on everyone’s part, but it will be a huge help to you. Make sure garbage pails are accessible, and employ subtle hints such as huge signs that say, “Pitch used plates in here!”

Here are a few super recipes to help make your game day party a culinary success!

Oven Fried Zucchini Sticks, Hummus, Guacamole and Chips, Chicken Drumsticks with BBQ Sauce, Shish Kebab, Sausage Bites, Cocktail Meatballs, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Also check out my Indispensable Tips for Hosting that Big Yom Tov or Party.

Gooooo Yankees! Sorry, had to do that for Hubby.

Last week, we delighted in a sweet Apple and Cardamom Tart. Today let’s enjoy a savory Butternut Squash and Arugula Pizza with Salad.

Yes, yes — I know — the post is called Winter Squash, and that’s because butternut squash is winter squash. In fact, it’s the sweetest winter squash, even though the name suggests a totally different tang. That’s just like the whole squash family – always out to confuse you with devious names. Take zucchini, for example, a squash that doesn’t even fess up to its family name. Then again, if my last name were Squash, I probably wouldn’t admit it either.

Don’t be fooled by that frosty name “winter squash” either. The season starts late summer and runs through mid-winter, and some are even available year-round.

So how does this highly untrustworthy vegetable work in a pizza? Actually, perfectly. I became an authority on pizza the first year I was married.  It’s Hubby’s favorite food, and he even had the pizza shops’ baking cycles committed to memory so he knew at which store he could get the freshest pie straight from the oven, any time of day. He also knew at what time they started to make their specialty pies, and at what time they would have the biggest selection. It’s a form of genius, really.

Anyway, until I was married I never experienced a ziti pizza pie, an eggplant parmesan pie, or the ultimate spicy fry pie. Puhlease!  It’s like carbs on top of carbs, on top of grease, with extra cheese – oh, and so good, I always have room for another slice.

Butternut Squash and Arugula Pizza is perfect for kids of all ages, including you and me.   The flavor combination is superb, and while I haven’t done an official nutritional analysis, I would say it probably has less fat than the ziti pizza.

This is the kind of pizza dinner that comes out of a gourmet kitchen – and tonight the gourmet kitchen can be yours. It’s one of those dishes you can use to entertain, please the kiddies, and impress mom-in-law – all in one meal. Thank

G-d for small blessings like butternut squash.

Squash lovers, try these recipes too: Butternut Squash Soup, Butternut Squash Souffle, Squash Cheesecake Bars and Squash Tea Bread.

This summer, I introduced the Quick & Kosher Summer Recipe Series.  The response to these seasonal recipes was so fantastic, I’ve decided to keep the momentum going with Quick & Kosher Cooking for Autumn.  After all, the breezes are cooler, the leaves are turning, and we’re packing up our sukkahs for the year.  OK – some of us are diligently packing away our sukkahs.  The rest of us are nagging a certain someone to get around to it.  The goal is to get the s’chach stashed before the first snow.

Before I whip up a delicious dish in the hopes of incentivizing my workforce to break down that Sukkah (don’t worry, I’ll share that recipe with you in my next post!), here’s a handy dandy – quick but comprehensive – list of Fall Produce to get you up to date:

Fruits: Apples, cranberries, figs, grapes (early fall), limes, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, and quinces.

Vegetables: Artichokes, arugula, beets, Belgian endive, broccoli, broccoli raab (rapini) Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac/celery root, celery, chard, chicories, chiles, curly endive (frisee), edamame, eggplant, escarole, fennel, garlic, green beans, green onions (scallions), horseradish, Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lemongrass, lettuce, wild mushrooms, okra, onions, parsnips, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radicchio, radishes, rutabagas, shallots, shelling beans, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatillos, turnips, winter squash, zucchini, and herbs including  rosemary, parsley, thyme and sage.

Have you been cooking with Autumn produce yet? Let me know what delicious dishes are bubbling on your stovetop!

I won’t pretend that holiday foods have been kind to my waistline. It would be more accurate to ask “what waistline?” and admit that I’ve succumbed to wearing elastic. And I’m avoiding my scale. Like the plague. I’ve managed to wedge it behind the bathroom door so it’s completely out of sight. I don’t want to know that it exists; it is not my friend.

I hate the “d” word.  Every time I try a new diet, I set myself up for failure. It’s a big event: I am going to start the diet, today is the last day before the diet, (yay!) I started the diet, (cry) I already broke the diet, “how’s the diet going?” I’m asked “oh the diet?” I say “that was so yesterday”. I detest counting calories or points and I don’t like eliminating foods or waiting between food groups. It’s enough to wait between meat and dairy, who can wait three hours between proteins and carbs?

My new motto: “I don’t diet.”

Since I’m not the kind of person to cook one way for my family, and another way for myself, I’m aiming for a new healthy eating lifestyle — something that will work for everyone and leave no one feeling deprived (especially me ).  Of course, it’s pointless to sacrifice flavor for healthier eating, because it won’t go the distance. I’ll wind up sneaking an éclair 5 minutes into the effort.

So maybe you and I are in the same state: while not quite regretting all those fabulous festive banquets, you still have to deal with your scale adding up numbers like a runaway train.  So it’s time to add a new category to our blog: Quick & Kosher Lite!

My next blog post will kick off this category with a delicious – yet delicate – dessert that’s perfect for Shabbos! What better way to start a healthier lifestyle than with a yummy dessert?

Have you been avoiding your scale like the plague? Are you looking for ways to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes lighter recipes? Comment below, and let me know where you began!

So we’ve made it through an amazing month of holidays, and it’s time to get back to a normal life schedule. People have asked me how I manage a career, family, cookbooks, and all, so I’ll share my regular daily routine with you. You may take notes, if you wish:

I make it a point to wake up early, exercise, and daven (pray) before the kids get up, so I won’t be distracted. While sipping a latte, I cook them a hot, healthy breakfast and include myself in this terrific-way-to-start-your-day meal. I feel it’s important to be dressed in a nice, well coordinated outfit – just casual enough to be comfortable and just chic enough that I could go to a meeting on the spur of the moment, should the need arise. I dress the children, brush their hair while humming our special Good Morning song, and trot them out to the school bus. Then it’s on to my productive workday, bolstering a career too glamorous for words.

Oh don’t I wish.

Okay – I have to confess that this never really happens. It’s my fantasy morning. In reality, my eyes wrench open to the cries of a baby or the shuffling of toddler feet in the bathroom somewhere in the 5 o’clock (as in am) hour. I pull a pillow over my head and wait, praying they will all go back to sleep.

They never do. After diaper changes, I supervise the older kids’ dressing. (I learned a long time ago that you don’t leave picking out clothes for the morning. It’s gotta be done the night before unless you want the school bus to come and go while they’re all still in their pajamas.) Eventually, they learn to dress themselves, though never soon enough for me. It’s amazing how one of my lovely girls always used to wind up with backward shirts, and shoes on the wrong feet — so consistently that she defied the laws of probability. We made a joke of turning the shirts around and switching the shoes every day.

By the time they’re all dressed, the baby is in major need of a costume change. We’re not just talking a diaper here, people, we are talking the entire outfit.

Next, I play hairdresser: with 4- and 5-year-old girls, that means ponytails and braids and bows and headbands, and it’s a daily struggle to explain why they can’t wear them all at the same time. My almost 3-year-old son still has long hair. It’s a countdown to his upshern (his first, traditional haircut). Lately, Hubby and I have entered into long philosophical discussions as to whether we go with a clip (a black “boyish” one of course) or a pony (also in neutral boyish colors), while our son just wants the pink sparkly headband like his sisters.

After fighting over which breakfast barstool they sit on, which color plastic cereal bowl they get, and who should be served first my kiddies down their breakfast of yogurt, fruit, cereal, OJ, chocolate milk, or some combination thereof, not without spilling some of it on themselves, their neighbor or the floor first. And the baby actually gets some of it in his mouth. They get a treat if they went to bed nicely the night before, or behaved really well that morning: I am not above bribery. Grabbing each school bag, I add snacks to lunches, “mitzvah notes” extolling each child’s good deeds to their teachers, and pennies for the class tzedakah (charity) box.

I tell them to brush their teeth, help them brush their teeth, or supervise them brushing their teeth — all of which takes inordinately long, considering the number of teeth in their tiny mouths.
My oldest is 5, and we do her one page of homework in the morning. I found that when she gets home from school, wired from her long day, is not the time to make her sit down and concentrate. We tried that and it was painful for both of us. So we do it in the morning, when she’s sharp-minded and excited.

By now, the baby is fussing on the floor, and I put on music to drown out his wails while I steer each child to the bathroom before the carpool or the bus shows up. I run to my closet and choose whatever can be put on in the least amount of time: buttons trump hooks and snaps; zippers trump buttons.

Hubby comes home from Shacharis (morning prayers) and can’t begin to fathom what we’ve all been doing for the last 2 hours – and why there is so much left to do in the next 20 minutes before rushing out for the bus.

It’s almost 9:00 am and I realize I’ve had nothing to eat or drink, (there is no latte in my near future) my nerves are frazzled… and it’s time for work!
Just because I have a dream of the perfect morning, a dream which differs so greatly from my reality doesn’t mean I am not committed to taking steps, ok baby steps to get there. My new motto, smile more at my kids at the break of dawn and remember, come 9am this too shall pass so let’s be in it to win it and enjoy the time together.

And just to leave you all with a quick tip for alleviating breakfast boredom. Make extra fresh pancakes or French toast on a Sunday morning, store leftovers in a Tupperware and nuke quickly for a warm weekday morning breakfast treat. (Use this is for when the kids are especially well behaved or when you are especially well behaved given the strenuous circumstances).

I’d love to know how you start your day or how you’d like to start your day. Leave a comment and share your morning secrets to success with me. In the chance your morning is similar to mine, I want to know too (it’s nice to know you’re not alone in this world).

I can speak to an audience of 200 people, no problem. (Okay, in truth, I’m backed up by my entire family praying for me at the exact moment I’m to start my speech. But I can do it.) In fact, many of you know me through my speaking tours when my first Quick & Kosher cookbook was published. Now that I’m about to publish my second book, Quick & Kosher –Meals in Minutes, I hope to see you in the audience once again.

But I digress. Back to the hop and why I need your help. In a moment of total madness, I decided to be Mom of the Year and volunteered our family sukkah as the first stop on a 3-part Sukkah Hop for kids aged 3-5. I have to feed and entertain them for 10 long minutes.

Don’t laugh. You can’t imagine how nervous I am about this. So the first dilemma is what to serve: can’t be too junky or mommies get mad; can’t be too healthy because my own kids will be irreparably humiliated. They’ll say something like, “Do you think my friends came here because they’ve never seen a cucumber?” Yes, sarcasm from a four year old. It chills the soul.

And then I have to come up with an activity. “Just read a sukkah story,” I was told, but what will captivate 15 restless little kiddies? I want to make my children proud. I want them to feel special to have the hop hosted in our sukkah. But what to do?

This blog is usually full of advice, but now I’m turning the tables. If you have a fun activity or sukkah nosh idea for me – bring it on. Please!

Salmon is a big winner, cold or warm, in terms of taste. Even among non-fish eaters, salmon often goes over well.

Black Bean and Salsa Salmon

Prep: 1 min
Total: 1 hr, 25 min
Yield: 6 servings

At Hubby’s request, when company comes I make kosher chicken pastrami rolls. You might think of it as a patchka (total fuss) because you have to roll each one individually – but otherwise, it’s super easy. On a recent Shabbos, we hosted a family that’s special to us – our shadchan (the person who had introduced Hubby and me to each other) with half a dozen of her kids. In their honor, I rolled 16 of these fab chicken pinwheels. Hubby thoughtfully took step-by-step pictures, just for you.

This is not a formal recipe, but I think you’ll be able follow these instructions easily enough:

1. First, preheat your oven to 375˚.

2. In a shallow bowl, pour bottled Italian dressing – (Wish Bone is just perfect) over thin-sliced chicken cutlets.

You can always butterfly regular cutlets on your own, but remember it takes a little more time. When I am really busy, I thank G-d and the butcher for thin sliced. (Either way, you can’t go wrong: white meat chicken cutlets are one of the top bestsellers at Kosher.com: they are so fresh they always bake up juicy and delicious.) If you are serving a lot of other dishes, one roll/cutlet per person should be just fine, but if this is your only main, count on at least two rolls per person.

3. Fill a second shallow bowl with your favorite breadcrumbs. I like Pereg Classic because it’s so well seasoned. Just love when all the hard work is done for me. I especially like the sesame seeds mixed in – it’s a great added touch.

You’ll also need one thin slice of pastrami per chicken roll.

4. Take one cutlet, coated in dressing and lay it in the breadcrumbs, gently pressing it into the crumbs so they adhere to the cutlet on one side.

Lay one slice of pastrami lengthwise onto the cutlet (you may have to fold or double it over if it’s too long. You want the slice of pastrami to be slightly shorter than the length of the cutlet.) Don’t worry, I have pictures for you.

5. Roll up the cutlet and pastrami like you would a jellyroll.

6. Place seam side down on a lightly greased baking pan – large enough to hold all the rolls without touching. If you overcrowd your pan, the rolls won’t develop a crispy crumb coating when they bake.

7. Once all the rolls are good to go, I sometimes drizzle a little of the remaining Italian dressing over top. Finish off by spraying the rolls with cooking spray. I like Gefen Canola Oil Cooking Spray.

8. Bake at 375˚ for about 20 minutes. Delish! And beautiful too.

Enjoy this Shabbos!

What’s your favorite easy shabbos recipe? Leave me a comment and let me know.

I’ve been schmoozing with a loyal reader named Jack about braising meat. Why don’t you listen in?

Jack: Jamie, in your Brisket in Wine Sauce recipe, you say to bake until the internal thermometer in the beef reads 190˚. I checked a meat temperature web site, and it said that well-done beef is 160˚. I’m thinking that 190˚ was a typo; please update the recipe if necessary.

Jamie: I’m glad to see you’ve been trying the recipes on our site. No, 190˚ was not a typo. While you are correct that the internal temperature for well done beef is about 160˚, when preparing a roast there are different considerations when it comes to braising, especially a cut like brisket. To achieve that wonderful melt-in-your-mouth quality, braised meat must maintain an internal temperature of 190°F for enough time for the tough muscle fibers to break down. In braising, the longer you cook it, the more the meat softens.

Braising is a wet heat technique that combines the enveloping warmth of roasting with the sultry steaminess of stewing. Braises should be cooked in a covered roasting pan, Dutch oven, or in a pan covered with a tightly sealed, double layer of aluminum foil. Start by seasoning the meat (a light hand is best). As with dry-heat roasting, some cooks start braises on the stovetop by searing the meat. Place the meat fat side up in the pan, and add aromatics and root vegetables of your choice. The braising liquid is added (water is fine, but some people use wine, beer or cola – not diet) about a third of the way up the side of the meat, the pan is sealed, and the whole thing goes into the oven, preheated to 300°F — 350°F, until tender.

Cooked at 325°F, briskets, chuck eyes, and other braised meats will take about 2½ — 3 hours to cook, with small cuts on the low side of the estimate and large cuts on the higher side.

I hope that explanation helps.

Jack: Thank you, Jamie. I made the Brisket in Wine Sauce for this past Shabbos (though I used the top of rib instead), and it came out fantastic! I really do like braising meats ever since I discovered it a couple of years ago. (As you can probably tell, I’m the cook in my family – my wife is happy to turn these things over to me.) So, these tips are really helpful.

I’m curious, though: I’ve used cola many times as the liquid for braising, but generally I do use diet (Pepsi One with Splenda). What is the reason you say to avoid this? Is sugar necessary to break down the meat? Thanks again for all the terrific recipes on Kosher.com.

Jamie: My husband is the one who taught me how to cook and my dad was the cook in our house, so I think it’s great you’re the chef in your family! And I’m so happy to hear the recipe worked well for you.

Regarding cooking with diet sodas: the theory goes that most, but not all, diet sweeteners lose their sweetness when boiled or under high heat. The sweeteners used in diet soft drinks are specifically not for use under high temps. They go sour, go bitter or just get so concentrated that they don’t taste great. But all artificial sweeteners behave differently, so if Pepsi One has been working for you, there’s no need to change.

Shana Tova!

Hi Jamie,

I saw the Stew in a Pumpkin Shell recipe on your site and it looks great. I want to try it for Sukkos, but we do not leave our oven on. If I prepare it ahead of time in the oven, how do I re-heat it before serving and keep it warm? We usually place our food on an electric hot tray, but with the stew inside the pumpkin shell, I don’t know how that’s ever going to heat up. Any ideas how to serve this?  Thanks a lot!

Jack

Hello Jack,

I am thrilled to see you are enjoying the recipes on our site, and I happen to think you have picked the perfect pumpkin Sukkos dish to serve.

Warming this up on Yuntif can be tricky… Here is my suggestion.

First bring everything to room temperature before warming. It’s the best way to keep from drying out and abusing your foods as you reheat and refrigerate them. That revolving door of reheating and refrigerating your food throughout Yuntif can be tough on your lovingly prepared recipes.

Remove the stew from the pumpkin and heat it separately as you would any other soup or stew-like dish.

Place the pumpkin shell in a tin large enough to hold it, add a small (very small) amount of boiling water to the bottom of the tin and cover it tightly with foil — so that it steams as it warms. Place the pumpkin shell on your blech (hot plate) or in your warming drawer. The water is an extra step and is not absolutely necessary if you’re not in a hurry. Given enough time, the shell should warm even without it.

Just before serving, remove the pumpkin shell to a serving bowl and fill it with the piping hot stew.

Enjoy — and be sure to let me know if this idea worked for you.

Jamie

Jamie,

With Rosh Hashanah so early this year, I’m having a hard time figuring out what to cook. My regular chicken recipes seem too heavy for warm weather. Do you have any light recipes for fish or chicken that would impress guests but that wouldn’t be too, too complex? (I’d love a complete menu!) I have young children and don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

- Deborah

Deborah,

If it’s not clear by now that I don’t do anything complex, then I haven’t been communicating. Believe me, I know how hard it is to cook with young kids around. You are not alone! My go-to Rosh Hashanah meal is usually based on simanim. For ease of prep and taste appeal, I don’t shy away from Classic Gefilte Fish and I serve it with Sweet Carrot Salad on the side. But if you want to raise the bar without raising your stress level, try my Spiced Gefilte Fish – it’s so attractive, I put it on the cover of my book Quick & Kosher Recipes from the Bride Who Knew Nothing.

An even easier, festive version is Pink Rimmed Gefilte Fish followed by Un-stuffed Cabbage Soup. It’s so sweet (for a sweet, new year!) and so good and so easy! My guests expect this dish every Rosh Hashanah and I would never disappoint them.

The main is Brisket in Wine Sauce (you can throw in a few handfuls of baby carrots for color), Honey Chicken, with Spinach Mushroom Salad, and Potato Kugel Cups as sides. (If you’re in a rush and don’t feel like filling individual cups, you can always make the kugel in a 9-inch round or square pan.)

Another recipe that is just as easy, but impressive: Cocktail Meatballs over Rice Pilaf. I love Near East products because they have no msg, are so easy to make and are seasoned to perfection. I serve this on the second night of Yom Yov instead of starting with fish and soup. And for other side ideas, you can go with Carrot Muffins (you can leave out the shredded carrots, if you prefer – no other substitutions needed) or Broccoli and Mushroom Pie. (I have taken to replacing the non-dairy creamer in that recipe with plain unsweetened soy milk).

Each recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare prior to cooking time. (Of course, while these dishes cook, you can do something else!) Let me know which ones you’ve tried, and how they worked out for you. Happy Sweet New Year!

If anyone else has other recipes ideas for Deborah, please leave a comment.

My Great Tastes of Summer recipe series is coming to an end – with just enough time to enjoy the last fleeting moments of warm weather, vacation (if you’re lucky) and calm before the back-to-school/hurry-up-and-cook for yuntif storm. Relax one last time with these 3 great Quick & Kosher recipes.

Italian Zucchini – You don’t have to be an Italian trained chef to whip up this sensational summer side.

Baby French String Beans with Slivered Almonds – Haricots verts is the official French name for these delicious, best-ever green beans. They are slender, more flavorful, stringless string beans.

Classic Corn on the Cob – People poked a lot of fun at me when I included a corn on the cob recipe in my first book Quick & Kosher: Recipes From The Bride Who Knew Nothing. But if you believe me, then you believe that when I was first married I didn’t know if you were supposed to cook corn for 2 minutes or 2 hours.

Now you don’t have to learn the hard way like I did. Although I’ve found people are pretty particular about how to make perfect corn on the cob.

What’s your classic corn on the cob secret? Leave a comment, I’m all ears.

Hi Jamie,

I seem to have a cooking problem. Before I got married, I used to cook lot of different types of foods and they came out pretty good. Now that I’m married, I’m afraid to cook. What should, or what can, I do? I stick with basic foods and frozen foods and rarely get fancy. I need to have confidence again knowing that what I make will taste very good. I want to learn how to prepare foods as you do….. PLEASE HELP ME JAMIE!

-G
Far Rockaway, NY

G,

Don’t despair. I understand your predicament all too well. It’s so easy to lose your confidence when you feel that you’re under pressure. I often feel a lot of pressure too. When we invite people for Shabbos, they sometimes make a big to do in anticipation of the meal. That’s how I know they didn’t read my book (about how I was the bride who knew nothing) — or they didn’t believe it.

Here’s what I suggest: take baby steps. Like anything else in life, take it slow. It’s very hard to go from frozen chicken nuggets and fries to five-star chef overnight. The best approach here is to take on some manageable foolproof recipes.

I’ll share with you my secret confidence-boosting weapon: it’s a meal from my first book, Quick & Kosher: Recipes From The Bride Who Knew Nothing, and I promise you can’t get this wrong. Drum roll… Duck Sauce Chicken (p.123), Herb-Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes (p.197), and Colorful Garden Salad (p.95).

Duck Sauce Chicken was the first hot chicken dinner I ever made, the easiest, and still my favorite. It’s only chicken and duck sauce. You don’t even have to measure; just pour the sauce until it generously coats all the chicken pieces. Bake it at 375˚ for about 1 hour or until the skin is golden brown. The secret to this recipe is the brand of duck sauce. Gold’s Cantonese Style Duck Sauce is the best and you can always use Gold’s Szechuan Style if you like a little spice.

Finish your meal with Colorful Garden Salad . The recipe calls for creamy pesto dressing, but I say – don’t overwhelm yourself. Skip the dressing and just serve your favorite store-bought dressing in a pretty cruet. (If you keep the bottles off the table, you’re already one step closer to the gourmet experience.) The beauty here is just layering different colored vegetables in a trifle bowl. EVERYONE oohs and ahhs over multicolored layers in a trifle bowl; don’t know why it’s so impressive and don’t really care. This is one dish that’s always a hit, without even turning on the oven.

Are you smiling yet?

There’s a great Amazing Savings near you on Central Avenue. Pop in there and grab a trifle bowl if you don’t already own one. It will come in SUPER handy over the course of your new cooking adventures.

G, listen to me. Don’t worry, you can do it. My story is all about overcoming what you think you can’t do. It’s all about fighting what you believe to be your nature. Your culinary path is not set – you are not doomed to walk the frozen food aisles forever. You just need some kitchen confidence. So start small. Easy recipes. One at a time. The whole meal doesn’t have to be from scratch. It’s ok if things are semi-homemade.

Leave a comment here and let us all know how you’re doing. Hatzlachah! If anyone had any other easy recipes or ideas for G leave a comment. Let’s help her out together.

I am so super psyched about my new book Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes due out this Chanukah.  So much so that I just can’t hold it in any longer.  As a special gift I’d like to offer you (and all your friends – pass this blog post on!) a sneak peek at my Rosh Hashanah Meals in Minutes menu.

I tried my hardest to incorporate as many of the Rosh Hashanah simanin as possible into the menu.  Simanim are foods whose names suggest a variety of blessings for the New Year.  These include pomegranates, leeks, beets, dates, spinach, honey, apples and carrots – foods you may have been serving year round, but suddenly, they’re in the spotlight, laden with symbolic promises of good things to come.

So here is my super sweet Rosh Hashanah Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes menu with links to the full and complete recipes for 3 of my favorite holiday dishes.  We’ll start with a warm and comforting Leek Soup, the star of the show is a sweet and savory dish I like to call Chicken with Apples (serves 4).  Round out your meal with Roasted Beets and Spinach Salad with Pomegranate Dressing (serves 4) and finish it off with Carrot Cupcakes .

What are your favorite Rosh Hashanah recipes? Be sure to drop a line and let me know how you like these new freebies. Happy Sweet New Year!