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There’s something to be said for that infomercial that instructs you to “Set it and Forget it.” The infomercial promises lifetime fulfillment in the kitchen.

The recent demise of my slow cooker had me rethinking the way I prepare dinner. To be honest, I have never been a power user of the slow cooker. The bulky appliance was more or less relegated to cholent or stew cooking on Shabbat and then shoved in a cabinet for the rest of the week.

I mourn the loss of any kitchen appliance, but the slow cooker didn’t fluster me too much. I wasn’t sure if I’d even replace it. Gasp! How would I prepare Shabbat meals? It’s not so bad. We didn’t always rely on that slow cooker. We hadn’t had any cholent all summer long. Then suddenly, September and October showed up and Fall set in. The weather got chillier and I was craving some warm foods. Maybe I did need a slow cooker.

While browsing through my email, an ad for a slow cooker on Amazon showed up. A beautiful red Crockpot at a price I couldn’t turn down. Did I mention that I’m a sucker for a good deal on a kitchen appliance?  The slow cooker showed up right around Sukkot time. This got me thinking about the chilly meals in the sukkah and what I could do to warm them up. The slow cooker allowed me to go beyond soup and take up one less burner.

I quickly learned that I actually like this new appliance and that it can work for me – way beyond that weekly cholent. It is truly a blessing! Just like the commercials tell you – it is very versatile.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry with Rice

I work full time, and when I come home, I typically have a 30-minute window before my children are loudly demanding dinner. It dawned on me that I could employ my slow cooker. I thought about what kinds of dishes would appeal to the family after a long day. I decided to keep this appliance pareve for now. My daughter and I stopped eating meat and I haven’t decided which way this pot should go.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Seitan Stew

It was a typical weekday morning and I woke up bleary-eyed and ready to test this thing out. I chopped up some veggies and protein and moved forward.  I had my husband turn on the slow cooker to low before he left for work.  As I sat at work, I was tempted to have a neighbor check on my kitchen. My backup plan was a box of Wacky Mac or some take-out sushi. Eight hours later, I came home to an amazing smell. Even my kids were impressed. So we dug in.

I was so happy with the results of the first weeknight stew, I decided to incorporate more vegetarian slow cooker options in to our weeknight repertoire. This Vegetable Curry and Vegetable Seitan stew are easy and healthy options to add to your dinner list. I highly recommend them!

Get Cooking is the new cookbook collaboration from recipe creator and chocolatier, Rachel Harkham and Jewish children’s musician Mama Doni.  This Jewish American Family Cookbook has a little something for everyone, including a CD of Jewish songs from Mama Doni.  The book takes you through the whole year of holidays with recipes and songs to keep you dancing in the kitchen with your kids.  They share jokes and games to play to get your kids more involved in cooking, singing and the Jewish holidays.

1.What brought the two of you together to do this book?

Rachel: I interviewed Doni for an article and we quickly recognized a kinship and a connection in the ways we both viewed Jewish culture.

Doni:  Yes, we met for the interview and immediately realized that what Rachel does with food was very similar to what I do with music…it felt like we had something to say together as two Jewish mamas, and that we had to collaborate. Jewish family moments are about so many things…family, friends, music, food, telling stories, laughing dancing..its all part of living a Jewish life….we immediately knew that FOOD and MUSIC are a perfect partnership!

Sweet Potato Knishes

2. Who had a better time working on this project? Rachel cooking up the recipes? Or Doni singing about the food?

Rachel: All I know is that for me it was a dream come true to be able to create the cookbook I’ve always wanted to own. And I personally think there is nothing more fun than making Whoopie Pies with your kids.  Just saying it is fun!

Doni: I had such a blast creating this cookbook and CD…taste testing Rachel’s recipes in my kitchen, song testing in my studio.. there is nothing better than writing, singing, dancing, eating and celebrating all at the same time.

Pomegranate Molasses Chicken

3. Who wrote the jokes?

Doni:  Jokes!!! Oy! For better or worse,  I wrote them  (…With major inspiration from my two children, Millie 8 and Xander 7 who crack me up everyday)

Jelly Donut Muffins

4. What did you think when you saw the cartoon versions of yourselves?

Rachel: I wished my hair always looked as styled and in place as cartoon Recipe Rachel’s.

Doni: I love it!! I think of myself as kinda cartoon character or muppet like, so it felt perfect. And Rachel, your hair always looks fabulous.

Whoopie Pies

5. As two busy working Moms what advice can you give our readers for getting dinner on the table every night?

Rachel: For me busy weeknight meals are all about hearty casseroles, savory stir fries, and simple slow- cooker dishes. And when all else fails, it’s grilled cheese and salad to the rescue.  When I’m crunched for time during my Shabbat meals prep, I inevitably turn to my Easy and Awesome Chicken recipe from the book, or the Crumb Crust Salmon- easy and delicious!

Doni: Honestly, my meals are all over the map. Sometimes I am so busy with concerts and recording in the studio that Shabbat dinner is a pizza delivery with candles, grape juice and challah… and sometimes I am cooking up a storm for a big dinner party with friends and family. On a daily basis I try to feed my kids with healthy meals…with lots of love.

Pomegranate BBQ Chicken

Mini Sweet Potato Knishes

Jelly Donuts Miracle Muffincakes

Whoopie Pie

***Giveaway***

Win your copy of this Family favorite cookbook and get everyone up dancing and cooking together.  Let us know why you want to win this cookbook in the comments below and enter with Rafflecopter.

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I have been stressed (did you read about my oven?).  And unfortunately I don’t have the gift of losing my appetite under such situations.  I just want to eat.  First savory then sweet, then savory again then back to sweet, you know the game I’m sure.  Between the holidays, the move and all the changes I have definitely gained a few unwanted pounds, in more than a few unwanted places.  I am really bummed about it but am trying to focus on bringing my life back under control this month including my eating.

A little trick I use is this hot cocoa.  When I want something sweet and need to tell my body “we are done eating” and it’s time to “stop and step away from the refrigerator” – I have always found this filling hot drink is my friend.

When I am being super good I use 90 calories per serving vanilla almond milk – it’s definitely not as creamy as when I use vanilla soy milk but it still hits the spot.  Of course you can use regular, low–fat or skim milk it’s just that I am not and never really was a big milk drinker.  In general I adore milchigs but not milk per say.  I would totally grab soy milk before milk on any occasion — even if I am not fleish.  Although when I’m in a super celebratory mood or in a super stressed place using heavy cream is in order.  “They” say too much soy is not good for you so that’s why I recently switched to almond but keep the creamier soy around as a treat.

“They” also say cinnamon is very good for you and that it has the power to lower LDL (your bad cholesterol), has an anti-clotting effect on blood and can help stabilize sugar which is great for weight loss (so sometimes I add extra, and then just a dash more).

I make one cup for myself by warming the soy milk in the microwave and vigorously whisking together the cocoa, cinnamon and truvia in boiling water until dissolved.  Then I whisk it into the hot “milk” in my oversized mug and wrap my hands around it like a big hug.  I like to tuck my feet under me when drinking cause it’s cozy – but that’s certainly not a perquisite – do your own cozy thing, point is to savor it.  Really it doesn’t work if you don’t take the time to enjoy it, the minute to recognize this is the end of my meal (or a filling “snack”) and I want to be present for this moment.  If you want more than a single serving, follow the instructions in my recipe for Soy Cinnamon Hot Cocoa.

What’s your favorite cozy hot drink? Let me know in the comments below.

Many thanks to the talented cook, photographer, teacher and food blogger Melinda Strauss from Kitchen-Tested.com.  She is both a JoyofKosher.com friend, frequently having guest blogged here  and featured columnist in the magazine.  Over time Melinda has also become a personal friend.  She is the co-founder of the first ever, long awaited Kosher Food Bloggers Conference which will take place on November 12th from 10:30 am – 4:30 pm at Millesime at The Carlton Hotel in New York City.  I am so very honored she asked me to be the Keynote Speaker.  Melinda has taken all the photos of this here recipe and I love them!  Please visit her blog for more from the creative and adventurous cook that is Melinda Strauss.

Back in the day, when one wanted to buy flour in a supermarket, there was but one choice—all-purpose flour. Nowadays however, there is an abundance of flour available right in your supermarket. All-purpose flour, bread flour, unbleached flour, whole-wheat flour, cake flour, whole-wheat cake flour—the list goes on! Here is a breakdown of some common flours, and their optimal uses.

All-Purpose Flour. If a recipe doesn’t specify which flour to use, assume you should use all-purpose (or AP) flour. It has 8-11% gluten, which is suitable for cakes as well as some breads. AP flour is available in bleached and unbleached forms—both are light in color, but bleached flour has been chemically treated to be white, rendering it with less protein than its unbleached counterpart. Use AP flour in pie crusts, popovers, pancakes, quick breads, and yeast breads. This flour can last up to one year if sealed tightly and kept in the refrigerator, or 8 months in a cabinet.

Cake Flour. This flour is preferred for baking desserts that require a high volume, like cakes, due to its high-starch and low-protein content. If substituting AP flour for cake flour, subtract two tablespoons of flour for each cup required in the recipe.

“Instant Flour” (or Wondra). This flour cannot substitute AP flour, but is great to use as a thickening agent instead of AP flour in sauces and gravies, since it is formulated to dissolve quickly in liquids.

Bread Flour. Bread flour is made from high-protein wheat, which lends it more gluten strength, or elasticity, when forming dough: it has a gluten content of 12-14%. Mary Jane D. Toribio explains the difference between bread flour and high-gluten flour on the website www.thefreshloaf.com:

“Bread flour is a high-gluten flour that has very small amounts of malted barley flour and vitamin C or potassium bromate added. The barley flour helps the yeast work, and the other additive increases the elasticity of the gluten and its ability to retain gas as the dough rises and bakes. Flour sold as high-gluten or simply gluten flour has been treated to remove most of its starch, which leaves it with proportionately more of the proteins that produce gluten. It is generally used as an additive to doughs made of low-gluten flours, such as rye flour, to give them the elasticity that they can’t muster on their own. Some people use high-gluten flour to make a low-calorie loaf of bread, but, because high-gluten flour is about eight times as expensive as bread flour, most people don’t make the substitution.”

For best storage, keep in a freezer, where it will last for up to one year.

Buckwheat Flour. This is a good choice for individuals with Celiac, as it is gluten-free and packed with nutrients. Buckwheat flour has a nuttier flavor and a slightly chewier texture than wheat flour.

Semolina Flour. This extremely high-gluten flour is made from durum wheat, the hardest type of wheat. It is used mainly in pastas. (In cooking school, we would coat pans with semolina to give breads a crunchy crust, as well as to prevent gnocchi from sticking to a pan before plunging in hot water.)

Whole-Wheat Flour. This flour is made using the whole wheat kernel, giving it more fiber, whole grains, and nutrients. Due to its low gluten content, it is often mixed with AP or bread flour when making yeast breads, to help the dough’s texture and elasticity.

We’ve all heard time and again how breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I used to think that skipping breakfast was a good idea because it would save me calories. After all, I didn’t have much of an appetite in the morning anyway, so why not just skip it altogether. It turns out, however, that missing breakfast usually results in overeating throughout the day, so it’s likely that you’ll more than make up for the calories. Recently, I’ve made a commitment to get my day off to a healthy start with more than just cold cereal. I realized that with a little effort, I can make a wholesome and delicious meal that will keep me full and energized until lunch comes around. When I eat breakfast, I’m less likely to scour my pantry for unhealthy convenience foods when I end up starving midday.

A balanced and nutritious breakfast for me might include a toasted whole grain English muffin with eggs and avocado, or a yogurt parfait with fruit and granola. On days when I don’t really feel like eating, I’ll blend up a smoothie for an easy pick-me-up.

Eating breakfast has really helped me get my day started on the right foot. I’m not much of a morning person but when I sit down to a healthy meal, I feel energized and ready to start my day.  Here are some tips to help you get started with a healthy breakfast routine.

Smoothies

If you don’t have much of an appetite in the morning, smoothies are the perfect breakfast for you. They’re cold, easy to drink down with a straw, and you can hide lots of goodies in there that will fill you up and keep you energized throughout the day. You can combine a variety of fruits and vegetables, liquids, and healthy additions like oatmeal, flax seeds or protein powder.

Here are some of my favorite smoothie combinations:

A great tip for making smoothies is to use frozen fruits. It eliminates the need for ice cubes, and it allows you to use nonseasonal fruits any time of the year.When making smoothies, try to keep them healthy by sweetening them with agave nectar. It looks similar to honey but it’s slightly sweetener and has a lower glycemic index load. In other words, it causes less of a spike in blood sugar, so you’re less likely to feel hungry soon after you’ve had your smoothie.

Eggs

Eggs are a versatile breakfast food that is full of protein. My favorite way to prepare eggs is to serve them poached over toasted bread, but I usually don’t have the time. Instead, I prepare a simple omelet and use it as a base for healthy toppings. I love to top my omelets with a fresh salad, or serve them on an open face sandwich with lots of veggies.

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is one of the best ways to add more fiber to your breakfast. It’s guaranteed to keep you full till lunchtime.

Baked oatmeal is a great alternative to cooked oatmeal as it can be prepared ahead of time and rewarmed in the microwave. It also makes a great breakfast to serve when hosting guests.  My favorite is Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal.

Being a butcher, my husband leaves for work really early in the morning. I don’t even hear the alarm go off anymore, in fact the first time I realize it’s the next day is when he kisses me goodbye and I get to smell the hint of aftershave as he leaves for work. So family breakfasts, as typically portrayed on TV shows, don’t quite follow that pattern in our home. More often than not it’s a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast with a cup of Italian blend coffee just before leaving for work. However, it is not uncommon for me to come home on a weekday morning to find one of my children cooking up a ‘boerewors breakfast bonanza’ with all the trimmings!

Boerewors Muffins

Breakfast was much easier to prepare when the children were all at school. They all had to be dressed and ready at the same time so I could feed all of them at once with either polony and scrambled eggs, “eggy” bread (french toast) or Macon and Eggs. There were a few times during their school careers that I received phone calls from the school to say one of my children wasn’t ‘feeling well’!  It was always the child who had woken up too late to eat breakfast and more often than not after a couple of sausages and eggs they made a remarkable recovery and were ready to go back to school!

A case of hypochondria from the side effects of hunger seemed a lot easier to handle than having to carry the burden of guilt if they were genuinely ill. Speaking of which, it wasn’t so long ago that my mother unfortunately broke her leg and on Dr’s instructions couldn’t come back to my home in a car and needed to be transported by Hatzollah, our community ambulance service. Thank G-d she arrived home safely and I thanked the paramedics for their wonderful service to which they replied “Nothing a Macon and Egg breakfast won’t sort out!!” Why should the best way to a paramedic’s ‘s heart be any different to that of any other man’s?

Since this week we are talking all about breakfast, we thought we would share a collection of fantastic breakfast ideas to fuel your body every day of the week, with some special recipes you can save for a lazier Sunday.

4 Every Day Breakfasts

Breakfast Parfait

Idaho® Potatoes with Peppers and Onions

Egg & Salmon Sandwich

Make Ahead Oatmeal

 4 Shabbat Breakfast Recipes (a little healthier than boxed cake, but still a Shabbat treat)

Currant and Oat Scones

Pear Breakfast Cookie

Wholegrain Chocolate Banana Bread

Squash Tea Bread

4 Sunday Brunch Recipes

Vegetable Breakfast Tarts

Apple Pancakes with Maple Apple Sauce

Shakshuka

Baked Quinoa and Oatmeal

To browse through over 400 breakfast recipes click here.

What do you like to eat for breakfast everyday, on Shabbat and on Sundays?

Because we are new olim, Hubby started going to Ulpan. As you probably know, that’s a crash course in spoken Hebrew, but the immediate payoff is a circle of friends – people who are as clueless as you are about how to say in perfect Hebrew, “I think I’m on the wrong bus and I don’t want to go to Solomon’s Mines.”  At least, you’re supposed to learn how to say this fast enough to get off before the bus hurtles into the Negev.

A true Israeli, the Ulpan teacher has a habit of introducing inexplicable grammar rules with the preface “This is how it is; if you don’t like it, start a revolution.” Now of course this all goes down in Hebrew but the word for revolution she uses is “revolutzia.” That’s not one of my classic vocab words from 6^th grade Hebrew class, but I love the sound of it.

Fact is, when I arrived I nearly started a big fat revolutzia of my own.  It was all about yogurt.  Greek yogurt.

Old habits are hard to break you see, even when you resolve to make aliyah and change everything. Wherever in the world I find myself, I like to start my day with a cup (or more) of plain fat free Chobani Greek yogurt sprinkled with Truvia and mixed with fruit. It comes right after my grandma-style hot water with lemon. Every day. First thing in the morning.

So I come to the Promised Land – and there’s no Chobani!  The horror of it all was nearly too much to bear.  My husband’s mother (who really is an angel disguised as a mother-in-law) emailed Chobani to ask if they distribute to Israel.  The simple, sad, intense, frantic return email read: NO!

I was calmed only by the notion that Greece is closer to Israel than the US, so there must be an authentic Greek brand – properly hechshered – just waiting for me at the supermarket.

It wasn’t there. That’s when I got all into revolutzia mode.

But starting a war probably wouldn’t make me all too popular with the locals so I took a deep breath in and out and thought that technically I knew how to and even clearly explained on this here site that it’s oh SO EASY to make your own homemade Greek yogurt.  While it’s something I never had to do before, I decided to try.

So, every two days I make my own – only because my strainer isn’t large enough to handle more than that.  Once the whey is strained along with all the water and dissolved salts and sugars, 3 cups of regular yogurt yield 1 ½ cups of Greek yogurt.  So in fact, it’s double the cost of standard yogurt which is in keeping with the hefty price tag of store bought Greek yogurt.  Yup that’s kind of pricey, but why quibble over a few shekels when you’re saving a life? My life. My breakfast. My morning.

So we’ll have to revise our budget, Hubby.   But better that then me starting a revolutzia, no?

Quick little Greek yogurt primer, What is Greek Yogurt? 

The rich texture of Greek yogurt is achieved by straining it through a cloth, a paper bag, or a filter to remove the whey.  Because the whey is removed, even nonfat varieties are rich and creamy. Straining the yogurt removes water and dissolved salts and sugars, so by volume Greek yogurt has twice the protein and less sodium, carbohydrates, and sugar than regular yogurt. The consistency achieved is between yogurt and cheese, and the distinctive tangy taste is preserved. That’s why Greek yogurt has recently become so popular. It has a richer taste and is lower in carbs than unstrained yogurts.

Homemade Fat Free Greek Style Yogurt with Step by Step Photo Instructions

Many thanks to the amazingly talented photographer, blogger and recipe developer Sina Mizrahi from the TheKosherSpoon.com.  I fell in love with Sina, her cooking her photography, after visiting her beautiful blog.  She opens up about her life, her food, her family and cooks (sometimes) simple meals with seasonal produce that are (mostly) nutritious.  Please visit her site.

Addendum – Many of you in the US have been asking for a Cholov Yisroel Greek Yogurt and now you can get yours.  Kosher Today announced that Norman’s Dairy is releasing the first Cholov Yisroel (higher kosher standard for dairy) Greek Yogurt in 6 flavors.  Look for it at your kosher markets this Winter.

***Giveaway*** Win a sampling of Papa Ben’s Kitchen 5 varieties of Mandelbroyt.   Enter the contest below.

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This week we’re going to share some of our best breakfast ideas.  Before we get started, let’s find out why breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Breakfast revs up your metabolism so that you can burn the maximum number of calories to fuel your daily activities.  In America, breakfast is typically the smallest meal of the day and some find it difficult to enjoy much more than coffee.   Research has shown that eating in the morning is essential for optimal performance and overall health.  Kids and adults who eat breakfast tend to do better at school and work and maintain healthier body weight and cholesterol levels as well.

Don’t grab that donut just yet, it does make a difference what you eat.  Refined grains and high sugar foods won’t give you the right kind of energy and won’t help you lose weight.  Your best bet is to choose a meal that combines complex carbs in the form of whole grains, proteins and even fats.   Here are some examples:

• Whole wheat toast with peanut butter and banana
• Bowl of high fiber low sugar cereal with low fat milk and blueberries
• Yogurt and granola
• Egg and cheese on a whole grain English muffin
• Whole grain waffle and a veggie sausage patty
• Spinach and cheese omelet with a whole grain flat bread

For me, eating between 250 and 300 calories is where my breakfast keeps me full and gives me enough energy while still allowing me to stick to a weight loss plan.  And so while I often choose one of the above meal combinations in the right amount for me, I also have created a couple new recipes I hope you might enjoy next time you want to get a great start to your day.

Apples and Cinnamon Quinoa Breakfast

Quinoa is a high protein grain-like ingredient that can be cooked into a hot cereal.  I found that when I cooked it with a diced apple it didn’t even need any sugar. Leftovers were not as appealing for me, so I added an egg and pan fried it in a little oil for a real pancake-like breakfast, Apple Quinoa Pancakes, treat that I ended up eating all week.  I am saving this recipe for Passover too!

One of my goals is to get more vegetables in my diet at breakfast.  For me this is not an easy task until I discovered this wonderful way to recycle roasted squash for a morning surprise,  now I have no reason to miss my 5 a day.

Over the next few days we will be posting a few of our bloggers favorite breakfasts, we hope you get some new ideas and that you will also share some of yours.  What do you like to eat for breakfast?

The transition of summer into fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Because of back to school, you’re thinking. Well, in part, perhaps, but there’s much more: this is when the oppressive mid-Atlantic cloak of humidity vanishes, the air crisps up at night, the leaves turn all the gorgeous colors of the rainbow and the October sky is the brightest blue of anytime else during the year. Don’t even get me started on
the anticipation of Thanksgiving, my favorite meal. But I digress…

Autumn flavors are sentimental, powerful, infinitely memorable. Pumpkins , hearty soups and stews, and desserts with deep, warm fall spices leave delicious lasting impressions. Some time ago I discovered an easy shortcut to infusing warm, spicy flavor into autumn desserts: concentrated chai tea. Left undiluted, this product packs a sweet, spicy punch and instantly adds depth of flavor to desserts such as cakes, muffins, quickbreads and custards – just substitute it for some or all of the other liquids in the recipe.

In honor of the official start of pudding season in October, I recently made rich Baked Chocolate Chai Custards with Spiced Cream (gluten free). The perfect dessert for this time of year, these custards contain the richness of chocolate, the warmth of exotic spices , the comfort of a soft pudding and best of all, the ease of preparation. Enjoy!

Baked Chocolate Chai Custards with Spiced Cream

Do you love Pumpkin? Here are 10, but click on to see even more.  We have over 100 pumpkin recipes on this site.  With everything from Soup to Cookies to Pizza and Pastas, there is no doubt pumpkin is a versatile ingredient.  It is also an incredibly healthy, one cup of pumpkin puree has only 80 calories and 760% of the DV for Vitamin A.   And it can’t get easier than opening up a can of 100% pure pumpkin (nothing wrong with this shortcut) to add taste and texture to healthy foods your whole family will enjoy.

If you have a can of pumpkin you can make…

Pecan Pumpkin Bran Muffins

Idaho® Potato Pumpkin & Pepita Patties

Pumpkin Walnut Ravioli

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Pumpkin Coconut Tart

Creamed Corn and Pumpkin Soup with Mock Crab

pumpkin chocolate panna cotta

Dairy Pumpkin Dip

Pumpkin Vanilla Bean Sorbet

Pumpkin Oatmeal

Pumpkin Noodle Pudding

Main Image – Baked Pumpkin Penne

Last year in our Best of Kosher 2011 contest, Beth Torah Caterers came out number one.  When I first spoke to them I found out I was talking to the owners daughter and that this company was truly a family business.  She told me they had a story to share and would love for us to share it.  It took a little while, but we finally got a chance to do an interview with them and they even gave us some recipes to try.  Beth Torah Caterers is based in Flushing, NY, but serves the greater NY area, they specialize in Mediterranean food.

Tell me about your family background and how you got into the catering business.

My family’s origin is in Baghdad. We lived in a society where food was such a huge part of the culture. I remember being a little boy and seeing the way my family prepared for Shabbat. It was like a wedding every Friday. The smiles on everyone’s faces gave a new meaning to the word happy.

However as I grew up life got harder especially for a Jewish family in Baghdad. My father passed away and Jewish families were leaving because it became clear that Iraq was no longer safe for Jews.

I escaped with my mother in 1970 and from there we went straight from Israel to America. In America I studied at Queens College and was working part time washing dishes at a restaurant. I started to watch how the food was made and prepared and next thing you know I was helping out with the cooking. My other brother arrived from Israel and that is when we decided to open our own business.

We moved to 42^nd street and we were there for 14 years.

It was around this time I met my wife. One of my friends who I knew from Baghdad gave me a list of Women to go meet in Israel. My wife was the first one and the second I saw her I threw the rest of the list out the window. She was perfect. We were engaged in two weeks and married in two months. It was really with her that the business took off.

She became the heart of the business.  People came to us because had a passion for what we did.  My wife Doris started taking samples of our Iraqi food to different temples to get us a job as the in house caterer.  Forest Hills Jewish Center is where we started and from there we began developing menus and creating a way for Irqai food to be experienced.  To us that was the greatest gift, being able to share our culture with our community.

So, it really is a family business, from the top to the bottom? 

It is a family business. At the head of the company are the Zilkha brothers. Aodi, Jamal, and Elias. At any point throughout the week you can see Aodi’s children in the office helping run day to day activities. Even at events the kids will be working as bartenders, waiters, and cooks, making sure everything goes according to plan. The recipes are ones that have been in my and my wife’s family’s for generations and now it is our pride and joy to share them with you.

Madgooga - Date Balls

What do you like most about catering? 

Catering has so many aspects to it. My favorite part is seeing everything come together the night of the party. Seeing the smiles on peoples faces as everything about their special day turns out to be better than they imagined is priceless.

Tabouleh

Why do you think you won the Best of Kosher award? 

You know that is a great question and it is really all about our customers. We have been in this business a long time and with each new customer we make a friend for life. Our network knows no bounds. Each event is special and each person deserves the best. We know that and it means so much to us to be given this award because that means that our customers feel what we are giving.

Red Kubbeh

What are your future plans for you and your business? 

My son Ben joined our operation this year and plans to continue it in hopes to pass it on to future generations!

I always feel a little glum on the day we switch the thermostat from air conditioning to heat. It means we’re bracing for winter and cold weather, heavy clothing and darkness by 4:00. There’s a smell too as the oil burner turns over for the first time to send hot air through the house.

But after a day or so I remember the bright side. First, I live in New England where the foliage is so glorious that people from everywhere drive up to take a look. So outside my window the view is entrancing.

And there’s the food. After months of light salads and grilled everything my family and I long for the warm, nourishing, rib-sticking dishes that give us comfort when the weather turns fierce.

Like braised meat, perfuming the house as it cooks, enticing us to eat and enjoy a meal with family safe inside. Braised meat is fork-tender and glossy with gravy. It’s my bulwark for the new season.

Braised Short Ribs

Braising has an added make-it-ahead virtue. On Sunday I sometimes cook up a storm, make lots of food and pack it into containers that I can freeze and then take out as needed. Like for during the week when I don’t get home until dinnertime, and the thought of preparing an entire meal is beyond me. As an accompaniment to something I’ve braised I can fix a quick veggie like sautéed spinach or kale and maybe a side order of rice or noodles.

Most Jewish women already know how to braise. We’ve seen our mothers and grandmothers make brisket, haven’t we? And we’ve cooked it too, probably.

But my husband and kids and I have always liked more variety. And so do my brother Jeff and sister-in-law Eileen, who live nearby. We see each other frequently for dinner at one or another’s house during the week. So, when cool weather comes, and I cook lamb and veal shanks, chuck, short ribs and coq au vin, everyone is happy.

Braising is one of the easiest techniques and the recipes are wonderfully forgiving. It’s basically this: brown meat in a pan, add some liquid and seasonings, put a cover on top and slow-cook the dish on the cook top or in the oven until it’s tender.

Really, that’s all there is to it. It’s the same whatever cut you choose. Use a heavy pan, add some vegetable oil and brown the meat. You can flour it first if you like a darker look (flour also thickens the sauce a bit). The only caution is to not crowd the pan. Brown the pieces a few at a time.

Osso Bucco

The liquids? That depends on what you like and what you have. Wine, stock, juice, cider, even water will do. You can add a bit of brandy if you like.

Seasonings also depend on your personal tastes. Fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, savory, etc.) or dried. Once in a while I make a braised dish that includes dried fruit, so I add so-called “baking” spices: cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg and so on.

Most of the time I include vegetables. Not only do they give the dish more flavor, they add color too, and some, like tomatoes, onions, celery and mushrooms, add moisture.

Kosher meat cuts are ideal for braising. Shank, short rib, chuck, lamb breast, veal breast all cook to tenderness and taste perfection when you cook them slowly. Over the years I have learned that that means VERY slowly. I’ve seen that many recipes will tell you that 350 degrees is best, cooked for an hour or two (or the comparable heat on the cook top). But I always let the dish take more time, with 225 degrees as my guide. Yes, you have to wait longer, but the results are more than worth it.

The days are getting shorter, our lives our busier and when we get home all we really want is a nice hot meal waiting for us. Enter the slow cooker. These pots are not only for cholent.  Keep yours out all week and make easy set it and forget it recipes for everything from dinner to breakfast to dessert.

 

White Bean Soup with Lemon and Garlic Cornbread

A healthy vegetarian dinner can be had with this all in one soup.  Make enough so you don’t have to fight over the leftovers to bring to work the next day.

Greek Chicken and Vegetable Ragout

This recipe requires a little more work for the finishing touches, but the real flavor comes from it’s long cooking while you forgot about it.  Set your rice cooker too and you won’t have much to do for this tasty dinner.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Every slow cooker roundup needs a pot roast!  This would even be great for the early Shabbat dinners especially if you are not home for lunch the next day so you won’t mind using your pot.  There are so many variations for pot roast and this is a great one to try.

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew

If you are generally a meat or chicken person, you should not forget how useful the slow cooker is for lamb.  Whether in this dish using lamb stew meat or lamb shanks, they are perfect for slow cooking.  And all you have to make is quick cooking couscous and your dinner is ready.

Now that we got dinner covered, what about something sweet?

Note: these can all be made parve, but if you want to make a dairy slow cooker recipe or maybe you don’t have a slow cooker, you can still make these recipes in a pot or even a tin pan covered well in the oven at about 250 degrees.

Apple Confit

This apple confit can be served for breakfast or dessert.  Just think of what your house will smell like when this is cooking, that will be worth it alone, but it is also a healthy sweet warming treat.

Overnight Oatmeal

Yup, you can make breakfast in your slow cooker.  Really you can choose the flavors, but wake up to a hot bowl of this any winter day and you will be a happy person.

Bread Pudding with Pears, Currants and Cinnamon

Bread Pudding, typically thought of as dessert, but could definitely be another hot breakfast option.  Go ahead give it a try and let us know.

What do you like to use your slow cooker for?

Find all our slow cooker recipes here.