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Here are some of our favorite things, featured in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine.  All are available from our favorite store, Kitchen Clique, owned by our favorite gadget girl, Faigie Sprecher.

	Charcoal Companion Pizzaque Pizza Stone Grill Rather munch on veggies while everyone else is wolfing down the meat?  Make a veggie cheeseless pizza.  “Often, non-meat eaters don’t have something filling they enjoy at a BBQ.  This PizzaQue makes brick oven pizza using your grill.”  It just might be worth getting a second dairy grill-so you can make brick-oven style cheese pizza too!
	Bodum Fyrkat Cone Charcoal Grill “Isn’t it cute?” For anyone who doesn’t have a lot of space, or is tired of gas fumes or empty canisters, this is a charcoal grill that’s easy to clean, compact, light – and stylish.  There’s two cooking surfaces, a rotisserie, and the cone at the bottom screws off so you can remove the ashes without getting your fingers balck.”  The Bodum comes in a bunch of fun colors.
	Breville Electronic Grill Removable Plates “Yes, there are less expensive indoor grills. Panini makers will also give you grill lines,” says Faige. “But this is the king of electronic grills – it’s large, state-of-the-art, and wil give food that authentic BBQ flavor. It’s just like bringing your fancy barbecue indoors.
	Camerons Beer Roaster For Chicken Lovers. Tired of dry grilled chicken breasts? For the best, most moist chicken ever—pour your favorite marinade in the middle (or your favorite beer, the inspiration for this nifty cooking tool). “Stick the chicken on top, and cook over the grill or in the oven. The fat also drips down, resulting in a healthy BBQ option,” says Faige. That’s way cooler than chicken burgers. WIN THIS! Contest ends August 17, 2011 at 9 am.
	Cuisinart Griddler Grill Centro For Shish Kebab Lovers “This indoor electronic grill has a cool feature that rotates the skewers so they cook evenly,” says Faige. “The top can convert from a grill to a griddle.” WIN THIS! Contest ends August 17, 2011 9am
	Talisman Party Picks Editor Victoria Dwek used these at a recent party she hosted to dress up the roasted veggie wraps. It’s an elegant touch with not much fuss. WIN THIS! Contest ends August 10, 2011 at 9am.
	Zak Lotus Bowl The best of both worlds! These melamine bowls are pretty and durable—perfect for summer outdoor entertaining. Keep your delicate tabletop wares inside, and throw away those cheap looking plastic platters. The lily pad is a plate, and the four bowls nested inside separate. Use them on their own, or nest one inside the other. So pretty!
	Rachael Ray Melamine Garbage Bowl Keep the trash can away and out of sight when you cook. Instead, throw those onion peels and egg shells into the Garbage Bowl. Yes, this is just a bowl. Yet, those who have it love it. Why? We suppose most people find using their regular prep bowls for “garbage” is unappealing. But a bowl set aside for the job, sitting right there on the counter? That’s convenience!
	Prodyne Salad-on-Ice Do your greens wilt and turn unappetizingly warm when you’re entertaining al fresco? Set that salad over ice. The cold air rises through the vent to keep lettuce crisp, while excess liquid drains away so your salad isn’t sitting in a puddle (no more soggy bottom-of-the-bowl!).
	Sensio Mini Cupcake Maker There’s no preheating, no opening the oven door to check those muffin tops. Who wants to do that in the summer? But we still want our cupcakes. Our favorite cupcake maker turns out moist cakes – in about 5 minutes. WIN THIS! Contest ends August 10th 9am.

Check out our previous Favorite Things.

Stay cool out of the hot kitchen with these no-bake sweet treats. (more…)

Everything you ever wanted to know about wine, but were afraid to ask. (more…)

Not sure what to do with your kids today? Try cooking with them.    (more…)

Can’t get enough smoothies? Neither can we…

Here are some of our Favorite Things: (more…)

Thinking of redoing your kitchen or do you just like to fantasize?  (more…)

Dine in like you are dining out. These kosher restaurant chefs share some amazing recipes to help kick your dinner up a notch.

(more…)

Loved the ice cream recipes in the magazine? You are in luck, Shoshana shares three more delicious recipes with us right here and one of them is Pareve so you can enjoy anytime.  (more…)

It’s Shavuot! Gotta have cheesecake.  We have over 20 recipes to choose from, all you have to do is decide on one. (more…)

If you love pasta as much as Jamie then the five pasta recipes in the magazine might not be enough, how about six more. (more…)

Two dairy menus to help you plan your Shavuot feasts: (more…)

There is something to be said for tradition. I find it comforting that every year as Passover approaches I know with pretty good certainty what we are going to be serving at the seder. Sure we might swap a kugel here or a green vegetable there, but the majority of the menu stays constant from year to year. I am all in favor of experimenting with new twists on the classics, but for the seders I like to keep things traditional. The one exception is dessert. Every year the dessert is different. Dessert is where I can express my creativity without anyone being upset that we went against tradition. For our family a different dessert each year is the tradition.

In our house the biggest insult a person can give a dessert is to say “it tastes like Pesach”. That is not saying that all Passover desserts are bad, but they certainly are not all good either. In my opinion there should be no reason to sacrifice good taste when it comes to dessert, even on Passover. If it isn’t good enough to serve year round I don’t want to serve it on Passover either. While there are the classic go to standards, like flourless cakes and chocolate mousse, I like to mix things up a bit and serve desserts that are a bit more unusual.

This Chocolate Raspberry Baked Alaska takes advantage of one of the key differences between Shabbat and holidays. While on Shabbat all the food needs to be prepared before sunset, on holidays it is permitted to cook as long as the flame is transferred from a preexisting flame. This makes it possible to serve desserts that require last minute cooking, an impossibility on Shabbat. However, no one wants to be stuck in the kitchen fussing over dessert in the middle of a hectic seder or company meal so this dessert is the perfect compromise. All the elements of this showstoping dessert are made ahead and kept in the freezer. All it needs is a quick trip under the broiler and it is ready to serve. The combination of chocolate and raspberry (with a bit of amaretto thrown in for good measure) make this not only a beautiful dessert, but a very tasty one as well.

Another great make-ahead dessert is this Coconut Panna Cotta with Lime Curd. In my experience people are often too full after a big Passover meal to eat a large heavy dessert (though that rarely seems to stop anyone from eating it). This panna cotta is rich and delicious without being too heavy. The brightness of the lime is the perfect compliment to the coconut, and the creaminess of the coconut rivals that of any dairy panna cotta.

While it is fun to make plated desserts for seders, I am also fond of serving a simple assorted cookie platter to go with the requisite jellied fruit slices and pesach chocolates. These cookies are sure to bring a smile to peoples’ faces. A play on the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, these Almond Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookies are made with almond butter and sandwiched with berry jam. These are quick and easy to make and are a great treat to have on hand throughout the week (and year round).

Whether making these desserts for a big seder meal or just for family they are sure to be a hit. They are truly a manifestation of the sweetness of freedom rather than the bitterness of slavery, and that is exactly what a dessert should be.