Posts Tagged ‘Cooking’

Never mind that Pesach was four months ago. I just made THE MOST DELICIOUS Matzah Brie! It was so good (and so easy), I just had to share my recipe. So here it is!

Matzah Brie (for Year-Round Yumminess)

Ingredients:

5 Salted Matzahs (I used Manischevitz)

Water

Canola oil

1/4 cup milk

3 eggs

Salt to taste (optional)

Pepper to taste

Approx. 2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used Miller’s)

Directions:

1. Over a large bowl, break the matzahs into bite-size pieces.

2. Pour water into the bowl, just until the water begins to peek out from underneath the matzahs. Mix. Let stand 5 minutes or until all pieces are softened.

3. In the meantime, in a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.

4. Add milk, eggs, salt and pepper to matzah-water mixture. Mix well.

5. Pour mixture into frying pan, evening it out towards the edges. Fry 5-8 minutes or until solid and browned on bottom.

6. Flip. (I used the old 2-plate trick – take the pan off the flame and “pour” the rounded “matzah pancake” onto a large plate, keeping the browned bottom side down. Cover with another plate, hold tightly, and flip. Then “pour” the matzah brie back into the pan, this time browned side up, raw side down.) Fry the other side for 3-5 minutes or until browned.

7.  Sprinkle cheese over top. Let the cheese melt (1-2 minutes). Optional: fold the “pancake” in half to assist in melting. Shut off flame and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? Let us know how it went!

My Grandma Hilda was always full of life and loved to cook and entertain. Every year on Chanukah, she had a big party with friends and family. She always had a massive spread of food, gifts for the kids, dreidels, and chocolates. And her potato blintzes were incredible! I’ll never forget how the potatoes were always so smooth and sweet, they would practically ooze out of the blintz. There was just something about them that kept me coming back for more. Several years ago, she gave me the recipe over the phone. I made them this year based on my notes, and they were delicious. Even though she never really knew what a blog was, she sure knew what a blintz was. So in honor of Chanukah and her recent first yahrtzeit, here is her recipe.*

Grandma Hilda’s Blintzes

Makes: Approx. 24 small blintzes or 12 large blintzes.
Total Time: 1-1.5 hours
Tip: Start by boiling the potatoes. While they are boiling, prepare the batter mixture and fry the crepes. Then mash the potatoes, and then fold and fry the blintzes.

Potatoes

8-10 potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp. butter
salt
pepper
fried onions (optional)
milk

Cut the potatoes into quarters or eighths and boil them in a large pot for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from pot into a large bowl, retaining the potato-water in the pot. While the potatoes are still hot, add the butter to the potatoes and mash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute onions in frying pan until brown and add to mixture (optional). Use small amounts of milk and potato-water to thin the mixture as desired. The potato mixture should not be runny; it should be solid.

Batter

8 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla (optional)

In a blender or other type of mixer, blend all ingredients until very smooth and no lumps remain. (Mixing by hand is okay, but not recommended.)

In a small frying pan, on a very low flame, heat about 1 tsp. of vegetable oil. For the first crepe, pour in 4 tbsp. of batter at once (about 1/4 cup). (For a large frying pan, use 1 tbsp. of oil and 1/2 cup of batter.) Let it cook for a few seconds, then slowly tilt the pan in a circular motion to get the excess batter to even out, making a nice round crepe. Cook 3 minutes until browned on the bottom, then pile onto a paper towel.

The thinner the crepe, the better. If the batter is too thick, add a little milk and mix again.

Oil the pan before each subsequent crepe.

Putting it all Together

Place a large spoonful of potatoes into the center of a crepe. To create the “envelope,” fold the bottom of the crepe up over half of the potatoes, then fold the top down to meet the bottom, then fold the left inward, and then the right inward over the left. Turn the blintz over (the open side should be on bottom) and put it back into the frying pan for 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip them for 1-2 minutes more to brown the top. Serve hot.

*I kept to the recipe, only adding paprika and garlic powder to the potatoes. And I used whole milk. However, please let me know if you made the recipe and how it came out for you. I’d be happy to post edits or variations.

 

When I was growing up, there was no such thing as carrot kugel or apple crunch. And if there was, it was called Dessert. But about 10 years ago, they were introduced to me as part of the Shabbos menu, right there alongside chicken and veggies. And these dishes are so yummy, that I’ve never looked back!

So in honor of Shabbos, here are my favorite recipes for carrot kugel and apple crunch. They are both incredibly easy and absolutely delicious. And best of all, kids love them!

Carrot Kugel

3 four-oz. jars of baby carrot food (“Stage 2” from Beechnut is OU-Pareve)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil (or applesauce for low fat version)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Preheat to 350 degrees.
Mix everything together in a bowl.

Two Options:

Loaf pan – Grease a pyrex loaf pan, pour in batter, bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Muffin cups – (No need to grease.) Fill cups to 3/4 full, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. (I highly recommend Reynolds “Baked for You – Stay Brite” muffin cups. They stand on their own on a cookie sheet—no need for a muffin pan—and they peel off beautifully.)

Use toothpick in center to tell if it’s done. You want it to be a touch “underdone” for best yumminess (and the blech).

Delicious at any temperature. Muffins may be stored at room temperature for 2 days in a sealed bag.

Apple Crunch

Crunch Mixture
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup shortening (or one stick maragarine)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Other Ingredients
1 can Comstock sweetened apple pie filling (can also use two smaller cans)
Cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat to 350 degrees.

Mix all crunch ingredients until it turns crumbly. (I find two methods work best for this: either a large bowl and a potato masher, or the sealed-bag-mush method. Either way is fine.)

Spread half of crunch mixture onto bottom of 11×7 (or 9×13) inch pan. Spoon apples from can onto crunch evenly. Top with rest of crunch mixture. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar lightly on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the apples are boiling up the sides of the pan.

…And don’t worry, if you still think of these dishes as “dessert,” that’s ok, we’ll eat them any time!