null

sprinklefingers:

this is a great, great read on how mark bittman became a cook.

there’s seriously something about a man who cooks (and does it well) for his family.

my favorite bit:

And the crying need to figure out a career while being a responsible husband and father as newly defined in the early…

This is a beautiful article. There were two points that seemed especially relevant to me.

First, that Mom doesn’t have to teach you how to cook. Just lead by example, and the kids will catch on if they’re interested. 

 Second, that cooking, along with child rearing, can give you “a sense of competence that I’d never had before.”

Bravo Bittman.  Your authenticity is a standout.

Vegetable Lasagna

I’m not a vegetarian. OTOH I like vegetarian food, vegetables, whole grains and most of the things vegetarians eat. It’s just that at heart, I’m a meat eater (that includes chicken, fish and so on) even though, the older I get the less of it I consume.

My husband Ed and I once went on a vegetarian diet to lose weight. At the time we didn’t actually need to lose weight, only we thought we did. We decided the best way to do it was to cut out meat of any kind.

We had the most fabulous dinners ever!

I gained 6 pounds, and I forget how many Ed gained.

So, anyone who says vegetarian food can’t be delicious and filling should get in touch with me.

As I recall, we had cauliflower pudding, chili with (full-fat) sour cream and shredded cheddar, broccoli quiche, mushroom risotto, Huevos Rancheros, vegetable jambalaya. So, so delicious. 

We eventually went back to our usual way to eat. The way I grew up: protein, veggie, starch, though I’ve changed that over the years to protein, 2 vegetables.

But every once in a while we go back to a meatless night or two. And we’ll have something like this for dinner:

Vegetable Lasagna

• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles

• 1 medium eggplant

• salt to taste

• 4 tablepsoons butter

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 2 cups milk

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• a few grindings of freshly grated nutmeg

• 1/2 cup olive oil, approximately

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 10 ounces mushrooms, sliced

• 35 ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, drained and coarsely cut up

• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the noodles in lightly salted water for about 8 minutes or until tender but still slightly chewy. Drain and set aside. Slice the eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then wipe the slices dry with paper towels. In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted and looks foamy, add the flour and whisk for about a minute, blending the flour in thoroughly. Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously, to form a smooth, thickened sauce, about 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a few grindings of fresh nutmeg. Heat some of the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Fry the eggplant slices a few at a time, on both sides, for 3-4 minutes or until they are softened and lightly browned. Add more olive oil as needed to prevent scorching. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Set aside. Mix the tomatoes, basil and oregano in a bowl. Lightly grease a 9”x13” baking dish. Cover with 1/3 of the noodles. Spread 1/3 of the milk sauce on top and cover with half the eggplant slices. Next layer: half the remaining noodles, topped with the remaining eggplant slices. Cover with the tomato mixture. Cover with the remaining noodles. Mix the remaining milk sauce with the onion-mushroom mixture and spread on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Makes 8 servings

Turkish Taffy

It’s National Taffy Day, which makes me yearn for those long ago days of Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy. Vanilla, of course. The first one, the one and only, that sustained and satisfied before the company thought they had to expand the brand into chocolate, strawberry and, good lord, of all things — banana.

Banana turkish taffy should have been forbidden as a matter of law.

Bonomo Turkish Taffy was the movie treat of my day. My brother Jeff and I would go to the theater on a Saturday morning and see a double feature, usually a Western and a couple of cartoons and probably Movietone news — black and white images of stuff that was going on in the world, anything from the “Korean conflict” to the Miss America pageant.

Our parents gave us money for popcorn and, if they were feeling flush, some extra money for a second treat. Usually Bonomo Turkish Taffy. If I didn’t eat the whole candy bar at the flick, I would take it home and save it for during the week. It got hard as a rock and in order to eat it you had to bang it on the table. It cracked into a few pieces, which were really terrific to chew, somewhat like a burst balloon or a large wad of old used-up gum. Your jaw hurt by the time you were finished and the sugary melty candy seeped into every molar, which made for a terrifying number of cavities.

Wish I had one. There are all sorts of substitutes out there now, but none can come close.

Toasted Marshmallow Sundae

There’s an old joke that Jewish holidays all come down to this: “They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat.”

And so what can we say about today, which is a minor holiday called Lag B’omer. We aren’t exactly sure what it is we celebrate, though it is a joyous day. It may have something to do with a victory against the ancient Romans, but it may have to do with a respite from a 2nd century plague.

Nevertheless, the third part of the joke is certain. On Lag B’omer, we eat. The tradition in Israel is to light bonfires and roast onions and potatoes. The picture here is from the Jerusalem Post, showing kids in Israel, holding a whole bunch of potatoes for roasting in that big bonfire.

On the other hand, I know some people who take this opportunity to roast marshmallows with their grandchildren.

I would roast potatoes on my outdoor grill, if it would only stop raining for a day. I like when russet potatoes get all black and crusty on the grids. It reminds me of my grandmother’s old potato roaster. The potatoes were always crunchy crusted and tasted oh so fabulous all slathered with butter and sprinkled with salt. Who needs chocolate when you have a treat like that!?

But, it’s probably going to rain again. Tell that to the climate-change deniers.

So, toasted marshmallows, made inside, sound good to me. Especially on top of ice cream for a tasty sundae.

Toasted Marshmallow Sundae

one scoop ice cream

4-5 ripe, sweet strawberries

4 marshmallows

1-2 tablespoons chopped toasted almonds

Place the ice cream in a bowl. Mash the berries and spoon them on top of the ice cream. Roast the marshmallows (I use a metal skewer and line them up) until they are black on the outside and oozing inside. Spoon them over the berries. Sprinkle with the nuts.

Makes one 

Greek Butter Cookies

Today I woke up thinking I lived in Portland, Oregon. I’ve never even been to Portland but have been watching The Killing on AMC and I noticed that it rains in every episode.

It’s been raining here for several days straight. It’s dark and gloomy and it’s going to rain some more today, tomorrow and the next day. So it seems as if I am in Portland, in spirit.

Of course if I were in Portland, I would visit this bakery and have something delicious to eat.

But I’m not and I’m in need of a sweet goodie. So I’ll make these, which are really easy and I can freeze leftovers for the next time I’m in this mood:

Greek Butter Cookies

1 cup butter

1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup ground almonds

confectioner’s sugar for coating

ground cloves, optional

Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolk, confectioner’s sugar and salt and beat until well blended. Add the flour and ground almonds and blend them in thoroughly. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about one hour or until firm. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Take off pieces of dough to form balls about 1-inch in diameter. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool. Roll the cookies in confectioner’s sugar. Sprinkle lightly with ground cloves if desired. Makes about 4 dozen

Quinoa Salad with Beans, Corn and Peppers

Last week I did a cooking demonstration for the Sisterhood of Temple Torat El, in Ocean Township, New Jersey. I prepared two salads from my book Hip Kosher, Quinoa with Beans, Corn and Peppers and Chopped Salad with Feta Cheese, Chickpeas and Zatar Vinaigrette.

Everyone saw how amazingly easy these salads were to make and how quickly it got done.

Some of the women had prepared the salads in advance so there would be enough for everyone to have a nibble after the demo. They also made Blueberry Crisp and Grand Finale cookies (also from the book). 

It was a feast. The salads they made looked beautiful and tasted dee-lish. 

Both salads are perfect for spring and summer. Not just easy, quick and tasty but also colorful and healthy, nice for dinner any day and also for company. Here’s the recipe for the quinoa salad:

Quinoa Salad with Beans, Corn and Peppers

1 cup quinoa

15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels

1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

3-4 scallions, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped, optional

3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Let drain. Bring 1-1/2 cups water to a boil, add the quinoa, bring to a boil, stir, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the grains are tender. Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the quinoa into a bowl to cool. Add the beans, tomatoes, corn, bell pepper, scallions, jalapeno pepper and parsley. Toss ingredients gently. In another bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, lemon juice and cumin. Pour the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4-6 servings

Mom's Fried Chicken

I work out twice a week with a trainer whose name is Robbie and usually as I am grunting and sweating and trying to do pushups and mountain climbers and crunches and generally trying to work off the calories, what do we talk about?

Food.

We spend endless amounts of time talking about what we like to eat, what we ate, what we will eat.

We ask about what we’ll be cooking that night. Or on the coming weekend. Or for someone’s birthday or Mother’s Day or what have you.

So the other day we got to talking about Judgement Day. You hear it on some radio stations and there are signs on the highway that Judgement Day is coming on May 21st.

Naturally this seemed like the perfect opportunity to talk about what we would eat if it were our last day on earth.

Wow, getting it down to one thing is too difficult, so we decided it would be a whole meal, plus maybe a cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvre and also dessert. We even talked about what alcoholic beverage we would choose and whether we would close it all out with a cigarette, or something.

The only thing we both picked were franks-in-blankets. Which is good, I have a box of them in my freezer.

But we spent an hour on this topic and I started thinking that if I could have anything, it would be my mother’s fried chicken, made the way she made it. Only she isn’t here to make it, which is maybe why I miss it so much.

What made her fried chicken so special is the simple coating, just seasoned flour, and the cooking fat: vegetable shortening. Yep, that awful stuff that clogs your arteries. But hey, if it’s the last day on earth, what’s the difference? 

One other thing my mother did to make her fried chicken taste so good — after she coated the pieces with flour, she let them air dry for a while. That way the coating sticks and doesn’t fall off in the pan.

The result? Crispy, dark golden brown, juicy, sumptuous chicken.

She made this dish often and I sometimes long for it. I don’t remember when I last cooked it, but it’s time now.

My mother used a whole chicken but I am going to cook only the wings. If it’s Judgement Day why bother with the meat? It’s really the skin and fried outside I like. And there’s that fabulous little bit of meat in that center wing part. My mother always gave that part to me and told me it was the softest, sweetest part of the chicken.

She was right.

Good memories. Good chicken. Here’s the recipe. You can use vegetable oil instead of shortening.

Mom’s Fried Chicken

• 12 chicken wings, cut into pieces
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• shortening or vegetable oil

Rinse the chicken pieces and set them aside. In a large dish, mix the flour with the paprika, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Coat the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour. Place them on a cake rack to air dry for 25-30 minutes. Heat the shortening or vegetable oil in a deep saute pan over medium-high heat (should be about 1/2-inch) to 365 degrees (a bread crumb will sizzle quickly when you add it to the pan). Add a few chicken pieces at a time (adding too many will make the cooking oil too cool) and cook, turning the pieces occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Makes 12

What School Lunches Look Like In 20 Countries Around The World: Pics, Videos, Links, News

feedemright:

So interesting, ans a good reason to pack a healthy lunch for your child!

Unfortunately, school lunch has become a political issue. Which means that instead of actually trying to figure out how to provide our children with healthy food we are busy yelling at each other about a “Nanny State.” 

So sad. Because it is our own children who are the victims of this nonsense.

No matter what your political party, if any, wouldn’t you prefer that your children eat better than pizza, fries, hot dogs, pasta and fried everything?

No, no, for all of you who may be yelling at me right now. I did NOT say your kids should never eat a candy bar or a bag of chips. I am merely suggesting that if we feed the kids right maybe they will grow up healthier. 

They will feel better, look better and won’t be a burden on the health care system.

Isn’t that a worthy goal?

When I was a kid, I went home for lunch. The kids who stayed in school had a half American cheese sandwich plus a bowl of soup. I remember feeling sorry for them because they weren’t getting the good stuff my mother had waiting. By the time I got to high school, school lunch offerings were things like chow mein (tasted like La Choy canned) and spaghetti (tasted like Franco-American canned). Today it’s fries, fried, processed, carbs and more fries.

We can do better, can’t we?

Buttermilk Herb Slaw

I am constantly amazed at how creative people can be with food.

Take cole slaw. As a kid I remember cole slaw as that deli stuff with shredded cabbage and carrots in a thin white liquid that you bought when you were going to eat hot dogs or hamburgers or some sort of deli sandwich, like corned beef on rye.

My grandmother made her own cole slaw, which she referred to as “cull sloy.”

But now, in specialized food stores, supermarkets and bodegas everywhere, you can find a variety of “slaws,” which after all, just means “salad.” My local store offers “Asian Slaw” and “Health Slaw” in addition to plain old Cole Slaw.

But I like to make my own because that way I can get creative too. Like with this recipe — I like the tangy taste of buttermilk and it lets you cut down on the fatty mayonnaise of a standard recipe. The shredded snow peas add a rich, green color and a crispiness. Adding lots of fresh herbs gives it the refreshing taste of summer.

Btw, if you think it’s silly to buy buttermilk because you’re never going to use it for anything else, read this.

Buttermilk Herb Slaw

• 6 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 cup shredded snow peas
• 1-1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped chives or scallion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or use a mixture of herbs)
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• pinch or two of cayenne pepper

Place the cabbage and snow peas in a large bowl an toss to distribute them evenly. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, chives, parsley and herb, whisk the ingredients and pour over the vegetables. Toss the ingredients and let rest for at least 15 minutes. Before serving, taste for seasoning and add salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

Makes 8 servings

Losing Weight

There are 12 reasons I may not be losing weight, according to an article I read at everydayhealth.com.

II’d like to lose 7-8 pounds. That’s not asking too much!

So let’s see:

Reason:

#1 - not exercising enough. (I work out 3 times/week. That has to be enough)

#2 - not getting enough sleep (hmm, maybe)

#3 - too much stress (everyone is stressed aren’t they?)

#4 - skipping meals, which leads to food cravings (not me, I eat at least 3 meals/day)

#5 - big portions (well, maybe we’re on to something. I’m only allowed cheese the size of 2 dice? Are you kidding. That’s just to see how it tastes!)

#6 - drinking too many calories (NO. I haven’t had a soda since 1983)

#7 - being lax about exercise and calories. In other words eating too much for the amount of exercise I eat. But wait, isn’t that the same as: # 1, #5 and #6? (I think they are talking about hidden calories, like eating a salad but then loading it with high calorie dressing)

#8 - slipping on the weekend, such as having an alcoholic beverage. (Ooops, here we go!)

#9 - being impatient with weight gain. (got me here too.)

#10 - having a “medical condition.” - (does that include getting old? Is age a medical condition?)

#11 - I’ve reached a plateau - (how can that be if I haven’t lost more than one pound?)

#12 - I am the right weight for my body - (WHAT??? Have they seen the photos??)

As a girl and young woman I was always the right weight, never skinny but not overweight either. Until I met my husband who was extremely encouraging of my interest in cooking. That plus my new job, where everyone brought in a huge breakfast and so I added a blueberry muffin in addition to the usual yogurt. The extra pounds just crept up little by little.

So, here I go again, trying to get those 8 pounds off. Better throw out that piece of cheesecake sitting in my fridge (how did it get there anyway?)