Noodles or Crepes? Joys for Passover

Passover Crepes (aka Egg Noodles)
6 Large Eggs
1 cup Tapioca (or Potato) Starch
1.5 cups Water (or Milk) a bit more or less to consistency that works for your desired level of thickness
1 pinch of salt
Large Non-stick pan, spray or oil (if pan is hot, less necessary)
Ladle or Squeeze bottle (the latter makes this so easy)
Spatula (or really delicate tongs)
Your Favorite Crepe Fillings (chocolate spread, fruit, jam, silan, syrup, marshmallows etc)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk or stir with fork until blended. There may be a clump or two, but try to break it up as much as possible. Heat pan to a high temperature. If using a squeeze bottle, pour batter in. Ladle or squeeze batter into center of pan, then spread batter to coat pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until edges start to release from sides and crepe can easily flip. Continue to cook slightly less time on this opposite side. Stack onto plate to serve later, along with the side above, fresh fruit, chocolate spread (or chips).

As you make more, keep the batter well mixed, it separates easily (Shake inside of bottle or stir). Prepared crepes hold up well in the fridge, so make extra.

Optional other uses of this recipe:
Savory Crepes with roasted veggies
Make Egg Noodles: Roll up crepe tightly and slice into noodles for soup, tomato sauce, or bolognese, as pictured.

Creamy Garlic Avocado Dip

Ingredients:
1/3 cup Labne (I used Karoun Lite brand) If you can't find Labne, sour cream or greek yogurt will do.
2-3 Avocados
1-2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
(A little lemon rind too, microplaned in)
Spicy Garlic Blend (to taste): Dehydrated Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes and Salt


Directions:
Slice avocados in half, spoon into bowl (or labne container!) Mash Avocado along with Labne, lemon juice, spices and lemon rind.

Serve with cucumber slices, crackers (or mini-matzah's), chips, as a sandwich spread, or with fish. If you're doing paleo or gluten free, it'd go well with even more crudite or Mary's Gone Crackers!

Ok. So you'll tell me that this is not quite guacamole. I presume that's not a complaint. Enjoy!

The BIG B Brisket Slow Cooker BBQ Burrito

This dish has it all: BBQ Sauce, Bourbon, Beer, Brisket, Beef Bacon and Beans. Made easy in the crockpot and all rolled into one beautiful burrito.
Sign me up.

Ingredients:

2 lbs Brisket Strip (Grow and Behold)
0.6 oz Beef Bacon chunks (G&B) 
24-36 oz Refried and/or Chili Beans (canned, I used Brads)
Tofutti Sour Supreme/Better than Sour Cream
Baby Spinach
(Optional: Onion, Corn, or Vegan Cheese)
Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas

BBQ Sauce (Homemade or if bottled, add your own zing):
1/3 cup Organic Ketchup (no corn syrup!)
2/3 cup Tomato Paste or Sauce (if you have it)
A handful of favorite seasoning blend: italian, Pereg BBQ, mustard powder, Emeril's essence, garlic and onion powder, lemon peel, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, celery seed
2-4 Garlic Cloves (crushed/chopped)
2-4 dashes Hot Sauce
3 tbs Mesquite Honey
2 Bay Leaves1 cup Beer
1/2 cup Bourbon (I used Makers Mark)
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Combine all BBQ Sauce ingredients in slow cooker. Add brisket and bacon. If you're using an onion add it now (bonus: you can do a big chop, it'll melt into the sauce!). Ideally, this is low and slow, so plan on letting this simmer about 8-9 hours on low while you go about your day. You're saving the beans for later, when you have a *ton* of leftover BBQ sauce and no idea what to do with it! I like to make sure the liquid covers the meat, so adjust measurements accordingly (or add broth or water) if needed.

8 hours (or so) later, come on back to this pot of goodness, and place the brisket and bacon (points if you can tell the difference at this stage) in a bowl in order to shred it. It's fine if some sauce comes along for the ride, but leave most of it separate. Open up beans, and stir them into the sauce filled crockpot (or, if you'd like to dirty another dish, or task this role to a younger kitchen assistant, pour them together with the sauce into a new bowl. The sauce will warm up the beans. Mash them all in together, so the beans become BBQ beans. Feel free to taste and add more hot sauce, if desired.)

Now, the beef should be fork tender for you, so go ahead and shred it, either with a gloved hand or a fork. I keep brown sugar or coconut sugar on hand in case the honey doesn't provide enough balance. Taste your sauce as you shred the beef, and decide if yours needs some help with more spice, honey or sugar.

Once these major components are ready, set up an assembly line for you to build your burritos! Take a whole wheat tortilla and spoon a generous dollop of Tofutti sour supreme in the center. Top with leaves of spinach, then a generous spoonful of bean & sauce mixture, which you can flatten and spread with the back of the spoon, and finally, top with generous serving of the beef. Be sure not to overfill, as you'll want to roll this burrito tucked on all sides if you're making a tray full to serve at a shabbat meal. Rule of thumb is that the ingredients should take up 1/3-1/2 of the size of the tortilla (see picture above).

This got rave reviews at our "scotch and meat" meal. Enjoy!

Passover Sweet Treats

Marshmallow Treats

Non-Stick Spray
Marshmallows
Berries (or your favorite fruit)
Chocolate Chips
Mint Leaves for garnish, optional
Pie Tin


Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Spray tin (you may want to line pan with aluminum foil)
Toss Marshmallows into pan and, after 5 minutes, add in small pieces of fruit and chocolate chips.

Cook for 6-8 minutes longer, until Marshmallows are your favorite shade of brown.

Apologies the picture doesn't have mint or chocolate... This version was made to go into a crepe as a filling.
____________

 Passover Crepes (aka Egg Noodles)

6 Large Eggs
1 cup Tapioca (or Potato) Starch
1.5 cups Water (or Milk) a bit more or less to consistency that works for your desired level of thickness
1 pinch of salt
Large Non-stick pan, spray or oil
Ladle or Squeeze bottle (the later makes this so easy)
Spatula (or really delicate tongs)
Your Favorite Crepe Fillings (chocolate spread, fruit, marshmallows etc)


Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, whisk or stir with fork until blended. There may be a clump or two, but try to break it up as much as possible.
Heat pan to a high temperature.
Spread batter to coat pan.
Cook for 1-2 minutes, until edges start to release from sides and crepe can easily flip.
Continue to cook slightly less time on this opposite side.
Place onto plate to serve later, along with the side above, fresh fruit, chocolate spread (or chips).
Keep the batter well mixed, it separates easily

Optional use of this recipe: Savory crepes with roasted veggies or to serve as Egg Noodes: Roll up crepe and slice into noodles for soup, tomato sauce, or bolognese.

Buttery Bourbon Couscous

Recently I was craving the butter that was in my fridge - so I hunted down a vehicle that would provide me with buttery goodness. I've served it as an all-in-one bowl meal with goat cheese and veggie sausage stirred in, or as a side to a meal with roasted broccoli and a big salad.

Ingredients:
4 cups Israeli Whole Wheat Couscous (this isn't easy to find, but I discovered mine in a market that has a huge section of items imported from Israel. Regular Israeli couscous can be found everywhere.)
1/3 cup unsalted butter (I used sweet cream butter) + 1 pat for added before serving.
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1/4-1/2 cup Sliced Almonds
Dash of Bourbon (up to 2 oz)
Spices in abundance! 
Basil (I used two frozen Dorot cubes)
2 tbs Pereg "American Hamburger spice mix" - this includes Paprika, Black Pepper, Garlic, Salt, Coriander, & Cumin
1 tbs Zaatar
2 tbs Parsley (I had an abundance of dried parsley)
2 pinches Sumac
1 pinch Ginger

Cooking Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, toast the couscous over medium-high heat (I sprayed the pan w/spray oil first).
While toasting, boil 6 cups or so* of water to add to pan.
Once you add the water, also add dried cranberries so they can hydrate as well.
As the water comes back to a boil add butter, bourbon and spices.
Lower to a simmer, cover for 5 minutes. At 5 minutes, remove top, stir, add almonds, and taste - it probably needs an additional 1-2 minutes. For the bowl version, depending on your veggie sausage cooking instructions, you might be able to add them in to cook in these final minutes. Finally, add that last pat of butter as you fluff to serve.

Enjoy!

*I'm always generous with my water measurements in couscous, whatever the package says, I add about a 1/2 cup more. No one ever complains, and particularly if you aren't serving it immediately, or if reheating to serve later, the grain keeps absorbing moisture.

Slowcooker Sweet & Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is the results of "OMG my fridge is packed with a full CSA haul!" when the person I share it with was on vacation.  Normally I'd add carrots and or celery to my sauce, but I'm set on not buying extra veggies given the abundance that I've been getting from the farm.

6 lbs of tomatoes

1 cherry bomb pepper
2 green peppers
3 zucchini/summer squash (~1/2 lb each)
1/4 lb enoki mushrooms
1 onion
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup Red wine (it's fine if it has turned, or you can use red wine vinegar)
1/4 cup rice vinegar (I used roasted garlic flavor. It's delicious, you could also roast the garlic rather than putting in fresh cloves)
6-8 cloves of garlic (smash prior to putting in so the oils are released)
2 tbs honey or brown sugar for vegans (or more, to taste)
1/2 cup or more fresh basil reserve some for later addition.
1 bay leaf
some: oregano,  dried italian herbs, salt to taste.
Slow cook in crockpot: Low 8-10 hours

Even if you have a casual relationship with your cutting board you'll be a master of this in no time. Quarter tomatoes (I didn't remove skins, some recipes really recommend blanching and removing, but they break down easily in the crockpot and were all farm-fresh, organic and whatnot). Rough chop other ingredients and add along with liquid.
Walk away! Have an awesome day at work, out with friends, whatever.
When you get back hope around hour 6,8 or 10 just remove bay leaf, place the immersion blender into the pot and blend. Taste and add in extra seasoning (I used fresh pink salt here) and fresh basil to taste.

This made three 24 oz. bottles plus two cups... so served that night and bottled the rest for me and to give as gifts. Also, the one cherry bomb just gave it a bit of a roasted flavor. Feel free to add more hot peppers for more of a bang.

Bourbon Infused Mini-Maple Cornbread Loaves - Gluten Free, Dairy Free

I love my mini-loaf pan. I just used it for mini-meatloaves and hadn't even had a chance to put it away from the dish-rack when I thought of these.

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients:

• Non-Stick Spray (I used coconut oil, which was from Trader Joe's)
• 2 Cups Cornmeal/ Stone Ground Corn flour (make sure it's gluten free)
• 1 Cup Brown Rice flour (most recipes use 1/2 c. brown, 1/2 c. white, but this is what I had. It is a touch grainier than most breads we know)
• 2 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Chili Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Tsp Chili Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Coriander
• 1/2 Tsp Allspice

Blend all the above (dry) ingredients together. Be sure to spray your loaf pan (or skillet)

• Buttermilk Replacement:
• 1 Cup Coconut Milk 
• 1 Tbsp Vinegar added to Coconut Milk (I used Apple Cider Vinegar)
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 Cup Margarine (softened), or coconut oil
• 2 Tbs Rice Bran Oil
• 2 Tbs Maple Syrup
• 2 Tbs Bourbon (I think it might stand a touch more next time)
• 1 Tbs Orange Juice
• Maple syrup (or honey) for drizzling on top prior to baking

Combine liquid ingredients together, add vinegar directly into coconut and then combine the rest, whisking into dry ingredients for just a minute or so - until smooth.  Pour or spoon batter into pan, drizzle with maple syrup or honey, and bake for 18-22 minutes, using the toothpick test.

Here's how they came out:

Maple Spice Blondies

Sometimes you have amazing celebrations, sometimes you promise to bake for an event, and sometimes you have both in one week.  So I made a double batch and this experiment was definitely successful, but below is for 1 measurement. Since I didn't have an I had whole wheat flour around in case I'd added too much liquid, but, as it turned out, the batter was just fine.

Ingredients:
1 Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix
1 egg
1 stick of butter
1/2 peel of large lemon, micro-planed (I use organi)
1/3 cup maple syrup (ideally grade B, but I only had A)
1/4 cup sabra chocolate-orange liqueur (or a tbsp of vanilla extract & tsp of orange extract, or tbsp of orange juice, or juice of the lemon)
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp all-spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips

**Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place aluminum foil in 11x7 pan, overhanging on (at least) one side. Coat foil with butter or spray.

Soften/Melt butter (I used a pyrex mixing bowl and just got it soft enough to cream with the sugar by placing it in the oven, but I don't have a microwave). Add sugar and whisk together, along with maple syrup, sabra liqueur, egg, lemon peel, and spices. Typically, you'd stream the liquid ingredients into the solid, but I didn't want to dirty another bowl, so I stirred the cookie mix into the wet ingredients until they were thoroughly mixed. Pour and spread into pan, add extra chocolate chips on top.

Bake 30-35 minutes. I left it a bit mushy in the center... because cookie dough!

Egg-Filled Bread Bowl

If only every brunch dish was this delicious... it would be my only meal. I discovered something called a baked egg boat on pinterest a few weeks ago and it looked beautiful. Of course, as a breakfast food, it was made with bacon, and bread that's hard to find heckshered, so off I went to develop my own incarnation.  I served it at a post simchat torah brunch - but whether you're serving it as a hangover cure or beside bottomless mimosas, this is top rate.

Yes, that's on a "Got Milk?" plate. Oreo Cookie!

Ingredients:

6 Par-baked french rolls (Trader joe's has these, and I love them. If they're hard to find, french or italian demi baguettes is what was suggested .)
8 Eggs
6 Scallions (or garlic chives)
2/3 cup half and half
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
Colby Jack Cheese - 2-4 ozs
Mozzarella cheese 3 ozs
Spinach
Optional: Mushrooms (I used baby bellas/creminis), Smoked salmon (we were also having bagels and lox so I'll add this next time)

Also, an FYI: For the half & half, I used the fat free kind from Trader Joe's, I'm no expert when it comes to this version of dairy though, so I suggest that you use what you like or whatever you have on hand. Some recipes recommend creme, that's just too rich for me. Also, I didn't calorie/ingredient compare to see what they do to make the fat free tasty, but it is, so I really enjoyed. Only questioning that choice now, clearly.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Hollow out bread. To do this on the rolls, I cut a V into the tops of each for access with the most remaining bread. (Save breadcrumbs - I baked mine into a fritata, also pictured, but use for whatever you use breadcrumbs for... or if you've been super adept at the cutting process, add it back as a top to the bowl.)
Place the bread on a cookie sheet (or in a roaster pan. I used the latter) and take out a large bowl to break eggs in to (I always break eggs individually into a cup or small bowl first so that you can spot blood or shell) - Every 3 or 4 eggs I whisked together the eggs and the half and half, cayenne pepper, and then chopped scallions and added them in. Whisk a bit more, just so eggs are fluffy like you'd do for an omelet.
Take that small bowl and used it as a ladle to transfer egg mixture into rolls. Allow to sit for a bit (and absorb) as you slice cheeses, then add a bit more egg in, if there's room. Top with chopped defrosted frozen spinach and sliced cremini mushrooms. The pictured one I made w/out mushrooms because, you know, so many picky eaters, so little time.
Bake for 12-15 minutes (until the eggs aren't jiggly) and serve!

Enjoy!!  Tell me if you made a variation and how it came out! The one pictured is from the next day, and it withstood the journey. Also, I would have added salt and pepper but my kitchen wasn't back in one piece yet from the floor being redone, so I just went with what was on hand. It didn't feel like any flavor was missing though.

Beer Braised Kale with Pastrami

So first of all there's the Pastrami. Here's the thing. I had  Pastrami from Grow and Behold just screaming at me to take it out of the freezer and eat it. I could tell it was going to be ten kinds of delicious, but it was still frozen ... so the solution was obviously to loosen it a smidge under hot water and put it straight into a frying pan.

Then I went to open the bag of Trader Joe's kale a little too gingerly to pour on top of this great pastrami, and an explosion happened onto my kitchen floor. I only lost 1/3 of the bag, but man, that's a lot of chopped kale I just swept up.

Anyway, on to the goodness:

Kale (10 oz, though I wound up with less)
Pastrami (4 oz)
1/3 cup Beer (I used corona, + 1 tbsp to deglaze at the end)
1.5 tsp meat tenderizer
1 tsp chili spice rub (or a garlic-onion-chili blend, whatever you have on hand and like)
squeeze of a lemon wedge

Add the pastrami to a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, when it starts to brown at the edges (about 2 minutes) add in the kale and about 1/3 a cup of beer... just enough to coat the bottom of the pan so that the kale can steam. (You could use any other liquid; veggie broth, sherry, wine. I really just needed to drink a beer after the kale cleanup.)  Once the kale wilts a little bit, add in the spices and a bit of lemon juice. Let it cook until it wilts down enough for you to enjoy (4-5 minutes, or just taste). Taste to see if it needs any seasoning adjustment. Enjoy! Let em know if there are any other spices I should be using when making this. I didn't want anything to mask the rich pastrami flavor, so kept it super simple... but I don't have to next time!

And for those of you vegetarians out there (or those preparing for a dairy meal) feel free to try your favorite meat substitute; veggie bacon, veggie sausage or the like... it might be just lovely. Report back!

Polenta Lasagna

Polenta purists will probably damn me for using this super easy packaged stuff, but Trader Joe's sells prepped polenta so cheap, it's hard to resist just keeping in stock in my own pantry. And for this recipe, the alternative is just unnecessary work.


1 package Polenta, sliced thinly (I use Trader Joe's organic precooked)
1 jar Roasted garlic tomato sauce (TJs had a great sale, otherwise I use brad's organic)
Dried Oregano, dried basil & some extra garlic
1-2 cups frozen chopped spinach (Trader Joe's has one that's pesticide free which is about .50 cheaper than organic)
3-5 oz various cheeses: I used fresh (soft) pecorino romano (made by the cheese guy), millers' parmesan and  sliced Colby jack (le petit femmes).
4-5 dashes franks hot sauce
I did also add my secret ingredient which is a dried chili beer rub made by Jaimie Gwen. It's good on everything... you can add some of whatever your favorite spice rub is, or just a few sips of wine or beer. Whatever makes you happy.

Preheat oven to 375(ish) - you're going to want to finish it for the last minute on 400-425.
Cook time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 8-10 minutes
Serves: 6

Directions: 

Layering: Adding in spinach

Layer the bottom of a baking dish (I used a square 9x9 baker. I mean, I think it was 9x9. Please don't ask me to measure it!) with a small amount of sauce then place thinly sliced layers of polenta. Cover in sauce (1/3 bottle) top w/a Dash basil, oregano, (spinach*,) and parm then another layer of polenta. Repeat (possibly twice, depending on how thin the Polenta is or wide your dish is). Top with slices or shredded cheese.

*The Messy Way:
If the spinach is already defrosted or in small chunks you can smatter it about in each layer as you go. I happened to think of the spinach when I took ice out of my freezer and had actually baked the polenta originally without, and decided to add it. So I kinda stirred it in and ruined the layers, adding the Colby jack on top. No one noticed...it was pretty easy to even out, and it gave me a chance to make a lunch portion. The neater way, by the by, would also just have you add in the extra herbs, spices and hot sauce directly into the bottle of tomato sauce. Probably. I mean, I don't typically do things the neat way.


The "Single Serving" or Lunch portion:

Mini-size!

As I added in the spinach I literally spooned a "slice" worth into my little mini baker so that we could have something delish for lunch the next day. Added the spinach there too, and cheese on top. Glad that I did, since there wasn't an ounce left of the tray I brought over to my friend's for dinner! 


Other suggestions: Consider including dried or fresh mushrooms, broccoli, dried onions, black olives, or the like. Whatever you enjoy in lasagna, even ricotta would work. This was just my first attempt at this dish, I'm sure to be experimenting more, but the simplicity is clearly one of the reasons I loved it so much. If you use a bigger pan, it doubles easily. Beceause the polenta is precooked this is really about melding flavors an melting cheese.

Also, this would taste almost as good without the dairy, so feel free to make it vegan friendly if you have friends who are inclined that way. The flavor really delivers.

Protein Packed Ginger Carrot Slow Cooker Soup

This hearty treat evolved to serve a whole lot of vegetarians when I was making Brisket. It surely satisfied and even was enjoyed by meat eaters as well. I'm bound to make it again soon and will try to save leftovers for photographs...

 

Ingredients:

6 peeled sliced carrots

1 ½ inches  of fresh ginger root

3 cloves of garlic

2 cups red lentils

2/3 cup Mirin

6-8 cups broth and/or water (I like Brad's organic vegetable broth)

Celery leaves

1 sweet onion

3 ribs chopped celery

Dash Emeril’s Asian seasoning

Dash Allspice

Scallions (Whites for cooking, greens for decorating on top)

Directions:

Place ingredients into slow cooker on high for 2-3 hours until soft, then use a hand blender to mix all ingredients together, and if serving within 3 hours, keep on low, if serving the following day, keep on warm.  You may need to add more liquid depending on preferred consistency.


PS - I may have added a bit of the brisket gravy to the leftovers ... it was DELICIOUS ... so if you're not serving vegetarians feel free to add in some beef variant as well. If you are, either Sherry or Beer can be added to the liquids for more depth of flavor.

Beer and Sherry Braised Brisket

Yum. I upped the anti and the slow cooking on traditional brisket with this one.  The aroma was so strong, I tempted a long time vegetarian into considering taking the meaty plunge... Clearly a success by any measure!  I made two briskets simultaneously and froze one ... how can you resist red meat on sale, I wonder? Feel free to add root vegetables to the roasting pan - I didn't want to deprive the vegetarians, so I didn't... but I saved the sauce/gravy and added it to both chicken soup and roasted parsnips and carrots the following week.


Dry Rub:
1/3 brown sugar (I use  turbinado brownulated)
1/3 garlic powder
1/3 onion powder
(I didn't put measurements above, usually pour in about 1/3cup or less)
2 tbsp Emeril's essence
1 tbsp Mustard seed (ground)
1-2 tsp Allspice
2 tsp cumin

Mix all ingredients in a ziploc bag
Coat both sides, leave fatty side up.


Add
3/4 c Harpoon (I used summer ale.... but any beer will do the job)
1/2-1c Gonzales Byass Tio Pepe kosher Sherry

Seal really tightly w/aluminum foil

Cook at 225 for 3 hours
Flip (If serving for shabbat/holiday lunch, this is where I put it in the fridge)
Then 200 for 4-5 hours
Let cool for 10-15 min before you slice it to serve.
Cut against the grain!!!It's the slow and low that makes it fork tender. It can stand to be in the oven tightly sealed a bit longer ... But 8 hrs is my gauge. Enjoy!

Crockpot Coconut Curry Chicken

This delicious dish can be made a variety of ways 

1 hour into the Coconut Currying process...

... But this week's version used off the bone chicken thighs which i cubed and browned before sliding into the crockpot. I did this mostly because I didn't have 'all day' to wait and wanted to make sure the meat was properly cooked. I do think it added to how excellent the flavor was, but then again, I'm not sure I've evercooked w/deboned chicken thighs before. In other instances, I've used (whole cut) chicken on the bone, cooked the whole dish longer and shredded the chicken off the bone before serving. When I use skin on chicken, I replace the chicken broth below with water. The latter version are also great budget saving swaps.

I have to admit, and you can probably tell by the fullness of the pot, that this was one of those meals where I had a lot of "maybes" coming to dinner - none of whom made it in the end, but it meant I had to prepare the kind of dish where I might enjoy leftovers for days. The side dishes to this menu are recipes which will be forthcoming: Broccoli & Spinach sauteed with meyer lemons, purple coconut rice. I'd tell you how to make the Burmese tea leaf salad my friend made, but the key ingredients were brought from Burma by way of Thailand. I do recommend a colorful side salad with nuts, red onion, purple cabbage and tomatoes though.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 lbs Chicken Thighs (skinless, boneless) I found empire's at trader joes, but picked up more at Seasons because of those maybes.

1-1 1/2 cans coconut milk (not lite!)

1/3 cup curries: I used Butter Chicken Masala* and Tandoori Masala

2 tsp ground mustard seed (I really like this flavor)

4-6 cloves Garlic, smashed to release flavor

3/4 inch Fresh Ginger, matchstick sliced (I never know how to describe this measurement!)

1 grated lemon peel (I mircoplaned the meyer lemon that wound up in the broccoli)

1 bunch Celery, incl greens, chopped

3/4 large Sweet Onion, (the other 1/4 went to the broccoli)

4 medium Carrots sliced (or 1/2 bag of baby carrots)

2 c. chicken broth/stock (homemade or low sodium)

1/3 c. Tio Pepe Sherry

1 tbs virgin coconut oil (or whatever you have on hand)

optional: Scallions, Chili peppers**

Serves 10+

One thing I love about this recipe is that you can do the major prep in advance, which is what I'd have done were it not for a friend in town and 1/2 price wine bottles at our local tapas place. So, instead, here's how this incarnation of the dish happened, the reviews were fabulous, so maybe I did it just right.

Put the crockpot on high and add in the can of coconut milk, the curry seasoning, mustard powder, next add ginger, lemon peel and smashed garlic. Stir together.

As those ingredients warm, chop all the veggies (if pre-chopped, proceed with), brown stir fry sized pieces of chicken thighs in sautee pan or wok w/a tsp of coconut oil and a tbsp of curry powder over medium-high heat.

Add in the veggies (I saved 1/2 the celery to add later so they would stay more crisp... this works better if shabbat starts later), then the browned chicken. Cover with chicken broth, sherry and water. Let flavors meld, stirring occasionally.

I kept it on high the whole time because I only gave it 4 hours to cook, traditionally, it's a slow and low dish - 6-8 hours on low.

** Chili pepper tip: I have dry on hand, it's the seeds that provide most of the heat, so if you soak and slice those out, the spice level will be more moderate.

*I only have the container for the butter chicken masala curry blend, which contains: Red Chilis, Onion, Coriander, Garlic, Tumeric, Black Pepper, Salt, Cumin, Fenugreek, Cardamom seeds, Cinnamon, Cloves, Mace, Nutmeg, Black Cumin, Saccharum, Ginger

Newlywed Meatloaf

Honey Love Layered Meatloaf

This layered dish ups the anti on meatloaf but just takes one extra step to turn traditional into fancy pants in a simple way. I was ready to kick up my cooking a notch because it felt like I had a rare opportunity to make a celebratory meal. Even though shabbat comes every week, and I managed the holidays with quite a bit of fanfare, this particular celebration was layered on top of Shabbat, so held more significance than a traditional meal around the table. I made this dish for a newlywed couple's first shabbat dinner after their wedding, this meal served as a night of their "Sheva Brachot." I wanted the ingredients to reflect some Jewish and general wedding customs, so I played around a bit there. Reviews say that the results were delicious. (Note the bold ingredients which will be explained below.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Ingredients:
For Meatloaf
1/3 of a cup honey
1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce
1lb ground beef
1lb ground turkey (not white meat)
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup corn flakes, crushed
Spices:
Nutmeg (fresh ground)
3 tbs Grill seasoning (Jaime Gwen's Chicken & Turkey spice rub - rosemary, sage, thyme)
1tbs Emeril's Essence seasoning blend
2 tbs Garlic Powder
Chili Flakes (to taste)
White Pepper (a guest was allergic to black, use tricolor if you have it on hand)
(I don't add salt because it's kosher meat, which is already salted. Add to taste if the meat isn't kosher)

For Veggie filling/topping:
1/2 cup Tio Pepe Sherry (or dry white wine), + 1tbs sherry for egg mixture
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 sweet onion, large
3 large celery stalks (leafy parts too)
10 oz mushrooms (1/2 cup)
2 cups spinach

• Add the honey, teriyaki sauce, and spices to a big bowl then folded both meats together with spices and honey, and let sit.
• Chop the veggies really small and added them to a pot to cook along with the sherry, adding the spinach last. You may want to use a bit extra of the same seasoning when you saute the veggies, I only added the garlic. Feel free to use fresh garlic if you have it.
• While the veggies saute, take a small bowl and crack two eggs, whisking them with a tbs of sherry.
• Add crushed cornflakes into the egg mixture to soften.
• When the veggies are done sauteing, create a well in the seasoned meat and added in the egg mixture, combining thoroughly.
• The next steps depend on whether you're folding the veggies into the meatloaf (particularly great if you're hiding them from picky eaters) or layering them (if you want to give permission to your picky eaters to just avoid them). I filled the large meatloaf pan half way, added 3/4 of the veggies, and spread out, then added the second half, decorating the top with a design of the remaining vegetables.
• Place in the 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until sides crisp.
• Strain the excess gravy into a bowl and discard or save to serve later.
  

Enjoy! (this version had a little difficulty staying together - so if you have recommendations for how to improve that, feel free to share. Also, typically I *always* add mustard or mustard powder to my meatloaves, but somehow forgot this go around. Feel free to experiment.)

Other tips and tricks: More veggies will make the meatloaf go further if you're on a budget. Also, you can use more turkey which is less expensive. For nearly the same rich flavor you can go as far as a 2:1 ratio. Also, save the gravy if you're making noodles or rice and serve it on the side. Saute extra vegetables for the side too. (Using chicken or vegetable broth and sherry keeps the extra fat away from that step of the dish.)

Wondering how the ingredients I used relate to marriage?
Two kinds of meat, for the blending into one family.
Honey, traditional on shabbat throughout the first year of marriage to set up a future filled with sweetness.
Teriyaki for all the future Christmases that will be filled with Chinese food.
Eggs, as a symbol of fertility, the life cycle and wholeness.
Spices are, indeed, emblematic of the spice of life, and the flavorful life that the couple will have.
Also, I shaped the extra veggies into the shape of a heart a top the meatloaf.

Best Brisket

This recipe is inspired by my childhood best friend's mom. I've turned into my own special recipe, but her slow cooking technique is what I recommend!

Either Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lower to 300 after 2 hours for an additional hour
or 250 if you plan to slow cook for 6-8 hours.

2.5 lbs Brisket, 2nd cut
1/4 c. sugar (brown, turbinado or in the raw)
1/3 c. onion soup mix or if you need low sodium, onion powder
1/2 c. garlic powder
2/3 c. sherry (tio pepe makes a kosher blend every passover and it's usually available year round)
1/3 c. water or broth
Veggetables to add: Root vegetables, celery, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, mushrooms (whatever is on hand)
Optional dry ingredients: Paprika, zatar, mustard powder, rosemary or emeril's spice blend. Clove of garlic - place slices into little slits you cut in the meat

If using fresh garlic, insert first. Then mix dry ingredients and use as a dry rub on both sides of meat. Chop vegetables into big pieces, celery, parsnips and carrots on the bias. Toss into bottom of pan. Add meat and liquid. Cover with aluminum foil and place in oven. See above for temperature and cooking time options. Turn over half way through cooking. (If you want to nestle the meat directly into the liquid, you won't regret it.) You may want to add more liquid half way through, or take off the aluminum foil to let the gravy thicken depending on how your oven does and how much liquid the meat gives off.