Chicken in Mushroom Shallot Sauce

I have made some version of this dish many times.  Use your best judgment to substitute and tweak my directions as they work for your tastes.  For a prettier presentation, leave the chicken on the bone or use whole breasts.  I prefer to use dark meat and take the bones out in the kitchen to save them for stock.  Whether or not the bones make it to the table, I still have to cut my kids food, so making bite size pieces ahead of time means we can all enjoy our food with less table work.

1. Pan cook chicken legs, turkey, or chicken or beef cut of choice.  Remove meat from pan, but leave oil and bits.
2. Fry sliced shallots (or onions) and mushrooms in ample oil and/or margarine in the same pan.
3. Sprinkle generously with flour and continue cooking on medium-low.
4. Add white wine, beer, or broth and scrape up yummy bits. 
5. Add green olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, or other ingredients (optional) and return chicken to the pan.
6. Continue cooking if necessary or cover and keep warm until ready to eat.

Serve over brown rice or bulgur.

Summer Salad

There's nothing like a nice crisp, even sweet, salad on these hot summer days.  Putting strawberries, orange sections, dried cranberries (preferably unsweetened), and candied pecans on a salad is nothing new to me.

A couple weeks ago I made a salad with some of these things (and yellow bell peppers), but the unique part was the greens.  Instead of packing the dressing with dried herbs, I put fresh herbs right in the salad, many from my window garden.  I mixed my own fresh romaine, finely chopped chives, tarragon, and a few other herbs, with store bought Italian parsley and baby greens. 

I used some of the juice that came out of the oranges when I sectioned them to start a dressing.  A basic salad dressing needs some fat, acid, and salt.  Acid can be fresh lemon juice or some type of vinegar; salt can be any kind of salt crystals, soy or tamari sauce; and fat is usually at least half olive oil.  I also like Dijon mustard and something sweet, like orange juice, honey, date syrup, etc.  If you taste it, use a piece of lettuce or vegetable. It should be strong, and tasting on a spoon or your finger won't give you an accurate idea.  If you dress the salad, always start with less than you think you will need.

Make Your Own Cottage Cheese

Consumers across Israel have been pressured to stop buying cottage cheese to support the cottage cheese boycott, sparked by a price hike.  Prices have gone up to about 6.5 NIS for a 25 gram container ($1.89 for about 1/4 cup).  With close to 90,000 people "attending" the boycott on Facebook, I thought I would share a recipe to make your own cottage cheese. 

You will need:
1 gallon skim or lowfat milk
3/4 cup white vinegar, or a little less fresh lemon juice
1/2 - 1 cup half and half (Whole milk or heavy cream also works)
large saucepan
colander
cheese cloth or tea towel
thermometer

Zucchini Carrot Muffins - No Sugar Added

I just went to take pictures of my moist, delicious muffins, but they're all gone!  I usually make my muffins with some ground dates or prunes and some brown or white sugar, but this is the fist time I've attempted to make muffins with no sugar.  I don't know if these are technically diabetic approved, but you can surely eat them and feed them to your family with less guilt.  I am no expert, but my understanding is that the fiber in the fruits, vegetables, and whole wheat flour, as well as the beneficial effects of cinnamon, should slow the body's conversion of the ingredients into simple sugars (needing insulin) making them low-glycemic.  I welcome anyone who can comment on this.

Here's what you need to make about 2 dozen small/medium muffins:

3 zucchini - grated

3 carrots - grated

8-10 prunes - blended

8-10 dates - blended

2 or 3 eggs

1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil (or some combination with natural apple sauce)

2-3 Tbsp agave syrup (optional)

1/4 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar

1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt (depending on your taste)
1 tsp cinnamon

1 teaspoon or 5 grams (1/2 packet) baking powder (I couldn't find baking soda, but you could use a combination.)

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup raisens, more to taste

Tiramisu Cupcakes

My friend Yael Schuster, of Haifa, Israel, posted this mouthwatering photo on Facebook and I asked her to write a post about it.  Yael is clearly a natural blogger, but has her hands full with two beutiful boys.  She also just completed her PhD in Chemistry from the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.  What caught my attention about this dessert, was the pairing of the ultra-trendy cupcake with the ever-classy tiramisu.  Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people and holiday traditions include eating dairy and staying up all night learning Torah.  Visit Yael's Sweet Shop on Facebook to see her beautiful confections or order treats!

Shavuot has got to be my favorite holiday. It's the one time I don't have to be ashamed of my intense relationship with butter and 38 % milkfat cream. Heck, it's even on sale! It's fun to teach the kids about something that doesn't involve plagues or fasting. I don't even mind the staying up all night- somebody else, of course. Not me- I stay home to "watch" the kiddies. BUT, I am sorry to say, I do not like cheesecake. I don't like the soft, soggy Israeli excuse for cream cheese. I don't like paying 60 shekels [$18 today] to make one cake with said pathetic cream cheese. I don't like making crumb crusts. I don't like carting around ten pounds (sorry, 4.5 kilos) of dessert in one pan. And I just don't like the taste of bland sugary cheese.

This year, when I was asked to bring dessert to a friend's house, I decided that the drown-yourself-in-dairy holiday needed to take a different approach. Tiramisu. In cupcake form. Genius.

Tarragon Salmon

I just read that Tarragon likes a hot sunny spot and is very tolerant of drought and poor soil.  That must be why it's doing so well under my inconsistent care!  My mother-in-law actually turned me on to salmon and tarragon.  She makes a delicious simple dish by painting the salmon with mayonnaise, and seasoning generously with dry tarragon.  Fresh tarragon leaves can also be added to green salad and used in tea (said to cure insomnia.)  I'd like to share two ways I have made salmon with tarragon. 

Tehina Health Cookies

My friend, Tzippy, gave me the recipe for these delicious cookies.  She sent me the marvelous pictures below from the last time she made the cookies.  Tzippy notes that she always makes a double batch, so I assume that is what the pictures are showing.

Tehina is sesame paste most commonly used to make a mild or savory dip by the same name.  Make sure you buy pure sesame paste (there may be oil on top like natural peanut butter), and not the dip mixed with water, lemon, garlic, etc.  In the U.S you may need to look in the kosher, ethnic, or health food aisle.  Sesame paste is also used to make the dessert halva.  If you appreciate good halva, you will enjoy these cookies.

Basil and Guest-Worthy Pesto

First, I have some personal news to share.  There is a reason I have not felt like thinking or writing about food for the past few months.  We're expecting a new member of our family in October, G-d willing!  Now I'm back on my feet and feeling creative.  I look forward to sharing some fresh summer ideas with you. 

Today I'd like to tell you about the three types of basil I have hanging out my window and share a dish I made a couple months ago that I can't stop thinking about.

 Sweet basil (left) is one of the most popular, for good reason.  It grows easily, is easy to cut, prune, and cook with, and tastes great.  It has bright shiny leaves and little white flowers (if you don't keep it cut).

Update on My Pots and Pans, PLUS Recommendations.

I started writing a little update to my post “To Stick or Not to Stick: Alternatives to Teflon” and I decided it was worthy of a separate post.  If you haven’t already read the first post, please do.

At the store, I couldn't lift any of the cast iron cookware I had been romanticizing.  I think I am finally over my craving for a cast iron pot or pan, unless I take up weight-lifting.

After writing the above article I decided that it was worth having a little non-stick pan just for cooking eggs.  I don't use oil or heat the pan above medium, and it heats in the time it takes me to crack and scramble two eggs.  They take about two minutes to cook.  When the pan cools, I just wipe it clean with a dry rag.  I never leave the pan in the sink where it could soak or someone might drop silverware in it.  I use a silicone spatula to scramble the eggs. 

Asado / Mangal: Argentine-Israeli Fusion

In honor of the Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer, I took out our tiny charcoal grill and played with matches until I had something I thought might cook some bits of meat and veggies.  Israelis take their barbecue, called "Mangal," very seriously.  On Independence Day, "Yom Ha'atzmaut," the parks are so full of smoke from everyone's little grills you can hardly see a couple meters ahead.  On Lag B'Omer the predominant tradition is building bonfires.  

Growing up in Florida, we often went to my grandparents' house for "asado," Argentine barbecue involving a variety of meats.  I remember a lot of eating as things cooked on the grill, and then more eating when we all sat down to eat.  At the table a jar of chimichurri was always passed around to put on the bread and top the meats.  As I write this, my Aunt is preparing to have my grandparents over for asado this evening.