No Kid Hungry ... and How You Can Help

How can your sweet tooth help to feed hungry children???

By tempting you to click on this link to make a contribution (any amount is welcome!) to No Kid Hungry, which will then give you access to download an e-cookbook from Solo Foods that's filled with 35 recipes for sweet treats and desserts that were contributed by "the top bloggers around the internet" ... including li'l ol' me, with my recipe for Bear Claws. I am enormously proud to have been invited to contribute to such a cool project, and to support the exceptional work of this organization.

No Kid Hungry is "a nonprofit organization that works to end childhood hunger in America. Hunger in children affects everything from nutrition to socialization and education. It has been proven that hungry children are distracted at school and lose the basic skills needed to achieve higher education. No Kid Hungry funds school breakfasts, summer meals, and solutions community-wide. They are working to educate kids and families about nutrition and budgets to encourage healthy shopping. No Kid Hungry works tirelessly to raise awareness throughout the United States, where many Americans are unaware of childhood hunger. By placing a spotlight on this important issue, we can make a difference in thousands of childrens’ lives."

Especially now that November is here and food benefits have been cut to millions who were already struggling (working poor, people with disabilities, people who just need some help because of unforeseen circumstances), it's more critical than ever to support organizations that help to provide nutrition and sustenance to children.

So click on this link and donate, then download, and then share both the link and the fabulous baked goods you'll make with all your new recipes ... :)

Still in the Thrift Shops with Rosie

Still playing the game of searching for copies of this book at thrift shops ... ;) For the history of this perverse little amusement of mine, click here.

Mejadra (Spiced Lentils and Rice)

This isn't the most photogenic dish, but its fragrance and flavor more than make up for that. Jeremy, who would normally prefer pizza to lentils and rice, remarked immediately upon coming in the house that dinner smelled amazing; he then proceeded to eat two helpings of it.

Quite the testament!

Mejadra (also known as mujadarrah or mujadarra) is a very old, traditional dish and it's featured in Jerusalem: A Cookbook, a beautiful new work by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi which was just nominated for a James Beard Award as best international cookbook.  It showcases gorgeous pictures and seductively enticing recipes for classic foods from this city which is home to both Jews and Arabs, and generously shares culinary representation from both cultures. Here is how Amazon.com describes it:

"In Jerusalem, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi explore the vibrant cuisine of their home city with its diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities. Both men were born in Jerusalem in the same year - Tamimi on the Arab east side and Ottolenghi in the Jewish west. This stunning cookbook offers 120 recipes from their unique cross-cultural perspective, from inventive vegetable dishes to sweet, rich desserts. With five bustling restaurants in London and two stellar cookbooks, Ottolenghi is one of the most respected chefs in the world; in Jerusalem, he and Tamimi have collaborated to produce their most personal cookbook yet."

My very dear friend Nika loaned me her copy of Jerusalem, and I wanted to make so many, many things! But I started with one of my very favorites, mejadra - a simple, comforting plate of spiced lentils and rice.

But this isn't just any ol' lentils and rice; the key ingredient in mejadra is onions which have been slowly, lovingly, patiently crisped until they're deeply golden and toasty and richly flavored. Combining these very basic ingredients with cumin, cardamom, turmeric, allspice, and cinnamon enhances and elevates them to make a dish that is absolutely stellar.

And now that Ashkenazi Conservative Jews have been granted permission, if they choose to do so (it's optional, based upon personal preference), to eat kitniyot [KIT-nee-YOHT] - corn, rice, peas, lentils, and beans - which were formerly banned at Passover along with leavened products, this is a fabulous dish that can easily be modified for the holiday that begins at sundown tonight. (See "The Kitniyot Dilemma" for more information about the dietary laws, the new ruling, the difference between customs for Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews, etc.) Simply use matzah meal instead of flour to coat the onions, and you've got an amazing new dish to serve at your seder or at any time over the next 8 days. And it's pareve ([PAHRV] = neither meat nor dairy), so it can be served with any kind of meal!

But really, mejadra is such a wonderful dish that you'll want to serve it all the time!

Mejadra
(slightly adapted from a recipe in Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

1-1/4 cups green or brown lentils
2 very large onions, halved, sliced very thin
3 tablespoons flour or kosher l'Pesach matzah meal ([KOH-sher leh PAY-sahk] = kosher for Passover)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 cup white rice
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon sugar
1-3/4 cups water


Place the lentils into a medium saucepan and cover generously with water; bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes until just tender. Drain.

In a large bowl, toss the sliced onions with flour or matzah meal. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, to taste.

In a very large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Carefully add the onions, then turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to keep onions from burning, until they are mostly browned and crisp. Drain in a colander lined with a paper towel.

In remaining oil in the frying pan, cook the cumin and coriander for 1 minute; add rice, turmeric, allspice, cinnamon, and sugar.  Stir to coat rice with spices, then add water and reserved lentils. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender and water has been absorbed.

Stir in half of the onions, then place lentils and rice onto a serving platter. Top with remaining onions and serve hot.

Serves 6-8.

The American Lighthouse Cookbook

I received a lovely gift, the other day: a review copy of The American Lighthouse Cookbook: The Best Recipes and Stories from America's Shorelines, by Becky Sue Epstein and Ed Jackson.

In its introduction, this exceptional cookbook states that it "couples food with the romance of the seacoast, adding a dash of history and wrapping it in the very current 'eat local' movement." Lighthouses from around the country - from as far away as Eldred Rock, north of Juneau, to Buck Island, off St. Thomas in the Caribbean - are featured. Fascinating stories are shared about the lighthouses themselves, about their communities, about many of the ingredients, and much more.

In looking through the book - an activity which just draws you in, page after page - I learned about Matinicus Island, Maine, which is "headquarters for the National Audubon Society's Project Puffin, which studies this jaunty-looking (and formerly endangered) bird." I discovered a new treat, the Smith Island Cake: a luscious 10-layer cake that was named "Official Cake of the State of Maryland" in 2008. And I learned a new tidbit about my own state: "Michigan now has more lighthouses than any other state in the country: 124."

The Great Lakes region - from Minnesota to Wisconsin, Illinois to Michigan, and Ohio to New York - is represented with some lovely recipes which highlight the beauty and bounty of the area. White fish, pasties, lake perch, cherry pie ... good ol'-fashioned wholesome dishes shine.

After much deliberation - you know me, I always want to make and eat everything! - I settled upon a simple but stellar dish of fried potatoes featuring a hint of curry. I had each of the ingredients on hand, which of course simplified my decision-making process. And this also meant I could be impatient and just start cooking, without having to plan, shop, and only then start to satisfy my cravings.

Bill's Famous Potatoes are served at the Sand Hills Lighthouse Inn in Ahmeek, Michigan, near the tippy top of the state along Lake Superior. Owners Bill and Mary Frabotta had "dreamed of restoring the lighthouse," and were finally able to finish doing so in the mid-1990s. It's now "a charming inn filled with modern conveniences and historic style, open year-round." And the hearty breakfasts served to guests include homemade Danish Coffee Cake, egg casserole, specially blended freshly ground coffee, and these exceptional potatoes which are tender inside, crispy outside, and perfectly seasoned.

The cookbook is divided by region, and then each lighthouse featured within a regional section offers a menu of several dishes. For example, the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse in New Castle, New Hampshire, offers recipes for a fall supper of Corn Chowder, Mashed Turnips, Baked Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Maple Syrup, Roast Striped Bass with Onion and Fennel, and Upside-Down Apple Pandowdy. And Faro Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, on the Morrillos Peninsula in Puerto Rico, offers a "Menú Para el Día de Acción de Gracias" - a Thanksgiving feast of Fresh Fruit Cocktail, Green Salad, Rice and Pigeon Peas, Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Garlic, Roasted Turkey with Puerto Rican Beef Dressing, and Sweet Papaya with White Goat Cheese ... sigh.

The American Lighthouse Cookbook showcases dishes from the familiar to the exotic, all of it delicious.

Bill's Famous Potatoes
(slightly adapted)

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2" dice
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• pinch of sugar

Place potatoes into a large mixing bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, Italian seasoning, onion powder, curry powder, salt, and sugar.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and start to brown them for 2-3 minutes. Cover the skillet and turn heat down to medium; cook for 5 minutes, stir, then cook for 5 more minutes 'til potatoes are just tender. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 more minutes until potatoes are golden brown.

Serves 2-4 as a side dish.

Wordless Wednesday - More Amusement at the Thrift Shop

Long-time followers know I always smirk when I see copies of this book languishing on thrift store shelves.  (Here's a previous post about it.)  So many bought the book, so many have discarded it ....

Go check 'em out on AnnArbor.com:
Yesterday: Moroccan Bread Salad
Today: Vegetable-Stuffed Baked Yellow Squash

Bookstock

I went to Bookstock yesterday, for the very first time.

I've tried to get there each year, but something always seems to come up to keep me from it.  But not this year!  This year I perused through thousands of used books, piled 'em up in my arms 'til I couldn't hold any more, and wished all the while that I lived closer so I could meander over each day for the week that this fest is being held, just to see what new goodies arrive as it all progresses.

Here's how Bookstock describes itself:


Bookstock, Used Book & Media Sale, is a community service project through which donations of books and media continue to provide enjoyment and knowledge. Proceeds from the sale support education and literacy projects in the Detroit metropolitan area and beyond.


The entire process of collecting and sorting gently used books and media, organizing and staffing the sale is 100% volunteer driven. This approach to recycling used books and media in order to raise money for education and literacy is what makes Bookstock a win-win endeavor for the community. All leftover books from Bookstock are donated to non-profits and charities in our community.

Now, one might think that I'm a bit limited to have bought 7 cookbooks, most of them about Jewish cuisine!  But not only are these books I didn't already have, some of them are also theoretically work-related.  I write about food, and I often write about Jewish food; I'm also writing regularly now for the Washtenaw Jewish News about holidays ... and food!  So to collect a few of the basics among the pantheon of Jewish cookbooks - The 92nd Street Y's International Kosher Cookbook, The World of Jewish Entertaining, and Joan Nathan's The Jewish Holiday Kitchen ... well, how could I resist???

There's also Love and Knishes by Sara Kasdan, which is very cute and chatty, with lots of traditional recipes and generous sprinklings of Yiddish, which I wish I could speak - you can't say anything in other languages as expressively as you can in Yiddish!  My favorite part, though, is the chapter on Yom Kippur Cookery, which totals 4 sentences: "Ah ha!  You looked.  Shame on you!  You should be fasting."  Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the one day on the Jewish calendar on which no food or water are permitted ... :)

But I also indulged in other interests beyond Jewish food, and bought a cookbook devoted solely to my beloved shortbread, one by Paul Prudhomme and his family, and one devoted to menus inspired by artists such as Brueghel, Rousseau, Mattisse and Monet.  Regular readers have followed along as I've written numerous posts about shortbread, both sweet and savory; about New Orleans and its food; and about art exhibits.  I may be obsessive and single-minded in buying cookbooks almost exclusively, but I'm a happy single-minded obsessive!

And I also have to share with you my moment of amusement.  I once wrote a post about finding copies of In the Kitchen with Rosie: Oprah's Favorite Recipes in every single thrift shop I meander through.  So to find one at Bookstock (and then, in looking at the picture, finding another copy tucked into the pile to the right-hand side of the one I photographed) made me chuckle ....

Matzah 'n' Mangoes (and a Giveaway!)

Lotsa news 'round here!

1) If you've got some spare time and you'd like to read my review of The New York Times Passover Cookbook, then go to page 24 of this month's issue of The Washtenaw Jewish News.  Find out why I like to schmear grape jelly on my matzah, and where I learned to do it.

And 2) I'm hosting a giveaway ... yay!

A charming woman named Susan, who works in Marketing and Community Relations for Whole Foods Market, sent me an email the other day with a fabulous offer: a case of 16 Ataulfo mangoes [ah-tah-UHL-foh] to play with and a case for one of my astoundingly wonderful readers (those in the U.S., that is ... sorry to others!).

Entry is easy: all you have to do is leave a comment below saying that you'd like to win, tell me what you might make with the mangoes (or just that you intend to eat them "as is" with no fuss), and make sure I can reach you by email to let you know if you've won.  It would be great if you could "like" Whole Foods on Facebook, too, 'cause they've been nice to us.  Oh, and only one entry per person even if you leave more than one comment; the first one will be the one that counts. It's easier and more fair that way.

This one is going to be fast and furious: the deadline is Wednesday, April 11 at 9 a.m. EDT, and I'll use Random.org to pick the winner.  If I notify you of winning, you'll have 'til 3 p.m. EDT to acknowledge it; if you ignore me, I'll move on down the road to the next in line.

This timing probably seems a bit odd ... here's the scoop.  The mangoes are only being featured for a short while.  Observant Jews won't be using the computer from sundown on Thursday the 12th through sundown on Saturday the 14th because of the end of Passover (Jewish law ... it's complicated), so finding an email announcement or responding to it wouldn't be possible.  And procrastinators have to worry about their taxes ... oy!  It seemed easier to just do it quickly, before the weekend.

If you're the winner and you live near a Whole Foods, Susan can arrange for you to pick up the goodies at the closest store; if you don't live near a Whole Foods, she'll have them shipped to you.

That's it!

Chag Pesach Sameach! [HAHG PAY-sahk sah-MAY-ahk] = Happy Passover!

Molly Goldberg's Lemon Meringue Pie

I've started work on my very exciting assignment to write about The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook for Repast, the newsletter of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.  I'm doing research to place the work into its historical context among other Jewish cookbooks.  And I'm watching DVDs of the "The Goldbergs" - the t.v. show featuring the character of Molly - to get a feel for the Goldberg family whose matriarch is the "author" I'll be writing about.

I'm also making some recipes from the cookbook.  As they say, "It's a tough job ...."

In its earlier episodes, The Goldbergs began with the exceptionally friendly (and somewhat meddlesome, but in a kind-hearted way) Molly calling out, "Yoo hoo" - a phrase which caught on with viewers who then called that out to their friends and neighbors, as well, when greeting each other.

In later seasons, though, the show's opening was changed to feature this introduction:

"There she is, folks - that's Molly Goldberg, a woman with a place in every heart and a finger in every pie."

So, of course, when perusing the cookbook and trying to determine what to sample from it, it only made sense to bake a pie.  And what better option than the Lemon Meringue Pie that Molly herself was so proud of?

"This pie is my specialty.  Not by me, but by Simon.  When My Rich Cousin was just struggling, he used to eat with us, and his favorite dessert was this pie.  He said that if he ever got rich he would have a cook and the only thing the cook had to know was how to make this pie.  So when Simon got rich he hired a cook and he had her make a lemon meringue pie.  It didn't turn out so so-so, and he sent the cook to me for lessons.  I showed her this recipe and she's been with Simon for fifteen years now, and would you believe it, Simon still says mine is better.  It's the exact same recipe as this one.  Some people are just stubborn.  The Passover lemon filling is so good that I use a pastry crust the rest of the year with the same filling."

Since it isn't Passover, I decided to simply use a standard pie crust rather than the matzah meal crust that the recipe gives instructions for.  But the filling really is so good that this could definitely overcome the very bad reputation that Passover desserts have!  (The prohibition against leavened products has traditionally led to very heavy, dense dishes that are not known for their allure.)

The pie has a wonderfully vivid flavor, and the filling is almost pudding-like rather than being a somewhat translucent gel that seems to be more common now.  It's not a "mile high" pie as we've grown accustomed to these days, thanks to super-sizing and "kicking it up a notch"; it's just a simple dessert showcasing both the vibrancy of the lemon and the secret ingredients - love and care - with which Molly would have made the pie for her family.

The recipe isn't difficult to follow at all, but it presumes some knowledge of baking rather than giving very specific step-by-step instructions.  For example, there is no explanation of a critical technique specific to meringue pies: spreading the egg whites over the edge of the crust to keep the meringue from shrinking while the pie bakes.

Also, the recipe calls for 3 whole eggs in the filling and 3 egg whites for the meringue.  But in whisking the filling as it cooked, I found that it simply wasn't thickening.  I was tempted to add some cornstarch, but instead added the leftover yolks.  The filling set up very quickly after that, so I included the yolks in the recipe below even though that isn't precisely Molly's version.  (Don't think about your cholesterol levels, just enjoy the treat!)

This pie is very easy to make and is a really lovely dessert to brighten a cold, dreary winter day.  I'm tempted to say "Yoo hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!  Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe!"

Don't forget to read about my "Chopped" challenge: dare me to use ingredients you suggest, and I'll post about my creations!  Click here for the terms ....


 Lemon Meringue Pie (slightly adapted from The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook)

1 crust for a 9" pie

Filling:
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
7/8 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
grated zest from 1 lemon

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place the crust into a 9" pie pan.  Line the crust with a sheet of foil and fill with dry beans to help the crust keep its shape and not shrink while pre-baking.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.  Remove foil and beans and set aside.

Prepare filling: Place 1" water into the bottom of a double boiler and set the double boiler onto a burner.  Bring water to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer.

Place the filling ingredients into the top of the double boiler and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens - 10 minutes or so.  When it's ready, the mixture will coat the back of a spoon: you can dip the spoon into the filling and run your finger through the coating, but the mixture won't seep back in to fill the space.  Pour the filling into the prepared crust and set aside while making the meringue.

Too thin - doesn't coat the spoon well, and the filling bleeds into the space

Perfect - filling is thickened and the space remains clear

Prepare meringue: Place the egg whites into a large mixing bowl.  With an electric mixer, beat until the whites hold soft peaks.  Add the sugar slowly and continue beating until the whites hold stiff peaks.  Spread the meringue over the lemon filling, being sure that the meringue adheres to the crust or else the meringue will shrink and not cover the filling.  Bake for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden.

Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving.  Store in the refrigerator.

Makes 1 pie.

Reaching ....

As I wrote in both of my New Year posts - the one for Rosh Hashanah and the one featuring my word of the year - the past years (5771 on the Jewish calendar and 2011 on the English one) were wretched. Really, truly, they brought some bad juju!

But the fall and early winter have brought a bit of an upswing, a pretty good lead-in to a new year with fresh hope.    And I always want to share good news with my friends, who've supported me through all the bad stuff and kept me going.  In many ways, it was the professional invitations I received at the end of the year that helped me to choose REACH as my word for 2012; but these are helping me to extend my reach on a personal level, too.

I was the entertainment at Temple Beth Emeth's annual Sisterhood dinner, speaking about how I meandered from Catholic school to Jewish food.  I had a marvelous time - and without embarrassing myself!  (I'm not a natural public speaker by any means.)  I made wonderful new friends, I've been invited to judge the temple's annual brisket cook-off in March (what a great gig that will be!), and I had a lovely time as Cinderella at the ball.  I've also got judging duties at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's chili cook-off in February, so my taste buds are going to be busy!

An excellent opportunity to write for the Washtenaw Jewish News, Ann Arbor's Jewish newspaper, was offered to me - reviewing the cookbook Ma Baseema with its fabulous Chaldean/Iraqi recipes.  I recently finished work on that, and the piece will appear in the February issue; another article I'm working on for the WJN has a publication date yet to be determined.

And then I received the most incredible email inviting me to a brand new project; even re-reading it, I'm still in shock!  Let me edit/shorten it for you, and cut to the proverbial chase:

Allow me to introduce myself as editor of Repast, quarterly publication of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.

I'm beginning to plan a Fall 2012 issue of Repast on the theme of "American Cookbooks and Cookbook Writers, 1900-1945". I'm writing to see if you might be able to contribute an article? What I had in mind is a piece on The Molly Goldberg Cookbook, which you wrote about briefly in your 10/29/09AnnArbor.com column. I think this topic would greatly interest our readers ....
   
We feature stories about the history and culture of food: its production, its preparation, its enjoyment, regional culinary traditions, the evolution of gastronomy and of food discourse, kitchen lore, etc.... Your article would make a valuable contribution to the culinary history community of scholars, writers, and readers. Thank you for your time and interest.

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!!!  I've been invited to write for a respected journal devoted to the history of food!  Me - the flaky chick who takes pictures of everything she eats (with an adorable little pink camera, no less) and then babbles and blathers about it (after taking notes in an equally adorable pink notebook)!

I'll be writing about a Jewish cookbook and the amazing woman, Gertrude Berg, who created the character of Molly Goldberg whose name the book was written in - does it get any better than that???

I'll get to reach back into history, reach out to friends both old and new as I do my research, reach deep into my skill set ... keep reaching and, most importantly, growing ....


For today's recipe - Roasted Fennel and Mushrooms - go to the Food and Grocery page of AnnArbor.com ....

National Voodoo Day

Today is a holiday in the West African country Benin: it's National Voodoo Day.

Now, before anyone starts thinking I'll be offering a recipe for a magic potion, let me assure you that the true practice of Voodoo doesn't involve all the propaganda that is usually associated with it. According to Martine De Sousa, a museum curator and expert on the religion: "People have a negative image of voodoo ... (as) a sort of a witchcraft, where you can put a bad spell on someone when you are jealous of that person."

Instead, Voodoo features a single creator in addition to a hierarchy of major divinities who rule over the Earth, the sky and the water; this then explains the power that fetishes and other inanimate natural objects are believed to hold, imbued with spirituality as they are.  There are also lesser deities which can act as intercessors in a role similar to that of saints in the Catholic church. According to Wikipedia, "about 23% of the population of Benin, some 1 million people," are followers of Voodoo.

In honor of today's festivities, I modified this recipe a bit from one I found in The New York Times International Cookbook by Craig Claiborne. My copy of this classic is ancient and decrepit; in fact, it's so old that it's taped together, it shows evidence of encounters with spilled ingredients, and Benin is still called by its pre-1975 name of Dahomey!

In southern Benin, corn is the primary starch; in the north, yams are. Fish and seafood play a significant role in the cuisine throughout the country, as do rice, tomatoes, peanuts, and black-eyed peas. Meat - usually goat or pork - is a luxury, so it would be reserved for an occasion such as today's.

This dish offers great flavor, meat served in honor of the holiday, and black-eyed peas which are thought to bring good luck if eaten in the new year.  It's got everything you need for a celebration!

Ham and Shrimp with Black-Eyed Peas

1 cup dry black-eyed peas

3 tablespoons peanut oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup finely diced ham

1/3 pound pre-cooked shrimp, chopped

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2/3 cup chili sauce

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper sauce rice, for serving

Place the peas in a medium bowl and cover generously with water; soak overnight at room temperature.  

Drain the peas and place them in a medium saucepan; add water to cover generously.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes; drain.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is browning.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the ham, shrimp and salt; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chili sauce, water, and cayenne pepper sauce; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve the dish over rice.

Serves 2-4.

"Ann Arbor Tailgates" - Cookbook for a Cause

Buy a cookbook and help the homeless.

Alpha House - a shelter for homeless families in Washtenaw County - has published a cookbook just in time for holiday shopping: Ann Arbor Tailgates: Your Favorite Recipes. It features stories and photos in addition to recipes, and it is most entertaining.

You get to meet Super Fan I, whose game uniform includes a superhero's mask created as an homage to the famous Wolverines' helmets; he offers recipes for "To Hell with Notre Dame" Gumbo and "Smash the Spartans" Apple Cake. There's also Go Bleu Cheese Spread and Go Blue Martinis, perfect for cheering on The University of Michigan's Maize 'n' Blue.

If you know someone who likes to cook, let me assure you that it's not possible to have too many cookbooks. If you know rabid football fans, those folks need this cookbook for new tailgating ideas. If you know someone who likes to entertain, there are great party recipes, from dips to chilis to desserts. Truly, this cookbook would make a great gift for anyone!

Ann Arbor Tailgates costs only $20, and $15 of that is a charitable donation which may be tax deductible. And just look how easy it is to buy copies:

1) Click on this link and buy it online. Or,

2) Contact Helen Starman, Director of Development at Alpha House: 4290 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (734)822-0220. The cookbook can be picked up at no extra charge or mailed to you or your gift recipient for $3.50/copy.

Alpha House needs all the support we can give it, as it's really so much more than a shelter. As Executive Director Nicole Adelman states in her introduction to the cookbook:

"More than providing just a bed and a roof, our goal is to support families in securing and maintaining their own homes."

And how successful is the amazing, dedicated staff in helping their remarkably strong and resilient clients to achieve this? "In 2010, 100% of the families who left Alpha House in our Home Based Support Program were still housed one year later."

Okay, enough nudging! Let me show you one of the great recipes you'll find in your new cookbook.

It took me a long, long time to decide what to cook for this post; there were so many choices, and we all know that decisions are not my strongsuit. Something rich and hearty, like Poppy Seed Ham and Cheese Rolls? Something lighter, such as Mediterranean Eight-Layer Dip featuring hummus and vegetables? Something as sophisticated as Kahlua-Espresso Truffles, or something more family-friendly like Strawberry Pretzel Salad? Or something wildly different, namely the Vodka-Infused Gummy Bears? (I know I've piqued your curiosity! You've gotta buy the book now!)

What to make? What to eat?

It came down to which ingredients I had on hand. And so the winner was Baked Potato Chips, contributed by Maize Marvel: hand-cut potatoes baked in just a touch of olive oil, sprinkled with kosher salt and black pepper and served with a green onion dip.

This simply-prepared snack was so amazingly (a-maize-ingly???) good! I'd baked only one potato's worth of chips, then promptly ate them all by myself. I was sorely tempted to slice up another potato to make a second batch, but I decided that gluttony was not an attractive trait. I particularly liked the slightly overdone caramelized bits - they were crispy and extra flavorful; and I was generous with the pepper, so the chips were a bit spicy, too, which was a perfect complement to the creamy, zesty dip.

Helen Starman - whom you'll be calling to order copies of the book - offers the following: "I am so excited that you made the potato chips – I love them ... the chips are so tasty and addictive"!

So, I've given you one recipe. To get the others, buy a cookbook and help the homeless while doing your holiday shopping.

Baked Potato Chips with Green Onion Dip
(slightly adapted from the recipe submitted by Maize Marvel)

Chips:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large Yukon Gold potato, sliced very thinly
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 325F. Brush the oil over a baking sheet, then place the baking sheet into the oven for 10 minutes.

Lay the potato slices onto the hot baking sheet without overlapping them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, then bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes, then flip the chips over and bake them for another 5 minutes or until done to your liking.

Dip:

1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 large green onion, chopped
sprinkle of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together and serve with the chips.

Muppet Muffins

The Muppets have a new movie coming out today, which I'm hoping to see tonight. Everyone do your best impression of Kermit flailing his arms and shouting, "YAAAAAAAY!"

I used to love movies. I was raised on all the classics, and I'd see virtually anything that came out - a wide variety, from Hollywood blockbusters to obscure foreign films.

But over the years, I've lost patience with just sitting and staring unproductively. It's a rare movie that I care enough about to bother watching. I saw "The King's Speech," which I absolutely adored; and I've also recently seen "Puppet," about a beautifully poignant puppet show telling the story of an eccentric Depression-era photographer.

So it's on my agenda to see "The Muppets" today, which shows how much I cherish them. The characters are distinctive and idiosyncratic and quirky; they are so very real and so very - dare I say it? - human. Who doesn't love them? I can't let this new movie pass me by!

In honor of today's big event I've baked a variation on Gene Shalit's Movie Crumb Cake, slightly modified from a recipe in In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy - a celebrity cookbook published in 1996 to support Citymeals-on-Wheels, which provides "1.8 million meals to over 16,500 elderly New Yorkers each year."

I found this amusing little book at a thrift shop and just knew it had to go home with me. It features recipes from Whoopi Goldberg, Ivana Trump, Samuel L. Jackson, Willard Scott, and many others. And famed chef Pierre Franey even dares to offer a recipe for Cuisses de Grenouilles Poulette [kwees deh grun-WHEE pooh-LET] - Frogs' Legs in Cream Sauce. I'm quite certain that Kermit is quivering.

Miss Piggy's introduction to the cookbook is priceless:

"When I was aproached to write this cookbook, moi thought: Why not? If Oprah can do it ...."

She recommends a variety of kitchen essentials, such as a curling iron ("For turning spaghetti into rotini"), a dog ("For cleaning the kitchen floor"), and a fire extinguisher ("In case your roast is a teensy bit overcooked").

But on to the recipe!

This was actually supposed to be a crumb cake, rather than cakes; but I found myself with just one egg in my refrigerator, and so I could only bake half of the batter. Since I had no pan that would approximate half of a 9"x9" cake tin, I was left to make mini versions instead. And I used butter instead of margarine, as all good bakers should; but one of Gene's jokes was dependent upon the word "margarine," so I kept that intact when I typed up the recipe.

The instructions below offer the same giddy silliness that the Muppets excel at, so it was the perfect choice for today.

I don't think the title "Movie Crumb Cakes" does these moist, sweet, cinnamony treats any justice, though. So I'm going to call them Muppet Muffins ... for the lovers, the dreamers, and me.

(Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Hodgson Mills' online store! The deadline is Sunday morning!)


Muppet Muffins
(Slightly adapted from Gene Shalit's recipe for Movie Crumb Cake)

1. Before going to the theater, preheat oven to 325F. (Note: postheat not recommended.) While waiting, line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, mix:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 tablespoons margarine (this must be exact; do not leave any margarine for error)

Cut in margarine with a pastry blender until it's crumbly. Set aside. (After all that, you set it aside. What a recipe.)

3. In a large (not big, not huge, a large) bowl, mix until very smooth:

1/4 cup soft margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg (out of shell)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4. Then - and only then - slowly, verrrrry slowly - mix in:

1 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup sour cream (why do they put a date on sour cream?)

Alternate the flour and sour cream additions, starting and ending with flour. Just blend; don't overmix.

5. Divide half of this mixture among the lined muffin tins.

6. Sprinkle half of topping (you remember the topping - that stuff up in the first paragraph marked 2).

7. Place remaining batter (this is the first I hear of "batter." Where did this come from?) on top of crumb mixture (2 - very busy number).

8. Top (that's a verb, i.e., to Top) with remaining crumb mixture (how much of this stuff is there?).

9. Place everything - pans, topping, bottoming, crumbs, the whole business - in oven (which by this time better be at 325F or else you're going to need a new oven) and set timer (I forgot to tell you, you need a timer) for 20 minutes.

10. Test for doneness. (Check dictionary for "doneness.")

Donate muffins to neighbor and go to the movies.

Makes 6 muffins.

Cardamom-Scented Shortbread Cookies

I don't usually take vacation days for fun, except for Jeremy's and my birthdays. It seems I'm always using them to take loved ones to appointments, or for other utilitarian activities, rather than amusing myself.

So I recently decided to treat myself to a half-day of vacation to do something most entertaining: I went to the Jewish Book Festival to learn about Chaldean [kal-DEE-un] cooking. Chaldeans are Iraqi Christians, and the Detroit area is proud to be home to one of the group's largest communities in the world.

Friends of mine, Shira and Steve Klein, own Huron River Press which has published the gorgeous cookbook Ma Baseema: Middle Eastern Cooking with Chaldean Flair. The book was being featured recently at a lunchtime event at the Festival, advertised for maximum temptation:

"Guests will enjoy a taste of a culture that has one of the world’s oldest cuisines, dating back to ancient Mesopotamia. This culinary journey will show the essence of Chaldean food and delight the palate with a tempting collection of recipes ranging from soups, appetizers, salads, main-course dishes, breads and desserts."

Well how could I resist learning about this fascinating culture and its cuisine, as well as getting to taste samples of the fabulous food?

When I walked into the room, not only did I find many of my friends; I also found an extraordinary sensual experience - seductive aromas and gorgeous colorful salads on display. I knew this was going to be a good time!

Our charming hostesses, Gloria and Lillian, gave a brief history of their community, spoke a bit of Aramaic for us (with some similarities to Hebrew noted), and demonstrated great pride in their culture and cooking. Chaldeans are famous for hospitality and for close-knit extended families; and one way in which their bonds are forged is through food.

"Ma baseema" means "how good it is!" And each item we tasted - from the eggplant and peppers with pomegranate seeds; to the traditional Iraqi salad of chickpeas with tomatoes, cucumbers, beets and onions; to the vegetarian grape leaves cooked in a bright lemony sauce - was amazingly delicious. The flavors are simple and yet complex, familiar and yet exotic, each bite offering hints of new tastes.

This cookbook isn't filled simply with one person's recipes. Rather, the community hosted a cook-off judged by three area chefs with no ties to the Chaldeans, such that there would be no hint of preference or discrimination (i.e.: "This is/isn't how my grandmother made it."). Each recipe, therefore, is not only representative of the cuisine, but it was deemed the best example of a particular dish.

Proceeds from the sale of Ma Baseema are being donated to the Chaldean American Ladies of Charity (CALC), an organization which serves the community in many ways. In recent years, much of the group's efforts have been focused upon resettling Iraqi refugees who have found a home here in Michigan.

I cannot recommend this cookbook highly enough! The presentation is beautiful, and the recipes and dishes are unbelievably delicious. The cookies below are rich and crumbly with just a hint of spice shining through; they're perfect to serve with coffee or tea.

Ma baseema - how good it is - indeed!

Cardamom-Scented Shortbread Cookies

(Very slightly adapted from Nadira Thweny's recipe for "Sugar Cookies/Shekar Bureghi" featured in Ma Baseema.)

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cardamom and salt. Combine the butter and oil, and add to the dry ingredients; mix until the dough is crumbly.

Form lumps of dough the size of a golf ball.


Shape the dough into triangles. (It's crumbly, so just futz with the dough until it does what you want. There's no trick to it - you'll get the hang of it!)



Place the triangles onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden. Repeat until the dough is used up.

Makes 36 cookies. Lightly dust them with confectioners' sugar for presentation, if desired.

Vanilla Cakes with Caramelized Bananas

I recently won a lovely "swag bag" from my very good blogging buddy Angela, of the always inspirational Foodie Road Show. She had attended the BlogHer Food '11 conference in Atlanta, and decided to share the wealth with those of us who'd been unable to go.

And just what goodies did I receive?


- Nordic Ware's The Great Cupcake Book: Exquisite Cupcake Recipes for Year 'Round Baking

- Salty Sweets: Delectable Desserts and Tempting Treats with a Sublime Kiss of Salt, by Christie Matheson

- and a 3-ounce bar of Scharffen Berger Mocha 62% Cacao Dark Chocolate with Freshly Roasted Coffee

Sigh ....

So, of course, I had to put my new cookbooks to use. For a food/cooking/baking enthusiast like lil' ol' moi, this was like having a new toy!

It took a considerable amount of effort to determine where, precisely, to start with this project. The peanut butter frosting was calling loudly; no cake or brownie or other vehicle necessary, merely the frosting.

Perhaps some butterscotch pudding? I had already devoured a sufficient quantity of whipped cream on National Strawberry Shortcake Day, and feel quite certain that my arteries are still groaning under the strain of it; so I didn't think that another indulgence in cream was particularly warranted.

And then I settled upon one recipe from each book, which would then be combined into one luscious dessert.

I baked the cupcake portion of the Bostom Cream Cupcakes from the Nordic Ware book, and topped them with the Caramelized Bananas which would normally be part of the filling in the Oatmeal-Crusted Banana Tart featured in the book about sweet treats.

This doesn't, admittedly, make for the most colorful dessert. And yet, it is utterly delectable without being too sugary. I had thought that a dab of whipped cream might be warranted, but found that this was actually unnecessary when I tried it. (Oh, the things I do for my readers, eating my way through variations on recipes until finding just the right one to share with you!)

The cakes are tender and moist even before being drenched in the caramel syrup, and their flavor shines through independently. The bananas almost taste as though they've been touched with a hint of rum (which would not be an ill-advised contribution to the cause!), and the brown sugar develops a rich, burnished depth of flavor from being melted and boiled.

These are a lovely, light dessert for a summer evening.

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with 4 paper liners.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Combine the milk, butter, egg and vanilla; pour into the flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Divide the batter among the lined muffin tins, and bake for 20 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Caramelized Bananas:
3 tablespoons butter
3 medium bananas, peeled, sliced into 1/2"-thick rounds
1/4 cup light brown sugar
pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the bananas to the skillet in a single layer. Sprinkle the bananas with the brown sugar and salt.

Raise the heat to medium-high and cook the bananas for 3-4 minutes, turning them once about halfway through, until the sugar is caramelized.

To assemble: Remove the papers from the cupcakes, and place one cupcake onto each of 4 dessert plates. Pour the caramelized bananas over the cupcakes, and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Savory Salmon Pancakes

My good friend Cindy (remember? -- her niece didn't have cake at her wedding, which sent me down a spiral of obsession!) gave me a lovely gift the other day to thank me for my help with some projects at work: The New York Times Passover Cookbook. A new cookbook!!! I cannot tell you how thrilled I was ... :)

So, of course, I immediately started to peruse it. I could easily have stopped everything else I was doing and just walked down the hall to the kitchen to make lunch for my co-workers with my new recipes!

But I was a good, responsible employee and waited 'til the next day to start my cooking. And the very first thing I made? A variation on the recipe featured on page 107: Mrs. Arnold Stein's Cottage Cheese Chremsele.

Chremsel ([KREM-suhl] -- ignore the spelling variations with or without an "e", as either is an acceptable transliteration) is a Yiddish word, meaning "a flat fried cake made with matzoth meal and filled usu. with prunes" (according to Merriam-Webster) ... essentially a pancake. I don't know who Mrs. Arnold Stein is/was, or why her chremslach ([KREMZ-lahk] - the plural) weren't filled with prunes. But the pancakes featured cottage cheese -- something I had in the refrigerator and was trying to use up -- so that pushed them to the top of my list.

I am not a creature of habit (OCD? -- oh, yeah; routine? -- no), and have grown exceedingly weary of eggs or cereal or toast or similar items for breakfast. I'm the kinda girl who'll re-heat spaghetti and meatballs in the morning if it's available, so being limited to kosher and vegetarian options has put a bit of a damper on my need for variety. No bacon, no sausage, no leftovers permitted to be brought home ... sigh.

Thus, an opportunity for something new and novel immediately perked up my morning.

The chremsele recipe called for separating the eggs and whipping the whites ... uh uh, not when I'm hungry after not having eaten since the night before! I also veered from the recipe by adding some salmon (and lox would have been sublime in these, if I'd had it) and a pinch of dill. Then I fried 'em up and served them with sour cream.

Oh, the decadence! The pancakes were rich and flavorful, and a fabulous option for a fast breakfast, brunch, light lunch/supper ... truly, a quick and easy recipe that will be made over and over again.

So thank you, Mrs. Stein, for inspiring my breakfast. And thank you again, Cindy, for your friendship and for the lovely, thoughtful gift which I adore ... :)

Savory Salmon Pancakes

2 eggs
1/4 cup cottage cheese
pinch of salt
generous sprinkling of lemon pepper
2 heaping tablespoons of matzah meal or flour
1/3 cup mashed, flaked salmon
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/8 teaspoon dill
1 tablespoon butter
sour cream, for serving

In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, cottage cheese, salt and lemon pepper. Stir in the matzah meal, salmon, onion and dill.


Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Make 5 mounds with the batter, and cook 3 minutes per side until the pancakes are golden brown and don't wobble if you nudge them slightly with the spatula.



Serve hot, with sour cream.

In the Thrift Shops with Rosie

Remember when all the lemmings who follow Oprah's every move bought the cookbook that her personal chef, Rosie Daley, had written: In the Kitchen with Rosie???

Well, 'twould seem that no one wants the book any more. No matter which thrift shop I go into -- PTO Thrift Shop, Ann Arbor Thrift Shop, Value World, St. Vincent de Paul Store, The Re-Use Center -- I inevitably find a copy. The sampling offered below represents just the past few weeks' worth of trolling:








No profound observations to offer here -- it's just become a game for me to find a copy of the book at each secondhand store, so I thought I'd share my warped sense of amusement ... ;)

One Fine Day

I have the most amazing day planned, with an adundance of gratitude to my gorgeous friend Mimi for inviting me along on the adventure!

The first order of business -- literally -- will be going to work. I like to eat, so I've gotta earn some money.

But then I get to leave early to play hooky and also play hostess: the fabulous cookbook author Joan Nathan is coming to town today for a book signing and presentation ... and Mimi (Cultural Arts and Education Director at the Jewish Community Center here in Ann Arbor) asked me to help her escort Joan this afternoon!!! I'll catch up with Joan at 4 o'clock at Zingerman's Deli, where everyone is welcome to come and visit during a "meet 'n' greet" session, and then we'll head to a lovely, lovely dinner.

And where will dinner be held for a woman who's traveled all over the world and could have eaten at any of Ann Arbor's hundreds of fabulous restaurants??? At eve, the one restaurant Joan said she absolutely wanted to go to, featuring the one chef she wanted to meet during her brief visit here -- Eve Aronoff, who had appeared on Bravo's "Top Chef "and whose restaurant was recently named one of the very best ones in the Detroit area.

Then there will be the much-anticipated appearance at the Jewish Book Festival tonight with moderator (and Zingerman's co-founder) Ari Weinzweig at 7:30, where I will get my new cookbook -- Quiches, Kugels and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Food in France -- autographed ... sigh ... :)

So stay tuned to hear all about the luscious dinner, the conversation, the entire escape from daily routine! And in the meantime, read all about the Chocolate Almond Cake I baked recently with a 400-year-old recipe featured in Joan's new cookbook. Tom said I should rename it "Chocolate Orgasm Cake;" and it's hard to argue that point -- there is more than half-a-pound of chocolate in this magnificent specimen!

Here's the link to my post on AnnArbor.com: C'est Magnifique! Exquisite French Chocolate Cake Recipe Doesn't Disappoint. Read it, go shopping, and bake the cake. I promise you won't be disappointed either ....