Author: SimpletoWow

I hope that you enjoy this blog dedicated to recipes, designs and inspirations that are simple, yet add that special "wow" to your table, your family and your life. I grew up in Cleveland, OH and currently live in Teaneck NJ. I would love to hear from you as you find those special simple things that create a "wow" for you.

Sweet Potato Gratin with Shallots and Grapes

sweet-potato-gratin-with-shallots-and-grapes-2

A gratin is a dish that is baked or broiled in a shallow dish and has a crispy upper crust. Traditionally, a gratin employs cheese and/or breadcrumbs to achieve that crispy crunchy crust.

This recipe is my own pareve and low-carb version of a gratin.

It is roasted and baked in a shallow dish.  Oh, and it has a delicious caramelized upper crust.  Alas, there is no cheese and there are no breadcrumbs.

Instead, shallots and grapes create that crispy and decadent upper crust.  I think that it is a worthy gratin, albeit pareve and vegan.

I suppose that we can call it a gratin in disguise.

Here it is…

INGREDIENTS

2-3 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed with tough ends removed
3-4 shallots, peeled
handful of green or red grapes, whole

3-4 tablespoons oil
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar, honey, agave or maple syrup
kosher salt
pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a casserole dish or deep pie plate with parchment paper.

Spiralize sweet potatoes or shred sweet potatoes in the food processor, using the shredder blade.  Sweet potatoes may be peeled or unpeeled.

Pile the shredded sweet potatoes on the lined baking dish.

Thinly slice shallots using slicer blade of the food processor.  Scatter over the shredded sweet potatoes.

Remove grapes from cluster and clean.  Scatter over the shallots.

Lightly drizzle oil and brown sugar, honey, agave or maple syrup over vegetables.  Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

sweet-potato-gratin-with-shallots-and-grapes-2-before-baking

Roast uncovered for 30-35 minutes.  Lower heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 10 minutes longer.  The gratin should be soft and just beginning to caramelize.

Salad Appetizer in a Flower Pot

A plated appetizer should be pleasing to the palate and pleasing to the eye.  Very often, the difference between an ordinary appetizer and an extraordinary appetizer is in the plating.

This one is the perfect example.

I have taken a small terra cotta flowerpot and fitted it with a plastic cup.  I filled the cup with Heirloom Tomato Salad and garnished it with a Curly Scallion Garnish and beet horseradish sauce.  To add a ‘flower’ to the flowerpot, I placed a radish garnish on a skewer and placed it into the pot.

 

SUPPLIES

terra cotta pots

short 4″ skewers

Voila!

 

 

Please Note:  This post contains affiliate links from Amazon, which means I earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Sweet Potato Cupcake Toppers

sweet-potato-cupcake-toppers-unbaked

Sweet potato is a simple and versatile ingredient that is available year-round. Even the humble sweet potato can be easily dressed up. Its gorgeous orange color, its sweet flavor and its creamy smooth texture make this recipe a masterpiece.

I have called this recipe “sweet potato cupcake toppers” because the mashed sweet potato pipes so beautifully that it looks ready to top a cupcake. The elegance of the star-tip piping makes such a beautifully presented side-dish.

But, don’t let the beautiful color and presentation of these toppers fool you.

The elegance of this dish is paralleled only by the impressive taste and texture. The natural sweetness and of the sweet potato is intensified by roasting the raw sweet potato and then adding honey or agave syrup. The baking of these piped cupcake toppers create a light and crispy ouer shell, while the inside retains a soft, creamy texture.

These sweet potato toppers add a touch of elegance to any meal, but are actually simple to prepare. I have used a large star tip to pipe them, but they can be easily piped from a zipper bag with the corner cut, as well.

This recipe will wow your guests and only you will know how simple they were to prepare.

INGREDIENTS
4-5 sweet potatoes

1 egg
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon agave syrup or honey
dash of salt and pepper

 

SUPPLIES

Cuisinart Stainless 14 cup Food Processor

Wilton Large Piping Tip Set

Heavy Duty 16″ Disposable Piping Bags

Wood and Silicone Spatula

 

DIRECTIONS

Roast sweet potatoes at 425 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Sweet potatoes are ready when the outside is soft and there is a gap between the peel and the inside pulp. Allow to cool and then carefully peel away the skin.

sweet-potato-cupcake-toppers-roasted-sweet-potatoes

Using the s-blade in the food processor, pulse sweet potato pulp, egg, olive oil, syrup or honey and salt until puree is smooth and creamy.

sweet-potato-cupcake-toppers-puree-in-food-processor

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Fill a large piping bag fitted with a star tip or a zipper bag with sweet potato puree.  To do this most easily and without making much of a mess, cuff bag over tall jar or glass.  Use a stiff rubber spatula to load puree into piping or zipper bag.

If not using a tip, cut corner of bag. Squeeze air out of the top of the bag and twist top of bag shut.  Push puree to tip or cut corner.  Pipe sweet potato puree  onto parchment paper.

sweet-potato-cupcake-toppers-unbaked

Bake for 20-30 minutes.  Sweet Potato toppers should be slightly firm and dry on top when ready.

Voila!

Please Note:  This post contains affiliate links from Amazon, which means I earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Etty’s Simple Basil-Dijon Vinaigrette

Leah has been raving about this vinaigrette that her friend, Etty, prepares and serves with steamed green beans.  This sauce is the perfect balance of savory and sweet,  has a fresh, beautiful green color and creamy texture.  This vinaigrette will wow you in its versatility and simplicity.

Whenever I prepare a recipe that has been shared with me for the first time, I follow the recipe exactly and I serve it in the same way it had been served to me.  So for this wonderful vinaigrette, I was true to that rule and served it with steamed green beans.   I saved a bit to try with some other foods.

I served it with just about everything else I could find.

It was the perfect dipping sauce for ciabatta, a garnish for Savta’s Favorite Breaded Tilapia and was perfect drizzled over grilled chicken.

Here is the sauce that is not just for green beans anymore:

 

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves of garlic
1 shallot
1/4 cup wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
25 fresh basil leaves

 

DIRECTIONS

In a  food processor fitted with the s-blade, combine ingredients for the vinaigrette. Pulse until smooth.

 

SUPPLIES

Cuisinart food processor

set of 16 oz wide-mouth squirt bottles

 

NOTES

Decant the dressing into an empty sport-top water bottle or wide-mouth squeeze bottle.

Add a unique label to this Red Grapefruit Vinaigrette. Using glue stick or clear packing tape, adhere a custom basil-dijon-vinaigrette-label to an empty squeeze bottle. If you would like to print your own simpletowow  label, feel free print out this basil-dijon-vinaigrette-label. The paper label also allows you to jot down the date when you prepared the dressing so that you can track the preparation date.

Enjoy!

Please Note: This post contains affiliate links from Amazon, which means I earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

 

Honey Mustard Gooey Baked Chicken

gooey-honey-mustard-chicken

There is something about gooey chicken that just feels satisfying, especially on these harsh cold wintry days.  The best part of this recipe is that it is a one pot meal.  The chicken, potatoes and zucchini cook all together and impart delicious flavors.  The end result is a very flavorful meal of chicken and vegetables that is falling off the bone and deliciously crispy and gooey, all at the same time.

This recipe is actually another version of Simply Reliable One Pan Roast Chicken Dinner that I frequently prepare for Friday night Shabbos dinner.  I like to prepare this recipe in  a Pyrex baking dish just big enough that I can lay out the chicken parts in a single layer over the potatoes.  That way, the maximum surface area of the chicken is exposed to the sauce, yielding a well-coated gooey chicken.  I most often use chicken cut into tenths: 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 drumsticks and each chicken breast cut in half. This allows the chicken parts to cook more evenly and to be coated with the sauce so that every piece has delicious flavor and texture.

I added sriracha as an optional ingredient, since not everyone tolerates and enjoys the spiciness of hot sauce.  This recipe is delicious either way: with or without the sriracha.  The heat is up to you!

 

INGREDIENTS

chicken cut into tenths

2-3 large potatoes, scrubbed and cut into large wedges

2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sriracha (optional)
scant drizzle of soy sauce

generous drizzle of honey or agave syrup

1-2 zucchini, cut into large chunks
3-4 cloves garlic or garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Scrub and cut potatoes into wedges.  Place in bottom of baking pan.  Place chicken on top of potatoes.  Carefully pour juice over chicken and potatoes.  Tuck  zucchini chunks among the chicken and potatoes.  Drizzle mustard, honey, and optionally sriracha over the chicken.  To spread evenly, you can use a brush to coat every part of the chicken.  Sprinkle garlic on top of chicken and vegetables.

Tightly cover with heavy duty foil.

Bake in preheated 400 degrees F oven for two hours.

VARIATIONS 

Add carrots to the vegetable medley for additional flavor and color.

Add fresh or powdered ginger to this recipe for an unexpected zesty flavor.

To add extra crispiness, uncover and bake for 30 minutes more.

Onion Mac and Cheese with Crumb Topping

Mac and Cheese is real comfort food and is always welcome in our home.  Last Motzei Shabbos (Saturday night, lit. Shabbos exit), I prepared this delicious macaroni and cheese dish for ourselves and our favorite Shabbos guest, James.

On Saturday nights, we enjoy a Melave Malka meal as we escort the regal Shabbos out of our homes.    Motzei Shabbas is a time when we transition from the holiness of Shabbos into the more mundane everyday spirit of the week.  The Melave Malka (lit: escorting the queen) meal helps us bid farewell to the Shabbos queen and lets us hold on to the last  bit of Shabbos as we welcome the new week. 

The Melave Malka is typically a dairy meal after the heavier meat meals that we enjoy during the Shabbos.  Davida and Aaron have been our Melave Malka cooks. Aaron would prepare delicious homemade pizza and pastas.  Davida’s Simple Cheesy Zucchini Logs, Baked Spaghetti Squash with Sauce and Cheese and Davida’s Easy and Delicious Calzones have become legendary Melave Malka dishes.   Both Davida and Aaron are studying in Israel this year, so we now have to fend for ourselves on Saturday nights.

Recently, Don has been suffering from heartburn after eating tomato-based pasta sauces. Therefore, I have been on the lookout for new delicious pasta dishes that are hearty but without tomato sauce.  This is one of those wonderfully creamy mac and cheese dishes that has no heartburn after-effect.  It can be baked in a large baking dish or in individual ramekins.

It has that oh, so creamy texture on the inside with the crunchiness of the breadcrumbs on the outside.

We hope that this recipe becomes one of your favorites, too!

mac-n-cheese-in-ramekin

INGREDIENTS

1 pound pasta
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic or garlic powder
1-2 bunches scallions
drizzle of olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese (I used muenster)
panko or breadcrumbs

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare al dente pasta according to package directions. Drain.

mac-n-cheese-pots

While pasta is cooking, saute onion, garlic and scallions in olive oil.

mac-n-cheese-onions-and-scallions

Add flour and salt, mixing with a wooden spoon. Add milk, stirring well until thick. Add cheese and stir until mixture is thick and creamy.

mac-n-cheese-sauce

Add pasta and stir until well-combined.

In a bag or separate bowl, toss breadcrumbs or panko with olive oil until moist and crumbly.

Ladle pasta mixture into a casserole or individual ramekins. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until mac and cheese is golden brown.

mac-n-cheese-all-done

Same-Day Ciabatta is in the Bag

For those weeks when you remember to start the ciabatta the night before, my no-knead ciabatta recipe is perfect.  It requires no kneading, very little effort in preparation and produces a delicious ciabatta bread with a crusty exterior and large air pocket holes on the inside.  The only downside to this recipe is that it requires slow overnight rising of at least 12 hours.

Every once in a while, I intend to start the ciabatta the night before and life just gets in the way.   This past week was one of those weeks.

I woke up Friday morning and still wanted to prepare ciabatta, but just didn’t have enough time for the slow-rise method.

So, I had to adapt another recipe that would be ready in a lot less time.

Oh, and, while I was experimenting, I decided to prepare it in a zipper bag to eliminate most of the mess.

It worked out perfectly.

This original The Crepes of Wrath recipe was sent to me by Kaitlyn last year.  I simplified the preparation and adapted it to my measurement and temperature preferences.  Best of all, I adapted the recipe to be prepared in a zipper bag.

And, yes, without the overnight rise it still produces the enviable crust, so chewy inside with those oh, so wonderful air pockets.

Here it is.

ciabatta in the oven.jpg

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Leah’s Crunchy Chopped Salad

When Leah read the recent blog post on her chocolate chip cookies, she felt inspired to share some new salad recipes.  After all, she felt it necessary to validate her title as “Salad Queen”.

One evening, on the night before I planned to clean out the refrigerator and then restock my fruits and vegetables, Leah created this chopped salad with the slim pickings in our fridge.

This salad is the perfect combination of crunchy and smooth.  It boasts vegetables of all colors and textures.  She savored every bite and I’m sure that you will, too.

Here’s to Leah Primavera!

 

INGREDIENTS

1-2 cups red cabbage, shredded
3-4 stalks celery, sliced
2-3 green scallions, sliced
1-2 red peppers, cut in chunks
1 ripe avocado
handful of shelled roasted sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons Simply the Best Caesar Dressing
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

 

DIRECTIONS

Layer vegetables and sunflower seeds in order of ingredients listed above.  Drizzle Caesar Dressing and balsamic vinegar.  Gently toss.   Sprinkle sunflower and sesame seeds on top.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Frosted Sugar-Coated Cranberries

frosted-cranberries-with-chocolate

My sister-in-law, Suzy, is an excellent and adventurous cook.  My kids always look forward to Suzy’s signature salads and we know that we are in for a treat whenever we are invited to Itzy and Suzy’s house.  Even when Suzy just prepares a “simple” meal, we are always impressed by her delicious dishes.

Years ago, we were guests at Suzy’s Thanksgiving dinner.  Suzy’s brined turkey was the moistest turkey ever and she served so many delicious and creative side dishes.  What I remember the fondest, though, were the frosted cranberries that Suzy placed on the bundt cake for dessert.

The inner cranberry core of these frosted cranberries still retained the tart taste and pop-in-your mouth texture.  The outer frosted layer packed a sweet taste with a firm sugar bite.

There was something about the clash of textures, firm and pop-in-your mouth.

There was something about the clash of flavors, sweet and tart.

Oh, and they were so beautiful.

Suzy is great about sharing recipes. It really is…simple to wow!

This has become my favorite winter dessert garnish.  I think it will become yours, too.

 

INGREDIENTS:

1  bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

1/2 to 1 cup sugar for tossing

 

DIRECTIONS

Check and rinse an entire bag of cranberries, discarding any soft or shriveled ones.

Create a simple syrup by dissolving 1/2 cup sugar in 1/2 cup water in a microwave safe glass dish or on the stovetop. Remove simple syrup from heat and stir cranberries into simple syrup until well coated. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wax-paper coated tray or to a wire rack. Allow sugared cranberries to air-dry for several hours.

frosted-cranberries-after-simple-syrup

Place an additional cup of sugar in a shallow bowl or pie plate.  By the handful, toss cranberries in sugar until well coated.   Add sugar, if necessary.  Spread coated cranberries on wax paper and allow to air-dry for at least 1 hour.

frosted-cranberries

Serve as a sweet-tart dessert or as a dessert garnish.

Leah’s Awesome Pareve Chocolate Chip Cookies

Leah’s reputation in our kitchen as a salad maker is legendary. She is known for her creative and unique salad ingredient combinations. For years, we have referred to Leah as our salad queen and we still often append “primavera” to her name just for fun.

So, we were all a bit surprised when Leah decided to bake cookies with Avigail and JuJu this past weekend.

leahs-chocolate-chip-cookies

Michelle and Davida are our cookie bakers. Leah is our salad maker. It is an awkward moment when the salad maker tries to become a cookie baker.

We all found it entertaining that Leah wanted to bake. Avigail and Juju were on board and ready to roll up their sleeves. I couldn’t wait to see how this would play out.

I sat back and watched this unfold.

Leah asked questions like, “how does the Kitchen Aid mixer work?” “where do we have a cookie sheet?” and “what is a cookie scoop?”

The questions were mostly answered quite competently by three-year old Avigail.

And, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

But, Leah really had the last laugh. Because, these chocolate chip cookies were the best chocolate chip cookies, ever.

Leah started with Betty Crocker’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and made a few modifications. Here is Leah’s recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons honey , corn or maple syrup
2/3 cup margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup slivered almonds
12 oz package real chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using paddle attachment on mixer, combine sugar, honey or syrup, margarine, vanilla and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and then gently add almonds and chocolate chips. The dough will be stiff.

Drop dough by small rounded tablespoonfuls or small cookie scoop onto parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Centers will be soft when removed from oven. Allow to cool on parchment paper.

Enjoy!

Please Note:  This post contains affiliate links from Amazon, which means I earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Beet Horseradish Dipping Sauce

There is a local restaurant that serves a horseradish sauce with their burgers. The sauce is tantalizingly pink with just the right amount of assertive flavor and sweet bite.

I was determined to recreate this sauce. I tried designing this recipe several times until I got it just right.

I served this newly minted sauce one Shabbos. Some tried it with their challah, others with the fish appetizer and I loved it with the grilled chicken and London broil.   I returned the rest in the refrigerator to enjoy with left-overs.

And, enjoy it we did!

Our son-in-law, Scotty, was visiting that week and he really loved this sauce. He even asked me for the recipe. I told him that I would like to try preparing this recipe once more before putting it out on the blog.

I prepared it again for last Shabbos and it once again received rave reviews.

So, here’s to you, Scotty!

beet-horseradish-sauce

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup beet horseradish
4 tablespoons lemon juice or juice of one lemon
2 cloves of garlic or 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1/2 cup oil
squeeze of mustard
squeeze of agave syrup or honey (optional) (see notes)

DIRECTIONS

Using the s-blade in the food processor, combine all ingredients, saving oil for last. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil and process until combined and smooth. Carefully decant into squeeze bottle.

NOTES

If you use a more savory beet horseradish (like the Gold’s brand), you may enjoy this sauce without adding honey or agave syrup. If you would like a sweeter sauce, use a beet horseradish with a higher sugar content or add honey or agave to this recipe.

Decant the dressing into an empty sport-top water bottle or wide-mouth squeeze bottle.

Add a unique label to this Beet Horseradish Dipping Sauce. Using glue stick or clear packing tape, adhere a custom beet-horseradish-sauce-dip-label to an empty squeeze bottle. If you would like to print your own simpletowow vinaigrette label, feel free print out this beet-horseradish-sauce-dip-label. The paper label also allows you to jot down the date when you prepared the dressing so that you can track the preparation date.

Enjoy!

Please Note:  This post contains affiliate links from Amazon, which means I earn a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Simple Radish Flower Garnish

A simple vegetable garnish can really make an appetizer, serving dish or hors d’oeuvres   platter look spectacular.   I like to create garnishes with simple ingredients and ordinary tools.  This radish flower garnish is a simple one to create and can be used in dozens of wow ways.

I demonstrate this garnish with a red radish.  It can easily be created with any type of radish, although I find that the best results are with red radishes that are tall and narrow. Very round radishes will also work but will not open up as much as the tall, narrow ones..

radish-bunch

 

 

INGREDIENTS

radishes
ice water
plastic container or mason jar

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

 

Scrub the radish and carefully trim the root end of the radish creating a flat bottom. Position the radish with the flat root end on the bottom

 

Score the radish making scallop-shaped cuts as close to the peel as possible from just below the tip to just above the bottom of the radish.  Be careful not to make the cut all the way to the bottom or the radish cuts will not hold together.

Turn the radish and keep making scallop-shaped cuts, overlapping each cut and going around the radish.  The closer to the peel that the cuts are made, the more decoratively the radish flower will open when soaked.

 

Prepare a mason jar or plastic container with ice water and soak the radish garnishes for at least 20 minutes.

 

The radishes will open up to resemble flowers.

radish-garnish-open-many

Simply Spicy Firecracker Salmon

 

Most of my salmon recipes use a teriyaki-type glaze and cook at a high temperature.

This one is quite different.

It starts with a spicy marinade and is cooked at 375 degrees F to get that perfectly soft flakiness and to set the spicy glaze.

I prepared this new recipe for dinner while my son-in-law, Scotty, was visiting and studying nearby.  He couldn’t help but comment on how delicious the salmon smelled as it was cooking.  The taste didn’t disappoint, either.

This recipe is appropriately named for the fiery color and flavor of this salmon.

Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

salmon fillet
1-2 chopped green onions or chives

fiery marinade

firecracker-salmon

a small piece of minced fresh ginger or ginger powder
3 cloves garlic, minced or garlic powder
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey,  agave or maple syrup
1-2 tablespoons sriracha or hot sauce
1-2 tablespoons lemon or orange juice
1-2 tablespoons mustard
red pepper flakes to taste

 

DIRECTIONS

Whisk or shake marinade ingredients in a small container or jar.  Carefully pour or brush onto salmon. Sprinkle with onions or chives.

firecracker-salmon-before-cooking

Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, until fish flakes easily with fork.

firecracker-salmon-all-ready

 

Crockpot Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup

This is one of our family favorites.  In fact, when I offer to bring soup to a party or dinner, this soup and my Simply the best chicken soup…ever! are the two most popular favorites.   There is something about the natural sweetness of this soup paired with the velvety smoothness of its texture that is divine.

It is best made in a crockpot and can be adapted to incorporate butternut or acorn squash and carrots as well.  Just roast those ingredients until they are soft and beginning to caramelize and then add to the crockpot with seasonings and water.  The key to the soup is the unique combination of sweet and savory spices.  Cream can be added to the recipe for a delicious dairy version of this soup.

When I prepare this soup with butternut squash or pumpkin, I reserve the seeds and roast them for 20-30 minutes.  They are delicious served on top as a garnish.

pumpkin-soup-with-seeds

INGREDIENTS

1 small whole pumpkin
2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1-2 whole onions, peeled

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon powdered or freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Scrub and rinse unpeeled sweet potatoes and pumpkin.  Remove any paper tags.   Place whole vegetables on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F. Remove sweet potatoes and onions from oven after 45-60 minutes and pumpkin after 90 minutes.

Place onions in crockpot.  Once cool, carefully remove stem and peel skin from pumpkin and discard.  Carefully,  place clean pulp in crockpot. Carefully peel skin from sweet potatoes and place sweet potato pulp in crockpot.

Add seasonings and fill crockpot two-thirds of the way to the top.  Place crockpot on high setting and cook for 3-6 hours.  Adjust seasonings to taste.

Puree with a stick blender before serving.

Reserve seeds and place in separate pan for roasting.  Roast at 425 Degrees F for 20-30 minutes, checking often to make sure that the seeds are not burning.

SIMPLE SHORTCUT
Skip the roasting of the vegetables. Instead, use 1-2 cans of sweet potatoes or yams and use shredded carrots and raw onions or scallions. Place all ingredients and seasonings directly into crockpot. Allow 5-6 hours to cook in crockpot with seasonings. Puree before serving.

MY FAVORITE AMAZON SUPPLIES FOR THIS RECIPE

Cuisinart Stick Blender

Stainless Steel 6 Quart Manual Crockpot

Glazed Butternut Squash with Shallots and Grapes

glazed-butternut-squash-with-shallots-and-grapes

Leah recently spent Shabbos at her friend’s house and came back with this amazing recipe.  I simplified the preparation and have prepared this dish over and over again.  It is the perfect combination of smooth butternut squash, shallot rings and grapes that just pop in your mouth.  It is one of those new recipes that you will really enjoy.

Butternut squash is a flavorful winter squash shaped like a bottle.  The seeds are stored in the bottom part of the squash.  Butternut squash has a sweet, nutty flavor with a tan-orange hard skin and fleshy orange pulp.  It is an excellent source of  fiber, Vitamins A, C and E as well as potassium and magnesium.

Many people are intimidated by the shape of this squash and the toughness of the peel.   For this recipe, it is not necessary to peel the butternut squash.  When sliced, the stem portion of the butternut squash yields firm disks and the bottom portion yields rings filled with seeds.  I choose butternut squash with a long stem portion, as the disks that are sliced from the stem do not contain any seeds.

The glaze is applied by just drizzling and sprinkling the glaze ingredients directly over the butternut squash.

The simplicity, texture and sensational flavor of this recipe will wow you!

INGREDIENTS

1 large butternut squash
3-4 shallots, cut into rings
handful of green or red grapes, whole or halved

3-4 tablespoons oil
2-3 tablespoons honey, agave or maple syrup
kosher salt
pepper

scallions (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Scrub butternut squash.  Using a large knife, cut unpeeled butternut squash crosswise into 1/3 inch to 1/2 inch disks.  Remove seeds from rings at bottom of squash.

Peel shallots and slice into rings.  Clean grapes and if they are large, cut into half.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place butternut squash disks in a single layer on lined baking sheet.

Scatter shallots and grapes among butternut squash disks and filling the butternut rings cut from the bottom of the butternut squash with shallots and grapes, too.

Lightly drizzle oil and honey, agave or maple syrup over vegetables.  Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast uncovered for 45-50 minutes.  Optionally, sprinkle with scallions within the last 10 minutes of roasting.  Butternut squash should be soft and just beginning to caramelize. Shallots and grapes should be browned and soft.

butternut-squash-with-shallots-and-grapes

 

Savta’s Sweet Potato Latkes

sweet-potato-latkes

 

Savta loves to make latkes and kugels.  I vividly remember how delicious they were when we were growing up and Savta’s kugel and latkes have become a real delicacy for my children.

This is Savta’s sweet potato latke recipe.  It is perfect.

INGREDIENTS

4 medium red potatoes, peeled
1-2 onions, peeled
1 sweet potato
3  eggs
4 tablespoons  flour
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Using the s-blade of the food processor, process 2 potatoes with the onions, eggs, flour and seasonings. Using the shredder blade of the food processor, shred the remaining potatoes and sweet potatoes. Gently combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Spoon a ladle-size amount  of  potato mixture into the oil and fry for 2 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and fry for 2 minutes more.  Latkes should be crispy on the outside and golden brown.

Latkes are best served hot from the skillet.

Strawberry and Brownie Mini Trifles

 

INGREDIENTS

oneFlourless Chocolate Cake or brownie recipe, cut into small cubes

whipped cream

1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

strawberries, diced

decorative cookie (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS

Soak, wash and dry strawberries well.

Using a paring knife, create one strawberry rose for each mini trifle.  For each rose, slice thin petals from close to the top of the strawberry from  to close to bottom of the strawberry. Gently curl each petal toward the outside.   Continue to slice petals all around the perimeter of the strawberry, overlapping slightly and curling them outward.

Dice the rest of the strawberries.

Whip the cream with vanilla sugar.

In clear glass or plastic cup, alternate layers of brownie cubes, strawberries and whipped cream.  Dry to drop the cream into the cup without touching the sides.  Gently shake the cup on the counter to settle the whipped cream.

Garnish the top of each mini trifle with a strawberry rose and/or a decorative cookie.

individual-bownie-and-strawberry-trifles-feauture-photo

 

KOSHER NOTES

Kosher laws disallow the eating of any whole insects and therefore strawberries require a process of soaking, rinsing and in some cases, pureeing. Kashrut authorities differ somewhat on the proper checking of strawberries and some disallow the eating of strawberries, altogether. This blog was not designed to be your kosher authority, so please consult your local rabbinic authority regarding the use of strawberries.

Sweet Potato Roses in Salad Box

sweet-potato-floral-appetizer-up-close

Who said that salads have to be tossed in a salad bowl?

I love the idea of individual salads and especially individual layered salads. There is something wonderful about being served an individual salad, especially when there is a beautiful and delicious garnish to top it off.

Here is one sensational salad appetizer that I created using the simplest of ingredients to create a wow.

 

sweet-potato-floral-appetizer-vegetables-slices-before-roasting-with-peeler-salt-and-oil

INGREDIENTS

sweet potato, onion or zucchini, scrubbed
kosher salt
oil
chives
romaine lettuce leaves
chopped peppers or your favorite chopped vegetables
Simple and Creamy Lemon Vinaigrette or your favorite dressing in a squeeze bottle

SUPPLIES

mandoline or wide peeler
clear square plastic bowls

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Thinly slice unpeeled sweet potato using wide peeler or mandoline.

Place thin sweet potato, zucchini or onion slices on parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of oil and kosher salt. Roast for 20-30 minutes, just until vegetables are soft with the edges just starting to turn brown.

While roasting the vegetables, soak and rinse romaine lettuce and chopped peppers.

Stand 1-2 sprigs of smallest inner leaves of hearts of romaine at edge of square plastic bowl. Place chopped peppers at the bottom and squeeze scant amount of dressing on top of peppers.

Remove the vegetable slices from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Roll each slice up to form a rose, using the crispy end to form the middle of the rose bud and wind the softer end around to form a rose.

sweet-potato-floral-appetozer-sweet-potato-rose

Garnish each salad with vegetable roses and tuck  two or three loops of chives between the vegetable roses and the romaine  sprigs.

 

 

 

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The 21st of Kislev: The Yarzheit of my Mother-in-law

 

mom-and-dad

 

Tonight begins the 21st of Kislev.  This year, the days of December line up with the days of Kislev.  It is a sad day in our family as it is the Yahrzeit (commemoration of the anniversary of death) of my mother-in-law, Devorah bas Yitzchok Ahron.  We light a yahrtzeit candle, also called a נר נשמה‎‎ (candle of the soul) during the yahrzeit to reflect on the neshoma (soul) of the departed.

My mother-in-law had an effervescence that was contagious.  She loved being around people and she loved life.  She loved parties of all kinds.  She remembered everyone’s birthdays and she especially loved Chanukah.  When she would travel to Florida for the winter, she would always remember to send presents for the grandchildren before she left.  She loved dressing up on Purim and bringing costumes and masks for everyone else.  Mom was the life of the party.

Mom had been ill with pancreatic cancer for over two years. The fact that she lived with this terrible illness for that long was testimony to the excellent care that she received from her children.  Every medical decision was contemplated and carefully evaluated.  She was warmly cared for by her children and grandchildren who worked hard to allow her effervescence to shine through until her very last moments.

That Chanukah during shiva (seven day mourning period) eight years ago was so poignant and yet so beautiful.   Lighting the Chanukah candles together and sitting all together on Chanukah was so reminiscent of Mom’s energy and spirit. Her neshoma was so entwined with the albeit sad Chanukah celebration that year and in the future.

Mom loved to share all that she had and all that she enjoyed with others.  Mom’s Hebrew name was דְּבוֹרָה, Devorah, and it is so significant that her name began with the letter Daled, ד. The Hebrew letter, Daled, ד,  is shaped like a door with a horizontal line on top for protection and a vertical line for stability. Mom’s life was truly like a door, as her home and heart were open to everyone. She invited so many friends and neighbors to enjoy Shabbos and Yomim Tovim (Jewish holidays) with her.   She invited her mother to live in her home after her father passed away.  There was a steady stream of visitors and crafts every Sunday as her many siblings and family members came to visit Bubby, the matriarch of the Kramer family.   Even when Mom was most ill, she was always concerned with those around her.

Tonight, Don and his brother have traveled to Israel, where Mom is buried.  They have commemorated the yahrzeit with a siyum (completion of a tractate of Torah) and seuda (festive meal) in Jerusalem.    The family will visit Mom’s grave tomorrow and then return in time for Chanukah.  Mom would be so content and happy to have her yarzheit commemorated with Torah and with a festive gathering of family and friends.  That was the true spirit of her life.  It is the ongoing legacy that she has left us.

May the neshoma of Devorah bas Yitzchok Ahron a’H be elevated.

Weeknight Oven Roasted London Broil

london-broil-low-and-slow

Want a simple and no-fuss weeknight roast?  This one is for you.  It takes 3-4 hours of low-heat-cooking, so make sure to start it early.  It is one of my simple favorites and will become one of your favorites, too.

Our local kosher butchers all sell London broil.  It is an inexpensive and rather lean roast, though, technically, London Broil is not a cut of meat but rather refers to a cooking technique.  Kosher London Broil is typically cut from the shoulder or neck area and various butchers use different types of flank and shoulder steaks for their London Broils.

The tenderness of the meat very often depends on the source and cut of the London Broil. In general, I try to choose a London Broil that has some fat surrounding the meat and no gristle running down the center.  The fat protects the meat during cooking and either melts during cooking or can be trimmed afterward.  The thicker gristle often runs down the center of the steak and is difficult to remove.  Therefore, I try to find cuts that do not contain gristle running through.

Although London Broil is synonymous with fast cooking  over high heat, this recipe employs a quick marinade and spice rub and then slow low-temperature cooking.

INGREDIENTS

1 small (2 pound) London Broil
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 cup cranberry juice or other fruit juice

barbecue sauce

Coffee Spice Rub or your favorite rub

DIRECTIONS

Line baking dish with foil, leaving enough foil on sides so that foil can be folded over London Broil as a packet.  Place sliced onion at bottom of foil-lined pan.  Place London Broil on top of  onions, fattier side up.

Mix 1/2 cup juice with 1/4 cup barbecue sauce.  Pour liquid over London Broil , coating both sides. Pat with coffee rub.

Close foil packet around marinated London Broil , leaving room between London Broil and top of foil packet, but tightly closing foil.

Bake at 275 for 2-3 hours in foil packet.  London Broil should be fork tender at this point. Open foil, add some more barbecue sauce and bake uncovered for 1 hour more .

For cleaner slicing, allow meat to reach room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Leah’s Parsnip Latkes

Leah has been in charge of preparing Sunday night’s dinner.  Leah has a taste and flair for interesting vegetable combinations.   Delegating the responsibility of preparing dinner frees me and gives others a renewed appreciation for all that dinner preparation entails.  Best of all, it introduces all of us, the diners, to the cook’s creativity and style.

This week, Leah prepared a masterful dinner of salad and parsnip latkes.

Parsnip is a root vegetable with a very unique flavor. Although it looks like a white carrot, it has a sweet, earthy and almost nutty flavor. Leah combined ingredients that we had on hand to wow us with this simple dish of complex flavors, just in time for Chanukah

 

INGREDIENTS

1 large russet potato, peeled

2-3 parsnips, peeled

medium lime, for juice and zest

1/4 cup flour

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

oil

 

DIRECTIONS

Zest lime and squeeze out the lime juice.

Coarsely grate potato and parsnips by hand or by using the shredder blade on the food processor. Sprinkle with lime juice and then carefully wrap the shredded vegetables in a kitchen towel to squeeze out as much liquid as you can.  Whisk egg and then add shredded potatoes and parsnips, lime zest, flour, salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Spoon a ladle-size amount  of  latke mixture into the oil and fry for 2 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and fry for 2 minutes more.  Latkes should be crispy on the outside and golden brown.

Latkes are best served hot from the skillet.

Simply Perfect Sufganiot in a Zipper Bag

I like to stay close to the latest trends in cooking and design.  One trendy and helpful technique in preparing dough is to use a zipper bag for preparing and kneading the dough.  It is a great idea for most dough and really reduces the cleanup.  Best of all, since the zipper bag can be discarded after use, this simple dough technique virtually eliminates those nasty dough-covered utensils and sponges that are so difficult to clean.

The ziploc bag eliminates the dusty mess of flour and allows all the dough crumbles to remain in the disposable ziploc bags.  Since the sufganiot in this recipe are amorphous and just dropped into oil, the ziploc bag can even be used  to dispense the doughnuts right into the frying pan.

I have adapted my favorite sufganiot recipe to use the ziploc bag.  I have tried it and it is just perfect!

sufganiot-in-a-bag-in-oil

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry active yeast

1 cup flour

1/3 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm water
Olive oil, for frying

Powdered sugar (optional)

large zipper bag (1-2 gallon)

 

DIRECTIONS

In a ziploc bag, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water.  To do this easily, I fold top of zipper bag over a small pan so that bottom of zipper bag is at bottom of pan and top of bag is folded over sides of the pan.    This ensures that the liquid contents do not spill over.

sufganiot zipper bag in pan.jpg

Wait until yeast mixture becomes bubbly or foamy.  If the yeast mixture does not bubble and foam, the yeast is not active and you will have to redo this step, making sure that the water used is warm but not too hot to touch.

 

Carefully add salt and flour to the yeast mixture, kneading the bag until all the flour has been incorporated, for several minutes.   The dough should resemble a thick, sticky cake batter.

sufganiot-in-a-bag-yeast-dough-before-rising-2

 

Spray your hands with oil spray or rub oil on your hands.  With your oiled hands, carefully rub the oil all over the dough. making sure to coat all sides of the dough.  Rub or spray oil on the entire inside of the zipper bag, too.

Allow dough to rise for 3-4 hours in the bag.  Open zipper and gently let the excess air out of the bag.  Gently push down the dough by pressing on the outside of the bag.

In a pot or sauce pan with a large opening, over medium heat, heat 1-2 inches of olive oil until sizzling.

Cut a corner into the side of the zipper bag to allow dispensing of the dough directly from the zipper bag corner.

sufganiot-in-a-bag-after-risen

Squeeze donuts into the oil by pushing dough into corner of bag and squeezing out small pieces of odd-shaped dough out of the zipper bag.  You may have to coax and pull donuts out of the bag into the oil using oiled hands.

Repeat until you have filled the oil with donuts without crowding, as the sufganiot will puff up during the ferrying process.

 

sufganiot-in-a-bag-in-oil

 

Turn them over once the bottom is golden brown.

Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove each doughnut from the oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle powdered sugar over the doughnuts and enjoy!

Happy Chanukah!

Onion-Battered Baked Tilapia

My mother loves tilapia.  She has a difficult time finding kosher fresh tilapia in Cleveland, so it is something that she looks forward to enjoying when she visits.

Whenever she comes to visit, I try to prepare this favorite dish for her, battering it in breadcrumbs and frying it in a pan (Savta’s Favorite Breaded Tilapia).  It is one of those simply delicious main dishes that is flaky, satisfying and never disappoints.

My mother will be coming to visit next week as she prepares for hip revision surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery during Chanukah.

And, my mother’s visit makes me think of tilapia.

I love dishes that can be prepared and then placed in the oven, preferably on a timer.   This allows me to do other things while the food is being cooked.

Fry-pan breaded tilapia does not meet those qualifications. And, baked fish just doesn’t have the crunchy outside and soft inside of fried fish that would satisfy my mother.  So, I put my thinking cap on.

And, this is what I came up with….simple, satisfying and a delicious wow!

onion-crusted-tilapia-in-oven

INGREDIENTS

1 cup French Fried Onions

1/2 cup creamy dressing.  I used Simple, Creamy and Perfect Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

4-6 tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet or pie plate with parchment paper.

Pulse french fried onions in the food processor using the S-blade or crush by rolling a rolling pin or pounding a mallet over zipper bag of french fried onions.

In a shallow dish or pie plate, coat each fillet with creamy dressing.   Dip each fillet into the crushed onions, making sure that the fillets are well coated.
Spread coated tilapia fillets on baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes.  Tilapia should be golden brown on outside and soft and flaky on the inside.
Enjoy!
onion-crusted-tilapia

Sliced Carrots with Garlic and Shallots

sliced-carrots-with-shallots-and-garlic-2

Did you ever have one of those marathon days?  This recipe was inspired by that type of day.

I had the whole day planned out perfectly.  I had to drop something off for signature on the way home from the office and there should be plenty of time to pick up some fish and vegetables.  It was Scotty’s last dinner at the house before he headed back to California to resume dental school.  He had been visiting for nearly a week while interviewing for dental residencies throughout the tri-state area.

I wanted dinner to be perfect and perfection takes time.  Only, holiday traffic intervened with perfection.

When there’s no time for perfection, simplicity takes over.  And, simplicity inspired this recipe.

I didn’t even have the time to peel the carrots, so I used a bag of peeled baby carrots, instead of the rainbow carrots that I envisioned.

I had no time to mince the garlic and dice the shallots, so I thinly sliced them both in the food processor right after the carrots.

I just spread the vegetables and sprinkled and drizzled the seasonings and marinade ingredients.

It may not have been perfect, but it certainly was delicious.

And, I think I would do it this way all over again even if I had the time for perfection!

INGREDIENTS

1-2 pounds of peeled carrots or 1 bag of baby carrots
2-3 shallots, peeled
1 head garlic, separated into peeled cloves

3-4 tablespoons oil
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar or agave syrup
kosher salt
pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a casserole dish or baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using the slicer blade of the food processor, slice peeled carrots and then shallots and garlic gloves.

Toss gently right in the food processor bowl.

Spread sliced carrots, shallots and garlic in parchment-lined casserole or baking sheet.

Lightly drizzle oil and brown sugar or agave syrup over vegetables.  Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast uncovered for 40-45 minutes.

Enjoy!

Roasted Sweet Potato Rose

sweet-potato-floral-appetozer-sweet-potato-roseINGREDIENTS

sweet potato, scrubbed
kosher salt
oil

SUPPLIES

mandoline or wide peeler

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Thinly slice unpeeled sweet potato using wide peeler or mandoline.

sweet-potato-slices

Place thin sweet potato on parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of oil and kosher salt. Roast for 15-25 minutes, just until vegetables are soft with the edges just starting to turn brown.

Remove the vegetable slices from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Roll each slice up to form a rose, using the crispy end to form the middle of the rose bud and wind the softer end around to form a rose.

sweet-potato-floral-appetozer-sweet-potato-rose