Chocolate Mice

I made these for my husbands birthday party and they were a big hit. They're so adorable but their a snap to make,

1 cup of dark chocolate

20 cherries

20 oreo cookies

20 hershey kisses

40 almond flakes

Cover a baking sheet with wax paper. Twist the oreos so that cream remains on one half. Place those halves cream side up on the baking sheet. Save the rest for another purpose. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Dip a cherry in the chocolate and remove when it is coated. Attach a hershey kiss to the cherry on the side opposite the stem. Lay the entire thing onto one of the oreos. Attach two almonds as ears. Let set for at least one our in the fridge.

These last for up to three days in the fridge if the cherries you have used are fresh.

Puff Pastry Five Different Ways

I love puff pastry. It is one of the most versatile ingredients out there. You can buy it in sheets to roll to your preferred thickness or in convenient precut squares. It can be used in appetizers, entrees, even desserts! Here are some of my favorite puff pastry recipes, but I'm sure there are many more out there.

1) Deli roll - everyone loves this shabbat table staple. Roll out one package of puff pastry into a rectangle of medium thickness. Spread a thin layer of mustard on the dough and top with various cold cuts. Roll up the dough just as if you were making a deli roll. Bake at 425 until dough is nice and flaky brown (about 20-30 minutes). Slice and serve.

2) Mushroom puffs - Sauté a chopped onion and 12 oz's. of sliced mushrooms in some olive oil. Add in about half a cup of marinara, a tsp of salt a tsp of garlic powder and if necessary a little cornstarch to thicken. Use to fill puff pastry squares. Line them up on a baking sheet and bake at 400 until dough is brown and flaky. Save the extra mushroom mixture, heat it up just before serving and pour over the tops of the turnovers.

3) Palmiers - Roll one package of puff pastry to a rectangle of medium thickness. Spread a layers of ricotta cheese on top of the pastry. Sprinkle all over with parmesan. Then top with sun-dried tomatoes and a little more parmesan. Roll up lengthwise as if making a jelly roll and place in the freezer for half an hour. Remove from freezer and cut into slices. Place slices on a baking sheet and bake at 325 until flaky and golden.

4) Elephant Ears - Roll one package of puff pastry to a rectangle of medium thickness. Spread with melted chocolate or hazelnut spread. Top with a sprinkle of sugar and if desired, cinnamon. Roll up both sides lengthwise, meeting in the middle like you are folding a torah scroll and cut into slices (If dough is sticky, pop it into the freezer first). Place onto a baking sheet and bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

5) Strawberry Swirls - Roll one package of puff pastry to a rectangle of medium thickness. Spread with strawberry jam (or any other flavor you like). Roll up lengthwise and cut into slices. Place on baking sheet and bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes.

Shabbat Picnics

One of the best ways to beat the heat and break up these long summer shabbat days is to have lunch outside. How do I manage this when I live in an apartment building on the upper east side? Our building has a lovely terrace on the second with tables and chairs that is usually relatively empty on shabbat afternoons. Since it wasn't raining today (a rare occurrence this summer) My husband and I packed up our usual picnic supplies and headed down to th terrace for a nice lunch in the sun.

Since we are regular outdoor eaters we have a pair of melamine plates and cups for eating outside. This is kind of dish that shopright or walgreens has in their big summer aisle for one or two dollars. It's my way of being earth friendly and not using paper. The plates and cups also have more weight than paper so they will not blos away as easily. While we carry down a few hot dishes the best summer outdoor foods are room temperature or cold. This corn salad is a great addition to any outdoor meal.

Corn Salad:

2 15 oz. cans of corn niblets
i small red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3-4 cucumbers or pickles, chopped
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 oil
1/2 cup sugar
dash pepper
1 Tbs. salt

Place the vegetables in a dish. In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients together. Pur over the vegetable/corn mixture and let marinate.

The longer the salad marinates the better it gets, so there's no need to worry about what to do with leftovers.

Great Salad Article

The dining section of the NY Times featured a great article this week call 101 simple salads. Enjoy!

Whats For Lunch: Quick and Tasty Ideas

What do you do when you have no time to pack lunches in the morning? I suppose in some areas you can go and purchase something nice, but in this neighborhood purchasing options are both limited and expensive. Plus you can't always count on being to use the microwave where you work. I've got a stock of go-to lunches for those busy mornings.

1) Quesidillas: They look impressive but their, really quick. Just grab a trotilla (I use the Mission brand) and throw some grated cheese on it. Then slap another tortilla on top and shove it in the oven at 400 for about ten minutes. The longer the oven time the crispier/crublier it gets. Slice with a pizza cutter and pack it up with a little tupperware of marinara sauce or sour cream for dipping.

2) Heart of Palm Salad: Toss some lettuce with whatever veggies you have around and then to make it special throw in some hearts of palm. Note: I find the jarred hearts of palm are much softer and tastier than the canned ones. For some reason the cans just do not incude enough juices for marinating. I like a french or thousand island dressin but anything can work.

3) Grilled cheese sandwiches: My sister gave me a sandwich maker. Best gift ever. Just put the bread, the chesse and whatever else you want it the machine and pull it our before you go. Great and low maintenance.

4) Leftovers from hte night before: Self explanatory and it helps you get rid of those pesky leftovers from the night before.

5) Corn on the cob: Rub a little butter over the husked corn. Put the corn in a ziplock with a tablespoon or two of water. Clse the ziplock. Microwave on high for two minutes per corn. Tastes better than boiling by hte way. This is how I prefer corn tat hasn't been grilled.

I am als a big fan of making giant batches of things and freezing them for quick lunch defrosting. I'll post those freezer friendly recipes another time.

Share your quick lunch tips!

Black Currant Tea

Many people have seen red or white currants before. They have a nice sweet taste and go well in fruit salads or just eaten by themselves. The black currant on the other hand is too sour to be eaten on its own. It must be boiled with sugar or honey to cut balance it's tart nature. Why bother with all the fuss? Well, the black currant is sometimes called a "super food" because it contains a ridiculously high amount of vitamin C as well as good levels of potassium, phosphorous, iron and B5. It also has many anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. My favorite way to get my dose of black currant is black currant tea. Boil the currants as described in the recipe below and add the resulting syrup to green tea as a sweetener instead of sugar or honey.

Black Currant Tea:
Place currants in a heavy sauce pan over medium heat. FOr 1/2 lb of currants add 1 Tbs. sugar and 1Tbs. honey. Heat, stirring occasionally to mash the berries. When the berries have thickened to become a sauce remove from heat and cool. If you like sweeter sauce just add more sugar or honey. I like to keep the berry parts in there but you can also strain.

What's for Lunch? Portabello Mushroom salad

This is one of the first foods I made for my husband while we were dating. He loved it so much I think it convinced him to marry me. He still gets excited every time I make it.

Portabello Mushroom Salad:

4 large portabello mushrooms sliced into chunks
1/8 cup teriyaki sauce
1 bag of spinach leaves (Or use fresh)
1/2 box grape tomatoes

Dressing:
1/2 c oil
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c white vinegar
1/4 g ketchup
1 Tbs. garlic salt or powder
dash sea salt

Sautee mushrooms in teriyaki over medium heat until they are tender, about 7 minutes. Mix spincah and tomatoes into a bowl. Whisk together oil, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, garlic and salt. Pour into spinach mix and mix to coat the leaves. Pour warm mushrrom and excess teriyaki over the top. Toss a few times and serve.

Note: I like spinach because I find it is very healthy. You can use romaine or iceberg lettuce or any lettuce mix you prefer.

What's for Dinner? Spinach Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles

14 ozs. marinara sauce

6 ounces ricotta cheese

4 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1 10 oz. package of frozen spinach (or fresh spinach)

1 Tbs. oil

half a white onion, diced

1)Cook noodles until al dente as directed on package. 

2)Meanwhile, place oil in a pan and heat on low. Add diced onion and saute until onion is tender and clear. Add thawed spinach and saute 4-5 minutes.

3)Cover the bottom of a 2 quart rectangular baking dish (I like pyrex) with some of the marinara sauce. Layer 3 noodles on top of it. 

4)Spread half the ricotta cheese over the noodles. Layer the spinach on top of the ricotta and cover with three noodles.

5)Pour more of the marinara over the noodles. Sprinkle half the mozzarella on top of the sauce. Cover with three noodles

6)Spread remainder of ricotta over noodles. Sprinkle remainder of mozzarella on top of ricotta. Top with three remaining noodles. Pour sauce over the noodles.

7) Bake at 350 for twenty minutes. (If you prefer super crispy noodles you can bake for longer).

What's for dinner? Garlic Scape Pesto

Ever try planting a garlic bulb and see a little green shoot sticking up from the earth? Or (far more common) have you ever left  garlic unused for a little too long and find a green seedling inside when you split it open? That my friends is the garlic scape. Farmers cut it so that the plant devotes all of it's energy towards producing a nice hefty bulb. If left uncut, the scape would turn white and the bulb would be rather small. This is especially fortunate for us since the young green scape is a delightfully potent addition to any kitchen. You can use scapes in almost all recipes that call for garlic. However, don't be fooled by it's scallion-esque appearance. This little guy packs a big punch in every bite.

 

Garlic Scape Pesto:

5 garlic scapes

1 bunch basil

1 Tbs. pine nuts

1 Tbs. parmesan cheese

1/3 cup extra  virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Chop scapes, basil and pine nuts in a food processor. Add cheese, salt and pepper. While the processor is running add in the oil. 

This pesto is great poured over pasta or spread on a panini or wrap.

Can't find scapes in your grocery store? Try your local farmers market instead.

What's for Lunch? Summer Squash Soup

A rare occurrence happened this afternoon. My husband and I had time for lunch together AND I had time to make it. I turned to the ingredients on hand in the refrigerator and found my inspiration: summer squash. If you have never heard of summer squash, it is a close relative to other squashes you may have heard of. Do not fear the name: it is available all year round in most places. Summer squash is harvested when not ripe and thus it is generally softer and requires less cooking than a winter squash variety. To choose a good squash look for thin one. Heavier/bigger is not better when it comes to squash. Bulbous squashes are holding a lot of water weight and were allowed to grow too long before being harvested. While squash is great in many dishes, I decided on a soup served alongside a simple tuna-lettuce-tomato-wrap. Here's the recipe, you can double it to feed more people:

Summer Squash Soup: (adapted from a recipe in a 2004 Martha Stewart Living Magazine)

1 1/2 Tbs. butter, softened

1 medium white onion diced

1/2 tsp. tumeric

pinch of cayenne pepper

3-4 medium summer squash, cut into thin rounds (no peeling necessary)

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water

1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1 Tbs. fresh lemon OR lime juice

cayenne pepper and pine nuts for garnish

1)Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add onion over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, stirring occasionally, about five minutes.

2) Stir in tumeric and cayenne. 

3) Add squash and stock, bring to a boil. 

4) Lower flame and simmer uncovered for abo

ut 20 minutes, until squash is tender.

5) Let cool slightly and blend with an immersio

n blender. I like soup chunky so I left pieces of hold squash. You can take this all the way to a puree or skip this step altogether depending on your preference.

6) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in lemon or lime juice.

7) Optional step: Chill the soup. I personally, like soup hot however many people find this soup refreshing when cold. 

8) Ladle into bowls and sprinkle cayenne (or paprika) and pine nuts.