From Thy Childhood: Recipe

If you've grown up in a Jewish household, then you know all about Matzoh Brei.  It's the breakfast you have the morning after your big Seder when everyone is a bit sleepy and the only thing that will satisfy is a sweet french toast-like dish.  So then you can surmise that Matzoh Brei is made by frying pieces of matzoh that have been soaked to soften. Exactly! 

Last night I discovered for the first time, however, that some people actually eat their Matzoh Brei as a savory dish - complete with onions, etc.  I've never been exposed to that but it certainly sounded interesting - so if you have a recipe for this style, please share! In the meantime, here is my French-Toast breakfast for the Passover days. It's sweet and sort of crunchy, given it's matzoh. But what could be better than this for breakfast?

Today was the first time I have made this - my husband had it once but the kids never did.  To be honest, they were lured downstairs by the smell - they thought I was making french toast.  They were not pleased when I said it was made with matzoh but the older one tried it.  She was very satisfied when she saw that you can top this with cinnamon-sugar! The little man wouldn't even try it. Oh well - can't win 'em all.

Matzoh Brei
5 egg matzoh sheets, broken into several pieces
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, or more as needed

Pour the milk into one large bowl.  In a second large bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla together.  Place the matzoh pieces into the milk and soak about 2 minutes - turning the pieces every so often. you may need to do this in batches.

In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Melt butter over medium high heat in a heavy frying pan. As it's melting, remove the matzoh from the milk and place it into the bowl with the egg and turn each piece so it's fully coated by the egg mixture. Then immediately place into the frying pan and fry on the first side about 4 minutes. Turn and fry another 2 minutes. Do not burn - lower the heat if needed. Repeat until all matzoh is finished.  Plate and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.

Road Food and Other Food Thoughts: Musings

It's hard to believe that it's been so long since I've posted something on Meredith's Food for Life. But those who know me well, know that I've been under the weather for the past few weeks...I'm now almost back to normal (is there such a thing?). Regardless, I have been cooking - certainly not every night (last night we had pizza) and certainly not anything exotic (two nights before we ate frozen ravioli with red-sauce), but I have been in the kitchen.

During the past few weeks, I have decided to reengaged my more parsimonious side (really, I swear!). Call it an experiment, but it feels great to set a dollar amount ahead of time and then actually stick to it - or better yet...come out under budget! My girlfriend laughed at me when I told her this (secretly I know she appreciated the tip) but I walked through the grocery store with my calculator and every item - each one - was tallied up to ensure I was going to walk out of there under budget. I was so excited that I did it again today at Costco - and it works! I had items I didn't really need and when I was reaching the limit I set without the things I actually needed, I started to put things back. I felt victorious!

Tomorrow my husband and I leave for a short but much needed vacation. We're driving to our destination so naturally we will be hungry at some point. Since it's just the two of us and I'm in the new "habit" of watching what we spend, I thought I would mention to you that packing a picnic lunch for a long car ride is a great idea. It's simple to pack a small cooler with an ice pack and a few odds and ends. And you know how tempting it is to dump everything out of the fridge before you go away so that you don't come home to a nasty science project in the bottom of the fruit drawer! So why not make good use of the things you're going to throw away - and save yourselves some money and some calories along the trip?



Eating fast food on the road can be a "treat" but once you finish the big burger with cheese and bacon along with the fries and coke, don't you feel really unhappy? I know I do...This summer we went on a long trip and in one day ate McDonald's AND Wendy's! Oh I was sick to my stomach. So our next trip we packed food and it was really fun to spread out a blanket at a nice rest stop and eat real food made at home. It saved us probably $50 by the time we were through (incidentally, we had stayed in a hotel with a small fridge and freezer so we were able to keep our stuff from spoiling for the ride home).


So here's what we're packing for our very adult car trip...

Last weekend I made a roast chicken with lemon and dill. I know I've said this before, but really it's hard to imagine Sundays without it. We ate a good portion and then carved up the rest. Tonight I made chicken salad from the left-overs and finished up the chicken and a large jar of mayo (the holidays are upon us and I need all the room in the fridge I can get!). I just chopped up the chicken with some dill before I threw it away - it was ready - and added some celery. I put it into a Ziploc bag and it's ready for the cooler.

Additionally, I had intended to make some chopped liver this past week but never got around to it. So I didn't want it to go to waste, of course (even if it was only $3 for the container), so I made it today and packed it into a disposable container for our trip. In the morning, we'll toast up the remaining slices of bread from the drawer and eat the two like pate! In addition, I'll pack the pears that would surely rot by the time we got home and a few snacks and we're all set for the road! By the way, my recipe for chopped liver is here: http://meredithsfoodforlife.blogspot.com/2008/09/jewish-girl-in-me-recipe.html

I know that we are all paying close attention to what we're spending, so why not take that ideal onto the road when leaving for a trip? I'll bet you all do this already...I'm just late to the game!

...and when we return? EASTER COOKING frenzy begins! Watch for it!

Roast for Any Night: Recipe

The more I write, the more I begin to think that maybe I am a really picky eater. I just finished saying that I don't like pumpkin pie and now I'm about to say that I really don't like chicken. But allow me to amend that statement. I don't like ordinary chicken breasts. I love chicken breasts stuffed with cheese and other things and I love chicken cooked long and slow the way it's done for Coq Au Vin. And I do love chicken thighs and legs and the skin! Yikes. Did I say that out loud? Not so good for you, I know. But I do love it when it's crispy and well seasoned.

A roast chicken can be, perhaps, one of the world's simplest but best dishes. With very little effort you have a terrific dish that can be used for one night's meal straight out of the oven and for a lunch the next day as in chicken salad...and of course, don't get rid of the bones! Make yourself some homemade chicken stock and freeze it.

There isn't a huge secret to a roast chicken other than lots of kosher salt and some extra flavor like lemon, onion, and a bit of butter. If you're adventurous, you can make an herb butter by softening some butter and mixing it with some fresh chopped herbs and then sliding the paste under the skin of the bird. It's all very easy and what you get is a wonderful meal that smells terrific.

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs
3 lb. roasting chicken, washed and dried, inside and out
Kosher salt
1 lemon, sliced in half
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced in half
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary and fresh parsley, washed
4 Tbsp. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375. Place washed chicken into a large roasting pan. Rub salt inside the cavity as well as all over the bird - about 1/2 cup in total. Place the lemon, onion, and herbs into the bird. Rub the softened butter over the breast side of the bird. Place the bird breast-side up in the pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours or about 25 minutes per pound. Baste the bird only once during the cooking. Let the bird rest about 10 minutes before carving.

Modern "Left-Over Stew:" Recipe

Disclosure: this is not the best photo...but the dish was great.

When I was young, my mom used to make "left-over stew" after a dinner of steak and mashed potatoes. I remember it being delicious - for some reason the left overs were even better than the original dish! She basically made her version of Shepperd's Pie with potatoes on the bottom and on top, beef, carrots and peas from a can and Franco-American gravy. I repeat...I loved this as a kid. It served its purpose - mom got us to eat left-overs and disguised them in a new package.

This weekend I made a fantastic steak dinner with mashed potatoes but there was so much left over so as I sat there at the end of the meal, the vision of mom's Left-Over Stew came to mind. I made a few updates and I offer you a recipe for something a bit more sophisticated, for lack of a better word.

Thanks Mom for the idea (and for all those yummy dinners!)

Modern Left-Over Stew
2 cups of cooked steak, cut into bite-sized pieces (1/4 cup collected juice from the cooked steak)
3/4 cup frozen petite peas
3/4 cup cooked corn
3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
3 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
4 carrots, sliced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. fresh rosemary + 2 sprigs about 2" each
2 small scallions, sliced (white and pale green parts)

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat and add scallions and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and saute another 3 minutes. Add 1 tsp. rosemary, the sugar and chicken broth. Stir and cover. Lower the heat to low and let cook about 10 minutes until carrots are soft.

Run peas under very hot water in a colander for about 5 minutes, and be sure to shake the colander to ensure all peas get water. Peas are done when they are bright green.

In a large bowl, combine steak, corn, carrots, and peas. Mix well and add in the soy sauce and the juice from the steak. Mix.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a 9" pie plate, spread 1 cup of mashed potatoes on the bottom. Place both rosemary sprigs on top of the potatoes. Add the meat mixture and cover with the remaining mashed potatoes. Bake the dish for about 60 minutes, until the potatoes are browned.

Cool a few minutes before serving.

Quick Thinking: Recipe

You know, this blog thing can be pretty stressful at times! Yikes. I want to make something easy for dinner and then write about it - but hey! Easy isn't always...well, easy!

But tonight I raced to the market after you know what (the trip to the gym) and grabbed the most perfect sausage. You don't all live in Lynbrook, naturally, but I have to tell you that this place where I buy meat is so great (for those of you who do, you know it...it's Cross Island!) and the pinwheel sausage is out of this world. Moral of the story is to find a butcher - the meats and the service there are always superior to what you'd find in a supermarket.

Anyway, I picked up a wheel of lamb sausage (watch the BBQ flare-ups from the fat) and some watermelon. I thought I'd round out the dish with some homemade pesto for pasta but by the time I walked in the door at 6:01 p.m., my children looked like they were going to eat me - so waiting another 25 minutes while my husband cooked the meat and I made some pesto sauce and pasta didn't seem like much of an option.

And then it hit me (see, these things aren't always so organized): I made a whole bowl of fava bean puree/dip the other night for our get-together but because there was so much food already out that I was sure someone would mistake me for a lunatic, I didn't serve it. I took the bowl out of the fridge and set it on top of the stove - right next to the burner that I was using to boil the pasta (so it warmed to room temp faster). I sliced up some cherry tomatoes from my garden and threw them into a giant bowl. I added the pasta and the puree and mixed it all up. Then I took a veggie peeler and peeled off some Parmigiano-Reggiano curls on top. Delicious and it only took about 18 minutes.

see the link to the post about Fava Bean Spread: http://meredithsfoodforlife.blogspot.com/2008/06/fava-beans-recipe.html

Red, White and Blue Leftovers: Recipe

There is the inevitable question after a party..."what do I do with the left-overs?" Grilled chicken makes a great chicken salad - far better, in my opinion, than poached chicken.

Tarragon and Mint Grilled Chicken Salad
2 grilled chicken breasts, cut up
1 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
2 large fresh mint leaves, chopped
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup green or red grapes, cut up
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix ingredients together and serve.

Use What 'Ya Got: Recipe

It's been confirmed. I am nuts. Truly. You should see the food I am hording. I think that is some type of mental illness - I think I'm due for a check-up.

Seriously, tonight in the 'deli' drawer of the fridge I realized I had:
1. 1 unopened 4 oz. container of pancetta
2. 1 unopened 10 oz. package of salami
3. 3/4 block of newly opened Gorgonzola cheese
4. 1/2 block of newly opened goat cheese
5. 1/2 lb. of smoked ham
6. 1 1-lb. block of unopened extra sharp cheddar cheese
7. 1/4 pkg. of shredded cheddar cheese
8. 2 16-oz. unopened packages of sauerkraut
9. 3/4 pkg. sliced American Cheese

What is wrong with me?? You should actually see the shelf in the basement. It's crazy! boxes and boxes and boxes of pasta and rice; cans and cans (and so on) of broth, beans and tomatoes. I have 2-3 packages of 80% cacao chips. There are about 8 bars of white chocolate. ?????????

And then there are the odd items like a can or two of those black olives with the hole in the center and absolutely no taste? And there are packages of flaked, sweetened, coconut; BBQ sauce, a jar of capers. The list really does go on.

So tonight as I thought about what brilliant recipe I wanted to share, I realized I needed to begin getting rid of all this food (so I can make room for new!). So looking at all that cheese made me think of one of the best things I can make - Quiche! Quiche can be made with so many left-overs. It's wonderful to use a few pieces of broccoli or left over meats and cheeses. It's much like the Frittata I've outlined already but this is baked, obviously, and delicious.

Many times when I'm hosting a brunch, I'll throw these into the oven about 2 hours before guests arrive so that they can cook an hour and cool equally as long and yet still retain their warmth.

I do normally make the crust but to be honest, I see no reason why one can't use a good quality frozen crust and I did just that tonight. I always keep a package of frozen pie crusts on hand for just such an occasion. They are a wonderful alternative to making your own.


Quiche with Pancetta, Arugula, and Two Cheeses

4 oz. cubed pancetta
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 cup torn arugula
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
1 frozen 9" pie crust (I use Oronoque Orchards brand)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large frying pan, melt the butter and saute pancetta over med-high heat for about 3-4 minutes or until the meat begins to brown. Add in the wine and scrape up all browned bits - stir well for about 1 minute. Add the arugula and saute until leave wilt, about 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Remove and place on bottom of pie crust.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Spread the two cheeses evenly over the meat mixture and cover with the egg mixture.

Bake about 55 minutes or until middle is set. Let cool on a cooling rack before cutting into pie-like servings. Quiche can be reheated well in a toaster oven or a regular oven.

Bad Bananas? Make Banana Bread

I've been watching my bananas go from an unripe greenish-yellow to a perfect bright yellow to a past-their-prime yellow-brown over the past week or so. And while it frustrates me that my family is not eating bananas in mass supply, I realize that all is not lost. I'll make some awesome banana bread and we'll feast on that for a few days!

Bananas are a terrific snack and a wonderful food for so many reasons. They're a weekly purchase at the grocery store for us and I use them for smoothies (see: http://meredithsfoodforlife.blogspot.com/2008/05/breakfast.html) or for a quick pick me up.

http://www.chiquita.com/


Banana Bread
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
2-3 very ripe, mashed bananas (equals about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in one bowl. In a mixing bowl, mix together the egg and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, add vanilla and mix another 10 seconds. Add in the oil and mix until well incorporated. Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture then the milk followed by another 1/3 of the flour. Finally mix in the mashed banana and then the remaining 1/3 of the flour. Pour equally into two pans and bake about 55-60 minutes or until tester comes out clean.

Additions:
* 1 cup of chopped walnuts (replace milk with 1 1/4 cup, if using nuts)
* 3/4 cup of chocolate chips sprinkled on top of the loaves about 30 minutes into baking

Friday Night Frittata

Fridays are funny food days. I sometimes eat simple fare like cheese and bread with tons of wine or a salad and a frittata. Frittata is a wonderful meal that can be made with left over meats, cheeses, or vegetables. I like to improvise based on what's in the fridge and I'll make a quick salad with cucumbers, peppers, or radishes and some crumbled blue cheese or feta and an easy oil and vinegar dressing. Open a bottle of wine and slice up a crusty piece of bread...now sit back and enjoy Friday night.

Herb and Cheese Frittata

5 eggs, scrambled
2 Tbls. Whole Milk
2 Tbls. unsalted butter
a good handful of fresh herbs, finely chopped: basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, chives
1/4 cup Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 shallot, minced
salt and pepper

In a frittata pan, or large frying pan, melt the butter over med-high heat till foamy but do not burn. In a seperate bowl, mix together eggs and milk, a good pinch of salt, and few grindings of pepper. When butter is hot and foamy, add in shallots and saute about one minute until softened and fragrant.

Mix together all herbs and put about one half of the herb mixture into the pan; saute another 30 seconds. Pour in egg mixture and swirl pan around until all eggs have coated the pan well. Allow eggs to harden around the edges and toward the middle.

Sprinkle cheese and herbs in the center of the eggs. Cover with other half of frittata pan and flip. Allow eggs to harden about 1-2 minutes, over high heat.

Let Frittata sit for 1 minutes before slicing into pie-like slices.

Pan, exclusively at Williams-Sonoma: