Making More Delicious Memories

Purim 2013 is now a delicious memory!

One of my favorite things to look at on Purim is all the creative ideas people come up with for their Mishloach Manos. But the ones I simply cannot hold back from eating are the delicious, creative homemade ones.

I’d like to share one of the many Mishloach Manos I really enjoyed. My nieces dressed up as strawberry shortcake and looked out of this world cute! Their parents gave out strawberry shortcake mini trifles that were beyond heavenly! I ate all of mine – don’t tell my husband…some things are just too good to share ;-)!

The trifle is made up of three layers.
Crumbs on the bottom: 1 box Duncan heinz mix (any flavor), 1 stick margarine and  ½ cup brown sugar. Place in oven on 350 degrees. Mix a few times over a 30 minute period. Mixture should not be gooey it should look like crumbs. Allow to cool. Fill 1/3 of the trifle dish.

Mousse: 16 oz. whip, 1 can strawberry pie filling, 1 box instant vanilla pudding dissolved in 1 cup milk or milk substitute. After the whip has been whipped, add pie filling and thicken pudding (with half the amt. of milk) mix for a few minutes till fully combined. Fill second third of trifle dish. A food storage bag with the tip cut off is a perfect way to fill the dish neatly.

Top with whip and a little confectionary sugar added (after whip is completely whipped) to thicken. Again use the bag or a professional icing bag. If you’d like you can sprinkle some left over crumbs on top.

If you are making mini trifles be sure to purchase the mini spoons as well- I think that added touch made it all the more elegant. My sister tied the spoons in ribbon. The strawberry flavor is my personal favorite! Chocoholics might prefer the devils food mix crumbs with a chocolate mousse (add 2 boxes instant chocolate pudding with 2 cups milk to the whipped topping and omit the pie filling) top with the whipped topping.

Having guests that you want to impress?

Try it, it’s really simple and gets rave reviews!

 

A MAXIMUM PURIM!

 

Today is the day, to taste and enjoy all sorts of food. With several Sephardic neighbors we get everything from lachmajine to kibbeh!

Then all the delicious cakes, hamantashim (homemade are my weak spot) and someone even made homemade sushi!

My favorite is the themes and I love to see how excited the kids are in their costumes.

Purim has only just begun, and spirits are flying high, people are smiling and we are off to a great start!

My girls are dressed up as Minnie Mouse! They look ADORABLE! Not too brag ;-), but I sewed their costumes as well as made the cupcakes!

A Maximum Purim! From the Sokol Minnies & lakewoodfoodcritic.com!

Easy Purim Cupcakes & Fondant Toppers

This year, my girls are dressing up as Minnie Mouse for Purim! I wanted to do something really cutesy and within a tight budget.

Buying cupcakes for $3 each is simply out of my budget. Besides, I am pretty good with my hands and Dunkin Heines always does my baking for me!

So I made 50 Devil’s Food and 50 Yellow Cupcakes (my personal favorite). I bought the in-store frosting, which comes with the decorator’s tips, that saves you a ton of time, energy and clean up!

I ordered plastic containers that hold only two standard size cupcakes each, to keep it nice and easy. A polka dot red and white ribbon to tie it all together!

The fondant: There are two ways to go about it, the first is buying white fondant and mixing dye into it to make it the right color. The second and easier option is to purchase your already made color. I was going with standard colors of black and red, so purchasing it was so much more convenient.

Fondant is super easy to use; it has similar qualities to play dough. So if you’ve been through kindergarten then you must already have received your diploma in play dough and you can move onto fondant.

I personally did not purchase any of the fondant tools, I kept it simple. When using a serrated knife, it makes it more difficult to cut properly and leaves ragged edges. Try to use the smallest non- serrated knife you have, and making shapes will be much easier. You can flatten the fondant with a rolling pin if you plan on using it to cover a large area.

 To make Mickey Mouse’s head, I simply rolled one large ball and two smaller ones connecting them with a drop of water.

Fondant is soft and easy to use. If the fondant begins to harden while you’re still using it, simply knead the fondant and it will it will make it soft again.

This has been a truly fun arts ‘n crafts Mishloach Manos experience!

To purchase supplies here in Lakewood for creative baking visit Tips & Toque, they carry an amazing selection!

I would love to see your creative Purim ideas!

Share your photos and tips!

Send pictures with or without your name to: laylusokol@yahoo.com

To creative Puriming!!!

A Kitchen Must Have!

I am really not sure how I ever lived without it; my beautiful Aroma Rice Maker ($35) has been a life-saver on more than several occasions. Not only do I use it for dinner almost every night, it helps me make my Shabbos in record time!

I will be honest, I have used to for things I am positive it was not created for. But hey, it saves me so much time and mess! I have used it for the regular like rice. Personal favorite is short grain brown rice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder - a simple side dish made so quickly and effortlessly.

My machine has settings for brown and white rice.

I’ve used it for steaming vegetables. You can use it to steam meats and poultry (but I keep mine parve).  I use it for pasta, omelets (adding cheese afterwards), and I have even made an amazing luckshen kugel in it - the machine does not indicate using it for these items, but I am going to test its limitations!

I have never been one to think in the box and this rice cooker allows me to throw a bunch of ‘stuff’ in and make dish after dish. I have to say that as of right now it is probably my #1 kitchen gadget.

The only mistake I have made, using it so far, was making a recipe with nuts in it.  Because it steams the food, you don’t want to put anything that needs to be toasted and not steamed, or it will get mushy!

Another essential tip: you must not use metal utensils to take food out from it, or you will scratch the protective coating right off!

Once you have your own rice maker, you will never remember how you lived without it. I use it for most my side dishes and bake my chicken, or beef in the oven.

This is one item every kitchen needs!

This is the one I currently have and love (you can go smaller, but if your planning on lots of company or a large family- this is the way to go!):

Aroma 12 Cup Rice Cooker/Steamer

Spotlight on Kosher Taco: A Lakewood Hot Spot

The reviews are in and Kosher Taco pulls in high scores as being a ‘Hot Spot’ to dine here in Lakewood. Its loft ceilings & private booth seating allows for intimate dining; making Kosher Taco ideal for a date, couple’s night out or just hanging with friends. The setup and décor is intriguing and superbly unique to Lakewood’s Kosher Restaurants.

 

 

Décor aside, dining here is an experience you won’t be quick to forget. The pricing is exceptional and the portions are enormous and delicious!

 

 My recommendation is to order a 1 person platter which consists of 6 hard/soft tacos stuffed with your choice and includes two very large side dishes! My personal favorite taco was the thin strip steak taco. I had the Guacamole which tasted super fresh alongside their homemade onions rings. Everything was scrumptious, but eating the onion rings with their ranch-style dip (which was absolutely wicked) simply left me blown away!

They create their very own taco bowls, corn chips, and will be introducing additional items to their extensive Menu through the Shani Taub diet program (very popular currently in Lakewood).

 

Currently they offer many options for dieters, as well delectable salads. The portabella mushroom chicken salad is a must for mushroom lovers!

 

If you’re looking for fresh food, intimate dining, wonderful portions,  a burst of flavor with every bite at a great price, Kosher Taco would be an ideal choice for dining!

 

 

I will definitely be eating here again in the near future!

 

Which place should we try next?

Drinking wine… keeping with tradition!

Friday nights, the lights are dim and the candles are lit, warmth and a feeling of calm fills my home. While the men are in shul, I cut up my standard salad my husband is particular too. I then browse though our wine selection to see which wine I am ‘feeling’ that evening.

Everything is different if my in-laws are spending the shabbos with is. If my mother-in-law is over than it is not the time to savor the wine, it’s  time to P-A-R-T-Y; we bust out Baron Hertzog’s Vouvray (about $13) contains only 12% of alcohol, is a nice tasting dessert wine, however what makes it truly wondrous is how it effects your mood, and how you perceive your in-laws....lol

Unfortunately, this wine is currently sold out in every wine store in Lakewood.

Smirnoff Ice achieves a similar more mild effect. There is actually a new kosher flavor on the market: Pineapple. It’s super light and has currently moved up into position as my favorite of their kosher flavors (contains a KSA Hashgacha).

I never have more fun with my Mother-in-law than when we are sharing some naughty high calorie/ high sugar cake or drinking ladies drinks- le Vouvray! Both tend to give us the giggles.

Friday night and holidays are the only times I drink and it is my tradition, so that cannot change!

If we are home alone, it calls for a dry red wine occasion. It lends a feeling of sophistication and maturity. And as dificult as it may be at times to accept we are grown-ups, we most certainly are.

We have two serious gadgets when it comes to wine.  The 1^st is the Metrokane Rabbit Wine Tool Kit, Metallic Red, 4-Piece, opening wine bottles is a cinch! No screws, just a suck and release cork mechanism (NON-electric). You can then reuse your cork as well.

The second, and fundamental to a red wine, like a Malbec from Chile (which would be my most frequent pick), is our Rabbit Wine Aerating Pourer It is incredible! It breathes the wine as your pour, so even if you open it right before the meal, you can still savor each sip!  

My husband is an Irish Whisky guy; his staple:  Jameson. Once when we went out he ordered a really ‘special’ Jameson shot for $25! I don’t even spend that on a bottle of wine!  I have never developed a taste for beer or hard alcohol... So when it comes to expertise in that area, I wil have to consult my man.

I am very happy to stick with my ladies drinks and stick with tradition!

L’chaim- to tradition! May your Shabbos be complete with savory tastes and wonderful smells!

6 Braid Challah Experience x2

It was Friday, just a couple of hours before Shabbos when I scurried about and printed out my diagrams - of how to make a six plait braided challah. I began to braid with the utmost concentration, confident with my prospective success. I mean half a dozen women on facebook claim they do it every week, so why shouldn’t I be able to?! The first half was looking good and I was almost too confident that it was really going to happen, when I noticed something peculiar.

I was only braiding the left side of the challah. The right side had plaits hanging around- just chilling out.

My father-in-law was watching me with a look of amusement, as he is able to do a four braid challah, and kept trying to persaude me that maybe I should  start small, with a four braided challah.

But no, I had to make it six and nothing less. would do!

So dough was hanging from the right and the left was mostly braided, when I simply threw in the towel. I made some things up - like you do on a test when you don’t know the answers. When you begin writing really tiny or messy, based on the theory that If the teacher cannot read it, she’ll assume it is the correct answer.

Except in this case the picture does not lie.

I was left with a funny looking challah, which I baked proudly and served along the rest of my three braided challahs!

To be honest, it may not have looked pretty, but it sure tasted wonderful as always!

I will not give up on this quest, I am more determined than eve; If I have to I will find someone to give me a real life demonstration, and sometime in the future my children will brag how their mother ‘always’ made challah that way!

Yussi's @2nd Street in the Spotlight

Yussi’s @2^nd Street is a wonderful non-expensive option for the whole family. If you would like to sit down, that option is available with decent ambience and many delicious options. We did takeout from Yussi’s for dinner this evening, and I am happy to say for exactly $27 we got heaping portions for two.

I got a huge platter of baby chicken which was tender, delicately  spiced and delicious.

My husband got a manwhich plus a heaping portion of perfectly seasoned wings… All the exclamations as he ‘fressed’ should not and could not be shared, but at the finale to quote him: he said “I feel like a real man!”  

To many more Yussi’s Dinners!

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY SPECIALS IN LAKEWOOD

Restaurants in Lakewood are gearing up for the big game between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49er’s. 

Yussi’s has a ‘hot’ variety for the big game; offering 25 cents per buffalo wing- ALL day at their 2^nd street location…mmnnn! (20 wings per customer).

South Side SandwichShop is offering 2-3 foot Heros, 5 Bean Chili with home-made chips plus a FREE 2 liter Soda with each hero order. OMG!

Glatt Bite is offering 3 Super Bowl specials! Every special comes with russian dressing, pickles, cole slaw & ketchup .

Can San Francisco win their 6^th ring, or is Ray Lewis going to retire in a blaze of glory?

Either way chow down on some great food that Lakewood has to offer and enjoy the game!