PESACH POSTFREE

There will be no posts, until after Pesach...

I am away.

Til then.

Happy Pesach!

6 Fun or Practical Pesach Buys!

I was browsing through Amazon, looking for some great things for the kids and gifts for in-laws and of course myself. All of the items ship free with Amazon Prime. I thought I would share, based on awesome pricing or items you do not see everywhere... Have an amazing Passover!

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wwwlakewoodfo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B001QFBJTE

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 http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwlakewoodfo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0013TO5OO
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 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1422613534/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1422613534&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwlakewoodfo-20

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http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wwwlakewoodfo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0026HX2R8

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 http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wwwlakewoodfo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1578190738

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 http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wwwlakewoodfo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B001QF5FXK

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Next year in Jerusalem, Israel!

Spotlight on The Gingerbread House - The Ultimate 'Candy' Store and then some!

 

 
Walking into The Gingerbread House makes you feel like a kid in a candy store. The walls stretch toward the back, lined with every kosher candy imaginable! 
 

They carry a wide array of nuts, chocolate, dried fruits, grandiose platters, cookies, smoothies & cakes!

Their fruit shakes/slushies are a big hit! With absolutely no corn syrups, or any syrup of any kind, no food coloring and real milk (none of the condensed milk powder). The most popular of their smoothies is their diet cappuccino (as the dieters are after a good thing), but after tasting all the fruit shakes, my personal favorite is Strawberry Yogurt….mmmmmn!

With lots of dried fruit options, they stack beautifully with contrasting colors making a beautiful Shabbos arrangement. I stacked mango, kiwi & roasted red peanuts in three different sized containers, which they wrapped in a beautiful gold bow as a hostess gift last time we stayed on that side of town for shabbos.

They make all of their peanut chew platters that people go ‘nuts’for in-house. You are bound to see one of their platters at almost every Kiddush.

They also have an extensive display of blue and pink masterpiece platters! So you can find that ultimate gift for a boy’s Shalom Zucher or a baby girl’s Kiddush!

When it comes to cakes their dessert cakes are something they take pride in the variety they are able to offer, as they are imported from several locations in New York. They carry Dessert cakes of every kind, sherbert and ice cream included! These specialty cakes start at $18 and up.

 

This is a ‘candy’ store unlike any other, it’s whimsy and variety put it in a category of its own! Maybe I will start out with a JUMBO lollypop and take it from there!

Pesach – I just love it!

Pesach is one of my most favorite holidays. It is not so much the preparation, or the cleaning ;-), but the feeling you get as the holiday actually ushers in. The house is spotless, that deliciously cozy feeling from working hard combined with a Seder decked out in luxury; is when the feeling of excitement  really kicks in.

For Pesach, we go to my in-laws and the Seder is truly a time for a seriously great time. Masks and finger puppets for the ten machos (whether or not there are children present), and those little green frogs that when you push down their backs, they spring three feet across the table!

They are always generous in having guests that may be less familiar with the holiday, which rudely enough allows for much amusement. After a couple of glasses of wine, it becomes more than difficult to contain that amusement!

This year, with 2.5 triplets, I have unsuccessfully been attempting to teach them the ‘Mah Nishtana.’Still trying!

I pray for all of us all, to be removed from the slavery of this exile and the slavery of our desires and temptations to sin and may we celebrate next year in Jerusalem!

Spotlight on Pizza Place @ Westgate: Unforgettable Dining Experience

As I write this review I am still savoring the taste and experience of “Pizza Place”. Walking into Pizza Place in juxtaposition with any Pizza Shop, it is an unanticipated treat. Its name may be misleading to some because it is far more than a pizza place. It’s a beautiful italian restaurant with much more than just delectable Pizza.

From its gorgeous oak counter partition, to vintage style wall sconces, it offers an upscale luxurious restaurant feel.  The adjacent room will transport you further, with its deep cherry wood tables and chairs, beautiful tiles, soft light spotlights; you will be engulfed by its ambiance.  

 I had the privilege of tasting a wonderful array of their fabulous dishes.

Their cream of mushroom soup is divine. The tomato & brown rice soup’s sweet and tangy flavors will hit your palette with a soft kick.

My absolute favorite pizza in this entire town, is their white pizza with pesto drizzled over it. Their Sicilian pizza with pesto sauce will have you dreaming for more! Pizza Place should be nominated for their mozzarella sticks. Lightly breaded filled with 100% mozzarella cheese their soft crunchiness as you bite into one, you’ll watch as the cheese stretches a mile and smile, feeling you have just tasted a small piece of heaven.

There are several great fish options, with outrageously low prices ($13 and below) and in-house grill. Order the Salmon Teriyaki seared and scored in that crisscross that can only be achieved by a professional grill chef. I had mine with a side of broccoli and mashed potatoes.  The mashed potatoes had a smother and creamy flavor.

Upon inquiring about how they achieved this taste, I was told, they are made from Yukon potatoes with heavy cream and butter. Their entire menu consists of food and desserts that are made from fresh, real ingredients; all cooked, baked & grilled in-house.

The real highlight of my tasting experience was when the eggplant parmesan arrived. It came out on lovely china with a side of spaghetti in a marinara sauce. The eggplant was layered perfectly with a moist, fresh, saporous breaded coating on each thin eggplant fillet. Using real parmesan, mozzarella cheese and homemade sauce allowed them to create this most unforgettable dish.

Making their very own desserts is not something you will see often in the restaurant business. Most restaurants bring their desserts from other locations. Pizza Place does not only make their own desserts, they excel at doing so. From their Zeppoli (Italian Doughnut) to their thick and wicked tasting cheesecake, it was too good I was forced to eat it down to the very last bite!

The adjacent room is beautifully adorned to allow for sheva brochos and other high-end catered events. For catered events, the tables are set with linens and china to achieve that luxurious effect.

Tuesday nights are special at Pizza Place, upon booking a reservation, your child can make his/her very own pizza. For just $5.75 your child will receive cheese, sauce and dough and is welcome to use their own imaginations to play pizza chef for the evening!

Pizza Place offers so many options at such unbelievable prices. Eating here once will keep you coming back for more.

I know I’ll be back real soon!

Spotlight on Tips & Toque: ‘The Kitchen Creativity Playground’!

It was several days before Purim, when I came across an Ad in one of the Lakewood circulars, where it showed a photo of Minnie Mouse cake toppers. As you know, my Purim theme was Minnie Mouse, so I eagerly went to check out the store; Tips & Toque. The display in the window showed creativity looming behind its doors, but I could not imagine how much!

When I walked in, my jaw dropped. It was the store, I always dreamed of. A store, with hundreds of specialty items: fondants, tools, and just about everything else you can imagine. It’s for those that love to play in the kitchen!

This store has been in this town for over a decade, and I have never been inside.

The ultimate in the kitchen playground, with its very own Utensil Mikvah, so your projects never need to wait until tomorrow!

I think I am going to be trying to make beautiful cake pops sometime in the near future; I saw supplies for that, and they’re very in right now and yummy too!

If you do check it out, and make something awesome… please email photos to me: kosherfoodie@yahoo.com 

Let’s share the fun!

Sushi for Dummies

Sushi is the new black.

A couple of years ago only brave gourmet seafood lovers ate sushi, but now it’s become the rage. It’s become a new staple food; it isn’t uncommon to see sushi on the shabbos table as an accompaniment to the traditional gefilta fish or salmon. Moms serve it to kids as a guilt free before-dinner snack. Teens justify their expensive splurge lunches in the name of a healthy diet food. Abstinent dieters commit brown rice sushi to their daily plan. Hearty men order fried tempura as a side to their Thursday night cholent. In short sushi is here to stay! But let’s face it-sushi is not cheap, especially when you are serving it to a crowd! By now many a novice has experimented with homemade sushi attempts in an effort to produce more of this versatile food for less money.  We have all been met with varying degrees of success. Some have given up; others have taken to rolling sushi inside out the easy way. Some have moved on to sushi salad. One friend of mine even hired her own private sushi chef once a week in an effort to stay on top of her family’s demand.

With persistence, and being unwilling to hire a chef (I’ll save my money for the cleaning lady) I have been met with moderate success. My sushi is not yet a masterpiece and my rolls are not always symmetrical, nevertheless my family always stands around and watches with bright puppy eyes as the homemade rolls take shape. They are eager to help out by consuming ends, and bits and pieces that are not deemed worthy of the official platterJ.

At the risk of boring you I’ll just give you a few pointers:

Firstly, filling can and should be versatile.  My kids know that leftover salmon often reappears the next day in the rolled form. Cucumber, carrot and avocado all work well, add a little cream cheese for the milchig variety and you have a true Philadelphia roll. Fish sticks can serve as mock kani sticks.  You can mix cooked salmon with flaked Kani sticks and a little mayo to make an easy fish filling. (Kani is mock crab food and can be found in the freezer section of your local grocery I think it’s make from pike.)  Mango is a good twist and sweet potato lovers have been known to include that too.  This all assumes that you are not a lover of the raw fish variety. Let’s not go there!

Cook the sushi rice according to directions. Two cups of raw rice makes enough cooked rice for about five or six rolls. Sometimes you may have to add a bit more water in the end of the cooking process so don’t turn your back or use your trusty rice cooker..

Add one or two tablespoons of rice vinegar; (I like the red pepper flake variety) to the rice and three table spoons of sugar. (My apologies to the abstinent dieters.)

Transfer the rice to a glass bowl and stir with a wooden paddle. (Metallic utensils tamper the flavor of the cooked rice.) Let the rice cool completely.

Prepare your workspace. You will need a little sushi kit which should have a wooden paddle and a bamboo rolling mat. Line the rolling mat with plastic cling wrap. Place the Toasted Nori sheets, AKA seaweed (I use Sushi Maven brand, it comes in packs of fifty or twenty in your local grocery,) on the plastic wrap. If your Nori sheet is square you will want to trim about two inches off to get it to a rectangle, so that the rolls will not look like more rice than filling or like overstuffed sausage.  I get annoyed when the professionals are skimpy on the filling.)

With the wet palm of your hand smear the rice on the Nori try to flatten it as much as possible.  When you are satisfied with your smear, flip the Nori over so the rice faces the plastic.  Place your filling as close to the edge of the Nori as possible in a neat thin row. (Of course your veggies are cut into thin perfect matchsticks in neat rows, right we are perfectionists are we not?) Then you’ll proceed to roll and pull back with the mat use the mat to tighten the roll if you think it’s too loose then roll and pull back again. If the filling pops out of the side that’s a good sign, that means you have a tight roll just nudge it back in. Cut the rolls with a serrated knife. Try to cut them evenly about ¾ inch thick, platter them in the same direction in sets of eight.  Change the plastic wrap between each roll.

Serve with plain old soy sauce or buy some spicy mayo or sweet teriyaki.  I have mixed mayo with a shake of hot sauce and it did the trick. True sushi lovers will invest in ginger and wasabi but I am not a die hard for those. Get out your chop sticks make a blessing and enjoy, if your kids have left any for you while you turned your back.

 If you are serving the sushi the next day wrap a moist piece of bounty around the platter before the sawran wrap and avoid avocado filling as it goes bad overnight..

I hope to bring you more sushi related ideas in the future such as a heaven sushi salad, and perhaps a visit to a home based sushi business but for now………. RUYSAGTW!!!!!

That stands for Roll Up Your Sleeves And Get To Work!   (I knew it was sushi for dummies!)