Matzo Ball Soup or "Trayf" Matzo Balls the Forbidden Matzo!

I'm not trying to offend anyone, nor are the matzo balls that I make normally Forbidden. You see I've been sick this past week, and my son has had the the sniffles. So we've had a lot of chicken soup. Ever since Husband Person and I have jumped the broom, I've adapted to add the good ol' matzo ball along with the already super yummy bowl of chicken soup.

Now I know you're asking, "How are the matzo balls forbidden?"  Well here's how... Your normal matzo ball contains some sort of fat, whether its chicken fat, or oil. The matzo balls I made today had bacon grease, yeah I said it. Bacon grease! Boy oh boy were theses fluffy, soft, cloud like balls of goodness a hit. You see Husband Person may be Jewish, but the man will kill a hog to get him some bacon.  That ain't no lie either. So Husband Person came up with the name "Antisemitic Matzo Balls" and I learned from my dear friend Marcey (Who happens to be one of the coolest people to ever travel to a developing country with) that they were not in fact antisemitic just "trayf" or forbidden. (Heart you Marcey!)

I can't say that I'll make my matzo balls like this all the time in the future. It just so happened that I started the chicken stock this morning after making breakfast and thats when the light bulb went off. When you're in the mood for your favorite chicken soup, try these cute little morsels to go along with it. How about you make them when someone in your house has a cold or it's a chilly day. I promise you won't need to call your Bubbie for help. Oh, and please for the love of bacon don't use the boxed matzo ball stuff.

Chicken Stock
1 whole chicken cut up
2 parsnips scrubbed (whole)
2 large carrots scrubbed (whole)
2 celery stalks with leaves intact
1 med onion peeled and cut in half (leave the stem part intact)
4 large cloves of garlic
2 large sprigs of thyme, one small sprig of rosemary, 2 bay leaves bundled together

In a large stock pot brown the chicken parts skin side down first. Then add enough water to cover the chicken and let boil on med high for about 1 hour.

Add the remaining ingredients and more water to cover veggies and herbs if needed. Simmer for 2-4 hours. Strain the stock into another pot and allow chicken and veggies to cool. I then shred the chicken and reserve it for the soup.

Matzo Balls
4 eggs beaten
2 tbsp of chicken fat, or oil, or bacon grease (the bacon grease makes it trayf or forbidden)
1 tsp of kosher salt
2 tbsp of chicken stock or water
1 cup of matzo meal
2 tbsp of parsley
1 tsp of granulated garlic

beat eggs and fat, oil, or bacon grease with salt parsley and garlic, add matzo meal and stock. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Here is the trick, if you like dense matzo balls allow them to rest for about 30mins if you like fluffier ones like we do, let the mix rest for 2 hours.

bring a pot of salted water to a boil, drop in one inch size balls gently into the water. I use a small ice cream scoop, it makes them all even and pretty. When forming the balls wet your hands periodically with cold water it makes the whole process easier. When all your balls (I know, I know) are in the water cover the pot with a lid and turn the heat down to a simmer, set your timer to 20mins.

While the matzo balls are cooking I usually chop up the carrots and add them to the bowls along with some of the shredded chicken. At this point I salt my stock to taste and add egg noodles. Some people like them with their matzo ball soup, some don't, to each their own..  When the matzo balls are done I place 2 balls in each bowl (lol) and ladle the noodle soup mixture on top!

See! Warm, yummy,  fluffy, goodness, that will help you feel so much better.

Provecho Kittens!

NashVegas Y'all

Have you ever made the choice to live apart from you partner? Regardless what the reason may be? Husband Person and I lived apart from one another for a good portion of our marriage. First being him landing a internship soon after we got hitched that took him to Boston for the summer, then about 2 weeks before he was to return I landed a job to work on an excavation at Teotihuacan Mexico. Lets just say it took me to get knocked up with our little man for us to stay in the same zip code. We're now happy and content and love have time together... But thats all about to change again.

You see my hubs is a man on mission! His mission is to change education here in this land we call America. He's a Charter School guy and believes that we should expect more from not just students, but from teachers, parents, and well everyone! The catch is this, we now live in Kentucky which is 1 out the 10 states who do not have Charters. I don't know why these 10 states think they are the Devil but they do. Apparently the other 40 state have caught on that its okay to have other options in education to offer their citizens.

This takes me to my point. Finally I know... Husband Person and I have been busy going back forth from Louisville to Nashville because he has taken the job as a Charter School Administrator. The catch being the school is a failing metro school and he has the task of turning the school around. Talk about daunting.

We move him into his small apartment away from me and the kiddo next week, then the following week is Thanksgiving . Boy oh boy do we have a lot to be thankful for. But this transition of him working in Nashville and me and little man being in Louisville is going to be tough. But we will make the best of it and we'll make it work. I'm scared and worried, yet proud and elated all at the same time. I know that in the beginning its going to be difficult because we're both going to be so worried about one another. But most of all we'll worry about how our son will handle it. Him driving home on the weekends, me driving there some of the week. All while he tries his damnedest to get this school turned around, and I try to get into a graduate program.

We'll trudge through like we always do, and with the support of our friends, family and most of all each other... Its going to be... Okay.

A New Day

So much has happened in the last 6 months! We moved back to my home town of Louisville Kentucky. We're currently under a massive project of renovating our home. A slow and tedious process I assure you. Our son has learned to walk and has taken on quite a personality. He's no longer eating baby food and has graduated to eating everything I make (for now.) We're still working around his dairy intolerance somewhat, but all in all it seems he's growing out of it. All in all, we're happy and loving life. Taking on new challenges and still eating together as a family.

Sorry I've been away for so long, but thats going to change. My sabbatical is over :)

Roasted Vegetables

Roasted veggies are so simple to make and are oh so good for you! They can be used in so many dishes. This past weekend we had dinner at a cousin's house, she served roasted veggie tortas. Man oh man were they so good! I'm a huge fan of roasted veggie soups and simply making them to accompany a main dish, like how I'm making them for tonight.

You can pick any combo of veggies you want. I suggest that you cut the veggies you do pick into similar sizes for even cooking. I had red bell peppers, brussle sprouts, broccoli and garlic cloves on hand. Mix and match your own combo and use up those veggies you have in you fridge!

Ingredients:
1 pound of various veggies
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
generous pinch of kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper

preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a baking pan coat veggies with 2- tablespoons of olive oil. Place in the oven and roast for 30 mins. Halfway through make sure to stir them so they don't burn. When finished and cooked through season with salt and pepper.

There you have it Folks! Simple and easy.

Baking Bread In A Dutch Oven

Baking bread is a job that is considered a labor of love in my book. I love to make various types of bread and breads that are baked in a dutch oven come out with a soft crumb and a crisp crust that crackles when you take it out of the oven. For this particular photo tutorial I used a basic recipe that consists of flour, salt, water and yeast. I added 6 cloves of garlic sliced and a large sprig of rosemary chopped.

I'll show you some different bread recipes from beginning to end in the near future, so keep a look out for them soon.

Take your dutch oven and place on the bottom rack and preheat for about 20 mins. On a piece of parchment paper, punch down and round out your dough after the initial rise. Cover with a cloth and allow to rest for half and hour.

When the dutch oven in heated place the dough parchment paper and all into the dutch oven, cover immediately and place into the oven and bake covered for 15 mins.

Remove the lid and lower the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees and bake for 15 mins longer.

When finished remove from dutch oven immediately and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour.

Here it is, a loaf that has a crispy exterior and a soft crumb. Hope you try it soon!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

As I mentioned in my recipe for shrimp lettuce wraps, I am the queen of them. They are fast and easy to make and they taste yummy. You can serve these for and appetizer or a main course.

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground chicken or turkey, you can also use boneless skinless chicken breast diced up.
1 tablespoon of canola oil
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 scallions cut on a bias
on serrano pepper diced 
1 teaspoon of fish sauce
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon of siracha
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar

 Brown chicken on med/high heat with a tablespoon of canola oil.

Grate 4 cloves of garlic into the pan with the chicken.

Add hot pepper.

Then the fish sauce.

Chili Sauce along with the sugar.

And the Siracha

Finally stir in the scallions at the very end.

There you have it. I like to serve it with cilantro and shaved red onion as well.

Provecho!

Mel's Meatloaf

My Husband is a huge fan of meatloaf, we don't eat it that often but when we do its a night where we really don't talk during dinner if you catch my drift.  There is something to be said about a loaf of meat that is seasoned to perfection and topped with a tangy ketchup based glaze, its almost as if you are having a party in your mouth.

Now this isn't your Momma's meatloaf. No sir, this is MEL'S meatloaf. Its tender and moist and full of flavor. If you happen to have some leftover you can make a meatloaf sandwich that will make you smile when you take a bite into it. So go on ahead and make meatloaf!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 slices of thick cut bacon chopped very small 
1 slice of bread crumbled (I use multigrain)
1/4 red bell pepper minced
1/4 spanish onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper

glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon Saracha or a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce


Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

 Mix all ingredients for the glaze and set aside. 

 Mix all the ingredients for the meatloaf and allow to sit for 20-30 mins.

Mold beef mixture in a baking dish or in a loaf pan, then top with ketchup glaze.

Bake for 45 mins. to an hour until cooked through.

Serve it with your favorite side and ENJOY!

Stage 1 Baby Food

When your little one is ready to have something more that cereal, you can start them on stage 1 foods. Making them are very simple and you know whats going into your baby. All you need are a few items.

1. blender/hand blender or food processor 
2. breast milk, H2O, or formula for thinning
3. stage 1 fruits and veggies.
4. steamer basket
5. grater

Many Momma's start off with mashed bananas, most babies love them because they are so sweet and they are so easy to make, you simply just mash them with a fork. Or you can mash up a little banana and mix it with oatmeal/cereal.

Things like sweet potatoes, winter squash, pears and peas can be placed in a steamer basket and steamed.
Once the veggies are steamed, blend until its a coarse mash. Add a little of the steaming water a tablespoon at a time and blend until in the consistency of your liking. Store in a airtight container and it will last 2-3 days in the fridge. Thin out with breast milk, formula or water if desired before serving.

Hope your little one likes stage 1 foods like mine!

Provecho little ones!

Mel's Chicken Tacos

This a simple dish you can make fast. I had half a roasted chicken left over and even though they are not my favorite, a box of crunchy taco shells in the pantry. You can add any type of topping and make a little taco bar, but I prefer the traditional Mexian way of cilantro and minced onion.

Salsa verde gives the chicken a kick! I would to add Oaxacan cheese or queso fresco, but until my little man's allergies subside that won't happen. Try adding your own style to appease your own tastes and enjoy this low fat, simple dinner!

1/2 roasted chicken breast shredded
6 taco shells, or flour tortillas
1/2-3/4 cup of salsa verde, click here for my recipe for roasted salsa verde.
your choice of toppings, I chose cilantro and onion

 

In a skillet over a medium heat add shredded chicken.

Add salsa verde to the chicken and heat through. At this time heat up tortillas and prep toppings.

Place chicken in shells or tortilla and place toppings.

There you go! Provecho.

Salsa Verde

The best salsa verde I've ever had was made by Lauro our cook/worker when I was working at the Barrio Oaxaqueno in Teotihuacan Mexico. Lauro was considered to be a Mountain Man of sorts. He knew how to use the native plants of Mexico for food, medicinal purposes and pigment.

Lauro specialized in "El Campo" style type of cooking, that meant that he was able to cook us meals over an open fire. He showed me how to make salsa verde, but instead of making it over a camp fire I'm making in my kitchen. This ones for you Lauro!

Ingredients:
8 medium sized tomatillos
4 cloves garlic
2 serrano peppers
1/2 of a small spanish onion
Handful of fresh cilantro chopped.
Kosher salt

Preheat your oven to a low broil and place the rack at it's highest setting. 

Remove the husks on your tomatillos and wash them well. Cut them into quarters, cut peppers in half. Place tomatillos, onion, garlic and peppers in a single layer in a baking dish. place in oven and broil for 8 min each side. 

 When finished, tomatillos should be charred and soft.

 Put all roasted veggies in a blender along with any juices that released in the pan.

 Wash a handful of cilantro and place in the blender.

 Add a generous pinch of kosher salt.

 There you have it, salsa verde. You can eat it with tortilla chips, make chilaquiles which I've shown a recipe for or my Mel's chicken tacos also on this blog.

 

Sloppy Joes

I really don't know anyone who doesn't like a good Sloppy Joe. I had forgotten my love for them until one day the Husband Person asked if I could make em' for him. I'm sure glad I did. Who needs to buy that canned crap that starts with an "M?" Not you, nevermore, nevermore.

I've made these with ground chicken and ground turkey, but it doesn't compare to the plain ol' ground beef. If you buy it lean it won't be greasy. I always brown my ground beef and rinse with water in a colander to get rid of any extra grease.

This is a simple, tasty meal you can whip up fast! Try grating carrots and cooking them into the meat to sneak in a extra veggie if you want! I can assure you this will be a favorite to little and big kids alike!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 small red bell pepper chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
4 buns

1. Dice onion and bell pepper and saute over med. heat with a little olive oil, when fragrant add minced garlic. When onion in translucent set the mixture aside.
2. Brown and break up ground beef, when it's finished cooking place meat in colander and rinse to remove any extra grease, rinse the pan too.
3. Add all ingredients into the pan, cook on med heat until sauce thickens. Serve Immediately on buns.

Sorry for the lack of photos on the recent post. I've been so busy with little man that by the time I remember my camera dinner is being served or already eaten! I promise I'll try better getting the pics up.

Mel's Sausage n Peppers.

I learned to make sausage n peppers when I lived in a house with a bunch of my good friends.  I've taken the original recipe and tweaked it and made into my own. The sauce that is made with it is a sesame sauce made for Chinese Sesame Chicken. So if you ever want to make that particular dish try it with this sauce.

Ingredients:

1 pound good smoked kielbasa sausage.
1/2 sweet yellow onion sliced
1 bell pepper sliced

Sauce:
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon chile paste
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1/4 inch of ginger root grated

1. Slice sausage on a bias. Slice onion and bell pepper as well.
2. In a large skillet brown sausage. Then add onion and bell pepper and cook until fragrant yet firm
3. In a separate sauce pan, make sauce by mixing together sugar and cornstarch. 
4. Stir in chicken broth, water, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, garlic and ginger.  
5. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. 
6. Pour sauce over sausage and veggie mixture and serve immediately. I recommend with rice.
   

Orange Chicken

I miss Hong Kong. The "Chinese Food" we have here in the states is nothing in comparison to the food that I've eaten in Hong Kong. I've have fab. dim sum in Chicago's China Town and Egg Foo Young... Again I've had nothing that compares to what my palate had experienced in China.

Now that we live in Rockford which is 20 mins away from the Wisconsin boarder, I am at a loss. There is no good places to get Chinese food here. I know that my fellow Rockford people think that standard fare is delicious... I can not say the same. Oh Chicago I miss you. China, I miss you more.

Here is a simple orange chicken recipe that you can make at home. I think it tastes better that what you can get round' these parts. This is very versatile recipe, that can be changed around to make other restaurant style dishes. If you don't want your chicken fried, saute it without any batter on it. I assure you that its still just as tasty!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 3 hot dried chinese chilies smashed, tablespoon of Saracha works too!

2 cups veggies of your choice.

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

Chicken:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut

into 1/2 inch pieces

1 teaspoons rice vinegar 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg beaten

 Cut fat off chicken breast and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, place in a bowl with salt pepper.

 Add rice vinegar and egg.

• 
  
  
  In another bowl mix the flour and cornstarch then add to the chicken and mix the set aside for 20 mins.
  • Preheat oil to 375 degrees, cook chicken until golden brown, be careful not to over cook it or they will be dry.

•  Prep your veggies and cook in wok until veggies turn  a bright color yet still crisp and set aside. 

• Mix water and cornstarch together to make a slurry and set aside.

In wok saute garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar and bring to a boil. Add chilies and orange zest.  Add cornstarch slurry until thickened.

 Mix chicken and veggies together. 

 Pour sauce over them and serve with fresh hot rice! mmmmmm!

Enjoy!

Baked Rigatoni With Spicy Italian Sausage

I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy a nice baked pasta. The only problem is that it can be a pain in the patooty to make. Not this particular one, its yummy and has a flavor profile. Start to finish it should take 1 hour. Make sure you use great ingredients and you will get great flavor.

Ingredients:

3 hot Italian sausage links (make sure they are of good quality)
1 pound of rigatoni
1 32oz can or crushed tomato
16oz of water or red wine
1 tbs dried basil
1tbs dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup of cheese (we use mozzarella flavored rice cheese)

preheat oven to 350 degrees, take a stock pot and prepare water for pasta, and cook according to the package. Drain and place pasta back into the pot

.In a pot on medium heat saute onion, garlic and herbs in 1 tbs of olive oil until the onion is translucent. 

 Then add crushed tomato, half a can of vino or water. Lower heat and simmer until reduced by 1/2 about 30mins.

In a skillet on med/high heat cook sausage links, add 1/2 a cup of water and cover. Let sausage rest for 5 mins.

Cut sausage on a bias.

In the pot with the pasta add half of the sauce and the sliced sausage and mix, spoon this mixture in a baking dish. Top the pasta with the rest of the sauce.

 

Bake for 20 mins and add cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

Chilaquiles With Chicken and Salsa Verde

I love chilaquiles, when made well its a party in your mouth. When living in Mexico, Sunday was my favorite day. I would go to my favorite coffee shop and order chilaquiles and Skype with family and friends.  I wish I was able to eat it with crema and queso fresco... I can't wait until that day comes again.

Ingredients:

6oz salsa verde
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup of chicken shredded
3 handfuls of good tortilla chips
2 eggs cooked to your liking
1/4 of spanish onion sliced
1/4 cup of cilantro chopped
2 tbs of Mexican crema or sour cream
desired amount of queso fresco crumbled

You can use jarred salsa verde or make it at home. I have pictured here a 6oz jar of my homemade roasted salsa verde. You can find the recipe here.

In a skillet on medium/high heat add salsa verde and chicken stock and reduce by 1/4

Add tortilla chips and coat with sauce, add chicken and cover and cook for 5 mins. Meanwhile make eggs to your liking. 

Plate the tortilla mixture and top with an egg, garnish with onion, fresh cilantro, crema and cheese

Its typical to serve this dish with refried beans and avocado.

Provecho!