Challah Stuffing, by Diane

I have made this stuffing for every major holiday for years, and only now thought to post it! It's famous in our family gatherings, and it couldn't be easier. 

Ingredients:

2 loaves challah

1 lb italian sausage (we have made it without sausage too, it just really amps up the savoriness!)

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp poultry seasoning

2 large boxes (32 oz each) chicken broth

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Slice the challah thinly and leave overnight to dry without the slices touching. If in a pinch, you can place them under the broiler to dry out just watch them carefully!

2. Rip the challah into small chunks and set aside.

3. In a large pot, cook the sausage until browned and set aside, reserving some of the liquid in the pan.

4. Add the celery and onion to the sausage drippings, along with the butter. Cook until the veggies are softened.

5. Add in poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. For the seasoning, you want it to be extra salty as it bakes out a bit in the oven so oversalt here.

6. Remove from heat and add in the sausage, challah, and one box of broth to start. Mix well and adjust for seasonings and wetness. For the moisture, you want it to be pretty wet so it cooks out in the oven, but no extra liquid in the bottom of the pot. This may require another 1/2 of the second box- we have never used both boxes entirely. This is also a good time to do a final salt check.

7. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes uncovered until the stuffing is set and the liquid is cooked in. Serve warm- but it's also amazing cold or reheated the next few days if it makes it that long!

Sufganiyot, by Cheryl

These were surprisingly very easy to make! And delicious.. I mean, who doesn't love fried dough. I got this recipe from Once Upon a Chef and it was super easy to follow. I chose not to fill them with jelly since no one in my house likes that. Instead, we dipped them in Nutella! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1 tbsp instant/rapid rise active dry yeast

3 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 large yolks

2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus about 1 quart for frying

1 tsp vanilla extract

About 1 cup jam or jelly - or custard, Nutella, pudding, etc.

Directions:

1) Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the flour, confectioner's sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk and set aside.

3) To the yeast mixture, add the egg yolks, 2 tbsp oil, and vanilla and whisk. 

4) Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until the dough comes together. It should be a bit sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 1-2 hours. 

5) Line a baking sheet with a few paper towels. Line another with parchment paper and dust heavily with flour. Dust a clean countertop and your hands with flour. Pat the dough into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Add more flour add necessary so it doesn't stick. Using a pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut 24 squares and transfer to the baking sheet. Sprinkle squares lightly with flour.

6) Add oil to a heavy pot to measure about 2 inches deep. Heat to medium high heat. When hot, place 6 dough balls into the pot and fry until golden brown, 1.5 minutes per side. Transfer to the paper towel lined pan. 

7) When they are cool enough, puncture the side with a paring knife to form a pocket. Squeeze 1-2 tsps of jam or whatever inside. Or serve it on the side to dip into. 

8) Dust the donuts generously with confectioner's sugar. Serve warm. 

Focaccia Take Two, by Diane

This was the second attempt this past weekend over facetime with my friend to redeem ourselves in making focaccia. Unfortunately, this recipe also did not match the texture of focaccia and was almost as dense and whitebread-like as the last one for both of us. We cannot figure out what is going wrong, as both recipes had amazing reviews!! Once again I topped it with the best combo of tomatoes, rosemary, thyme and red onion, but even that couldn't save it. The flavor of this one was not as good as the other, but the edges did come out really crispy. Another recipe hailed as "easy"... fail. Now, to be fair, we had to convert these measurements from grams, and for reasons I don't understand that is not easy because you can get 10 different answers (isn't this math?!). Regardless, our ratios were the same so we don't think that is where we went wrong.

Ingredients:

9 g active dry yeast

335 g water 105-115 degrees

450 g flour

9 g olive oil

9 g salt

20 g olive oil

20 g water

Flaky salt

Directions:

1. Combine yeast and warm water for 5-10 min until foaming.

2. Combine flour and salt to a large bowl, mix with yeast mixture until no dry flour remains. Pour 9g oil and mix with hands until combined. Cover and rest 20 min.

3. Grab a corner and stretch to cover the dough, turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until all sides have been stretched. Turn over seam face down and cover for 30 min. Repeat this step 3 more times. 

4. Drizzle some oil in a 9x13 pan, transfer the dough and see if it stretches to the edges. If it springs back wait 20 min. Cover and proof for 45-60 min until bubbly (ours wasn't).

5. Dimple the dough, then whisk remaining oil and water until emulsified and pour over top. Sprinkle with flaky salt.

6. Bake at 450 for 20-25 min until golden. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 min.

 

Focaccia Take One, by Diane

A friend and I made this together over facetime two snowy Saturdays ago, and unfortunately while the taste was spot on the texture did not match focaccia for either one of us. It was dense like homemade white bread for us both, with no holes for air, and not as crunchy on the outsides. I did love the combo of tomato, rosemary, thyme, and red onion, but this recipe was not a winner based on texture, even though it was hailed as "Shockingly Easy". 

Ingredients:

1 packet active dry yeast

2 tsp honey

2.5 cups lukewarm water

5 cups AP flour

1 tbsp mortons kosher salt

6 tbsp EVOO

Flaky salt

Butter

Directions:

1. Whisk yeast, honey and water in a bowl and let sit 5 min until foaming.

2. Add flour and salt to the bowl and mix with spatula until no dry flour remains.

3. Pour 4 tbsp oil in a bowl and transfer dough, coating all sides. Cover until doubled in size.

4. Butter a 13x9 baking pan, add 1 tbsp oil in the center.

5. Keeping the dough in the bowl, lift up one corner and fold over the dough. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 3x to deflate it into a rough ball. Place the ball seam side down in the pan.

6. Leave in a warm spot uncovered to rise for up to 4 hours until doubled in size. The dough is ready when you poke it with a finger and it doesn't spring back quickly.

7. Heat an oven to 450 and prep a middle rack. Oil your hands and stretch the dough to the edges of the pan. Dimple the dough then drizzle w 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle w salt. Bake until golden brown for 20-30 min.

Pork Floss and Seaweed Pull-Apart Rolls, by Diane

 

I have been following a chef on Instagram, Kristina Cho, and she just published a cookbook called Mooncakes and Milkbread which is full of recipes for sweet and savory Chinese pastries. It's the first time I've looked at a baking challenge and thought I'd like to try making them, plus I love Asian bakeries. Yesterday it was a snow day here, and I thought what a great way to fill the day by making this recipe, which I've had my eye on for a while. Her cookbook is backordered, but this recipe was published in Bon Appétit. 

I was floored that these came out so well. I had several moments where I was sure I messed up the dough, including yeast that didn't ferment in milk causing me to borrow milk from a neighbor during the storm, and not having a stand mixer so not being sure how long to mix the dough by hand. These tasted WAY better than any one I've had in a Chinese bakery, which also really surprised me! This is partly due to her famous milkbread recipe, which is soft and pillowy and just slightly sweet. Overall, these made 8 craveable and super fun rolls, and I had been anticipating they wouldn't be so good but here we all are trapped in the house together...

I did a few things differently than her recipe- I used a shrimp flavored furikake because I like the way pork and shrimp go together (in the end I couldn't taste the shrimp but everything blended so well!). I also had some leftover fried garlic and onion from an Indonesian recipe so sprinkle that on top as well with the sesame seeds- definitely a great addition. 

I can't say enough about what a surprise hit these were, so savory and sweet and the dough was just soft and pillowy and comforting. I would definitely make these again, for when more people were in the house... I also loved the freeze and reheat instructions! FYI, this recipe takes about 5-5.5 hours to complete from start to finish.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup milk, divided (I had to use half and half here since my first batch didn't ferment and it was fine)

2 tbsp plus 2 2/3 bread flour, divided, plus some for flouring surface

1 tsp active dry yeast

A pinch plus 1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp diamond crystal or 1/4 tsp morton kosher salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into pieces

1 tsp vegetable oil

Filling/Assembly:

1/2 cup Kewpie mayo

1 cup pork floss

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions

2 tbsp furikake

Nonstick cooking spray

1 large egg

1 tbsp milk or heavy cream

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

(I also added 2 tsp fried garlic and onion bits)

Directions:

1. Cook 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp milk and 2 tbsp bread flour in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly until thickened into a paste 2-3 min (mine never did so I added a bit more flour). Transfer this mixture, called tangzhong, to a small bowl and let sit until warm (should resemble mashed potatoes), 5-10 min. 

2. Bring remaining 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp milk to a gentle rolling simmer over medium heat. Pour milk into a small bowl and let cool until warm to the touch (110 degrees). Stir in yeast and a pinch of sugar and let sit until foamy, 5-10 min. (I had to sprinkle and stir the yeast in as my first batch clumped).

3. Combine egg, salt, remaining 2 2/3 cup bread flour and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a stand mixer w dough hook. Add in tangzhong and yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Add 1 piece of butter at at time, mixing until incorporated, then increase speed to medium high until dough is tacky and slightly sticky about 8-10 min. Transfer the dough to a floured surface, wet hands and form into a ball. (I just used my hands for all of these steps until it formed a tight ball and was a bit sticky). 

4. Coat a large bowl with oil and turn the dough until all sides are covered in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm draft free spot for about 2 hours until doubled in size. 

5. Roll dough on a floured surface to 18x10". Spread mayo over dough, then sprinkle pork floss, scallions, and furikake. Roll it up lengthwise into a tight log and pinch the ends and remove. Turning log seam side down, cut into 8 equal pieces.

6. Coat a 10" diameter cake pan with cooking spray, arrange rolls leaving a small gap between each one. Cover with a damp tea towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 1-1.5 hours in a warm draft free place.

7. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk egg and 1 tbsp milk/cream in a bowl and lightly brush the tops with this mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the tops (and garlic/onions if using).

8. Bake for 28 min until golden brown (I needed maybe another 3). Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool in pan until warm.

9. If storing, chill in airtight container in fridge (warm at 300 degrees until warmed through about 5 min or 30-45 sec in microwave) or freezer (bake 350 for 10-15 min).

Hamentashens, by Cheryl

Yay for Purim season! What a fun Jewish holiday... too bad the typical carnivals and parades can't happen this year, but we are prepared for a lot of zoom celebrations! Last night I went to a hamentashen baking zoom class through our temple. I actually have never made hamenatashens before. They were always just around and I never felt the urge to, and to be honest I don't LOVE hamentashens. I always find the dough to be too dry. BUT, this dough is delicious, soft, and sweet! I was eating it before I even baked it. There's a tad of orange juice in the dough and I really think that adds to its flavor. And my first batch came out great! No oozing of the insides and no breaking apart of the dough. Definitely put these on your list to make! 

Ingredients: (recipe from a temple member)

3 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1/4 orange juice

2 eggs

2.5 tbsp baking powder

Fillings: chocolate chips, apricot jam, raspberry jam, nutella, etc. 

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the orange juice. Mix in the baking powder, and then gradually stir in the flour until the dough forms a ball. If the mixture is too sticky add some flour. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. 

2) Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3) On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 2.5 inch circles using a cookie cutter or a glass. Place circles on prepared cookie sheets. 

4) Spoon 1/2-3/4 teaspoon of filling, or 4-5 chocolate chips onto the center of each circle. Pinch the sides of each circle to form a triangle, covering as much of the filling as possible. (They may be frozen on the cookie sheets if desired to help retain their shape while cooking).

5) Bake for 10-15 minutes (mine took 14) until the edges are golden brown. 

Makes approximately 2 dozen. 

Simit (Turkish bagels), by Diane

 

I made this recipe for a friend’s birthday, as these were her favorite food when she was in Turkey. Turkish bagels are crusty on the outside, sesame flavored, and thing and twisted (I couldn’t make the twists thin enough to do this justice!). It went well with my cooking thought the countries theme during quarantine, and it was fairly easy to do. Mine came out much softer like American bagels, likely because I made them so much thicker! They were still good though, and worth the effort to make a friend happy!

Ingredients:

2 tsp instant yeast

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

4 cups ap flour

1 1/2 cup warm water

1/4 vegetable oil

1/4 grape molasses (I used regular)

1/2 cup room temp water

1 cup sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

1. Mix first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add in warm water and oil and knead until the dough comes together and isn’t sticky any longer.

2. Cover and let rise for 1.5 hours until it doubles in size.

3. Punch down the dough and divide into 16 pieces. Roll out 2 pieces to 25 inches each and twist together then fuse to make a ring. Place on baking sheet.

4. Dip the finished rings into a solution of molasses and remaining water, then dip into sesame seeds and return to the baking tray. Cover loosely and let rise for another 20 minutes.

5. Bake at 400 for 12-15 min until brown and fully cooked.

Pan con Tomate, by Diane

This is one of my favorite appetizers, and the third of our line up of summer dishes from Spain.
It was super quick and easy to make, and definitely takes advantage of summer tomatoes! I used heirloom tomatoes because I like them best. Recipe from: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/09/pan-con-tomate-tomato-bread-spanish-recipe.html


Ingredients:

1 ciabatta loaf, sliced thickly (my store had presliced so I used a wide italian baguette)
2 large tomatoes
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Fine sea salt
Flaky sea salt

Directions:

1. Grate the tomatoes in a large bowl, and add fine sea salt to taste.

2. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle fine sea salt onto the bread slices and broil for 3 minutes or until the edges get browned.

3. Rub garlic cloves on the bread, then spoon tomato mixture and top with flaky sea salt. You can add a drizzle of olive oil here as well.

Nutella Stuffed French Toast, by Cheryl

I need a better picture! I'll replace with another one when I make it again!

For Mother's Day this year Jon had made me one of my favorite breakfasts, biscuits and gravy! So this Father's Day I decided to make him a sweet breakfast since that's what he usually gravitates to. While he's more of the baker in the family and made the biscuits from scratch, I was looking for a more quick and easy approach to this meal. It's sooo easy to make and very good! Julia has requested this for breakfast several times over the last couple of days and Jon loved it as well so this will probably become a treat for breakfast on the weekends. You can also put slices of bananas or strawberries inside the sandwich as well, which is what I did for Jon's. Not a bad way to start the day. Yum!

Ingredients, (recipe from here):

1-2 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread
2 slices cinnamon raisin bread
1/8 cup milk
1 egg
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
butter or cooking spray
powdered sugar, optional

Directions:

1) Spread some chocolate hazelnut spread onto both slices of bread (recipe calls for spread on one slice). Put the two slices together to make a sandwich.

2) Beat milk, egg, and extract together in a shallow bowl until smooth. Soak the sandwich in the bowl until bread is moistened, about 20 seconds each side.

3) Melt some butter in a pan over medium heat.

4) Cook sandwich in pan until browned, about 2 minutes first side, one minute second side. Dust with powdered sugar.

Belgian Waffles, by Cheryl

On March 25 it was National Waffle Day. How do I know this? Well, my kindergartener's principal sends a lovely one minute video message to all of the students everyday and he has a different day for every date! It's pretty informative actually, haha. Anyway, I didn't have the energy to cook waffles right then and there, but we made them the next morning with this recipe. They were so fluffy and different than other waffle recipes I've tried before. I had to beat the egg whites until they fluffed up into stiff peaks and the fold it into the batter.. I think this really made the difference! I'll be making them again. Yum!

Ingredients:

2.25 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1) In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

2) In a medium bowl beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Set aside.

3) In another bowl mix the egg yolks, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract.

4) Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.

5) Fold in the egg whites.

6) Heat up your waffle iron and spray it with oil.

7) Pour the batter into the waffle iron (I used half a cup) and cook according to its directions.

8) Serve immediately with optional toppings such as butter, whipped cream, fruit, etc.

"Breakfast Friends" (French Toast), by Cheryl

Back when I did my little MLM stint as a Barefoot Books ambassador, I purchased a large deck of healthy and easy kid recipes that the kids can help with. That was five years ago and we finally dove into them the other day. Julia chose about 20 recipes she wants to make, and so for day 1 of winter break by myself with both kids all day we tackled one of these recipes this morning. So basically, this is French toast, lol. But I'm posting it because it included things in the mix that I don't usually put in my French toast. I usually just use eggs, milk, and cinnamon. Maybe some brown sugar if I'm feeling it that day. This mix includes yogurt and honey and I think it really gave it a slightly different flavor which I thought was great! Yum!

Ingredients:

4 slices of thick whole-grain bread
2 eggs
3 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tsp honey
1/3 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
Toppings

Directions:

1) Use cookie cutters to stamp out some shapes from the bread.

2) Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Beat the eggs.

3) Add the yogurt and beat again.

4) Beat in the honey and cinnamon.

5) Dip the shapes, one at a time, into the egg mixture. Thoroughly coat the pieces.

6) Heat butter in a frying pan and when it is hot, add some bread shapes. Cook each one for 1-2 minutes and then flip onto the other side and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Use toppings for eyes or designs as desired.

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding, by Cheryl

I used this recipe for the dessert I made for my cookbook club. It comes from the book Once Upon a Chef. It was sooooo good! It was definitely everyone's favorite dish of the night! I soaked the croissants in the custard mixture for six hours and it really absorbed it well! I'm making it again this weekend and I'm going to soak them overnight. Eat it warm. Yum!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb croissants, torn into 1-in chunks (I used 7 largish croissants)

4 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I used chocolate chips)

5 eggs

3 cups half and half

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup bourbon

vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

1) Generously butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Place the torn croissants in the dish. Scatter the chocolate chips over the top and toss gently with your hands to mix.

2) In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until lightly beaten. Add the half and half, sugar, vanilla, salt, and bourbon; whisk until well combined.

3) Pour the custard evenly over the croissants and chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours to allow the croissants to soak up the custard. 

4) Preheat the oven to 350F and set an oven rack in the middle position. 

5) Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden and the center is set, about 20 minutes more. Spoon into bowls and top with vanilla ice cream, if desired. 

Tomato Crostini with Whipped Feta, by Cheryl

My friend came to me with an idea that we should start a cookbook club. Each month the host would pick a cookbook for everyone to make recipes from with the host making the main dish and everyone else bringing sides, appetizers, and desserts. We'd then discuss what we made and feast! We held our first one last week and it was a hit! Right now we only have three members.. we want to make sure the people we bring in are chill and we can hang with them, lol. Diane, this is a club that would be awesome for us!

The cookbook we made recipes from was Ina Garten's Foolproof. I chose easier recipes since I'm still digging my kitchen out of boxes. This appetizer is sooooo good! I devoured a lot of them for breakfast the next morning. I will definitely make these again as an hors d'oeuvre! Yum!

Ingredients:

6 oz good feta, crumbled,
2 oz cream cheese, room temp
2/3 cup olive oil, divided
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 tbsp minced shallots (2 shallots)
2 tbsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 lbs ripe heirloom or cherry tomatoes
3 tbsp julienned fresh basil leaves
20-25 diagonal baguette slices, toasted
2 tbps toasted pine nuts

Directions:

1) Place the feta and cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until the cheeses are mixed. Add 1/3 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Process until smooth.

2) Up to an hour before serving, combine the shallots, garlic, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add the tomatoes, stir gently, and set aside for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil and taste for seasonings.

3) Spread each slice of bread with a generous amount of whipped feta. With a slotted spoon, place the tomatoes on top. Put the crostini on plates and scatter with the pine nuts. Sprinkle with extra basil and serve.

Cornbread, by Cheryl

This is the best cornbread I've ever had and I knew as soon as I tasted it that I had to have the recipe. This recipe is from my brother in law's mother and goes well with just about anything. I've had it with chili and most recently made it with a smoked brisket for our Hanukah party. It is beyond unhealthy, but makes a nice addition to some warm comfort food. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 (30oz) can drained whole kennel corn
1 (30oz) can creamed corn
2 eggs beaten
1 cup melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 package jiffy cornbread or muffin mix
2 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) Mix all ingredients together. Bake in a greased 9x13 dish for 45 minutes.

Banana Muffins, by Cheryl

These are the best, the best I tell ya! So healthy and so good! Julia eats about 3 of them a day - she always thinks she's having dessert since I put a few chocolate chips in there. I make them about once a week and they are great for a breakfast on the go or a snack. Yum!

Ingredients (original recipe from here):

1.5 cups whole wheat flour (I've played around with this a bunch and I like .75 cup whole wheat flour and .75 cup ground oats)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 ripe bananas, mashed
a couple handfuls of spinach or kale, optional
nuts or chocolate chips, optional

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin pan with liners.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Make a hole in the center and drop the eggs, butter, and syrup in. Mix with a fork until it all comes together.

3) In a bowl mash the bananas together. Mix them into the other mixture. If using spinach or kale, process a couple of handfuls until they are very finely chopped. Mix in.

4) Distribute into the muffin tin and bake for about 20 minutes. Makes around 14-16 muffins.

Basic Stuffing, by Cheryl

I love stuffing. I love everything about it and I especially love it with some cranberry sauce and yummy turkey for Thanksgiving! I've never made homemade stuffing before and was excited to make it this year for Jon's family's dinner. This is a really easy and tasty recipe! A couple of adjustments - I added another cup of chicken broth to my veggie mixture because it didn't look like enough. And then I still had to add another cup the next day and bake it again for about 20 minutes since not all of the bread cubes got covered. And honestly, I'm not sure how much the egg and parsley mixture adds to the dish since it was hard to cover even a quarter of the pieces, but I wouldn't eliminate it. Overall, a very successful and loved dish! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
2 cups diced onion
2 cups diced celery
1 tablespoon minced sage
1 tablespoon minced thyme
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 cups chicken broth
16 cups cubed stale bread (I bought a pre-cut bag of an already stale mixture of cubed breads from Whole Foods)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375.

2) Melt one stick of butter in a pan and add the onions, celery, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

3) Whisk the eggs with the parsley in a large bowl. Add the bread to the bowl and pour the vegetable mixture over it, tossing to coat.

4) Transfer to a baking dish and dot with more butter.

5) Cover and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 20 minutes until golden.

Banana-Zucchini Bread, by Cheryl

Photo from here

Julia and I wanted had a baking day last Tuesday since we were once again stuck inside due to this never-ending rain!!! I decided to make some bread to bring in for her preschool class to have at snack time. This bread was a big hit with the two and three year olds (and their teachers), and was an easy way to sneak some veggies in. I made a few adjustments from the original recipe. I omitted the walnuts because they are a nut-free school. I substituted the dried cranberries with dark chocolate chips. I used whole wheat flour instead of white flour since that's what I had on hand. I cut the original recipe in half. I also, mistakenly, baked the bread at 350 instead of 325, but everything turned out fine! I loved this bread warmed up in the microwave. Yum!

Ingredients (modified):

1 egg
1/2 cup apple sauce (or 1/4 cup vegetable oil)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 grated zucchini
1 banana, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.75 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips


Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2) Beat egg in a large bowl. Add apple sauce (or oil), sugars, zucchini, banana, and vanilla and mix together. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan.

3) Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until toothpick is placed in the center and comes out clean.

Mastava (Uzbeki Soup), by Diane

This soup is the first thing I order at a local Uzbeki restaurant. It is hearty and filling but also light and aromatic at the same time. You can use either beef or lamb in this, and the traditional way is to finely chop cooked meat to use in the soup. All the veggies are finely chopped as well. You top this amazing soup off with a sour cream sauce, which at my local restaurant is a mixture of sour cream and cream (its a thick liquid).

I never thought to make it because I thought it must be so complicated since it was so many flavors all together, but as it turns out it could not be easier to make at home. It also uses barely any ingredients! This is so good!!! I did add in turmeric and garlic, for anti-inflammatory purposes, but also because I love the flavor of both. I'm really excited to devour it this week!


Ingredients:

1 tbsp EVOO
1 lb beef or lamb, finely chopped (I cheated and used lean ground beef)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 sweet pepper, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white rice, uncooked
6 cups water
1 potato, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds (you can use ground cumin here if needed, 1/2 tsp)
fresh dill, chopped (about 2 tbsp)
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
Sour cream (add in heavy cream to make a sauce if desired)

Directions:

1. Heat a large soup pan to medium high and add in EVOO. After the oil heats, add in the meat and onions and fry until the meat is cooked through and the onions are softened.

2. Add in carrots, pepper, tomatoes, and garlic and cook until carrots and pepper are softened.

3. Add in rice and fry for 30 seconds, then add water.

4. Add potatoes and bring to a boil, skimming off any foam from the potatoes.

5. Reduce to a simmer, add in cumin seeds and dill and cook uncovered until rice is done.

6. Serve with sour cream, add in until creamy.

Irish Stew (Ireland), by Cheryl

Next up is Ireland! I was hoping to get to this stew before the weather turned warm, but that didn't happen, so here it is in 78 degree weather! We were definitely sweating while eating it, haha. Anyway, the best thing about this dish is the broth. The Guinness really stood out as we were eating it and it went so nicely with the vegetables. The aroma in the house while this was cooking was mouth watering! The only thing is that my beef came out so tough, when the recipe said it would be so tender you could pull it apart with your fork. I felt like my jaw was going to fall off from the amount of times I had to chew it! I'm not sure what went wrong there - maybe I didn't use the right meat? But the meat I bought was specifically for stews...

I may try this again since it was an easy recipe and it sat in the oven for 90 minutes. We paired the stew with some leftover pao di quejo rolls from our top 5 cook-off! Yum!

Ingredients (Recipe from Inspired Taste ):

3 tbsp olive oil
2 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup flour
2 cups coarsely chopped onion
2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 11.5 oz Guinness Stout beer
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups beef stock
salt and pepper

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 275. Pat the beef dry, season with salt, then roll each in flour until lightly dusted.

2) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven. When hot, add beef in one layer (might have to do in batches) and brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve for later.

3) Add onions, carrots, and celery to the same pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add the garlic for one more minute.

4) Pour in the Guinness and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan.

5) Add the reserved beef, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, paste, beef stock, and salt. Stir, the cover with lid and place in the oven. Cook one hour then check on the stew. If the top of the stew is dry, add some extra beef stock or water. Taste for seasoning and add salt/pepper as needed.

6) Cover again and cook for another 30 minutes to an hour until beef is tender and can easily be pulled apart with a fork.

Qabuli, by Diane

I made this dish last night for our Afghani-themed spread at book club. We read The Pearl That Broke It's Shell, by Nadia Hashimi, and it was set in Afghanistan (an excellent read!!). I've had this dish both at Afghani and Uzbeki restaurants (in Uzbekistan it's called Plov), and it's delicious. Traditionally it is served on a bed of rice, but since some of our bookclub members were keeping Passover, I omitted that part. I also used meat from kubideh kabobs that I purchased at a local Afghani restaurant, but traditionally qabuli uses lamb that is cooked in onions and spices (a google search brings up all kinds of recipes for how to cook it this way). I'm posting the recipe as I made it, which was cheap, quick, and surprisingly simple! This was a big hit at the bookclub, and I'll definitely make it again for lunch or dinner during the week.

*Note: traditionally I've seen this dish made with candied orange peels (which you would create by adding orange peels into the carrot step), saffron (also added into the carrot step), pistachios instead of or with almonds, and rose/orange blossom water (added in with the raisin step or to cook the rice in). Afghani food is very fragrant and uses a lot of ingredients that have a variety of good scents! All taste amazing and you can customize how you want! Last night was a busy one so I picked the easiest of all options and it still wound up tasting delicious!*

Ingredients:

2 kubideh kabobs
2 tbsp EVOO
1 lb shredded carrots
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp garam masala
1 cup black raisins (golden raisins are also used in this dish)
1 cup slivered almonds
Rice (basmati works best!)

Directions:

1. Soak the raisins in a bowl with hot water for 10 minutes (you want them to be plump and juicy!).

2. In a large saucepan heat EVOO on medium high. Add in carrots, brown sugar, and garam masala and cook until the carrots are slightly browned and tender. 

3. Drain the raisins and add them into the mix. Cook another 2-3 minutes until raisins are warmed and set aside in a bowl.

4. Add the almonds into the pan and lightly toast. There should be some reminants of the oil and spices left in the pan for the almonds to absorb. Make sure to watch these as they will burn easily! Add to the bowl and mix together.

5. Serve your dish with rice on the bottom, meat, and then the carrot/raisin/almond mixture on top.