What Jew Wanna Eat

Can you believe it’s almost Rosh Hashanah time again? Where does the time go, I tell ya. But I must admit I am ready for fall. TailgatingFootball, pumpkin goodies, cozy sweaters. Okay so this is Texas so I’ll probably still be in cozy jorts. But bring it on! Now I’ve shared some Rosh Hashanah desserts in the past including my Bubbe’s classic Jewish Apple Cake (please excuse the lack of photos in that post. My blog was hacked last fall and I had to re-upload all the photos again by hand! And honestly I don’t save dozens of photos of me mixing stuff. And then I was dumped. That was a pretty bad time. I drank cried a lot.) Aaaanyways, Bubbe’s apple cake is AWESOME, but these cupcakes are unreal. I took the classic Rosh Hashanah tag team duo of apples and honey (for a sweet new year!) and put them in a cupcake. The texture is almost muffin like, but I still topped them with lots of cinnamony frosting anyways. Any objections? Didn’t think so. Click on the photo for the recipe!

Now I am well aware this isn’t the prettiest recipe I have ever made. I get that it more or less looks like a turd on a plate no matter how much I try to garnish it up. But stick with me.

I am also aware that I have made chopped liver before. And that one is tasty and all, but it is pretty much the Honda of pates. Reliable, functional, safe for children. The chicken liver mousse I present to you today is more of a Mercedes Benz. Sleek, fast, and worthy of shout outs in rap songs. Okay that metaphor didn’t work as well as I hoped, but you get the idea. This one is also not kosher if followed exactly (mmm butter) but I am including alterations to make it kosher as well. Everyone wins! And the grand prize? Insanely delicious chicken liver mousse for all! Here is all Jew need.

Click on the photo for the recipe!

Oy what a crazy week! Pretty sure sitting down to write this post is the first time I have sat down in days! Glad y’all liked my interactive cooking video I filmed for Google+. It was super fun! Most of the comments I received were that the brownies look AWESOME (correct) and that my dress is adorable (aw thanks). I’ve already gotten a lot of use out of that sucker- besides the video, I wore it on two dates last week. Win! Anyhoo, feel free to suggest anything else you would like to see me make. And for you brownie edge fans, this all edges brownie pan is a must! This Wednesday I am cooking up my noodle kugel- both a healthy and less healthy version. Make sure to follow me on Google+ in order to participate! You can ask questions or comment LIVE! Ah, technology.

After my crazy week, I mostly wanted to curl up in the fetal position and and catch up on my Tivoed Olympics (does anyone know when the ribbon dancing starts? If I had an athletic bone in my body, that would be my sport!) Instead, I do what I do best- cooked up some comfort food. Kasha Varnishkas is a mix of kasha aka buckwheat groats aka a nutty grain and Farfalle noodles, sauteed onions and awesomeness.

Thanks to those of you who attended my first Hangout on Google+!! We had a great turnout and I had a fun time! I am going to make it a weekly thing, so you will have lots of opportunities to join and watch me attempt not to be awkward. This week I showed everyone how to make my Bubbe’s famous brownies- thanks Bubbe for letting me share the recipe with the world! These brownies are fudgey, super rich, and just irresistible. I have had no fewer than two marriage proposals from gentleman callers after trying these suckers. Win!

Click the photo for the recipes!

You may or may not have noticed I have been trying to up the fancy quotient on my food photos. I’m adding captions with this crafty (and free!) photo editor and have been futzing with my new favorite camera lens. I am also integrating fabric backgrounds to distract you from the fact that I only have one white plate that I use in nearly every post. I guess the secret is out! Since I banned myself from stepping foot inside a Michael’s after maxing out my credit cards on an embarrassing number of glitter pens and puff paint, I had to get creative with my fabric choices. Today’s background, for example, is my chef pants from school. Future plans include the dress from my Bat Mitzvah (similar to this one but less slutty) and sequins. Stay tuned!

My fashionable and flattering chef pants seemed appropriate for my twist on a panzanella salad since that is one of the many tasty recipes we learned in school. Panzanella is a salad made from stale bread soaked in a vinaigrette. Man I did a crappy job of making that sound edible. Trust me on this one! I made mine Israeli style with tomatoes, cucumbers and tasty toasted pine nuts. And cilantro because I live in Mexico Texas. Click for the recipe!

Okay so this isn’t the prettiest recipe out there, and we all know being pretty is what matters most in life. But they are freaking delicious, easy, and perfect for parties. So delicious, in fact, that I may or may not have eaten half of the batch for lunch. Emphasis on the may. Plus, I had a whole tub of homemade pesto hummus just begging to be used creatively!

Ironically, as record highs swept the country last week, it was a brisk 97 here in Austin. Balmy! Where is my favorite fur? Do not fear, I’m sure it will be back in to the 100s in no time at all. Regardless, I think we are all ready for some light summer recipes, so I wanted to share a few of my favorites from the blog! I’ve also had some requests for more videos on WJWE (y’all must just love listening to my man voice!) so here is a video I made for a top secret WJWE project on how to make summer borscht.

Back when I lived in NYC, word on the street was that after living in the city for five years, you can officially call yourself a New Yorker. I lived there a little over four- just missed it. I recently asked a local Texan if the same thing can be said about living in this fine state. His response? Well Texas is a lot bigger than Manhattan; it’s going to take a heck of a lot longer than that. Blast. Even if I can’t call myself a Texan, I love living in Texas. I love BBQ, cowboy boots, queso, hot weather, friendly people, rednecks, country music, trucks and big hair. But one thing I do miss? The delis! You could get an awesome foot tall sandwich pretty much on every street corner. My friends here keep asking me to open one. Eh. Thanks, but I’ll just make tasty sandwiches for myself at home instead. Whateva, I do what I want!

I was pretty darn proud of myself when I first made homemade bagels, but I think this lox tops it. Who knew it was so easy to make you own lox? Now I do! Plus it’s so much cheaper than store bought.  Salmon curing and saving money all rolled into one- how quintessentially Jewish! Initially I was a little confused at all the lox names out there- smoked salmon, nova lox, gravalox, lox. Are they all the same thing just under different personae a la Beyonce and Sasha Fierce? Or was each its own creation? Turns out I made lox today- gravalox has some herbs incorporated and smoked salmon aka nova lox is smoked after the curing process. Just plain lox is the simplest but also just plain tasty.

A while back, the lovely folks at RCCS asked me to contribute a recipe (or two) to their first fundraiser for cancer cookbook. I was honored! Have a few Jewish recipes published and for a good cause? Sign me up! Plus, this supported why I love to cook in the first place- I do it for the people. Is there any better feeling than cooking up a tasty meal for a new beau (yes I said beau) and they LOVE it?! Or cheering up a friend with some homemade cupcakes? Or slaving away in the kitchen all day, so you can relish in a tasty meal, hearty wine, and great conversation? I don’t think so! I forwarded them my potato zucchini kugel cupcakes and cinnamon roll strudel and a little bit later received their cookbook in the mail.