Mailbox Monday (129)

It's been a while since I've gotten a Mailbox Monday post up. So much so, that I'm sharing the books Elley received for Valentine's Day. And it's May... Yeah. Better late than never, right?
From PJ Library
Today by Kyra Teis
The title of this book, todah, means thank you. As you'd expect each page shows a baby saying thank you for some aspect of their life. I think the illustrations, which looks like children's artwork on pieces of paper, are adorable.

Where is the Afikomen? by Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler
This is a Passover book in which a little girl looks for the afikomen, the last piece of matzah, to end the meal. Elley isn't quite old enough to go looking for the afikomen yet, but hopefully next year we can try hiding it for her.

Purchased
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
I really try to avoid purchasing books now, but my one exception is Cassandra Clare's shadowhunter books. This one is the first of a new trilogy and takes place a few years after the last book in The Mortal Instruments series. I've actually finished this book and really enjoyed it, so I'll have a bit more to say in my review... whenever I get around to writing it that is!

From Paperbackswap
Crossed by Ally Condie
The next in the Matched series. To be honest, the last book is a little blurry but I do remember liking it. I'm sure as I get into this one it will start coming back to me.

For Review from the Author
Painting the Moon by Traci Moon
I'm not quite sure how this one made its way to me. But it looks like a cute romance-y novel about a California girl who moves to a little cottage in England. Hopefully it's as adorable as it sounds.

Gifted
Olivia by Ian Falconer
This is the first of the two books Elley received for Valentine's Day. Like most of her board books, we keep this one in the living room. While I think it's adorable, sadly Elley hasn't quite gotten into it yet. But I'm hopeful that as she gets old she appreciates it a little more.

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
I absolutely adore this book! I've bought it several times before, but always as a gift, so I'm really excited to finally own a copy. In case you haven't discovered this gem yet, in it each crayon writes a letter of complaints to their owner. For example, orange and yellow argue over which is the color of the sky, grey doesn't like being used to draw big animals like elephants and whales, but after reading all their letters the owner find a way to make all the crayons happy.

Just for fun, here's a photo of Elley opening up her Valentine's Day books, all decked out for the holiday.
What did you find in your mailbox this week?

Flour-less Fun

My mom made have made the exact same brisket recipe every year for Passover, but when it came to dessert it was a different story. I think she was always search to find the perfect Passover dessert. The reason being because the idea of eating a flour-less dessert just sounds unappealing, so even when something may be delicious, you mind tells you it's not because of what you know it's missing.

If anyone can confirm this it's my dad, who always hated when his birthday fell during Passover, and he was subjected to a Passover dessert. But lucky for him, today is actually his birthday, so he's able to enjoy a full flour birthday cake. And since I'm not in California to celebrate him, instead he's a virtual cake for him, even though it is of the Passover variety.
Passover Flour-less Kahlua Chocolate Cake
Based on this recipe from Judica Specialties.
Ingredients
1 lb of bittersweet chocolate
1 cup of unsalted butter
1/4 cup Kahlua
7 eggs
1 cup sugar
Powdered sugar, to taste
Directions
1. Melt butter, chocolate, and Kahlua over low heat. Once mixed remove from heat and let cool.
2. Beat eggs and sugar on medium speed for 5 minutes or until fluffy. (It probably would have been a lot easier, and quicker, if I brought my KitchenAid out for this. But we were already cooking so many items, and getting so many dishes dirty, I didn't want to bring it out. And I'm not sure what constitutes fluffy, but I used my best judgement.)
3. Slowly add and mix in chocolate mixture with the eggs.
4. Pour into a spring-form pan lined with parchment paper. (I obviously didn't do the best job lining, but apart from a slightly odd shaped cake, it wasn't a huge deal.
5. Bake for one hour at 350.
6. Once cooled dust with powdered sugar. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
I know I started this post by saying Passover desserts never taste good, but I'm going to have to contradict myself by saying this one did. Of course, all you have to do is look at the ingredients, and understand why. And while I know my mom changed up her Passover desserts, I definitely remember her making cakes similar to this fairly regularly.

Have you ever tried a Passover dessert? If so, do you find them fairly unappealing, at least in general?

Project 365: Days 82 Through 92

I may not have posted a Project 365 post last week, but that doesn't mean I haven't been taking photos. And since I have about 2 weeks to catch up on, thought it would be easiest to post a week and a half now, and the same next week. Of course, that only works if I remember to post next week, but since I've only forgotten once so far, I think I'll be good!
March 23, 2013 - 82/365: Tickets to see Olympus Has Fallen.
March 24, 2013 - 83/365: Dressed and ready to head out for dinner.
March 25, 2013 - 84/265: Rose buds in the backyard.
March 26, 2013 - 85/365: Matzoh for Passover with a caramel macchiato.
March 27,2013 - 86/365: Whole Foods salad bar.
March 28, 2013 - 87/365: The boy asked me recently if this tree was alive. "Of course!" I told him. Finally at least the tree has leaves again to prove me right.
March 29, 2013 - 88/365: Review book and EW in the mail.
March 30, 2013 - 89/365: Appetizers for our sedar.
March 31, 2013 - 90/365: My Easter basket from my MIL.
April 1, 2013 - 91/365: Matzoh, charozet, and reading over lunch.
April 2, 2013 - 92/365: Breaking Passover with a Twix bar.

Do you have a favorite out of the photos I'm sharing this week?

A Holiday Tradition

Every Passover I can remember, and most Hanukkahs even, my mom made the same brisket recipe. Which is why, when I was having friends over for a sedar, I knew that recipe had to make an appearance. So for Passover, the boy and I made my mom's brisket recipe. And when I say we, I basically mean the boy, but I did supervise and take pictures. Considering that cooking this brisket is on my 101 in 1001 list, I am going to count this as completed. After all, I didn't completely specify how involved I had to be in the cooking process! The recipe is from The Jewish Holiday Kitchen by Joan Nathan, and online here, the version below reflects the changes we made.
Barry Wine's Stringed Beef Brisket
Ingredients
Salt and Pepper to Taste
One 6-pound beef brisket
3/4 vegetable oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 leek, trimmed, washed, and diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 tablespoon diced garlic
1 onion, chopped
2 cups Malbec wine
6 cups beef stock from 6 beef bouillon cubes
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons dry thyme leaves
1/2 cup Brandy

Directions
1. Cube the brisket in 1 1/2 inch squares.
2. Salt and pepper the brisket. Brown in stock pot with hot oil. Remove and set aside.
3. Brown the vegetables in the same oil. Deglaze pan with 1/3 cup wine.
4. Add meat, and all remaining ingredients into pot, with the exception of 2 tablespoons Brandy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook and cover until meat is tender (around 2 hours).
5. Remove meat and use fork to split apart into shreds. While shredding, let sauce reduce until thick enough to coat a spoon. Adjust seasoning, and return shredded meat to sauce along with the remaining brandy.

As for the changes we made, most of them were substitutions. We used beef stock instead of veal stock. We used Brandy instead of Cognac. We used a Malbec instead of a Cabernet, along with a few other small changes. But even with our substitutions, eating this brought me right back to childhood. As crazy as it sounds, just a bite tasted like Passover, and I'm so happy I we finally know how to make it so it can become a tradition on our home as well.

Are there any dishes you strongly associate with childhood or a holiday in particular? Have you tried to recreate one of those dishes yourself?

This Year in Our Home

The boy and I have had passover sedars in our home before. (See this post from 3 years ago when my parents came to visit and we had a small sedar in our home.) But this is the first year where not only did I have a sedar in our home, but I was the one actually hosting. With my family on the other side of the country, instead we had a few friends over, and it seemed like everyone had a great time. It was actually the first sedar for most of them, so hopefully they'd be willing to come back for another!
Having people over for a holiday it also gave me a chance to finally bring out some of our wedding presents. For the first time we used our china, tablecloth, napkins, water pitcher, and I'm sure more. Hopefully this starts a trend to continue!
Food-wise I made charoset (for the first time with a food processor!) and matzoh ball soup (although from a box), while the boy made my mom's brisket recipe, roasted potatoes, and asparagus. And of course there was dessert! (More on this, plus at least one other recipe to come!) All in all, my first time hosting a holiday (one of my 101 in 1001 goals even) was a success!

What's the first holiday you hosted on your own? Or instead, what did you do this year for either Passover or Easter?

More Passover Fun

Every year since college I've made myself a big batch of charoset to get me through the week of Passover. (At least for the years when I haven't flown home for Passover.) For those not in the know charoset plays a part in the sedar and it's one of the first things you're able to eat. It's supposed to symbolize the mortar used by the Israelites while they were slaves in Egypt, and it's commonly made out of apples and nuts. (Although my mom used to make a version from dates as well.) It's one of my favorite parts of Passover and it's basically one of the foods I survive on throughout the week of Passover.

I've posted photos of charoset before, but I don't believe I've shared the recipe. I had two different Jewish cookbook (both for children actually), and I made a version based on both. One called for 2 apples the other 8. But both asked for the same amount of nuts, and the amount of wine needed for the 8 apple recipe was nowhere near as much, proportionally, as the 2 apple recipe. Basically there's a lot of leeway here, but this is how I made it this year.
I used four apples, which then were peeled and cut.
I had about half a cup each of walnuts and almonds.
From here, you could then throw ALL ingredients (including the sugar, cinnamon, and wine-which we'll get to) into a food processor and be finished. Except I don't have one of those, so basically I would take spoonfuls of nuts and apples and chop them up.
Once I got tired of chopping I added about 1 and a half tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Then chopped it all of more to get it to a better consistency and help mix into the spices.
But once it looked about right, added about 2/3 cup red wine (plus a little extra because... why not?), and we had charoset.
Some pieces here are probably a little too big. But hopefully next year I'll have a food processor and the whole thing will be a lot easier. This actually made a ton of charset, and I have a feeling I'll have quite a bit leftover by the time Passover ends. But I think this could be the perfect amount for a sedar full of people.

Do you have a favorite Passover food? Or holiday food, in general?

Pinterest Inspired Wednesday - Toffee Matzoh

For the second week in a row I'm participating in Suz's pinterest inspired Wednesday. Again it's a slight cheat on my part, because I decided what I wanted to make, and then pinned it... but if it's been pinned does it really matter? But onto the fun!With Passover starting last Friday, I knew I wanted to make some type of dessert to last through the week. I did wind up pinning a few different options, but nothing stood out to me. But I did remember having toffee matzoh before (my college roommate-turned-bridesmaid brought me some once from her grandmother, and my mom made some a few years ago too), so I figured I'd try that out. Turns out, it's one of the easiest things ever to make, so I have a feeling it'll definitely be making an appearance in the future, most likely becoming a Passover regular. Here's the pin, and the recipe with a few of my notes through in.

Source: thekitchn.com via Shoshanah on Pinterest

Ingredients
4 pieces of matzoh
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus a little for fun)
Toppings (I used chopped walnuts and sea salt, but you could use whatever you want.)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the matzoh in one layer on the baking sheet.
In a large sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat, stirring constantly.
This step seemed to take forever (which is why there's double pictures), but it eventually got there.
Once the mixture reaches a boil, continue to cook for an additional three minutes, still stirring, until thickened and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Remove from heat and pour over the matzoh, spreading an even layer.
Put the pan in the oven, then immediately turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn't burn. If it looks like it is starting to burn, turn heat down to 325. After 15 minutes, the toffee should have bubbled up and turned a rich golden brown.
Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate over the pan.
Let sit for five minutes, then spread the now-melted chocolate evenly with a spatula.
Add toppings as desired.
Let cool (which again took forever... I wound up putting it into the freezer for a minute or two, which got it done) and break into pieces.
This wound up being extra delicious, and the perfect candy to be able to snack on throughout passover.

If you were making this, what toppings would you add to your toffee?

The Kosher (for Passover) French Toast

I've always been a fan of matzah brie, at least as long as I can remember. I think part of it's novelty is that the only time of year I eat it is during Passover. I'm sure if I had access to it year round, I would rarely if ever have it. But because passover only comes once a year, and so many foods are off limits at the time, it almost always makes it's yearly appearance. I know some people prefer there's a little more savory, but with my sweet tooth is it really a surprise I take it the other direction?

Matzah Brie
Ingredients
2 pieces of Matzah
1 Egg
1/2 cup Milk
Vanilla, Cinnamon, & Salt to taste
Just pretend the salt made it into the picture too.

Directions
Soak two pieces of matzah in water.
Why yes, you can see them soaking in the ingredient picture as well, which is why they're are kind of curvy.
Squeeze out as much water as possible & discard. Add to bowl with other ingredients.
I went with about a cap-ful of vanilla, and a few dashes each of cinnamon and salt. Look at me, starting to cook without following directions!
Mix well and add to a hot buttered pan.
Be sure to butter the pan well. Otherwise the crust sticks to the pan and the brie itself doesn't really brown. Not that it's something I would have aver done.
Once browned flip over to brown other side and remove.
I tend to flip it in pieces. It doesn't really matter if it all stays together. This isn't a pancake we're cooking.
Garnish with toppings of your choice.
I always go with powdered sugar and maple syrup, but you can add pretty much anything you'd add to breakfast food (fruit, whipped cream, nuts etc...). Or if you eating this for dinner instead of breakfast (What? There aren't a whole lot of other great dinner options during Passover!) You can't eat it without any toppings, although you might want to skip the cinnamon and vanilla up front.

And that satisfies my matzah brie craving till next year! Anyone else have a favorite food that you really only eat once a year?