Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights?

Posted in National Holidays, humor, kashrut

10 ways Thanksgiving dinner might be a little different in a kosher home:

1. No planning 3 months or even 1 month ahead of time.  Compared to 8 days of Passover, Turkey Day’s a snap!
2. People “wash” for the meal.
3. Have to figure out creamy mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and pie and ice cream without any dairy.
4. Guests are confused when dinner starts before sundown.
5. “What, no challah!?!”
6. Your company may stay through Shabbat.
7. Grace is sung in Hebrew after the meal.
8. Host and hostess go to bed dreaming  of ways to turn leftovers into Shabbat dinner.
9. Don’t need an excuse to skip Black Friday shopping—gotta’ get ready for Shabbat.
10. “Those are pilgrims, honey, not rabbis.”

We want to know how your Thanksgiving is different. Leave us your comments below.

Win a $250 shopping spree in the Kosher.com video contest.  Enter now >>>

Kosherfest: Discovering Stern’s Bakery

Posted in Kosher.com News, The Kosher Way

Check out this video of my visit with the great folks from Stern’s Bakery at Kosherfest 2009. They’ve been baking fabulous breads and treats since 1954. The vanilla rugelach were really yummy! Watch now …

This Week on Kosher.com …

Posted in Kosher.com News, The Kosher Way, kosher meat

	Fresh or frozen turkey this Thanksgiving? Here’s what you need to know about kosher turkey buying.
	Cooking Kosher on a Budget shows you 10 rules for saving money on your weekly grocery bill.
	The return of cold weather begs for cozy comfort foods. Nutritious Delicious and Kosher expert, Bonnie Taub-Dix, offers 6 tips that show you how to keep warm with out packing on the pounds.
	In Your Kosher Questions Answered, author and challah expert, Tamar Ansh, offers her techniques for getting that fresh taste right out of your freezer.
Plus, try these recipes:
	Honey and citrus flavors provide a note of contrast in North African Spiced Turkey with Avocado-Grapefruit Relish
	Pair turkey cutlets with roasted fennel and a rich pomegranate pan sauce for a simple, yet elegant, dish. Serve with a nutty-tasting bulgur pilaf for a delightful meal.

10 Tips for Your First Thanksgiving & 3 Foolproof Recipes

Posted in National Holidays, The Kosher Way, humor, kashrut, kosher meat

1. Lists, lists and more lists: menu, shopping list, invites, RSVPs and emergency cooking guru numbers
2. Invest in good equipment—a sturdy roasting pan for even cooking, rack with handles for easy turkey removal, meat thermometer, carving knife , etc. Even an oven thermometer can help make sure your turkey is ready on time.
3. If you’re using a frozen turkey you must allow adequate time to defrost it—you cannot cook a frozen turkey through on Thanksgiving Day!
4. Make sure your turkey fits in its pan and the pan fits in the your oven. People sometimes by a big bird and a big pan for a big crowd only to realize that their city apartment oven or older model oven is too small to hold their turkey.
5. Everything doesn’t have to be homemade-buy some pre-made products to round out your meal—and take guests up on offers to bring something, whether it’s a pie or sodas.
6. Stuffing doesn’t have to be stuffed into the cavity of your turkey. A lot of cooks make “dressing” baked in the oven.  That way your turkey cooks faster and you don’t have to worry about undercooked stuffing. If you have vegetarians coming, make a vegetarian dressing you can serve to all your Thanksgiving guests.
7. Timing is everything—­so that all food is hot and ready at the same time, plan recipes accordingly and have lots of covered ovenproof serving dishes available to keep foods warm.
8. Have plenty of creative hors d’oeuvres on hand to keep guests happy until turkey time. They don’t have to be Thanksgiving themed or even autumnal—try guac/salsa and chips, hummus and pita crisps, sausage bites, etc.
9. Keep drinks cold—if your fridge is full of food, consider a cooler with ice or keeping drinks in a cold garage or, depending where you live, even outside.
10. Keep the day for essentials like cooking and celebrating with your guests—clean the house, etc. on the day before.

Bonus: 3 Foolproof Beginner Recipes for Thanksgiving

	Roasted Turkey
	Cranberry Relish
	Roasted Sweet Vegetables in Spicy Cinnamon Cider

This Week on Kosher.com …

Posted in Kosher.com News, The Kosher Way

	Your Kosher Questions Answered walks you through the pumpkin patch so you too can be a squash savant.
	Cooking Kosher on a Budget shows you 10 rules for saving money on your weekly grocery bill.
	Nutritious Delicious and Kosher expert, Bonnie Taub-Dix, offers 10 tips for better kids’ nutrition. Your kids will be healthier and you won’t have to hassle them in the process.
	Hankering for a hunk of cheese? In Quick & Kosher Shopping, I talk with Tim, our expert from Cappiello Cheese, about what’s new in the Cappiello line.
Plus, try these recipes:
	Fennel Crusted Salmon on a bed of warm white beans brings together a scrumptious combo of foods that are super good for you.
	Easy, light and creamy Butternut Squash Soup is perfect for a crisp fall evening. Made with coconut milk and ginger, this soup makes a fabulous Thanksgiving starter.

This Week on Kosher.com …

Posted in Kosher.com News, The Kosher Way

	Cooking Kosher on a Budget talks “rightovers,” an easy method for cooking ahead.
	Nutritious Delicious and Kosher expert Bonnie Taub-Dix offers 10 tips for better kids’ nutrition. Your kids will be healthier and you won’t have to hassle them in the process
	Hankering for a hunk of cheese? In Quick & Kosher Shopping, Jamie talks with Tim, our expert from Cappiello Cheese, about what’s new in the Cappiello line.
	In Your Kosher Questions Answered, it’s everything you ever wanted to know about egg substitutes … fascinating!
Plus, try these recipes:
	Lemon Chicken Stir-Fry brings zing to the plate, livening up your dinner hour.
	Spicy Szechuan Braised Meatballs get their zip from five-spice powder. Try some tonight.

Kosherfest: Best of the Best

Posted in Kosher.com News

This week I visited Kosherfest, the world’s largest kosher food show. Here are the products that the official panel voted best in class in the New Products Competition.  (They were judged on the basis of newness, quality, taste, saleability and retail price.) If you’re interested in these or any kosher food products, check us out at  Kosher.com. With 15,000 kosher food items including fresh meat and baked goods, we have something for everyone.

Kosherfest 2009 Best in Class Winners

• Best In Show - Luck Chen Asian Noodles (5 flavors)
• Best Baked Good, Bread, Grain or Cereal - Sarah’s Tent Potato Bourekas
• Best Beverage - True Toniq DBA Brain Toniq, Brain Toniq
• Best Cheese or Dairy - Get Healthy America Lasagna Florentine
• Best Dessert, Candy, Cookie or Cracker - Illinois Nut & Candy Smooth & Crunchy Peanut Butter Bark
• Best Food Service Product - Custom Candy Concepts, Inc, Picture Cookies
• Best Packaging/Design - True Toniq DBA Brain Toniq, 4-pack Brain Toniq
• Best Kosher Organic - Quality Frozen Foods Organic Batter Blaster
• Best Snack Food - Osem USA, Inc. Bamba Peanut Snack w/ Hazelnut Cream Filling
• Best Fine Food from Israel - Blue & White Foods LLC Falafel with Tehina Filling
• Best Giftware/Novelty - Kosherkeepers® by Plastic Packaging Corp Food Kosherkeepers® Food Storage Containers
• Best Jam, Preserve or Spread - Oxygen Imports Mixed Berry Blast
• Best Meat, Poultry or Seafood - Kosher Valley Chicken Breast Cutlets
• Best Wine, Beer or Spirit - The Natural Group/Kedem Elvi Sintonia Sangria
• Best Savory Condiment, Spice, Sauce, Oil, Vinegar or Dressing - Streit’s Matzos Asian Mel’s Gourmet sauce Line
• Best Passover Product - Zelda’s Sweet Shoppe Zelda’s Orange Chiffon Cake
• Best Health & Wellness - Green Rabbit, LLC MimicCreme Coffee Creamer
• Best Pasta, Rice, Bean or Soup - Luck Chen Asian Noodles

So that’s it. Plenty to keep us busy tasting and trying until Kosherfest 2010. You know I’ll be there!

Kosherfest: 5 New Finds

Posted in Kosher.com News

Kosherfest, which took place this week at the NJ Meadowlands,  is the the largest kosher food exhibition in the world. This was my first visit and will not be my last. There was an amazing collection of vendor showcases, cooking demos, and new food finds. (And did I mention you get to taste stuff?)

These are my top 5 finds from the show, in no particular order:

• OU certified glatt kosher organic baby food from a company called Petite Select.  What’s the big deal?  Take a look at these innovative flavors in infant cuisine: Arroz con Pollo, Shepherd’s Pie, and Mango Jamba!  A real chef (and real mom) created these and they’re delish.  In the coming days, I’ll post my video interview with her.  Her friend and business partner actually created a dessert called “The Smart Cookie” which is the antithesis of the Jessica-Seinfeld-style-sneak-pureed-beets-and-spinach-into-your-brownies kind of dessert.  These cookies are actually beet red and green, and your little ones will still love them.

• A sensational classic vinaigrette called Garlic Expressions from LaMar Foods. I didn’t get a chance to try it at the Kosherfest, but it got such raves that I took home a bottle.  First, I tasted it cautiously; then, I poured it all over my salad.  When I ran out of lettuce, I put the bowl to my lips.  I’m very picky about my salad dressing, people, and I tell you this one is an experience.

• MimicCrème ice cream mix is made from almonds and cashews.  (You actually make the ice cream yourself.) Before recommending it, I tasted the finished product—ten times—just to be sure.  I wouldn’t want to mislead you.

• A new soup with no MSG: Manischewitz Chicken Broth.  Though it’s a new product, it’s already a huge seller at Kosher.com.  (Check out my video interview with David Yale, prez of Manischewitz.  I’ll post it as soon as I can.)

• Israel’s famous Angel Bakery, which had a  booth the size of a small village, was a favorite stop.  The same parent company distributes bourekas to die for, as well as  Passover “pizza dough,” ” breads” and cakes (under the Eytan label).  It’s the solemn truth that I would eat these year round.  They also make cool vegetarian cutlet options, and a new line of Hungarian salamis that made this Hungarian gal go crazy for them.
• 

These were my favorites, folks. I’ll post the list of what the official panel voted best in class in the New Products Competition soon.

Kosherfest: I Came, I Saw, I Ate!

Posted in Kosher.com News

This week I went to Kosherfest at the NJ Meadowlands, that mega-food expo that lets professional foodies, industry types and just everyday folks savor the newest products.  It’s been going on annually for more than twenty years, but this was my first time there. What can I say, I’m hooked!  Picture two solid days with thousands of people tasting and sniffing, munching and crunching on tantalizing samples all day long.  And the aromas … out of this world.

We brought our giant Kosher.com cart with us, filled to the top and overflowing with as many of our 15,000 groceries as our creative and hard-working team could stuff into it. I got to meet face-to-face with so many people.  And, of course, I ate a ton of great food.  I’m told that there were more than 500 newly kosher certified foods introduced at the show. Hey, somebody had to try them all, right?  The hardest part of it was strategically planning the dairy options around meat.  I was glad I held off on the meat samples on the first day, because by the end of the day I craved my favorite dairy coffee beverage—J&J Iced Cappuccino.  It was set up water cooler style, with cups that you could fill to your heart’s content!

Kosher.com's Giant Cart Rolls into Kosherfest

While the eating was amazing, there’s serious food biz happening in Kosherfest’s  aisles.  I came across some amazing finds, like OU-certified organic baby food, “ice cream” made out of almonds and cashews and some out-of-this-world bakery innovations from Israel. Look for my next post to get all the deets!

Avgolemono Soup

Posted in The Kosher Way

Watch me make Avgolemono Soup, an easy Greek favorite that combines chicken broth with rice. The soup is flavored with lemon and thickened with eggs. Avgolemono can usually be made from ingredients you have in the pantry and fridge. Think of it as kosher Greek penicillin.