Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream

At work, our clients bring us a ton of chocolate. Bars, boxes, liqueur-filled, and truffles just to name a few. Some with only Russian words on the package, and other more familiar English ones. Well, many of these treats go uneaten by me, and pretty much sit around the kitchen table for a while. But when we get a box of Ferrero Rochers, they don’t last more than a day. I have to run to the kitchen to get some before they’re eaten by my coworkers. Let me tell you, they have good taste. Continue reading

Rib Roast with Onions in Red Wine Sauce

This was my first time making a rib roast! So, if you’re a newbie, I’m here to tell you that this isn’t a hard recipe, and you should definitely try it! Okay, so I know these things look intimidating, and you might just glance right by them at the butcher. OR, you might love them, but not want to risk wasting all that money on something that might come out kind of tough. Well, it’s not as hard as you think, and I even made mine without my handy thermometer! So try it.

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Cheese & Black Pepper Pasta (Cacio e Pepe)

It’s really not that hard for me to refrain from hametz for a week, but after Pesach I do enjoy eating pasta and pizza even more. And sometimes it takes a little bit of time to restock my kitchen. I’m sure it’s not just me…

We all know that (my sister and) I like intensive kitchen projects, ones that take days of waiting, hours of folding, kneading, watching and baking. But I also have a full-time job, not-food-related hobbies and friends I like to hang out with, so sometimes my fridge is less than full. That’s why it’s important to have recipes like these on hand.


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Soy Dijon Asparagus

Do you get excited when asparagus starts showing up at the farmer’s market? I do, and I usually just roast it with some salt and pepper, and maybe some paprika or garlic powder. But, obviously, I’m always looking for new ways to prepare my favorite foods, and this easy recipe caught my eye right away.

The asparagus is just blanched and dressed in a simple vinaigrette, so it’s totally different from my usual preparation, but shows off the fresh springtime flavors nicely. I bet the dressing would be delicious on a green salad, or even Brussels sprouts!

Asparagus Salad with Soy-Mustard Dressing from The New York Times
serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound thick asparagus, trimmed and peeled
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 egg yolks, preferably organic
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Extra virgin olive oil as necessary.

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook asparagus just until bright green but tender, up to 4 or 5 minutes for thicker spears. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water (or, better still, plunge into ice water). Drain again and set aside. (You can wrap asparagus and refrigerate for up to a day at this point. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

2. Whisk together mustard, egg yolks, soy sauce, lemon juice and just enough olive oil (start with a tablespoon) to make a smooth dressing. Toss with asparagus and serve.

Passover Chocolate Walnut Cookies

My friend Paulette sent me this passover cookie recipe, and though I was already baking marshmallow pecan logs, pie, chocolate cake, and macaroons, immediately after reading the recipe, I knew I had to bake these, too. They came out fudgy and airy, and were definitely my favorite pareve dessert at the seder. If you like chocolate, give these a try. They’re simple enough to make, kosher for Passover for everyone involved, and impressive looking, which is the most important part. Plus, they freeze well. Score! Continue reading

Passover Lemon Meringue Pie

What? A normal dessert just for Passover? Yup, that’s right. There’s nothing chametz about lemon meringue pie, except the crust, and that’s easily changeable! It’s also inherently pareve, so you can bring it to your seder and impress everyone. It’s definitely a refreshing citrus-y bite to such a heavy seder meal. Trust me, I made this last year for the first seder and everyone was shocked! there were two other cakes on that table, and they didn’t get touched. People only ate this one, and at the end of the night, only two slices remained. So yeah, it’s delicious.

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Beef Stock

I decided I needed to make my own beef stock! Not because I had any particular recipe to make with it, but just because I always make stocks and broths, so why not try this one? Plus, if I made this I could make beef barley soup, or even some pho like Steph made! And what better recipe to use than Alton’s? What would you make with beef stock? Continue reading

Quinoa with Beets and Spinach

I’m always looking for new and interesting quinoa recipes. It gets boring to only put roasted vegetables or canned corn with dressing. So when I found a recipe for quinoa with golden beets and raisins, I knew I wanted to try it out, just tweaked a little bit. First of all, I can never find golden beets in the fruit store or supermarket! So I used the regular red ones. Anyway, I like red ones better anyway. Also, the original recipe called for feta cheese. And I don’t like feta cheese, so I left it out. Continue reading