This is a side dish from one of my favorite cookbooks, “The Kosher Palette” by Susan Fishbein and Sandra Blank. The book was written to raise funds for the school her children attend and is a collection of the authors’ most delicious recipes. You do not have to be kosher to use this book! I have tried and shared many of these recipes with many of my non-kosher friends who love them. You will find that many of the recipes that I will share with you come from this book!
Ingredients for Pecan Noodle Ring 1 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1/2 cup margarine, melted 1 (16 ounce) package extra wide noodles 6 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine pecans, brown sugar and margarine and spoon into Bundt pan coated heavily with cooking spray.
Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and transfer into large bowl.
Add eggs, sugar, salt and cinnamon, stirring well. Pour into noodles. Mix well with spoon. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool on rack for 10 minutes. Turn over onto a serving plate.
This recipe comes from my mother’s collection. Cooking does not get any faster or easier than this! Cornish hens are a hybrid chicken which are sold whole. Although the bird is referred to as a “hen”, it can either be male or female. They always come out juicy and delicious, even the white meat! This is one of my favorites! The number of people whom you are serving will determine the number of hens you buy. They tend be very small, so I usually consider 1/2 of a hen per person. For my family of 4, I cook 2 hens.
The rice recipe was given to me by a friend, who grew up up with it as a staple in her home country. Once you start eating freshly made white rice, you will never be able to go back to the packaged kind again! I stood next to her and carefully measured the ingredients while she threw it together…it was second nature to her! I am happy to now share her recipe with you, as it comes out perfectly every time. Of course you can substitute brown rice or your favorite grain, but I prefer the white rice, as it blends flawlessly with the sauce from the cornish hen. You should try it!
Ingredients for the Cornish Hen
1 or 2 Cornish Hens 1 jar of Gold’s Duck Sauce (Hot and Spicy or regular) 2 tbsp. garlic powder 2 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. paprika 1 tbsp. oregano 1 tsp. Kosher salt 1/2 tsp. pepper
Preheat oven to 350.
Sprinkle garlic powder mixture over entire hen.
Place in baking pan breast side up. Pour Gold’s duck sauce over hen.
Cook for 1 hour. Check hen to see if it is fully cooked. Juices should run out clear when fully cooked. If you need to, set your timer for 10 minute increments and keep rechecking.
Once your hen is done put your oven on broil and leave it there for 3 minutes. Top of hen should be slightly charred and nicely caramelized.
Ingredients for the Rice
2 tbsp. olive oil 2 cups white rice 2 1/2 cups water 1 tbsp. Kosher salt
Rinse rice.
Put water and oil in pan on stovetop over medium high heat uncovered. Bring to a boil.
Add rice and salt. Stir to mix. Bring temperature down to medium heat. Set your timer for 7 minutes. After about 7 minutes water will cook down.
Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
Turn off heat, and fluff rice. Cover again, and wait for about 15 minutes.
Today was a hectic day. So much to do and it flew by! At 5:00, I was still busy and I knew that dinner had to be something I could prepare fast.
Luckily, I had prepared this meal the week before and knew I wanted to share it. This is a great meal that is fast and on the table in minutes. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry so just pick up the fish and asparagus and you are good to go!
I used swordfish tonight although the week before I had prepared it with salmon. Any fish would be great with this sauce, so don’t feel limited. The honey-mustard sauce is what really makes the dish amazing.
Ingredients for the Swordfish
1 (6oz.) piece of swordfish for each person 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 tbsp. whole grain Dijon mustard 2 tsp. Honey 1/2 tsp. Soy sauce 1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. pepper (plus a little more to sprinkle on fish)
Set oven to 350.
Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper.
Place in oven for 25 minutes. Set your timer! You do not want overcooked fish!
Mix all of the ingredients together (with the exception of the salt). Let it set together while fish is baking.
When the fish is finished, spread the honey-mustard mixture over the top.
Ingredients for the Asparagus
1 bunch of asparagus 2 tbsp. olive oil Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 tbsp. Kosher salt 1 tsp. pepper
Today’s hint: To make asparagus correctly, you should peel them. This will get rid of all those thick nubs and your asparagus will taste sweet. You have to be very careful with very thin asparagus. Peel it very gently. I know this takes some extra time, but it is the right way to prepare it and it is worth it in the end!
Set your oven to 500.
Mix the asparagus with all of the ingredients above.
Place in pan and put it in the oven for 10 minutes.
If you have the time, marinating meat is an important step to ensure a delicious and juicy outcome. I have given you my choice for a marinade, but you can always change it up and add some of your favorite ingredients. When you read a recipe, remember use it as a guide. You can always omit the ingredients you do not like and add something that you would prefer. When I create a recipe, I read through many different ones, take all the ingredients that appeal to me and try them out. It takes me three or four times before I come up with a “keeper”.
This kale recipe has anchovies. The anchovies melt when you heat them creating a delicious base for the sauce! Just be careful, you do not want to overcook the kale! So be aware of the timing and watch it. You will know when to take it off the heat, I promise!
Ingredients for Veal Chops
4 veal chops
Ingredients for Marinade 1 cup chicken stock 3 tbsp. worcestershire sauce ¼ cup organic soy sauce 6 cloves garlic peeled, whole and smashed (you can leave the garlic in the peel, just smash them and throw them in!) 1 onion cut into quarters (you can leave the skin on the onion, just make sure you wash them) 1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional) Juice of 1/2 lemon 3 sprigs thyme (or 2 tbsp. dried) 3 sprigs oregano or (2 tbsp. dried) 3 sprigs rosemary (or 2 tbsp. dried) Kosher salt and pepper
Todays Hint: Place all the ingredients into a ziploc bag but do not use the ziploc to close the bag. Instead, twist the bag until the liquid rises above the meatand tie with rubber band. Now you do not have to worry about turning the meat! Both sides will marinate at the same time. Place in bowl for a couple of hours (2+) or overnight.
Take out 1 hour before cooking.
Set oven to Broil.
Take veal chops out of marinade and place on broiler pan.
Ingredients for Mix 2 tbsp. garlic powder 2 tbsp. onion powder 1 tsp. paprika 2 tsp. oregano 2 tsp. thyme 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper Pat dry mix onto the veal chops (both sides)
Set timer for 5 minutes. Turn veal chop over and reset timer for 5 more minutes. If veal chop is double cut, you may have to turn it over one more time for desired temperature. Start checking at 2 minute increments. Veal chops should be medium rare to medium well done.
Ingredients for Kale
2 bunches kale, stem and ribs removed, chopped coarsely 2 tbsp. olive oil 1/2 small onion, chopped 1 tsp. red pepper flakes 7 cloves of garlic, chopped 8 anchovies, chopped Juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp. Kosher salt 1 tsp. pepper
Remove stems and ribs of kale. Coarsely chop.
Fill a large bowl with water. Place kale in bowl. Let it sit for a while. This will let all the dirt fall to the bottom of the bowl. Carefully take kale out of bowl and place into a strainer. Rinse one more time and set aside.
Heat pan with olive oil on medium heat. when hot, add anchovies. Cook until anchovies melt, about 3-4 minutes.
Add onions and red pepper flakes. Cook until onions turn translucent.
Place garlic into pan and cook one minute.
Add lemon juice.
Slowly add kale in bunches. Wait for first bunch to cook down a little bit before you add the next bunch. This should take 3-4 minutes.
When I got married, my mother and sister gave me a gift that I have treasured and kept all these years. They asked the guests at my bridal shower to provide them with a recipe to share with me. That was thirty years ago (yes, I said “thirty”) and I still have that original recipe book to this day. I refer to it frequently, especially treasuring the worn, yellowed pages.
This artichoke dip recipe has been a staple during my many years of entertaining. You can make it ahead of time and heat it up the day you need it. You can serve this with so many things. Vegetables, pita chips, crackers— the choices are limitless! Anything would pair well with this dip. It is served warm and is full of flavor! It is fast and easy to prepare, and it has been my go-to appetizer for all these years! I think it will be yours too!
Ingredients for the Artichoke Dip 2 cans Artichoke hearts (in oil) 1 cup mayonnaise Juice of 1/2 lemon 2 cloves of minced garlic 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese Paprika
Set oven to 350.
Place artichoke hearts in food processor or chop into small pieces by hand. Mix all ingredients together with the exception of the paprika. After mixing, sprinkle the top of the dip with paprika. Place into pan that is ovenproof. Bake for 1/2 an hour. Serve warm.
How to make vegetable holders.
Today’s hint: DO NOT make these cabbage vases the night before! I made that mistake and had sad, wilted cabbage leaves the next day! Give yourself some time to make these. If you can, find somebody to help you. Tying the cabbage is a little tricky!
1 head of green cabbage 1 head of red cabbage
4 glass jars (or small vases), varying in size and shape
Peel cabbage leaves off cabbage, trying to keep leaves as intact as possible.
Do not worry if some leaves break; you will be able to fit them onto the glass in pieces if you need to. When entire glass is covered, secure the leaves with a string.This could be anything of your choice. I used oven string for these pictures, but you could use raffia, ribbon or twine.
Once the cabbage leaves are tied, bend the tops of the leaves down so they meet the top of the glass.
If some of the jars are tall, just place some rolled up paper towels or tin foil at the bottom. This will help the vegetables stay just above the top of the jar.
Arrange the vegetables of your choice in the jars, so they are just above the tip. This will make it easier for your guests to take it out.
Place them together with the dip. It looks beautiful and I promise your guests will be impressed!
