Last weekend the girls got together to celebrate Vicky’s last few weeks of being single. I couldn’t have missed this event as Vicky has been nothing but a great friend to me. Always volunteering to be my guinea pig for my various blog ideas. I am sure you’ll remember her from the first installment of the “In the kitchen with…” series as well as “Destination…Marriage”.

Since Vicky loves all things food, it was only appropriate that the main portion of celebrating her last few weeks of single-hood was with nothing other than a cooking party. The head Chef for the event was Jordan Schachter of Jordan’s Kitchen. Let me tell you, the man can teach some great souffle making skills, among other things.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. So let me share some fabulous moments and dishes from the evening. If you like the food you see, contact Jordan, he will sharpen your cooking skills and provide you with the recipes

Getting their cook on…

The proper way to cut an onion…

Chilled pea soup with wild shrimp…

Our main entree…Herb crusted lamb-loin with Rapini, olive quenelle and carrots

This is how we make chocolate souffle…

The most talked about dish of the evening…Chocolate Souffle with Creme Anglaise

The Chef and his best student…

It was a fabulous event! Thanks to R & Y for putting it together!

Tags: bachelorette, carrots, chef, chilled pea soup, chocolate souffle, cooking party, creme anglaise, Jordan's Kitchen, lamb, lamb-loin, olive quenelle, rapini

I know it’s been a little while since I showed any signs of life. I know there are no excuses, but A and I embarked on another remodel and are currently in the finishing stages. But enough about that, let’s move on to what I have to share with you today.

I am very happy to present the second installment of my series today. I received positive responses to my “In the Kitchen with…” series and am looking forward to sharing more of the installments with you.

Today, I would like to introduce you to Liya. Liya is a fabulous cook. So of course when I came up with this series, she was one of the first people I thought of to contact. I was happy to learn that she was excited about my suggestion, and I was excited to find out what dish she’ll offer to share.

Liya took a stuffed mushrooms recipe from Kraft foods and transformed it into the Spinach and Mushroom stuffed cakes. Here’s a list of ingredients needed:

1 pkg of chicken stuffing (10oz)
2 3/4 cups of hot water
8 oz mushrooms
5 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of melted butter
16 oz of chopped spinach (Liya uses frozen spinach that needs to be defrosted)
1 1/2 cups of grated Mozzarella cheese (Liya use low moisture)
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of grated Asiago cheese
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add all the water and the chicken stuffing to a mixing bowl, and let the mixture sit.

Chop the mushrooms, and add the chopped mushrooms to the stuffing mixture.

Mince all of the garlic, and add the minced garlic to the stuffing mixture.

Melt the butter in a frying pan, and add the melted butter to the chicken stuffing mixture.

Mix all of the ingredients that were added to the stuffing mixture.

Add defrosted spinach to the mixture, and mix well.

Add Asiago, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses to the mixture, and mix well.

Spoon the mixture into a Muffin Pan.

Bake the cakes at about 400 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 40 minutes, or until the cakes get slightly brown on top and the cheese starts bubbling.

Here is the proud Chef with the final dish. The Spinach and Mushrooms stuffed cakes were delicious!

Thank you Liya for sharing this awesome recipe!

Tags: chicken stuffing, chopped frozen spinach, garlic, grated asiago cheese, grated mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, hot water, melted butter, muffin pan, Mushroom and Spinach stuffed cakes, mushrooms, salt

Last week my boss shared with me a great recipe for strawberry goat cheese bruschetta. I have to say this is one of the few times that I didn’t lose any time, and on the way home stopped by the store and picked up all the ingredients needed for this amazing appetizer. In fact I made the dish that very same night, when I got home. The strawberry goat cheese bruschetta was the main meal for me that night.

This appetizer is mouth watering (exactly the sensation I experienced when I first laid eyes on it). And why not? All the ingredients individual and together are delicious. So drool no longer, instead take 20 minutes to make the Strawberry Goat Cheese Bruschetta from the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Tags: appetizer, Arugula, baguette, black pepper, bruschetta, goat cheese, olive oil, salt, sea salt, strawberries, vegetarian

Ask anyone from the former Soviet republics what their favorite meal was as a child, and you might be surprised to find out that it wasn’t dessert, but a salad. Yes, you saw correctly, a salad. This salad is called Olivie and it was a staple dish at any table during a festive gathering. It is still a favorite of my and for my husband it’s not a holiday dinner, if Olivie is not on the table.

Intrigued? Well, you’ll be happy to know that it’s actually not that hard to make. There are many different variations of this salad out there, and everyone’s got their version. There is even a version of it in Spain (Ensalada Rusa), which includes tuna. But I stick to the version my Mom has always made, and I love it (and so far only heard positive feedback).

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

6 large potatoes (russet)
10 eggs
1 carrot
1/2 white or red onion
1 fresh cucumber
1 small pack of bologna
3 to 4 scallions
3 to 4 medium sized pickles
1 can of sweet peas
mayonnaise (1 and 1/2 large tablespoons)
salt and pepper to taste
A sprinkle of dried dill weed (or chopped fresh dill)

Boil the eggs, potatoes and carrot. Eggs should be hard boiled and potatoes and the carrot should be fully cooked through and soft (but not overcooked). As far as utensils, you’ll need a sharp knife, a cutting board, a large mixing bowl, and a peeler (if that’s how you prefer to peel your vegetables).

Once the eggs, potatoes and carrot are cooked. Peel the eggs, the potatoes and the carrot, chop all the aforementioned and place in the prepared bowl. Continue to peel and chop the onions, scallions, and cucumber and placing them in the same bowl. Chop the pickles and the bologna and add to the bowl. Finally, drain the can of peas and empty it out into the bowl.

Mix all the ingredients in the bowl, add salt and pepper to taste and mix. Add dried dill weed (if desired) and mix the ingredients again. Finally, add the mayonnaise, and mix all the ingredients until the mayonnaise is evenly distributed and all the ingredients are well combined.

So what does all this mixing get you? Take a look for yourself.

I haven’t heard of anyone walking away disappointed. A word of warning, the proportions I used will result in a very big salad, but feel free to pare it down. Just decrease the number of ingredients proportionally.

P.S. I received some commentary on this blog post with additional variations to this salad, so I wanted to add these variations here. Instead of mayonnaise some people use sour cream and for the meat component, instead of bologna some use chicken. Sometimes the carrot and onions are omitted.

Feel free to experiment with all these ingredients and see what tickles your taste buds.

Tags: bologna, canned peas, carrot, chicken, dried dill weed, eggs, ensalada rusa, mayonnaise, olivie, onions, pepper, pickles, potatoes, russian potato salad, salt, savory, scallions, sour cream

It only took about a month for me to be able to get my hands on another MoGo fabulous lunch dish, but I finally tried the short rib sliders. Today during lunch, my boss, coworker and I drove to find the MoGo truck. We went through side streets and unknown neighborhoods, but we finally found what we were looking for. It was the first time for my boss and coworker, and I think they came away very satisfied. In fact, we might try to find the truck again tomorrow.

The short rib sliders proved to be just as tasty as the short rib burrito . Definitely grab a fork before walking away from the truck, you’ll need it. The little sweet buns are covered with short rib meat, lettuce, cheese and of course the secret sauce. Take a look for yourself.

You know where to find the MoGo truck, so if you’re in the area, track them down and try their fabulous food.

Next on the list, MoGo tacos!

Tags: bbq, lettuce, mogo bbq, short rib, sliders

Passover ended last week, so once again I am late with the holiday recipes. However, I look at it this way, some dishes are so tasty, that they should be eaten any time of the year, not just during the holidays.

During Passover I had to come up with a dessert that would be “Passover friendly”, as we had guests over that were observant. I had literally one day to come up with something that was very tasty and yet took no time to make. My first point of reference? The Food Network of course. Within minutes I found the perfect recipe. It requires a minimum amount of ingredients and was so easy to prepare. The Food Network’s Passover Cobbler.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, however I used frozen berries and frozen pitted cherries for the filling. I couldn’t find cinnamon sugar, so I picked up some cinnamon and mixed it with regular sugar. I would recommend using less of the cinnamon sugar mixture than the recipe recommends, as it still covers all the berries and the top of the cobbler. As for technique, I used a hand-held mixer to mix all the ingredients together. To make this cobbler you will need:

3 large eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of matzo meal
2 tablespoons of potato starch
2 packages of frozen fruit (1.5 would also do)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/8 cup of cinnamon sugar (I would use a bit less)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Break the eggs in a mixing bowl, add sugar and mix until smooth and well mixed together. Add matzo meal, potato starch and vegetable oil to the egg and sugar mixture and mix until fully combined.

Grease a pie dish or a deep baking pan and cover with frozen berries (make sure the bottom of the dish you choose is fully covered and not visible). Top the fruit with most of the cinnamon sugar mixture, and then pour all of the matzo mixture over the fruit. When pouring try to cover most of the fruit. Top with the rest of the cinnamon sugar mixture, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

I made this cobbler three times in the last week, and it has come out fabulous every time (see what I mean about eating it any time of the year )

Hope you enjoy this treat whenever your heart desires!

Tags: cinnamon, cinnamon sugar, cobbler, eggs, frozen berries, hand-held mixer, matzo meal, passover, potato starch, sugar, vegetable oil

It’s finally here, the first installment of my new series “In the Kitchen With…” And the first participant is Vicky. Who is very passionate about cooking and let’s face it, is IN LOVE with shrimp, many many shrimp.
Of course it came as no surprise when Vicky told me that she’ll be preparing Bruschetta with Shrimp, Tarragon and Arugula.
I came prepared, empty stomach and all. I got the camera out and Vicky went to work.
First, she cut up a ciabatta loaf, placed the slices on a baking sheet and drizzled then with olive oil. She baked the bread slices in the oven at 400 degrees.

Once the bread slices were baked, she rubbed each slice with a clove of garlic, and set them aside.

Then she went to work on the bruschetta topping. She chopped up a clove of garlic and sliced a medium sized shallot.


She cooked the shallots and garlic in a skillet with some olive oil, until both were soft.

Once the shallots and garlic softened, she added about a pound of raw, peeled shrimp (without tails). She cooked the shrimp until they were pink. Once the shrimp were cooked she removed them from the skillet, leaving the shallots and garlic in the skillet. She chopped up the shrimp and set them aside.

Vicky then chopped up three tablespoons of tarragon leaves and one packed cup of arugula.

Vicky then proceeded to chop up six Roma tomatoes.

She measured out one quarter of a cup of white wine, one quarter of a cup of low-sodium chicken stock, and one half of a cup of mascarpone cheese.

Once all the ingredients were chopped and measured, they were all added to the skillet. She also added the chopped shrimp back to the skillet, and mixed everything together. She continued to cook all the ingredients together, stirring until the mixture was creamy. She seasoned the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the mixture was cooked, she topped a slice of the ciabatta loaf with the mixture. Finally, meet the proud chef with her completed dish.

I would consider the first installment of my series a complete success. Of course I had to taste the final product to vouch for it. Let me tell you, I give it two thumbs up, it was delicious.
Vicky, thanks for your support and participation, we’ll definitely do this again!

Tags: Arugula, bruschetta, chicken stock, ciabatta, garlic, mascarpone cheese, roma tomatoes, shallots, shrimp, tarragon, white wine

Here I am, starting the weekend off on the wrong foot…I got sick All the weekend plans have been canceled and I will be spending the weekend under the covers. However, every situation has a silver lining, right? The silver lining here is that I can spend this time catching up on all those blog posts that have been piling up.

On that note, let’s start with a simple weekend dish. There are lot of variations of deviled eggs, but I keep my deviled eggs pretty simple. Egg yolks, mayo, dijon mustard and top with dried dill weed and/or paprika.

Making this dish is this simple:
Boil eggs (number of eggs depends on how many you need).
Mayonnaise (I usually just eye ball it. But about 1 tablespoon should do)
Dijon mustard (also eye ball it)

Peel boiled eggs, cut in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the yolks from the whites, keeping the whites in tact. Place the yolks in a mixing bowl, and whites on a serving plate. Add mayonnaise and Dijon mustard to the yolks and mix with a fork until smooth.

Spoon the mixture into a piping (pastry) bag and pipe into egg whites. Don’t worry if there is no piping bag around, you can also spoon the mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle with dried dill weed, and they are ready to eat.

Tags: deviled eggs, dijon mustard, dried dill weed, egg whites, egg yolks, mayonnaise, paprika, pastry bag, piping bag

It seems like the blog has been abandon just slightly. I certainly want to remedy this situation. And with that I wanted to let you all know that there are some great posts coming up in the near future. Just trying to juggle life, work and everything else in between.

To give you a sneak peak of what’s coming up…I am starting a new series. So as not to give all the excitement away, I’ll tell you this…the first post of the series will include shrimp (very yummy shrimp).

Please be patient and I’ll blog all about it very soon!

Tags: series, shrimp

A little while ago I found out that a friend of ours has developed quite a craving for sirniki. Sirniki in this part of the world are also known as Farmer’s Cheese Pancakes. I promised our friend I that I will make sirniki and document the steps so that she can enjoy them, in the comfort of her own home, whenever the fancy strikes her:) I, this is for you!

To make sirniki you will need the following ingredients (I never officially measured the ingredients so you’ll just have to eye it).

1. Farmer’s Cheese (a.k.a Tvorog) (approximately 1 package)
2. One egg
3. One tablespoon of sugar
4. Salt (to taste)
5. One tablespoon of all purpose flour
6. Raisins (to your liking)

To begin, place the farmer’s cheese into a medium sized bowl

Add the egg and mix with farmer’s cheese

Mix in salt

Mix in sugar

Mix in raisins

Mix in flour

Once all the ingredients are well mixed, take the mixture by the tablespoon full and form into small patties

Spray a hot frying pan with cooking spray, and add the sirniki, a couple at a time. Fry the sirniki, turning after a few minutes, until golden brown on each side

The end result should look something like this…

…and should be delicious.

I, I hope you enjoy making sirniki as much as you enjoy eating them

Sirniki

Tags: egg, farmer's cheese, flour, raisins, salt, sirniki, sugar, Tvorog