LAST HOORAY

This is going to be my last post, and I want to dedicate it to the one miserable person out there who has never been lucky enough to find love in their life, and so thought it'd be a good idea to send me those horrible comments.   I happened to have been blessed with a wonderful husband; there are not enough words in the dictionary to describe him or how truly magnificent he was.  In Hebrew there’s a word called "mensch" - my husband personified that word to the fullest.  For those of you who are not familiar with Hebrew, it means "all around good guy."  I don’t know how I was lucky enough to get him, but I did and he was much better than I deserved or could have ever imagined I would end up with.  I was truly blessed and thankful to be the one he chose to share his life with, and that up until the very end we were together.

There are some people in this world who are just plain miserable, who will never be blessed as I was to find that someone special to share their life with - to find a person who thinks that you are everything as Irwin always did. He made me feel special, loved and wanted, regardless of what other people thought.    No matter what they think or how much they lie to themselves, they will never find that one special person who will love them, or complete them as Irwin did for me.

They will continue to be miserable all their life and try to inflict their misery on other people by their words and actions.  Please, continue to be hateful and wallow in your own miserable existence, because all you have is your miserable existence - nothing else.  Keep on lying to yourself about what kind of life you have while I keep the treasured memories of a twenty seven year relationship with a person who not only loved me, respected me and showed me in every possible way, each and every day, how much he loved me, but who also was the salt of the earth.  I will also be comforted by the fact that you will be miserable and unhappy every day of your life, no matter how much you lie to yourself and think differently.

Every year on Irwin’s birthday, I made him his favorite cake: chocolate cake with red raspberry filling covered in chocolate ganache.  This was the one and only birthday cake he ever wanted every time (unless you happen to pick up a Carvel ice cream cake) - I would asked him what kind of birthday cake he wanted and the answer was always the same. Sometimes he would let me cover it in whip cream; his answer always was "what could be bad about whipped cream” or “it shouldn’t hurt," so every year on July 13 or the closest possible date (when everyone could get here) we had the cake.  Oh, and always the extra large size, because since I made it only once a year, he wanted it to last.

This cake recipe is the last one I am going to share with you.  Thank you for letting me share my passion and the love of food with you, and for sharing my stories of Irwin.

CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH RED RASPBERRY FILLING COVERED IN GANACHE

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Pinch of baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Chocolate Ganache:

·         1 cup heavy cream

·         12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

To Assemble:

·         2 cups seedless raspberry jam

·         1 cup heavy cream, whipped (for decoration)

·         Garnish: Raspberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan.

Cake

Into a small bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch and baking soda. In a large metal bowl set over barely simmering water, whisk eggs and sugar with a hand-held electric beater until thick, foamy and doubled in volume. Mixture should form a ribbon when beaters are lifted. Make sure that mixture does not get too hot and curdle eggs. Remove from heat and gently fold in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in melted butter and pour into cake pan. Bake 20 minutes until cake is springy to touch. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a cake rack, turn out and cool completely.

Ganache

In a small saucepan bring cream to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate. Let cool, stirring occasionally, until thickened, but still pourable.

Assembly: Halve cake crosswise. On a cake rack set over a baking sheet, cover bottom cake layer with raspberry jam and replace top layer.

Over center of cake pour ganache and smooth over top and sides with a palette knife until evenly coated. Let icing set, about 1 hour. To decorate, pipe whipped cream as desired, arrange raspberries.

 

BEEF GOULASH AND FOOTBALL

Let’s talk about Crock Pots, or what they are affectionately called today, slow cookers.  For a while Crock Pots disappeared from our list of required kitchen equipment; they almost became extinct. But for the last ten years or so they have been reborn, and suddenly they have become the new must-have item for everyone’s kitchen.  Who would have guessed slow cookers would suddenly become hip and everyone would want one?

I never owned one, but I remember my mother had one and she used it all the time.  In fact that is how I started to learn to cook.  She worked part-time like most mothers did, and she gave my sister and myself directions over the phone; most of the time it was just putting ingredients into the Crock Pot when we got home from school.  This way dinner would be done by the time she came home from work.

That was my entire experience with Crock Pots up until about six years ago.  My husband at the time was sick - I was juggling many different hats - and my girlfriend gave me one as a gift.  She thought it would make my life easier.  So the box sat in the closet for a couple of months until I finally decided to take it out.  Well after having some discussion about the use of the pot with Irwin, we decided to give it a try (actually it was his idea - either that or get rid of it).  Did I forget to mention it sat in the bottom of his closet? Oh, closet space is a story for another day.  Sundays in my household were usually devoted to some kind of sport.  During baseball season, it was baseball, during football season it was football, and I am not just talking about one game.  My husband would start watching at 1 in the afternoon and go right through the rest of the day, taking a break in-between games, of course, for the right snacks until the 11PM news came on, which he had to watch for any of the highlights he missed.

Here’s where the pot comes into the picture.  I decided that on a Sunday, if I was going to sit and watch the games with him, I could not be in the kitchen cooking.  One cannot be in two places at the same time, and given the choice I would rather be spending my time with him.  When we first got together I did not know a single thing about football, but his friend taught me all about the game.  Irwin just did not have the patience to teach me about football, so over the years I learned about football and became just as big of a fan as my husband was, and this was something we shared and did together.

His friend who was also named Irwin use to tease me and call me a football maven, because I became so knowledgeable about football.  My Irwin used to sit there and tell me, "They can’t hear you yelling at them through the TV!"  So on Sundays I used my slow cooker to create some delectable meals without having to spend hours in the kitchen.  This pot has been put to good use on many different occasions, especially in the later years when he got sick.  I will always be grateful for my slow cooker; it allowed me to spend more time with Irwin, which was a good thing!  Here’s a recipe for beef goulash which, although an oldie, was always welcomed on a cold Sunday night.  Oh course it was eaten in front of the TV with the third football game on!

BEEF GOULASH IN A SLOW COOKER

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds boneless beef flank steak trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, hand crushed
• 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped marjoram

Directions

Place a large heavy pot over medium heat and add the bacon. Fry for about 5 minutes until crisp then remove to a paper towel and reserve fat. Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrot to the hot bacon fat and brown, seasoning generously with salt and pepper.

Take the rest of the ingredients and mix together, with the meat.  When the bacon, onions, garlic, celery and carrots cool, add them to the meat mixture. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Take meat mixture out of the refrigerator and place in slow cooker.  Cook on low for about six hours, until meat is fork tender. Make sure to taste dish before serving and adjust seasoning.  If you would like to make it a complete meal, you may add quartered potatoes halfway through the cooking process   Add chopped parsley and sour cream for garnish.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Who dosen’t like a nice, hot, gooey mac 'n' cheese?  Let’s be honest: we all do. Forget about the calories; when mac 'n' cheese is on the menu, dinner table, or even the buffet table, no one passes it up. Guaranteed it’s the one dish everyone attacks first, especially if it comes straight out of the oven.  Seriously, who doesn't look forward to that first hot and cheesy spoonful with a crunchy topping?

There are as many recipes out there for mac 'n' cheese as there are stars in the sky.  I myself have a favorite that I used to make all the time and Irwin also loved it. He was like a little kid when it came to it; he just could not wait to dig his fork into that bubbly goodness.  I used to add ham and broccoli to the recipe to turn it into a main dish so I could get away with serving that as an entree, and any time I saved in the kitchen just let me spend more time with Irwin.  How could that be bad?

Any dish I could turn into a main entree for me was always a winner.  Make it a cheesy, gooey pasta dish, add some meat and a vegetable, and it was a huge hit with Irwin.  What more could anyone ask for in a main course? The great part about this meal is that you can use any protein (such as chicken, ground beef, or ground turkey) you have on hand; just make sure whatever protein you choose is cooked and make sure to drain off the fat from the protein.  The same goes for the vegetable - you can use any vegetable you have on hand.  You can turn this mac 'n' cheese into one of your families' favorite!

 

 

MACARONI AND CHEESE

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

 

COARSE SALT AND GROUND PEPPER

1 POUND ELBOW PASTA, COOKED AND DRAINED

4 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

1 SMALL ONION, CHOPPED

¼ CUP ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR SPOONED AND LEVELED

4 CUPS MILK

1/8 TEASPOON CAYENNE PEPPER (OPTIONAL)

1 ¼ CUPS (5 OUNCES) SHREDDED YELLOW CHEDDAR CHEESE

8 OUNCES HAM DICED INTO ½ INCH PIECES

2 CUPS BROCCOLI FLORETS (BLANCHED)

2 SLICES WHITE SANDWICH BREAD

DIRECTIONS

 

 

Preheat oven to 375F.

Cook pasta and drain; reserve.

Meanwhile in a 5 quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion; cook stirring occasionally until softened - 3 to 5 minutes.  Whisk in flour to coat onion.  In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.

Cook whisking often until mixture is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon - 6 to 8 minutes.  Stir in cayenne if using, and 1 cup of yellow and white cheddar cheese.  Season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, toss pasta with cheese mixture, fold in ham and blanched broccoli florets.

Transfer to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Use a food processor for bread until large crumbs form.  Toss together with remaining ¼ cup each with white and yellow cheddar and ¼ teaspoon salt.  Top pasta with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake until top is golden - about 30 minutes.

MEAL PREPARATION TIPS

You don't have to be a short-order cook to create meals in a hurry, but through the years as my culinary wisdom and knowledge developed, I learned some shortcuts to making meal preparation flow more easily.  Follow these short-order steps to make healthy meals easy.

Tip 1:

Relax, put on some music, and pour yourself a cup of tea or whatever you drink (let’s try to keep it non-alcoholic as you need your wits about you in a kitchen). A composed cook is a more efficient one.

Tip 2

Read the recipe through ahead of time so you know everything that’s going to happen. Take a minute to imagine doing the steps.

Tip 3

Lay out your prepared ingredients in bowls. Having everything at your fingertips means the dish will come together faster. Cutting an onion before you start to cook is actually a time saver; cutting it after the cooking has already begun wastes time—you have to take the skillet off the heat, then heat it back up when you’re done chopping. That being said, remember that quick cooking is about getting maximal results in minimal time. So, for instance, if a recipe calls for cooking an ingredient first, make use of that cooking time to get other prep work done. Make sure your skillets or pots are preheated before you put an ingredient in them.

Tip 4

Room-temperature vegetables cook faster than cold ones. While we don’t advocate letting meat, poultry, fish or dairy sit out, we do let our vegetables come to room temperature so they will sear quickly, cook evenly, and blend more readily with other ingredients.

Tip 5

Substitute carefully. Although some substitutions seem obvious, they can be tricky business. A ruined dish is a waste of time, so best advice: when in doubt don't substitute.

Tip 6

Measure accurately. Nothing wrecks a quick-cooking saute like a double portion of flour or an overdose of salt.

Tip 7

Work in a bigger bowl than you think you need. Have you ever seen someone try to make tuna salad for four in a cereal bowl? Get out the big bowls—you’ll avoid a mess on the counter, and you won’t have to transfer contents to bigger bowls once they become unwieldy.

Tip 8

Do messy work in the sink.  Stir batters, coatings, and spice mixtures in bowls set in the sink. Spills are simply washed down the drain.

Tip 9

Turn up the heat. While you shouldn’t saute onions in butter over high heat (the butter solids will burn and the onions will then stick and scorch), you also shouldn’t do so over low (the onions will just wilt and turn greasy). Don’t be afraid of higher temperatures—within reason. If you’re minding the skillet, the ingredients will not burn. Key here is minding the skillet.

Tip 10

Always have towels and oven mitts at the ready. And make sure they’re dry. Wet mitts conduct heat right to your hands.

Tip 11

Clean up as you cook. Put things in the dishwasher while you’re waiting for the onions to soften, or wash the cutting boards and mixing bowls while you’re waiting for the tomato sauce to come to a simmer. Always put each tool back in the same place so you will know exactly where to find it next time. Aim to start and finish with a clean kitchen. Don’t be afraid to recruit help from the ranks of those who will be eating what you cook.  My husband was my official taster; if he did not like it then the chances were good that no one else would either.

Tip 12

A watched pot always boils. Pay attention to the dish as it cooks; don’t just set a timer and leave it. All timing guidelines are just that: guidelines, not laws. Pay more attention to visual signs of a dish.

Here is a healthy alternative to a favorite dish of many people.  This works great for a busy Sunday, when football is everyone’s priority.  You can prepare the chicken early in the morning and bake it off in the oven when you are ready to eat.  Make some sweet potato fries and you have a great meal for a Sunday afternoon football game!

BBQ Chicken Tenders

These crispy chicken “wings,” made with boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders, stay crispy with only a light coating of oil—no deep-frying needed. Serve as an appetizer or try them for dinner with crunchy vegetables and dip on the side, and if you are one of those people who have to have your chicken tenders with fries, try sweet potato fries baked in the oven.

Ingredients

• 1 cup prepared barbecue sauce
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups coarse dry breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
• Olive oil or canola oil cooking spray

Preparation

1. Combine barbecue sauce, mustard and honey in a large bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup of the sauce in a small bowl. Cut any large chicken tenders in half lengthwise, then add all the tenders to the large bowl with the remaining sauce; stir to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow dish. Place breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish. Coat each tender in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip in egg and let any excess drip off. Then roll in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess. Place the tenders on the prepared baking sheet. Generously coat both sides of each tender with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn each tender over and continue baking until the outside is crisp and the tenders are cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Serve with the reserved sauce for dipping.