A Lesson in Patience…
sitting in JFK
flight is delayed for
about 2 hours now
and…
its 3:30 in the AM!
technical difficulties
says the “staff” …
who sit and chatter and say things like
“we don’t know anything”
“no clue as to how much longer”
“we will call you when it is time to board”
now…
with my front seat view of the desk
I witness…
all matters of people…
and their patience.
and I wonder?
does it really help
to mucher and harras
the people at the desk?
sit…
relax…
there is no way you….madame..
are going to get yourself
on that plane any quicker…
if you ask.
and ask.
and ask again.
no matter how angry
how frustrated
or how tired and upset you really are.
sometimes you have to just realize
that…
when the plane and crew are ready….
fixing whatever they are fixing…
ONLY then
will you, me and the other 300+ passengers
are going to get on that darn thing
so
A lesson in patience…
one that I have realized I could use
throughout my daily life
G-d is working, doing what he does best
and only when he is ready and thinks it’s best for me & you
despite my nagging, pleading and frustration
I will not get what I want any faster…
so better for me to sit back
play with my Tunie B.
enjoy this adventure…
and when things are ready and good…
I will be able to appreciate
the ride
all the more

Shana Tova Everyone
May this year be one of blessings and good things for all of us!
Wishing you all a easy & meaningful fast.

The Best EVER Honey Cookie Recipe

Admittedly I tried hard to connect this recipe to this post..but could find none other than ; I love this recipe and you need a bit of patience with yourself when your last cookie is eaten and your not sure how you actually ate the ENTIRE batch because YES – they are that good.

My Aunt Rachel (a never ending source of delicious foods) makes massive batches of this cookie for this holiday season. I personally received my own tin and have set the record for the most honey cookies eaten by one human being in one sitting! (I checked -people! )

Personally I can not stomach honey cake or the normal honey cookie recipes that most people love. But these cookies, are in a class by themselves, subtly sweet, not to chewy not to dense…just perfect bites to dunk in a cup of tea after your meal or in the morning before the madness of the day starts.

This recipe comes from another very talented person – Leeba R. who generously allowed my aunt to share it with me – and hence you lucky people!

Ingredients:
4 c. Flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 c. Oil
1 1/4 c. Sugar
4 T. Honey
3 eggs

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325 F degrees.
Mix all your ingredients in bowl until well combined. Using a tablespoon or a small ice cream scooper, drop small dollops of cookie batter on to your cookie sheet.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Tip: Add one egg if batter is too dry.

The post BEST EVER Honey Cookies & A Lesson in Patience appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

Orange Chocolate Pomegranate KitKat Squares

The inspiration for this recipe came from a combination of this chocolate pomegranate bark recipe  and my recent kitchen dabbling for my upcoming party inspired cookbook. I have been arduously baking and eating, all in the name of trying to perfect the art of tweaking the recipes to my favorite brand candy bars . Its rough work, I know.

While working on my KitKat recipe, I realized the key to the perfect crisp is not corn flakes as most recipes I found had, but actually Rice Chex cereal. Add to it your favorite melted chocolate and a little hot honey and you have a crisp crunchy bottom that is way better than the real thing. For Tu B’Shavt I went a little crazy and added some orange liquor for a more sophisticated flavor, but feel free to leave it out if you think your kids would not appreciate the liquor taste.

PS. These bars also make a terrific Purim treat for your M’shloach Manot.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
6 cups rice chex cereal
3/4 cups roasted slivered almonds
7 oz bittersweet chocolate
3 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup honey
3 tbsp. orange liqour (optional)

For the Chocolate Topping:
7oz bittersweet chocolate
3 tbsp. butter
zest from 1 large orange
zest from 1 large lemon
1 1/2 cups fresh pomegranate seeds
3/4 cups roasted slivered almonds

Directions:
In a food processor, plus together the chex and almonds for 7-8 pulses until you have a coarse pebble like mixture. Place the chex mixture into a large mixing bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter together (2 minutes). Remove from microwave and mix until smooth and all the chocolate bits have melted.

Add the melted chocolate into the chex and nut mix, and blend together with rubber spatula until full incorporated.

In a small sauce pan heat the honey on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the liquor and mix. Pour the heated honey into the chex and chocolate mixture and combine totally. You should now have a crispy mixture that sticks together and is ready to be formed into your kitkat square crust.

In a wax paper lined  11×14 tray (spray the wax paper with non-stick spray), add the crushed chex and chocolate mixture. Using your hands, mold and press the chex mixture into a flat even crust that is about 1/2 inch thick. Refridgerate for 20-30 minutes

In another microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter for the topping.
Using a rubber spatula or knife, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the chex crust.

Quickly add both zests, pomegranate seeds and roasted almonds all over the chocolate. Place back in refrigerator for another 20 minutes.

Remove the chocolate (still on the wax paper) from the tin and place onto flat surface.
Using a very sharp knife, cut the ragged edges off – making an even rectangle.
Then slice long strips, and then cut into 1 1/2-2 inch wide squares.
Serve and enjoy

The post No Bake Orange Chocolate Pomegranate KitKat Squares…Happy Tu B’Shvat! appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

There are two kinds of people in life, the ones that love a heavy thick and creamy vanilla cheesecake and those who prefer the low fat,low sugar slightly watery “healthy” vanilla cheesecake.

The latter types…must lead very sad and lonely lives. (ok ok I am just kidding…slightly)

As you can tell from my perhaps bias opinions – I am from those who are lovers of the original vanilla cheese cake. You know the one made with, full cream cheese, heavy cream, sour cream and sugar, that is then baked in a gentle water bath to a custardy creamy perfection with a delicious buttery graham cracker crust thrown in for good measure.

So why I decided to cut out as much refined sugar as I could in my diet right before the Shavout holiday, is literally mind boggling to me. Have I joined the ranks of those who put health before indulgence? me… the person who wrote the book on butter and cream, literally called The Dairy Gourmet..have I crossed into the dark side?

Fear not…I have not lost my buttery edge. Instead I found a cheese cake that both sides can sink their teeth in, and not feel like they are compromising their cheesecake morals.

The Japanese Vanilla Cheesecake – a hybrid of the original new york cheese cake and your favorite diet version. This light as air mousse like cheese cake, does not disappoint those who are looking for a creamy textured cheesecake. With a little less than 1/4 cup of sugar in the whole batter, it is guilt free in my world of eating less sugar.

Now I do admit to making this blueberry caramel sauce that is in the category..CHOCK FULL of sugar. But because I only put 1 tablespoon or more on my slice and it is Yom Tov…..I think I got this sugar thing pretty much handled.(baby steps people)

And for the record I adore this cheesecake plain without the sauce.

Japanese Vanilla Cheese Cake w/ Blueberry Caramel

Sauce

Ingredients:

• 10.5 oz (300 g) cream cheese
• 3 Tbsp. Butter
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
• 2/3 cups of milk
• 3 1/2 tsp. + 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Cut a strip of parchment that is 3 cm higher than the height of the cake pan.

Fold 1.5 cm along the long edge and cut a notch to the fold line every 2 cm to allow the strip to line the side of the cake pan. Slits should point into the center of the cake pan. You want the strip to be at least 1 cm taller than the cake pan. (Basically, the notches are just so you can build a perfectly round collar around the base of the pan.) Cut a parchment paper round to line the bottom of the cake pan.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

1. Put the egg whites into the freezer so it just begins to freeze around the edges. Sift the cornstarch.
2. Place the cream cheese in glass bowl and microwave until it becomes soft to the touch. You do not want to heat it up. (I did this in about 15 second intervals.)
3. In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the cream cheese and whisk well to combine.
4. In another bowl, combine the egg yolks and 3 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. Mix in the cornstarch.
5. Heat the milk in microwave (covered) for about 2 minutes on high.
6. In a double broiler add the egg yolks and hot milk and whisk until thickens. Add this mixture to the cream cheese and combine well.
7.  Add 1 tsp. of sugar to the egg whites and mix in electric mixer on medium low speed for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar to the egg whites and beat on medium until a soft meringue forms.
8. Add ¼ of the meringue to the cream cheese mixture and  gently fold in with a a rubber spatula to combine. Add the remaining meringue to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold to combine completely.
9.  Fill the cake pan and smooth the top.
10. Put the cake pan in a roasting pan and add boiling water so it comes up 1-1.5 cm up the cake pan.
11. Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 325F and continue to bake for 25 minutes until the top turns slightly golden.
12. Turn off the oven and leave the cake pan for another 40 minutes to an hour.

Note:  The cake will continue to bake with the heat off so do not over bake. Depending on the oven, the cake may not turn golden but should avoid cooking much longer than the suggested time.

Take the cake out of the roasting dish and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate and chill completely before taking it out of the pan. It is best served the second day.

Blueberry Caramel Sauce

recipe adapted from Bon Appetite Magazine (May 2014)

Ingredients:

• 1cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Cook sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, without stirring, until it begins to turn golden brown around the edges.
2.  Stir to incorporate melted sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until all sugar is melted and caramel turns a deep amber color, 6–8 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat and carefully add vinegar to caramel (mixture will bubble vigorously and seize), then add berries.
4. Return pan to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until seized caramel is melted and berries are softened, 6–8 minutes. Let cool.

DO AHEAD: Caramel sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

The post Japanese Vanilla Cheesecake with Blueberry Caramel Sauce appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

Over the Top Blueberry Sour Cream Crumb Muffins

The dairy Shavous Kiddush, has become the event I look most forward to a whole year. Naturally, it is really my excuse to pull out every single delicious dairy pastry recipe I have filed away, and display them all at once in a buffet of decadent indulgence.

Last year, a client asked me to make her something, that was “not a cheesecake”, she could serve with tea and coffee for her own kiddush. Coffee Cake anyone? But it had to be more than just the crumbly dry one we are all use to…

So I set out to tweaking my favorite sour cream coffee cake recipe (Dairy Gourmet Cookbook).  Starting with adding applesauce to the batter, I achieved my goal of creating an extremely moist muffin instead of the normally drier texture that is found in traditional coffee cake. Naturally my favorite part of the coffee cake (the crumb topping), was doubled and I put a  heaping amount of the crumb topping (because lets face it, that is by far the best part of any good coffee crumb cake). Then finally  throwing in the sweet tart Jersey blueberries that are in season during this month for good measure, was the my personal “over the top” achievement in recipe creation.

After one bite, you will totally agree, these muffins are truly the ultimate way to start your Shavous morning this Yom Tov!

A sneak peak recipe from my new cookbook The Dairy Gourmet 2 (October 2014)

Over the Top Blueberry Sour Cream Crumb Muffins

Yields 13

Tip: I like to use the flower cup muffin holders for this recipe for less mess. If you are using standard muffin holders, make sure to spray the top of your pan with non-cook spray for easier removal and clean up.

Ingredients:

For the Topping:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted in microwave
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 4 oz (1/2 cup) ground walnuts

For the Muffins:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup applesauce
• 1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
• 1 lb. frozen blueberries

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Prepare a muffin tray with paper liners.

Make the Topping:

1. Melt the butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Pour in the melted butter and mix well with a whisk until blended. Add the cinnamon and mix well.
3. Add the flour, confectioner’s sugar, and the walnuts and mix using your fingers until combined. The texture should be a clumpy yet crumbly one. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Muffins:

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until well blended.
2. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, combine the sugar and butter. Beat on medium speed until just combined, scrape the bowl as needed.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until combined (scrape the bowl again).
4. Slowly add about 2 cups of the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter and eggs. Beat together until combined.
5. Now add the applesauce to the bowl, beat till combined.
6. Add another cup of the flour mixture and beat everything until combined.
7. Scrape the bowl, and now add the sour cream and beat again until combined.
8. Add the rest of the flour, (scrape again if necessary) and beat everything together.
9. Remove the bowl from the stand and using a rubber spatula gently fold in the blueberries.

To Assemble the Muffins:

1. Place a small dollop of your crumb mixture into the bottom of every muffin liner. Firmly press down with your fingers until you have formed a small layer of crumb crust.
2. Using an ice cream scooper or large spoon, scoop the muffin batter evenly into all your muffin liners. (they should be filled to the top of the liner).
3. Place in oven (on lower middle rack) and bake for about 10 minutes until the edges of the muffin are slightly set and the rest is very jiggly. Remove the tray from the oven and place on a heat proof counter top.
4. Now generously scatter the walnut crumb topping evenly over each muffin top. Place the tray back into the oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes. The muffins are ready when the cake part springs back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted in the center has a few moist crumbs sticking to it.

TIP: Check the cake early. If the crumbs are golden but the cake part is not fully baked, cover it loosely with foil and continue to bake.
Let cool on rack for at least 20 minutes and serve warm or room temperature.

The post The Best Blueberry Sour Cream Crumb Muffin …Over the Top {Shavous Recipe} appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

I have been at this for a long time…cooking and baking that is. It never fails to surprise me how much I still have to learn. The art of combining fat with flour, sugar with salt, is a true science that produces the most delicious of experiments (most of the time).

Now in school, the subject of Science was not something I particularly excelled in. Like any student who didn’t want the wrath of their parents ruining their weekend plans, I memorized my elemental tables and crammed on my required readings ,just enough to pass my tests and keep the (must have or die) telephone in my room.

Regrets are not something I carry around, but I do wish I payed just a little more attention to Mrs. Senderowvitz in High School Science. Then maybe  I can explain why  this incredible magic custard cake works, a simple recipe, that when combined in one baking pan, creates a 3 layer WOW of a dessert.

I have become so obsessed with trying to figure the “magic” of this cake out, ever since I saw the recipe earlier this year, on a few of my favorite food blogging sites.

How exactly, does this extremely liquid batter, produce a piece of cake that has a gooey light  custard middle sandwiched between two delicious dense, not to sweet cake layers? I filed the recipe on my must try list, until this week, when I FINALLY decided to tackle it. Not realizing my delay, kept me from experiencing what all before me had. This incredible rush of awe & giddiness, as I sliced into the cake for the very first time, and saw those 3 gravity defying layers of pure impossible deliciousness.

I am sure there is someone reading this who did better than me in Science class.

But I for one, am happy to be a student…of Magic!

Magic Custard Cake

After reading through all the blogs with this recipe, it was White on Rice Couple that had the best tips for making this cake work every time I tried it last week (just lets say that I have very happy neighbors). Their recommendation for making sure that you pay attention to the temperature of the milk and butter is key. They also figured out how to make a CHOCOLATE version of it – a definite dessert that will be on my Shavout table this year.

Now I just decided to take myself off sugar, so it was very …NO VERY hard to only take a really small taste bite of this cake (I took one for team). This cake however surprisingly is not  overt sweet at all, in fact too much sweetness would ruin the overall subtle light flavor of this cake. Next time I make it, I think I would add some lemon zest to batter because I love the combination of custard and lemon.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Butter

2 cups Milk

4 eggs, separated

4 drops White Vinegar

1 1/4 cup Confectioner’s Sugar

1 Tbsp. Water

1 cup Flour

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

extra confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish.

1.  In the microwave melt the butter and set aside to slightly cool.

2. In the microwave warm the milk for about 40 seconds until lukewarm and set aside.

3. In your stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip together the egg whites and vinegar to stiff peaks. Set aside.

4. In a separate extra large bowl, using a hand whisk, beat the yolks and sugar until combined and light. Then mix in the melted butter and the water for another minute or two until totally combined.

5. Pour in the flour into the egg yolk mixture and mix until evenly incorporated. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla extract until everything is fully combined.

6. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the egg whites slowly. (I found that if I do it in parts it worked better, don’t be afraid of the clumps, just break it up with tip of your spatula and continue to fold)

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden. Allow cake to completely cool before cutting and then dust with confectioner’s sugar.

You can also speed up the cooling of the cake by placing it into the refrigerator.

The post Magic Custard Cake {simple dairy must for Shavous} appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

You see, for the last year I have been pondering this crazy idea of doing something collaborative with a few of my favorite foodie friends. Never one to just talk about something – I am more of a doer, I finally decided one day it was time to just say it out loud.

What’s the crazy part? I wanted it to be done specifically for the ebook format – no traditional print version at all! It was uncharted territory for the Kosher cookbook world…and I was itching to be one of first to dive in and test the web waters.

It was as easy as that…have an idea, mention it to a few people, and then actually do it.
Well…almost as easy as that….

Getting Liz, Amy & Whitney on board was not an issue. They were as excited as me and even more enthusiastic of its potential than I could hope for. These chicks were game for anything…and I so love and appreciate them for that!

The logistics, developing, writing, photographing the recipes…was the easy part. Deciding which ones to put in, how many, what kind etc…all a collaborative endeavor that was done so smoothly, I would have never believed it, if I wasn’t actually a part of the team. Despite the fact, all 4 of us lived far from each other and never actually been even in the same room together, these decisions were done quickly and with little to no internal disputes. Regardless of my experience of already publishing 2 in print cookbooks, I didn’t know the first thing about publishing for eBooks. By rights, this thing should have been one big disaster of egos, personality clashes, and technical difficulties.  But with the help of Google chat, cookbook writer forums, tenacity and lots of trails with errors, those obstacles were tackled. It was the real miracle of finding kindred foodie souls who had your back no matter how crazy you sounded, that was the key in helping us all to create something, that I think is, really pretty great. So…

Finally! Our new eBook Cookbook is published! Check it out here!

This little labor of love has kept me trapped in a Passover bubble for the last few months…and I am happy to finally share it with all of you.

There are so many people to thank for this book – but really I am most grateful for all the friends, family and blog fans who in the first day of us going live last week, made this book a #1 best seller on Amazon – it is an amazing thing! Thank you.

But what I love most about this cookbook, is the differences of taste and style that you get with having 4 very different kosher cooks in the kitchen. The diversity of dishes and ingredients, all Kosher for Passover, makes for great new menu ideas for a somewhat challenging holiday. It doesn’t matter how traditional or non traditional (gebrokts or non gebrokts) you are…we have a little something delicious for everyone in this book.

Some of you might ask why the eBook and not a print version? 1. Because with the age of online recipes on blogs, Facebook groups, recipe sites etc..we all have recipes we look at and file away in the back of our mind that we would love to try. But unless you are a diligent pinterester… 9 out of 10 times if you are like me, you don’t remember exactly where you saw that recipe and end up loosing it or forgetting about it entirely. We wanted to give you one central location, saved on your device, with easy access to those great recipes you might want to try this Passover.

2. Simply we also wanted everyone to be able to not have to think twice about spending a little money for new recipes – we do enough of that already for this expensive holiday! So for the price of a large Starbucks coffee we are able to give you a book filled with over 50 recipes that normally if printed traditionally would cost you 4 times the amount!

I also truly believe it is the wave of the future for cookbooks in general. And seriously, if you are thinking of publishing such a cookbook, I would be happy to share my knowledge (it’s all about paying it forward).

So, if you haven’t seen the book yet, please check us out on Amazon or visit our website at www.4bloggersdish.com for some great sample recipes.

For all those Brooklyn fans out there – There is a great charity event for a very worth cause Ohr Navva has put together that will be on MARCH 23 & 24 (this weekend)! Go check out this fantastic Pre -Passover Brooklyn Market & Food Show hosted by the very funny Leah Foster! I hope to be there to see you all in person.

The post So you want to write a cookbook…. appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

I am the Purim Scrooge

this year….

emotionally & financially

it’s been a tough

few weeks…

every time I think I am finally getting a handle

on this massive adjustment in my life..

my engine blows…

and for a mere $900…I can finally drive away.

and what ever I have left

my money eating oil tank that heats up this rickety old house

is quickly gone with this freezing winter we are having.

I am the Purim Scrooge….

feeling Bah Hum bug thoughts!

But it’s not only about the money…

it’s about the pressure I feel

to live up to my past Purims…

What once was my favorite all-time holiday

has become this looming expensive day…that I just want to flee from.

not to mention the loneliness that comes

when your entire family is 100’s of miles away… having family fun without you.

no matter how much I adore my good friends who have been overwhelmingly unbelievable  to me

I can’t shake that  “3rd  wheel” feeling…

or think about all that I don’t have anymore… & wishing for the time back…

Divorce is hard …and for me never harder

than on the holidays.

truthfully this year…I just want to go

Bah Hum bug to Purim!

But I can’t

I have a 3 year old

who is beyond excited for this fun holiday…

So I am putting on my happy face

or in this case my scrooge face (because if I look sorta sourish, people will just think I am playing my character!)

(The full colored look – with & without the hat – I tested it out on my students one day last week)

& I am making my Shaloach Manot simple, cheap & easy…( & I will be downsizing my list to an extreme)

& they will be delicious and perfect for what they are suppose to be ( a contribution to Purim meal)

& I will go eat a fantastic meal by a friend who has been more than gracious to me over the last year

& I will drink & eat & enjoy every minute as much as I can…

because hopefully this year I will let that Purim spirit fight the little Haman sitting on my shoulder.

Sweet & Savory Meat Hamantasch

 I wrote this recipe a few weeks ago for a local newspaper.

Many years ago I came up with the sesame meat Hamantasch, that has become the staple appetizer, at my own Purim seudahs.

This year I decided to play with the recipe a little and instead of a tomato sauce I used a delicious blackberry jelly to mix with the the meat, to achieve the most outrageous tasting “lechmagine” style meat Hamantasch!

Ingredients:

1 Package Sambusack Dough Circles, defrosted

1 egg, beaten 

Sesame seeds

For Filling:

1 small onion, diced small

2 tsp. olive oil

1 small red pepper, diced small

4-5 large button mushrooms, diced small

1 lb chopped meat

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic

1 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. paprika

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup blackberry jelly or prune butter

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 400 F. Prepare a large baking tray with parchment paper.

In a skillet, saute  your onions in the olive oil for 6-8 minutes until soft. Add the peppers, mushrooms and all the spices and mix well. Then add the meat, and using the back of your wooden spoon, break the meat into small pea like size pieces as you mix it with the vegetables and spices. Cook on the stove for about 3-4 minutes until the meat is somewhat browned. (does not have to be fully cooked)  Set aside and let cool for a few minutes.

Assemble your hamantasch: Lay your dough circle down and brush both sides lightly with the egg wash. Sprinkle top side with sesame seeds, and then flip over. Add a small tsp. size dollop of filling to the center of the non-sesame side. Then pinch the top side, and then pinch both ends forming a triangle.

Place the hamantasch onto your prepared tray. Add a tsp. size dollop of your jelly into the center of your hamantasch. Repeat all the steps with the rest of the dough until your finish the package or the meat.

The post The Purim Scrooge….& Savory Meat Hamantasch appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

“I am not going to LOVE you anymore!!!”,are the heart breaking words screeched on high, by my 4 year old yesterday.
True, these words were said in defiant protest to my unwavering policy on NO SANDAL’s in snow (yes dear, even with your sparkly tights), that were squashing her mini fashionista fantasies. Yet, despite my well intentioned stance on winter footwear, the idea of those words coming from the child of my heart, are still a bit gut wrenching to digest.
Now if my darling 4 year old was nearer to tweenhood, I would, maybe, understand her angst better?
But she is 4..and my life these days is more drama comedy than cozy family sitcom.

Despite my early resolve to be a parent who is consistent and follows through..
I have turned into that mother.
You know, the mother says things like, “Because I said so, thats why!” Or that cringe worthy phrase I uttered just this morning, “fine, if Leah’s mommy lets her, then by all means, trade me in for Leah’s mommy!”
When & where did I catch that cliched parent virus?
I, was suppose to be that mother who listened patiently, talked things out, not overreact …pure Carol Brady calm.
Instead I find this solo parenting thing getting the better of me, and in recent days the Roseanne Bar side of me, comes raging through.

Sure, I can blame it on the very heavy boulders of responsibility sitting on my shoulders at this very moment. Unfinished cookbooks desperate to be done, training for half marathons (what the heck was I thinking?), and you know…day to day life.
But the violins are certainly not going to be playing for me..

The upside, my kid seems oblivious to my cliches & continues on her merry way.
And literally the minute after she said those dreaded words, she looked at my face, and came at me like a linebacker and knocked me down with a huge hug.
What am I suppose to do then? Reprimand her as her scrawny warm little arms wrap tightly around me, squeezing with all the love and gusto a 4 year old can muster?
I am winging it here folks, riding the crashing waves of parenting in a small canoe with a short paddle, trying not to drown.
At least I am consistent with my cliches…
In the end I pray it is the deep soul love that I have for this child that will have to carry us through…

Cranberry Almond Chocolate Biscotti

Talk about consistent… In my attempt to be one of those mothers who always has some fresh cookies in the jar, I find myself always making these biscotti bars. Not only because the recipe is truly one bowl, quick and easy, the base of the recipe is so versitalie, no matter what extras I decided to throw in, it always comes out delicious. This week it was my favorite seasonal cranberries with some leftover toasted almonds and bitter sweet chocolate I had from previous days cookbook recipe testing. Cliched cookie mix for the season, sure…but oh how it works!

Ingredients:

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

½ cup oil

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp. lemon extract

pinch cinnamon

2 cups flour

1 ¼ tsp baking powder

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

3/4 cup chopped frozen cranberries

1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350F

Mix first 6 ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Switch to your paddle attachment and then slowly add the flour and baking powder. Mix just to combine for about 1-2 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold in the toasted sliced almonds, cranberries and chocolate.

Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 9”x2” log. Place logs crosswise, 4 inches apart, on large cookie sheet. With a pastry brush, brush tops and sides of logs with egg. Bake logs 25 minutes. Cool logs on cookie sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes.

Place log on cutting board. With serrated knife, cut warm log crosswise into ½ inch thick diagonal slices. Place slices upright, ¼ inch apart on cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining log. Bake slices 15 minutes to allow biscotti to dry out. Cool completely, the biscotti will harden as they cool.

Store biscotti in tightly covered containers.

Tunie B. style. We compromised on her old summer shabbat shoes. The crown, stickers and jewelry are everyday accessories.

The post that mother… {cranberry almond chocolate biscotti} appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

Thanksgivingkuh…oh how I am sick of this word.
I have been developing recipes for various companies for this once in a lifetime event since the MIDDLE OF AUGUST!!
Then this Thanksgivingkuh party I just threw the other night…I am just overloaded.
If you haven’t been following my facebook & Instagram accounts
You missed all the crazy & wild behind scenes of me throwing the 2nd annual Jew in the City Chanukah All Star Party (more fun & wild behind the scenes coming soon)
& really…all these latkes filled with stuff like beets, squash, stuffing, cranberries & anything else us food writers (me included) could tweak our recipes with..
Just give me good old fashion Potato Latkes & I am done!….straight in Chanukah fried heaven!!

But now its all about getting my crazy life back down to its usual normal level of chaos & insanity
With Tunie B’s 4th Birthday looming on Wednesday
& that drunk with tired please-stop-asking-me-promise I made to her..
my Hello Kitty cake deadline is looming and I am of course back in the kitchen doing anything but that!
Instead, I am making these carrot cake spiced cookies.
No good reason…other than I am craving them and feel like I need to jump on the band wagon with the rest of the world and get into that holiday mode.
The holidays are kinda tough still to get through, with out a pit in my stomach and the feeling of loss.
But yeah..even though its just me & Tunie B, Thanksgiving & Chanukah are going to be celebrated (she deserves the great memories).
With a few invites from some good friends looming to share in their own family festivities
These cookies are the perfect food gift to bring along.
So happily I am filling my house with the smells of Thanksgiving & Chanukah this week…

Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies
A few years ago I had a brilliant idea..carrot cake +cookie!
After some experimentation and discovery of a similar idea and recipe in an obscure cookbook my mother had given me, I had perfected what I call the Spiced Carrot Cake Cookie.
I love this cookie because it is the perfect combination of savory spice flavor with the generous use of cinnamon & nutmeg. It perfectly accompanies the subtle sweet carrot, raisin & coconut filled flavors bursting throughout this cookie, truly just makes your taste buds do a happy little jig.

But I warn you all…once you start making these cookies, it is very hard to stop nibbling on them. Personally there is nothing I love more than eating these hot out of the oven with a tall glass of cold milk. Thankfully as far as cookies go, these are not bad in the healthy department. Who says you can’t have your vegetables in a cookie form?

Tips: these are great freezer cookies and will last for up to 3 months

Tips: The key to this cookie is to really not over bake them – set your timer for this cookie and even though it will look under baked – take them out when the buzzer goes off! They will harden up slightly when cooling – but the best thing about this cookies is its soft and chewy texture.

Tips: this recipe makes about 5 dz cookies 12 1/2 inch drop cookies – feel free to half recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cup raisins

3 large carrots, wash & peeled and shredded in a food processor

3/4 cup orange juice

4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground all spice

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

2 tsp. finely grated lemon or orange zest

heaping 1/2 tsp. of kosher salt

1 1/2 cups of packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups of corn oil

2 large eggs

3 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350 F. Prepare several baking sheets that have been coated with non-stick spray.

In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, stir together the raisins, carrots, and orange juice.
Bring everything to a simmer all while occasionally stirring.
Cook for about 4-5 minutes and then remove from stove and set aside.

In a separate mixer bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, all spice, baking soda, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.

Once the carrot mixture has cooled, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and add the sugar and oil. Using a rubber spatula, stir the carrot mixture well until fully blended. Then add the eggs, zest, and vanilla and stir again until evenly incorporated.

Now slowly add this wet mixture into your dry flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts and shredded coconut.

Drop the dough by the heaping spoonful on to the prepared baking sheets. Note, these cookies really spread when cooking, so leave a nice space about 2 1/2 inches between each cookie drop.

Bake the cookies in the middle of the oven for about 10-11 minutes. Rotate cookie sheet once halfway through baking. the cookies are done when they are lightly tinged brown around the edges and firm when pressed in the center. Transfer cookie sheet to a wire rack and let them stand and cool for at least 10 minutes, they will firm up while cooling.

Store in airtight container.

The post Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies {what’s cooking in my kitchen right now for thanksgivingkuh} appeared first on the Patchke Princess.

Of course it is unreasonable, you (& I)know this.
Yet…I justify my temporary insanity, confidently finger pointing the blame on to all the flash images running through the news feed of my brain.
Now that it’s “tis the season” on Instagram & pinterest, the endless recipe possibilities… all have me wading deeper in the bottomless bog that is my living (until right now) secretly…..as a cranberry hoarder.

Thankfully my obsession has an upside.
Cranberry perks if you will, served up daily in forms of scones, muffins, cookies, & the occasional quick chicken dinner.
These tart little fruits add just the right amount of tangy pop to every recipe.

The other day as I unpacked yet another bag of cranberries from my groceries, I was compelled to make his muffin recipe that has been running through my head for the last few days.
Craving the addictive combination of delicious bitter sweet chocolate, cranberries & toasted pecans, the ideas for these muffins were not hard to come up with.
Adding the pungent flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger, to the mix for that earthy autumn taste and I hit muffin recipe gold.

As I was dreaming of this recipe, I remembered one of my favorite recipes I use to make daily at Tastebuds during the fall, our spiced blueberry muffins.
My favorite thing about those outrageously good muffins were their crustyish outer texture they got from adding the brown & white sugar at the end of the recipe.
So with those muffins in mind, I added my sugar at the end.
The result, the perfect combination of tart sweetness & zesty robust flavor with a little melt-in-your-mouth chocolate surprise goodness, in every other bite.

Now that I have revealed my secret cranberry “shame”, I have come to the conclusion that yes, I am slightly crazy…
But if because of my addiction I will have cranberries stock piled till August (way past the time you will even find one trace of those precious red gems in the store).
And the possibility of making these game changing muffins whenever the fancy overcomes me…
well then,
I can live with crazy.

Cranberry Chocolate Nut Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup bittersweet chopped chocolate chunks
3/4 cup toasted chopped pecans
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger & nutmeg in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir quickly just to combine. Add the cranberries, chocolate, toasted pecans and both sugars and stir just enough to evenly distribute everything throughout the batter.

Spoon the batter into paper muffin liners, filling each one to the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned on the top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.

The post Yes, I am slightly crazy….{cranberry chocolate nut muffins} appeared first on the Patchke Princess.