Storecipe of the Week: Jewish Biscotti aka Mandel Bread

Mandelbrot, which literally means almond (mandel) bread (brot), is a twice-baked hard bread similar to Italian biscotti.  According to Jewish Cooking in America, "With a large Jewish population in Piedmont, Italy may have been the place where Jews first tasted biscotti and later brought them to Eastern Europe.  In Italy they are often eaten as a dessert dipped into wine or grappa. In Eastern Europe, Jews dipped them into a glass of tea, and because they include no butter and are easily kept they became a good Sabbath dessert" (Jewish Cooking in America, Joan Nathan [Alfred A. Knopf:New York] 1998 p. 354).

Growing up, mandel bread was a staple in our house, especially around the Jewish Holidays.  My mother's friend, Paula always made the best kind with chocolate chips and a ton of cinnamon and sugar.  Paula would bring over a HUGE batch and we would eat some and then freeze the rest.  We wanted to have it for as long as possible, so we would just take out a few pieces at a time to enjoy it throughout the next few months.  Today, I make Paula's mandel bread every year for the holidays.  When I bake it, my house smells like the good old days when my mother and I would be preparing for our own holiday dinners together.  I just love it.

I was so excited when I received a submission from Skokie, Illinois native, Charlotte, about her mother's mandel bread.  Charlotte shares a very sweet story with an incredible recipe.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Many, many years ago just before my Mom died, my mother-in-law wanted me to get her my mother's recipe for mandel bread. Well, everyone feels that they make the BEST mandel bread, but I have to say our entire family always thought that my Mom beat everyone else's by a mile. At this point, in 1975, I was married with one son and did some baking but I had never tried to make my mom's recipe. So I asked her for it and wrote it down for my mother-in-law. Well, of course she nor anyone else with the recipe could make it the way my mom did. Shortly thereafter, on May 18, 1976 my mom died. My daughter was born 8 days later and was named after my beloved mother. The mandel bread was the last thing on my mind at that time. A few years later I finally decided to give the recipe a try so I had to ask my mother-in-law for the recipe since I hadn't kept it for myself. Well, I guess there is something to be said for passing things down, because to this day I have been told by many, many people that I am the only one that can make the mandel bread the way my mom did and this is a very treasured memory for me.


Thoughts:
3 Eggs 
1 C. Sugar 
3/4 C. Vegetable Oil 
3 C. Flour 
1 Tsp. vanilla 
2 Tsp. Baking Powder 
1 tsp. Cinnamon 
6 oz. of Chopped Walnuts or Chocolate Chips
Extra Cinnamon and Sugar to dust 


Putting the Memory Together:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat togther (by hand) the eggs and sugar. Then add the oil. Next add the flour 1 cup at a time, reserving a little to use to sprinkle on the baking sheets. Add the vanilla, baking powder and a dash of cinnamon after the first cup of flour. Stir until well mixed. 

Then add the nuts and/or chocolate chips. 

Butter and flour two cookie sheets. You make four rows of dough - 2 on each sheet. 

Sprinkle the dough with cinnamon and sugar. 

Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. 

Cut each loaf into single pieces, about 3/4" thick, and turn each one on its side.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Flip the cookie on its other side and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar again.  Bake for another 5 minutes.  Watch closely to make sure not to overcook. 

Storecipe of the Week: Jill's Sugar Cookies

As I have said before, cookies are my most favorite dessert in the world!  Whether they are oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, peanut butter, Oreo's or the classic sugar cookies, I just melt when I have them.  Every night before I go to bed, I need a cookie.  I know what all of you health nuts out there are thinking, "sugar before bed? She must be kidding"!  I know it's not recommended but I just can't help myself.  I am not fully satisfied, no matter how great my day was or how satisfying dinner was, until I get my cookie!  When I received this submission for sugar cookies, I was so excited!  Since I make everything that is submitted, I was thrilled to bake the cookies and have them for a few nights!  While I love Oreo's, there is nothing like a homemade cookie, or anything for that matter. With that being said, I present to you, Erin Waitz's beautiful story and yummy sugar cookies.


Story:
The taste was familiar, more familiar than I thought it would be. The memory of making sugar cookies with my mom, once a distant memory of the past, is now part of the present. As I took a bite of cookie dough I was surprised at the rush of memories. Even as a young child I would have to try the cookie dough, just to make sure my mom and I had really included all the ingredients (at least that’s what I told her). 


I asked my dad for the recipe that I had made with my mom during our short decade together, I could almost visualize the two of us sitting at the kitchen table mixing in the eggs and measuring out the flour before getting our hands messy when we balled up the dough. On special occasions I remembered my mom and I would use cookie cutters and sprinkles. Now, the smell of the baking cookies brings me back to my time with my mom. I anxiously await the 12 minutes to taste the final result, bracing for the memories that would flow over me when taking the first bite. As soon as the timer buzzed, I couldn’t wait to let a cookie cool, I immediately tried it and felt instant happiness. I successfully made my mom’s sugar cookies. For the first time I realized a memory of my past could create memories for my future.

Jill's Sugar Cookies
The Thoughts:
1 cup sugar plus some extra to sprinkle on top of cookies before serving
2 sticks butter, softened 
1 egg  
1/2 tsp. baking powder 
1 tsp. vanilla 
1/4 tsp. salt  
1 tsp. light brown sugar
2 cups flour

Putting the Memory Together:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.  

In a separate bowl, cream sugar, brown sugar and butter together with an electric mixer.  Add the egg and vanilla until well mixed and fluffy.

  Slowly add in the dry ingredients until well combined.

Shape spoonfuls of dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.

Using a drinking glass floured in the bottom, press down on dough to flatten fairly thin. 

Bake in 375 degree oven, on middle racks, for 12 minutes or until done. Dust with sugar if desired.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Printable version

Jill's Sugar Cookies

The Thoughts:

1 cup sugar plus some extra to sprinkle on top of cookies before serving

2 sticks butter, softened 

1 egg  

1/2 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. vanilla 

1/4 tsp. salt  

1 tsp. light brown sugar

2 cups flour

Putting the Memory Together:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, cream sugar, brown sugar and butter together with an electric mixer.  Add the egg and vanilla until well mixed and fluffy.  Slowly add in the dry ingredients until well combined.
Shape spoonfuls of dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet. Using a drinking glass floured in the bottom, press down on dough to flatten fairly thin. 
Bake in 375 degree oven for 12 minutes or until done. Dust with sugar if desired.
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Storecipe of the Week: Mom's Chicken Soup

"Worries go down better with soup" -Jewish Proverb

Could what our mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers been telling us for centuries really be true?  Does Chicken soup really make you feel better?  According to the journal, Chest, researchers say "Chicken soup may contain a number of substances with beneficial medicinal activity." (CNN.com)  So, I guess our mother's really do know what they are talking about!

Could what our mother, grandmother's, and great grandmother's have been telling us for centuries really be true?  Does chicken soup really make you feel better?  According to the journal, Chest, researchers say "Chicken soup may contain a number of substances with beneficial medicinal activity."  (CNN.com)  So, I guess, our mother's really do know what they are talking about!

Growing up, my mother would make Chicken soup when I was sick.  Whether I had a cold, sore throat, the flu, or just having a bad day, she made soup.  Chicken soup heals us in more ways than one.  According to Elizabeth Somer's, Eat Your Way to Happiness, "Eating 'mood foods' 75% of the time will help you find more energy, think more clearly and drop additional pounds - with more 'joie de vivre' in your attitude" (iVillages, 9 Foods to Boost Your Mood).   It's the ultimate comfort food with all of the veggies and chicken.  Somer says,  "The protein and vegetables gives you a helping of happiness since they are full of vitamins that improve your mood, brainpower and immunity."

In the Jewish tradition, Chicken soup is made for holidays.  With the Jewish New Year right around the corner, I decided to make my mother's recipe for my family.  Whenever she made the soup, the aroma would take all of your worries away.  The smell is so comforting and homey to me.  I remember sitting in the kitchen with my mom while she would hover over the huge pot, which seemed bigger than me.  I just loved those days and the traditions of holidays.  When serving the soup, she would make matzoh balls or serve with egg noodles.

Thoughts:
1 chicken, cut up into 1/8ths, with skin on (I usually have the butcher do this)
3 chicken thighs, with skin on
2 chicken legs, with skin on
2 large parsnips, peeled
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
4 celery stalks, washed and cut into large pieces
2 large leeks, sliced in half and cleaned thoroughly
1 onion, skin removed
1 turnip, peeled and quartered
1 bay leaf
1 T. Kosher salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 T. Better Than Boullian chicken base

Putting the Memory Together:
Rinse the chicken pieces with cold water and put into large pot.  Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken and add additional 5 inches of water.  Leave about 3 inches of space from water to the top of the pot.  Bring water to a boil.  Using a small strainer, skim the fat off the top of the soup as it rises.

Add the parsnips, carrots, celery, leeks, onion, turnip, salt and pepper.  Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours.  Strain the foam and impurities off as needed.  Add the Better Than Boullion base.  Let simmer for another 15 minutes.  Taste the soup and if needed add more Better Than Boullion or salt and pepper to taste.

Turn off heat and take vegetables and chicken out of the pot.

Let soup cool to room temperature.  When soup is cook, pour it through a strainer to sift out any chicken bones or stray skin.  Place the chicken soup in air tight containers and put in refrigerator overnight.  The next day, take the layer of fat off of the top and reheat soup.

Put back in carrots, celery, chicken pieces, matzoh balls or egg noodles and enjoy!!

Printable Version

Thoughts:

1 chicken, cut up into 1/8ths, with skin on

3 chicken thighs, with skin on

2 chicken legs, with skin on

2 large parsnips, peeled

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces

4 celery stalks, washed and cut into large pieces

2 large leeks, sliced in half and cleaned thoroughly

1 onion, skin removed

1 turnip, peeled and quartered

1 bay leaf

1 T. Kosher salt

2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 T. Better Than Boullian chicken base

Putting the Memory Together:

Rinse the chicken pieces with cold water and put into large pot.  Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken and add additional 5 inches of water.  Leave about 3 inches of space from water to the top of the pot.  Bring water to a boil.  Using a small strainer, skim the fat off the top of the soup as it rises.

Add the parsnips, carrots, celery, leeks, onion, turnip, salt and pepper.  Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours.  Strain the foam and impurities off as needed.  Add the Better Than Boullion base.  Let simmer for another 15 minutes.  Taste the soup and if needed add more Better Than Boullion or salt and pepper to taste.

Turn off heat and take vegetables and chicken out of the pot.

Let soup cool to room temperature.  When soup is cook, pour it through a strainer to sift out any chicken bones or stray skin.  Place the chicken soup in air tight containers and put in refrigerator overnight.  The next day, take the layer of fat off of the top and reheat soup.

Put back in carrots, celery, chicken pieces, matzoh balls or egg noodles and enjoy!!

Storecipe of the Week: Rhubarb Crunch

Rhubarb is a vegetable that, unfortunately, I am not too familiar with.  I have never baked with it or eaten it.  When I received a submission for Rhubarb Crunch, I was so excited to learn about it, cook with it, and taste it.  

I started off by doing some research about the plant.  The first important thing that I learned was that the stalks are the edible parts, not the leaf. The leaf is supposed to be toxic, so stay away!  The fresh crispy stalks are similar to celery and have a tart taste.  Sugar usually off balances the tartness when baking.  

Nutritionally, the root is 95% water and is rich in calcium, vitamin C and dietary fiber.  Rhubarb root has been used for medicinal purposes, especially in traditional Chinese medicine.  The roots can be used to help the digestive system as a laxative and, therefore, the fruit is known as a slimming agent.  The roots, also, seem to lower blood glucose levels.

Peaking in the Spring months, rhubarb is popular ingredient in summer dishes.  People commonly use it in pies, jams, sauces, jellies, and juices.  Before summer is over, go out and get some rhubarb and make a pie, crunch or jam to have for the winter.  With that being said, I am so excited to present Linda Pfeifer Basham's story and recipe of Rhubarb Crunch.

Story:

My grandmother Aleila Isabelle Pfeifer lived to be 101 years old. She passed a few years ago, but will long be remembered and missed by me. She was the one who taught me to cook and bake. We lived on a dairy farm, that she and my grandpa had lived on when they were raising their three sons, one of them being my dad. When I was 5 years old, my grandparents moved into town to retire, so, my family moved into the farm.  Even though they moved to town, you would find them back in the barn at 5 o'clock, every morning, helping my dad milk the cows. 

I was so fortunate to see my grandma every day.  She was there when I left for school, in the morning, and then when I got home, until the cows were milked at 5 PM. When she wasn't teaching me how to cook and bake, her true love, we would have tea parties.  One of my favorite recipes that we would make every spring was rhubarb crunch.   Today, I still have some of the original rhubarb plants from my great-aunt's farm, which I use in my crunch.

Grandma was always out in the garden with her wide rimmed bonnet. Rhubarb Crunch was one of my favorite desserts and reminds me of her whenever I make and eat it.  She tended to our garden and lives on in our hearts. She was always there to share my problems and joys and I miss her dearly.

Thoughts:

1 C. flour

1 C. brown sugar

3/4 C. oatmeal

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 C. butter, melted

4 C. rhubarb, diced

1 C. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 C. water

1 tsp. vanilla

Putting the Memory Together:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8" x 8" pan.  Mix flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon and melted butter until it forms a crumble mixture.

Pat half of the mixture in the pan, reserving the other half for the topping.

Dice rhubarb.

Top the mixture with rhubarb pieces.

In a saucepan over medium/low heat, combine sugar and cornstarch until mixed well.  Add water and vanilla.

Cook in pan over medium/high heat until thick and clear, stirring occasionally.

Pour hot mixture, evenly, over rhubarb.

Top with remaining crumb mixture.

Place in oven and bake for 1 hour.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whip cream and think of grandma out in the garden with her wide rimmed bonnet.

Full Recipe (print version)

Thoughts:

1 C. flour

1 C. brown sugar

3/4 C. oatmeal

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 C. butter, melted

4 C. rhubarb, diced

1 C. sugar

2 T. cornstarch

1 C. water

1 tsp. vanilla

Putting the Memory Together:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8" x 8" pan.  Mix flour, brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon and melted butter until it forms a crumble mixture.  Pat half of the mixture in the pan, reserving the other half for the topping.  Dice rhubarb.  Top the mixture with rhubarb pieces.  In a saucepan over medium/low heat, combine sugar and cornstarch until mixed well.  Add water and vanilla.  Cook in pan over medium/high heat until thick and clear, stirring occasionally.  Pour hot mixture over rhubarb and top with remaining crumb mixture.  Place in oven and bake for 1 hour.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whip cream and think of grandma out in the garden with her wide rimmed bonnet.

The Pioneer Woman

The Pioneer Woman is a fabulous blog that all of you foodies and homemakers must check out!  Ree Drummond is a ranch wife and mother of four.  She lives on a "cattle ranch", her words, and is married to a cowboy.  She writes everyday and her post's range from recipes (my favorite) to photography tips to homeschooling four children and, finally, a home and gardening section.  

Ree is not afraid of butter, fried foods or carbs.  She is a breath of fresh air in my normal organic and clean diet!  Her recipes range from homemade donuts, cinnamon buns from scratch, BBQ chicken pizza, macaroni and cheese along with pastas, chickens and beef galore!

She has a Tasty Kitchen section that everyday people can post their favorite recipes.  Join her Facebook and Twitter pages to get daily updates!

Check out her site, and I promise, you will not be disappointed!

David Yurman Event benefitting Bright Pink

In May, I hosted an exclusive shopping event at David Yurman on Oak Street in Chicago.  A portion of the proceeds benefitted Bright Pink.  Bright Pink is an organization that enlightens and empowers high-risk individuals to take control of the breast and ovarian health.  The organization provides education, offers support and a sense of community for a better and brighter future.  

The founder of Bright Pink, Lindsay Avner, tested positive for a mutation on the BRCA1 gene, indication she had a lifetime risk of up to 87 percent of developing breast cancer and 54 percent of developing ovarian cancer.  Not wanting to become another victim of cancer, as it had three generations of women before her, she opted to have a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy.  At the time, Lindsay was the youngest patient nationally to opt for the procedure.  During her experience, Lindsay realized the lack of resources for women in her exact situation.  

Bright Pink is the only national organization with an exclusive focus on prevention and early detection of breast and ovation cancer in high-risk young women.  The organization has 10,000 members nationwide and continues to grow everyday.

I have been involved and supported Bright Pink since 2007.  After losing my mother to breast cancer, I needed to find other young women who could help support me with questions I had about my health. With that being said, it was my pleasure to host the David Yurman shopping event.  Below are some pictures courtesy of CS Magazine - Modern Luxury.

Storecipe of the Week: Grandma Shirley's Cuckoo Cookies

There is something about marshmallows that just remind me of my delicious childhood.  I used to love going to the grocery store with my mom.  She would push me down the cookie aisle and I would want every kind of cookie I could get my hands on.  She would always let me open one package and let me sneak a cookie before we got home.  It was our little secret!  Two of my favorite kinds of cookies where the Nabisco Mallomars and Pinwheels chocolate marshmallow cookies.  I loved how the outside chocolate was hard and dark while the inside was filled was fluffy, soft and gooey marshmallows.




Regardless if you like s'mores, Peeps marshmallow bunnies for Easter, or Nabisco Pinwheels chocolate and marshmallow cookies, everyone loves marshmallows in something, if not everything!  When I received this lovely story about a girl's grandma's cookies that contained marshmallows, I just melted.  Marshmallows make me giddy and have a way of making heartache in the world go away; they are just a happy food!  With that being said, I present to you Grandma Shirley's Cuckoo Cookies, submitted by Taylor Kutchin from Chicago, Illinois.

Story:
When I hear the word “Cuckoo”, I often think of something or someone as being “crazy” or “nuts”. So why call a cookie cuckoo? I’ll never know for sure. But what I do know for sure is that my Grandma Shirley liked to make these cookies, and she was anything but cuckoo. She had so many fine qualities that made being around her a real treat. She was comforting and sweet, just like her cookies. She was completely devoted to those she loved. She was “one of a kind” and truly had a heart of gold. 

My fondest memories of Grandma Shirley often involve food, but more importantly, the food she prepared always brought the family together. I can still taste the yummy homemade tuna fish sandwiches she’d make for lunch for my cousins, siblings and I when we went to her house for a Saturday visit. I miss the magic of her big holiday dinners where sweet and sour meatballs, chicken noodle soup, and of course, cuckoo cookies could always be found. Indeed, she loved to bake and cook and above all, she loved to cook for her family. Bringing everyone together was important to her and it was through her strength, generosity, and kindness that we connected time after time to share, laugh, and of course, eat. Though she is no longer here, her spirit and memory live on in the family, which continues to grow and also stay close. 

When we share stories about Grandma Shirley, her recipes often come up and preserving and continuing to prepare the delicious things she made is one way to pay homage to the incredible Grandmother she was. I will continue to make her recipes and more importantly, stay close to family. And years from now at a family gathering where cuckoo cookies have made their way into new family member’s mouths and hearts, I will always think of Grandma Shirley.

Thoughts:

Dry Mix

1 ¾ C. sifted flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

½ C. cocoa

Other Ingredients

½ C. chop walnuts

½ C. shortening or butter

1 C. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 C. milk

Halved large marshmallows

Cocoa Glaze:

½ C. cocoa

1 ½ C. powder sugar

3 T. hot water

1/3 C. melted butter

Putting the Memory Together:

Combine the Dry Mix ingredients and set to the side. Cream shortening or butter in an electric mixer or mixing bowl. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Then add the dry mix alternating with the milk. Beat until smooth. Add nuts.

Drop a rounded Tablespoon of mixture onto greased cooking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. 

Remove and press a ½ half marshmallow into center of each cookie and bake 2 more minutes.

Mix glaze ingredients together in saucepan over medium/low heat.  

When in sauce form, drizzle on top of each marshmallow cookie.

Refrigerate for 5 minutes. Makes 2 dozen cookies.  Enjoy!

These cookies bring back the taste and fond memories of going to the grocery store with my mom as a child.  They are a homemade version of Pinwheels!  Thanks to Taylor for sharing this very special and delicious recipe!