Seder Plate

 

Matzo Ball Soup

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs or whole chicken (with bone and skin)
2 quarts water
4 ribs celery (with leaves, cut into 2-inch lengths)
1 onion (large, chopped)
4 carrots (peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks)

2 small parsnips (peeled, trimmed, sliced)
4 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)
4 sprigs parsley
1 bay leaf (large, or 2 small leaves)
2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)
Black pepper (freshly ground, to taste or as desired)
Optional: fresh chopped dill leaves or parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Place the chicken in the Instant Pot, followed by the water, celery, onion, carrots, parsnips, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, kosher salt, and pepper.

Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to the sealing position. Select the manual setting, high pressure, and set the timer for 35 minutes. When the time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 30 minutes. Carefully release the remaining pressure.

With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken thighs and vegetables to a large bowl and set aside. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the solids (garlic pieces, leaves, etc.). Pour the broth back into the Instant Pot; set it on sauté and bring to a boil.

Chop the cooked vegetables. Remove the chicken from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Shred the chicken. Add the chopped vegetables and chicken to the broth with the matzo balls and heat through. Add two matzo balls to each serving of soup.

I don't make my own Matzo balls. I get a little package a Smith's and just add water and cook them according to the instructions and then add them to the soup. (Lazy way)
 

Matzah (Unleaved bread)

Each year will celebrate a Passover Meal with our family. I will post the different recipes we use. 

Making matzah breads kosher for Passover requires using special Passover flour that has been guarded from contact with liquids.

The cook is allowed no longer than 18 minutes from the point they combine the flour and water to when they remove the matzah from the oven in order for it to be considered fit for Passover. Of course, non-kosher cooks may bake at a more leisurely pace if desired.

I don't necessarily follow this, so it isn't officially Kosher. I have tried to do it within 18 minutes which is kind of fun to do for the first batch but after that I gave up.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup water, or more if needed
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or as needed (Optional)
1 teaspoon olive oil, or as needed (Optional)

Directions:

Move an oven rack near the top of oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Preheat a heavy baking sheet in the oven.

Dust a clean work surface and a rolling pin with 1 teaspoon flour, or as needed. Place 1 cup of flour into a mixing bowl; set a timer for about 16 minutes (18 minutes maximum). Start the timer; pour the water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, into the flour. Stir the water and flour together with a fork until the dough forms a rough ball, remove the dough to the prepared work surface, knead rapidly and firmly until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces; cut each piece in half again to get 8 pieces total. Swiftly roll each piece into a ball. Roll each piece of dough out into a 5-inch pancake, dusting the top and rolling pin with flour as needed. Gradually roll the pancakes out to a size of about 8 inches, increasing the size of each by about 1 inch, then letting the dough rest for a few seconds before rolling again to the finished size. Roll from the center out. The bread rounds should be very thin. Using a fork, quickly pierce each bread about 25 times, all over, to prevent rising. The holes should go completely through the bread. Flip the bread over, and pierce each piece another 25 times with the fork.

With at least 5 minutes left on the timer, remove the hot baking sheet from the preheated oven, and place the rounds onto the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet onto the rack near the top of the oven, and bake for 2 minutes; turn the breads over and bake an additional 2 minutes, until the matzot are lightly browned and crisp.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Lightly anoint each matzah with olive oil, using a brush, and sprinkle generously with salt.

Plain rice (well not so plain)

 I love to flavor my rice just a little and we still call it plain rice. 

(you off course mix everything together before eating)

I mostly cook with jasmine rice. When it is done cooking I add the following:

Butter
Salt
Granulated garlic
Lime Juice (just used bottled, so I always have it on hand)

This recipe makes rice so much better!

Coleslaw Dressing

 All our kids love this recipe. 

Ingredients:

½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

Mix this up with some cabbage and carrots. Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake

 I found this recipe because I wanted to make a stove top cake. There is a stove top oven called the Omnia. I decided to create my own stove top oven out of cheap pans from DI and what I had laying around the house. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked. I halved the batter recipe and it cooked 15-20 minutes longer but everyone liked it. 

I used an angel food pan with a removable inside. I put a wide camping pan on the bottom. 

I lined the inside with aluminum foil but am planning on buying a sillicone bundt pan insert. (this will avoid burning of the bottom)

I used a 5 quart mixing bowl as a lid. 

Ingredients: (this is the full recipe)

1 cup butter
1 cup water
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Line the angel cake pan with aluminum foil and spray with oil.  In a saucepan, melt 1 cup of butter. Stir in 1 cup water and 6 tablespoons cocoa powder. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium bowl, dissolve the baking soda in 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Mix in the cooled cocoa mixture.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the cocoa buttermilk mixture. Stir until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated stove top oven for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished cake but will do so next time. 

Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooker Pulled Pork)

The crisping makes this recipe amazing. We like to eat it with mexican rice and refried beans (see other recipes). We also like to eat it like street taco's. You can either buy soft corn tortilla's but they are so much better homemade and so easy to make. Just add some meat, cabbage and homemade pico the gallo, guacamole and some fresh squeezed lime. Heavenly!

Ingredients:

2 kg / 4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt) 
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 onion , chopped
1 jalapeno , deseeded, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup juice from orange (2 oranges)

RUB
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 7 hours.
Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.
Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard.
If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

TO CRISP:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.
Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan.
Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos