Perfect Knaidlach

Week 3 of the Purple Cookbook Challenge.
To those of you who are unaware of what this challenge is: I'm going through the all time basic kosher cookbook, the one that has so many go to recipes, the Spice and Spirit of Kosher cooking aka The Purple Cookbook aka The Kitchen Bible, and correcting the only thing wrong with it.  Ever since the kosher world has been publishing those cookbooks with the gorgeous mouth watering pictures, this awesome cookbook has been pushed aside to those other ones.  Well, I decided, enough with second class status, I will bring this cookbook back to where it deserves to be.  Hense, my Purple Cookbook Challenge was born.  I'm now about to start my 3rd week of cooking and picture taking.  My goal now, is to have at least 100 pictures of foods from this cookbook.
I know Fridays are long these days, but somehow, I always feel that Friday is never long enough.   Regardless of that, I still took an order for 7 cookie bouquet centerpieces, for a Shabbos kiddush.  Well I got back in the kitchen, to start Shabbos, at 1 PM.  Food has to be ready by 5:30, so that my boys can eat, and the house could be cleaned, but I cannot control how much attention will be demanded from my baby and my other 3 boys.  Instead of going through the Purple Cookbook, as I planned  I was stuck doing my regular foods as no extra thought had to be put into it.
Years ago, I made from scratch matza balls, and they feel were not fluffy and good.  Since my husband doesn't like Matza balls, I never attempted them again, (2 of my boys and I love them) and have just been using the mix, which comes out perfect looking all the time (anyone who knows me, would know that I never use mixes, but somehow that became how I do my matza balls)
This past Friday, I decided that was a simple enough recipe to make from the cookbook.  And so I made my first perfect, fluffy matza balls.  They were easy to make and tasted very similar to the mix I came to love.  I don't think I'll even being using the mix again.  Perfect Knaidlach (Spice and Spirit, page 140)

 

This is what I spent my Thursday evening and Friday morning decorating and packaging:

Calculator Cake

A small break from my Purple Cookbook Challenge.  Yesterday, I spent my day
After a nine month break, Sweet Temptations has once again opened for business.  My hobby/small business was temporarily put on hold as my time was divided between renovating my home and having a baby.  But since we're settled in (kind of) and my son is now 5 months old, I decided the time has come to make use of my new, more spacious kitchen.
My first order, was from a woman who wanted a calculator cake for her husband.  He just graduated with a degree in accounting.
You can see my other cakes on my Facebook group.

Summer Rain Day Activity - Cupcake Decorating

Our luck has it, that the first day of summer vacation it rained :-(  Now how to keep my boys happy yet pull them away from that dreaded wii (I despise that thing, for a number of reason, but when the weather is bad, and my boys are on my back, I sometimes go against my better judgement.)
I suggested cupcake decorating and got a great big sound of approval, and so it was.  I quickly whipped up a small batch of buttercream and took out some cupcakes from the freezer, and an activity was born.
My boys had a fun time, especially when I took out some fondant for them to work with.
My middle child, the non-vegetable eater, ironically, made a vegetable garden.  (and proudly announced that he will eat his vegetables)  My oldest, a boy after all, made the Montreal Canadians logo (Go, HABS, Go!)  My youngest made a fruit patch.
Was so much fun and a great way to spend some quality time away from electronics.  (although they finished only to run back to their video game)

playing with fondant

Thank G-d, after the not such great beginning, we've gotten much better weather for the first few days of this week.  Monday,we went to the waterpark at Kent Park with my sister-in-law and her son, if you're a Montrealer, or someone traveling here during the hot summer months, it's definitely worth checking it out with the kids. 

Tuesday, my kids played outside with neighbors, before heading to he park for a game of soccer.  My middle boy, was enrolled in an organized soccer game with a coach once a week.  This week was the last scheduled game, however, probably because it was one of those days between school and camp so everyone was off schedule, the coach and my son were the only shows.  Oh well!  The coach started some drills with my sons, but then gave up and went home when no one else came along.  

My boys still had a great time playing soccer, tennis and baseball.

The weather didn't keep up for Wednesday and today, but at least the boys have started camp so there is something for them to keep busy with for those 6 hours each day.



Enjoy your summer,

Chanie

Preschool Graduation

Last week, my baby graduated from preschool. (Maybe I should stop calling him 'my baby')  His class celebrated by inviting the parents to hear the boys do their daily davening (prayer) followed with the distribution of diplomas.  My son couldn't be prouder! And as a mom, I can say the same as well.
We celebrated his achievement at home as well.  I made cupcakes to serve for dessert after supper.
Cant believe he's going to be in Yeshiva next year...

 

Have an amazing fun filled summer,
Chanie

Lag B'omer Sleepless Marathon

Been gone for 2 months.  At first I wasn't feeling well (nothing serious, just spent a week really under the weather), and once you're off, its so easy to push off coming on again.
So now for take 2, I'm going to, Bli Neder, go back to posting regularly.
Well, Lag B'omer was yesterday, but I missed all the parade (I'm sure it was nothing like the Great Parade, but it would have still been wonderful to spend the day outdoors with the kids.)  I had orders for 2 different Upshernishes for Sunday, and my plan was to do one Saturday night and the other Sunday morning, and have them both out of my house by 1pm so that I could join my kids for the afternoon.  I did not take into my calculation that Shabbat only ended at around 9:30pm.  After Havdola, putting the kids to bed and cleaning up, it was after 10:30 and I was already exhausted.  Well, I had no choice but to suck up my fatigue and get on with the decorating.  Of course, as the hours went by, my motions slow downed.  At 4am I considered going to sleep, only to realise that if I did that, I would not be able to wake up and function properly to finish up the orders, so a few coffees and a few hours later, I was still in the kitchen when my kids started getting ready for their day at the parade.
Both cakes got out on time (second one was picked up at 10am) and I thought I'd go to sleep for a couple of hours, to wake up somewhat refreshed.  HA!  I tossed and turned for 2 hours before finally giving up and getting out of the house.
Still had no chance of going to my kids, as my tenants fridge died and we had to go find them a new one.  None of the appliance stores had the right size in stock.  (there are cabinets above the fridge, so it has to be a certain amount of inches. 

Well, at least we finished the day together, with a bar-b-q. Served veal chops (marinaded in Club House 5 minute Montreal Steak Rub Marinade) and hamburgers with garlic bar-b-q sauce, with a fresh salad, a pasta salad and bakes beans.  Great, delicious, last minute bar-b-q, that the kids really loved!

This morning, I feel somewhat refreshed, after an eight and half hour sleep.

iPad cake

Toy Story cake

Thanks for stopping by,

Chanie

Fudge Covered Cheesecake... YUM!

My husbands birthday was yesterday, January 9th.  Originally, my idea was to decorate a cake and arrange with his assistant to drop it off for him at work today (since there was obviously no work on his birthday)
Well, you all know my oven story...  hard to bake a cake without an oven.  Not saying it's impossible, just that it's hard (haven't gotten into the whole raw diet thing, yet) 
Yesterday, while my husband spent the day painting the new house, I decided I have to give him something for his birthday.  I do have  a toaster oven, but that's not very ideal for a cake.  However, I have baked cheesecakes in it... and so a cheesecake it is.
I made the Fudge Covered Brownie Cheesecake from the Kosher By Design Entertains cookbook by Susie Fishbein.  Truthfully, I'm the type of person who doesn't follow recipes in cookbooks and use them more for inspiration.  However, this is a recipe that I love, just the way it is and haven't really tweaked it at all (except when I don't have ingredients on hand and look for a similar substitute.) I do love the presentation in the Kosher By Design Series.
I'm not going to post the recipe, for possible copyright infringement, but if you want information on this delicious cheesecake, just post a comment below and I will try to help you out.
You can check out the cookbook on Amazon:
Kosher By Design Entertains: Fabulous Recipes For Parties And Every Day

At home, we celebrate the birthday according to the Hebrew calender.  My husbands birthday (10th of Tevet)  fell out this year on December 17th.  My boys made a banner to hang in the kitchen and I provided the cake.  Put an edible image of 3 of the dearest things my husband has... our boys!  We made the "surprise" party the night before, being that my husbands birthday is a fast day.  (Imagine...never being able to party on your birthday)



The birthday poster my boys made.





Thanks for visiting,

Chanie

The Hunt For Cookies

They say you should find good in every situation.  I'm actually benefiting from the lack of an oven, maybe I should cancel the repairman, who is scheduled to come this morning to look at it.  My freezer is always full of baked goods, and my family is horrible with the FIFO concept (first in, first out).  With the lack of an oven the past 2 weeks, finally my freezer is being emptied out. 

This morning my kids scoured the freezer for something special to put in their lunch boxes.  They found individually wrapped pirate cookies that I cannot put an exact date on.... but I'm sure it wont harm them in anyway.

 

Till later,

Chanie

Disaster Averted

I was hired to bake a cake for a Bat Mitzvah that was to take place last Thursday.  The Bat Mitzvah girl sat with me for some time designing the cake to her specifications.  She wanted the cake to have a globe on it and 2 candles with the line “מעט אור דוחה הרב חושך” “A little light dispels a lot of darkness” Being that I was to be out of town till Wednesday (the day before the event)  I planned to bake the cake in advance of my vacation, freeze and take it out when I get back to decorate it.  I baked the bottom tier but just as I was baking the top globe tier, my oven stopped working.  (At the time I also had challah sitting on my counter waiting its turn in the oven)  I called the mother of the girl and assured that I will figure something out, but I cannot promise what it will be.

I returned from vacation with a whole bunch of sketches but not quite sure what I’d do.  That night the Bat Mitzvah girl and her mom came over and with their help and understanding we created a new design sketch.  Something I could make with cakes I had in my freezer. Thank G-d, the cake came out to their satisfaction. 

I want to give a shout-out to my dear neighbor, CR, whom without her, my challah would not have been baked.

Thanks for stopping by,

Chanie