Purim- here we come

Before I begin this post I must give some background. We are approaching the holiday of Purim, the day when Jews dress up in costumes, eat a beautiful meal, and give each other gifts: portions of food.

So I have been working on these portions- and here is what I've got. In each package, I will be putting a small bottle of wine. I will make a simple fruit salad with pineapple, oranges, grapes, and cantaloupe, and put that in a nice plastic box. And now for the exciting part... I bought beautiful purple 'paper' and white/silver ribbon. I have baked an assortment of cookies to put in this, and can't wait to put up pictures...

But the interesting part is the cookie bag.

Cookie #1: chocolate almond cookies. This cookie is soft, and stays moist for a while. First I beat eggs and added them to melted chocolate. I added sugar and oil and after that was all mixed, I added the ground almonds. I cooked it until it seemed ready and took it out of the over, cut it right away, and put it aside.

Cookie #2: peanut butter truffle cookies. Now this one is UNBELIEVABLE! Really incredible. I could not believe my mouth when the cookie melted in my mouth and the creamy taste filled my entire self. And its so easy! Just mix peanut-butter, firmly packed brown sugar, an egg, and baking soda together, well. Add chocolate chips, make them into small balls, put them in the oven for nine minutes, and you have yourself some serious peanut butter dessert!

and now. Cookie #3: this was a new recipe. I was ecstatic with the result. Mix together sugar, an egg, softened butter, and vanilla. Then take gluten-free flour and mix that in by the 1/2 cup until you feel the dough is hard enough to roll into balls without sticking to your hand or bowl. When you make the balls, make a small hole in each with your finger. Add strawberry jam (or whichever jam floats your boat) into the hole, and bake for fifteen minutes. I love when new recipes come out tasting delicious.

So that's how I spent my afternoon.

I love making an assortment of cookies, especially ones that are so different: chocolate, peanut butter, and jelly cookies. And so much of it is about the presentation of the food. If it looks good and smells good, and is presented is an appealing way, most people can't help but try!

I think this is a good start for my dessert season. I love to cook, but baking is something you enjoy immediately, when the cookie or cake comes out of the over. Meat or chicken you can't just wolf down without anyone noticing, that's hard to do inconspicuously.

In case you were wondering, I do not put the quantities of the ingredients of my recipes for two reasons. First of all, this blog is mostly about enjoying food. It's not a cookbook, it's a blog by a young girl who loves food and loves playing around in the kitchen. Second of all, I am giving you the ingredients (whoever you are) just to inspire an idea. I believe a real cook will take a recipe that seems somewhat interesting, and use it as a springboard. So you mess up the first few times... SO WHAT?! That's what cooking is all about. A tip? Start with small quantities.

As always, please enjoy what you put in your mouth- it's the most important part. Take a minute, close your eyes, and appreciate the effort you put in, and the incredible taste of heaven on your pallet.

crazy about cooking

I was thinking today...

You know what it is about cooking that simply makes me go mad with excitement and crazy with focus and dedication? It's the result.

The food may come out perfect, really tasting the way it should, feeling the way it should, and looking the way it should. But sometimes you make a recipe and it FLOPS! You make an awful cake or a sour dessert, or a dry chicken. Either way, there is a definite result. If you made something stupendous, you keep the recipe and make it again, every time you have important guests or friends you want to impress. If the dish came out tasting any less than perfect, you have a chance to start from scratch and try all over again. You can change the recipe to your liking, you can modify whatever you want.

It just excites me so much: on one hand having the pressure to make it right, because I will be serving it in a few hours no matter what, and on the other hand, knowing that if this dish is a disaster, I will know for next time to play with the recipe a bit.

And when the recipe comes out right- o boy. It's like heaven on earth for a moment. The split second when someone tastes what you've made, and you're holding your breath thinking 'please like it, please like it'... well, when they give you that side smile you want to just jump up and down!

Alright, enough craziness for one night.

As always- enjoy the food you eat. It is food for the body, but nourishment for your soul.

the promised dessert

I have officially begun exploring desserts. I am trying to stay on the healthy side...

The first simple dessert I made was a two-layered Jello. In individual portions, I made raspberry Jello, allowed that to harden, then added a small slice of grapefruit and on top of that, I put a layer of orange Jello. This dessert is very pretty to serve and a very healthy choice.

Next I mixed together honey, water, quite a lot of red wine, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, and let that boil. As soon as it was ready I placed peeled pears inside the pot on the fire, with the bottoms of the pairs cut off so that it could stand. Twenty minutes later, I removed the pears and served them with a raspberry syrup on the side and a scoop of chocolate mousse to go along with it. Now this, this was amazing. Really special- it fills your entire body with an aroma and soft, warm feeling. This is good for evening meals. I would venture to say its a five star!

As usual, enjoy!

chicken rolled with olive tomato stuffing

I began by buying all the bizarre ingredients for this recipe. As soon as I entered my kitchen, I began the adventure, which, after all, was easier than expected. I began by mixing together kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh garlic, and gluten free bread crumbs. I set that aside and took a dozen or so chicken breasts, flattening them out. I rolled each one with the spicy mixture and inserted a toothpick to hold it together. I fried the chicken roll for a few minuted in olive oil and when I took out the chicken, I put in chicken broth, white wine, cubed olives and onions into the pan. on the side I whisked together lemon juice and cornmeal and soon added that to the pan as well.

( I am most probably forgetting a few things, but that is the crux of it...)

I let that simmer and reduce for a bit before adding the chicken and letting that cook for a bit. Right before I served it, I cut each roll into three pieces, allowing the beautiful design to show on the platter. I poured some of the sauce over it and served it with brown rice, quinoa cooked in meat soup and sprinkled with dried apricots and almonds. I also had a sweet apple side dish, which went together quite well with the chicken, 'counteracting' the spicy taste of the rolls.

this is definitely a keeper recipe! every guest admired the look of it, and each one enjoyed the taste. This dish makes conversation easy and absolutely MAKES the meal!! one of my best successes yet!