Blueberry Pie

This Blueberry Pie recipe uses canned blueberry pie filling.  It is for those who are in a rush for time.  The art of making this pie above is the decorative pie crust top. I'll tell you how I did it.  Here's the recipe.

Serving Size: 6-8 people

2 frozen Kosher pie crusts (I use Mrs Smith's with an OU)
1 21-oz can of Kosher Blueberry Fruit Filling (I use Lucky Leaf brand)
1 egg for coating the top pie crust

1. Heat up your oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place one frozen pie crust in the top rack of the oven for about 10 minutes.  This is to brown the bottom pie crust so that your pie doesn't taste soggy at the bottom.
3. Remove the slightly browned pie crust from the oven and place it on your counter. This will be your bottom pie crust.
4. Empty the pie filling from the can into the bottom pie crust, and spread the filling evenly.
5. For the top pie crust, first cut out a big circle along the edge with a sharp knife. 
6. Slightly loosen the wavy edge from the pan without breaking it.
7. Turn the crust over onto the bottom pie crust with the filling. 
8. Slightly and carefully transfer the loosened edge onto the top of the bottom crust.
9. If you've done it right, all that's left of the top pie crust is the big circle.
10. Now, using a heart-shaped mold, cut out about 18 hearts of your top pie crust.
11. Carefully remove each one and arrange them onto your pie. (See picture.)
12. Prepare the egg wash.  Break the egg into a  clear bowl and check the egg for any blood stain.
13. If there isn't any blood stain, the egg is fine to use.  Slightly beat the egg, then apply a coating onto the top crust of your pie.
14. Bake the pie in the oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

Beta Avon. (Hebrew for Bon appetite!)

Good old Apple Pie

This Apple Pie recipe uses canned apple pie filling.  It is for those who are in a rush for time.  The art of making this pie above is the decorative pie crust top. I'll tell you how I did it.  Here's the recipe.

Serving Size: 6-8 people

2 frozen Kosher pie crusts (I use Mrs Smith's with an OU)
1 21-oz can of Kosher Apple Fruit Filling (I use Lucky Leaf brand)
1 egg for coating the top pie crust

1. Heat up your oven for 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place one frozen pie crust in the top rack of the oven for about 10 minutes.  This is to brown the bottom pie crust so that your pie doesn't taste soggy at the bottom.
3. Remove the slightly browned pie crust from the oven and place it on your counter. This will be your bottom pie crust.
4. Empty the pie filling from the can into the bottom pie crust, and spread the filling evenly.
5. For the top pie crust, first cut out a big circle along the edge with a sharp knife. 
6. Slightly loosen the wavy edge from the pan without breaking it.
7. Turn the crust over onto the bottom pie crust with the filling. 
8. Slightly and carefully transfer the loosened edge onto the top of the bottom crust.
9. If you've done it right, all that's left of the top pie crust is the big circle.
10. Now, cut out about four 1/2"-3/4" parallel strips of your top pie crust.
11. Carefully remove each one and arrange them onto your pie. (See picture.)
12. Cut our heart shapes from the remainder of your top pie crust and arrange them on your pie. (See picture.)
13. Prepare the egg wash.  Break the egg into a  clear bowl and check the egg for any blood stain.
14. If there isn't any blood stain, the egg is fine to use.  Slightly beat the egg, then apply a coating onto the top crust of your pie.
15. Bake the pie in the oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

Beta Avon. (Hebrew for Bon appetite!)

Mexican Burritos

If you feel like eating Mexican, you can make your own Kosher Mexican meal. Today, I'm showing you how to make your own burritos. The art of making burritos is in the burrito wrap. It can be annoying if your burrito filling falls out as you try to savor it.  So, I use a foolproof technique of wrapping my burritos. It is very similar to wrapping a Chinese spring roll.  So, here's the recipe.

Serving Size: 2-4 people

1 package of Kosher Burrito wrap (I like Wrap-itz Kosher Burrito wrap with a Star-K hechsher)
1 box of Kosher Near East Spanish Rice Pilaf mix (comes with an OU hechsher)
1 can of Kosher corn niblets
1 small jar of Kosher salsa sauce
1 small can of Kosher sliced black olives
1 package of Kosher Fresh Express Shredded Iceberg Lettuce (always check for a Hechsher)
1 bowl of shredded Kosher mozarella cheese
1 tablespoon of Kosher cooking oil

1. Boil 2 cups of water with oil in your saucepan. 
2. When the water boils, add the Spanish rice mix and rice pilaf mix into the saucepan. Mix well.
3. Boil in low to medium heat for about 20 minutes.
4. When rice is cooked, pour it into a serving dish.
5. Serve the rice warm with the burrito wraps and the condiments - cheese, corn, salsa, olives, lettuce.
6. To make a burrito, take a burrito wrap and lay it flat on your plate.
7. Dish a small amount of rice into the middle of your wrap. (See picture)
8. Garnish it with cheese, corn, salsa, olives and lettuce.
9. Fold the bottom of the burrito to cover the filling.
10. Then, fold the sides of the burrito inwards, like an envelope.
11. Lastly, roll your burrito upwards like a cylinder.  Your burrito should be snug and tight.

Beta Avon! (Hebrew for Bon Appetite!)

Spaghetti

When you are craving for a hearty meal on a cold winter evening, spaghetti is your answer.  Spaghetti is a versatile dish.  You can make it plain with an off-the-shelf Spaghetti sauce of your choice, or you can spice up your dish with fresh and canned vegetables.  Here, in the picture, you can see canned corn niblets (my kids' favorite) in addition to mushrooms (that came with the sauce), zucchinis and sweet peppers.  This dish is extremely easy to make and quick too.  Here is the recipe.

Serving Size: 2-4 people

1 box of Kosher spaghetti
1 jar of Kosher spaghetti sauce (My favorite is Barilla's Mushroom & Garlic Sauce)
1 small can of Kosher corn niblets
1 sweet pepper
1 zucchini
1 small red onion
1 tablespoon Kosher Oil for frying

1. Boil water in your pot for cooking spaghetti.
2. Empty the can of corn niblets into a microwavable bowl and heat the bowl in a microwave for about 2 minutes on high.

Cook your spaghetti sauce:

1. Peel the zucchini, wash and dice it into bite-size pieces or however you want.
2. Wash the sweet pepper, and cut it into bite-size pieces.
3. Peel the onion, and dice it or slice it.
4. In a separate sauce pan, heat up the oil for 2-3 minutes in medium flame.
5. Add the cut onion, zucchini and peppers. Fry for 5 minutes.
6. Open the jar of Spaghetti sauce and pour it into the sauce pan. Mix well.
7. If the sauce is too thick, and you prefer a thinner sauce, add a 1/2 jarful of water into the empty jar and swirl the jar around.  Then, pour the water mixture into the sauce pan.
8. Cover the sauce pan with its lid and let the sauce cook for about 20 minutes.

Cook your spaghetti:

1. When the water in your pot is boiling, add the dried spaghetti into the pot. 
2. I usually break the spaghetti in half, so that they would fit nicely inside the pot.
3. Let the spaghetti cook 'al dente' according to the instructions on your spaghetti box. It is usually between 7-10 minutes.
4. When spaghetti is cooked, drain the spaghetti with a colander in your sink
5. When the spaghetti is drained, pour it into your serving bowl. You can add a little bit of oil into the spaghetti and mix it, if you prefer.
6. You can serve your spaghetti stand alone, or you can pour the sauce over the spaghetti and serve it that way.

Either way, enjoy your hearty warm meal, with a side dish of corn niblets, and  fresh salad.  Bete Avon! (Hebrew for Bon Appetite!)

Chinese Egg Rolls

This is another quick and easy dish to make if you get the right ingredients. My kids love 'em, because they help to make them. Here is the recipe.

Serving size: 4-6 people

1 package of Kosher Nasoya Egg Roll Wrappers
1 package of Kosher Fresh Express Cole Slaw Mix/3-color Deli Cole Slaw (The current hechsher is Star-K)
1 package of 8-oz Bean Sprouts (optional)
Kosher Oil enough for deep frying
1 small cup of water for "glue"
1 container lined up with 3-4 paper towels
Dipping sauce

1. Wash and drain the bean sprouts thoroughly, if you use them in the recipe.
2. Take out an Egg Roll wrapper. Place it flat on a dry surface in diamond shape.
3. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of cole slaw mix and 1 tablespoon of bean sprouts into the center of the wrapper.
4. Fold the wrapper from the bottom about 1/3 of the way up in the shape of a triangle, so that it covers over the filling.
5. Fold the right and left sides of the wrapper towards the middle so that your wrapper looks like an open envelope.
6. Roll the wrapper upwards tightly. Put a little bit of water on the top point of the wrapper and seal it onto the wrapper.
7. Repeat steps 2-7 until all the rolls are filled or the cole slaw used up, whichever is first.
8. For additional help on wrapping an egg roll, click on this link.
9. Fill your frying pan with oil enough to deep fry.  
10. Heat up your pan for about 5 minutes. I use a middle flame.
11. Place a few egg rolls into the pan slowly.
12. When one side is golden brown, turn it over with your spatula.
13. When the other side is golden brown, remove it with your draining spatula into your paper towel-lined container.
14. Repeat steps 11-13 until there is no more egg roll to fry.
15. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

 Bon Appetite!

Fried Chinese Wontons

Fried Chinese wontons are a delicious treat for those who have the patience to fold each wonton into the traditional wonton shape.  The dish is easy to make.  For those who wish to improvise, they can fold the wontons into any shape they like.  My kids and my father-in-law, a"h, used to fold them into an envelope shape.  Here is the recipe.

Serving Size: 4-8 (depending upon the eaters)

1 package of Kosher Nasoya Wonton Wraps
1 lb. ground Kosher beef/turkey
Kosher Oil enough for deep frying
A small cup of water for wonton "glue"
Kosher sweet and sour sauce
Seasoning:

• Kosher Cumin Powder, 1 tsp
• Kosher Garlic Powder/Minced Garlic, 1 tsp
• Kosher Onion Powder/Minced Onion/Small bulb of shallot, 1 tsp
• Kosher Salt, (optional) to taste
• Egg

1. Break an egg, and check for blood.  If there's no blood in the egg, then it's kosher and fine to use.
2. Mix the ground meat with the seasoning and egg.
3. Follow the directions of wrapping wonton in the Nasoya package.
4. Take a wonton wrapper out of the package. Lay it flat on a dry surface in a diamond shape.
5. Dish out 1 tsp of meat into the center of the wrapper. 
6. Moisten the edges of the top sides with a little bit of water.
7. Fold the wrapper in half into a triangle shape.
8. Press and seal.
9. Pull the bottom corners of the triangle down and fold them towards the middle.
10. If you need additional help, here are additional ways of folding the wonton.
11. After all the wontons have been folded, heat up your frying pan with oil enough for deep frying. I use a small to medium flame.
12. Prepare a big bowl or container with three to four sheets of paper towels to drain the cooked wontons.
13. In about 5 minutes, place each wonton slowly into the pan, to fill up the pan.
14. When one side is golden brown, turn it over to cook its other side.
15. When the other side is golden brown, remove it from the pan with a straining spatula,  into the lined bowl/container to drain the wontons of any oil residue.
16. Serve hot with sweet and sour sauce.

Bon Appetite!

Stir Fry Snow Peas and Mushroom

A nice and easy side dish to accompany your main meal, that is healthy and tasty.  Here is the recipe.

Serving Size: 4

1 12 oz package of fresh white mushrooms
1 8 oz package of snow peas
2 TBSP of Kosher Canola oil, for frying
Seasoning:

• Fresh garlic, or garlic powder to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Minced onions to taste, or 1 bulb of shallot or onion

1. Wash each mushroom thorougly.  I usually peel off the outer skin of the mushroom and cut off the bottom of the stalk.
2. Slice your mushrooms into quarters or sixths.
3. Wash each snow pea thoroughly.  From the top of the pea, pull off the tough string that runs along its side. 
4. Heat up your frying pan. Add oil.
5. After about 2 minutes, add the mushrooms into the pan, along with the seasoning.
6. Fry for about 5 minutes, then add the snow peas last.
7. Mix and fry altogether for another 2-3 minutes.  Serve hot.

Bon Appetite!

Easy Stir Fry Noodles

This is a very easy stir fry recipe when you are hungry and on the go. Here is the recipe.

Serving Size: 4

1 package of Nasoya Japanese noodles (OU hechsher)
1 carrot stick
1 stick celery
5-6 green beans
1 TBSP Kosher Canola Oil
Kosher Soy Sauce to taste
Texas Pete Kosher Hot Sauce (optional) to taste

1. Boil about 2 qt. of water in your pot for the noodles. 
2. While water is heating, peel your carrot, clean your celery, check your green beans and wash the vegetables.
3. Slice the vegetables according to your liking.
4. When water is boiling, drop in the noodles. I like to cut the noodles in half before I put them in.
5. Noodles will be ready in about 5 minutes.  Drain.
6. Heat up your fying pan or wok with oil for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the vegetables into the pan and stir fry them for another 5 minutes.
8. Add the drained noodles, soya sauce and (optional) hot sauce.
9. Mix them together for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Bon Appetite!