Chicken Soup! The Jewish Cure-All!!

Think this delectable broth is difficult to make? Well, you'd be wrong if you said yes!! Ready? Here goes:

What you'll need:
A bunch of Parsley
four or five stalks of celery
a large onion
1 package baby carrots (or regular carrots, but you'll have to peel them and cut them into bite size pieces)
one small butternut or acorn squash
Chicken (you can use three or four chicken breasts, or three or four leg/thighs, or a mix of both, and you can add soup bones if you like...)

Salt

Pepper

Chicken bullion (I use the Osem Chicken Soup Mix)

Optional:
Half a bunch of dill (wash and look for bugs)
1 parsnip (they look like white carrots, only thicker)

If you want, you can turn this into a beef soup by putting in diced stew meat instead of chicken and using beef bullion (also Osem) instead of chicken bullion. But be sure to cook the soup for an extra half hour or so (two hours instead of an hour and a half)

Wash half the parsley (or the whole bunch if it's a small bunch) really well and look bugs. Same with the celery. Peel the onions (and carrots if you're not using baby carrots) and the butternut or acorn squash. Cut the onion into four pieces. Break the celery into three pieces per stalk. If you're using regular carrots, cut them into one inch long pieces. Slice the butternut or acorn squash, take out the seeds, then cut the slices into two pieces each. If you are using a large squash, save half for next week. If you are only using half a bunch of parsley, save that for next week too, but not beyond that. Put all this and the rest of your bunch of celery back in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.

Take the skin off of half the chicken. Leave the rest on. The fat in the skin gives the soup some body. Put the chicken in a large pot (ask your wife which one she uses to cook soup). Place all the veggies on top of the chicken. Fill pot with water almost to top (leave about two inches; if you don't, when the soup starts to boil, it'll boil over and make a big mess). Add salt, pepper, and chicken bullion to taste. Remember, don't overdo the salt. You can always add salt later; you can't take it out if you put too much.

Bring to a boil on a medium-high flame (8 on an electric stove). After it boils, reduce heat to a medium low flame (3 on an electric stove). Allow to cook for about another hour and a half. Don't overcook. If you do, your veggies will be soggy.

You may strain the soup. I always do. I take off the rest of the skin. Get rid of the bones. I take out the parsley and celery as well. Strain the broth into another pot. Put back the carrots, squash, and onions if you like, as well as the chicken, into the broth. VOILA!! You've got the age old, well-tested, and even more well-known than penicillin anti-biotic: You've got Chicken Soup. A most powerful weapon in the everlasting struggle against colds, body aches, and other common ailments.

You also have a classic Shabbos dish! ENJOY and have a GREAT SHABBOS!!!

NOT HELPFUL!!!

This is how NOT to be, folks!! :)

Easy Meatloaf

Yeah, yeah. I know. Ewww. Meatloaf!! Well, when you keep it simple and moist, it's actually very good and a big hit with my family. And it's really easy to make! Ready? OK. Here goes:

You will need two loaf pans (I use disposable ones).

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Ground Meat - Lean is best!

1/2 - 3/4 cup bread crumbs or matza meal

4 eggs

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Salt

Pepper

Depending on how seasoned you like the meat, put more or less of the last four ingredients. Up to you!

Mix it all together really well (yes, you will have to get your hands all meaty...). Put half in each loaf pan. For variation, I usually pour b-b-q sauce over one of the loaves (my favorite is Jack Daniels b-b-q sauce, and no, there is no alcohol in it at all...). Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour and a half. The best way to see if it's done is to slice down the middle to make sure it's cooked all the way through.

Serve with mashed potatoes and broccoli!

Pizza, Anyone?

For those who know me, you know I sell, on a low level, Challahs out of my house (sorry, folks, that's one recipe that simply does NOT get posted...). One day, someone came to me and asked me if my Challahs were any good. I answered, "This is my philosophy: I only make the best for my family. I make these Challahs primarily for my family and happen to sell the extras. I would NEVER feed my family anything than the best-tasting food. If it doesn't taste good, I rework a recipe until it does, and if it never does, I don't bother with it again. So, my Challaha are the best because that's all I feed my family." I didn't say this out of haughtiness. I said it because I mean it. When I was in Yeshiva, there were countless times when I wanted to take the slop the cook made back to him and ask him if he would proudly feed this to his family. I never did because I have more Derech Eretz than that. But boy, it sure was tempting.

During the Nine Days, it's not easy to come up with so many Dairy or Pareve meals in a row (thank God Shabbos breaks it up, sometimes!!). This Pizza recipe is a good way to surprise the family, and it's really easy to make!

So, with all that said, I finally found and reworked a pizza recipe. It's better than what you can get in the pizza restaurants, cheaper, and is an easy, wonderful meal to make that everyone in the family will love.

Dough:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Add flour if needed and knead until dough is tacky, not sticky (this means your hand sticks slightly to the dough but no dough is still stuck to your hand after you've removed it). Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes to one hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape.

This recipe makes ONE pizza. If you want two pizzas, double the recipe. Three, triple it. It's very straightforward. I usually double the recipe. It all goes REALLY FAST!!

Sauce:

One can (15 oz) tomato sauce (buy store brand; it's cheaper!)
3 Tablespoons Sugar (a little more if you like sweeter sauce)
a dash of salt and pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Basil
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano

Mix it all up. It should have a nice slightly salty, slightly sweet taste!

Cheese - I use shredded Mozzarella and Cheddar. Put on as much as you want. I use an 8 oz package per pizza.

Cover dough with sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you like (peppers, mushrooms, onions, fake pepperoni, whatever you like!!) and bake in preheated oven (350 degrees F, 175 C) until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Slice, enjoy, and careful! It's hot!!!

My potato kugel recipe for Shabbat

Well I was going to post some sephardic recipes here but I decided to share with you my version of potato kugel. I learned how to cook this type of kugel from an old lady who comes to our shul.

Ingredients:
6 large potatoes
3 large onions
2 medium size garlic cloves
3 eggs
5 table spoons of olive oil
2-2,5 tea spoon of salt
ground pepper (fresh tastes better)
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil-for frying onions

-Peel onions, dice them, saute them with olive oil in a pan, until they are caramelized and look golden brown.

-Peel potatoes, put them in a food processor. Add the onions to the potatoes, peel the garlic and add it to the mixture. Grate the mixture.

-Preheat the oven the 500 degrees

-Add eggs, salt, water, ground pepper, olive oil to the mixture. Let the food processor run for a couple of minutes.

-Pour the mixture into a pan, put the pan in the oven, turn down the oven heat to 400 degrees after 15 minutes. Let the kugel bake for 35-40 more minutes. You can check if the kugel is done with a toothpick. Simply dart the toothpick into the kugel one time and if pieces of kugel sticks to the toothpick this means it might need maybe extra 10-15 minutes in the oven.

-Enjoy

Shabbat Shalom!

Time to Clean!

Alright you guys (and I mean men!)!! It's Thursday! Time to get to work. Ask wife what she need's done. Offer to vacuum, do laundry, clean, bathe the kids later today, even cook something. Maybe take the kiddies to the park once it's all done so BW (Beloved Wife) can get a bit of a rest.

Remember, the more you do tonight, the less you have to do tomorrow!!

HOP TO IT!!

Easy to Make, and the Kids'll LOVE IT!!!

CHEESY PASTA - HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH!!

OK, this blog is meant for helping around the house and with the cooking during the week, too. And it applies to everyone. If you both work (you and your wife), give her a break and do the cooking a few nights a week. Get your kids' lunches for the next day prepared too! She'll love you for it!! If you work, give her a break when you get home and let her relax from a day of taking care of your kids! And if she works and you're at home with the kids or in Kollel or whatever, give her a break when she gets home and tell her dinner is on you!! And not takeout or pizza (though I'll eventually post a pizza recipe too...)!!

Ok, Cheesy Pasta! Now, keep in mind, this is a basic recipe, and depending on how many mouths you need to feed and whether you want leftovers for the following evening, you can make more.

What you'll need:

One large pot (with matching lid!)

A dairy pasta strainer

Water

Salt

A box of pasta (any shape you want; I use Rotini - curly Qs)

Grated cheddar cheese (or more if you like it really cheesy. Note: You can also get an 8 oz package bar of cheddar cheese and grate it yourself; it takes one to two minutes)

Butter

Milk

Fill a large pot (remember, a DAIRY one!!) three quarters full of water. Add a teaspoon or two salt to the water. Boil the water. 

Once water is boiling, add the package of pasta. Oh, don't use spaghetti or angel hair pasta. That's just silly.

Once pasta is nice and tender, probably after ten to twelve minute, drain the water (you can use a pasta strainer or do it the hard way, like me, by holding the pot cover over the pot, leaving a small slit so the pasta can't escape, and pouring the water out that way. Thus, you don't have to wash the strainer.:) Also, you may have one of those cool pots that has the holes in lid on the pot! Wish I had one of those!) 

Cut in one half to one full bar (2-4 oz) of butter (the more put, the creamier it'll be!)

Add about 1/4 cup milk

Add grated cheese (as much as you want - in my house, the cheesier, the better...)

Mix it all really well until it's well blended and nice and creamy. 

SERVE HOT AND ENJOY!!

Tip: Wash everyone's dishes immediately after they're done, otherwise you're going to have to scrape the cheese and/or soak the dishes. Trust me on this.

Oh, AND DO THE DISHES YOURSELF OR HAVE ONE OF THE KIDS (if they are old enough) DO THEM!! DON'T MAKE THE WIFEY DO THE DISHES!! GO ALL THE WAY ON THIS!!  DON'T MAKE THE MESS AND LEAVE IT FOR HER TO CLEAN!!!!

Good? Good!

If anyone has suggestions for variations on this, please feel free to post comments!!

Next week: Meaty Pasta!!!

Easy Mashed Potatoes...Easy Broccoli

MASHED POTATOES

Peel as many potatoes as you need.

Slice them, cover in water (in a pot large to hold the potatoes and water,) boil them until soft.

Drain most of the water, but not all of it. Slice in as much margarine as you want (about a stick per six medium/large potatoes). If you are having meat, make sure you use pareve margarine (Nucoa or Fleishman's UNSALTED [the salted is dairy]). Add some onion and garlic powders, pareve chicken bullion (like Osem brand), salt, and pepper to taste. You can also add a bit of basil if you like. Mash it all up. If it's too dry, add a bit of water. Taste. If good, leave alone. If not enough flavor, add some more. Be careful about putting in too much salt. Remember, you can always add salt, but you can never take it out.

There. You're done.

EASY BROCCOLI

Take two or three large stalks of broccoli. Cut off the stalks. Detach into little florets. WASH REALLY WELL IN WARM WATER. Place the florets in a large bowl. Pour light olive oil, garlic and onion powders, salt, and pepper (careful with these, same as with potatoes). Mix it all up. Place in steamer and steam on medium heat for twenty to thirty minutes or until tender.

There. You're done again.

And you know long preparation should take? About 10-15 minutes. No more than that.

See how easy it all is?

Have a Great Shabbos!!

Chicken for Shabbos?

Sure. And it is soooooooo easy to make, in many, many ways!

Here's a Chicken recipe from scratch:

What you'll need:
Take cut up chicken pieces (dark, white, or a mixture of both, it doesn't really matter).
1 onion
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Onion bullion (like Osem Onion Soup Mix)
Salt
Pepper (just a bit!)
Basil
9x13 pan, sprayed with cooking spray

What to do:
slice the onion nice and thin. Place on bottom of pan.

Take all the spices, mix them up according to taste. Personally, I take about 1/5 cup paprika, pour in the other powders (garlic and onion), some salt, a dash of pepper, and the basil. Mix well. Sprinkle about one third of the mixture over the onions. Sprinkle some water on top.

Place the chicken in the pan in a single layer over the onions. Sprinkle another third of the spice mixture over the chicken. sprinkle water over the chicken, then spray the chicken really well with cooking spray. Pour the rest of the spice mixture in between the chicken pieces. Pour some water in between the chicken pieces. Fill pan until you can see the water (you can put more if you want more gravy). Cover tightly with aluminum foil, bake in oven for about two (2) hours at 375 degrees (F) (about 190 degrees C).

Uncover after about two (2) hours. Cook uncovered for about another half hour, until skin is crispy but not burned.

Serve Hot and Enjoy!!

Good Shabbos!

On a Related Note...

BW (Beloved Wife) posted a related article on her blog, Life and Debt in Ohio. Take a look!

As the guest writer on this blog...

As the guest writer on this blog, I would like to say thank you to Am Kshe Oref for creating this blog. I think it is a great idea that men should do their share in household chores.

Starting off ,here are few 101 Cooking for Dummies tips

-Never leave your cooking unattended.
-Always go along with the measurements in a recipe, do not improvise or change amounts.
-Use your cooking time wisely, when you are waiting for something to bake or boil, use that time to clean up the utensils and dishes you have used in preparing food or use the time to prepare salads or deserts.
-If it says stir in the recipe, stir throughly.
-Some recipes point out that certain food should not be stirred until cooked, so do not stir it until it is done.
-Do not store cooked food immediately in the fridge wait until it cools down.
-Try to use fresh ingredients as much as possible, it will make the food taste better. For example using fresh parsley in your cooking is much better than using dried parsley.
-Make sure the butter or the oil you use does not get burned while you are frying. If it does, immediately pour it out, clean it out of pan and pour new oil or butter.
-Do not change the temperature during cooking, baking,or frying,as it will have a huge effect on the food.

I will be contributing to this blog with my simple recipes. I will keep my recipes basic and simple, hoping to help those who want to learn how to cook.

Welcome!!

Welcome to Jewish Men Can Cook Too! This blog is a joint venture between Rebel With A Cause and Am Kshe Oref. I'm a guy (Am Kshe Oref). I also happen to be a stay at home/work at home dad. When I got married, I found myself with a knack for cooking pretty anything I try.

Our goal here is to teach men that cooking isn't only women's work. It can be a joint venture, or even a solo. Personally, I'm the cook and baker in my home and I usually don't even let my wife in the kitchen!! :) When we first got married and someone made a sarcastic remark about her not cooking and me doing the cooking, her response was, "I don't like to cook. My husband LOVES to cook. And bake. I love what he cooks. And bakes. Why should I cook if he wants to?"

Now, as with myself, I am sure there are many wives out there who won't let their husbands in the kitchen and don't want to share the cooking with him. That's fine. This blog isn't really for their husbands, except to say this:

HELP YOUR WIFE WITH ALL THE REST OF THE HOUSEWORK!! SHE'S NOT YOUR SLAVE, MAID, OR PERSONAL SERVANT. SHE IS YOU CO-CAPTAIN AND YOU NEED TO SHARE THE DUTIES WITH HER EQUALLY. IF MEANS YOU NEED TO DO LAUNDRY OR CLEAN/VACUUM/BATHE THE KIDS, THEN DO IT!! WE'RE ALL TIRED AT THE END OF THE DAY. THIS DOESN'T GIVE ANYONE THE EXCUSE TO NOT HELP AROUND THE HOUSE.

Ok, that's enough of that! Both Rebel With A Cause and I will touch on this from time to time.

Here's what I'd like to do for my part: I'm going to provide recipes, with step by step instructions, pretty much making it impossible to mess up a recipe, as long as you follow every step and don't look for shortcuts. The way my recipes are structured is with those shortcuts already in place. We will provide recipes for a wide range of foods, from meat to baked goods to dairy to veggies.

Very likely, RWAC (Rebel With A Cause) and I will have different takes on different things and we'll take turns posting. And that's a good thing! After all (pardon the cliche), variety is the spice of life (and the pun - spice, cooking, get it?):). The next post will be an intro from RWAC.

ENJOY!!!:)