Pam R

Our new location will definately be closer - River Heights - we're just not sure exactly where... I think moving a business in under 2 months might be a good thread..... Ah... our restaurant hours. When we were under supervision we couldn't be open on Saturdays or on religious holiday - even the ones that the Jews don't even know about! We actually reopened in Oct. of 2003 and were open for one year. No longer under supervision we were open on Saturdays. We had 3 great write-ups in the Free Press in that year and things were busy, but they were busy in other areas too. I was doing all the restaurant prep, then my book came out and I was busy doing publicity and I've started writing these recipe columns, and our catering got busy and we decided to sell the building - so it's closed for good now. On top of it, our location wasn't really suitable for what we do. On Friday about 90% of the orders were picked up by people from RH and Tuxedo, so it just makes sense for us to be in that area. We're lesst he Green Briar crowd, more the...well... South crowd As for the recipe, it was in Canadian Living for Rosh Hashana in September. For some reason they've been good to us. Recipes in September and March and in December they put my cookbook on their list of recommended gift cookbooks. Yep Rachel, I think it's gotta be the oil. Cottonseed make great chips! I don't have quantities for the bletlach (they are at work and I'll try to remember to get them when I'm there) but I can tell you that they simply contain potato starch, eggs, water and salt. When I made them at home for the soup noodles, I just mixed stuff in until it looked right - it should be fairly loose - so that you get thin thin pancakes. Nudge me later if I forget to post the quantities. Again, I have no quantites. But for this one there are none. It's just done by eye, and taste. We used to use beef livers, then a combo of beef and chicken. We now use chicken only - it's a lighter liver and many customers have called it 'the best gehakte liver in town!". So we'll stick with the chicken livers. Liver needs to be cooked over a hot flame of broiled. That's the only way to kasher livers. Then cool. Saute the onions in shmaltz or oil - until very very brown. Do this over a low heat - I can't tell you how long, because I'm assuming you won't be doing 50 lbs. We always do 50 lbs at work. When onions are inexpensive we buy sacks of them, fry up and freeze in bags. The 50 lbs take a couple of hours. Then we use a meat grinder. Livers, onions (and shmaltz) and boiled eggs are ground twice. We never use a food processor - but if you do, be cafreful not to puree too much. You don't want paste (or pate) you want chopped livers! Season with salt. Some people like pepper, but we don't add any. Enjoy! Best eaten with slices of red onion on caroway-light-rye or matzoh of course.

Since I have no pets or children, I'm borrowing my cousins for my blog: Look at the cheeks on this kid!! I know I told you that Chloe wasn't drinking real wine, but she still ended up under the table: Thus far this morning I've consumed some more honeydew (I have a thing for fruit), ice water, 2 almond meringues and the last of my vanilla tea.

So before we can eat dinner, we read through the Hagada. The hagadda tells the story of Passover and discusses various explanations. As we go through the Hagadda, we eat various symbolic foods that we find on the Seder plate (charoset, maror (bitter herbs), shankbone, parsley, egg and shankbone). We also drink four cups of wine that symbolize the four stages of the exodus from egypt freedom, deliverance, redemption and release. While reciting the 10 plagues that G-d placed on the Egyptians, we place a drop of wine on our plates - then we eat matzoh - with horsradish and charoset (a mixture of apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon in our family) - I'll discuss the symbolism of the foods more later. Then on to dinner. Gefilte fish (that we made at work- my father ate mine): Chicken soup with matzoh balls: Salad which I dont' seem to have a picture of, then brisket again: The main was not what we would normally do. Usually holiday dinners are served family style and if you can believe it, there's usually more food! Not much traditional stuff here other than the brisket... Then the hotel offered a plate of cookies and my aunt brought a chocolate chip chiffon and trays of baking: This is what I chose: Both of these were my aunt's - a delicious lace cookie that she promised a recipe for and a square thing that my grandmother used to make full of dates, nuts and lots of lemon.

Hello. Last night - I'll start by saying that while everything was good, it was not what my Baba would have made (or anybody else in my family). Before the Sedar started, I got a shot of the wine table: I didn't know that people still enjoyed the Maneshewitz, but apparently some members of my family still do!! Just kidding... though those rosy cheeks on her shayna punim look like she was enjoying the wine... it was really grape juice. Chloe and I shared a bottle. I was hoping to show you a picture of the Seder plate which holds all of the foods we're supposed to eat... but that didn't happen, so here's my empty one that I photoed this morning: I'm supposed to take all of the seder plate stuff tonight, so I'll take pics later.

OK. If I was religious - well 1. I wouldn't be online right now and 2. My seder wouldn't start until Shabbat ended, about 10 pm here. Since I'm not religous, the Seder starts in about 45 minutes. I ended up with 1/2 a slice of the rib roast, some KFP potato chips (they are SO good) and some honeydew for lunch. I just returned from the Kenaston Wine Market with a bottle of red, white and some sweet stuff for the Charoset I'm supposed to bring tomorrow. I'm actually slightly allergic to wine, so I don't know much about it, but I wanted to try something different - can't remember the names now, but I'll try to get a shot of them tomorrow. They have a nice selection there. Need to finish getting ready, then I'm off. Chag Sameach!

It's been known to happen... since I went to hebrew school, and my sister and I are the two that read hebrew well, it's often up to us to run the seder, so it's doesn't happen often. If you keep an eye on my dad though.... I am exhausted! The brisket is easy, and while it doesn't sound gourmet it's one of the best ways I've ever had brisket. I have no quantities of course, but you take some oil, loads of fresh garlic and puree it with my fathers secret ingrediant that I'm not allowed to share but I'l let you know that it's a mix, and it's got a lot of onions in it. I know I know. But I tell you, it's really really good. The trick is the cooking method. Shmear the brisket with the paste and wrap the whole thing in a few layers of foil. On a baking sheet and slow oven for a few hours. Cooks at about 300 and I think the ones this week went in at about 6:15, 6:30 - done at about 10. They were each 20 pounds though, so you want to cook it until an inserted fork goes in and out with no resistance and though you can't slice it with a spoon, I did cut my slice with a spoon! We may have to make one at home this week since he sold it all . We'll see if we get served any tonight.

I'll be happy to give you one.. I just can't find it right now If I don't post one later, please remind me... I'll try to remember but my memories shot today! Yay! Happy it helped. We often do cakes for teeny tiny private parties! Here's the issue. I have not yet mentioned that on Monday we learned that we have officially sold our building *yay!* - there are a couple of issues with the space we're hoping to move to, and we need to be in a new location by July 1. Umm... panic is setting in. When is your party? If we have a location, you should call . Hazelnut Dacqoise, btw, we definately make and our recipe was recently included in a national magazine. The A&W that we drove-thru was one of the drive-ins where you pulled up and they brought the food to your car and there was a tray that sat on your window - for all of my childhood. About 10 years ago they tore it down and rebuilt with a drive-thru as we all know them now. I liked it the other way That's what I'm saying.

Good morning. Breakfast - a bowl of honeydew - which didn't look nearly as ripe as it was. I may have another bowl for lunch. In a few minutes I'm going to make some vanilla tea that I have left from a trip to Murchies in Victoria. It'll probably use up the last of the tea leaves. And I'll eat a couple of almond meringues with that. If I can get my lazy bones moving today - I should head over to the Kenaston Wine Market to pick up some wine to take to dinner tomorrow night. I have no idea what lunch will be - maybe a scrambled egg or maybe I'll pick something up while I'm out. Though Passover doesn't start until sunset tonight, I'm supposed to be eating KFP food today... but since there's not much food in my house right now, I might see what I can find while I'm out. Let me talk briefly about the Seders. Different members of the extended family take turns hosting the dinners each year. When it's my family's turn, we NEVER host the fist night - because we're all so exhausted. Last year, because we hadn't had a Seder in a couple of years, we had both my mother and my father's family. I think there were 34 of us. This year we've been invited to two aunts and one cousins. So tonight we're off to a hotel, where my Aunt and Uncle will be hosting us - this is the first time the family has gone to a hotel, so I'm not sure what to expect. Tomorrow we're going to my cousin's. This will be the first time that my cousin and his wife will be hosting a Seder as well... so again, I don't know what to expect! Though I do know that every time we've been to their place it has been wonderful - so it looks good.

I think we have the same publisher.... Anyhow, I've only skimmed through most of the entries as it's been a busy week - but one thing that's true is that if you're not somewhat famous, it's hard to get good tv. It can also be hard to get a publisher. When I first started working on my book, I had no idea what I was doing (which is still true now that it's done). A publisher I emailed about publishing the book emailed back and said something like "if you're not thin, gorgeous and famous, you're not going to get a book deal". He later offered to publish my book. With my Canadian publisher, though I'm unknown outside of Winnipeg, I was able to do some TV and radio in Winnipeg, Toronto and Vancouver - though I didn't get onto Vicki because I had no previous TV. Throughout Canada I've received a lot of great print. In the US, I got no TV - and the print is just trickling in. Maybe an agent would have helped more with this, maybe it's not unusual - I don't know. I'm trying to be pro-active - as much as I can - and getting my recipes into as many papers as I can.

Coming up tomorrow: If I wake up, nothing much will happen during the day. But the evening will include - Questions and answers, tears and joy, plagues and wine, bitters and sweets, unleavened bread, lots and lots of food (which I'm not cooking!!), perhaps a cute kid and I'll hopefully get some pictures. 'night, - Pam

So dinner tonight. Chicken soup came from work (remember that small pot we made a few posts ago?). I didn't show you any matzoh ball prep... and I kind of lost steam here and only got the beginning and the end. Also pictured are bletlach-noodles that my grandmother used to make and I don't think I've had since she passes away. I really wanted them tonight, so made them for the first time ever. You make a blintz wrapper, cut it into strips and then dry it a little. Yummy. Matzoh Ball batter on the left, blintz wrapper batter on the right: Main course - Roasted Cauliflower, Lemon Potatoes, Rib-Eye Roast and Roma Tomatoes (sprinkled with salt - not the best, but wanted a fresh veggie and was too tired to make a salad). We were all thankful to have what we consider a 'real' meal after what we've eaten the last few days.

After getting to bed just after 1 AM last night, I was back at work by 7 this morning (and I have a 1/2 hour drive!). The last thing that I wanted to do this morning was to eat - but I did force myself to eat a Spartan apple and drink some water on the way to work. When I got to work I had to roast about 40 lbs. or Garlic roasted potatoes - then I had to wrap and box cakes and get organized for the onslaught. Although they aren't supposed to come until 10 am, customers started arriving at about 8:45 - and they didn't slow down until about 1:30.. the last pickup was at 3:30. It was so busy I didn't eat anything other than a few squared of a Passover chocolate bar: These are my favorites - my father and I shared a Strawberry cream-filled. At about 4:15 all of the deliveries were packed into my Jeep and mom's van and we were off. I was with dad for deliveries and was really thirsty, so insisted on going through a drive through for a drink - Diet A&W root beer. How do they get it so cold?? Why don't other places do this? Umm.. also had some onion rings. No pictures. Everything got to where it was going, then my sister and I got dinner together for the four of us.

Oy... The day after making a large batch not long ago, I had a doctor's appointment. I woke up, took a nice long shower, left the house and not until I was in a tightly-packed elevator did I realize that my coat reeked of GF. Nobody said anything but you KNOW they were all thinking about it I'm glad you like them. They are exactly like a choux... which is why I thought cream puffs might work I'm strange in that I've had excellent examples of both and never really dismissed one or the other because of that. ← I agree with you (almost) completely! I do also like them in-between though.

Oy! I almost forgot the kugel!! This shows you 2 of the three types we made this year. The majority of the ones in the picture are a sweet kugle (pudding). It's made with matzoh meal, eggs, sugar, juice, secret ingredients and dried fruits. There are also a few vegetable kugels in the picture and they are made with matzoh meal, eggs, spinach, peppers, carrots, onions... and spices? Missing is a cheddar/vegetable kugel. Matzoh meal, eggs, carrots, cauli. broc. onions, cheddar and spices.

As I mentioned before, there was a lot of non-baking stuff going on too. I couldn't take a lot of pictures because I was kind of busy, but I did get a few shots for you. First of all, I don't believe it's a Jewish foodblog without a gratuitous garlic shot - Nor is it a Jewish foodblog without a gratuitous shot of 50 lbs. of onions browned in shmaltz - Now, to be honest with you, we don't usually use shmaltz - there are too many vegitarians out there and those people who go on about health and whatnot - but, for chopped liver, why not?? Nu? (I was going to get a picture of the un-chopped livers but I wasn't fast enough ) I haven't yet mentioned another star of Passover, the blintz! Making the bletlach: And an almost-full tray. These are filled with potatoes and onions - but we also make them filled with a meat mixture (from the chicken in the chicken soup) They get browned on both sides before the customer gets them. We sole 100 dz. this year.

Now I was trying something different with the brownies - trimmed up after I took the photo it looked great: And I put it out on a table for people to snack on (in addition to me, mom, dad and Hazel - my sister came out to help as did an aunt and uncles and a cousin - you need to feed them!). This is what they left - A variety of meringues I baked for the Symphony- And the Strawberry Passover Cream Puffs -

Some random baking shots from last night and this morning: Lemon filled Chiffon Cake - The 'not-so-good' chiffon cakes cut into chunks and suspended in chocolate mousse - And the same cake ready to go - Strawberry/Blackberry Pavlova - ...and fruit flans with a lemon chiffon base and lemon curd filling - Individual Pavlovas that had a chocolate ganache layer, whipped topping and strawberries: The previously mentioned Shmoo -

Here's one wall of the smaller, baking freezer last night: And here's a look at the larger chicken/meat freezer.... that the bakers (me and mom) were slowly taking over this week: It's almost all gone today

So yesterday, the smells of mouth-watering garlic brisket were mingling with the... well... not-so-mouth-watering smells of gefilte fish. Last we left the GF, it had gone from a bucket of Lake Winnipeg's finest fish to a bucket of gound fish. Then some onions and other importants (and secret) herbs and spices were added: Then they are scooped, rolled into balls and placed in a small pot: After simmering for hours, out they come: That little pot holds about 120 pieces... four batches later the fish was all done. The thing to know about making gefilte fish at home - everything will smell like it for 3 days. You can learn more about what others thing of GF here. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan. But many people are - so it must be made... and enjoyed... I'm sure... by many.

Shabbat Shalom! I hope you've all had a great day. Mine was busy, but let me tell you about yesterday first. I started the day with an apple, water and some nuts in the car on the way to work again. It's my M.O. I don't really remember much of what happened in the early AM, but I got a picture of my father Ed and one of his briskets on Wednesday, and it went into the oven first thing Thurs. morn: It's about 20 pounds - he cooked 2... and they were all gone today The beast was done at about 10 am. In the introduction of my cookbook I talk a lot about food and smell memories. I think everybody has a few food aromas that bring them back to another place. I've experiencing this a lot over the last week and a half. The weather has been unusually warm here and the smells of nature and cottonseed oil have thrown me right back to a bus station in Tel Aviv. I can't tell you WHY, I can just tell you that it does. In the same way, my father's garlic brisket takes me back to almost every family holiday celebration I can remember. It smells like me Baba's (grandmother's) house. I can taste it - my mouth waters as I imagine the first bite of juicy, tender, garlic-infused beef. So at 10 am, I was hankering for a taste: Bliss! Then it was back to work for me. I didn't stop again until about 4 PM or so and I actually made myself a salad! In normal times, I try to eat salad at least once a day. Mostly because I love it. The problem is I'm often busy and salad takes time to prep. So I made myself a litre of Balsamic Vin. and bought some prewashed baby greens so that I could make an easy salad. I had this a few times last week, but only once this week: I (and everybody else) also snacked on some komish ends throughout the day:

I'm just about ready to head home for a few hours of shut-eye, but I wanted to leave you with something new. Since only 1/2 of my pictures uploaded today, here you go: Some raw fish (I don't think it's Sushi grade ) And some ground raw fish Looks tasty doesn't it? Tomorrow I'll show you the finished product. I'll also tell you what I had to eat, because I want you to see the pictures too. I have a couple of questions: 1. Are there any 'Jewish' foods people would like to see? (We have to take into account that some may not fall into this week's dietary rules) 2. Matzoh Balls - floaters or sinkers? Preferances please. 'Night, -P

Just checking in to let you know I'm still alive. It's 9:15 PM here - been at work since about 7:45. I figure I'll be here for another 3 hours or so, then back by (hopefully) 6:45 - 7 am tomorrow. At 10 AM, approximately 120 people will be here to pick up their food - or, if it's like most years, they'll start knocking on the door at 8. We won't let people in before 10 because it takes a few hours in the morning to get things organized and we can't do that if we're getting people's orders together. I have lots and lots of pictures to show you and things to share - but most likely I won't be on much before tomorrow late afternoon or early evening. For those of you who observe Shabbat and Yom Tovim, this is probably close to the end of it for you until Monday night, when I'll be finishing up. Thanks so much for your input and sharing this crazy week with me. I will be happy to continue discussing Passover and Kashrut issues with you in all of the other threads that we already discuss these things in. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach. (L'Shana Tova B'Yerushalayim!) For those of you who didn't understand the last couple of sentances, you'll be around for me to explain them later (If I can grab a few minutes of downtime I will, of course, post )

My two-year old cousin got very upset when we kept telling her it was a 'nothing' we had to start calling it a cookie to stop her from crying. Before baking, roll the dough in sugar - pick it up and roll it into a log, then twist once or twice in the middle. I think that my recipe for these is in 'regular' quantities.. let me check. 3 eggs ½ C. oil ½ C. cake meal 3 tsp. potato starch 3 tsp. sugar (the passover dough is much less 'snotty' than the regular dough) That makes sense - Yiddish is closely related to German. In fact, kugel is a German word that means ball or sphere - go figure. The whole darn place was smelling like Gefilte Fish this morning. I took pictures but I'm having trouble uploading them on my dial-up, but I will definately share them with you in the next day or two... I believe we're making 460 gefilte fish balls. I only know a few Jews from India and they are Sephardim (as I assume most are) which means that at Passover they are allowed to eat more than me. I believe they enjoy legumes, rice, sesame and other things that the Ashkenazie (Eastern European Jews) consider to be 'kitniot' or not allowed. While I have not read any of her cookbooks yet, I was recently contacted by Rahel Musleah who writes about Jewish Indian food. You can check out her webpage here - she has some interesting articles on Jewish India there.

I already remembered about 5 more things we have to cook today... but I also forgot that I need to get my recipe column in to the paper today and it's not quite done... help!

OK - here's what we need to do today. Roast Turkeys, chickens and brisket (my father is in charge of the brisket, but as soon as it comes out of the oven I'll be tasting it, as I do every year ) Bake plum kuchen bake more kugels make more mousse Ice brownies and tortes Count and make labels for most items package all dry baking fill cream puffs (after making strawbeerry filling) carve turkeys package meatballs wrap blintzes, kugels, ets. sell chicken tell hundreds of people that no, they can't pick up their food today I know I'm missing stuff I'll try to get online throughout the day - because unlike yesterday I doubt I'll be home before 11 pm (oh, I'm taking a gala apple, nuts and bottled water with me for breakfast) By all means, talk amongst yourselves