Pam R

We buy chicken bones packaged from the slaughterhouse (because we're a kosher business, all of our chicken comes in already slaughtered and packaged from another city). We sell them for under $2 a pound (I know - you may think this is expensive but it's kosher ... we sell whole birds for just under $4 a pound) So if they do get their chickens in already packaged, they may already be bringing in bones - or could easily get them if you requested them. If they are doing their own deboning - they may already sell the bones or if they're throwing them out, they may let you have them for a few cents a pound. We sell cases of chicken bones (wings and my favorite - necks) every week for chicken soup.

I am completely loving your blog. I have no idea what most of the foods you're writing (and showing) us are - which is the best part. I'm envious of your weather and your plants though Thanks for sharing.

First of all - if you do all the cooking - somebody else should do the dishes! We sell garlic brisket too - we tried to take it off the menu a couple of years ago because it is so expensive but the people demanded it! So we returned it to the menu and have to charge over $30/lb for it. We don't count the cloves, all I know is it takes me at least an hour to get the garlic prepped for it! (we usually do between 4-6 15 lb. double briskets each holiday) Did you want ideas on desserts? Or just on menu items?

I tried. In the end I was able to put in a chart at the front of the book with some average weights (it's a soup cookbook, so we're talking mostly about vegetables, grains, pasta... etc.). Because I had a Canadian publisher and an American Publisher everything was in metric as well as Imperial. There was concern if weights were in there as well, there would be way too many numbers. Don't even get me started on the 'standard metric/imperial conversions used in the Canadian publishing industry'. 1 lb = 500 grams? oy. (but as I said it's soup - so 46 grams shouldn't make a huge difference)

I've been putting together the Passover order forms at work this week and it got me thinking. When I was growing up, my grandmother made everything from scratch. No way would she have had anything 'catered' and even if she wanted to, I don't know if there was anywhere for her to order from. These days, we get about 150 orders each year and cater for around 1000 people for the two seders. (depending on the year our restaurant has been open for parts of the holiday - when it is open, it's always the busiest time in the restaurant) So let me ask: Do you (or family members) do everything from scratch or do you have your your holidays (or part) catered?

what did you do with the skin after? Make greebins?

This is how I read (and write) recipes: 1 c walnuts, chopped = measuring a cup of whole (or pieces) of walnuts and THEN chopping them 1 c chopped walnuts = measuring a cup or ALREADY chopped nuts The weights/volume thing is an issue I struggle with. When I was working on my cookbook I had weights for everything - but the publishers (2) both requested that they be replaced by volume measures because "most people don't weigh things in their home kitchens" - perhaps people who don't frequent this forum don't have scales?

I always bake with table salt - although I sell fine sea salt at work, so I may try it. But the salt needs to dissolve in most baking, unlike when I'm roasting some meat or vegs. In that case it's nice to bite into a crunchy little piece of course salt. (Of course, nothing beats a bagel with a layer of course salt on top - does that count as baking with it? )

We were discussing this a while ago on another thread - some rabbis now believe that gelatin has gone through such a huge chemical change that it no longer resembles the thing that it was derived from and may in fact be considered kosher. To each there own. How about: The one who wins the tug-of-war over the turkey/chicken wishbone (ie: get's the larger half when it breaks) has their wish come true?

I made a huge put of mushroom, barley and lentil soup tonight. It was stick to the ribs good. I think we should all try to make non-mushroom soups next week. What do ya think?

To me this is very interesting. We're all trying to come up with new and interesting ideas. This months Canadian Living Magazine has 7 of my Passover recipes in it - all trying to bring Passover "up-to-date". It has me thinking - are we trying to come up with new things because there is something wrong with the traditional - or are we just bored of the same old same old. Or is it neither? Maybe I'm reading too much into it

We've just had a couple of beautiful days here... it was +4 C this weekend. Today, a blizzard hit and visibility is less than 100 meters. So, I'm throwing open the garage door and bbq'ing some rib steak. Screw the weather!

I don't know if this will help, but it may (it may at least send you in the right direction) Hafner dilancy Bello onLine

Interesting. Everybody always says VJ's. While I'm not saying that they are bad - because they are not - I'm sure that there are better. I'm taking this on as a research project and am going to find the great burgers of Winnipeg. What is Mr. Mikes?

In November I visited Vancouver for the first time on a very short publicity trip for my cookbook. Having a short down-time between doing City-TV morning show (breakfast show?) and getting to a cooking demonstration and signing, by publicist was kind enough to take me to GI for a late-morning breakfast. So that means it would have been a weekday - mid-morning. (I assume this is where foodies are told to go when in Vancouver?) My first thought was that GI is what the planners in our city could only hope for when they set up our own Forks Market. They took old train terminals by the forks of two rivers in downtown Winnipeg and renovated them, turning them into 'food' markets. When it first opened I suppose, people went there. There were a few produce people, a wine shop, bakers, some butchers (not kosher, so I don't really know what they offered), fish stores, candy makers, gift shops, florists, buskers, restaurants etc. They also had lots of food booths - highlighting some of our cultural foods (Winnipeg's claim to fame) in fast-food form. It didn't take long for locals to stop going there. The huge, empty, free parking lots were soon taken over by tv stations, museums, hotels and theaters. Not bad things of course, but it took away the ease of going there. For those of you who have never been to Winnipeg, if people can't drive and park somewhere - they aren't going to go. We don't have a good public transportation system and it's not unheard of for groups of people to all take their own vehicles to meet somewhere. Eventually things changed.. there was less local produce... and most times when I went, the stuff wasn't great. Food stores made way to more chatchkie (craft) stores. Now, the only time anybody I know goes there is if they have out-of-towners with them. It's the place to take tourists. Occasionally, you may be visiting one of the other places in the area, so you stop in because you're there. I don't know if the stuff available went downhill because locals stopped going there and requesting good stuff, or if the products went downhill and then people stopped going there (chicken or egg?). My very brief stop at GI made me wish again that our market could offer 1/2 of what was being offered there. I hope you locals continue to shop there and appreaciate what you have. (Prices in places like this will almost always be high because of rent/staffing costs - it's the price you have to pay for supporting local and fresh) And please, don't be upset with the tourists (or ban them!!!) because I intend to visit again (and spend more time there) the next time I'm in Vancouver.

The final kugels (for now) From top to bottom: Squash and Leek (which now that I typed it sounds kind of odd... but consists of zucchini, butternut squash - both grated, lots of leeks. matzo meal etc.) Potato and Chive - this is the non-grated one. Use a ricer - kind of like a twice-baked potato kugel. Cheddar Veggie Kugel Potato and Spinach One day I will get a sweet potato kugel that I like... just not any day soon

What... like you try to save it for the end but never can? I'm the youngest, but still save it for the end. I want the last bite to be memorable.

Organized? We're supposed to have them organized? I can't even find the boxes most of them are in...

Jakob Kreutzfeld's Prime Steakhouse The Prairie Oyster Raw Bar

No ← It is here ← Oh you Vancouver people.. (It did hit -1 today (30 F for the Americans) - maybe spring is on it's way.. not here yet though) Anyhow, today I had a fabulous hot Montreal Smoked meat sandwich (brought to Winnipeg from Montreal) on famous Winnipeg Rye bread (well, famous here at least!)

blah. I'm so tired of testing passover recipes that I don't want to make anything for dinner tonight. i'm hoping somebody else in the faimly is making something.

No

Flavours Magazine I think this is new-ish. I haven't actually seen a copy but keep meaning to look for it. Has anybody seen it? If so, what do ya think?

I have a craving for borscht. So tomorrow I'll find and thaw some shortribs and any stray brisket scraps, pick up some beets and simmer like crazy. A dash of sour salt - some other veggies and that'll probably be dinner on Friday.

If you're dairy you'll have an easy-time of it. You'll be shocked at how many things have a hechshar. Yes, the kosher gelatin is an issue - it's also one area I don't have much experience with. Funny enough, it's on my list of things to start expirementing with. Let us know which one you find works for you. As for the U and the K. I assume you mean circle-U ... and it depends on the K. Some companies who don't actually have kosher supervision slap a plain-old-k on a box so people think it's kosher. It may not be. Other, more styalized K's are the symbols of different supervisory boards. Depending on where things are made, they can and sometimes do have double (or triple) certification. Meaning more than one board gives them the OK. If you have the O-U though, you're pretty much good to go. There aren't many people who won't accept O-U. (A great kosher chocolate is Callebaut) If you have any more specific questions, ask! And let me know about the gelatin ;)