FAIGEL’S

FOOD FOR

THE HEART

&

SOUL      

Dad (as told to Mir):  Faigel and I, like the wandering Jews, moved from place to place for numerous reasons.  You can say our lives were “The Tale of Four Cities”.  We were both born in Winnipeg, got married and had our first child, Mel, there.  Faigel loved Winnipeg and had an intense attachment to the Jewish life there. Then in 1953, we moved to Ottawa where we built a home.  Jewish life in Ottawa was dull in those years and Faigel was instrumental in instilling Yiddishkeit in the community.   When we got married, Faigel didn’t know how to boil an egg.  In Ottawa, far from family, she had to learn to cope on her own.  She became a marvelous cook and developed such a repertoire – proof of which was our gezunte waists.  After the kids left home, we decided to make a major change in our lives.  We took an early retirement and left Ottawa in order to be closer to our kids and grandkids.  We wintered in Israel with Mel and Mir and summered in Toronto with Rena and Dave.  In Ottawa, Mom had been cooking for a dwindling clan, but in her new capacity as “Bobi”, she had a larger group of followers.  Cooking in Toronto wasn’t much different although there was less counter space in our apartment.  Cooking in Israel, on the other hand, was a whole new ballgame with a different language and culture – metric system and an even smaller counter.  Faigel overcame all these obstacles and even managed to expand her repertoire over the following two and a half decades.  Faigel  was an inspiration to her children and grandchildren.  Reading through the recipes and stories gives a glimpse of this as well as the longing for Faigel that we all have in our hearts.

Mel:  Our wonderful Mom

Mom was at her shining, amazing best at Pesach (Passover) time. Just like the Israelites leaving Egypt to wander from place to place, Mom had to learn to adjust to  new cities, new surroundings. She did this with flying colours. Mom’s ability to whip up a culinary storm in so many kitchens is just one illustration of her ability to adapt to every situation.

Mom was also an adopter.  The Passover seder starts with ‘ha lachma anya’ , inviting literally anyone to come and partake. We always had visitors at our seders.  For us, the visits of our Bobi Regina, Auntie Rochel and Uncle Reuben at Pesach time were extra special. But Mom also invited guests from far and wide. Mom’s table was open to visitors and always crammed with goodies.  Mom shone during Passover, in spite of, and perhaps because of the limited ingredients.

Passover was not only about fancy foods. There was also the dried fruit compote, the U-Bet chocolate syrup, the matzoh farfel for breakfast in the milchik Pesach bowls that we remember so well.

Mom had a sweet tooth all year round, which perhaps explained her unmatched abilities to whip up fantastic gebecks (baked stuff). She loved practically any kind of chocolate, a trait that has passed on to our generation.  And ice cream. Any ice cream. Any time of day. Whatever the consequences (and there were consequences).

Mom would go to great lengths to make sure that we ate and drank the right foods.  Orange juice in particular. She would always put a Maraschino cherry (red or green) at the bottom, as the ‘reward’ for finishing the glass. The cherries, as well as many other goodies (chocolate sprinkles, syrups, etc.) were easily accessible in the walk-in cupboard and when I was about eight I learned to make myself an evening ‘meichel’ consisting of a major scoop of ice cream from the freezer, topped with five or more goodies from the walk-in closet. This went on for years. I once asked Mom why she didn’t intervene. She said “You got such enjoyment out of it, how could I deprive you?” That was Mom.

 

Rena: Mom was indeed a unique person and the most loving and giving mother and grandmother. Her passion and gift was baking. She loved to bake and she loved to bake for us. She didn’t usually eat what she baked except to taste it and then would sit and watch for our reactions to see if it was good. And everything was delicious.

Mom was her hardest critic, she would say, “I left it in too long” or “I missed an ingredient”, but it always tasted delicious to me. Mom had her staple cakes that she made; chocolate cake, chocolate chip cake, blueberry cake and apple cake. She knew what each of us loved and would want to ‘take orders’, “which cake did we want for our birthday?” or “which cake did we want for dessert?”. Mom aimed to please us. Mom knew that I loved banana cake for my birthday. Not the simple banana cake but the two decker one and even though it was a “patchkoorai” ( i.e. not easy to make), Mom worked at it because she knew I loved it.
Mom wasn’t only a great baker, but she also was a superb cook.

Mom’s cooking was a portrayal of her love for us and her love for Judaism. Mom cooked for Shabbat and the Jewish holidays.  Friday nights were the most special memory.  Mom would start preparing on Thursday. The menu would often be; chopped liver for the forshspeis (appetizer), then chicken soup with matzah balls and lockshin (noodles), chicken in any variety of ways, but mostly with a honey/ketchup mix or breaded, kasha with bowties, tsimmes and of course the all time favourite kugels (sweet or salty).
There was always a salad too with big chunks of iceberg lettuce. We weren’t big on salads in those days with all the other food around.
Mom loved an audience, loved having our company in the kitchen and would love to make us laugh. In those days chicken soup stock was made with chicken feet and Mom used to take the feet and dance around the kitchen holding them.
Friday night dinner wasn’t only about food. It was the time we were all together, talking eating and singing. We loved the zmeerot almost as much as the food.

Mom was the driving force and did everything with such love. Love for us and love for Yiddishkeit.
Everything she did was with love.
 

 

 Mir: “If it’s good, I made it – and if it’s not good, I bought it.”  Mom would always say as she put her delicacies on the table.  Of course, it was always good.

 It would seem that Mom spent most of her time in the kitchen, cooking and baking but that is far from the truth.  Mom was a “super-woman”.  She could do so many things in one day.  In the course of one day, Mom would do more, see more people, and go more places than I would in a year. She was always the life of the party, always had a funny story to tell, always did and said funny things.  Even after retiring, during our 7 o’clock telephone conversations, Mom would tell me of her plans for the day and I would get tired just from listening. I would lose track half way through, somewhere after bridge and brunch, and before the movie with friends or lecture at the university.  But Mom cherished most the time she spent with her kids and einiklach. And no one left these family meetings hungry.  When asked what made her “meichels” so good, she would say that it was the generous amount of TLC that went into everything she made.

Reading through this, one can feel Mom’s love for anything and everything that is Jewish.  She would say that in her previous life she lived in the Lodz ghetto.   Mom would tell us that we were a link on a chain; that the golden chain of Jewish tradition, passing uninterrupted from one generation to the next for over five thousand years, couldn’t stop with us.  Mom would tell us, just as her father told her, that we had no right to be the last.  With all the Yiddishkeit that Mom fed us, that is not likely to happen.

 

The idea for Mom’s recipe book came to us during the shiva.  We couldn’t grasp that Mom, who had been such a monumental part of our lives, was no longer with us.  While wandering dazed through the apartment during that week, Mom’s recipes, some on index cards, some on scraps of paper, most of them decades old, would appear everywhere.  So we started gathering them and remembering….  We couldn’t let any of these memories slip away. We felt we had to save them for the grandkids and greatgrandkids…and for ourselves to go over again and again in order to somehow keep Mom closeby.

  Mom nurtured us with her love – hugging and kissing us at every opportunity (remember how we’d always have to clean our glasses afterwards?).  She, in turn, was the icing on our cake. 

Love you forever, Mumale.

 

Dave: Rabbi Bulka really nailed it when he spoke at the funeral and described Mom as “love plus”.  How true.  It wasn’t just that she brought us into the world and nourished us and showered us with love. It’s also because of who she was, the sort of person she was, not even one in a billion.  Truly one of a kind.

I recall when I took Mom and Dad and Rachael and the boys to Ottawa nearly two years ago (November 2009) for Dad’s “second bar mitzva”.  Rabbi Bulka talked about Dad’s contributions to the shul but he devoted much of his speech to Mom’s accomplishments as a teacher and more generally as adding so much Yiddishkeit to the Ottawa Jewish community — and an all-around tour de force.  The plaque the Shul gave was to both Mom and Dad — Rachael told me after that Mom was beaming.

I also recall at the kiddush all these women surrounding Mom — like a flock of geese. Mom was sitting and eating, and all these women — Sylvia, Sally, Lea,  Sophie and many others — were all standing around her and they were bantering.  I was observing the situation from another table and there was mom, the queen bee, eating and talking, and all these other women surrounding her.  I find tremendous solace in that memory.

We grew up at 616 Chadburn in a tiny bungalow.  On that Ottawa visit nearly two years ago we had the chance to go back and see the house from the inside. It was up for sale — from the people who Mom and Dad sold the house too two decades earlier.  And the couple selling the house remembered Mom instantly. What do you know?  Is it possible for anyone to forget Mom? But I remember walking into my room and seeing it from the vantage point of an adult — it seemed so tiny.  And for my first 8 years of life, Mel and I shared that room.  Incredible.

I have to admit that even though I never longed for anything and was never jealous of anyone, the fact that so many of my fellow students at Hillel lived so much more lavishly and in much bigger homes (with colour TV’s!) that I knew that we weren’t exactly “well off” (years later I told Rena we were “the working poor” to which she responded first by laughing and then be telling me how dead wrong I was).  But I have to say that even though we were hardly “spoiled” as kids in terms of possessions and the like, there was something about our childhood if I can speak for all of us that was so so special, and it was the abundance of food in the house.  Not just ordinary food, either, but Mom’s delectable delights.

To know as a kid that not only will you never go hungry, but that the food was so consistently great, and in abundance, was beyond just extremely comforting.  Mom made sure our bellies were always filled and always with home-cooked meals and treats. Who ever needed to order pizza when Mom made her square-panned version of delicioso?  In that sense, we were really “spoiled”. I remember when I was 9 years old. I smelled this amazing smell in the kitchen — Mom was making a pickled brisket and gave me a taste.  It was heaven — better than Kardish’s even.  I asked why Mom was making a brisket — it was my first memory of it, and Mom said “Because Mel is coming back from Israel and I want to do something special”.  I remember we drove to Dorval to pick up Brother Melly and with that brisket taste still in my mouth (halitosis no doubt, but of the tasty variety), I kept on thinking “boy, I hope Mel comes back to visit more often”.

Out of all my friends, nobody cooked and baked like Mom.  My friends in high school would raid the pantry (that good ol’ walk-in-cupboard) when they came to visit.  I mean — who else made chocolate chip cookies like that??  Who packed lunches like Mom did?  Those tuna fish sandwiches were so big they needed their own parking permit. And sliced tomato. Mmmmm. My goyishe friends would just gawk at me in disbelief in the Hillcrest lunchroom as I devoured the sandwich  — and they may have lived in fancy shmancy houses, but they still were eating pathetic baloney (one slice — some mother they had!) or a slice of processed cheese and margarine sandwiches on wonderbread as I wolfed down clover leaf (a whole can!) with mayo on Rideau Bakery chala or onion bun (we all had that experience — and it’s called love-plus).

Even when I was at U of T in residence, when news spread that Mom sent me a “care package” with a friend, I all of a sudden became the most popular kid on campus. Meatballs. Pea soup. Halachkes. Koogle. Chicken. Incredible.

 And the holidays — each one had something unique. Mom’s raisin chalah on Rosh Hashana. The Yom Kippur honey cake. Those perfect latkes on Chanuka.  Pesach deserves a whole book on its own — the soup eggies. The home-made gefilte fish.  But to wake up on the first morning to the smell and taste of those Pesach bagels hot out of the oven with a dollop of jam (remember how great those Pesach jams used to be?) and a glass of U-bet with milk in my favourite “doggy” KFP glass.

Rena and I discussed recently why we think so much of 616 Chadburn.  It’s not as if we all had great memories of the house. It’s because of the unbelievable food Mom provided us.  The kitchen was the only room that was truly special (followed by the dining room!).  I think of all the times I would walk in to it and see a lump of dough, flour, eggs, sugar that rolling pin. “Watcha making, ma?”. I must have said that a hundred thousand times.  Or when I was really young, I used to bring my colouring books into the kitchen on Fridays and “keep Mom company” as she made the Shabbos chicken…and I would watch the chicken go round and round on the rotisserie in the oven. Staring at it was almost a form of hypnosis.  Mom would then get out that grinder and that weird looking brown wooden thingamajig and make the chopped liver.  I didn’t actually do much drawing in my colouring between watching Mom make the chopped liver and gazing at the chicken on the rotisserie.

We all have our memories.  I was particularly fortunate to have had Mom literally to myself in 1977 and 1978 after Mir left for Israel. And Dad in those years was away on business travel quite a bit.  We spent quite a bit of time together, me and Mom. Long walks.  We had some great chats. Mom was a really good listener among everything else she was good at.  I have vivid recollections of those years just before I left for Toronto in the late 70s. .  It wasn’t the same not having Mir around, but it gave me a chance, being the last kid at home, to experience some valuable one on one time with “The Fleeg”.

My last thought is this very special memory I have from my childhood, the earliest in fact and I don’t why I think about this so much except that it shows in a small way how much Mom loved me. It involves food, but not at 616.  It was at the Rideau Bakery, at the dairy bar.  I was 5 years old. Mom ordered me an egg salad sandwich and a chocolate milk.  As the woman behind the bar was making my sandwich, she sneezed, and kept right on spreading the egg onto the chalah.   Mom said “Excuse me, miss, but I want you to wash your hands and remake the sandwich for my son”.  And she did.

On the way home, I recall asking Mom what had happened and Mom told me “I didn’t want you to catch her germs and get sick”.  And so all I could think was “Wow, Mom must really love me!”  Forty-six years later, and I remember that moment like it was yesterday.

This cookbook was the result of Miriam’s hard work and dedication. And I’m sure it was somewhat therapeutic too.  But what an endeavor, and what a tribute to Mom.  I just love it, the recipes, the memories, and the comments from everyone (even Dad!).

This cookbook is proof of how Mom’s “love-plus” rubbed off on us.

MOM’S RECIPES

1. Angel Food Cake
2. Apple Cake (“My Apple Cake”)
3. Apple Pie (Auntie Rochel’s)
4. Baked Apples
5. Banana Cake (Rena’s Favourite Birthday Cake)
6. Banana Cake (Parve)
7. Banana  and Sour Cream
8. Barley Soup
9. Bean Salad
10. Blintzes
11. Blueberry Cake
12. Borscht
13. Borscht (Fleishich)
14. Bran Muffins
15. Broccoli Casserole
16. Brownies
17. Brownies (“Morgy’s”)
18. Buns (Auntie Sonya’s)
19. Buns (Denise’s)
20. Carrot Cake (Lil’s)
21. Cauliflower and Mushroom Sauce
22. Challe
23. Charoseth
24. Charoseth (Dave’s)
25. Cheese Cake (Winnipeg)
26. Cheese Cake (Dolly’s)
27. Cheese Cake (Auntie Ettie’s)
28. Cheese Pie
29. Cherry/ Blueberry Cake (Bobi Regina’s)
30. Chicken (“Honey Chicken”)
31. Chicken Soup
32. Chiffon Cake (Auntie Ettie’s)
33. Cherry Chiffon Cake (Diena’s)
34. Mocha Chiffon Cake
35. Chinese Chicken
36. Chocolate Cake (The Kids’ Birthday Favourite)
37. Chocolate Chip Cherry Cake
38. Chocolate Chip Cookies
39. Chocolate Icing
40. Chocolate Icing (Sophie’s)
41. Chopped Liver
42. Cinnamon Buns
43. Cornmeal Muffins
44. Cornmeal  (Mamalige)
45. Cottage Cheese Pie
46. Date Bran Muffins
47. Date Loaf
48. Date Squares
49. “Delicious” Cake
50. Egg and Potato
51. Eggplant Parmesan
52. Fudge Icing
53. Garden Salad (Mir’s)
54. Mom’s Gefilte Fish
55. Hamentaschen
56. Holishkes (Stuffed Cabbage)
57. Honey Cake (Bobi Regina’s)
58. Honey Cake (“Faigel’s Honey Cake”)
59. Icing (Becky’s 7 minute Icing)
60. Icing (Sea Foam)
61. Kasha & Bow Ties
62. Kmish (Mandelbroit)
63. Kmish (Lea Kalin’s Mandelbroit)
64. Knishes
65. Kugel
66. Kugel #2
67. Kugel (Milchik)
68. Kugel (Shulamis’s Dairy)
69. Lasagna
70. Lasagna  (Flaishig)
71. Latkes
72. Lemon Cake (Rivka’s favourite)
73. Lemon Pie
74. Lemon pie # 2
75. Mandlen (“Birdie Birdie Num Nums”)
76. Meatballs
77. Mock Herring
78. Mushroom Quiche
79. Nothings
80. Oatmeal Cookies
81. Passover Apple Cake (Auntie Shulamis’)
82. Passover Apple Cherry Cake
83. Passover Bagel
84. Passover Brisket
85. Passover Brownies
86. Passover Brownies # 2
87. Passover Cake (Bobi Regina’s)
88. Passover Cheese Pie
89. Passover No Bake Cheese Pie (Gert’s)
90. Passover Chocolate Cake (Winnipeg)
91. Passover Chocolate Banana Cake
92. Passover Farfel Kugel
93. Passover Jelly Roll
94. Passover Lasagna
95. Passover Lemon Cake (2007 good)
96. Passover Nut Cake (Bobi Regina’s)
97. Passover Nut Cake (Faigel’s)
98. Passover Vegetable Kugel
99. Passover Spinach Cheese Kugel
100. Peach Cobbler
101. Peanut Butter Drop Cookies
     1. Pear Pie
     2. Pea Soup
     3. Peas and Mushrooms
     4. Pie Crust – Mom would use this crust with cherry, blueberry or lemon (Shirrif’s) filling.
     5. Pie Dough
     6. Pigs in Blankets
     7. Pineapple Cake
     8. Pizza
     9. Plum Pie (Miriam Levitin’s)
     10. Poppy Seed Cake
     11. Poppy Seed Filling (“Moon”)
     12. Potato Knishes
     13. Potato Kugel
     14. Rhubarb Pie
     15. Rice Knishes
     16. Rice Muffins (Winnipeg recipe)
     17. Rice Pudding
     18. Roast
     19. Roast (Shoulder)
     20. Rolly Polly
     21. Rogalach (Bobi Regina’s – Mom called them “Mama’s Rolls”)
     22. Salad Dressing (Rena’s)
     23. Salmon Patties
     24. Salmon Fillet
     25. Salmon Steaks
     26. Shakshuka
     27. Spinach Casserole
     28. Sponge Cake (Auntie Rochel’s)
     29. Strawberry Pie (Ricky’s)
     30. Stew
     31. Stuffing
     32. Surprise Sandwich
     33. Mom’s Tzimmes
     34. Tuna Fish Casserole
     35. Turkey
     36. Turkish Delight Squares (Leah’s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Angel Food Cake

Ingredients:

• 11 egg whites (1 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp almond flavour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar

 

Instructions:

• Sift sugar three times.
• Sift flour three times with cream of tartar.
• Beat whites stiff.
• Add sugar to egg and beat well.
• Fold in flour.
• Put vanilla and almond flavour in last.
• Bake at 275 F for 30 minutes and 300 F for 40 minutes.

 

Mel: This was the really fluffy one, couldn’t be beat with that sticky white icing! Or am I thinking of another cake? Was this the one that Mom distributed at the Arrcafe at Ramat Hahayal? The icing methinks is still stuck to the table.

 

2. Apple Cake (“My Apple Cake”)

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup oil
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 4 tsp vanilla
• Juice of half of large orange
• 10 – 12 apples peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/2 – 1 cup sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon

 

Instructions:

• Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.  Beat in oil.  Add orange juice alternately with dry ingredients and beat just until smooth.
• Pour half of batter into pan, add apples which have been sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. Cover with the remaining batter.
• Bake at 350°F for 50 – 60 minutes.

  Rena:   This was my third favourite cake after chocolate and banana. I once told Mom that I loved it most when it was chock full of apples and from then on Mom did her utmost to load it up with apples for me. That was Mom. She would serve me a piece and smile at me with her loving smile.

3. Apple Pie (Auntie Rochel’s)

Ingredients:

• 8  apples (peeled, cored, sliced)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup margarine

Instructions:

• Put apples, water, cinnamon, lemon juice in pot and cook to soften apples (slightly).
• Put apples in pyrex
• Mix sugar, flour and margarine together with hands to crumbs.
• Spread on apples.
• Bake at 350°F for 30 – 40 minutes.

 

Mir:   Although Auntie Rochel was Mom’s aunt, our great-aunt, she was much more – more like a second mother to Mom and a grandmother to us.  Uncle Reuben was one of the kindest and sweetest men and one of our favourite uncles.  I remember their visits to Ottawa as special times, even though we were banished to the basement.    I remember Rochel lying beside me on my mattress on the basement floor, singing me to sleep with a lullaby in Yiddish. She sang so beautifully and, of course, the fragrant scent of Coppertone whenever you hugged her. …

 Whenever I make this pie, I think of her.

 

Dave:  One of the happiest times of my childhood was my bar-mitzva in 1973.  The house was full of guests and there was even more food than usual, if you can believe that.  The Korman’s came from Ithaca and  I still have this vivid image in my mind of Mom and Ruthie hugging each other at the front door for at least 10 minutes.  I used to think they were relatives!  Bobi was there too and that always meant my room was filled with Coffee Crisps and Yiddishe newspapers.  Auntie Rochel and Uncle Rubin, who we all adored, came in for the simcha from Chicago.  The house was filled with love and laughs.  And I was getting my fair share of attention too!  One sweet and funny memory I have, and share with Miriam, was that Uncle Rubin would always come into the kitchen and just as he took a step in, he would say ‘how”.  Not just any ordinary “how”, however, but this very cute and drawn out “hooowwww….”.  One time I said to Mir, “Do you ever notice that Uncle Rubin always seems to greet us with this funny “how” when he comes into the kitchen?  To which Mir said “yah, he does it all the time.”  So whenever he walked into the kitchen, and he would do his “hoooowwww”, Mir and I would try hard not to break into hysterics.  It always seemed like he said it going into the kitchen and maybe it was always the start of a question like “how’s about a piece of Faigel’s chocolate cake” or “how’s about a rogel”? but never got past the “hooowww” because Mir and were laughing so hard. 

 

One story about Auntie Rochel.  It was late summer and I was probably about 10 years old.  They were in visiting.  Mom had promised to take me to the “hole” for a swim but Rochel didn’t want me to go and tried to bribe me not to go with three chocolate bars.  But for whatever reason, maybe because it was late August or early September, I wanted to go for a swing outside (and the closest alternative back then was the sprinkler in the front yard!).  I still recall Rochel standing by the front window waving those chocolate bars in full view as Mom backed out of the laneway.  Well, we get back from the “hole”, and a few hours later, Rochel comes up to me and says “na … I still want you to have these” and put the three chocolate bars in my hand.  And gave me a big hug.  I still remember that.  And there’s a lesson.  With Rochel, you could always have your chocolate bar and eat it too!   

                                               

4. Baked Apples

Ingredients:

• 6 apples
• 2 tsp brown sugar per apple
• Raisins
• Cinnamon

Instructions:

• Wash and core apples.
• Place each on a 12 inch square of tinfoil.
• Fill centers with brown sugar and raisins.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Cover with foil and bake at 400 F for 35 – 40 minutes.

 

Mel:  I’ve had baked apples on many occasions, but none compared to Mom’s, which were crammed with yummy raisins and cinnamon.

Rena: Mom told me that she liked to use MacIntosh apples for baking more than baking apples. They have a better flavour. The more raisins the better.

5. Banana Cake (Rena’s Favourite Birthday Cake)

Ingredients:

 Mir:  When Mom wanted a larger cake, she would make calculations and write them at the side.   Her calculations for this cake are in brackets beside each ingredient.

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (3 3/8)
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder (3 3/4)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (3/4)
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla (1 1/2)
• 1 cup mashed bananas (1 1/2)
• 1/2 cup Crisco (3/4)
• 1 cup sugar (1 1/2)
• 2 eggs (3)
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (3/8)

Instructions:

• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. 
• Cream Crisco and sugar until fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Add vanilla.
• Combine bananas and buttermilk and alternate with flour.
• Bake at 375°F for 25 – 30 minutes.

 

Mir:  I remember this cake being two layers with Mom’s delicious chocolate icing inside and out.

 

 

 

Rena:  We all considered this as my birthday banana cake. This cake took a lot of work because the cake had to be sliced through the middle to make it two levels and another layer of chocolate icing was put in the middle.
Mom would then wrap coins in wax paper and put them inside the cake before she iced it. Each piece of cake had a ‘surprise’ coin inside it. Mom always had an eye out for black bananas. Every time I see a black banana I have an urge to save it for Mom.

 

Mel:  When I was young, the coins went directly into the cake, but then a story came out that a kid somewhere had choked on a coin in a birthday cake. From that time on, the coins were not only wrapped, but inserted through the icing so we could see exactly where they went into the cake.

 

6. Banana Cake (Parve)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 ripe mashed bananas
• Ground walnuts & chocolate chips (optional)

 

Instructions:

• Beat eggs and sugar.  Add oil, vanilla and mashed bananas. Add dry ingredients. Beat just until flour disappears.
• Grease pan and bake at 360 F for 35 – 40 minutes.

Mel: Mom would source black bananas wherever possible for her banana cake. The blacker the bananas, the better the cake. Probably the fruit store owners refused to sell the yellow ones, waiting for her to come calling.

Dad: (told to Mir) Mom would use top of the line ingredients in her banana cakes (all cakes in fact) but she was always on the lookout for the best deal on black bananas.  At every store Mom would have a different deal going with the manager.  At “the top of the hill” (that’s what we called the supermarket nearby) Mom would get three kilos of black bananas for the price of one!  

 Mom loved vanilla and would only use the best vanilla extract on the market.  We would even pack it in sealed bags and bring it to Israel where Mom would transfer it into jars.  I will never forget how I mistakenly poured out the brown liquid gold in order to wash the jar, thinking it was something else…As soon as I finished pouring it down the drain and the strong scent hit my nose, I knew I was in trouble.

Mir: Since we can’t get Crisco in Israel, this pareve recipe is the one I usually make. I make it as a cake or even muffins.  Mom would often make this recipe in Israel and bring it along to have with a cup of coffee at the Coffee Bean. Mechaye..

7. Banana  and Sour Cream

Ingredients:

• Banana (sliced)
• Sour cream (or yogurt)
• Sugar
• Strawberries (sliced) (optional)

Instructions:

• Slice banana (strawberries) into a bowl.
• Pour on sour cream or yogurt
• Sprinkle on sugar

 

Mir:  An easy but delicious snack we used to love.  I still make it for my kids.

Mel: Hey, even I can make this.

Rena: This was one of Mom’s little treats. It was comfort food.      

 

8. Barley Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 pound mushrooms, rinsed and dried
• 3 tbsp margarine
• 6 cups water
• 1/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
• Salt, pepper, to taste
• 1 bay leaf

 

Instructions:

• Dice onion and mushrooms.
• Melt margarine in pot.  Add onion and fry till transparent.  Add mushrooms and fry for another few minutes.
• Add water, barley, salt, pepper and bay leaf.
• Bring to a boil, stirring several times.
• Simmer covered until barley is tender, about 45 minutes.

 

Mir: Mom loved making soups and this was one of Dad’s favorites. Mom would “doctor” her soups and put in so much more to make a thick soup which could be a meal in itself. So a “Barley” soup such as the above, would have kidney and lima beans as well as carrots, onion and celery.

                                                                          

9. Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 can yellow beans
• 1 can green beans
• 1 can kidney beans
•  lima beans
• Minced onion
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• Oregano

 

Instructions:

• Drain beans.
• Mix together in large jar.

 

10. Blintzes

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp oil
• Pinch salt

Instructions:

• Combine milk, eggs, oil and add flour and salt. Pour batter (about 3 tbsp at a time) onto a hot, slightly greased pan, and rotate pan so that mixture covers bottom completely.  Fry on one side only.  Turn out pancakes onto a towel. 

 

Filling

• 3 packages cheese (Tov Taam 5%)
• 1 egg
• Vanilla
• Salt                                                                                
• Sugar (approx. 1/2 cup)
• Cinnamon

Instructions:

• Place filling on browned side of pancake, make an envelope and fry in oil or margarine until brown on all sides.  Serve with sour cream and strawberries.

 

Rena: Mom usually served blintzes and knishes together. Most people loved the knishes more but as much as I loved knishes, I loved Mom’s blintzes more. Mom said that blintzes were a work of love because each one was so labour intensive.  It was like watching a work of art to watch her make each one so perfectly. Mom knew how much I loved them so she would often make them for me.

 

Mir:  I remember Mom making blintzes at 616.  Every surface in the kitchen had a “pancake” on it, the kitchen table, countertops etc.  Mom would do it so quickly that one time she accidentally put the hot frying pan down on one of the bright orange vinyl chairs and forever after there was the round “blintzeprint” on the seat.

 

Mel: I remember those kitchen chairs. The blintzes were spectacular, if I remember correctly, there was also a minced meat variety.

Srul: I was an addict to those Blintzes. When I came back from the unforgettable trip with B&Z in Canada, Aba said he didn’t recognize me due to the fact I was so chubby. These blintzes (and dozen pizzas a week) were worth every ounce I gained J

Rivka:  Bobi had two names for me.  One was “monkey-face”, the other was “my little blintze girl”.  A monkey’s face I didn’t have, but a love for Bobi’s blintzes was another thing…

 

11. Blueberry Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup blueberries
• 3 tbsp brown sugar + 1/2 tsp cinnamon (for topping)
• Instead of blueberries: 3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple, 1/2 cup pineapple juice to replace orange juice.

 

Instructions:

• Cream sugar, eggs.  Add oil and beat well.
• Add orange juice and vanilla.
• Fold in flour (1 1/2 cups) and baking powder.
• Dust blueberries with 1/4 cup flour.
• Pour into greased and floured bundt pan.
• Bake at 350 F for 50 minutes.
• Top with cinnamon and brown sugar.

 

Dave:   Rachael had a piece of this cake  and the next day went into labour with Daniel, who Bobi went on to call her “blueberry boy”.

Mel:  A labour of love J

12. Borscht

Ingredients:

• 6 – 8 beets
• 3 qt. water
• 1 onion (whole)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (or to taste)
• Pinch salt

Instructions:

• Combine beets, water, onion, salt.  Bring to a boil.
• Cook for 1 – 2 hours.
• Remove onion.
• Add sugar and lemon juice.
• Remove beets and when cool, grate them into soup.
• Chill and serve with sour cream (or hot baked potato)

 

Mel: This was best with lots of sour cream and a bit of potato.

Rena:  I would always know when Mom was making Borscht. The kitchen was covered with streaks of beet red juice. Mom made the borscht, Dad peeled the beets and was in charge of clean up. Mom always put in a lot of shredded beets. Mom was always very generous with ingredients.

 

13. Borscht (Fleishich)

Ingredients:

• 5 beets (diced)
•  1 small cabbage (cut up)
• 1 onion (whole)
• Can of crushed tomatoes
• 6 oz. tin tomato paste
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp chicken soup powder
• Soup meat + soup bones (optional – for a parve soup, omit meat)
• Salt, pepper (to taste)

 

Instructions:

• Place meat and bones in water and bring to a boil. Skim and reduce heat.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Cover and simmer for 3 hours.
• Add more sugar, lemon juice, chicken soup powder if needed.

 

Mir: As kids, we loved eating this borscht with Ritz crackers, which we would break up into pieces and add to the soup.   Years later, in Israel, I would often make a borsht for Friday night.  I can see Mom’s face light up and hear her saying, “Borscht tonight?  Great!”

 

14. Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup liquid honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup natural bran
• 1/2 cup chopped dates
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup whole wheat flour

 

 

Instructions:

• Combine oil, sugar, honey, eggs and milk in bowl and beat with fork.
• Add bran and blend.
• Add flour etc.
• Bake at 375°F for 25 minutes

 

Dave:  Once I found out there were redeeming health characteristics I gave up on the muffins.  Pass the cookies!

 

15. Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 packages chopped broccoli
• 6 eggs beaten
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 lb. small curd cottage cheese
• 6 tbsp. flour
• 1/4 lb. melted margarine
• 3/4 lb. grated cheese (1 cup)

 

Instructions:

• Thaw and drain frozen broccoli.
• Mix together beaten eggs, salt, pepper, cottage cheese and flour and add to broccoli. 
• Add melted margarine to mixture. 
• Put 1/2 of the grated cheese into mixture. Use other 1/2 as topping.
• Bake at 350 in 8×8 casserole for 1/2 – 3/4 hour.

 

Mir:  Mom loved to make this “pashtida” in Israel.  Mom even shared this recipe with a waiter that she befriended at one of her favourite coffee shops – “Café Hillel” at Schuster Center near their apartment on Boyer.  Mom took a liking to this waiter right away, a medical student who liked to make casseroles, “muleh chen” with blue eyes, living in Ramat Aviv and……. an eligible bachelor for Rivka. Mom was always on the lookout for “shiduchs” for the “eineklach”.  When my kids would say “We still have time, Bobi”, she would answer “You might have time, but I don’t.”

 I remember one evening I got a phone call from Mom asking if she could give this waiter Rivka’s phone number.  I “ecked and becked”, saying that Rivka would find her own. Mom went on with her convincing phrases “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” and “Faint heart never won fair maiden….” so I gave in. “Okay” I said, “give him her number.”   “Great”, said Mom, “tell Rivka she’ll soon be getting a phone call from Fuddy”. There must have been a moment of silence as I picked my jaw up off the floor. Was this the same Bobi who told my kids she would come to haunt them if they intermarried?  “Fuddy??” I asked. “Mom, that’s an Arab name!!”  “What?”said Mom “but he’s studying medicine!”   Mom said she had her ways of finding out… I don’t know how tactful they were, something like “Where are you having the seder this year?”  At any rate, it was one of Mom’s disappointments.  When Mom was in and out of Tel Hashomer during their last year here (2009), we bumped into Fuddy who was in his last year of medical studies.  Mom was so glad to see him, as he was her.  He reminded Mom of the delicious broccoli casserole that he still made.

 

16. Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp cocoa
• 1/2 cup flour
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup walnuts

 

 

Instructions:

• Mix Crisco, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
• Add cocoa, flour, salt. Mix.
• Add walnuts.
• Bake at 325 F for 25 – 30 minutes.

 

17. Brownies (“Morgy’s”)

Ingredients:

• 1 package margarine
• 1 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch salt
• Walnuts (optional)

 

 

Instructions:

• Melt margarine, cocoa.
• Mix sugar, eggs, flour, pinch salt and vanilla.
• Add walnuts.
• Pour in greased 9 x 13 pan.
• Bake at 325 F for 25 – 30 minutes.

 

18. Buns (Auntie Sonya’s)

Ingredients:

• 8 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 6 eggs
• 2 yeast dissolved with sugar + 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup hot water

 

Instructions:

 

• Follow the instructions for Denise’s Buns.

 

 

Mir:  I have a vague recollection of visiting Auntie Sonya and Uncle Irving during those Winnipeg summer trips we took (early sixties?). I remember a very long bathroom, milkshakes, but unfortunately not these buns…

Mel: Yes, Sonya had a professional milkshake machine, just like at the ‘drug store’. This reminds me of the malted milk Mom used to buy us for a dime at Freiman’s department store, in the basement.  I remember those special glasses they had. 

 

19. Buns (Denise’s)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk or water
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp oil
• Pinch salt
• 1 yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup water with 1 tsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour

Instructions:

• Scald milk, add sugar, oil, salt.
• Let cool until lukewarm. 
• Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water with 1 tsp sugar.
• Add beaten eggs to yeast and add to milk mixture.
• Add flour and knead.
• Let rise in greased bowl.
• Punch down.
• Make buns and let rise again.
• Put beaten egg on top + sesame seeds.
• Bake at 375°F for 25 – 30 minutes.

 

20. Carrot Cake (Lil’s)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cup oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs

• 1 1/2 cup grated carrots

Instructions:

• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt
• Beat oil and sugar.
• Add eggs, one at a time to oil and sugar.
• Add dry ingredients.
• Add carrots and mix.
• Grease tube pan and bake at 350 F for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

 

21. Cauliflower and Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower
• Mushroom soup powder
• Mayonnaise

 

Instructions:

• Break cauliflower into medium size pieces.
•  Boil in salted water until it begins to soften.
• Drain, keeping some of the water (1/2 – 3/4 cup).
•  Place pieces in casserole.
• Prepare sauce by adding mayonnaise and mushroom soup powder to water.
• Pour sauce over top of each piece of cauliflower.
• Bake at 350 F till golden brown.

 

Mir: One of Srul’s favourites.

22. Challe

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 package yeast
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 warm water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 3/4 – 4 cups flour
• 1 egg yolk beaten
• 1 tsp water

Instructions:

• Dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water.
• Sprinkle yeast and let stand 10 minutes.  Stir to dissolve.
• Beat well oil, water, sugar, salt, eggs and half of flour.
• Stir in rest & knead.
• Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed.
• Round up in a greased bowl.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Punch down, cover and let rise again until double, about 45 minutes.
• Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Shape into strands.
• Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and braid loosely.
• Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double.
• Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds
• Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

 

 

Mel: I remember how Mom and Dad would punch the dough on the kitchen table. Too bad they didn’t start making the challe years earlier.

Rena:  Mom and Dad went through a period where they made their own Challah. There were various bowls with dough that we would watch over until they rose. Then they would get kneaded and punched and then rise again.
There seemed to be flour everywhere. Once it was in the oven, the smell in the house was mouth watering.

23.  Charoseth

 Ingredients:

• handful of walnuts grated
• 1 grated apple
• wine to wet it
• cinnamon

 Rena:  Mom was proud of her charoseth recipe which was passed down generations. Mom’s was the ‘authentic’ charoseth.

 

24.  Charoseth (Dave’s)

Ingredients:

• 6 grated apples
• 1 1/2 cup grated walnuts
• 4 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp sweet red wine

Mir:  I include Dave’s recipe which is so similar and has the exact amounts and – by the looks of it – is for a bigger crowd or for a real charoset lover.

At our last seder together in 2009, Mom was disappointed when I served a different charoset made from dates.  “Miriam”, Mom said  (Mom never called me “Miriam” unless I was being reprimanded – which was rare – otherwise I was “Mirale”, “Mirki”  ,”Pussuale” or “Ketzele”), “what was good enough for my Bobe and my Mother, should be good enough for you.  Don’t break the tradition.”     

25. Cheese Cake (Winnipeg)

Ingredients:

• Graham wafer crust
• 2 1/2 lb cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 5 heaping tbsp sour cream
• 3 tbsp flour
• Pinch salt
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Vanilla

Instructions:

• Beat eggs.  Add sugar and beat.  Add rest. Beat 12 minutes.
• Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.  Turn off oven and leave cake in for 30 minutes.

 

26. Cheese Cake (Dolly’s)

Ingredients for base:

 

• 2 cups crushed graham wafers

• 1/4 cup butter (melted)

Instructions for base:

• Mix crushed wafers with melted butter.

• Press 1 1/4 cup into 8 x 8 pan and leave 3/4 cup for top.

Ingredients for Filling:

• 8 oz. carton cream cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 7 – 10 marashino cherries
• 1/2 cup crushed,  drained pineapple.

 

Instructions for filling:

• Mix cheese with eggs.  Beat well.
• Add vanilla, sugar and beat till light and fluffy.
• Cut cherries and add along with pineapple.
• Pour remaining graham wafers on top.
• Bake at 350 F for 35 minutes.

 

27. Cheese Cake (Ettie’s)

Ingredients for base:

• 1/4 lb butter
• 2 cups graham crumbs

 

Ingredients for filling:

• 2 lbs co-op cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch salt

 

Instructions:

• Melt butter and mix with crushed graham crumbs.  Press into pan.
• Mix cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt and spread on base.
• Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.
• Cool in oven.

 

28. Cheese Pie

Ingredients for Base:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 lb margarine (1 package)
• 3 heaping tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar

 

 

Ingredients for Filling:

• 3 packages 5% cheese
• 1 package 9% cheese
• 1 egg
• 5 heaping tbsp sugar
• Pinch salt
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• Cinnamon

 

Instructions :

• Beat margarine and sugar well.
• Add eggs and vanilla and beat.
• Add dry ingredients.
• Pat down on pie plate.
• Add cheese filling.
• Bake 50 minutes at 360°F.

 

Rena:  Nothing was like this cheese pie, warm from the oven, with sour cream and sliced strawberries on top. We usually had to wait for Shavuoth but sometimes Mom would treat us to it during the rest of the year.

 

Dave:  Oh yes.  This was a big hit on Shavuot.  Mom loved to entertain — the balaboosta par excellence. I recall in the late 70s mom bought one of those warm serving trays on wheels and she had blintzes and knishes and that amazing cheese pie on it in the dining room as the “gang” of the Weltmans and Levitans and Kaimans were over for lunch.  Great memory.

 

Mel: I remember the pie well, in the pre-warming tray years.

 

Mir: Although this recipe isn’t especially dietetic, Mom would try to use low fat cheese whenever possible.   Once, at our weekly breakfasts at “Marilyn Monroe”, Mom asked the owner for low fat cheese. “Can I have 5 percent?” she said.  The owner, who liked Mom, answered “Why 5 percent?  I give you 10 percent.” And off he ran to get Mom a card on which he wrote that she was entitled to a 10 percent discount on every meal.  Mom treasured this card and used it for years.  In the end, she also got the low fat cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29. Cherry/ Blueberry Cake (Bobi Regina’s)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil (a bit less)
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp orange juice
• Pinch salt

Instructions:

• Mix eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, orange juice together.  Add flour and baking powder.
• Pour half of batter into a 8×8 inch square pan (Mel: 20 x 20 cm for the metric people, Mom was never too good at math).
• Bake at 360°F for 45 minutes.

 

Mir:  Bobi  was so cute, good- humoured, soft-spoken and kind.   I looked forward to her yearly visits and sleeping on the roll-away beside her.  On nights that I would have my attacks of the croup, I would find her standing beside me with her concoction of hot freshly-squeezed orange juice with honey.   Then there were the endless games of “Kalukee” when she would let me win.  She was a chocolate lover, just like Mom, and especially loved her “coffee crisps”. 

                                                                 

30. Chicken (“Honey Chicken”)

Ingredients:

• Chicken cup up into eight pieces
• Honey
• Orange juice
• Ketchup
• Soya sauce
• Onion soup powder
• Garlic powder

Instructions:

• Combine all above ingredients and marinate chicken
• Bake

 

 

Mir:  Friday night dinner at 616 began at six o’clock – and you had to be on time.  This tradition, by the way, became so ingrained, that it continues to this very day at my house too (although there’s no one here to give you the “Daddy look” if you’re late).  I don’t remember it being a problem back then because our stomach juices were so worked up after smelling the good food all afternoon that we were eager to get started with the “Yom Hashishi…”

I think the usual routine was chicken soup, sometimes chopped liver (as a “forshbeis”) and then the “honey Chicken” which we’d all been waiting for, especially Reen who’d always collect everyone’s skin.   A favourite side dish was Mom’s lokshen kugel.  For dessert, we’d have “chocolate roll” from the Rideau Bakery or one of Mom’s many delicacies – and hope for a “Mommy piece”..   Friday nights were always special to me because it was the only night during the week that Mom and Dad would stay home and take a break from their busy social life. Some of my best after-dinner memories are of us “benching” and singing the latest Israeli songs that Mel wrote up for us on index cards. ( הדרך ארוכה היא ורבה.   Or לך לך למדבר….).  Sometimes in the summer, after dinner, we would take a “walk around the block” – sometimes around Caverly, sometimes Bathurst – and munch on “semechkes” as we walked.   In my teenage years, the night ended with a “Habonim” meeting at the Histadrut Center.  

Friday at the Rosenberg home, was indeed the best day of the week.  No wonder Juan Antonio (Rena’s babysittee) would ask us every day “If today is Friday?”

 

Mel:  Other early songs I remember were Ys’sum midbar v’tsyah, and btsait yisrael mimitsraim. These songs were modern Hebrew tunes of the time, taught to me by Rabbi Ephraim Shach, who over time became a good friend of the folks.

 

Rena: This was my chicken recipe of choice. Dave always loved the breaded one so Mom made both. I never could get it as good as Mom’s. Yes, sad to say, I loved the crispy honey soaked skin.

                                                    

31. Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• One whole chicken cut up (including “gorgel”)
• One onion
• Parsley
• Dill
• Carrots
• Parsley roots
• Celery
• 1 – 2 tbsp chicken soup powder

Instructions:

• Wash chicken pieces well.
• Put in pot with rest of ingredients and bring to slow boil.  Simmer for hours (on low burner). 
• Add water as required.
• When ready, remove chicken and vegetables and strain.  Put vegetables back.
• Scrape off fat when cold.
• Serve with lokchen, kneidlach.

 

Mel: The chicken soup would not be complete without the chicken eggs (eyerlach) which we used to fight over, and the chicken feet dance that Mom would do on the counter to our delight. The same Yiddish tune was always used as the accompaniment.

 

Rena: Mom’s chicken soup was not only delicious it was ‘the comfort food’. Mom made sure to use hearty pieces of chicken, chicken necks, chicken feet, unhatched chicken eggs and pipicks as well as parsnips for Dad, dill and carrots. The butchers stopped selling the unhatched eggs and the feet, and the soup was never quite the same. Mom’s matzah balls were heavenly. Mom always said that the trick with chicken soup was to use enough chicken to make the soup like a gel when cold and not to let it rapidly boil, just come to a boil and boil in a very gentle simmer.

 

Mir:  To Mom, chicken soup was the “cure all”.  According to Mom, it was “Jewish penicillin”.  Mom’s tip for her soup was to use a whole chicken.  The added bonus was eating the boiled chicken afterwards with a good dose of ketchup.

 

Dave:  I don’t know why I still think of Mom’s chicken soup.  Rena and Rachael make it just as good but it’s a memory, a symbol  of Friday and shabbat dinner as a young boy and after an awful week at Hillel and how great it was to sit at the dining room table.  That soup was so soothing — with or without the maggie!

                                    

 

 

32. Chiffon Cake (Auntie Ettie’s)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup oil
• 5 egg yolks unbeaten
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• Juice of 1 whole orange or lemon
• 1 cup egg whites (from 7 or 8 eggs)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions:

• Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Make a well, add oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla and juice.  Beat with spoon until smooth.
• Use very large bowl and beat egg whites with cream of tartar until very stiff peaks are formed.  Gently fold cake mixture into egg whites just until blended. Do not over stir.
• Bake in slow oven at 325°F for 55 minutes.  Turn up to 350°F for 10 – 15 minutes.
• Invert to cool.

 

Mel:  One of the ‘high risers’.

 

 Dave:  But was Mom’s better than Ettie’s?

 

Mir:   This cake was not only the best but it would come out so high that the little metal legs on the tube pan weren’t enough. Mom had to invert it onto those little custard dishes and even then the top of the cake sometimes touched the counter.

 

Rena: Mom made a white icing for this cake. It started out soft but after a day it hardened and developed a candy like crust.       

 

33. Cherry Chiffon Cake (Diena’s)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 7 whites
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 tsp almond flavouring
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 tbsp chopped maraschino cherries
• 6 tbsp cherry juice & enough cold water to make 3/4 cup
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, 1 cup sugar.
• Make a well in the centre and add oil, flavouring, egg  yolks and liquid.
• Beat till well blended.
• Fold in chopped cherries.
• Add cream of tartar to egg whites, beat until peaks.
• Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff.
• Pour batter over egg white mixture and fold in by hand until well blended.
• Put into angel food cake tin and bake for 55 minutes at 325 F plus 15 minutes more at 350 F.
• Invert (suspended) and cool.                                              

                                                                     

34. Mocha Chiffon Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3 squares grated chocolate
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup oil
• 5 egg yolks, unbeaten
• 3/4 cup strong coffee
• 1 cup egg whites (7 or 8)

 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 325 F.
• Sift flour, baking powder, salt, sugar into big bowl.
• Make a well and add oil, yolks, coffee, vanilla and beat.
• Sprinkle cream of tartar over egg whites.
• Beat until very, very stiff.
• Pour egg yolk mixture in thin stream over beaten whites, folding gently with a rubber scraper just until blended. 
• Fold quickly and sprinkle chocolate.
• Bake at 325 for 55 minutes.  Increase to 350 and bake 10 – 15 minutes longer.
• Invert for two hours.

 

35. Chinese Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo (1 lb) chicken breasts
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 red peppers
• 2 green peppers
• 2 stalks celery
• Frozen peas
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 – 3 tbsp soya sauce
• 1 tbsp chicken soup powder

 

Instructions:

• Cut onions lengthwise into 8ths.  
• Slice carrots and cloves.
• Fry (lightly) until carrots start to soften.
• Slice chicken breasts into strips.
• Add strips and simmer until chicken is almost done.
• Add sliced mushrooms, green and red peppers.
• Dissolve 1 tsp cornstarch in 1/4 cup water and add.
• Add 2-3 tbsp soya sauce and 1 tbsp chicken soup powder.
• Slice celery on a diagonal and add.
• Add peas, almonds (optional).

 

Mel: it was the bits of celery that made it special, for me, anyway.

 

 

36. Chocolate Cake (The Kids’ Birthday Favourite)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry cocoa
• 2 cups prepared hot coffee
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch salt

 

Instructions:

• Combine dry cocoa with coffee and vanilla and set aside to cool.
• Beat eggs with sugar and oil
• Mix dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt)
• Add flour mixture and cooled coffee mixture alternately to egg mixture
• Bake at 325°F for 1 hour.

 

 

 

Rena:  If you only make one recipe from this whole book, then make this one. You will never taste a better chocolate cake. It has the richest chocolaty taste made even better by the coffee. I have had many a chocolate cake in my lifetime and none have even come close. This is the cake of choice for all the grandchildrens’ birthdays. Mom would make the cake, the kids would ice it and then Mom would put out all the sprinkles and smarties and various toppings, the kids could then decorate it to their heart’s content. Mom would watch them with love. Mom would then cut the largest pieces and watch everyone devour it. 

 

 Mir: When we were kids, on our birthdays, Mom would wrap a coin in wax paper and stick it inside this chocolate cake.

Mom would always bake one chocolate cake (icing and all) for Dave’s birthday on October 29^th and another one for mine on October 31^st.   Although I would tease her in later years about having had to eat left over birthday cake – it never happened.

 I remember the time, one Friday night when there was an argument about who got the larger piece.  I remember Mom getting mad and throwing the cake out – after wrapping it well enough for it to be retrieved later.  I recall us going to look for it in the garbage and not finding it…

 

Dave:  Didn’t mom push the cake in Mel’s face?  I recall being very jealous about that “punishment”. I seem to recall one time that Mom baked Rena’s birthday cake with the coins in the wax paper and the paper melted!!

 

Mel: Funny, I don’t remember that part of it. Talk about ‘saving’ face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mir: Mom was in charge of birthday cakes for the kids. As the kids grew, so did the cakes…

Srul: I can still remember that ‘Torah cake’. Bobi’s cakes made us feel so special.

 

 

 

 

 

37. Chocolate Chip Cherry Cake

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips,
• Maraschino cherries, halved
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

 

Instructions:

• Cream together butter and 1 cup sugar.
• Add 3 eggs and vanilla.
• Mix together 2 cups flour, baking powder and pinch salt.
• Add to creamed mixture alternately with 1 cup sour cream and baking soda.
• Fold in half cup chocolate chips, maraschino cherries.
• Pour half of batter into small bundt pan.
• Cover with half cup coconut, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Cover with rest of batter.
• Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, reduce to 325 F and bake for 55 minutes more.

 

38. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Crisco (or “Machma’a”)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 3/4 package of chocolate chips
• Few drops water

 

Instructions:

• Mix ingredients in mix master – egg, sugar, shortening, vanilla, dry ingredients, water
• Form cookies and place on cookie tin (preferably on wax paper)
• Bake at 360°F for 12 minutes.

 

 

 

Mir:  Dave and I were spending the summer vacation at Camp Rama.  Mom and Dad were coming to visit us on Visiting Day with a car full of goodies – chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, “delicious cake” and more… They decided to spend the weekend at the Rubin’s cottage and leave there for camp bright and early Sunday morn. Unfortunately, a window in the car was left open overnight – enough time for raccoons to get into the car and have a party with our goodies.  The next morning, poor Mom was so devastated at the sight that all she could say was “I hope those farshtunkene raccoons have diarrhea for a week”.

Dad: (told to Mir) What Mom never told you was that when she saw what had happened, she was so devastated that she started to cry. Mom couldn’t imagine going to visit the kids without at least a chocolate cake, so Mom and Norma went into the kitchen and whipped one up.

Dave:  When I was living in residence at U of T, if word got out that mom sent be one of those care packages (how it could fit into anyone’s car I have no clue), I would have dozens of people coming to my room to see if I was sent any of the chocolate chip cookies.  I used to have to hide that huge white tin but it was like the size of my desk.  I also remember coming home at 616 with Chops and Tom, we had been to a party and had the munchies, and we polished off a complete tin of the cookies.  I still recall Tommy stuffing his face and saying as crumbs fell from his chin, “geez, Rosie, your mom makes the best cookies”.  I recall that like yesterday (being the only sober one … right).  Next day, I hear mom shout out from the kitchen “what happened to that triple batch of cookies I made yesterday?”.  I forget how I finagled my way out of that one.

Mir:    I recall that one time Mom had one of those “care packages” delivered to your dorm, and when you came to pick it up, the woman said “Dave, I didn’t know your Mom had a deli!!”

Mel: Mom made the best chocolate chip cookies ever (didn’t she, Dave?).

Rena:  Mom also made the best cookies I have ever tasted in my life. Chocolate chip cookies were the all time favourite of every generation. The secret to Mom’s chocolate chip cookies was that they were brimming with as many chocolate chips as could fit in and still be called a cookie. Mom also put in nuts. Then the cookies had to be the exact hard consistency. Mom never liked soft cookies. They had to be hard and crunchy. Then they would be stored in 2 very huge (and I mean very huge) white cannisters on the bottom left side of our walk in cupboard. They never were stored for long because not only did we all eat them but all our friends knew about them too.

 

39. Chocolate Icing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sifted icing sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1 tbsp margarine
• Boiled water
• Vanilla

Instructions:

• Mix the above together until you reach the desired consistency.

 

Mel: We used to eat the cake and leave the icing for last. Also I remember how we loved to lick the bowl and beaters, using the rubber spatula. Our tongues never had better exercise.

  

Dave:  that’s a fact .. it took real talent to lick all the chocolate out of the grooves in those metal beaters.

  

Mir: I think we all share that memory of licking the beaters.  Strange, because there were only two beaters and four of us….but then again, there was the bowl, the rubber spatula and Mom’s wooden spoon.  Who needed a dishwasher? J.  This icing was so good that we would eat the chocolate cake first, leaving the icing for last – the ultimate dessert!   

We got our sweet tooth from Mom.  Mom loved ice cream and chocolate.  Ice cream didn’t always agree with her…. but chocolate did. She would always have a stash under her bed, or in her night table drawer – or both.  Benny, another chocoholic, would bring Mom chocolates after every trip he took – mostly the fruit and nut kind.  Dave would spoil her with Turtles.  I remember Mom was supposed to undergo an operation on her tear duct and Mel bought her a fancy box of chocolates.  While Mom was lying on the operating table, the anesthetist approached to sedate her.  Mom, who was allergic to so many medications, inquired if there was codeine in the anesthetic.  When the fellow said there was, Mom simply got off the operating table and walked out wearing the little green hat, slippers, and gown.  After telling Mel what had happened, she asked “Does that mean I have to give back the chocolates??”

 

Rena: Mom would put a very thick layer of icing on the chocolate cake. When we were little we used to save the icing for the end and eat the cake up leaving an icing ring. When Mom made the icing she made sure to leave enough for us to lick. She also knew to make an even amount for the 4 of us to avoid fights. The 2 beaters were coated, the spatula was coated and some always left in the bowl.

Later on I asked Mom why she didn`t scoop it all out and she answered that she knew how much we loved licking it so she made sure to leave us enough to lick up.

 

40. Chocolate Icing (Sophie’s)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup sifted icing sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 unbeaten egg white
• 1 3/4 cup sifted icing sugar
• 2 tbsp boiling water

Instructions:

• Beat butter, add vanilla and 1/4 cup icing sugar.
• Add cocoa & beat.
• Add unbeaten egg white & beat.
• Add remaining icing sugar and water alternately.

 

Mel: A word about Mom’s vanilla. It had to be real, no substitutes for Mom. Maple syrup was real maple syrup and vanilla was genuine vanilla. I still remember how I used to smell the bottle from the walk-in closet.

 

 

 

 

 

41.  Chopped Liver

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (500 grams) chicken livers, broiled or baked
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 – 3 tbsp chicken fat or oil
• 3  hard boiled eggs, mashed
• Salt, pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp red Kiddush wine (optional)

 

Instructions:

• Brown onions in hot fat.
• Mash livers and combine with remaining ingredients.

 

Mir:  This was our favourite “forshbeis”, at least mine.  Mom would serve it on a piece of lettuce with a slice of tomato.  Mom loved it too, and in the last few years, Rena would run to buy her some from Hartman’s whenever Mom had a craving for it.

Mom also enjoyed saying “What am I, chopped liver?”   This replaced “Who am I, Stella Dallas?”  after we found out the truth about Stella.  A few years ago, we finally saw the movie that Mom had told us about for so long.  To our surprise, the story was so different.  Stella Dallas’ daughter was actually very devoted to her mother and did invite her mother to her wedding after all.  In fact, it was the mother who preferred not to go, and that watching the wedding through the window was the mother’s idea and not the daughter’s, as we had been told for so many years.  So much for all those years of pitying Stella – although the story did serve Mom well whenever a bit of guilt tripping was necessary.

 Rena:  Mom made better chopped liver than Hartman`s can ever dream of. Mom cooked the liver, which never looked appealing although I always used to love watching the whole process because I was a chopped liver fan. Then Mom had an electric meat grinder with a wooden plunger to grind the liver, I used to help push the plunger down. The onions were well fried and left in a little bowl. By the time the liver was ready for the onions, Mom would say “I thought I had fried more onions than this” and then look at me in her knowing way.            

                                           

42. Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 package yeast
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 3 1/2 – 3 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins

 

Instructions:

• Dissolve 1 tsp sugar in water in a large bowl.
• Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir well.
• Meanwhile, scald milk and butter together.  Let cool to lukewarm.
• Add milk mixture, sugar, salt and eggs to yeast mixture.
• Beat in half of flour until smooth.
• Add remaining flour and knead well for 5 minutes.
• Round up in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Punch down, cover and let rise again until double in bulk for about 45 minutes.
• Punch down.  Divide dough in half.
• Roll half of dough into an oblong shape.
• Spread with 2 tbsp softened butter.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and raisins.
• Rill up tightly into a long roll and seal well.
• Slice into 1 inch slices and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
• Cover and let rise until double in bulk, for about 1 hour in a warm place.
• Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

 

Mir: These were scrumptious!  And the smell of them baking was almost as good.  No wonder we were so “chubby”! If a muffin couldn’t be found (like during the months in Israel), Mom would enjoy a hot cup of coffee with a cinnamon bun. Making it to a coffee stand in time to get Mom the last cinnamon bun was always a real feat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

43. Cornmeal Muffins

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp. flour
• 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk

Instructions:

• Mix dry ingredients.
•  Beat butter, sugar and egg until fluffy. 
• Add dry ingredients alternating with milk.
•  Bake 18 to 20 minutes at 375°F.
•  Serve warm with sour cream and strawberries.

                                                                                       

44. Cornmeal  (Mamalige)

Ingredients:

• 2 regular yogurts (300 ml)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cottage cheese (5%) (500 ml)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 margarine
• 1 cup corn meal
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

 

Instructions:

• Mix all ingredients together.
• Place in oiled pyrex.
• Bake at 350 F for 1/2 hour.

 

Mir:  One of Dad’s favourites.  This is delicious served warm with sour cream or yogurt and strawberries. 

                                             

45. Cottage Cheese Pie

Ingredients for crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 lb margarine
• 3 heaping tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar

 

Ingredients for filling:

• 3 lbs cottage cheese (5%)
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 eggs
• Pinch salt
• Lemon juice to taste

 

Instructions:

• Mix together ingredients for crust.  Put most down on pyrex 9 x 12.
• Leave rest for topping.
• Place filling on crust.
• Top with remaining crust dough.
• Bake for 1 hour.

 

46. Date Bran Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup bran
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 tbsp oil
• 1/3 package dates
• 1 cup boiling water

 

 

Instructions:

• Let dates stand in boiling water.
•   Mix together all the dry ingredients.
•  Make a well and add oil and egg. 
• Add date mixture.  Add raisins.  Mix by hand until blended.
• Grease muffin tin. 
• Bake at 375°F for l5 minutes.

                                                           

47. Date Loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup (pitted) dates
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 beaten egg
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup nuts

Instructions:

• Pour hot water over dates and cool.
• Add baking soda and butter.
• Add sugar, flour, egg, salt and nuts.
• Bake.

 

 

48. Date Squares

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dates (pitted)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• Juice from one lemon
• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 1/4 cup flour

 

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 3/4 cup margarine or butter

Instructions:

• Boil dates and tablespoon of brown sugar until smooth.  Add lemon juice and cool.
• Mix remaining ingredients together.
• Pat half of oat mixture in baking pan.
• Put date mixture on top.
• Spread remaining oat mixture on top.
• Bake at 350°F.

 

Dave:  Oh did these go well with a cup of tea.  Or even without a cup of tea…

 

49. “Delicious” Cake

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• Chocolate chips  (can be made with 1 1/2 cups blueberries dusted with 1/2 cup flour instead)

Instructions:

• Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.
•  Beat in oil.
•  Add orange juice alternately with dry ingredients and beat just until smooth. 
• Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes – one hour in a greased and floured bundt pan

 

Dave:  I think I coined that phrase … it used to be called “chocolate chip cake” but it was just too delicious to not be called the “delicious cake”.   The youngest always reserves the right to make these changes!

 

 

 

50. Egg and Potato

Ingredients:

• 1 potato (boiled and mashed)
• 1 egg (soft boiled)
• Salt

 

Instructions:

• Boil the potato and mash onto a plate.
• Add soft boiled egg to mashed potato and mix.
• Add salt to taste
• Peas (optional)

 

Mir:  I remember Mom saying that when she was growing up, her mother would add canned peas to this.  I don’t think we ever tried that.

Mel: This was not my favorite dish. It turned me off towards soft boiled eggs for about fifty years. Till now, that is.  This reminds me of my fishsticks story. Mom used to make fishsticks when I was young, not my favorite sole food. Once I found a bone (not a pit, I assure you) in a fishstick. Mom and Dad promised me that if I ever found another fishstick with a bone, I would never have to eat another. Guess what, the very next stick (or day), there was another bone. Call it bashert, divine providence, whatever, I was saved!                                

Rena: When Mom was very sick and not able to eat much I was having trouble of thinking up foods to make her. I remembered this and asked her if she wanted it, a childhood food of hers and she said yes. I ran to boil the potatoes and scoop the soft boiled egg over it. Mom ate some of it, another `comfort food`.

 

51. Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds eggplant
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• Dash pepper
• Oil for browning
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella
• 8 oz.  mozzarella cheese, sliced

 

Instructions:

• Peel, slice and cube eggplant.
• Season flour with garlic powder and pepper and put into plastic bag.
• Add eggplant and shake well.
• Let stand for 30 minutes.
• Heat small amount of oil in a non stick frying pan.
• Spread eggplant on paper towel to remove extra flour.
• Brown eggplant and garlic lightly in oil.
• Spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce) in a 10 inch round casserole.
• Spread half the eggplant, all the sliced mushrooms, half the grated cheese and half the mozzarella.
• Sprinkle with oregano.
• Top with 1 cup tomato sauce and repeat another layer of eggplant, grated cheese and the rest of sauce.
• Top with mozzarella.
• Cover loosely with foil
• Bake for 20 minutes at 375 F , remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

 

52. Fudge Icing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp hot water

Instructions:

• Melt butter or margarine.
• Add cocoa, icing sugar
• Add vanilla and hot water and blend.

 

53. Garden Salad (Mir’s)

Ingredients:

• 1 package (500 gr)  spiral noodles, cooked
• 1 kg cherry tomatoes (or slightly less)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 – 5 tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

 

Instructions:

• Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain, put in bowl.
• Add oil, vinegar and salt. Mix.
• When noodles have cooled, add rest of vegetables and mix.

 

Mir:   Mom called this pasta recipe “Mir’s Garden Salad” even though it was given to me by her years ago.  I guess we ate it so often with a piece of salmon on Friday nights, that it somehow became mine.  Mom loved it with a giant helping of red onions.

 

54. Mom’s Gefilte Fish

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp oil
• 2 lbs ground fish
• 1/2  cup matza meal
• 4 onions + peels
• 4 carrots
• Fish heads, bones and/or pieces of carp
• Salt, pepper, sugar

Instructions for “yoich”:

• Cut up 2 onions, slice 2 carrots and fry in a big pot.
• Wash fish heads, fish bones and/or other pieces of carp and place them in the same pot with enough water to cover.
• Wash onion peels well and add to pot.
• Add 1 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp pepper and 2 tsp sugar.
• Boil this mixture for 1 hour and then add gefilte fish balls.

Instructions for balls:

• Mix together in food processor until fine 2 big onions, 2 carrots, 2 eggs, 5 tsp sugar,  2 1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 – 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp oil.
• Add this to 2 lb fish and mix.
• Add 1/2 cup matza meal, or just enough to be able to shape into balls.
• Add each shaped ball to the large pot and boil at a low gentle simmer for 2 hours covered.

Mir:  Rena sent me this recipe in 2007.  This is the mail that went with it.

“Mir,

I’m glad you’re thrilled with the recipes. It didn’t take that long to type and I’ve been wanting to do it for ages.  Here they sell peeled baby carrots so I’m lucky I don’t have to peel them, I just slice them into a few pieces. I told Mom this morning that she told me those recipes in 1991. She told me what she did and I wrote them down. It’s good that I did because now she forgot them. Today, after I sent them all to you, both girls asked me for them all so I sent it to their emails for them to keep.”

Mel: I LOVED Mom’s gefilte fish. Hint hint.

55. Hamentaschen

Ingredients for Dough:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup orange juice
• 5 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt

Instructions for Dough:

• Beat eggs with sugar.  Add oil, vanilla and orange juice. Add dry ingredients.

Ingredients for Filling:

• 2 packages pitted prunes (1 kilogram)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 whole lemon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup ground walnuts

Instructions for Filling:

• Put ingredients in food processor.

Instructions for Hamentasch:

• Divide dough into three equal parts.  Roll out on lightly floured table.  Use a cup to cut out circular shapes.  Add filling and shape into Hamentasch.
• Brush with egg yolk (optional).
• Bake at 360 F for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden.

Mir:  I have three different Purim memories of Mom and me. The first is as a little girl, from the age of eight to ten, preparing plates of “mishloach manot” with all sorts of “gebeks” and delivering them to the Loomers, Bermans, Heilmans etc. Mom taught me a poem in Yiddish which I had to recite at every door. It went something like…”Haynt is purim, morgn is oys, gib mir a peni un varf mik min hois”.  It often got laughs, although I don’t remember getting the “peni”.   The second memory is getting Mom’s packages of hamentaschen during the first few years I was in Israel.  Mom always packed them so well that not even one came broken. Each one of them had its own shape, its own character.  One year Mom warned me that she had even packed them with popcorn so they would arrive unharmed.  I’ll never forget that walk home from the post office in Bat Yam with a trail of popcorn falling out of a hole in the box.  It cost Mom a “farmegen” to send, but each of them was so precious to me that I had my own method of cherishing each morsel; first the corners were broken off and eaten slowly, then the sides, then the bottom; the filling was always last and then, of course, the licking of fingers.. Benny, who thought this ceremony very strange, got a token hamentasch very grudgingly.  The third memory is of Mom, already a Bobi, making hamentaschen with the kids. I can see, as if it were yesterday, Mom wearing one of her flowery housecoats on top of her clothes, standing at my kitchen table with my adoring kids standing around and waiting for instructions. Everyone and everything was eventually covered with flour and the sticky prune mix but the kids’ radiant smiles shone through.

 

 

 

 Mel:    For many a year, Mom would individually wrap about thirty homentaschen, and pack them in a giant Kellog’s corn flakes box, and mail them to me in Israel. As opposed to other members of the family, I preferred the poppy – moon (where is the recipe) and so my stash would be mostly moon ones. During those years in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, I shared my apartment with Buzzy, Shai, Terry, Sven and others and was always stingy with Mom’s homentaschen. Mostly, I ate them on the sly.

Dave:  And I used to stand there and say, “Mom, you’re really not going to ship these to Israel are you?” 

Rena:    I would wait all year round for Purim for Mom`s hamentashen. I remember Mom sending boxes to Mel, then when I was at university I was sent my own boxes.

I used to ration myself to one a day so I wouldn`t run out of them so fast. Mom made each one so perfectly. When I tried to make them Mom would give me compliments but mine were never as perfect looking.  Mom had the perfect prune-sugar-lemon ratio.                             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

56. Holishkes (Stuffed Cabbage)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chopped beef
• 1/4 cup rice, uncooked
• 1 egg
• 1 onion, grated
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 head cabbage (10 – 12 leaves)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup canned tomato sauce
• 1 cup tomato juice

 

Instructions:

• Separate cabbage leaves.  Pour boiling water over leaves, cover and let stand for about 15 minutes.
• Combine meat, rice, grated onion, 2 tbsp water, seasonings and egg. Mix well.
• Drain water from leaves. 
• Place a small scoop of meat on each leaf.  Roll up cabbage, tucking in ends.
• Place diced onion and pieces of left-over cabbage at the bottom of a large saucepan/pot.  Add water, tomato juice and sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar.
• Cook for 1 1/2 hours on low heat.  Add seasonings to taste (soup powder, optional).

 

Mir:  I remember Mom trying to separate the leaves of the steaming hot cabbage with her fingers. Even for Mom it was hot.  Mom could handle the hottest dish with her bare hands,  she would take the hottest baths, sunbathe under the hottest sun and enjoy only the hottest coffee.

Mel:  As Assif wrote….

Dear G-d, please take good care of our Bobi. Here are a few things you need to know – 1 – chocolate always makes her happy.   2 – She loves singing and she bakes the best desserts ever.  3 – She likes her coffee hot, very hot and strong.

 

 

 

57. Honey Cake (Bobi Regina’s)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 – 1 1/4 cup melted honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Juice of one orange
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder (mix in with flour)
• 1 cup strong coffee + 1 tsp. baking soda (dissolve in coffee)
• 1 tsp cinnamon

 

Ingredients for topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup melted butter
• Almond pieces

Instructions:

• Beat eggs and sugar.
• Add oil, orange juice, vanilla.
• Alternate coffee and flour.
• Add honey at end.
• Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes in a tube cake pan.
• Cool upside down.

 

Mel: I vividly remember those almond slices at the top of the cake. At the end of Yom Kippur, this is what we would take to shul to break the fast.

Dave:  along with an apple and a peanut butter sandwich.  Word association here.  Yom Kippur.  The Shalom’s house. Nicky the dog. I can still taste it.  Like everything else mom baked, there was just a little of something that made it unique. Better.   Was it just TLC, or maybe an extra pinch of cinnamon?

Rena:  After Mom moved to Toronto, she made 3 honey cakes for Rosh Hashana. One for me, one for Dave and one for her and Dad. I loved the cake most when it had a sticky honey topping.

Mom said the secret of making a good honey cake was using Buckwheat Honey. One year Mom couldn`t find Buckwheat Honey so I went from store to store searching for it. Mom thankfully ended up finding it and the cakes were scrumptious.

 

58. Honey Cake (“Faigel’s Honey Cake”)

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 lemon rind
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 cup ground walnuts
• 1 cup cold strong tea
• 3 1/2 cups flour

Instructions:

• Separate eggs.
• Mix yolks and sugar by hand.  Add all remaining ingredients except for tea, flour and nuts.
• Add flour and tea to mixture, alternate.
• Beat whites stiff and fold into mixture.
• Add nuts.
• Bake at 325 F in tube pan for one hour.

 

59. Icing (Becky’s 7 minute Icing)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

• Mix sugar, water and corn syrup and boil to a syrup. 
• Beat egg whites stiff.
• Slowly pour hot syrup in a thin stream into egg whites, beating constantly until frosting is thick and holds its shape. 
• Add vanilla.

 

60. Icing (Sea Foam)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 2 egg whites
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

• Combine sugar, water and corn syrup in saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove cover and cook until syrup spins a 6 to 8 inch thread when dropped from fork (242 degrees)
• Beat egg whites + salt until stiff just before syrup is ready.
• Pour syrup in a thin stream into egg whites, beating constantly.
• Continue beating until frosting holds firm peaks.
• Blend in vanilla.

 

61. Kasha & Bow Ties

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup buckwheat groats
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups boiling water
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 tbsp oil
•  package bow ties

Instructions:

• Combine groats, egg and salt in a large skillet.
• Stir constantly on a low heat until all grains are dry and separate.
• Add water, cover and cook on a medium heat until all water is absorbed (10 – 15 minutes).
• Brown onion in oil.
• Cook bowties.
• Add onion and bowties to the kasha.

 

Mel:  I’m not sure how much we liked it, but whenever I see or taste kasha it reminds me of Mom.

Mir: Dad loved Kasha and Varenishkes, especially with the yoich of the meatballs.  Benny would always say ““קשה, קשה and then take a generous helping.

 

62. Kmish (Mandelbroit)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup almonds

 

Instructions:

• Mix together in the order listed.  Mix eggs with sugar, add oil and mix, add flour, baking powder and mix, add cinnamon and almonds and mix
• Form two columns of batter on a greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 360 F for 30 minutes or until light brown.
• Take out of oven and make one inch slices. Carefully place each slice on its side.
• Turn off oven and return cookies to harden and dry.

 

Mir:  In this recipe, you can see the calculations for a half recipe at the side.  It’s in Dad’s handwriting.  Mom would always tell us how bad she was in Math so it’s not surprising that Dad calculated this for her.  Mom would tell us that thanks to Dad’s tutoring, she managed to pass first year Math.    I never really believed that my mother who could check a bill by making the additions in her head in a number of seconds or calculate how much she would get off an item on sale in the blink of an eye could be bad at Math.  But then there’s the story of the 52 chickens….

 

Mel: This story has become a family legend, so my memory of details may have been somewhat skewed. Mom was never really terrific at math, and often told us that Dad tutored her in the subject, enabling her to pass and finish her mandatory university math courses and graduate.

One day when I was about twelve, I came home from school hearing noises and crying from the basement downstairs.  Mom was downstairs amidst a sea of 52 frozen chickens. Chickens on the table,  chickens on the washing machine, chickens on the dryer. Mom was on the phone, speaking to friends throughout Ottawa, pleading with them to come over and pick out a few birds to take home, before they all thawed out and went bad. 

Mom had decided to order the kosher chickens from Toronto, via train. I guess there was some kind of minimum for the order. Mom made a calculation of how many chickens she needed, figuring half a chicken a week for 26 weeks.  The correct answer involves dividing by 2. If you got 13, go to the front of the class.  Mom multiplied instead of dividing and came up with 52 full-bodied chickens. And that’s what she ordered. The kosher butcher from Toronto was delighted with the order, and, thinking that Mom was organizing a simha, sent her back a thank you letter, expressing his gratitude.

Eventually most of the chickens were sold off, and the rest we disposed of slowly.

 

Mir:  According to the legend, Rena, the chicken lover, saw Mom’s distress and tried to console her by saying “Mom, don’t worry, I’ll eat them all.”

 

63. Kmish (Lea Kalin’s Mandelbroit)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 3/4 cup walnuts or almonds

Instructions:

• Follow above instructions.

 

Mir: Mom loved mandelbroit, even though I would make Lea’s recipe. I always had them in the house, and when the folks arrived at my house on Friday afternoons before Shabbat dinner, Mom – who had a sweet tooth- would have a few with coffee. She enjoyed them most while sitting in the back yard, with the kids sitting around her, listening to her stories.  When the folks would return to Israel in the fall, I would always have a batch made for them at their apartment, which wouldn’t last long. 

Mel:  Leah Kalin phoned me a few days before she died to say goodbye. Her voice was the same as I remember it forty-five years ago. One of the saddest phone conversations I ever had. I remember that Leah always had her kamish in the kitchen, and always their butter was always on the table, never in the fridge, and always in plentiful supply.She loved Mum dearly.

Dave:  I loved Leah too.  We all did.  Zavi!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

64. Knishes

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1 egg
• 2 tsp sugar (heaping)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups flour (or more)
• pinch salt

Filling

• 3 1/2 packages of cheese (Tov Taam 5%)
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp sugar
• pinch salt

Instructions:

• Divide dough into three.  For each one, sprinkle flour generously on table and roll out on table one at a time to paper thinness.
•  Place filling along one edge and roll over a few times. Cut roll away from remaining dough. Repeat this procedure until all dough is used up.
•  Flour the side of your hand and cut roll every few inches.  Stand knish on side and shape.
•  Bake at 375°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Mel:  Knishes were my absolute favorite. I remember once downing ten at a single sitting (what a fresser I was), they were delish with the sour cream and the frozen strawberries. And sour cream in those days was not 5% fat, I assure you.  

 

Mir:   Dad always said that people were divided into two groups – “knish” people and “blintze” people.  I am a knish person.  Way back in 1989, right after Daniel was born, Mom and Dad were about to leave for Canada and Benny was leaving for a month of “miluim”.  Mom felt guilty about me being alone with a newborn and two “kleininkes” and wanted to help me out before she left. So Mom made me a freezer full of knishes.  There must have been one hundred. I, of course, ate them all and, as a result, looked much like a knish when Mom and Dad returned in the fall.  I’ll never forget the look on Mom’s face when the elevator door opened and she saw me months later…

Dave: Count me a knish person too, but if I was stuck on a desert island and all I had were Mom’s blintzes, I wouldn’t complain (so long as there was electricity so I can warm them up … and plug in the TV).                                     

65. Kugel

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package noodles
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Salt and pepper
• 1/8 cup oil

Instructions:

• Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
• In a large bowl, combine noodles, eggs and seasoning.
• Heat oil in a casserole in a 350°F oven.
• Put noodle mixture into casserole.
• Bake for 1/2 – 1 hour or until lightly browned.

 

Mir:  This is Mom’s kugel recipe as I remember it.  I found one written by Mom which included 2 tbsp onion soup powder and 1 tsp mushroom soup powder – an interesting touch.

 

66. Kugel #2

 

Ingredients:

• 1 package medium noodles
• 3 tbsp fat
• 5 eggs
• 3 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tsp salt
• Dash of pepper

 

Instructions:

 

• Boil noodles in salted water and drain.
• Add fat and let cool.
• Fry onions.  When brown, sprinkle flour over them.
• Pour boiling water over onions and shut off burner.
• Add this mixture to the noodles.
• Beat three eggs well.  Add to noodles along with 2 tsp salt and dash pepper.
• Mix well and put in greased hot pan.
• Add two eggs well beaten and pinch salt and pour over kugel
• Bake at 350 F for one hour.

67. Kugel (Milchik)

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 oz.) noodles
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 tbsp sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 lb butter
• 1/4 lb cream cheese

Ingredients for topping:

• 1 cup crushed cornflakes, cinnamon, sugar, melted butter

Instructions:

• Cook noodles according to directions and drain.
• Mix cheese, sour cream with melted butter.  Add yolks, then noodles.
• Beat whites till stiff and fold in.
• Pour into greased pyrex baking dish (9×12)
• Top with mixture.
• Bake at 350°F for 50 – 60 minutes.

 

68. Kugel (Shulamis’s Dairy)

Ingredients:

• 1 package noodles, cooked, drained
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 pint sour cream
• 6 eggs
• Salt & pepper
• 1/2 quart milk

 

Instructions:

• Mix cooked noodles together with sugar, sour cream, eggs, salt , pepper.
• Take half of the mixture and mix with half quart milk (or less).
• Melt 1/2 cup butter in pyrex and add the other half of batter.  Mix well.
• Add noodle and milk mixture.  Add raisins (optional).
• Bake 375 F for 2 hours.

 

 

 

69. Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 carrot chopped
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 cups mushrooms
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cups broccoli flowers
• 1 cup low fat cottage cheese
• Mozzarella
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• Lasagna precooked noodles

Instructions:

• Fry vegetables.
• Add tomato sauces and seasoning.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add broccoli.
• Spread some sauce at bottom of a pyrex. Arrange noodles.  Add sauce, cheeses. Repeat.
• Bake at 350°F for 35 – 45 minutes.

 

Dave: Mom’s lasagnas were great. I loved how she pronounced it too — “kids, we’re having lassania tonight”.  I thought the picture on the Mama Bravo tomato can label was Mom (then again, Rena had me convinced that brussel sprouts were octopus eyes).

Mir:  We didn’t inherit Mom’s pronunciation of “lassanga” as we did the way she pronounced “zzzip” and “RApunzel”.

 

 

70. Lasagna  (Flaishig)

Ingredients for Meat Sauce:

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 lbs (1 kilo) ground beef
• 2 large cans tomato sauce
• 2 – 6 oz cans of tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp basil
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 package lasagna noodles (precooked)

 

Instructions:

• Saute onions and garlic in oil.  Add remaining ingredients.
• Stir well and bring to a boil.
• Simmer till sauce is thick – 3 to 4 hours.
• Line baking dish with lasagna noodles. 
• Spread sauce on top.
• Repeat at least four times, ending with sauce.
• Bake at 325 F for 20 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered.

 

71. Latkes

Ingredients:

• 4  potatoes, grated
• 1 onion, grated
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2  tsp baking powder
• Salt and pepper
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

• Grate potatoes and onion and let sit in colander for a while so liquid can drain.
• Add eggs, flour, baking powder and salt
• Heat oil in pan and fry on both sides till golden brown.
• Eat hot with applesauce or sour cream.

 

Mel:  I can smell them as I read the recipe.

 

Dave:  this is a distant memory for me I have to admit … over the years I fell in love with Rena’s.

 

Mir: What comes to mind when I think back to Hanuka in Ottawa is Mom’s Hanuka performance with her kindergarten and the many songs Mom taught them, especially one song that I have never heard since (“אני נר ראשון, אני אני בא, בלילה הראשון של חג החנוכה.  אני נר שני…..)

I remember the Black Latke Party at the Histadrut Center; how we used to pick the candle we thought would burn out last; my dreidl collection and the black story book with the story about the magic frying pan that couldn’t stop making latkes until the magic words “Judah Maccabee” were said…

During Mom and Dad’s years in Israel, the kids and I would spend the Hanuka vacation schlepping around together and we would go to their place to light the candles and eat latkes. Later, Mom would bring the latke mixture to my place and we’d fry them together.  In the past years, when it got too hard for Mom, I started making them from scratch.  The first few times I made them, Dad gave me relatively low marks after I asked him how they were.  Our last Hanuka together, I got a nine.  When I asked him why only a nine, he said that only Mom’s got a ten. About that, he was right.

Hanuka was a double celebration for Mom and Dad since it marked their anniversary.  They were married December l8th, 1949 on the night of the third candle.   In the past years, I would invite the whole clan over for the Friday night of Hanuka for the double simcha.  Mom would always say, “What do you need all that work for?”  but I knew that it meant a lot to her and I knew how much joy she got out of it.  It was always so much fun.  Mom and Mel would play Hanuka melodies on the piano. We would all stand around in a circle and light the candles together, singing the brachot and then all the Hanuka songs while  swaying from side to side with our arms around each other.  Mom’s face would beam with love and pride as she looked around at the family. 

 

 

72. Lemon Cake (Rivka’s favourite)

Ingredients:

• 1 whole lemon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 ounce stick margarine
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup flour less 2 tbsp
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup icing sugar

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.

• Peel lemon, taking only the yellow outer layer of the rind.
•   Put in food processor along with sugar.  Add margarine.  Add one egg at a time.  Process for l5 seconds each time.
•  Add flour and baking powder and process three off/on just until flour disappears. 
• Grease loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.
• Roll the peeled lemon back and forth on the counter several times, pressing firmly with your hand.  Cut in two and extract the juice.
• Mix the juice with the icing sugar.  Spoon the mixture over the top of the cake while it is cooling.  Repeat until lemon juice mixture is used up.

 

Rivka:  Bobi wouldn’t always make this cake because she said it was fattening but whenever I asked for it, Bobi would take a lemon from our tree and the next thing you know, there was a lemon cake.  When I would ask her if it’s fattening, Bobi would say “One piece isn’t fattening, but two pieces….” And then she would cut me a giant “Bobi  piece”.

 

73. Lemon Pie

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• Package of gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water

Instructions:

• Place yolks in saucepan.
• Add sugar, lemon juice and rind of lemon.
• Cook until boil and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Dissolve a package of gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water.
• Mix with filling and cool.
• Place in baked pie crust.
• Cover with meringue and bake at 350 F until golden, about 12 minutes. 

 

Instructions for meringue:

• Beat 2 whites until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar until still peaks form.
• Top pie with meringue and bake at 350 F until golden, about 12 minutes.

 

Srul: This was my favorite pie. I remember Bobi used to call us during the week to ask which pie we would like this time for dessert on Friday night.  My answer was always the same “Lemon pie!” (whereas Aba was a blueberry pie person :).  I didn’t like the meringue that much, and whenever I took it off Zaidee jumped on the occasion and finished it off J

Mir: Zaidee’s plate was always piled high with meringue!

Mel: Just for the record, I have always been a meringue person. Too bad, I didn’t know Srul was a potential partner…

74. Lemon pie # 2

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup lemon juice
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp  gelatin
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup butter

Instructions:

• Combine flour, cornstarch and sugar in a small saucepan.
• Add lemon juice and rind of lemon. Mix well.
• Soak gelatin in water.
• Bring orange mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Cook for 2 minutes.
• Spoon a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolks, and blend.
• Pour back into saucepan and cook half a minute longer.
• Add dissolved gelatin and butter and stir until dissolved.
• Cool, stirring occasionally.
• Pour onto baked pie crust.  Add meringue. 

Instructions for meringue:

• Beat 2 whites until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar until still peaks form.
• Top with meringue and bake at 350 F until golden, about 12 minutes.

 

75. Mandlen (“Birdie Birdie Num Nums”)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions:

• Combine all ingredients, beat to blend, then knead slightly to make a dough just firm enough to roll with the hands. 
• Divide into 2 or 3 parts and roll into ropes 3/8 inch thick.  Cut into 1/2 inch pieces, place in shallow well-greased roasting pan. 
• Bake in 375°F oven until golden brown.
• Shake pan occasionally so that nuts brown evenly on all sides.
• Store in a covered jar.

 

76. Meatballs

Ingredients for meatballs:

• 1 kilo (2 lbs) minced meat (beef or chicken)
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons of bread crumbs (or matza meal)
• 2 tbsp onion soup powder
• 2-3 tbsp ketchup
• Few drops of water
• Grated carrot or potato (optional)

Ingredients for sauce:

• Can of crushed tomatoes (20 oz.)
• Can of tomato paste (6 oz.)
• Onion
• Green pepper
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2- 3 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 tbsp onion soup powder
• 1 tbsp chicken soup powder
• Add seasoning (pepper, oregano) (optional)

 

 

Instructions:

• Fry onion and green pepper in a large pot.
• Add tomato sauces.
• Add water.
• Add remaining ingredients, mix and bring to a boil.
• Mix the ingredients for the meatballs. With wet hands, form balls and drop them into boiling sauce.
• Turn down heat and let simmer for 2 hours.
• Stir occasionally.

 

Dave: Mom’s meatballs were so great I thought we were Italian Jews.

Mel: Mir has also become a great Italian Jew, her meatballs are immortal (if you can say that about a meatball).

Mir:  When Mom was asked which scene from the movie “Kazablan” she liked most, she would laugh and describe the scene in which Yehoram Ga’on couldn’t bring himself to eat the piece of gefilte fish and fed it to the cat under the table instead.  In the fall of 79, Benny made his first trip to Canada with me.  Mom cooked up a storm which included her wonderful meatballs.  I will never forget the look of shock on Benny’s face as he put the first meatball into his mouth. His eyeballs almost joined the meatballs on his plate.  He probably wished there had been a cat or two under the kitchen table.  “Meat isn’t supposed to be sweet”, he claimed afterwards.  Although Benny’s first encounter with the Ashkenazi custom of eating sweet meat was slightly shocking, it wasn’t long before Mom’s meatballs became one of Benny’s favourite dishes.

Srul: Oh, how I love those meatballs. I can still hear Bobi singing “One meatball, and no spaghetti”. Every time Bobi sang this song I used to laugh.  I guess Bobi was right when she said I’m her best audience. I did laugh from every joke she told, and every cute song she sang J

 

77. Mock Herring

Ingredients:

• 1 apple, peeled
• 1 slice rye bread
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• 1/2  chopped onion
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tins sardines or herring
• Salt and sugar, to taste

Instructions:

• Mix vinegar and water.
• Soak bread in it.
• Grate onion and apple finely.
• Mash sardines.
• Chop egg, soaked bread and combine with rest of ingredients.
• Season to taste.

78. Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients for dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sour cream
• 75 grams margarine

 

Ingredients for mixture:

• 2 onions, cut into slices
• 100 grams margarine
• 1 can of mushrooms
• 2 tbsp mushroom soup mix
• 200 grams yellow cheese, grated
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Instructions:

• Mix ingredients for dough and press down into casserole.
• Fry onions in 100 grams margarine until golden.
• Add can of mushrooms and soup mix. Mix together.
• Place on dough.
• Mix together cheese, sour cream, eggs, salt and pepper.  Spread on onions.
• Bake for 1 hour at 360 F.

 

 

 

79. Nothings

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup flour

Instructions:

• Beat eggs.  Add oil and sugar and beat well. Add flour & beat for 20 minutes.
• Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes and turn over off for 20 minutes.

 

 

Mel: They were something. Why were they called ‘nothings’?

 

80. Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp warm water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp soda
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cup oatmeal (rolled oats)
• 1 cup coconut

 

Instructions:

• Cream shortening with sugars.  Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients to batter.  Stir in oatmeal and coconut.
• Bake on an ungreased baking sheet at 350°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

 

Dave:  Next the chocolate chip cookies, these were the best IMHO but mom made a version that also had chocolate chips in them too (as Tom Jarrett and Chops would attest because there polished off a few bins of these too).   Mom would “cheat” sometimes and put chocolate chips in these. Oh my God were they ever good.

Mir:  Mom called it “doctoring” when she would upgrade a recipe with her own special touch.  Mom never “jalaved” and added a generous dose, especially when it was chocolate.

 

 

PESACH

Mir:  Mom made all our holidays special – and not just because of the food – but Pesach was my favourite.  Mom would start getting the house ready with a good spring cleaning (with the help of Mrs. Keyes). Next would be the kitchen. The counters were covered with oil cloth; the cutlery was given a good boiling – thanks to the rocks we would bring in from outside; the silver was given a polishing; the walk-in-closet was taped up and the Pesach dishes were brought up from the basement.  How many trips Mom took lugging up all the dishes that we would use once a year for the week of Pesach…the coloured plates, the doggie glasses… Then the shopping at the Dominion downtown that had the best Pesachdike assortment of food – Ubet chocolate syrup, coconut coated marshmallows, Streit’s jams, borscht, chocolates… Miraculously, Mom managed to find the time to buy us new clothes for the holiday too!  I can’t even fathom how Mom had time to prepare her kindergarten kids for the “Model Seder” to which she invited all the parents!!  Finally, came the cooking for two Sedorim. Mom would always invite guests for the Sedorim, so they were always joyous affairs. I remember the chicken soup Mom would prepare for an army in a huge pot with the “eggies” floating on top. There was always a big pot of tsimmis and a good looking turkey stuffed full to bursting.  While going through Mom’s recipes, I found the cooking schedule that Mom arranged for Pesach of 1981 (I was already into my third year in Israel, so I missed it).  It goes like this:

• Gefilte fish – Thursday
• Knaidlach – Thursday
• Chicken soup – Thursday
• Fried farfel – Friday
• Farfel kugel – Sunday
• Sweet and sour meatballs – Thursday
• Chicken – Friday
• Stuffing – Friday
• Prunes – Thursday
• Apple cake – Friday
• Tzimmes – Thursday
• Farfel Veg. kugel – Friday
• Rena & David chicken – Thursday
• Rogelach – Friday
• Bagel – Friday
• Sponge cake – Thursday
• Cake mixes – Thursday

Where was Dad in all of this preparation?  His job was to get us out of Mom’s hair the morning of the first Seder.  He would pack us in the car and take us to Innisville to watch the fish “run”.  We would stand on a bridge and look down into the river.  If we were tall enough, we could actually see the fish. I, obviously, didn’t see many but I enjoyed hearing my sibs’ cries of joy when they saw a fish.

 Back at 616, Mom was busy setting the table and getting ready for the evening.  Mom always said that when she finally sat down for the Seder, she was so exhausted, that all she wanted to do was sleep…(which she never did because there was always a Yiddish song to sing.) 

Mom’s Pesachs were definitely one of the holiday’s miracles….

                                                              

           

 

                                                 

 

81. Passover Apple Cake (Auntie Shulamis’)

Ingredients for Batter: (I’ve doubled the recipe)

• 1 1/2 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3  cups matzo meal
• 1 cup potato starch

 

Ingredients for Filling:

• 12 apples (peeled, sliced)
• 3/4  cup sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon & orange
• Cinnamon

Instructions:

• Cook the ingredients for filling for 15 minutes and cool.
• Put cooled filling at bottom of pan.
• Prepare the batter by beating eggs with sugar. Add oil and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix.
• Cover the apples with the batter.  With wet hands, take a few tablespoons of batter at a time and shape into a flat patty with your hands. Place on top of apples.
• Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.

82. Passover Apple Cherry Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs separated
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup oil
• 3/4 cup potato starch
• 1 1/2 cup cake meal
• 3 – 4 apples
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Cherry preserves

 

Instructions:

• Mix yolks, sugar, salt, oil, and rest of dry ingredients.
• Beat whites till stiff and fold in.
• Mix peeled, sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon.
• Pour half of batter into ungreased rectangular pan.
• Spread with apple and cherry mix.
• Top with remaining batter.
• Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

 

 

83. Passover Bagel

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup matzo meal
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Pinch salt

Instructions:

• Bring oil and water to a boil.
• Remove from heat and add matzo meal.
• Mix well and cool.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Wet hands and form balls.  Make hole in centre with oiled finger.
• Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes.  Reduce to 325°F and bake 20 minutes more.

 

Mel:  Faigel’s Pesach Baigels. We would fill the holes with that amazing Passover raspberry and peach jam (Rokeach?), and eat them on the special milchik plates (we need a picture of those from Thornhill).

Mir:  I actually remember filling them with a delicious cherry jam, with whole cherries that we could only get on Pesach.

Dave:  Waking up to those pesach bagels on the first day  … sweet sweet childhood memory.   with a glass of U-bet.  I’m going to cry in a second. My room was right next to the kitchen.  I would wake up on the first day of Pesach to the smell of these.  Mom would put a spoon of that wonderful jam and we all ate them with U-bet in those cute glasses — I loved the ones with the doggies.

84. Passover Brisket

 Ingredients:

• 3 – 5 lb. brisket
• 2-3 onions
• 5 garlic minced
• 1/2 pkg. dried onion soup
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. red wine
• 4 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 cup cola
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 bay leaves

 Instructions:

• Rub the garlic and onion soup powder well all over the meat.
• Chop or slice the onions and place them under the meat.
• Then rub the oil, honey, wine, ketchup,  pepper on the meat.
• Pour the cola and orange juice on and around.
• Put the bay leaves in the fluid.
• Cook 1 hour/lb. at 320 degrees F covered in a roasting pan.

85. Passover Brownies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup cake flour
• 6 tbsp cocoa
• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Nuts

Instructions:

• Whirl the sugar, flour, cocoa in mix master
• Add oil, eggs (one at a time), vanilla and nuts
• Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake.

 

86. Passover Brownies # 2

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup coffee (cooled)
• 1 cup cake meal (unsifted)
• 2 tbsp potato flour
• 1/2 cup nuts

 

Instructions:

• Whirl dry ingredients together.
• Add eggs, oil, coffee.
• Bake in 9 x 9 pan at 350 F for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

87. Passover Cake (Bobi Regina’s)

Ingredients:

• 10 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup potato flour
• 1/2 cup cake meal
• Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions:

• Beat whites with half of sugar till stiff.
• Beat yolks with rest of sugar until thick.
• Add lemon juice and beat 10 minutes.
• Fold in flour to yolks.
• Fold into whites.
• Put cinnamon in centre.
• Bake at 325°F for 1 hour.

88. Passover Cheese Pie

Ingredients for Base:

• 1 package ground Pesach cookies (or 1 cup matzo meal & 3 tbsp sugar)
• 6 tbsp melted margarine
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions for Base:

• Grind Pesach cookies in food processor. Add melted margarine.  Press down on bottom of baking pan.

Ingredients for Filling:

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• A few drops lemon juice
• 1 1/2 lb cream cheese (3 packages Tov Taam)
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar

 

Ingredients for Topping:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

• Process cheese and eggs, sugar, vanilla for 30 seconds.
•  Place on base.
• Bake at 375°F for 25 – 30 minutes.
• Cool.
• Add topping.
• Return to oven for 5 minutes.

89. Passover No Bake Cheese Pie (Gert’s)

Ingredients:

• 1 package whipped cream (Epicol Mickzefet)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 package (250 ml) cream cheese (5%)
• 1 package vanilla pudding
• 1/2 cup milk

Instructions:

• Whip the whipped cream with the milk and vanilla.
• Add the cream cheese and mix.
• Dissolve the vanilla pudding mix in milk and add.
• Place on pie crust.  (Use pie crust from above recipe).
• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

 

90. Passover Chocolate Cake (Winnipeg)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup oil
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1 cup cake meal

Instructions:

• Beat sugar and oil.
• Add eggs one at a time.
• Add cocoa, salt, potato starch, cake meal and mix.
• Bake at 350 F (170 C) for 35 minutes.

 

91. Passover Chocolate Banana Cake

 Mir: Mom would write rate the recipes by writing comments beside them.  This is what she wrote for this one. (great 93/ good 2004/ great 2007/ great 2009)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup grated bittersweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup cake meal
• 1/3 cup potato starch
• 9 eggs (separated)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup ripe mashed bananas
• Juice and rind of 1/2 orange
• 1 tbsp lemon rind

Instructions:

• Grate chocolate.
• Sift cake meal and potato starch and combine with grated chocolate.
• Beat whites and salt until foamy, then begin to add sugar gradually and beat until of meringue consistency.
• Beat yolks, add banana and flavourings and beat well. 
• Fold yolk mixture into stiffly beaten whites.
• Gradually fold dry ingredients into batter.
• Pour into ungreased tube pan.
• Bake for 1 hour at 325°F.
• Invert until cool.

 

 

 

92. Passover Farfel Kugel

Ingredients:

• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup diced celery
• 6 tbsp fat
• 3 1/2 cups matzo farfel (6 matzot)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 can/cup chicken soup
• 3 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 1/4 cup hot water

 

Instructions:

• Sauté onion and celery.
• Add broken matzo.
• Combine rest and add to matzo mixture.
• Bake 375°F until firm (about 30 minutes).

 

 

93. Passover Jelly Roll

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cake meal
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Grated rind of half lemon
• Grated rind of half orange

 

 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
• Line jelly roll pan with waxed paper.
• Beat yolks, sugar and rinds together until light in colour.
• Add cake meal
• Add salt to egg whites and beat until stiff.
• Fold whites into yolk mixture.
• Pour into prepared jelly roll pan.
• Bake for 12 minutes, or until cake tests done.
• Place a sheet of waxed paper on a damp towel for a few minutes.
• When jelly roll is done, remove from oven, and invert onto waxed paper which has been sprinkled with icing sugar.
• Peel off paper, spread with jelly or jam and roll up.
• Wrap in waxed paper first and then put damp towel around the waxed paper for 15 minutes to help the roll keep its shape.

 

 

94. Passover Lasagna

Ingredients:

•  Matzas
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Green peppers
• Cottage cheese
• Tomato paste (sauce), seasoned with oregano and thyme
• Yellow cheese slices

Instructions:

• Pour boiling water over matza, let soak for 10 seconds and drain.
• Fry vegetables.
• In pyrex, alternate tomato sauce, matza, fried vegetables, cottage cheese, yellow cheese slices. (Spread sauce at bottom of pyrex.)
• Top with sauce and cheese slices (or grated cheese).
• Cover and bake at 350 – 400 F for 30 minutes. 
• Uncover and bake for 5 minutes to brown cheese.

 

 

95. Passover Lemon Cake (2007 good)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 8 eggs separated
• 2 cups cooked mashed lemons
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup potato flour
• 1/2 cup ground pecans
• Pinch salt (in egg whites)

Instructions:

• Cook lemons and mash.
• Beat yolks thick and lemon coloured.
• Gradually add sugar.
• Fold in cake flour, potato flour, lemons and nuts.
• Beat whites till soft peaks form
• Fold in and bake at 325°F for 45 – 60 minutes.

 

96. Passover Nut Cake (Bobi Regina’s)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs separated
• 2 tbsp potato starch
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cake meal
• 1/2 cup nuts
• Grated rind of orange
• Pinch salt

Instructions:

• Beat yolks and sugar well.
• Mix in dry ingredients.
• Add nuts.
• Add salt to whites and beat stiff.
• Fold into cake mixture.
• Bake at 325°F for 45 – 60 minutes.

 

97. Passover Nut Cake (Faigel’s)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 lb crushed walnuts (1 cup)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup cake meal

 

Instructions:

• Beat whites till stiff.
• Beat yolks and sugar well.  Add cake meal, nuts and lemon juice.
• Fold whites into batter gently.
• Bake at 350 F for 55 minutes in tube pan.

Mel: It is the nut cake that brings the memory of Pesach to me in particular.

 

Dave:  Me too … it’s been maybe 25 years since I recall last eating a piece.  It was so good.  I think we were the only family that wished Pesach was all year round.  All because of Mom’s baking.

 

Mel: Yes, but we also loved the egg matzas and the Streit’s jam.

98. Passover Vegetable Kugel

Ingredients:

• 3 medium zucchini, unpeeled
• 3 carrots, peeled
• 2 yams or 3 large potatoes, peeled
• 2 medium onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves
• 3 to 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
• 4 eggs plus 4 egg whites (or 6 eggs)
• 1/2 cup potato starch or matza meal
• 1 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
• 2 tsp olive oil

 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 190 C.
• Grate zucchini, carrots and yams.
• Finely mince onion, garlic, parsley and basil.
• Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
• Wipe the inside of a 3 liter casserole with a little oil.
• Add the vegetable mixture and spread evenly.
• Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and firm.

 

99. Passover Spinach Cheese Kugel

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 8 ounces grated cheddar or parmesan cheese
• 10 ounce package of chopped spinach, thawed
• 6 tbsp matza meal
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Salt, pepper to taste

 

Instructions:

• In large bowl, combine all ingredients except for eggs and mix well.
• Add eggs, mix thoroughly and pour into a lightly greased 8 x 12 inch casserole.
• Bake for one hour at 350 F or until golden brown.

 

100. Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 4 cups sliced peaches
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

• Sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar onto peaches and let stand for one hour.  Drain liquid into cup.
• Cream together margarine, sugar.  Add eggs and flour, baking powder, salt and beat. 
•  Turn into pyrex, spreading over bottom and sides.
• Put in peaches.
• Take the peach juice and mix with 2 tbsp flour and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Pour over peaches.
• Sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon on top.
• Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.

 

101. Peanut Butter Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Crisco
• 1/2 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1 package chocolate chips

 

Instructions:

• Cream together shortening, peanut butter,  and sugar until light.
• Add vanilla and egg and beat well.
• Add dry ingredients and mix well.
• Add chocolate chips.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls. Bake at 375°F for 10 – 12 minutes.

Dave:  OMG – these cookies were so good. 

102. Pear Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked pie crust
• 6 – 8 pears (peeled, sliced)
• Juice and rind of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp flour

Ingredients for Topping:

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

 

Instructions:

• Toss pears with lemon juice and sugar.
• Place in shell.
• Cut butter into balance and crumble.
• Spread over pears.
• Bake for 30 – 40 minutes.

 

103. Pea Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup green split peas
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 cups cold water
• Salt, pepper, bay leaves, soup mix, to taste
• (Optional   for a fleishig soup, add flanken.)

 

Instructions:

• Soak spit peas for an hour or two.
• Place all ingredients in pot.
• Simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

 

Mir:  Mom would doctor this soup too.  I remember it having barley in it and sometimes noodles. My kids loved this soup and had it at least once a week while growing up.  Mom and Dad had a busy social life as pensioners but once a week they would take care of my kids on the day I had to work late. Mom would always have a soup for them at lunch. When Daniel was small, a ceremony was followed while eating this soup.  Mom would warm up a giant bowlful, while Dad would accompany Daniel to the bedroom where he would pick out a few Golden Books – usually the Brave Little Tailor, Goldie Locks, The Three Little Pigs, The Little Engine That Could… Daniel would sit on Dad’s lap while he read him the same books, week after week, while Mom would feed him bowl after bowl of pea soup…

Dave: Mom would put so much flanken in that the soup was meal on its own. So thick and so warm in those cold wintry evenings.

                                                           

104. Peas and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• Oil for frying
• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms (or 1 can mushrooms, drained)
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
• Frozen peas

 

Instructions:

• Brown onions until transparent.
• Add mushrooms and continue frying.
• Add frozen peas and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Season

 

 

105. Pie Crust – Mom would use this crust with cherry, blueberry or lemon (Shirrif’s) filling.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup flour (less 2 tbsp)
• Pinch salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 tbsp orange juice

Instructions:

• Mix ingredients together in pie plate
• Bake 20 – 25 minutes
• Add filling (blueberry, cherry) and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  For the lemon pie, follow instructions on box.

 

 

106. Pie Dough

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup Crisco
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup cold water
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

 

Instructions:

• Mix yolks, shortening, dry ingredients together and add water and lemon juice.

 

 

107. Pigs in Blankets

Ingredients:

• Cocktail wieners
• Filo dough
• Mustard (optional)

 

Instructions:

 

• Cut filo dough into rectangles
• Spread mustard on dough (optional)
• Wrap around wiener
• Bake till brown

 

Mir:  This side dish of Mom’s was a real hit on Friday nights. Mom would call me on Thursdays and say “Mir, ask the kids what they want tomorrow, kugel or pigs in blankets.”   Of course, at first, I had to explain to the kids that they weren’t real pigs.

 

The real “pig story” is a Faigel classic.  Uncle Ike and Auntie Ann were visiting in Ottawa – must have been in the early or mid seventies – and the folks took them on the usual tour, which included the Experimental Farm.  It was while we were standing beside the pig pen and looking at the pigs that Mom made one of her best “foot in mouths”.   Uncle Ike said “I think pigs are beautiful animals”- to which Mom replied without much thought “I guess to one pig, another pig is beautiful”.  I remember Ike’s red face and Moms apologies…

 

                             

108. Pineapple Cake

 

Ingredients for batter:

 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 egg yolks

 

Ingredients for filling:

 

• 1 can crushed pineapple
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1 egg yolk

 

Instructions:

 

• Cream butter. Add sugar, egg and then dry ingredients.
• Pour out half of batter into pan.
• Spread filling and cover.
• Bake at 350 F.

 

 

Mel:  Wow, I read the recipe and the cake came to mind, I had forgotten, I guess this was a recipe Mom didn’t make in Israel. It was amazing.

 

109. Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/3 cup oil
• 3/4 cup water

Instructions:

• Mix dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients
• Bake 7 to 10 minutes at 500 F
• Put on tomato sauce, cheese, oregano, chili, salt, thyme, onion, mushrooms, green peppers
• Broil for few minutes

 

Mel:  I remember this yummy pizza with green peppers on top. Am I missing something here?

Mir:  Sorry about that. I’ve just added them!

Dave:  Mom made these square pizzas, no?  They were so good.  Especially in the winter.  Deliciosso had nothing on Mom, that is for sure.

 

 

 

 

110. Plum Pie (Miriam Levitin’s)

Ingredients for Crust:

• 2 cups flour
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup (closer to a cup)  Crisco
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup cold water

Ingredients for filling:

• 2 lb (1 kilo) plums or 3 cups
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp tapioca

Instructions:

• Mix flour, salt, baking powder, shortening.
• In glass, combine 2 egg yolks, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 cup cold water and mix.
• Press down into pie plate.
• Bake at 475°F for 8 to 10 minutes and fill as desired.
• Mix plums with sugar and tapioca.
• Place in pie shell.
• Cover with top crust which has slits cut in it.
• Bake at 425°F for 40 – 45 minutes.

Mel: My memory of this hilarious story is vague. Mom made this amazing peach (not plum) pie with a crust that was weaved back and forth on top.  It called for tapioca, so Mom bought little tapioca balls, not knowing that there is another kind of tapioca. I guess she thought these little white balls would dissolve in the oven, or perhaps she had blind faith in the recipe.  Whatever the reason, the balls were there and they remained intact.  Mom thought of trashing the pie, but we talked her out of it. It tasted great, but eating it necessitated spitting out these little balls out with each spoonful. Well worth the effort, I must add.

Mom told me more than once that she didn’t know how to cook at all when she got married (at the age of 21). Her initial fiascos including burning the waffle iron that they received for their wedding on the first run.

Dad: (as told to Mir) I remember the waffle iron well.  I had told Mom that she had to “season” it before using it.  I guess Mom thought I was kidding and, as a result, the waffle iron stuck together “but good”. It took us so long to clean it.  We had to use a toothbrush.

111. Poppy Seed Cake

 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup poppy seed
• 1 cup milk
• 2 1/4 cup cake flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 2/3 cup butter
• 4 egg whites

 

Instructions:

 

• Combine milk and poppy seed and let stand 1 hour.
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
• Cream butter and sugar.
• Add dry ingredients.
• Add poppy seed and milk.
• Beat white until soft peaks. Fold into batter.
• Bake in angel cake pan for 35 minutes at 350 F. 
• Cool in pan.

 

 

112. Poppy Seed Filling (“Moon”)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup raisins

 

Instructions:

• In pan, cover poppy seeds with water and boil.
• Drain well.
• Spread in shallow pan and dry thoroughly.
• Put in blender at low speed.  Mix rest.

 

Mel: what no lemon rind? I was always a moon person.

113. Potato Knishes

Ingredients for Dough:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour (more if needed)

 

Instructions for Dough:

• Combine ingredients in order given and work in flour to make a soft dough.
• Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness.  Dot with oil.
• Place filling along one edge, roll over once, then cut roll away from remaining dough.
• Repeat this procedure until all dough is used up.
• Cut in one inch pieces, closing ends of each knish.
• Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes, until nicely browned.

 

Ingredients for Potato Filling:

• 8 potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 2 eggs
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tbsp chicken fat

 

Instructions for Filling:

• Combine potato, eggs and seasoning.
• Brown onion in hot fat.
• Add to potatoes and mix well.

 

114. Potato Kugel

Ingredients:

• 8 medium potatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• 6 eggs
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• Dash white pepper
• 7 – 8 tbsp matzo meal

 

Instructions:

• Grate potatoes. Drain liquid.
• Grate onions, carrots and add to potatoes.
• Beat eggs and add to potato mixture.
• Add salt and pepper.
• Add matzo meal and mix well.
• Grease baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 400 F.
• Reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for 30 – 45 minutes longer.

 

 

115. Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients:

• 4 cups diced rhubarb
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp lemon rind
• 4 tbsp flour
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup white sugar

Instructions:

• Beat egg and lemon juice and put through rhubarb. Add rest.

 

Mel: One of my all time favorites. The combination of the tangy rhubarb and Mom’s crust and sauce was irresistible.

 

Dave: And don’t forget the combination with Mr. Dain’s lawnmower that ended the rhubarb pie era.  Why didn’t he just focus on his goats, sheep, cow and ducks?  

 

Mir:   What strange neighbours they were!   The Bobe would lie half naked on the front lawn, moving with the sun to tan herself (even if it meant lying in our yard). Wasn’t it her who would say “Epes is epes and goornisht is goornisht”?   Mr. Dain filled his back yard with livestock (a chicken,a goat etc) one time in order to get back at the neighbor with the pool who kept him up all night.  Unfortunately, we suffered not only from the pool parties but from the animals as well…  But the absolute worst was when he uprooted our rhubarb patch at the side of the house because he claimed to have seen a cat peeing on it – as if that would have stopped a Rosenberg from enjoying a good piece of rhubarb pie!

 

Now when I think of rhubarb pie, I remember back to last summer (2010).  I think all the gals were there – Rivka and I were visiting, Rena, Rachel, Alana and big Rachael. We were at one of Mom’s favourite places, Yorkdale, and  Mom felt like having some rhubarb pie.  So we wheeled Mom over to the Bay’s little cafeteria.  The woman behind the counter thought Mom was so cute that she gave her the most gigantic slice of strawberry rhubarb pie.  Mom sat in her wheelchair at a little round table enjoying every bite while we all looked on with love (and slightly watery mouths..)

 

 

1. 116.                    Rice Knishes

 

Ingredients:

 

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup cooked rice
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp sugar

 

Instructions:

 

• Beat eggs well. 
• Put in flour alternately with sour cream.
• Add rice last.
• Take 1 tbsp melted butter and add to mixture.
• Grease muffins well.
• Bake for 25 minutes in a 400 F oven.

 

117. Rice Muffins (Winnipeg recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup flour
• Pinch salt
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup cooked rice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp margarine

Instructions:

• Beat eggs.  Add melted margarine, dry ingredients, sour cream and rice.
• Grease muffin tins.
• Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. 
• Serve with sour cream and strawberries.

 

118. Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions:

• Mix ingredients and pour into a greased pyrex.
• Bake at 325 F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until top is light brown.
• Serve hot.

 

Mel: A favorite on both sides of the ocean. The more raisins, the merrier. Mom would generously dole out huge bowlfuls of rice pudding to the Israeli constituents, we would have to remember to return the giant brown pyrex bowl for refills.

 

Mir: Rice pudding, summer of 69 in Beit Hakerem, Jerusalem.  Mom would work all year long to send us to summer camp, send us to piano lessons or take us on trips to Israel.  The summer of 69 was our (Reen’s, Dave’s & mine) first trip to Israel.  Mom and Dad had already been in 64 and Mel was about to leave in the fall for his “year” on workshop at Urim and so he didn’t join us.  Mom had the Sagers find us an apartment and we spent the summer covering the length and breadth of Israel.  In Rena’s diary, we can read about how we visited Beer Sheva and Rosh Hanikra on the same day. Mom was also the one who knew Hebrew better than the rest of us….  Dad learnt the hard way that “better” isn’t always good enough when he was sent to the makolet to buy bread. Mom told him to make sure it was fresh. “How do you say “fresh”, Feig?” Dad asked.  Mom answered confidently “נקי”. Well, Dad got a taste of his first Israeli “bagrob”.  The next time Mom needed something, Dad wasn’t willing to go.  Reen and I were told to go get raisins for the rice pudding.  Mom had no idea how to say “raisins” in Hebrew and neither did we.  Still fresh in our minds was the lecture Dad got at the makolet and we didn’t want an encore. I can still recall walking to the Super with such trepidation. I had just finished studying “Yehoshua” with Mr. Daum at Hillel Academy and remembered how the starving spies had asked for “צימוקים”, but how could a word that was thousands of years old still be used? It was our only hope, so we approached a worker at the super, prepared ourselves for a blast and whispered “איפה הצימוקים? “. 

 “In aisle five”, was the lackadaisical response, much to our relief.    That specific rice pudding contained an extra portion of “guts”.

119. Roast

Ingredients:

• Bay leaves
• Cloves of garlic
• Celery
• Onions
• Carrots
• Potatoes
• Ketchup
• Onion soup mix
• Onion powder, garlic powder
• Salt, pepper
• Water

Instructions:

• Spread the ingredients over the piece of meat.
• Add water to cover half.
• Bake at 325°F for 3 – 4 hours.
• Slice roast when it’s cold.

 

120.  Roast (Shoulder)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 5 tbsp onion soup powder
• 2 tbsp garlic, crushed
• 5 bay leaves
• Celery, carrot, garlic
• 1 cup water

 

Instructions:

• Marinate roast in ketchup, onion soup powder, garlic, bay leaves, celery, carrot and garlic.
• Add 1 cup water.
• Roast for 3 hours.

 

121. Rolly Polly

Ingredients for Dough:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 – 1/4 cup orange juice
• 5 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• Pinch salt

Instructions for Dough:

• Beat eggs and sugar.  Add oil. Add vanilla and orange juice alternately with dry ingredients.

Ingredients for Filling:

• Jam
• Raisins
• Crushed walnuts
• Maraschino cherries (halved)
• Coconut (optional)
• Sugared fruit mixture

Instructions:

• Divide dough into two equal parts. Roll out each part separately on a lightly floured table .
• Spread jam to within 1/2 inch of edges.  Spread rest of ingredients over dough.
• Roll dough, first turning ends of dough in.
• Bake at 375° F for 30 minutes.
• Cool and cut in slices.

Mel: Rolly polly is an apt name. It’s the way we looked growing up on all of Mom’s gebecks. Including this favorite.

                                                      

                     

122. Rogalach (Bobi Regina’s – Mom called them “Mama’s Rolls”)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup (1/2 lb) butter
• 4 cups flour
• Pinch salt
• 1 yeast cake
• 1/2 cup warm milk (or water)
• Brown sugar

Instructions:

• Dissolve yeast in warm milk.
• Mix all ingredients together and put in fridge overnite.  Take out and leave at room temperature. 
• Divide into three parts. Roll out each.  Dab with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar. (Mom did that – like everything else – generously)
• Cut from center into triangles (like pizza slices).  Roll each from outside to center.
• Wait until they rise and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.

 

 

Dave:  I may be alone here on this assessment but I think I loved the rogolech as much if not more than the mandelbroit.  Only issue is that they didn’t keep as well after the first day (though during my days 616, few of anything managed to make it past the first day).

Mir: You’ll never be alone when it comes to rogalach.  I loved them too.  When microwaves came out, one little zap made them as delicious as if they had just come out of the oven, although I agree that they never really had enough time to get stale. 

 

123. Salad Dressing (Rena’s)

Ingredients:

• 1 clove garlic
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• Lemon juice
• Basil, oregano, parsley (crushed)
• Salt, pepper

 

Instructions:

• Crush garlic
• Add a bit more oil than vinegar
• Mix together

 

124. Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of salmon + juice
• 2 eggs
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup fried onions
• 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp powdered mustard

Instructions:

• Mix ingredients together
• Shape into patties
• Fry lightly

 

Dave: They are so easy to make and yet till this day nobody can make them as good as Mom did.  Another winter classic.

 

Mel: another delicatess that never made it over the ocean.

 

Mir:  We used to eat them on our picnics along with potato salad.

 

 

 

1. 125.                    Salmon Fillet

 

Ingredients:

 

• Frozen fillet (thawed)
• 1/4 cup milk
• Few tbsp lemon juice
• Garlic salt
• Pinch salt and pepper
• Margarine

 

 

Instructions:

• Defrost fillet and soak in milk.
• Rinse milk off fillet and place in tin foil.
• Add lemon juice, garlic salt, and pinch of salt and pepper. Add a few spots of margarine.
• Wrap in tin foil.
• Bake at 360 F for 25 minutes.
• Serve hot or cold.

 

 

1. 126.                    Salmon Steaks

 

Ingredients:

 

• 6 salmon steaks
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dry white wine
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

 

Instructions:

 

• Marinate fish for 3-6 hours.
• Bake uncovered at 360 F for 25 minutes.

 

127. Shakshuka

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 3 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• Onion, chopped
• 2 – 3 tbsp “Matbucha” or seasoned tomato paste
• Salt, pepper, hot chili pepper to taste (optional)

 

Instructions:

• Fry chopped onions in saucepan.
• When onions are transparent, add diced tomatoes, paste and seasoning. Cover saucepan and bring to boil.
• Add eggs and cover saucepan.

 

Mir:  This was always Dad’s meichal, although Reen says Mom would join him once in a while.

128. Spinach Casserole

Ingredients:

 

• 1/2 – 1 tsp margarine
• 900 grams spinach (frozen)
• 5 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cup cottage cheese (tov taam 5%)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (Tal Haemek)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan

 

Instructions:

• Melt margarine in pyrex.
• Cook spinach for 2 minutes and drain well.
• Mix everything together except parmesan.
• Put in pyrex and sprinkle with parmesan.
• Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes.

                                                   

129. Sponge Cake (Auntie Rochel’s)

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• Rind of one orange
• 1 tsp (little less) cream of tartar

Instructions:

• Separate the eggs.
• Beat the whites with 2/3 cup sugar and the cream of tartar until very stiff peaks are formed.
• Beat yolks and sugar.  Add orange juice, rind.  Add flour.
• Fold whites into batter with spatula just until blended.
• Add grated semi sweet chocolate or a bar of Israeli bitter sweet (grated). Optional.
• Bake in an ungreased tube pan at 325 F for 55 minutes and then at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Invert pan and let cool completely.

130. Strawberry Pie (Ricky’s)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp lemon peel
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Baked pie shell

 

Instructions:

• Mash 1 1/2 cups of strawberries with a fork.
• Add sugar, corn starch, lemon juice.
• Stir until blended.
• Cook until transparent.
• Place rest of strawberries in crust pointed up.
• Pour over hot sauce.
• Chill and serve.
• Pour 1/2 cup icing sugar over strawberries and let sit for an hour.

 

 

131. Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp onion salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 lb (1 kg) stewing beef, cubed
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 cup chicken soup
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 carrots, cut in rounds
• 4 – 5 potatoes, halved
• 2 onions
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• Peas

 

 

Instructions:

• Combine seasoning and flour.  Rub on meat.
• Brown meat on all sides in hot oil.
• Add soup, water ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.
• Cover and cook for 2 hours.
• Add vegetables.
• Cook 3/4 hour longer, until tender.

 

Dave: This was a sure way to get me to eat my vegetables.

Mir: Do you remember how we used to mash it all up and pour a ton of ketchup on top?  Dad would say something about ketchup being “an insult to your mother’s cooking”, but it was definitely one of the better combinations.

 

132.  Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 5 – 7 medium potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed well.
• 3 onions (diced)
• 4 stalks celery (diced)
• 1/2 – 1 lb mushrooms (cut up)
• 2 -3 cloves garlic (crushed)
• 5 pieces matza
• 1/4 cup matza meal
• 1 egg
• Salt, pepper

 

Instructions:

• Place mashed potatoes in large bowl.
• Fry onions, celery, mushrooms, garlic. 
• Add the fried mixture to the mashed potatoes.
• Then take 5 sheets of matza and place in another large bowl, pour boiling water over them to soften them, drain and then squeeze the water out, mashing the matza.
• Add this to the potato vegetable mixture.
•  Add matza meal, egg, salt and pepper.
• Mix mixture well and stuff turkey with it.

 

Mel: Was this ‘the stuffing’?  Boy, did I love that. And what an apt name.

 

133. Surprise Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Slice of bread
• Can of tuna or salmon
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• Tomato (sliced)
• Cheddar cheese (slice)

 

Instructions:

• Mix tuna and 1 tbsp mayonnaise.
• Place on top of slice of bread.
• Place tomato slices on top of tuna / salmon.
• Place 1 slice of cheddar cheese to cover tomato slices.
• Broil in oven.

 

Mir:  Dave was the only skinny Rosenberg! Mom would always say that he had a “hollow leg”. How jealous we were that he could eat whatever Mom made! The odd time I would accidentally get his lunch bag was like winning the lottery.  (On the other hand, getting Dad’s with the hard-boiled egg, pickle and piece of rye was a real downer.)

 I remember a young Dave making two “meichels” on his own.  I have a picture in my mind of Dave making six or seven pieces of toast covered with a thick, dripping layer of peanut butter.  Anyone wiping their hands in the washroom afterwards could get a taste.  Another picture is of Dave making the same number of “surprise sandwiches”. He would meticulously prepare them on the kitchen table – first the bread, then the tuna or salmon, next the tomato slices and finally the slice of Kraft cheese.  Reen and I would watch on, waiting patiently until they were ready – with the golden bubble of cheese on top – and then beg for a taste.  Dave didn’t always give in willingly….

Mel: you just had to tickle him properly J   

Mir:  No, it wasn’t tickling that did the trick…

Dave: They had to be perfect — just a small hint of brown spotting on the cheese. I still remember Rena and Miriam trying to breathe on them so I wouldn’t eat them. Nice try!

 

 

 

 

 

134. Mom’s Tzimmes

Ingredients:

•  1 pkg. flanken
• marrow bones ( if available, throw the bones out after 1-2 hours of cooking)
• 5 lbs carrots
• 2 grated potatoes
• 1 grated onion
• 1 tbsp of potato starch (heaping)
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 small handful of knaidel mix or matza meal (2-3 tbsp)
• Pinch salt

 

Instructions:

• Add some water to barely cover the meat.
• Cook  for 1 hour on low, covered, bring to very gentle simmer and skim as needed.
• Add carrots, grated potatoes and onion.
• Take out some water after another hour and mix well with 1 heaping tbsp. of potato starch and put back in.
• Add brown sugar, honey, knaidel mix (or matza meal), pinch of salt.
• Simmer for 4 hours.
• Drain liquid if there is too much.

 

Mir: One of Ottawa’s greatest mysteries was what the Zbar caterers added to their tsimmis to give it that special sweet flavor.  Not that Mom’s wasn’t exceptionally delicious, but we always wondered…  A few years ago, since I couldn’t find any “kosher for Passover” brown sugar, I decided to use half a cup of date syrup instead.  The result was surprising!

Mel: I hope you don’t mean ‘surprising’ as when I prepared ‘raspberry chicken’ in Jerusalem (didn’t have orange juice and duck). In general, I inherited Mom’s sweet tooth, but not her culinary abilities.  Now Assif and Adar tell me that they couldn’t stand most of the original dishes I used to prepare for them as kids (and I thought they loved my ‘rice pilaff’).

 

135.  Tuna Fish Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 package macaroni and cheese dinner
• 1 can flaked tuna
• 1 can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup
• 1 bag crushed potato chips

Instructions:

• Prepare macaroni and cheese dinner according to package instructions.  Add tuna and mushroom soup.
• Put into greased casserole.  Cover with crushed potato chips.
• Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes.

 

Mel:  The chips at the top and the condensed, creamy mushroom soup made all the difference.  In Israel, Mom never made this as the tuna fish here sucks and similar dearth of condensed soup and Kraft dinner. So Reen, this is on my list next time I visit Canada. Connie Taller’s favorite Mom dish. Perhaps not glatt kosher with the Kraft dinner, but amazing in all other respects.

 

Dave:  Mom taught me how to make this before she went to visit Rochel in 1977 during winter break … I made it for me and dad.  Came out great.  My kids love it (the more chips the better).

 

 

 

Srul:  This is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten J

 

136. Turkey

 

 Ingredients:

 

• 5.5 – 6 kg. frozen turkey

 

Instructions:

 

• Take out afternoon the day before till the following morning to thaw.
• Clean well, pull out penkes.
• Rinse off and dry, especially inside, if adding stuffing.
• On whole outside of turkey sprinkle on and rub in: paprika, garlic powder, some salt, pepper, oil, honey and orange juice.
• Stuff the turkey.
• Cook for 4- 4 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F.
• After 2 hours of cooking, baste it every 30 minutes.
• Uncover the turkey except for the pulkas and cook another 1/2 hour to brown the top.
• Check for doneness. Stab a fork into the thickest part of the thigh from the inside, turkey is done when liquid coming out is clear, no bloody tinge.
• Remove stuffing.

 

 

 

1. 137.                    Turkish Delight Squares (Leah’s)

 

Ingredients for base:

 

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown and white sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp icing sugar

 

Ingredients for filling:

 

• 1/2 box Turkish delight, cut
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup crushed walnuts

 

Instructions:

 

•  Mix ingredients for base and press down in pan.
• Mix ingredients for filling and spread over base.
• Beat egg whites stiff with 2 tsp icing sugar.
• Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.