moist dark chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting & sea salt

I know that it is hours before the holiday and most of you already have your cheesecakes out of the oven and are not looking to add any more baking projects. But still, I have to tell you about these amazingly moist, dark chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. Each cupcake has a rich chocolatey taste that's perfectly sweet with a slight buttery undertone. (In other words, do not substitute with another fat, use real butter!). Though it is perfect on its own, it is even further enhanced with chocolate's soul mate: peanut butter. The frosting is perfectly rich and fluffy with the right amount of peanut buttery goodness. A perfect match.

I'm usually not a fan of desserts with too much cream and frosting, but I loved this one so much. It really had a perfect balance of sweet and salty (with the speckles of sea salt).

Don't look at the overfilled baking cups and haphazard swirls of frosting. Let's say I'm more of a casual baker with two left hands (if that expression even makes sense). I enjoy baking but I'm not the meticulous type. They might not look perfect but they truly taste amazing. Really, I mean it: amazing!

I made them for my son's second birthday and everyone loved them, of those who did have a taste. (oh, these beverly hills-ers on a diet).

dinner plans: meatballs in a tomato garlic sauce with rice

Remember I mentioned here that my mother was visiting? Sadly after a three week stay, she had to go back to her everyday life. Apparently other people need her. Thankfully we had fun together, spending our days shopping (a cherished mother-daughter activity) and cooking (mostly by her, I was an excellent taster). As soon as she landed here, my mother willingly took over my kitchen and treated us to many lovely meals. Most of them I probably would not have made myself, especially not on a weeknight.

We have different cooking styles, my mother and I. I opt for easy, light and filling meals for weeknight dinners such as frittata, a vegetarian stew, or even tacos. My mother, on the other hand, puts up a pot of something meaty to simmer, almost every day. She has many wonderful one-pot meal combinations. A few I'll share with you in the next few posts. All of them are made with love and taste delicious.

The nice part about our dinners was that I got to use my everyday dishes. I have to admit that they've been in the cupboard untouched for many, many meals. Paper plates are addicting in their convenience. With active toddlers running around, I've welcomed the practicality of disposable things. It keeps me sane and keeps the sink from overflowing.

But I'll admit that using dishes and flatware added a certain warmth to the meal, a level of sophistication and comfort. I took the time to set the table, with salads and bread. I enjoyed it, it was a welcomed change.

 The best part was that the meal was shared by my favorite people. I appreciate the little moments, where we spend time as a family, even if that time isn't usually storybook perfect. I guess that's what makes it perfect and real.

 

 

Fried Eggs with Feta over Toasted Sesame Bagel with Leben Dill Spread

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, especially when I take the time to prepare it. Some (most?) days I rush through the morning hour, feeding little ones, getting them dressed, deciphering their wants and needs. And so I turn to something that's quick and easy to keep me fueled, i.e. cereal and milk.

Then there are those rare days when I pamper myself. I'll cook breakfast just for me and it usually involves eggs. Fried or scrambled. Plain or loaded with vegetables. With toasted baguette or a sesame bagel. A touch of sea salt, some ground pepper and many times a smothering of cholula sauce. The hot sauce is to ensure that the meal stays mine rather than be seized by the small humans sitting next to me who seem to unfailingly become uninterested in their breakfast as soon as they see mine. It happens every time.

For the past week, my mother has been visiting from Montreal. She brought with her a different perspective in my kitchen, as is natural when you put two women with different taste and from different generations in charge of preparing the daily fare. There have been some interesting meals; some familiar others completely new to me. And so, lucky for me, while she's been here, I've been getting more elaborate breakfasts than before (as well as dinners, of which I'll share soon).

The first morning she was here, my mother made fried eggs that were seemingly plain, yet she added such a nice touch that almost went unnoticed: feta cheese. I've added all kinds of cheeses and herbs to scrambled eggs but I've never done so to fried eggs. It's such a simple addition, yet makes a remarkable difference. And because it melts into the egg white you will hardly notice it but you'll definitely taste the difference. The feta cheese lends a nice texture against the smooth, warm, runny yolk. That, over a lightly toasted bagel with a generous amount of a leben-dill spread I made, makes the oh, so perfect breakfast.

Finally, I coupled it with a fresh, crunchy Israeli salad; making this meal healthy, light, and filling.

And that's the best breakfast I've had in a long time.

Click to check out other food bloggers talking about "the best thing I ever ate".

Simple Bean Stew over White Rice

Don't ask me where I've been. Life somehow got busy and I left this little online world for a while. It was a nice break yet I missed blogging terribly. Weekly posts slowly slipped out of my routine and didn't easily come back.

Truthfully, I've also been cooking very simply. There were one too many pasta dinners I don't care to recall. The ones you usually resort to making after a really busy day and promise yourself (again) that the next night you'll have a highly nutritious, delicious supper ready before six p.m. You can understand then how there wasn't much for me to blog about.

Today, though, I have something to share with you. (finally).

I grew up calling this dish by it's hebrew name orez ve shuit. It's simply a bean stew in tomato sauce. It's easy, healthy, and the kids love it (always a winning combination). My mother would make it loaded with vegetables such as carrot, celery, potato. She'd add red meat, lots of garlic, and a blend of spices that made it just right. My husband, on the other hand, grew up with a very simplified version: onion, beans, tomato sauce. Some salt and pepper.

We compromised. I made it his way (I secretly loved saving the extra steps) and he let me add paprika to the otherwise meager seasoning. Paprika is the one spice I probably could not live without so I made sure to add a generous amount; to personalize things.

This recipe is a great addition to your repertoire since it's so simple to make, yet turns out especially delicious. It does require a long cooking time if you like your beans very soft, though if you have a pressure cooker it should cut that time in half.

Happy Spring!

{Enjoy}

p.s. I gave the blog a very small makeover. A new header, softer colors. Hope you like it :)

Spiced Pear & Brown Butter Muffins

One of the first blogs I discovered was Aran Goyoaga's cannelle et vanille. I fell in love with her space right away. It might have been because of her bright, floral set ups, or the way her foods were styled so carefully yet effortlessly. Maybe it was the feel of her images and the tone of her words. I just loved it. To me, it was pretty and lovely and everything that made my creative side happy. I bookmarked her blog (I didn't even know what RSS was). And I came back. Many times.

When I learned that her first cookbook was coming out, I was quite excited to take a peek inside. I expected the photography to be beautiful and inspiring (which it is), and the pages to be colored with bright produce (and it is). She divided her book conveniently by seasons, which I enjoy because it lets me focus on the flavors and offerings of the particular time of year we're in.

All the recipes in the book look delectable. Aran's cooking is very much influenced by her Northern Spanish background. That means lots of shellfish. Not very convenient for me (since shellfish isn't kosher), but I did find ways to adapt some of the recipes (like the soups). The baked sweets, on the other hand, are my favorite part of the book. I can't wait to make her chocolate brioche and brown butter and apple clafoutis.
 

The first thing I started with were the Spiced Pear & Brown Butter Muffins, after all it was fall when I made them (how did it turn to winter so quickly?) and I wanted the aroma of cinnamon and ginger in my home.

I promise that I say this without an inkling of exaggeration. They are the best muffins I have ever had. They turned out so incredibly moist. They had the deepest fall flavors, especially with the maple syrup and the browned butter that gave them a caramel-like taste. They were perfect in texture and even more perfect in flavors. I ate way more than I care to recall, and I think I cannot make them again since it would be a losing battle with my willpower. sigh.

It was my first time browning butter, and I think I'm hooked. The nutty aroma and the caramelized flavor will take any baked goodies to a whole new level of deliciousness. I promise.

Overall, Small Plates and Sweet Treats is a lovely cookbook that I look forward to using and looking at. I see myself turning to it for photographic inspiration as well as delicious treats. It reminds me very much of Donna Hay's Seasons, which is another beautiful book that I peruse often, just for the pictures.

Easy Spicy Chinese Chicken Lo Mein(ish)

This isn't a real recipe. This is how I make dinner hastily with a theme in mind and no plan. I sauté some kind of onion, add some type of chicken, throw in some kind of vegetable, pack in lots of spices and hope for the best.

Usually things work out. This time, the success of my Chinese Chicken Lo Mein is debatable.

It depends if you enjoy fire-hot spicyness. I do. The other people in my family apparently don't. Surprising, I know.

I was planning on making different delicious Chinese dishes for this month's Kosher Connection Link Up. However, I realized really quickly that Chinese food takes planning since it requires quite a few specialty ingredients. So I decided to wing it a little and keep the spirit of Chinese cooking with everyday pantry staples. (Yes, dried mini chile peppers are a staple).

I smothered chicken pieces in sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt, pepper, and chile powder. I cooked them with green onions, multi-colored peppers, and snap peas. Added in dried chile and one jalapeno (optional if you're sensitive), and let it cook until it just looked done. I served it over a bed of noodles and declared it Chicken Lo Mein. Simple enough.

Overall, it was a nice experiment that yielded tasty results, notwithstanding the leftovers in my fridge.

Be sure to check out all the other Bloggers who made Chinese food that is most definitely more authentic than mine. 

Jerusalem, the cookbook

Jerusalem, the cookbook, has been sitting amongst my growing pile of books for the past few months. Before I received it, I was really intrigued and eager to peruse the pages and explore Ottolenghi's and Tamimi's interpretations of the foods I grew up with. The foods I cherish, as they are part of my identity and ingrained in my being. (I grew up in a very Israeli-Sephardi home; a tasty combination.)

 

I'll tell you, I enjoyed looking through this cookbook immensely. The excitement for it stems from my love of the city, and seeing its faceted existence creatively expressed. The food is a big deal in Jerusalem. Just walk through Machne Yehuda and you'll understand the prominence food has in this city (and in Israeli/Jewish culture at large).

I've had fortunate opportunities to spend time in this indescribably beautiful city, being there for weeks at a time on different occasions over the last few years. The city is continuously growing and transforming yet the palpable aura of spirituality is felt by everyone who visits, the food scene is exploding with influences from around the world, and the streets are pulsating with the bustle of every day life.

What I loved most in the cookbook is, of course, the pictures. They truly represent Jerusalem as the holy, eclectic, vibrant city paved in gold stones, walked by diverse people, and scented by rich spices. The integration of propped food photographs with photo-journalistic shots offers a glimpse into the beautiful foods and unique culture that make up Jerusalem. From the frum man selecting pastries, to the heaps of round, braided, perfectly golden challahs lining the stands at the Machne Yehuda shuk. It's a visual display of the life of Jerusalemites.
 

Many of the recipes I either grew up eating or have picked up from various family members, like Libyan Chraimeh, Helbeh, Mejadarah, Stuffed artichokes, and so many more. I did find interesting that some of the recipes in the book have gotten a slight makeover, either a change in the spices of or an addition of an unexpected ingredient. Overall though the recipes retain their authentic feel and flavors.

I especially enjoyed the historical background in the introductions of each recipe, describing their hotly-debated origins (Lebanese vs. Syrian vs. Iraqi, etc.), as well as the ceremonial and often emotional connection food has in Israeli culture.

The authors did include seafood in one or two recipes and mix meat and milk in a few others, two things that are permitted for Muslims, I learned, though forbidden for Jews.

Overall, I think this is a beautiful book that belongs both on your kitchen counter and on your nightstand. The text is interesting, it reads comfortably, and paints a picture of the food's role in its culture and society. A true testament that food transcends flavors, and is part of a larger context. The recipes themselves are simple, straightforward, and packed with my favorite flavors: paprika, fennel, cumin, cardamom, and so many more. They're sprinkled with lots of fresh herbs, and are beautiful in their rustic, imperfect presentation.

Now, I get to tell you about what I made that was just so, so delicious: Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak.

 
Ok, I'll admit I skipped the arak, but only because I didn't have any on hand. My daughter apparently thought that the clear bottle that's been sitting in the back of the fridge for the past few years was water. She took a sip, dropped the bottle and as you can imagine it shattered, thereby assuring we will not have any arak on hand for a very long time. How very un-Moroccan of us.
But I wasn't deterred. I skipped the arak, and focused on the citrus, and fennel, and herbs and spices. It came out perfect and I'll admit the photos don't do it justice. I took them hastily amongst very busy Shabbat preparations.

If you have a chance, do take a peak into Jerusalem: the cookbook. Though I do not agree philosophically with all that is written there, I do think the foods and recipes draw you in and reveal the essence of Jerusalem/Middle Eastern cooking. It's a beautiful book, that I look forward to using in my own kitchen.