There’s an understanding in the general outside world that Jews don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. Rather, religiously observant Jews don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. And this is true though, again, I’m speaking in general. My husband and I aren’t big on it. What with the whole “St.” Valentine thing and whatnot, it’s just generally accepted as something the ‘goyim’ do. However, I grew up ‘celebrating’ and loving Valentine’s Day and to be honest, I still do. I have rather fond memories from elementary school that have all kind of become jumbled in my head as one big heart-shaped, pink doily. By the time I reached high school, being a nerd and all, I’m pretty sure Valentine’s Day was spent with my beloved girls friends. We probably went to our local Chili’s and drowned our love-sorrows in sweet tea and queso dip all the while saying how we didn’t need a boyfriend but secretly wishing we could at least experience ONE Valentine’s Day with a boy. I do have vivid memories of a Valentine’s Day spent during my senior year with my dear friend, Allison. I believe we had dinner at La Madeleine (Do those still exist?!) followed by a romantic viewing of Lethal Weapon 4 (I had a thing for Mel Gibson in high school all thanks to a kilt, a Scottish accent and some blue face paint—shalom, Braveheart. Of course that crush was quickly squelched after the whole Passion of the Christ incident). What can I say? We lived large. read more…
This month’s Kosher Connection round-up was all about comfort food. I feel as though I jumped the gun a bit with my last post, which was dedicated to that siren of temptation and comfort—Macaroni n’ Cheese. So since I already have that box checked, I went for more specific and that’s comfort food, Southern Shabbat-style.
As a full-time working mom, I struggle daily with trying to get all I need to get done. As much as I love blogging and cooking, I’d say the number one thing that keeps me up at night are thoughts like, “When am I going to have time to get this done?!” Grocery shopping and cooking for Shabbat have kept me for roughly a week, if you combined all those hours laying awake trying to concoct a plan for getting it all done. As a side gig (because I have SO much time), I’ve taken on doing some personal cooking for a family of 9 in conjunction with my regular client, whom I still cook 3 Paleo meals a week for. So, by the time I’m done with cooking for all my clients, including my own family, I’m in no mood to cook for Shabbat.
It happens every Thursday evening. I finally sit down after a loooooong day at school where I spend an hour or so trying to convince my daughter to eat dinner then followed by everyone’s favorite pastime, the bedtime routine. By the time it’s all done, I cannot be bothered to spend the next couple hours cooking for Shabbat. There are a few occasions when I can trick myself into actually cooking but that usually involves copious amounts of coffee from earlier in the day and not sitting down AT ALL. That’s usually when all goes to hell—sitting down. The minute I do, it’s all over cause mama is not getting up for no one once I finally allow myself to relax (unless, of course, it’s to get more wine or some chocolate. Mama’s gotta take care of mama, am I right?). So because I wait until the last-minute to cook anything for Shabbat, I am forced to break out that holy grail of suburban living, the crockpot. Sure, I could go cholent, but we live in Miami and when it’s 80 degrees outside, the last thing we want to eat is cholent. Therefore, as long as I have chicken breasts on hand, we will be having BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches with zucchini slaw. It’s delicious, it’s easy and it’s messy but, whether you’re crunched for time or you just love a nice, sloppy sandwich, this recipe never disappoints. Enjoy y’all (and don’t forget your wet-naps).
Set it and forget it.
Oh, before I forget, my latest piece for the Huffington Post was posted last Friday! You can find it here. The feedback has been humbling and nicely overwhelming. I was nervous about putting it all out there but, thank Gd, the crazies kept at bay . . . this time. Thanks y’all and enjoy your sandwiches!
A lone sandwich.
Crockpot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches w/Zucchini Slaw
Ingredients for Chicken:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 purple onion cut into thin rounds 1 cup barbecue sauce (a flavor you like) 3 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Ingredients for Zucchini Slaw:
2 medium zucchinis Kosher salt 1 small purple onion, diced 1 bunch cilantro plus stems, chopped 1 jalapeno, diced 1/2 cup mayonnaise (warning: I like mine slaw SUPER mayonnaise-y so start with 1/4 cup and add if you want more) 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar Dash of celery salt Garlic powder
How to – Chicken:
1. After washing and rinsing your chicken, place it in the slow cooker and top it with your purple onion rounds. Top your chicken and onions with the ingredients for the BBQ sauce. Set it for 6-8 hours, tasting along the way (after chicken is cooked). Add spices if need be.
2. Once chicken is ready, remove the chicken to a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into small shreds. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir. Add additional barbecue sauce if more sauce is needed or desired. Cover and continue cooking on low for 45 minutes.
How to – Zucchini Slaw:
1. Using a knife, food processor or julienne peeler, cut the unpeeled zucchini into thin matchstick-sized pieces, though perfection is not necessary here. Place the julienned zucchini into a container, toss with the salt and refrigerate for an hour.
2. Drain off the excess liquid, and then place the julienned zucchini in a medium bowl with the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT FOR CELERY SALT AND GARLIC. Stir until they are well-combined. Add a pinch of garlic powder and salt to taste.
The Final Step:
Once all is prepared, scoop some chicken on one side of the bun (we used mini challah rolls) and some slaw on the other. If you’re feeling extra spicy, add some pickles in there too. Put them together, put a bib on and enjoy!
Shalom. My name is Whitney and I am a cheese-aholic. I love cheese so much. I love it cold, melted, on a sandwich, smothered over fries, shredded over a salad and/or sprinkled (heavily) over some delicious pasta. I’ll eat American “cheese” too. Really, I’m no cheese snob. My love of cheese knows no bounds. When I decided to start keeping kosher, I realized there would be meal decisions in which I was faced with making a choice between meat or cheese (come on, it’s no contest. Cheese wins every time). I had to reckon with the fact that there would even be times when these types of decisions would be made for me by whomever’s house I was visiting for a meal and if they decided to go meat, well, I would have to say “good bye” to my beloved cheese for at least 6 hours (read why here).
Now that it’s been a solid 4 years since deciding to go “kosher”, the things or situations I was initially concerned about are no longer on my mind. Kosher is so ingrained in our everyday life that I don’t miss cheeseburgers or cheesesteaks (too much . . . and neither does my cholesterol level). But, the one meal in which I miss my cheese is the Thanksgiving meal. In true Southern style, my dad’s family used to have the turkey, the dressing, the dinner rolls and a table completely dedicated to casseroles all scattered, covered and smothered in cheese. Gd bless my Southern family. Every year I would haul over to that casserole table and set up camp for hours. So since there is no cheese-laden table at my kosher Thanksgiving feast, I’ve decided to start dedicating Christmas Eve to that dish that is so revered in my mind . . . Macaroni and cheese. Macaroni and cheese represents all that is good and holy about casseroles, in my mind, so as a late Chanukkah/early Christmas gift, I bring to you an ooey, gooey, macaroni and cheese recipe round-up. Break out your Tums y’all, it’s going to be a glorious night.
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