honeyed chicken with caramelized onions, chestnuts and prunes

After a BIG day of grocery shopping and visiting a Healthy Food and Living Expo at Palais des Congres, a mean headache struck.  Not prone to headaches, this was one of those migraines that would leave any mama winding down on a couch while kids totally taking advantage of the situation. 

"Go take your shower please... close the TV... close the TV... eat dinner... eat the fish... go to sleep... GO TO SLEEP!" I repeated... I felt like a robot or on auto-pilot. For some reason, the girls were non-reactive. I totally shpieled knowing kids are kids.. even when I hoped they can empathize like adults.  I abruptly shut the TV demanding they eat the fish I made for dinner" that's when one of my kids threw a fit. She refused to eat... she refused just about everything I asked of her. The other child, though at a stagnating pace, took her shower, ate dinner, and even surprised me by doing the dishes and stacking everything away... I totally felt nachas amid the challenge. I thanked her for listening.

I had no me-time that night, it took the kids 2 hours to finally fall asleep. Whoever said motherhood is perfect? It's not. The next time you have a headache know you are not alone, this happens to all of us. Looking back, I will have a good talk with my children about the situation experienced and make sure we understand each other.

"The joy of motherhood comes in moments, there will be hard times, and frustrating times, but amid the challenges there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction."  

~ Elder M. Russell Ballard

Motherly food for thought aside, Purim can be an overwhelming time for parents. there are so many things to prepare from costumes, mishloach manot to fasting and feasting. With all this in mind, here is a sweet chicken recipe for your family dinner or Purim feast.  A couple of years ago my mom made a delicious caramelized onion chicken recipe for our Purim dinner, which became my inspiration for this dish.  The truth is caramelized onion in chicken is delicious in itself, but I love the added sweetness from the prunes and texture from the chestnuts. Happy Purim!

honeyed chicken with caramelized onions, chestnuts and prunes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total Time: 1 hour  | Serves 4 |  Meat
INGREDIENTS	INSTRUCTIONS
4-6 chicken pieces, bone-in chicken thighs preferred 1 tsp cinnamon  1/2 tsp of paprika 2 tbsp of honey  3 tbsp of olive oil 3  white onions, sliced 250 g dry prunes or apricots 250 g of chestnuts  3/4 cup of boiling water   Kosher salt, to taste Freshly ground pepper, to taste SERVE WITH 1/3 cup whole toasted blanched almonds (optional) Couscous	1.  In a cast-iron skillet or heavy bottom pot, on medium heat,  drizzle oil,  add the sliced onions, the cinnamon, and paprika. Stir well and add the chicken pieces one at a time, cook for 2 minutes, coating all sides of the chicken and then top with 1/2 cup of water. 2.  Drizzle the honey over the chicken, coating properly, sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper on each piece and the chestnuts. Cook for 10-15 minutes.  3. Keep an eye on the chicken, lower heat to simmer (low-medium), add 1/3 cup of water, allow to reduce for another 20-25 minutes. Cover the pot halfway. Flip the chicken pieces a couple of times, add the prunes, spreading them a bit everywhere in the pot at this point, cook for another 10 minutes. You want to see a golden brown color on both sides of the chicken thighs accompanied by caramelized onions, and softened prunes.

A Cookbook Review: The Modern Menu by Kim Kushner

The Modern Menu Kosher cookbook
 was launched on April 1st, 2013. Photo credit from www.kimkushnercuisine.com

Kim Kushner

There are many great kosher cookbooks available on Amazon.ca and one of my new favorites happens to be by Montreal-born, Kim Kushner, entitled The Modern Menu. Coined as "Simple. Beautiful. Kosher." The Modern Menu, launched April 1st, 2013, is a refreshing cookbook consisting of 12 creative and fairly easy to make menus.

A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan, Kim Kushner has been giving cooking classes for over 10 years; she is a private chef for New York's most 'discerning' eaters and is a recipe contributor for major New York publications. In her new cookbook, Kim demonstrates how her lifelong love of food, her cooking techniques along with her family's Jewish Modern Orthodox traditions result in delicious modern cuisine, that also happens to be kosher.

Some of the recipes which can be found in this coobook are:

 Jon's Roast Chicken, Sweet & Sour Broccoli Salad and Gingered Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes. Photos by Andrew Zuckerman.

Her menu themes revolve around concepts like: vibrant, crisp, piquant, warm, nourishing... each concept includes an appetizer,  main course, 2 to 3 side dishes. For example, the vibrant section includes:

Kohlrabi and Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing

Eggplant with Spicy Harissa Dipping Sauce

Baby Lamb Chops with Pesto Croute

Couscous with Dried Fruit and Almonds

The Cinnamon-Hazelnut Pavlova with Raspberries is one of the minimalist yet spectacular desserts featured. Photo by Andrew Zuckerman

As for sweets you'll find:

Lychee-Melon Fruit Salad with Pistachios and Honey

Cinnamon-Hazelnut Pavlova with Raspberries

Medjool Dates Stuffed with Walnuts (a traditional sweet I grew up at home with)

Broken Dark Chocolate Cake

and close to a dozen more...

MONTREAL COOKING DEMO

On September 23rd, over 70 people gathered at the YM-YWHA for Kim's first Montreal cooking demo. That evening, she cooked-up 5 Minute Chummus (a staple in her home), Mediterranean Green Salad with feta and figs (as she calls "delish!") and Marinated Vegetable Salad all from The Modern Menu. 

KIM KUSHNER'S COOKING TIPS

For those who couldn't make the event, Kim shared some key cooking tips including: 

• Make dressings in advance and store in the refrigerator
• For those allergic to sesame in the chummus recipe, she recommends using roasted garlic in place of tahini
• Use Zaatar to make homemade pita chips

Although she loves Manhattan and looks forward to cooking all over NYC i.e. Brooklyn, Long Island and Detroit, what she misses most from Montreal food, is La Marguerite challah and of course, Montreal bagels!" 

One of the salads made at the cooking demo. Mediterranean Green Salad with feta and figs 

The Modern Menu by  native Montrealer, Kim Kushner

Photo by Andrew Zuckerman

All in all, most of the recipes I tried from this cookbook turned out successful, from the Salmon en Croute, bourekas, Jon's Roast Chicken, Balsamic-Marinated Chicken with Olives and Sun-dried Tomatoes, Grilled Eggplant, Sun-Dried Tomato and Bocconcini Salad. This cookbook not only reflects aspects of traditional Jewish Moroccan, Mediterranean and Italian cuisine as many of her recipes benefit from sun-dried tomatoes, sauteed onions, jams and herbs.

I think Kim is adorable and anyone who reads her cookbook can see how her love of cooking is reflected throughout her book. It's always nice to see a native Montrealer cooking on the Today Show!

For more information go to: http://www.kimkushnercuisine.com/

Modern Menu Hardcover / Price: $39.95 USD | Paperback / Price: $21.95 USD or $23.50 CAD at Coles in Montreal

from quebec to the world: feel the love

If you love Bob Sinclar than you'll love this post. I got to warn you though, what I am about to ask you to do may come off super cheesy, please keep in mind that I am simply trying to be cutely interactive, so bare with me because reader cooperation is crucial. ;) 

First, click here (wait for the commercials and bell to pass) “hear the song?…” come on, you have to play it :(. Now we’re talking! Next up, close your eyes and imagine you’re riding on highway 20 in a convertible white Jeep Wrangler on your way to Île Perrot. I can’t tell you where we’re going just yet, it’s a surprise for now. 

Practice shaking your hips.

Feel the sweet August breeze blow onto your face, oh oh, your green beret flew away but don’t let that stop you, keep driving. Feel the sun shining, clap your hands and shake your hips à la Marocaine, yes even seated. If you’re Moroccan your technique will come naturally, if you’re not, you might need some practice here (click to find out) or drink some Evian water, apparently it does wonders. Ensure, Bob Sinclar’s song is back on… and let loose, start screaming like never before “woohoo!!!” There you get it! Sing-a-long if you feel it, or yoddle (I personally don’t do that, but hey, it is your fantasy), do the Gangnam dance, drop it low, dance or fly, whatever stimulates your senses. Do you feel it now, do you feel the Love Generation? I hope you enjoyed the ride, take a right between the corn fields, another right between the wooden fence and we've finally arrived to destination, our favorite family ranch, Quebec’s Quinn farm.

Back to reality, Love Generation has got to be a favorite road trip song for my daughters and I. We can listen to it over and over, and over again… and that’s exactly what we did last week on our visit to Quinn farm. Because the apple orchard was off-limits until the weekend, what initially was to be our annual pre-Rosh Hashanah apple picking trip became our first ever blueberry picking experience.

A few times throughout the year I take my kids to this farm for apple, squash, pumpkin or strawberry picking. Picking your own produce makes unforgettable moments, there is a certain peace and awe in being surrounded by nature’s farms.

We went blueberry picking for the first time ever at Quinn farm in Île Perrot

We've just arrived to Quinn Farm a little later than expected.
 Siri's GPS got confused due to unexpected road work detours. 

Hand picked batch of corn at the front entrance.

Inside the barn bakery. Although these foods are non-kosher, we truly appreciate the atmosphere and aroma of baked apple or pumpkin pies.

Quinn Farm's field of berries.

One of the blueberry bushes we picked from.

Hand picked zucchinis at the Quinn Market

More fresh produce to choose from.

The selection of flavored honeys, inspirational for Rosh Hashanah!

What a beautiful baby!
The farmer's youngest son sitting under the hay slide.