Master’s Degree Celebration

My daughter Melissa just received her Master’s Degree in Education. Words cannot express how proud I am of her achievement.

After the Graduation Commencement we celebrated with family and friends and lots and lots of delicious food. I baked all of the desserts for this momentous occasion.

I began by baking dozens and dozens of star butter cookies with red sugar crystal which were a tribute to her school colors. Then forty eight chocolate cupcakes baked in red foil cupcake liners were frosted with Nutella with swirls of Nutella mousse as another nod at her school colors.

No celebration would complete without my Carrot Cupcakes and my signature cream cheese frosting. So another forty eight cupcakes were baked and frosted.

Fenikia and Kourembethia are Greek specialties and reserved only for very special occasions. Kourembethia are traditionally served as good luck cookies making their appearance at special milestone events. These heart-shaped, butter cookies are drenched in powdered sugar and melt on your tongue as you eat them. It is impossible not to make a lot of these special cookies. The recipe for these traditional cookies was handed down to me by a dear friend and yields 90 – 100 pieces.

Fenikia are egg shaped cookies filled with ground walnuts and cinnamon then dipped in thick syrup. The same friend gave me this authentic Greek recipe which yields 100 -120 cookies. These are absolutely delectable and by far Melissa’s favorite cookie. These are not only delicious but very time consuming to make. It seems that the wait was well worth it as there was quite a long wait. I have not made these cookies since Melissa graduated from High School! Celebrating her Master’s Degree was the perfect occasion to bake them again.

How to Make Sugar Flower Roses

Yesterday my daughter gave me a wonderful gift. She arranged for us to participate in a gum paste flower class for beginners at Sugar Flower Cake Shop, a renowned wedding cake shop in NYC which is owned and operated by Amy DeGiulio.

The two hour class taught by Amy was attended by approximately twenty people. Her assistants were on hand to help all of us get the gist of using the tools and performing the tasks correctly. Amy came by our station quite frequently to check in on our progress. She is very patient and answered every question posed to her.

Amy introduced us to gum paste. I don’t really know what I was expecting but I was surprised that the gum paste looked like a brick of cream cheese with the consistency of play dough. We were instructed to cut a small piece of the gum paste, knead it and then roll it out to a thin rectangle. Next we took our pieces of dough and put them through a pasta machine, the reason for this step is to ensure that the thickness of the dough would be uniform. Then we used cookie cutters to cut out circles in three graduated sizes that were placed on what looked like a Lucite board which was covered with another layer of Lucite so that we could work on one petal at a time without the others drying out.



To make an individual petal we took one small circle and inserted a piece of floral wire into one end so that it resembled a lollypop. Then we crimped the outer edge between our fingers to make it thin and somewhat wavy. The “petal” was placed on a teaspoon and tapped into the bowl of the spoon so the outer edges formed a ruffle. The stamens were formed by taking a small piece of dough, forming a ball, inserting a piece of floral wire and then shaping the ball into somewhat of a miniature Hershey’s Kiss.

The petals must harden for about 24 hours. Because of the limitation of time allotted for the class we were presented with petals that were made by another group so that we could complete our project. Some people, including my daughter, were a bit disappointed that their flower was not all of their own work. I took this in stride because it is not practical to think that the class should stop at this point and reconvene on another day when the petals would be dry.

The fun part, assembling and decorating our flowers! We took one stamen and overlapped three petals to form a circle around it. We wound the floral tape around the base of the flower and secured each additional petal with the tape. Repeat this technique for each layer and increase the number of petals by one. The final step in assembling the flowers was to wind the floral tape down the entire length of the stem.

The flowers were decorated with powdered food coloring in a matte finish. This gave the students a chance to be creative and some of the flowers were outstanding. I am proud to say that Rachel’s flower was the prettiest of all the flowers made during our class. Of course, bear in mind that I AM her mother and I always think that everything she does is spectacular!

Please leave a comment to let us know what you think of our first attempt at making gum paste roses.

Meat Glue or Transglutaminase

Click here to watch video

Is Your Prime Steak Held Together by ‘Meat Glue? Video posted on April 26, 2012 by WTAE, Channel 4 Action News, Pittsburgh., PA

First there was Pink Slime now there is Meat Glue! I am almost speechless but I cannot be silent on this topic. This is not news to the food industry. It has been in use since the early 1980’s. It was first identified in 1959 but proved to be difficult and expensive to process. In 1982, a Japanese company, Ajinomoto discovered a strain of bacteria that yielded transglutaminase or “meat glue” which was easy to produce and use.

What exactly is “meat glue?”
“Meat glue” is actually transglutaminase, a powder made from naturally occurring enzymes harvested from fermented bacteria. Transglutaminase causes proteins such as chicken, fish or meat to bond together.

Is “meat glue” harmful? 
That is a complicated answer because on its own, transglutamiase is not harmful since it is derived from a natural substance that causes the blood in a cow to coagulate. The FDA has classified transglutaminase as generally recognized as safe. However the FDA goes a step further to say that meat treated with transglutaminase may be a health and safety issue primarily because small pieces of meat have a greater surface area that may be exposed to bacteria than a steak. It is recommended that the meat treated with transglutaminase be cooked thoroughly or well done to avoid contamination.

Is using “meat glue” deceptive?
In my opinion if the consumer is not made aware of its use then it is very deceptive. Some food establishments are employing the practice of incorporating small pieces of meat that may otherwise be used for stews with transglutaminase to create a Filet Mignon! When I order that particular cut of meat I expect to get just that, not a facsimile. 

How do we know if our meat is being held together by “meat glue?” 
Read the labels of the food you purchase! Packaged meat products will note in the list of ingredients found on the label that the meat is formed or reformed meat. When you read “formed” or “reformed” you will know that it is just another way of saying that the meat that you think you are purchasing was actually created with transglutaminase.  Restaurants are not required to tell their patrons if they use this substance or not. So, the best way to know is to ask!

This video highlights the use of transglutaminase with meat products but it can fuse chicken and fish as well. The lessons gained from watching the video and reading this post is to carefully read the labels of the products that you plan to eat and ask questions of the wait staff when dining at a restaurant. Now that you are aware of transglutaminase it is entirely up to you to decide if you will consume “meat glue” or not.

How to Paint Eggs

One dozen white eggs
Non-toxic paint in your choice of colors
Thin paintbrushes
An empty glass jar to rinse the brushes
An empty plastic or Styrofoam egg carton

I have always been fascinated by painted eggs; they are so delicate and beautiful to look at. When you complete this project you will be very proud of your accomplishment!

Creating painted eggs is not quite as simple as it looks.

Start with one dozen white eggs. Then find a sharp needle and pierce each end of the eggs. Next is the hard part, blow into one end of the egg until you are left with an empty shell. Try not to break the shells during this process. Blowing the eggs is labor intensive. It seems like it is so easy but when you are doing a dozen of them it gets tiring. Discard the yolk and albumen. Next, rinse the eggs and let them dry overnight. The eggs must be dry or the liquid that remained inside may ruin your art work.

A note of caution: If you plan to use more than one color on your egg then you must let the first color that you use dry completely before using the next color. Remember to rinse your brush well before using the next color. Using more that one color to paint your eggs is a time consuming process. If you are painting a large number of eggs you may want to allot several days for this project. Before you begin painting it is best to have a general idea of what design or theme you want to paint on your eggs.

Now you are ready to paint! A vast array of colors can be used to create endless possibilities for your designs.

Allow the eggs to dry over night.

You can package your eggs in baskets or in egg cartons.

























My daughters have been painting eggs for several years as gifts for our friends. This year they invited my little granddaughter to join them. She is only four years old but a very quick learner. She presented me with six eggs that she painted all by herself in a small purple sponge painted wicker basket. I have it lovingly displayed in my kitchen. I cannot wait to see what she will paint next year!

Easter Bunny Cupcakes

Welcoming the Easter Bunny will be easy this year. The weather is fantastic; the grass is already green and the colorful and vibrant spring flowers are flourishing. As a matter of fact, it was such a mild winter that we had a few lingering carrots in our garden. I believe that the Easter Bunny might just be lucky enough to find one or two carrots if he searches hard enough.

I can just imagine the Easter Bunny enjoying the magnificent sight of all of the beautiful colors of springtime while hopping from house to house with his basket brimming with colorful eggs and sweet treats for the little girls and boys to find on Easter morning.

To pay homage to that delightful, generous, and wonderful bunny I decided to bake carrot cupcakes because as everyone knows, a bunny’s favorite food is a carrot! Cream cheese frosting is a must for carrot cupcakes. The cupcakes are adorned with colorful sugar crystal or sprinkles and decorator icing bunnies. These adorable cupcakes are sure to bring a smile to young children as well as those who are young at heart.

Easy Easter Carrot Cupcakes Recipe
Every baker has a favorite carrot cake recipe. Prepare your recipe and bake 24 cupcakes.

Prepare your favorite cream cheese frosting and frost the tops of each cupcake.

Add colorful sugar crystals or sprinkles and decorator icing bunnies.

The same effect can be created with store bought carrot cupcakes by simply adding your own decorations to make them extra special.

Enjoy!

A Passover Seder and Matzah Balls

Passover is fast approaching and along with that comes all of the preparations and hard work that goes into making a Passover Seder. It is important to have a little reminder of why we take the time to diligently put everything in order for this holiday.

The Passover Seder recounts the enslavement and oppression of the Jewish people in Egypt and most notably, their momentous flight to freedom to live as enlightened and liberated people to practice Judaism in the Promised Land. It is incumbent upon every Jewish person to retell this story once a year at a Passover Seder.  The complete account of the Exodus can be found in the Book of Exodus, Chapters 1 – 15.  

Many people think that a Passover Seder is just an elaborate meal that celebrates the Jewish exodus from Egypt. To some extent that is true but it is far more than that. A Passover Seder is a complex event and it can be daunting. Here is an interesting fact, in Hebrew the root word of Seder translates as “order.” A Passover Seder has fifteen ordained steps. Help and guidance for a meaningful Seder can be found within the pages of a Haggadah.

The festive meal is number eleven in the Order of the Seder. This portion of the Seder lends itself to a meal that can be either strictly traditional or somewhat creative. I raised my children with a traditional Eastern European style meal that included: gefilte fish with horse radish, chopped liver, chicken soup with matzah balls, and of course to complete the meal, dried fruit compote. These recipes came to me by way of my children’s paternal great grandmother.  

However, the menu has changed dramatically over the past few years. In fact, this year I served a vegetarian meal (my sincere apology to my mentor, Esther who must be shaking her head in total disbelief and raising her hands in the air exclaiming, “Oy Gevalt!”). I replaced our traditional chicken soup with carrot soup and now the matzah balls are optional. To my delight everyone in the family wanted a matzah ball or two or even three whether it was bathed in the soup or simply served in the soup bowl au natural. It seems that the truth was finally revealed; the matzah ball is really the main attraction and not the soup!

Matzah balls are funny things; some people like them small, some big, some light, some dense, some fluffy, and some stuck together like glue. Well, I prefer the ones that are light and fluffy.  I must confess, I allow myself to make this one item that is so vital to our Festive Meal from a box. Yes, yes, I measure and add the oil and eggs to the mix; let it rest and chill in the refrigerator; then roll them with wet fingertips in the palm of my hand making them the size of a walnut; and finally I drop them in simmering water for twenty minutes or so. And the best part of this is that they never disappoint me, they are always delicious, light and fluffy!

Ask any one of my children what my favorite food is and they will undoubtedly say, Matzah Balls!

Springtime Celery Soup

There is an explosion of colorful blooms of flowers and trees in my neighborhood heralding the arrival of spring. The white snowdrops have given way to bright yellow daffodils, the forsythia branches are covered in a plethora of buds just about to open, while the magnolia trees can no longer hold back their blooms of variegated, light pink from unfurling.

The first day of spring is tomorrow and to welcome the change of season I plan to celebrate with Springtime Celery Soup. Celery is often overlooked in my home; it may even be classified as one of my family’s least favorite vegetables. Perhaps the only reason that I have to continue purchasing it from season to season is that I use it as a base to make other soups.

Today I decided that celery will be the star of its own soup. The texture of this soup is velvety and the color is a wonderful shade of pale green. The best part of all is that it is not particularly difficult to prepare. Enjoy the beginning of spring!

Springtime Celery Soup Recipe
Makes 10 bowls of soup

3 med onions, diced
1 bunch celery diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons Butter

2 potatoes cubed
Salt to taste

10 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

Prepared miniature egg bows.

Sauté the onions in the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan until translucent then add the celery. Continue cooking until the celery is soft. This will take about 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile boil the cubed potatoes in salted water for 10 to 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and add to the onions and celery. Turn off the heat. In a large soup pot bring the vegetable stock to a boil then puree the onions, celery and potatoes in batches in the food processor and add the puree to the vegetable stock. Bring the soup to a boil and turn off. 

I serve this with warm slices of French bread. Just before serving, bring the soup to a full boil then ladle over the prepared bows. Simple and delicious!