Challah

Challah oh Challah, have I made a match for you!

That outburst was dedicated to my mother.

To make up for the utter laziness of last week's blog, I've made the most time consuming thing I know how to. Challah.



Ingredients:
1 1/4 Cups Warm Water
1 1/2 Tsp Yeast
1/4 Cup Honey (or more if you like your Challah on the sweet side)
2 Tb Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs
4 Cups Flour
1 More Egg for Egg Wash (Preferably a lucky double yolk one!)

Combine all ingredients except 1 egg. Cover with cling wrap and let rise 1 1/2 Hours. Drop it on a floured surface and smack it around a little. Cut into 6 pieces and braid as shown in the video (or for ease, just braid like hair. But you won't feel nearly as smug afterwards.) Let rise another hour. Cover in egg wash and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. When you knock on it, it should sound hollow.

Hope your Challah doesn't blow up.

Eat!

Matzo Brei

This is my daddy's recipe... It's the only really "passed down from generation to generation" recipe I can think of. Really easy, really delicious... not terribly good for you. But what "really easy, really delicious" thing ever is?



This is the recipe for making 2 Matzos- a really big breakfast for me. But the formula is easy to make any number you want - just one matzo to one egg and a bigger sploosh of milk.

Ingredients:
2 Pieces Egg and Onion Matzo
2 Eggs
A sploosh of milk
1 Tb Buttah
Salt

Break up the Matzo into pieces and soak in very warm water until bendable. Dump into a colander. In the same bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the Matzo back into the bowl and let soak for a few minutes.

Pre-heat a non-stick skillet to a pretty high heat. Melt Buttah and swirl it around to cover the whole pan, including the upturned edges. When Buttah begins to brown, dump in your Matzo mixture and spread around the pan.

When the Matzo mixture is slightly solid, cut it into fourths and flip. Salt, let cook a few moments and hack at it with your spatula. Put on a plate and enjoy. Mazel tov!

Matzo Ball Soup

At last, some success. In honor of Passover, the end of winter, and being diagnosed with strep throat, I made chicken soup with matzo balls, to great acclaim from Steve.



Also in this video: The first appearance of my wonderful, fabulous, beautiful, new cast iron dutch oven, care of Mom.