Bubbie Gertie's Meat Pie - with a Naomi tweak or two

What a week it's been!  I am so glad it's Friday, and I cannot wait to settle in and read a good book tonight...I've just started reading The Help and, even though I am only 5 pages in, I am already hooked!  But before I can cozy up and return to 1950s Mississippi, the Mishpucha must be fed!


It's funny how these posts come into being - I find my mind wandering in so many directions as I prepare our meals, and often I talk to myself (usually in my head, otherwise the girls start laughing at me!).  Donna, a facebook friend put it so well: "I cook with my mother's hand on my shoulder" - and that is exactly how I feel!!!  Only, I have the hands of so many matriarchs.  Their written words are waiting to guide me into a world filled with happy memories that envelope me with the same feeling of pure and utter comfort I felt every time I walked into my mother's kitchen.  When I cook, she is with me again, there is no loss, no Alzheimer's.  The dull ache and longing for "what was" dissipate and I am at peace again.

Tonight, I had a plan - Shepherd's Pie.  I know the recipe by heart, and have tweaked it to satisfy my family's tastes, but I still wanted to "consult" a matriarch.  Turns out that Bubbie Gertie made this dish, and called it Meat Pie. 

As I read Bubbie Lou's hand-written recipe for Bubbie Gertie's Meat Pie, I started thinking about the shitarein recipe.  I first heard about this form of recipe a couple of weeks ago, when a family friend, Bob, popped in the office and we started sharing stories about his childhood in Toronto, his mother's home-cooking, and the "shit" recipe.  Please excuse what appears to be profanity - because it is not.  This is an accepted short-form of the Yiddish term "shitarein".  Thank you to Aaron B. from Norene's Kitchen for sharing the following explanation of the shitarein recipe.  The topic was raised in Norene's Kitchen just yesterday, and I was thrilled to actually know what it was!

Anyways, Bob is close to Mom's age, and his stories intrigued me.  My mother and mother-in-love both cook(ed) using the shitarein method - a bissel (little bit) of this and a bissel of that.  When I first try a recipe I tend to prepare it exactly how it is written.  Over time, I tend to lighten up and use loose measurements, applying the shitarein method myself.  In the same way Becca's hands have a direct connection to her heart when she plays the piano, my connection appears when I cook.  And, by looking at the recipe for Bubbie Gertie's Meat Pie, so did my matriarchs. 

I have to bid you farewell in a moment, so I can make the The Shiksa in the Kitchen's Israeli Salad , but leave you with a step-by-step pictorial of my tweaked Shepherd's Pie recipe.

Peel and dice potatoes (approx 10), then boil until soft (approx 15 minutes)

Dice 1 onion, sautee in 1-2 tbsp canola oil, until translucent

Add ground beef to onions, brown, then drain excess fat

Add 1 cup of brown gravy to beef & onion mixture

Mix thoroughly

Drain boiled potatoes

Add 1C chicken broth (I use Osem) and mash with a potato ricer

Evenly spread beef/onion/gravy mixture in parchment-lined (8x11) pyrex

Evenly spread mashed potatoes on top of beef mixture

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for approx 1 hour

Some of the best meal-making memories are in the odd traditions that each family develops over time.  In our house, the kids vie for who will get to lick the potato ricer after the potatoes are mashed.  They feel utterly indulged if I reserve a little extra mashed potato for them to nosh (snack) on, as was the case tonight. 


Well, I am back to add the finishing touches (photos and scans) and am pleased to report that dinner was a huge success! 


It is 9:17 pm, and I am finally ready to curl up with my book.  I wish you a wonderful evening filled with family, fun, friends and fantastic food!  B'Tayavon and Buon Appetito and Sweet Dreams...

To Quote Norene Gilletz: Memories, misty water-colored memories..of the way we were

As Sophia from Golden Girls would have said: "Picture it, Richmond Hill, 2012".  Ironically, the actress who played Sophia also succumbed to the horrible disease which has overtaken my mom - Alzheimer's. 

But, I digress....Picture it, Richmond Hill, 2012.  I am sitting in the family room with Carlo, munching on cherries and watching the hockey game - actually, he's trying to watch the game and I am busy surfing the net and various genealogy websites for Romanian Jewry,and then I see it!  A post from Norene about a blogger...and it hits me!  It's the article Ellin wrote and the video that she shot last Wednesday!  I gasped, which usually irritates Carlo, and this time was no exception (I tend to gasp a lot when I come across something - online or in print - that resonates with me).   But then I told him it was Ellin's article and video, to which he promptly grabbed his glasses and we settled in to watch Mom's story unfold on my computer screen.  At the same time, the phone rang and it was Aviva - one of my dearest friends - who was also on shpilkis, having just read the post on Norene's Kitchen. 

So we watched the video,and then called the girls to come and watch with us.  Carlo and I marvelled at our beautiful daughters, and my beautiful mother, and just basked in the wonderful feeling that comes with knowing that her legacy lives on, not just in cyberspace with my wonderful friends / fans / supporters, but also in my friend Ellin Bessner's heartfelt, exceptionally written article and video report.

Once again, I can't help but to count my many blessings...and to take a moment and thank the people who inspire me to keep this blog going...

• my daughters, who are the reason I started this project, and are my reason for everything
• my husband, who supports me every step of the way, taking photos of the dishes I prepare, and faithfully reading every post, and encouraging me to keep writing
• Dad and Davie, who have embraced the blog and give me licence to write about their lives along with mine
• Norene, for being so kind to me, repeatedly promoting my blog in her Facebook group, and believing in me enough to make me believe in myself
• Aviva, for listening to me babble on and on about the blog and what I can do to improve it
• You - my readers - I am inspired by the climbing number of page views, and realizing that I am connecting with people around the globe, and strive to write better, more engaging posts

But mostly, I need to thank my mother - who gave me life, and taught me to love and embrace it to the fullest.  The only thing I wish for on this cold winter's evening, is that she were well and sufficiently cognizant to share the experience with me. 
I wish you a wonderful night, filled with family, fun, friends and fantastic food.  B'Tayavon, Buon Appetito and Sweet Dreams...

2012 Manulife Walk For Memories

I have been blessed with eidetic memory - I have extraordinarily vivid and detailed recall of past events. 

I can still picture the moment when I discovered that something was wrong with my Bubbie Lou - a moment that, in hindsight, would clearly indicate the arrival of Alzheimer's Disease.  I was 18 years old, and visiting my grandparents in Palm Springs.  Mom and I had gone to friends for a pre-dinner "cocktail" (remember, this was the late 1980's LOL) and Bubbie Lou made an odd reference to my right hand.  I was hurt at the time but, on reflection, I recognize that she had lost her words and used the first one that came to mind. 

I can also recall the moment when I knew something was wrong with Mom...I was in Becca's nursery, rocking my new baby girl to sleep while reading a story to my then 4-year-old daughter, Sara.  I was on maternity leave and Mom had replaced me in the office.  She kept phoning me, over and over, for direction on an easy office task.  I can still remember the feeling of dread that came over me as I pushed back the panic building up inside me that something was terribly wrong.

Mom and her granddaughters (2001)

It took 4 years before anyone else saw what I did that autumn morning of 2001, and another year after that before we finally received medical confirmation that my mother did, indeed, have early onset Alzheimer's Disease ("AD").  What a shame that we were not able to do anything sooner...perhaps if we were, Mom would be with me now, helping to record her memoirs. 

It is for this reason, as we bid 2011 adieu and look toward a new year with hope and anticipation, that I am asking you to take a moment and make a difference in the fight against AD.

On January 28th, 2012, I will be participating in the 2012 Manulife Walk for Memories. My father, brother and I, along with our families, will be participating in this fundraising event to help find the cause, and hopefully a cure, for this horrible disease - a disease which has robbed us of our matriarch.  Please consider taking part - whether you want to join the My Mother's Treasure team and walk with us on January 28th, make a donation to a worthy cause (Support The My Mother's Treasure Team), or help spread the word and ask others to support our efforts.

Together, I believe we can make the difference!

Latke Making 101

OK...as promised, here is my latke making experience...so sorry it took me so long to post this!

Heat the oil (medium high)

Grate the potatoes (10) and onions (2), squeeze out excess juice

Cumin, Parsley, Pepper, Salt (1 tsp each)

1 egg

1/4 cup flour



Add egg to spices and mix...



Add flour, egg & spice mixture to grated potatoes & onions

Start frying (squeeze out excess "juice" before placing in pan)

Flip!

Drain!





Latkes!





Serve with either apple sauce or sour cream...Mmm mmm good!  B'Tayavon & Buon Appetito!

The Making of a Bean and Barley Soup...and memories too!

It's funny how things work out...in this case, when G-d closed a door with my mother's illness, he opened many windows, some of which I am only now discovering.

Forgive me, for like my mother, I tend to repeat myself and my well-worn stories.  As I am sure I have already shared with you in an earlier post, this blog was born of loneliness, and a need to fill the deep void Alzheimer's left when it visited my mother.  First, I wrote to her, then I wrote about her, and ultimately I wrote for her.  And along the way, I was blessed with a modest following of fans, who enjoy my stories and recipes, and are getting acquainted with Mom with each new post. 

Then I regained some long lost family, and forgotten ties were renewed.   I also gained a new family we did not know existed...the long-lost branch of Chaliffs which numbers over 800 people!  The Phyllises came into my life and I would dare say that the connection was instant.  Sometimes blood ties really are that strong....

But that was not it.  I met my "rock star" online - yes, Norene Gilletz actually knows who I am!  And I became a part of her online family - Norene's Kitchen - and met many amazing people.  I have "clicked" with some of them too, and they have filled a space in that void.

Then my friend Ellin, an amazing lady and wonderful journalist, decided to write about mothers and daughters and food..she met with Norene yesterday morning, and came here last night to document "The Making of a Bean and Barley Soup".  So I tried to polish up the kitchen as best I could (lest we forget that this kitchen of ours has been in overdrive for the past week, preparing for the holidays) and make myself look presentable as I chopped onions, carrots, celery and flanken!  It was a whirlwind of activity and very exciting.  The article and video will appear in the Toronto Star next week...I will let you know when it does, and post a link to it as well!

And don't think that choosing the dish to be featured was an easy feat...for it was not.  I polled the mishpucha (family) during our Chanuka celebrations on Monday night.  Davie and Sara were pulling for Rib Roast, but it is not something that can be prepared in 1 hour.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that Davie and I share the same fond memories of Mom's dishes, and also share many of the same favourites - Chili, Spaghetti Sauce, etc. - but ultimately it was Carlo who came up with the perfect recipe - Mom's Bean and Barley Soup.  What better way to warm your bones on a cold winter's night (on which we had the first snowfall of the year!) than Mom's B&B Soup?  It really does capture the essence of my Jewish Mother and her nurturing and loving personality...so yesterday I left work early and ran to Sobey's to ask Danny (the butcher and my "go-to" guy for all things meat) for some flanken and beef sugar bones...then came home and tidied up.  

By the end of the evening the soup was made, but not yet ready to eat.  I was (and still am) exhausted and Carlo took us out to dinner at the Pickle Barrel ("What does a nice Jewish girl like me make when she doesn't feel like cooking? Reservations!"). Tonight I am standing beside the stove stirring my soup pot which is slowly heating up this liquid gold, and marvelling at my many blessings. 

Today another handful of surprises awaited me.  I got a call from a lawyer who was returning my dad's call...at the end of the conversation she asked my name, and then asked if I was Moishe's daughter.  It turns out she and mom were good friends a lifetime (mine to be exact!) ago, and we will be meeting up for lunch the next time I am in her neck of the woods.  She is happy to fill in some of the blanks of my mother's life as a young woman in 1960s Toronto.  What an exciting discovery for me! 

And then I got a FB friend request from one of my mom's dearest friends, who shared not only her life, but also her birthday!  Many of the slips of paper I have found in the Golden Treasures cookbook belong to Ethel M., and I cannot wait to share them with you in upcoming posts. 

Meanwhile, I owe you, my handful of fans, a slew of posts, and I promise I will start to catch them up ASAP.  For now, here is the Bean and Barley Soup that Bubbie Lou got from her sister Adele, and made for my mother....which my mother made for me, and which I now make for my family. 

From my family to yours...I wish you a wonderful evening filled with family, fun, friends and fantastic food!  B'Tayavon and Buon Appetito!


Louise and Carol's Bean & Barley Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb beef short ribs (flanken)
• 4 marrow bones (or beef sugar bones)
• 1 package small mushrooms (fresh are best)
• 4 large carrots, cut into rounds
• 4 large celery stalks, diced
• 2 medium cooking onions, chopped
• 1C pot or pearl barley (I always use pearl)
• 1C navy beans
• 1 cooking spoon of salt

Method: Cut meat, place into stock pot with marrow bones.  Fill pot with water (2 inches from the top).  Bring to a boil.  Skim off all the scum.  Once it reaches a rolling boil with no scum forming, reduce the heat and clean the sides of the pot.  Add salt, beans and barley.  Stir.  Add mushrooms, carrot, celery and onions.  Reduce heat.  Allow to reach a boil (on the lowered heat), further reduce the heat and let simmer for 2 hours.  Refrigerate and remove schmaltz (fat) from top.  Reheat to serve. 

Latkes...What's Not To Love?

חנוכה שמח

The Holiday Season is in full swing...parties everywhere...Christmas and holiday music on the radio and in the stores...decorative lights on the houses and a crisp wind in the air...it is hard not to get in the spirit of things...

Below are links to a couple of Chanuka songs to get you in the mood...

Barenaked Ladies - Hanukkah, O Hanukkah

THE DREIDL SONG with Lyrics- I Had A Little Dreidl

Growing up, we celebrated Chanuka (so many spellings, so little space).  I can still picture the whole family gathered around the table in our cozy kitchen, grating potatoes & onions, while Mom and my Aunt Freda (Dad's sister) fried up the latkes (potato pancakes/fritters).  My cousins helped me and Davie grate mountains of potatoes and onions, making sure no fingers got added into the mix!  

The smells were intoxicating...and the latkes were out of this world - so delicious.  It was an agonizing wait for the whole batch to be ready - and there was no way you could nibble on them beforehand (there would be none left for dinner!).  

We would sit down to dinner with a huge platter of latkes, a bowl of sour cream and another of apple sauce.  We did not mix meat (fleishik) and dairy (milchik), so there was never any meat served with our meal.  Perhaps a salad was included, but I don't think anyone was really interested in anything more than Mom's luscious latkes.  

Some years we would celebrate the holidays in Toronto, but more often than not, we would be in Regina, with Mom's family, gathered in Bubbie Lou and Zaida Bernie's house, preparing the feast there.  The latke recipe I will make tonight has been passed down from Bubbie Gertie, who undoubtedly learned it in her mother Clara's kitchen over 100 years ago.  As always, I would encourage those wanting to learn about Jewish  holidays to consult Chabad Aurora.  To learn more about Chanuka, click on חנוכה.

Stay tuned for our latke-making pictorial to be posted later today, along with our family "recipe" (if you can call it that, it's all about a dash of this, and handful of that, and a splash of something else for good luck!).  Chag Sameyach (translates: Happy Holidays)!

Until later today, I wish you a wonderful day filled with family, friends, fun and fantastic food!  B'Tayavon & Buon Appetito!

Bubbie Lily's Coffee Cake

I am making Shabbat dinner, and need a dessert...pronto!  I am thinking about making Bubbie Lily's Coffee Cake.  You may recall me mentioning Bubbie Lily in an earlier post (Full Circle: Frittata for Jack & Becca).  She was not my Bubbie - she was my cousin Michael's Bubbie - but as far back as I can remember there have been stories about the Jampolskys...they were my grandparents' friends, neighbours, and eventually relatives by marriage. 

My grandparents - Louise and Bernie - lived 2 doors down from the Jampolskys.  Their families grew up together, and eventually their daughter Anita  married Louise's youngest brother Paul.  Two generations later, Louise and Bernie's daughter Carol (Mom) moved to Toronto.   Twenty years after that, Paul and Anita's son Michael moved to Toronto.  There is a generation gap between Carol and Michael - he is actually just a few years older than me.  So our families reunited around Carol and Moishe's Yom Tov dinner table.  Michael and Kate's daughter Lilyanna was born 5 months after our daughter Sara.  Our daughter Becca was born 5 months after their son Jack.  Paige ... well, we stopped at 2, but my brother David & his wife Lena obliged by having a little girl, Abby, who is becoming a fast friend of Paige's.  The family ties run deep.  Almost 8 years ago, Carlo and I fell in love with a house that just happened to be 2 doors down from Michael & Katie's!  And so, the relationship between our 2 families has come full circle, and 2 generations later, our families are living 2 doors apart again! (I know....lots of 2's!)

Enough of the family history lesson....many years ago Mom made a Bubbie Lily coffee cake.  It was out-of-this-world delicious!  So, I quickly got the recipe and made it so often people started referring to it as Nomi's Coffee Cake.  A couple of years ago we submitted the recipe for the kids' school cookbook, but this time it was known as Sara's Coffee Cake...


Sara's school cookbook submission


So now, as I make it and send the recipe out into the blogosphere, I must give credit where credit is due...I hope you enjoy Bubbie Lily's Coffee Cake as much as we do...3 and 4 generations later! 



Mom's handwritten recipe (notice she refers to it as Aunty Lil J (not Bubbie Lily)

 Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with fun, friends and fantastic food!  B'Tayavon and Buon Appetito!

PS - I am just too beat to whip up the cake tonight...hopefully will find the energy tomorrow and will upload the photos when it's done!