I hosted a Shabbat Tweet up on Friday night and wanted to make something that I hadn’t made in along time that I knew would be a hit. I was right – there was only one piece left by the end of the night!!

The first ingredient (frozen fish loaf) might not be available in many grocery stores but I can assure you that you can find it at any grocery store from Bathurst/Lawrence to Bathurst and Rutherford.

Here’s the recipe: There’s 4 ingredients you really need. That’s it.

Three Coloured Fish Loaf (taken from Gatherings…A project by the parents of Netivot Hatorah Day School)

1 1/2 lbs frozen fish loaf, defrosted….otherwise known as GEFILTE FISH

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tsp salt (I omitted this)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder (I omitted this too)

pepper to taste

1 box (300g) chopped spinach, defrosted and drained

3 medium sized carrots, cooked and mashed. (I used my Cuisinart for this step).

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. In a large blow, combine defrosted fish with egg, sugar, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and onion.

2. Divide mixture in half

3. Press one half into a loaf pan (I used Pam on the loaf pan to ensure it came out easily)

4. Divide the remaining mixture into half

5. Mix spinach with one half of the mixture

6. Mix mashed carrots with the other half of the mixture

7. Spread the spinach mixture over plain fish in loaf pan

8. Then spread the carrot mixture over the spinach mixture.

Bake uncovered for an hour. Slice and serve!!

FINAL PRODUCT:

ps. Next time I would spread more carrot mixture on the loaf. I held back. I don’t know why. I realized that the more you use, the thicker the layer will be.

Happy Cooking!!

Most of the tweet ups I attend are at restaurants, however this week I am hosting a Shabbat Tweet up in my apartment.  What does this mean? This means that all the guests are on twitter and they are all “foodies” in a big way plus 99% of the guests are Jewish.

The food served at this tweet up will be traditional Friday nite food except for the fact that my kitchen is vegetarian. (small detail). This means no one will be enjoying chicken soup, chopper liver or brisket.

I decided that the meal definitely required a potato knish. They are easy to make and everyone loves them.

What is a knish? Its basically puffed pastry with potato filling. I cheat and use a mix. Once we did a taste test between fresh mashed potatoes and the mix and no one could tell the difference. Therefore, I use the mix out of pure convenience.

My mom makes them to perfection. Little tiny bundles. Mine aren’t as  pretty and I hope she isn’t reading this, shaking her head and muttering “why didn’t she watch me in the kitchen?”.

POTATO KNISHES:

Ingredients:

1 package of puffed pastry

Mashed potatoes…(I made 2 servings according to the instructions on the side of the box)

METHOD:

1. Make the mashed potatoes according to the directions on the box. SEASON generously with salt and pepper

2. Roll out the dough and then cut into squares. Forgive me – but I don’t measure how big these squares should be. Fill with a tablespoon of mashed potatoes.

3. Shape into ????. I wish I could describe how to do this step but I can’t. It would have been brilliant of me to prepare a video of this step. One day – I promise!!

4. The goal is to make them into little bundles.

4. Egg wash each knish so they get a nice shine to them.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. The final product should look like the first photo at the top left of the page.

Try eating knishes with sour cream.  I also love the fact that they freeze BEAUTIFULLY.

Can’t wait to serve them tomorrow at the Shabbat Tweet up.

I bake Challah every week. Well kinda – I cheat. At least, I’m honest, right?

I should take a minute and explain what is Challah!! Challah is a braided bread that is served on the Sabbath(Friday Nite to Saturday Nite) in Jewish homes. I grew up with Egg Challah from Rideau Bakery in Ottawa but when I moved to Toronto I discovered that there was a variety of different challahs. ie raisin, whole wheat, with a sugary coating on top etc.

I also found out that you could make it!! I tried – I really did but it was never as good as all my friends who make it on a regular basis. (you know who you are)

Then I discovered: FROZEN challah and never looked back. There are two competing brands out there – Montreal Kosher and Lenchner’s. Im not loyal – I just grab whatever I see.  I really think they are both amazing but some of my friends say that one rises better than the other. Perhaps one day I will try and test out both challah’s side by side.

Step 1: I usually buy it frozen from No Frills (at Bathurst/Wilson) or Metro (Bathurst/Lawrence). However you could find it at any major grocery store from Bathurst/Lawrence to Bathurst/Rutherford.

Step 2: I unwrap it, lay it on parchment paper and cover with saran wrap. Then I wait 6 hours. (not 4, not 5).

Step 3: I take the wrapping off, and put an egg wash on it (my fav. step)

Step 4: I put the challah in the over at 325 degrees F and bake for 35 minutes. (not 30, not 40).

Step 5: see above photo for the finished product

I serve it on Friday nite and its generally GONE by Sat. Nite. However if you have leftovers – challah can be used to make a wicked french toast!!

I kinda like the whole wheat challah these days but truthfully they are all fanatastic.

All I know – is that this challah rocks and I look forward to making it every week. Baking challah makes my apartment smell great, and you can’t beat the convenience. Sure, it’s not the same as taking the time to make it from scatch – but I can’t get over the fact that IT ALWAYS COMES OUT amazing.

Hope you get a chance to try challah one day soon!!