Wow! COVID-19 has done quite a number on what we used to think of as “normal.” Nowadays, “flattening the curve” is the highest priority in my house. My husband (may he have a refu’a sheleima) is at high risk. We quickly stopped having direct contact with the outside world to try to ensure he doesn’t get the virus. Our hearts break with those who have been affected by this pandemic, and we want everyone to be as safe and healthy as possible. When we hear about those who struggled with the virus and came out the other side, we cheer their wins. When we hear about the overburdening of the system and the crazy-long hours the healthcare teams are working, we are so grateful for their efforts. May all the cholim of Bnei Yisrael have a refu’a sheleima.
With the stay-at-home order, we’ve instituted “afternoon tea” on the weekdays. My kids are trying their best to pay attention during Zoom classes, so when afternoon comes, we need to get out of the house and use up some energy. Everyone gets a cup of tea – we set out a sugar bowl and a milk pitcher, and they can make it the way they like it – and we have a picnic on the lawn with some fun snacks. After tea, we play lawn games, getting fresh air and exercise. Another activity after tea is the “walk debate.” We walk around the block while debating a given topic. Each walker gets one side of the debate to defend. Popular debates so far have been whether the driving age should be lowered, whether or not we should have ice cream, and whether or not we should have public parks.
The dairy scones and muffins below are great for afternoon tea, and all the recipes are fantastic for Shavuos!
Berry/Plain/Chocolate Scones
I have loved scones for a long time. I normally use a recipe with heavy cream and no eggs. (In fact, I thought the point of scones was if you didn’t have eggs for muffins, you could make scones.) This recipe uses buttermilk and eggs and also came out great! I adapted it from PeasLoveAndCarrots.com, and we served it with strawberry jam and butter. Unfortunately, only crumbs were left when I went looking for a second scone to eat.
2 c. flour
1/4 c. white sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. cold butter, cut into small pieces and put back in the fridge until ready for use
3/4 c. roughly chopped strawberries
1/2 c. blueberries
1/4 c. chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 c. buttermilk (can substitute 1 T. vinegar and 1/2 c. of milk. Allow to sit until the milk clumps)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Brown sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375° F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse meal.
In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Drizzle wet ingredients over dry, and use a fork to gently stir until dough loosely comes together with a little bit of flour remaining in the bottom of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a clean surface.
If you want to have different flavors, now is the time to do it. Remove dough if you want plain or chocolate chip and add chocolate chips to it. With the rest of the dough, add the berries gently. Knead one or two times until the rest of the flour is incorporated. Do not overwork the dough!
Pat each dough – I had three, since different kids like different things – into a one-inch thick circle. Cut like a pizza into 12 triangles and place separately on a baking sheet. Brush each triangle with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Blueberry/Strawberry/Chocolate Chip Muffins
If you have people who like different flavors in your muffins, as we do, make the batter first, split it, and then add the berries or chocolate chips – or leave them plain. I used butter in these; it has an incredible flavor. My husband said it doesn’t need any added jam or butter because it’s already in there. (He likes the blueberry/strawberry variety.) If I didn’t have five people sitting around the picnic blanket with me, I would have eaten these all. Every time one of my kids said, “Eew, why did you make so many with strawberry and blueberries,” I was secretly glad. However, in the end, they ate them, I’ll have you know. I was actually a little sad that they did, but c’est la vie.
I used almond flour in the crumble, because I had some from Pesach. It tastes great. You can use whatever milk you like. I used two percent. Whole milk will be very rich and yummy, and skim will work as well. You can also make them pareve by using almond milk.
3/4 c. sugar (or maple syrup or honey)
1/2 c. melted butter (or oil)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. flour (separated)
1 c. milk (separated)
1 1/4 c. blueberries (separated)
1/2 c. sliced strawberries
1/4 c. chocolate chips (optional)
Crumble Topping
1 T. butter, softened
1/4 c. almond flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. Put 18 muffin liners in a muffin (or mini-muffin) tin. Mix the sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until eggs are slightly lighter in color. This incorporates more air into the muffin. Add baking powder and salt; mix. Add 1 cup of flour and half a cup of milk until incorporated. Add the rest of the flour and milk and incorporate again. If you want plain muffins, or some chocolate chip, set aside some of the batter now. Then add the berries gently to the rest. Fill the muffin liners 3/4 full as these muffins puff up nicely.
Mix crumble ingredients together – they should have a sand-like consistency – and top all the muffins with it. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The top of the muffin will spring back when touched. Eat them the same day. Or wait until cool, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze. When you are ready to eat them, warm them in the microwave. You can even cut them in half and toast them! Yield 18 muffins.
Tic Tac Toe Salad
I saw this idea on kosher.com. Seriously, this might be the cutest thing ever and a really fun salad. You can put a whole bunch of different ingredients or even different salads in each quadrant. You can pick your favorite ingredients and your favorite dressing. I included some ideas below. (If the instructions are a bit confusing, refer to the photo.) If you choose other ingredients, look for different colors and textures to make the plate “pop.” Also, before I put the toppings on the salads, my kids actually played tic tac toe with the miniature red and orange peppers. And then they ate the whole salad!
6 c. torn lettuce
6 c. shredded red cabbage
6 c. spring salad mix
2 cans drained and rinsed black olives
12 baby corn stalks
1 container grape tomatoes (about 36 tomatoes)
12 baby carrots, sliced in half
6 Israeli cucumbers (approximately 60 slices)
1 red pepper (cut into julienne strips: 12 slices)
1 bag frozen edamame
1 can hearts of palm, drained
1 cooked beet
4 long thin bread sticks
1 c. garlic dressing
Set out 6 plates for your tic tac toe board. Place 2 breadsticks horizontally and 2 vertically, giving you 9 sections. In each section, put 1/3 of a cup of either lettuce, red cabbage, or spring salad mix.
For the O’s, arrange the black olives, sliced cucumbers, edamame, and grape tomatoes on top of one of the salad bases to form a circle. (See photo.)
Cut the beet into slices, and with a shot glass or small cookie cutter, cut out the middle of the beet, forming an O. Put this on top of one of the salad bases.
To make the X’s, arrange 4 baby carrot halves to meet in the middle to form an X. For the red peppers, baby corn, and hearts of palm, cut a slot in the bottom of one of the vegetable slices (do not to cut all the way through). This slice will rest snuggly on the other slice, to form the X. As you can see in the picture, both the X’s and O’s have won! You can decide your own winner! Serves six.
Garlic Salad Dressing
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
3 lemons, juiced
3 tsp. soy sauce
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. mayonnaise
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl combine grated garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, and mustard. You can use either an immersion blender or a whisk to add the mayonnaise. Next, blend in olive oil and add salt and pepper. Store in fridge until ready to serve. If you have Chinese spoons, you can put a spoon filled with dressing on each plate spoon, and/or you can put the dressing in individual cups or on the table.
Rib Eye Steaks
Cocoa is a flavor enhancer. I know, it doesn’t get as much “screen” time as salt or lemon juice, but it deserves it. This is a very easy recipe. The longer you marinate the steaks, the more flavorful and tender they will be. You can serve them as an entrée, or you can even slice them and put them on top of a salad. (If you plan to eat a lot of cheesecake this Shavuos, put the meat in a salad, and voila, you’re healthy!)
1/2 T. finely-ground espresso coffee beans (or instant coffee)
1 T. chili powder
1/2 T. natural cocoa powder
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1 T. Kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
4 boneless rib-eye steaks, 1.25 to 1.5 inches thick (about 4 lb. total)
In a small bowl, combine the espresso, chili powder, cocoa, garlic, cumin, sugar, allspice, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture all over each steak. Cover and let rest for 1 hour at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge).
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill fire for indirect cooking over medium-high heat (400 to 450°F). Grill the steaks over direct heat until grill marks form on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip and grill the other side for 2 minutes more. Move the steaks to indirect heat, cover, and continue to cook until the internal temperature registers 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
If you do not have a grill, you can sear the steaks on both sides in a hot sauté pan. Then can put in a 350-degree oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Flip them over and return to the oven until internal temperature is 165 degrees.
Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes and then cut each steak in half and serve. Or you can slice the steak and add it to a bed of greens for a salad! Serves eight.
Looking for a fun and different activity while you are staying at home? Bracha Shor is available for “Zoom” birthday parties, anniversary dinner demonstrations, class demonstrations and more. She’s available at bshor@sweetandgoodcatering.com.
