West Ender Rebbetzin

introducingyael told me about this recipe over Pesach.  It's insanely good.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1 avocado, mashed
sugar, a little less than half as much as the avocado
a few Tbsp. cocoa

Mix together.  If consistency is like frosting (I could totally see this as a cake frosting), thin with some water, milk, creamer or soy milk.  I would like to try adding some vanilla extract.

This recipe is outrageously good and is easy to make, thanks to my friend BroadwayFreak for sharing it:

Faux Yerushalmi Kugel

4 1/2 cups water
¾ stick margarine
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
12 oz. fine egg noodles
2 eggs
4 T dark brown sugar
3 T oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 9x13 inch pan (or bundt pan).
Bring the water, margarine, sugar, pepper, and salt to a boil.
Turn off heat.
Stir in raw noodles.
Cover and let stand for 12-15 min.
Mix the eggs, brown sugar, oil and add to the noodle mixture.
Cover the pot and let stand for another 10-15 min.
Pour mixture into prepared  pan.
Bake for 75-90 min.

Asian-themed Purim menu for 9:

Hot and Sour soup
Rice paper wraps (vegetables, cellophane noodles, fresh mint/basil) w/peanut dipping sauce
Cherry-Chicken puffs
Asian steak salad
Crunchy baked Sesame tofu
Sesame noodles

Fruit and assorted desserts

I had a truly memorable meal last week at Va Bene, a very fine kosher Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side.  I can't get this meal out of my mind, and can't wait to go back.  It's my new ultimate grand nacho supreme favorite restaurant!

They start you off with a basket of bread that makes you want to propose marriage right then and there to the busboy who brought it.  Warm foccacia with sweet crushed plum tomato sauce baked on top, and a warm crunchy flatbread brushed with garlic oil. My husband said, "I wish all matzah tasted like this!" Best of all they don't mind if you ask for more.  Fancy that, decent service and generous helpings at a kosher restaurant.  Color me spoiled.

Carciofi alla Giuda:  Artichokes Cooked in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Garlic - Roman Jewish Style

(They were baby artichokes the day I was there.  I almost ate the plate.)


Next, Cavatelli Alla Vodka:  the pasta is actually homemade and you can tell.  It was PERFECT.  I've had some mediocre tomato-vodka-cream sauce in my day but this was amazing.  The parmesan cheese they sprinkle on top was actual grated parmesan cheese, not powdered garbage. The portion was generous and I ate. it. all. 

The rest of my family had Sole in lemon sauce and the Branzini special which were both perfectly cooked and delicious.  There was also an Eggplant lasagna I didn't try but it was supposedly quite good, and I don't doubt that for a second.

On to dessert, there was a Chocolate Souffle that was truly a cut above the usual chocolate molten cake, and a Creme Brulee that actually had DAIRY in it (fancy that), and was everything I had hoped for.  Creme Brulee, you complete me.  And with all those egg yolks it's high in protein... so it's good for you.  Practically health food.  Don't argue with me.

Oh my gosh, it's been three months since I've posted.  Whoops!  Hi, all!

I'm still here!  In fact, on Friday night I hosted the beautiful and engaging cleobatya for dinner and she *said* she enjoyed my Tilapia Marsala.  I hope I didn't traumatize her after it took weeks to recover from her Peruvian fish encounter.  Here's the recipe! 

I've made this sauce to go along with with thick and thin chicken cutlets, turkey cutlets and tilapia.  I have also added canned (but not marinated) artichoke pieces in addition to mushrooms as a twist.

Anything Marsala




4 chicken or turkey cutlets, or mild fish filets
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons flour for dredging
oil for frying
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 can sliced mushrooms or 1 package fresh sliced button mushrooms
1 cup Marsala wine
1 cup chicken, onion or vegetable soup
1 teaspoon oregano or mixed Italian seasoning
1/2 cup non-dairy creamer
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in cold water (if desired)

• Season cutlets with salt and pepper
• dredge cutlets lightly in flour
• Fry cutlets on in oil on each side until golden and almost cooked through; put browned cutlets aside
• Add minced shallots to empty pan and sautee for a few minutes until lightly browned
• Add mushrooms
• Deglaze pan with Marsala wine, simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Add up to 1 cup chicken or other soup
• Season lightly with Oregano or mixed Italian seasoning
• Add non-dairy creamer (if desired)
• Place cutlets in sauce if not fully cooked through
• Simmer until sauce thickens to desired consistency, adding a bit of cornstarch if desired. 
• Serve over linguini or spaghetti

I have a pretty sweet Yaffa sheitel that is made from high-end “virgin” European hair (i.e. never treated, dyed, or processed).  It was marketed as a “semi-custom” / “out-of-the-box custom”, which I’m pretty sure is just a buzzword in wig marketing because there’s nothing custom about the cap or hair of this wig-- it's just a very well-made wig that was cut out of the box.   A true custom sheitel is for women with large or hard-to-fit heads, or other special needs. 

I paid a lot for this semi-custom business, but in the end was unhappy with the cut.  I didn’t find it particularly youthful or flattering, and the front layers were shorter than I would have liked. 

I wasn’t sure what to do.  I looked into reselling it, but there’s practically no market for used wigs, and it’s not hard to understand why.  When you can get a really awesome-looking Milano for $400-$600, why would you pay even $300 for a used wig?  Like a car, apparently, a wig loses its resale value as soon as you wear it out of the shop.  So, I was reluctant to give up the tangible asset, a very fine wig, for $300 or even less.

Then I started thinking about what my next sheitel purchase might be.  I looked around at what style of wigs I liked on other young women, and I was charmed by the pony sheitels. 

I think pony sheitels are “the new fall”—I see tons of young marrieds wearing them, they are often sold cheap (“kallah special-- buy 1 European wig, get a pony for free!”) They are advertised heavily in frum circles as as a great alternative to a fall when you want a casual sheitel.  A pony has even more advantages over a fall, because it’s quite cool for the summer to have the hair off your neck.

A Milano pony sheitel sells for about $500, but it occurred to me that possibly, just possibly, I could bring my Yaffa wig to my sheitel macher and see if it could be converted into a pony!  I did, and indeed, to “convert” a wig into a pony involves an investment of a whopping $5-$10 to have a wide comb sewn in at the nape of the neck.  This extra comb anchors the wig at the bottom, which gives a more realistic appearance that the hair is growing out of your head when pulled upwards into a ponytail.  In a true pony sheitel, the hair at the bottom of the caps is sewn in upside down, so it looks more natural when brushed upwards into a pony.  This is better for pony wear, but almost entirely prevents the pony wig from being worn down-- the hair on a true pony mattes terribly when worn loose, from what I hear. 

Here is what my new "pony" looks like!  It’s been SO cool and breezy and fun to wear for the summer. I think the hair at the neck looks quite natural when pulled upwards, considering it wasn't sewn in to be worn that way.  I left the original side bangs as they were; the front layers that are too short to fit into the pony, I clip back with one snappy clip each. I am quite happy with how this turned out!

A few last words about picking a brand of sheitel:

Yaffa isn’t generally considered one of the “better” or “higher-end” sheitel brands.  I think they are better known for their cheaper lines of wigs, like human/synthetic blends.  But as my sheitel macher told me: “a wig is always mazal,” meaning you never know when you’ll get a winner or a lemon, since they’re hand-made and human hair sometimes misbehaves. 

I won with this particular Yaffa sheitel.  Despite being unhappy with the cut, it is a gorgeous and beautifully made wig.  The virgin hair is silky in a much richer, more natural way than my sheitel made from processed hair from South America.  The woman who does my wash and sets has said that my Yaffa is a “very nice piece”, and she sees a lot of sheitels!  So don’t be too afraid to go with a brand that isn’t the hottest in sheitels these days.  My Yaffa rules, and I have friends with Shevys (the most high-end brand that I know of in Brooklyn) that are losing hair after just a few months.

Have an awesomely wiggy week, ladies!

UPDATE Sept. 2010 with new photos, since I got some minor adjustments to the bangs that I am very happy with. The bangs are now cut deeper over my ears.  This results in a chunkier bang-- I think it's a cute look and much more natural as it covers any exposed hair by the temples.

There was a time when frum women wore something called a "dickie" to make the neckline of a dress, top or suit tznius:

This is a dickie:


Yep, they look pretty stupid, and also don't help when you need sleeves-- and that's where frum women have evolved in fashion over the last five years or so from dickie to shell. Shells enable you to tznius-ify almost any top or dress by filling in the neckline and/or sleeves. The shell is now an international frum phenomenon, and has become so ubiquitous that there are actually two stores in Brooklyn (with multiple locations in other frum outposts) that sell exclusively "frum-style" shells.

What is a shell?  The rest of the world calls them layering tops.  Or t-shirts.  Some might even say that the frum marketing cabal in the sky made up the shell phenomenon to get us to spend exorbitant amounts on poorly-made, cheap-fabric garments. 

But a frum shell is so much more than a tightly-fitted long-sleeved tee you might buy at a regular store:

• The neckline is acceptably high for frummies
• The fabric has a higher lycra/spandex content than most shirts for a tighter fit
• Some brands of shells are made with fabrics that have a sheen to them, making them more suitable for dressy outfits
• Shells also come in neato cuts like 3/4 cropped for maternity or general comfort, and my personal favorite, the bodysuit (a.k.a. "adult stretchie")-- for extra anchoring when you don't want your shell to ride up under a short or tight top, or a slinky dress.

My two favorite brands of shell are Kiki Riki and Junee's.  I prefer these two brands because they are quite clingy and have a more cottony feel than lycra/spandex, so these are cooler for the summer.  Junee's is a Brooklyn retail store that recently started its own line of shells.  The sales lady told me that the Junee's brand is the same material and fit as Kiki Riki, but with a more relaxed neckline.  This is a good thing, because some shells I've tried do have a taliban-ishly high neckline.

[EDIT Oct. 2010:  I took inventory recently and the saled lady was wrong-- the new Junee's brand shells definitely have a higher neckline than the Kiki Rikis they are modeled on.] 

Linda Leal shells are another decent brand; H20, Jacomino and Beres brands are all made from a similar material.  These are the thicker, lycra/spandex type I mentioned above.  While I do not prefer them for daily and casual wear, the material has a sheen to it that is often appropriate for fancier outfits.

None of them are spectacularly made.  If you wear them regularly, you'll need to replace them just about every season.  I always keep bodysuits, sleeveless, and 3/4 sleeve shells on hand in Black, Cream and White.  On my last trip to Junee's I picked up some in blue, gray, pink and purple.

3/4 Sleeve Bodysuit ($24)



Sleeveless ($14)



3/4 Sleeve ($18)



The whole summer haul:




NOW, HOW DO I BUY ME SOME OF THESE SHELLS?

Option #1-- "I live in Brooklyn/I sometimes find myself in Brooklyn". Well then, lucky you:

*The Shell Station: Avenue L near E. 10th Street (Boro Park location as well)
*Basic Colors:  Coney Island Avenue between Ave. J & K (Boro Park location as well)
*Junee's:  Avenue J near E. 14th Street


Option #2-- "What's a Brooklyn?"  Click here, my friend:

Junee's shells online
Aliza's Boutique

Try not to smile, I dare you:



Text:

"Happy wedding day!!!

Have a grate life together!

May you have children fule of nachas and joy!!

My you live to 120 and More! My Masheach come in your days!!!"

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated 8 days of marriage with brunch at My Most Favorite Food, which recently relocated to 72nd street between Broadway and West End Avenue.  Thanks to the spectacularly thoughtful and generous gift certificate from introducingyael and family, we spent just a few shekels and had a ridiculously lavish meal.

We really, really loved every part of our meal.

I had fish and chips. The fish was a HUGE filet of tilapia that was thickly crusted with seasoned breadcrumbs and perfectly golden fried.  This isn't British-style fish and chips, which is batter-fried, but it was absolutely delicious and the tartar sauce, as you can see from the empty condiment container, was much appreciated.




French fry closeup.  I take my chips with mayo.  People tell me that some like theirs with ketchup.  I refuse to believe this and don't understand these people.



My husband had Mac and Cheese with a very fresh and delicious garden salad.  The mac was a home-made cheese sauce that had a really nice texture; not oily like I've often had with homemade mac.  It was really great!



He took home a big fudgy brownie; I had 2 linzer tarts and three meringues.  The pastry case is a sight to behold;  most of the cookies and cakes are pareve.  I also want to try their challah.




There was also a fresh-squeezed lemonade and a chocolate milkshake.  Thumbs up!!

Lush is offering a great limited edition product this summer to pamper your tootsies. "Sole Care" is a box of 7 foot care products for $20.  I'm going to pick one up on my next visit, because I have used and love each of the products inside:

Volcano Foot Mask:  Slather it on your feet and kick back while the tingling action puts you in summer foot bliss.  Rinse it off and enjoy refreshed, soft feet.

Little Feet Bath Bomb:  This product is sold only in this box set.  It sounds awesome!  A bath bomb for a foot soak!

Running to the Embassy Body Butter:  Spearmint-scented exfoliating bar. Made of solid oils and butters, it will leave a moisturizing layer that soaks in for deep foot conditioning.

Pied de Pepper Foot Lotion:  This smells like heaven!  It’s spicy with clove, cinnamon, and ginger-- but not offensive spicy.  Perfectly balanced, and has a slight cooling/tingling effect that is lovely.

 

Fair Trade Foot Lotion:  This is the only product in the set I have never bought.  I have sniffed it in the store and it has no scent, which is good sometimes, although I generally like my products in awesome and strong scents.
 

Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter:  Not just for cuticles, this is an ultra thick buttercream for very dry areas like hands, feet, knees and elbows.  The scent is fantastic.

 

You should be aware that this boxed set contains products that are about half the size of what you would normally buy at Lush.  It's still a great deal and the mini massage bar is super cute!