My Top 10 Housewares Show 2016 Gadgets for Pesach

Every year the International Housewares Show is here in my very own hometown, Chicago!  This year was no exception and I had a fabulous time seeing all the awesome and cool new products that are available.  Here are the best of the best that will help your Passover prep.  I’ll even attach amazon.com affiliate links so you can get them asap!  Let me know which is your fave!

1. The Gefu Spirelli 2.0 spiralizer

I actually watched a demo of this mini wonder in action.  It really truly works.  What’s great about it is that it’s mini.  For those that store their Pesach stuff every year this is small, compact, and it works.  When you want zoodles (zucchini noodles) or sweet potato noodles - which we all do on Pesach when the wheaty real deal is nowhere to be found.  Unlike some of the other mini spiralizers this comes with a little pusher so you don’t have to cut your fingers off.

2. Kitchenaid (Mini) Mixer

One of my most used appliances on Pesach is my Kitchenaid mixer.  I can’t imagine whipping all those eggs without one.  Oh, and make sure you get an extra bowl - for when you need to whip those egg whites separately!

3. Hamilton Beach Chopping Food Processor

Back in the day when my parents made the seder they purchased a food processor (you know the one that starts with C).  I inherited it when I took over the privilege.  It’s great for grinding nuts or making charoset.  It’s the second tool I feel that I would have a hard time doing without.  Well at the housewares show Hamilton Beach came out with a fabulous new food processor - it actually dices.  Really and truly.  The dice is even and a beautiful thing to behold.  If you are looking for a food processor this is one to seriously consider. It's available at Hamilton Beach: Hamilton Beach 70825

4. Pencil sharpener peeler

One of the more fun companies that I came across was Monkey Business.  It’s an innovative Israeli company that had so many adorable and clever products I had trouble deciding which I liked best.  I absolutely fell in love with the Pencil Sharpener peeler.  It looks like a big yellow old fashioned pencil sharpener with a vegetable peeler on the back.  Remember how, when you used to sharpen your pencil, the shavings came out curled?  Imagine doing that with a carrot, or zucchini.   I plan on using mine to make carrot and zucchini flowers as a garnish for my gefilte fish this year.  Check out their web site...each gadget is cuter than the next!

6. French Bull acrylic Serveware

There were a bunch of fun companies but I particularly loved French Bull.  They have fabulous acrylic cups, platters, plates, and serving pieces in super fun and bright patterns and colors.  The display completely caught my eye.  Check out their stuff!!!

7. Chefman Immersion blender

Chefman is a company that makes competitively priced small kitchenlectronics.  I personally know people that work there and they are really committed to their products.  The immersion blender come in a bajillion colors and are not costly - perfect for helping to keep Pesach costs down.

8. Bella Coffee Maker

I personally own one of the original Bella Coffee Makers in a bright red and I love it.  I got it on sale for $9.99 at Macys.  It’s a single cup coffee maker that makes a great cup of coffee in under 5 minutes.  The only downside is that you can’t use those wonderfully convenient pre-measured coffee containers (you know the ones by the “K” company).  Well, now Bella has come out with one that you can use like mine, with your own coffee, or with those pre-measured containers!  For the price you really can’t beat it!

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9. Levoons & Savel

As a baker, I know that measuring precisely is super important.  I was really excited about the clever Levoons by Dreamfarm.  They are self leveling measuring spoons!  How great is that?  They come in tons of colors too.  They also make other useful gadgets like the Savel which you put in an avocado, or other fruit,  after you cut it to keep the unused half from turning brown. 

10. Paradox Timers

One of the best thing about the housewares show are the products that are brand spankin new and haven’t been brought to the market yet.  One of my absolute favorite products was the Paradox timer.  It comes in different varieties (there’s an egg timer for example), and contains different colored liquid combined with a water like liquid inside.  When you turn the timer over, the colored liquid goes UP instead of down!!!  It’s a paradox...get it?!!!  Super cool!!!!

11. SodaStream

I had to add the fantastic Israeli company, SodaStream!!!  It’s perfect for making carbonated beverages even on Shabbat and Yom Tov!  A huge money saver, especially for Pesach!!!

So my honorable mention product is the Masha mashed potato masher by Salton.   They named it after my daughter Masha.  Just kidding, however they did give me one for that reason!!!  Thanks Salton!!! I’m saving it for Pesach and haven’t used it yet, but it looks like an immersion blender that makes perfect mashed potatoes...and who wouldn’t want that?  Especially with a name like Masha!!!

I’d love to hear about your favorite “I can’t live without them” gadgets.  One of mine is the Hindy Chopper (a.k.a the Vidalia onion chopper).  Post your faves below in the comments.  I’m sure everyone would love to hear how clever you are!!!

After Passover...the everyday fabulous gadgets and tchotchkies that were super fun at the show...stay tuned…

Kosher Everyday is dedicated to the memory of my father

Dr. Theodore Saltzberg - Tuvia Ben Nachum Z”L

May his memory be for a blessing - Yihi zichro baruch.

Look for additional information about Edible Experience Kosher Everyday at www.koshereveryday.com,

JewishExponent.com, aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,

The Chicago Tribune Syndication,

or on Facebook at Edible Experience by Sharon Matten.

These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!

"Celebrate" - A review of the new cookbook by Elizabeth Kurtz

Did you hear the news?!!  Guess who came to town?!!!  My fabulous new friend, chef extraordinaire, cookbook author, kosher website maven (gourmetkoshercooking.com), baalas chesed and one of the kindest, nicest women I have ever met - Elizabeth Kurtz!  I first met Elizabeth last year the the Kosher Food Writer’s Conference in Manhattan.  We spoke about her new cookbook “Celebrate” - I had received a media review copy a few weeks before.  She immediately answered one of my more pressing questions with enthusiasm: What does it mean on the cover when it says “To benefit Emunah of America”?  

Selfie!! Doesn't Elizabeth look great

Let me pause here and say that everyone has a button to push.  Some have positive buttons, some negative.   For Elizabeth Emunah is a super positive button.  She can talk (and write) about Emunah with such enthusiasm you want to sign up to help the cause as soon as you finish your conversation!  Emunah is an organization with 250 social service and educational programs throughout Israel.  Elizabeth has toured and worked with some of the Emunah service organizations in Israel and is a BIG (UNDERSTATEMENT) advocate.  So much so that her book was written to benefit Emunah of America.  Throughout the book you see photos of her working with beneficiaries of the “Emunah System”.  It’s incredibly touching.    It takes this already beautiful book to another beautiful level. Elizabeth, may you continue to be blessed with health and strength to continue your charitable works.

On to the book…

LOVE this book.  So.  I went through the book and narrowed down a bunch of recipes I wanted to try for this review.   It wasn’t a simple task. There were a LOT of recipes I wanted to try (and I still will) !!!   Anyway, I narrowed it down to 4 to try before Shabbat.  I’m really not quite sure what I was thinking.  Early Shabbat in January, 4 new recipes….  Anyway, to Elizabeth’s credit - the recipes were written clearly enough that I managed (with literally no seconds to spare) to finish all my Shabat prep, with help from my minions (read: kids KIH!).  One word of advice though, make sure, as with all recipes, to read through the recipes in advance and verify that you have all the ingredients in stock or you might have to McGyver (like a certain unnamed koshereveryday.com author) when you find you don’t have cranberries in the fridge like you thought you did….

So, as I stated earlier, Elizabeth came to Chicago!!!  She did two awesome classes - one for Keshet, and one for Amit (an organization similar to Emunah here in Chicago).  I got to have lunch with her at Shallots (selfies!) and we further discussed her book and my cookbook review cooking results.  I told her that I incredibly impressed with her Noodle Kugel with Caramelized Apple and Cranberry.  Normally at our Shabbat table any kugel (with the exception of potato) is considered the ugly stepsister of the Shabbat meal.  THERE WAS NO KUGEL LEFT AT THE END OF SHABBAT!  It’s virtually unheard of here.  At our lunch Elizabeth commented that the kugel was the first and easiest recipe to go through the cookbook recipe testing process.  I can easily see why!

She loved the pictures of the Szechwan Sugar Snap Peas, and the Everything Bagel Chicken (she commented that everyone loves the Everything Bagel Chicken).  Unfortunately, I could only show her the prep pictures for the Apple Cider Spiced Roast Chicken because my dear son took it out of the oven and took the picture of it literally as I was lighting Shabbat candles (not cutting it too close at all…).   It was deliciously AMAZING, and smelled INCREDIBLE while it was cooking.  Oh, and a little secret...I made it GFE (gluten-free!) using gluten-free flour, plus I de-skinned each piece of chicken and you couldn’t tell the difference!  Everyone inhaled the food that I made from “Celebrate” and couldn’t stop commenting on how delicious and different it was.  It made me feel like the perfect hostess!

Noodle Kugel with Caramelized Apple and Cranberry, Everything Bagel Chicken, Szechwan Sugar Snap Peas

In addition to all the great recipes etc. there is also an extremely useful spread on cuts of meat and which recipes will translate to those types of cuts of meat.  It was super helpful when I was trying to have dear 15 year old daughter pick a recipe for our last Shabbats Chuck Roast.

Apple Cider Spiced Roast Chicken - YUM!!!!

Bottom line:  Get the book.  It has amazing salads, appetizers, soups , mains, desserts, useful tips, and it supports the incredible Emunah organization.  Seriously -  Get. This. Cookbook!

I’ll make it easy for you - here is a link on amazon - just click on the picture.  Couldn’t be easier!!!

Szechwan Sugar Snap Peas

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 pounds sugar snap peas (about 6 cups) strings removed

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes to taste

2 teaspoons sesame seeds, divided (optional)

Set a large skillet on high and heat the oil.  Add sugar snap peas and garlic.  Cook until sugar snaps are softened, about 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add salt, pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon of the sesame seeds to taste.  Continue cooking until sugar snap peas begin to turn a darker green.

Serve warm or at room temperature and garnish with remaining sesame seeds.

All the ingredients in the pan - SO fresh looking!

 Saute them for a few minutes...

Watch out...these babies have a kick!!!

Apple Cider Spiced Roast Chicken

2 (3-to 4-pound) chickens, each cut into eighths

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 yellow onions, diced

4 shallots, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons peeled, chopped fresh ginger

1 cup dry red wine

1 cup apple cider

4 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 teaspoons chili sauce

Preheat oven to 350℉.

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Place flour in a large bowl and dredge each piece of chicken, tapping gently to remove any excess flour.

Heat oil in a large stockpot over high heat.  Add chicken; brown well, 2 to 3 minutes per side.   Remove chicken pieces and place in a large roasting pan.  To the original stockpot, add onions, shallots, garlic, and ginger;  cook 2 minutes, stirring.  Add wine and cider, cook over high heat until reduced by about half, about 8 minutes.  Add broth, curry powder, and chili sauce, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Simmer for 10 minutes, and then pour sauce over chicken.  Cover roasting pan tightly with foil and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Remove cover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until top is lightly browned and skin is beginning to crisp.  Serve the individual pieces of chicken topped with sauce of with the sauced served on the side.

The recipe even starts out pretty on the cutting board!

 Saute in the dutch oven...

 Add the wine (not the whine!)

 Reduce (you can exercise while you wait)

 Coat the chicken in flour (I used GFE flour)

 Brown...

Place in a roasting pan...

Top with the sauce

Bake with foil then remove the foil and bake some more....

All done!  Delicious!!!

Kosher Everyday is dedicated to the memory of my father

Dr. Theodore Saltzberg - Tuvia Ben Nachum Z”L

May his memory be for a blessing - Yihi zichro baruch.

Look for additional information about Edible Experience Kosher Everyday at www.koshereveryday.com,

JewishExponent.com, aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,

The Chicago Tribune Syndication,

or on Facebook at Edible Experience by Sharon Matten.

These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!

Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Syrup Vinaigrette Salad

I was that mom.  When my boys were little I refused to get an x-box, Nintendo, Sega, or any other game system.  I was the “mean” mom who wouldn’t let her boys win an Olympic gold medal for sitting on the couch and exercising only their thumbs. They didn’t like it.  Fast forward a few years.  Nintendo came out with the Wii system where you theoretically have to get up and actually interact with the games. After much cajoling from all the kids we agreed to get a Wii for our house.  We figured (surprisingly correctly) that when the weather was crummy outside and the kids were looking for something to do with their friends they could play Wii tennis, or bowling, or basketball.  Fun right?  One of the concessions that we made to one of our older boys was to get a single “non-exercise” based Wii game, Mario Kart, that he could play with his friends when they came over.  For the un-Wii-initiated, in Mario Kart you have fun, sort of outrageous characters (Funky Kong) , that drive fun, sort of outrageous cars/carts/motorcycles (can you say Piranha Prowler?!!) and race against 11 other players along fun, nearly always outrageous race tracks.  Along the way players can pick up all kinds of crazy “weapons” to thwart the other players, like banana peels, vision obstructing ink, tortoise shells, bombs, and player shrinking lightning bolts – just to name a few. There are also obstacles along the race path – wacky characters, cows, ghosts, and big character smushing things.  It’s essential to stay on the road the whole time because if you lose control of your car, you end off careening into an endless abyss yelling “noooooooooooooooooooooo” – until the an imaginary game character gently places you back onto the track (usually in 12^th place of course) and you continue on trying to finish the race – hopefully not in last place!   It turns out that I am terrible at Mario Kart.  I love playing (shame on me, right?) but I always seem to be running into the obstacles, getting hit by another player’s ink, bombs, or shrinking lightning, and just when I’m actually in first place I end up flying off into the endless abyss yelling “noooooooooooooooooooooo” and in last place again.  The best part – no matter how many times you crash or fall into the abyss you never die, you just come back to the game to try again.  I have even practiced by myself a few times (don’t tell my kids – I’ll be the source of endless ridicule) and when I do I sometimes manage to come in first place – but when “real-life” comes into play, i.e playing against actual opponents I’m lucky if I don’t come in last.

The last time I was playing Mario Kart I had an epiphany.  My life is Mario Kart.  I feel like I’m constantly racing with all kinds of crazy obstacles constantly being thrown in my path.  And just when I feel like I’m getting ahead and things are going according to plan, something happens and I’m flying off into an endless abyss yelling “noooooooooooooooooooooo”!!!  I’m secretly planning and “practicing” hoping that the next time I’m faced with a challenge I’ll be better equipped to handle it, but more often than not - “noooooooooooooooooooooo”!!!  This week B”H, I’ve been gently placed back on the track, hopefully not too far behind to continue with my life’s race.

How can you resist this salad?!!!!

One of my current challenges is getting to Minyan 3 times a day (ok, it’s really two you can theoretically combine Mincha and Maariv together).  I find it’s kind of like the Mario Kart banana peel.  You’re zooming along your day, actually accomplishing something, and then “woa!” got to stop and go to minyan!!  As there aren’t a whole lot of women saying kaddish in general, in a sad way it’s kind of nice when I have another woman with me at minyan saying kaddish.  I think it’s something that guys who say kaddish almost take for granted – they are surrounded by their peers, gaining support and strength from the “chevrah”.  So when my friend Leyla, who is saying kaddish for her Mother, comes to my shul and davens with me, it’s a real comfort.  There is strength and a sense of connection in two voices saying kaddish versus just one.  The added bonus is there is a friend to shmooz with between Mincha and Maariv (not counting dear husband!).  Recently Leyla was in Shul and was mentioning how she had been so busy that she threw together a super quick dinner of salad with grilled chicken.  She was short a bunch of ingredients for dressing so she grabbed a bottle of strawberry syrup, added some vinegar and poured it on the salad – and it was awesome!!  The syrup added the sweetness and flavor to the dressing – no additional sugar needed.  Thanks Leyla – guess what we had for our salad this past week because of your genius??!!  Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Syrup Vinaigrette Salad!!  I had some grilled chicken breasts left over from last Shabbat, found some super-delicious-in-season avocados at the mega fruit store, and had a gorgeous variety of mini heirloom tomatoes freshly picked from the Optimistic Garden.  Into the salad with some cut romaine they went.  I grabbed the bottle of raspberry syrup (that everyone has in their pantry but never knows what to do with), added some wonderful balsamic vinegar for additional “depth”, a little olive oil and had an awesome salad – just like Leyla said!  After the salad was completely gone from the serving bowl, sweet son actually said “Mom, don’t you need more pictures of this salad?” Confused I said “Huh?” “Well duh, the salad was amazing and I’m trying to get you to make another one!!”  I love it when things work out!!  I’m back on the track, and maybe, just maybe I won’t come in last….at least this week!!

Optimistic Garden
Tomatoes!!!

Grilled Chicken and Raspberry Syrup Vinaigrette Salad

• 16 oz romaine lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
• 2 small avocadoes, diced
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 barbecued chicken breasts, shredded into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons raspberry syrup
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Place the romaine lettuce, avocadoes, chicken, and grape tomatoes in a large salad bowl.  Toss to combine.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the balsamic vinegar, raspberry syrup, and extra virgin olive oil.  Stir to combine.

Sprinkle the pepper and salt over the salad, then pour the dressing over the salad.  Lightly toss to evenly coat the salad.  Serve to your hungry family!

All the fresh, gorgeous, delicious ingredients!

 Pretty and healthy too!

 Just make the dressing in a small bowl...

 Delicious!!! 

(and super easy to make!)

 Bonus:

Dried mint from the Optimistic Garden!

Kosher Everyday is dedicated to the memory of my father

Dr. Theodore Saltzberg - Tuvia Ben Nachum Z”L

May his memory be for a blessing - Yihi zichro baruch.

Look for additional information about Edible Experience Kosher Everyday at www.koshereveryday.com,

aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,

The Chicago Tribune Syndication,

 or on Facebook at Edible Experience by Sharon Matten.

These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!

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