Cultural Recipes

I am always very open to trying new and different food. Jewish food is not new to me of course, but I do like sharing what I have had from different cultures with my friends and families. I love noodle kugel. It's so funny when I say that word (or name) to my circle of friends now because a majority of them will respond...noodle whattt??? Some of them will even respond, just make it, you never steer us wrong. God bless them!!

So when I was at Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue I developed a love of the Jewish people, religion, food and culture. I miss it very much. I am always seeking ways to bring that feeling of warmth back to my life, at least in between visits to Charleston, SC! Enter the Shiksa!

I found this website called www.theshiksa.com . Tori Avey is a Jewish Convert who is apparently amazing at Jewish food! I took her recipe for noodle kugel and it was uncanny how it tastes exactly like the noodle kugel caterer Helen Goldberg makes for Brith Sholom Beth Israel events (and at my own wedding reception at the shul!!)

I made a huge pan of the kugel and it warmed my heart that my friends embraced it! Granted, when people here it is a sweet noodle thing, they are apt to turn their nose up to it because it is a foreign concept, however they willingly tried it. With great success. The only difference from The shiksa recipe is I used Captain Crunch on top (it is kosher and I was out of vanilla wafer) but everything else was exactly the same.

the recipe is here http://theshiksa.com/2011/07/13/vanilla-noodle-kugel/


I can't wait to make it for my mom and niece when I go back to Charleston. They will be happily transported as well!!

I plan on trying the Challah recipe next, I am hoping it is comparable to Marcie Rosenbergs who caters also at BSBI and the Charleston Jewish Federation (sells Challah there too). The ingreidents seem like they would be what is in her top secret recipe for Challah. Wish me luck!!!

Prizzi's of Summerville- there's no honor there...

According to their website, they are Summerville's Best Kept Secret. Truly, I find this hard to believe. Honestly, if what I'm getting ready to tell you had not transpired, this would be more about the mediocre food than that asinine owner. Now you will be subjected to both. OOPsie. I perused the website before going to Prizzis because I wanted to see what they had to offer as I had never heard of them. My aunt and uncle are REGULAR customers here and even their son held his rehearsal dinner here. Which makes what I am about to tell you even more ridiculous..redunkulous even. First things first - waitress informs us 18% gratuity on parties of 5 or more. HUH? That is the size of a normal family household these days. But then she informs us she can split is and we can tip what we feel is deserved. At this point, I am thinking she said this because my aunt and uncle are regulars about 3 times a month there. Got there, checked the menu. Basically the same as online. I wanted the lasagna, the pizza for Ben and inquired about a seniors portion for my mother who is elderly. The waitress stated they didn't have any thing comparable, I asked her about getting a kid's meal for her, she said that would be allowed. So mom had the spaghetti. When the waitress took my order, she suggested the lasagna special. When I inquired what that meant, I was told it included a salad. Ok. Mistake for me #1. The regular lasagna is priced at $8.99. I noticed tonight that the tossed salad is priced at $2.79. Can someone please explain to me then why the lasagna special was $15.99? Just because it included a salad? Please? WTF. You know what they say about assume-- I assumed the special would be like $10 - you know, the salad for $2 instead of $2.79. Ass - wrong. Basically the salad jacked up the meal $7. The kids meals are $4.99 each. For appetizer, my aunt and I split the spinach rolls. Which is basically a cigarette sized egg roll made of spinach and cheese. It was fairly good- although the description said to be served with tatziki sauce which to me I guess is fancy for sour cream with shredded cheese on top? The salad was iceberg- a few croutons, 1 tomato, 1 black olive, a couple onion rings and salad dressing- the house - an Italian vinaigrette..but it tasted like Wishbone. Yes, I am a salad dressing conneesiour. However, as of yet, things were not so misshapen that I was going to complain. The lasagna came. It says the noodles are homemade, however, I just made lasagna at home last week, and the no bake ones have these tiny lines running through them- these did as well - and there were 2 noodles on my whole plate. The lasagna was somewhat deconstructed. I am assuming - again, there's that word, this was meant to be this way. There were slightly roasted -or seems to me- sweated onions and peppers (red and green) on the side, and sliced Italian sausage on the side as well. Topped with shredded parm cheese. I saw red sauce not white sauce as described. Still- it was ok. I was not complaining. My son was ok with the pizza after all he eats Subway pizza all the time- this was about the same - I have a really hard time believing this pizza was home made. Seriously. I wish I had taken pics I just didn't know what was coming or I would have. My uncle had chicken parm which seemed to be good - no complaints. My aunt had same as me- she loves it..no problems there either. Love them:) Dessert- mom had cheesecake- it was a nice sized slice but I thought very overpriced for $4.99. However- didn't complain. I and my aunt had the chocolate cake. It was actually very good - but then it was dark chocolate- how can you go wrong with that?! Drinks. Please tell me why a supposedly "upscale" restaurant serves bottled soda with a cup of ice? At $2 a bottle. And I might add the menu said they were $1.59 but when the owner was yelling at me, she informed me it was $2 a bottle. and No refills. Still- hadn't complained yet. My family and I were actually having a really nice time -the best time! Until the bill came. We asked them to split the bill and my uncle stated they would get the appetizer. So the waitress comes back with theirs, he pays and then I go up to pay mine. To which they tell me the total. As I am adding my total and my uncle's total in my head it is more than that complete bill the waitress brought us the first time. I stepped back to the table and I told my aunt and uncle that I think they were overcharging us and I think it had something to do with the way they were figuring the 18%. Here is where it broke off. THE OWNER came barreling up front and yelled at me asking me what was the problem. I explained to her that the 2 bills were not adding up to the 1 and maybe it was the gratuity they had miscalculated because if we each had 18% and it split like that the total bill should not be $5 less than what we were being asked to pay separately. She began screaming at me that they were a fair business and that they had been in business 12 years, etc. I explained to her that I was only asking about the totals. Why would the 2 be more than the 1. They should equal the same. First she screamed at me that I didn't understand her. I explained to her that I was standing right in front of me there was no need to scream at me as she was doing to which she ignored- and I noticed, continued to check around the restaurant- thankfully there were only about 5 tables occupied in the whole business. She went back and recalculated 3 times. Each time coming with a different total. And each time throwing the receipt on the table. Finally, my uncle told her to void his off and put it all on one and we would split it outside. She basically refused to do this and continued to argue with me. At this point, my aunt stepped in to try to explain to her what it was we were questioning. I told the owner I didn't know if she couldn't understand me or didn't want to understand me but the bottom line is the 2 separate bills together should equal the one bill they showed us initially. She continued to scream at me and told me that they were a fair business- a family business. And did I not think the service was worth it. Let me think. The food was mediocre- over looked it. The drink situation - low rent for "Summerville's best kept secret" - overlooked it. 10 minute tirade over the total of a bill that just didn't add up-- you bet your ass I didn't think it was worth it. I told her look, let's just settle this so we can leave. This is ridiculous. I went up front to pay what they said I owed--after all, I didn't want to be locked up in Charleston- my magistrate connection are elsewhere...so when I went to the cashier- I was trying to explain to her that I was in no way trying to be difficult. I just didn't understand how we were getting 4 different totals. Before I could finish the owner comes flyin up front again and reignites. WTF. Let's see...my cousin got married 2 years ago? And my aunt and uncle have eaten there so much the waitress was on first name basis and knew my aunt's order without asking and the owner was acting like this to REGULAR FAITHFUL customers! I'd say Prizzi's is Summerville's Best Kept Secret because they have mediocre food and the worst (even worse than Bojangles) customer service I have ever seen. Good riddance!

BoJangles....It IS NOT Bo time...

You know, sometimes you do things with the best of intentions only to have it come back and bite you in the butt. So said...I quit McDonald's for Lent. Really- only the best of intentions on this. Therefore, I patronized Bojangles- not really a fan there except for the seasoned fries - extra seasoning please--and the sweet potato pies...yum! Well, it appears they have started selling grits! Holla. Or so I thought. Last Friday, I stopped in to get an order of grits w/ cheese and a cup of ice. I was told cheese would be 40 cents and ice was 17 cents but I could get ice WATER for free. Still not understanding that whole concept..and 40 cents for a slice of processed cheese --you can by the Smart brand at Food Lion for 99 cents a pack for 16 slices. Whatever. So, I get to the window-and I tell them never mind on the ice. The hand me the bag then I leave. When I get to work, the cheese is missing. As would be my typical MO- I did not call and complain, I let it go. This past Tuesday, I stopped there again-don't ask me why. I just did. I was at the speaker, there was a line behind me, I ordered grits w/ cheese and asked the cashier to please make sure it is there this time (on the side of course because they say they can not throw it on top of the damn grits in the container--to much effort I suppose-maybe 45 cents worth of effort as opposed to 40 cents?) to which she vehemently responded- and I quote " That was your fault". Literally- my pissed level went 0 to 60 in 1/1048304 of a second. "Excuse me" I said. She replied, "that was your fault, you drove off without it". "Explain to me how you not doing your job is my fault please" I replied, "and I will buy you breakfast". "Do you want anything else" was her answer. 'Just your manager at the window when I get there" I demanded. When I finally got to the window, the manager was there- waiting- with genius standing behind her. The manager says "she didn't mean that how it sounded". "She meant it EXACTLY how it sounded because she knew exactly who I was and what she had done, she was too concerned with charging me 17 cents for a cup of ice but told me I could get ICE WATER for free" I replied. The manager then proceeds to tell me that I did in fact drive off without the cheese. How ridiculous is this conversation anyway? The more it progressed the more pissed I got. "First- you are problem #2. She is problem #1. I will not have some pissy 18 year old telling me that the reason I didn't get what I paid for was because I left without it when it is her responsibility to put it in the bag she had already handed me. 2ndly, your big issue is a little thing I like to call CUSTOMER SERVICE. It does not exist at this store" I ranted. The manager said well, she didn't mean it. "And still I get no apology" I say --extremely exasperated at this point. "Well, I didn't realize it was that big of a problem" the manager said. "Oh it was a small problem back at the speaker, it's a bigger problem now- but it's about to become bigger than you can imagine" I emphatically assure her. It is my belief that customer service has gone by the wayside these days. Since when does a cashier and a manager talk crap like that to a customer when the cashier has actually admitted she didn't do the job she was supposed to AND THEN never even offered me a refund or to replace it! I had to seriously get my panties in a wad to get any reaction. Oh Bojangles...you have failed..and you have failed miserably - if you want grits--hit the Jr. Mart --it's not that far from Bojangles and it's $1.59 for the same size grits that Bojangle's charges $2.39 for. Bo time? HELL NO.

Ruby Tuesdays

Well. I hafta say, I am surprised that Ruby Tuesdays is still going strong...or is it? Today is the first time I have been in RT for a while and now I remember why. My co-workers chose the place to eat today, being flexible like I am, I went.
Oh, where to begin....
The menu...what is up with that? Minis...it is not the next best new thing. Crab/salmon cakes. When done well, the

y could be the star of the show, however, given the quality of the other food I saw today, well..I bet they are not. I didn 't want to risk $20 on crabcakes.

Premium sandwhichs. I chose the Turkey Avacodo burger. Previously when I had this at the RT in Fayetteville, it was good beyond words, today- not so much. In fact today, the only flavor I really tasted was mashed avacodo.

The salad bar was good tho.
Oh, and watch your change...apparently if you place it on the left they keep the change, if you place it on the right, you get change..who knew? It's like an unspoken, under the table, Mafia kinda tip. I would just rather say, "Keep the change" which is what I did. My other table guests fell victim to this new bill/wallet sort of change keeping shenanigans.

Overall, next time they say RT, I say TB (taco bell!)

Nonna's of Lillington

Overall, I don't have a problem with this place. The food is very reasonably priced and usually any pasta dish is spot on. The star of the pasta menu I would venture to say is the Putanesca. I know, anchovies, but do not scoff...explore the world with your taste buds, I promise if you are not deathly opposed to anchovies or are adventurous, you will definitely appreciate this journey! A+. The star of the pizza menu is the Sicilian supreme!

Now the appetizers- a different story. I think they are all frozen. The potato skins I had seriously were frozen (tasted just like the frozen Ruby Tuesday ones I make at home) but it had a half slice of American Cheese slapped on top. ewwww. They were reasonable about giving me a refund on it though.

The visit I made their just last week though was somewhat a disappointment. I got the Chicken vegetable soup and the chicken gyro. They do not offer a soup and sandwich menu, only soup and salad (oh and the salads are iceberg-minimal but the added onions and tomatoes make it a winner to me-the right light bite with the huge portions you get). The soup, which we waited 20 minutes on, while my companions had their food almost immediately, 20 min. into lunch and I was still waiting for both the soup and the gyro. Finally when it came, the soup was very bland. I'm not sure what the problem was really, as I had tasted it before when a friend ordered it and it was thick and hearty, this time it was thin and blah. The gyro- well, if it had cucumber sauce on it, I couldn't find any. And I love cucumber sauce. The chicken was ok. The meal overall was disappointing compared to everything else I'd ever had there.

I say Nonna's .....worth a visit. The pasta-never had a bad one from here and I've been working my way down the menu since they opened. Stay away from the potato skins. Oh and the Stromboli's are fabulous too! See...so many good options that totally outweigh the negatives!

Sandra Lee- it has to be said...

Ok, let me get this out of the way first and foremost--Foodnetwork- my favorite channel with Bravo running a close 2nd.

God knows I love a cooking show...and an easy to do one, well that's even better. So I am in the kitchen, I'm there perpetually btw...and Home Made Easy is on. I am distracted by the pink and orange curtains, table stuff, food stuff, Sandra's outfit, towels, etc....and I am thinking it looks like a hot pink flamingo vomited oranges in there.

I just caught the tail end of it where she is making a whiskey cocktail that is---you guessed it-organe (oranges) and pink (cherry juice) and whiskey. It's for a tailgating party. Only when we are subjected to the tablescape :::cringe:::where there are children's favor. It is at this point we learn the tailgate is for a 6 year old little girls soccer game. Really?? Whiskey cocktails at a 6 year old's party?

Now before you say it..I know the cocktails are not for the children, but the idea of adults getting gollywhomped at a kids birthday party is just disturbing to me.

As disturbing as Sandra's matching clothes/curtains/tablecloths and all that crap on the tablecape..who wants to clean up all that crap??? Not me sister I tell ya...

but I do like some of her recipes.

gourmet or no way.........

I always, always, always love to try new and different recipes. It is like traveling to new worlds without leaving the house. When I stumbled across the Food & Wine recipe for sweet and salty brownies, the first thing I thought was...wow, there's a new concept. Who doesn't like sweet & salty? Did I mention I love trying new recipes? I do and I did.

Ingredients:

1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch square metal cake pan with foil, draping the foil over the edges. Lightly butter the foil.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the unsweetened chocolate over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Whisking them in one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, add the cocoa, sugar, eggs, vanilla and flour. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the batter. Using a butter knife, swirl the salt into the batter.
Bake the fudge brownies in the center of the oven for about 35 minutes, until the edge is set but the center is still a bit soft and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out coated with a little of the batter. Let the brownies cool at room temperature in the pan for 1 hour, then refrigerate just until they are firm, about 1 hour. Lift the brownies from the pan and peel off the foil. Cut the brownies into 16 squares. Serve at room temperature.

The "No Time for TomFoolery" version
1 Box Brownie Mix
1/4 tsp sea salt

Prepare according to directions. Add salt. Bake as directed.

The results? BLEH. Both versions had a flavor that when you put it in your mouth...it's like..wait for it...wait for it....ewwwwwww what's that???

I have to give this a big NO WAY. Sorry Kate & Food & Wine......
The precurser to the recipe:
Kate Krader has been making these fudgy, sweet-salty brownies since she was 10 years old. As a kid she used regular table salt; now she recommends a flaky sea salt like Maldon, because the flavor is less harsh and it melts so nicely into the batter, accentuating the chocolaty sweetness.

Again. No Way.

it's just tea...or is it??

for god's sake we are in the south people!Today,I stopped my daughter by dunkin donuts for a cappucino blast. That doesn't appeal to me in the least as it is WAY too sweet and ice creamy for me...so I see a sign that says something to the effect that they now have tea and its the best ever. Well, being southern and you know us southerners are fanatical about our sweet tea...I could not resist tasting the best tea ever. So I ordered a large. I pulled up, awaiting my coveted new best ever tea ever so patiently. Finally it arrives. As I unwrap the dainty pink straw with the utmost anticipation I size up my sweet best ever tea. The color is just right - not too dark, sort of light, almost a clear...well..tea color...the ice cubes are in abundance, the cup is clear and pretty darn cool...I insert straw and take a big honkin sup...and...DISAPPOINTMENT! As I gag on the unsweetness of it all, the sodajerk is watching me..and I look at her with certain disdain..."is this sweet?" I choked out to her. She looks at me like I have one eye in my the center of my forehead and replies it is. I'm sure she could tell by the look on my face I didn't believe her because she then breaks out into this long speech about how all their tea is::::GASP::: unsweetened and they pump sugar in it when you ask for a sweet tea. What the.....that ain't how you make sweet tea down south sugah....its brewed with the sugar in it..then steeped with the sugar in it...innocently she asks if she can add some sugar to it;I'm seriously doubtful that it will help but I let her. She asks if I'd like to taste it before I leave, and in my deep disappointment I tell her no because I am sure that whatever she has done to it, it will not be as it should be. I pull around to wait for my daughter to come out.(I was not allowed to go in with her, as I would cramp her style as she chats with her friends in there) and wait. The tea tastes like tree syrup now. And then I thought..you know what..I worked hard for that $3 or so I just paid for this tree sap...heellll no...so, when she comes out, I implore her to take it back in and get it like it started, I should have been thankful for that barely sweet compared to the end result. After drinking 20 or so sips of it, I became accustomed to it. It may not be so bad after all. It's possible I may just buy some again. Maybe.

Customer service gripe

live in a small town. There aren't many choices when it comes to eating out. We do have a Subway which happens to be one of my family's favorite places to eat. Well until last weekend - and now again this weekend. We are regulars there, every weekend either before my daughter's football game or on Saturday before her competetions.
It's always been a bit annoying that when you go through the drive through you are not top priority. Meaning you can sit at the drive through and watch people that walked in after you got to the window and see them get served before you. I've gotten use to this, simply because I have a baby and it is not always convenient for me to take him in while getting food to go. Or to eat in because he is very impatient at his current age. Therefore, I have learned to deal with the wait for the in exchange for the convenience of not having to take myself and the baby inside.
Having said all this:
Beginning last weekend there was a new girl working the drive through. The attitude and impatience of this chick is unbelievable. Before I can finish a sentence I get the :::sighs:: and her most you are an idiot tone of voice..a question that cuts me off and is asking the same thing I am trying to tell her. For instance I say, I would like a veggie delight on....and bang, cut off to ask what kind of bread...again as soon as I can spit out the answer I get an aggravated question of toppings...and then she is highly annoyed that I ask for a list of the different types of bread.
At first I thought ok, someone must have peed in her mocha latte' this morning and she is just having a bad day. I think not. Because today I got the exact same scenario played over again only with more impatience. As she threw my change back at me I thought ya know, I think I am going to complain to her manager. I saw him in there and he is the one that brought my order to me. I said to him, you are the manager yes? Correct he answered in a very thick East Indian accent. I mention his heritage because I would like to think there was a miscommunication to my complaint and his nonchalant attitude. I said to him that I felt she was being unreasonable in her tone and service towards me. His reply was that they have people to wait on inside and don't have time to spend at the window. Well, are we not customers at the drive through? Again I said, I have grown use to waiting at the window but I don't feel that I should have to be talked down to like I am a complete idiot because I do not know your menu by heart, especially when the types of things you offer are not posted on the menu outside. His reply to that is - we are not McDonald (s) and you can't just say hey 2. What the?????
So someone please tell me why do people who are not sociable people take positions in customer service or dealing with the public and why don't the owners of these businesses seem to care that they are pissing their customers off. We won't be patronizing them again.

Feel free to post ANY customer service gripes and the places you experienced them in the comments section of this blog!!
I think, therefore I am...highly annoyed!

Holla for Challah

First..for those not in the know....jwmagazine.com gives this explanation of challah

It’s More Than Bread Baking
According to the Talmud, the mitzvah of challah baking for Shabbat was one of three commandments assigned to women. (The other two: going to the mikvah and lighting Shabbat candles.) The word challah does not refer to the bread that is eaten, but to a small piece of dough, taken from the rest of the batch, that is burned separately under the broiler and is not consumed. This piece is said to symbolize the portion given to the priests at the time of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Tradition tells us that when a woman “takes challah” and makes the appropriate blessing, she elevates the dough and acknowledges that all her family’s sustenance comes as a gift from God.


I worked at an Orthodox Ashkanzic synagogue (shul) for almost 10 years. During this time, I came to know about the best kosher food available in Charleston (South Carolina). First, there were three kosher caters in town. Marci Rosenberg, Helen Goldberg and Pita King. For sweets, Helen Goldberg was the best. Marci's challah is the best ever. I happen to know that she has been offered much for that recipe, there is no other that can compare. However, each caterer has their own "known for" product.

First and foremost - Challah-- go to the JCC and buy tons of it. It is to die for!! As a gentile, of course it is not as significantly important to me as it is Jewish people, but I do love that bread. You will not find anything comparable to it and you will not find a recipe that comes close to tasting like it -believe me, I have tried. When I make my monthly trips home to Charleston, I make sure my parents have picked some up for me to bring home!

Now on to kosher food in Charleston:



Helen Goldberg - noodle kugle. This kugle has cream cheese, cinamon, some kinda cheese and other stuff in it. The recipe of course is a secret. But I have been known to have my mom pick me up some of this and freeze it so I can make it last as long as possible. It is that good! I have searched the net for simliar recipes but have not been able to find anything that compares. Helen does good ole fashion southern Jewish cooking at it's best! Love it!



Marci Rosenberg- Her known for recipe is the challah. Her other food is great too but in a worldly fashion. It does not have the southern flair most people are use to (or should I say those that live in the south) but if you want to travel up north via your tastebuds, let her cater some stuff for you! You won't be disappointed.

Pita King - love, love, love it! I feel like I am being tastebudily transported to New York when I eat from there. I have had several items from the menu and all have been fantastic. Plus it's Kosher!!

Do yourself and your soul a favor- eat kosher in Charleston!