Surviving Passover

This is the 3rd night of Passover, and I've made it through so far!  Last night I was craving sweets and the only thing I could find that was kosher was a bag of chocolate chips.  I had to change that, so today I cooked a few things.  I made some stuff last night as well, but those were all dinner dishes.

First, I made matzah ball soup.  Unfortunately...I cheated - I bought a mix.  I added some spices to the matzah balls and cut up some carrots to put in the soup, though!  So I felt like I added a little extra to it.

Then, I made broccoli and cheese casserole.  Really easy recipe.  My mom got recipes years ago off matzah boxes, so I don't know where the credit goes.   It's probably really easily adaptable based on what veggies you have.  I would maybe mix in the broccoli with the liquid ingredients next time.

Recipe: Broccoli and Cheese Casserole
Ingredients:
2 heads broccoli florets, chopped in bite-size pieces (~4-5 cups) and parboiled for a few minutes
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream (I used 2% greek yogurt)
4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 eggs
1 cup hand cracked matzah (I used farfel)
2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan.  Drain the broccoli florets well, pressing out all the moisture.  Spread the florets in the pan.  Beat sour cream (or yogurt) with cottage cheese, butter, and eggs until well blended.  Fold in matzah and pour mixture over broccoli.  Arrange tomato slices on top and sprinkle with cheese.  Bake about 45 minutes then let stand about 5 minutes before serving.

So that was what I made last night.  Tonight I decided to first make something sweet.  So I used another one of those matzah box recipes.  It's a nice hearty and sweet snack.

Recipe: Raisin Walnut Pudding Cake
Ingredients:
4 matzahs, broken into small pieces
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly
cinnamon sugar (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.  Soak matzah in water for 10 minutes and drain.  Add beaten eggs and let stand another 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into greased baking dish, 8x8 or 9x9.  Bake for 50-60 minutes, until set, but not dry.

This last recipe was delicious!  I searched through my bookmarked recipes to find something that was kosher for passover, but DID NOT INCLUDE MATZAH!  And I found it in this great recipe.  I think it's my new favorite way to cook potatoes.  It's a little more time consuming than a simple roasted potato or mashed potatoes.  But it's worth it, I promise!  And it really isn't bad for you at all.  Oh and added benefit - I got to use my mixer to beat the egg whites :)  I think the next time I make it I'll try experimenting with different spices and different cheeses.

Recipe: Parmesan Potato Puff (from Lisa's Kitchen)
Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes (I used baby yukon golds)
2 tbsp butter (I used unsalted so I could adjust the salt myself)
s&p to taste
1/3-1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp paprika
2 eggs, separated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Boil some lightly salted water.  Wash and peel the potatoes, cutting them into uniform pieces.  Cook until they are tender.  Drain, mash, and return to pot.  Season with s&p, and add butter and milk and mash until they are light and fluffy.

Grease a small casserole dish (I used a pie plate and it worked out perfectly).  Beat the egg yolks well.  Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  Stir the spices and cheese into the potatoes.  Now beat in the egg yolks.  Fold in half of the egg whites.  This helps loosen up the potatoes a bit.  Fold in the rest of the egg whites, being careful not to deflate them.  Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish.  Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes have formed a golden brown crust.

Post-Exam Meal

Saturday night I finished a pretty big take-home exam.  It was closed-book, which I think is just mean...but anyway, I survived it!  After a week of studying, my fridge was getting kind of empty.  Now empty is definitely a relative term.  I've seen some very empty fridges.  And mine always has something in it.  But on Sunday, nothing looked good to make into dinner.  Of course, this meant I had to look through all of the ads for nearby grocery stores to see who had the best deals.  And Harris Teeter had tilapia on sale!  I love tilapia - it isn't too "fishy," it's always cheap, and it's easy to cook.  I looked through my recipes and found one that sounded amazing - Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce.  I found the recipe at Life's Ambrosia, one of the blogs I read regularly.  Des said she served it with mashed potatoes, so I decided why not - I'll try two of her recipes!
I made a few changes, but mostly because of what I happened to have, and because of the time of year.  For the fish - I used frozen cubes of basil instead of fresh, half-and-half instead of cream, plus I doubled the amount of fish, tomatoes and garlic but left everything else was fine.  It worked out perfectly.  I bought a pound of fish - 4 fillets.  Which means I have dinner for almost the entire week.  It's holding up pretty well, too.  I think next time I would use less oil for the sauce, or maybe use butter instead?  I don't think my cream liked mixing with the oil.  The sauce is delicious - I think it would make a great pasta sauce as well, maybe with some shrimp?  The tomatoes are perfect in it - they're little bursts of sweetness throughout the sauce.  This would be even better with fresh basil, over the summer.

For the mashed potatoes - I used 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup of half-and-half.  And I used kerrygold butter.  I was expecting the butter to turn it into something extraordinary, but I don't think I could tell a difference between that and the regular old stuff.  After the first night, I decided it needed a little extra something, so I added more s&p, and grated some aged white cheddar on top (leftover from my mac n cheese).  I was really excited to make the mashed potatoes, since I had just bought a potato masher from The Happy Cook!  It's cute, and fun to use.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce (adapted from Life's Ambrosia)
Ingredients:
6 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
30 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 cubes (2 tsp) frozen chopped basil
4 tilapia fillets (1 lb)
kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Directions:

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add grape tomatoes and basil and cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have released their juices.  Reduce heat to medium low and add half-and-half.  Let simmer for 15 minutes (or as long as you need to get everything ready).

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet large enough to fit two fillets.
Rinse and pat dry the tilapia fillets.
Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a flat dish.
Put the beaten egg in another flat dish.
Combine the parmesan, panko and garlic in a third flat dish.

Dredge the fillets in the seasoned flour.  Shake off excess.  Dip in egg.  Press into parmesan/panko mixture.
Place in heated skillet, two at a time, and cook 3-4 minutes per side.  (Thicker pieces may take longer to fully cook.)  Fish will be golden brown and will flake easily when done.

Add another 2 tbsp to the skillet, and repeat with the remaining 2 fillets.
Lay fish on a serving platter and spoon sauce over the top.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes (adapted from Life's Ambrosia)
Ingredients:
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (I left the peel on mine, it's up to you)
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste
Any extras - I added some white cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large saucepan, add enough water to cover the potatoes.  Boil until they are fork tender.  Warning - the water tends to get really foamy and attempts to boil over.  When they are soft, drain the water and put them back in the pot.  Add the butter, half-and-half, salt and pepper, and mash until light and fluffy.  Add your desired extras, and fold in.
(Picture with my extra cheese on top!)

Fully Loaded

Last night someone cooked dinner for me, and the mashed potatoes were fantastic! I admit that I did most of the work for the mashed potatoes, but he did pick out the recipe! And his portion of the meal was pretty darn good as well. I'm not sure if he actually weighed the potatoes - when I got there, there was an entire pot just filled with potatoes. And we didn't include the chives and bacon (for obvious reasons) that were in the original recipe. I actually can't find the recipe anywhere online. So this is just coming from my memory - hopefully I got it right. I do recall that the recipe called for half a pound of cheese, and I completely nixed that idea. I love cheese, but that's just a bit much!

Loaded Mashed Potatoes: (adapted from Emeril)

Ingredients:

4 lbs red potatoes, quartered (we didn't peel them)

1 3/4 tsp salt, divided

4 tbsp butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sour cream

Grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Put potatoes and 1 tsp salt in a pot and fill with water, covering the potatoes by an inch. (Use a pot that is big enough to still have a few inches above the water - otherwise you will boil over.) Cover, and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain water and return potatoes to pot. Add remaining salt, butter and heavy cream, and mash over medium heat until fluffy. Fold in sour cream and cheese.