Whether you are heading back to school or work, it’s great to return to a routine after a long break consisting of “What day is it, again? Is it an eating day, cooking day, or fasting day?” As we readjust to normal life (What is that anyway?), let’s keep it simple and delicious.
Here are a few tips to help ease you back into a daily routine:
- Plan your weekly menu ahead of time by setting aside 15 minutes every Sunday to map out meals for the family.
- Once you know what you’ll be cooking, make a shopping list of the ingredients you will need.
- For the freshest ingredients throughout the week, try to shop on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and stick to your list.
- Aim to shop just once a week to save time and money.
- Prep whatever you can the previous evening, to make dinner time easier after a long day.
- If you’d like a free downloadable menu planner template, feel free to email me at henny@inthekitchenwithhenny.com.
COFFEE MARBLE CAKE
This cake is a basic vanilla cake with a twist of mocha swirled in. It’s the perfect cake to pair with a cup of coffee or tea. It has become a tradition in our home to make a marble cake (read “marble” as “mabul,” meaning “flood”) in honor of Parshat Noah, which is only a week away.
Yields 1 bundt pan.
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp. almond extract
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 packet (about 3/4 cup) vanilla pudding mix
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Mocha swirl:
- 1 Tbsp. coffee dissolved in 2 Tbsp. boiling water
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
Mocha glaze:
- 1½ cups icing sugar
- 1 tsp. coffee dissolved in 1 Tbsp. boiling water
- 1 tsp. oil
- 2 tsp. non-dairy milk
Preheat your oven to 170°C (350°F).
In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients, except for the mocha swirl, and mix well – an electric mixer works best for this step. Set aside 1 cup of the batter by transferring it into a smaller bowl. Pour the remaining batter into a greased bundt pan.
To the reserved 1 cup of batter, add the coffee and cocoa powder, mixing until well combined. Slowly pour this mocha mixture over the vanilla batter in the bundt pan, making a complete circle.
Using a dull knife, gently swirl the mocha batter into the vanilla batter to create a marbled effect, being careful not to over-mix, so the swirls remain visible.
Bake the cake for 50 min. to 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before inverting the bundt pan to remove it. Shake gently if necessary.
For the icing: Mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until the glaze is thick and opaque. Adjust the consistency by adding water (if it’s too thick) or more sugar (if it’s too thin). Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze over the cake, letting it cascade down the sides.
For a decorative touch, use a potato peeler to create chocolate shavings from a bar of dark chocolate and sprinkle them over the top.
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER
Sometimes, it’s the simple things that bring the most joy. This recipe is my daughter’s absolute favorite – it’s the one she gets excited about every time. And for me, it’s a winner because it takes just 5 minutes to prepare. With so much happening in our busy lives, a quick and delicious meal like this is a welcome relief.
Yields 8 servings.
- 1 whole chicken or cut pieces on the bone
- 4 or 5 potatoes
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- Preheat your oven to 170°C (350°F).
Wash and cube the potatoes, then spread evenly at the bottom of a large Pyrex or baking dish and sprinkle with salt.
If you’re using a whole chicken, leave space for it in the center of the pan and place the chicken breast-side up. For chicken pieces, arrange them skin-side up directly on top of the potatoes.
Sprinkle the garlic powder over the chicken, then place the dish in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 2 hours.
If you’re using the turbo (fan) mode on your oven, be sure to lower the temperature lower the temperature to 160°C (320°F).
PEPPER STEAK
This is a simple favorite dinner that pairs very well with rice or noodles. The prep may take a bit longer than the mere 5 minutes required for Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, but it’s simple and can even be prepped the previous evening and kept in the fridge so that when you come home from work you can just start the cooking process and have dinner ready in less than an hour. Yields 4-6 servings.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 3 colored peppers, sliced
- 1 kilo steak or chuck meat (cut #2), thinly sliced
Marinade:
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- ½ tsp. black pepper
To prep ahead of time, slice the onions and peppers, place them in separate containers or Ziplock bags, and refrigerate. Slice the meat and place it in a bowl with the marinade ingredients.
When ready to cook, heat a large deep skillet, wok, or frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions for about 5 min., then add the marinated steak and cook over medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Next, add in the peppers and mix well, allowing them to cook for another 10 minutes with the pan lightly covered.
Stir occasionally and continue to cook until the meat has softened. Serve warm over rice or noodles.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL BANANA MUFFINS
These banana muffins are a huge hit in my husband’s family, as they are all big banana fans. My mother-in-law gave me this recipe shortly after I got married (16 years ago this week!), and I try to keep some in the freezer for a healthy snack – however, monkeys in our home keep sneaking them out of the freezer. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Yields 16 muffins.
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- ½ cup oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups flour (can be spelt flour)
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 170°C (350°F) and line a muffin tin with size 4 cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs, and beat until smooth. Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour into the lined muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool completely before storing them.
As we get back to regularly scheduled programming, I wish us all a smooth transition to having full weeks of school and work, and may we all be safe and well.
The writer is a kitchen coach who teaches women how to meal plan and cook so they get dinner on the table, and prepare for Shabbat and hag on time. inthekitchenwithhenny.com