Tag: shabbos

Sweet Hawaiian Chicken

Sometimes I’m so busy dreaming up new dishes to wow you all, that I forget about the oldie but goody recipes like this one. This sweet and delicious chicken is a recipe I grew up eating. My mother has been making it for years, and it’s just one of those dishes that’s a keeper. The pineapple and maraschino topping provide a lovely garnish, making this the perfect chicken dish to serve over the holidays or at your next party.

If you’ve got leftover pineapple, try this delicious tropical smoothie for dessert!

1 year ago: rice pilaf
2 years ago: pretty perfection, headbands in a pinch!

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Gefilte Fish Patties in Tomato Sauce

If you follow my blog, you’ve probably realized by now that my family is big into gefilte fish. I’ve already posted quite a few variations. This one however, is even closer to home – it’s a family recipe. My mom has been been making her gefilte this way ever since I can remember, and my Bubby before her. My kids love these patties so much that I even make them for dinner every now and then. They like it without the sauce, so I just leave some out. These are best served fresh and warm because they fluff up in the tomato sauce. They can also be served at room temperature with or without the sauce.

NOTE: These patties freeze very well. If you are like me and don’t like to fry a lot, just make a double batch and freeze half of the patties. When you are ready to use, just defrost, cook up the tomato sauce and add the patties. They’ll taste as fresh as the day you made them.

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Sushi Salad II


Google Analytics is a fascinating tool. It allows you to track who visited your website, how they found it and what they looked at, among other things. When I have time, I like to research how people came to Busy in Brooklyn, and which recipes are the most popular. Ever since starting my blog in February, the all-time most popular post is this sushi salad. Being such a crowd-pleasing recipe, I figured it was about time to try another variation. Now I am beginning to understand why just about every kosher pizza shop, restaurant (be it meat or dairy) and supermarket is carrying sushi! I thought the fad might pass at some point, but I think I can rest assured that it is here to stay!

I love making sushi salad because it takes all the hassle out of hand rolling the sushi, but it offers the same taste and texture with minimal effort. It is also visually appealing. For a beautiful presentation, choose vegetables with vibrant colors. I recently made a similar recipe to this one, using shredded carrots in place of the edamame. The bright orange carrots with the green cucumbers and vibrant pink radishes looked picture-perfect. Feel free to try whatever vegetables suit your taste. You can also add mock crab, flaked salmon, lox and/or pickled ginger.

NOTE: Edamame are soybeans that come in a pod. They are commonly served in Japanese restaurants with a dusting of sea salt. Edamame are tasty, fun to eat, and good for you. When served in their pods, just squeeze the beans out and they’ll easily pop. I like to buy them already hulled. They can be found in the freezer section of most supermarkets.

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Breaded Gefilte Fish Patties

I think I have tried every possible cooking method for gefilte fish (many ideas to come in the future!)…boiled gefilte, baked gefilte, fish latkes, fish balls, gefilte loaf…Why? well for one, I like to change up the menu. I never make the same things for Shabbos, I’m always coming up with something different to try. Additionally, I love to entertain, and if you’re having a lot of guests, fish can be quite pricey. Eight pieces of salmon can run you upwards of $30. Gefilte fish, even if you are making two packages, will run you about $5-$6 each.

My kids absolutely adore fish latkes. I even make it for supper on occasion. It’s something about finger food, where they can just hold it in a napkin and bite into it, that makes them love it so much. I like to convince myself that it’s packed with protein, but really, I do wonder, how much fish is there really in gefilte fish!

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Sushi Salad

This is one of those recipes that is super easy, delicious, and gets finished to the last drop every time I make it. I serve it often for Shabbos lunch and my guests absolutely love it. You can prepare the rice before Shabbos, put it in a Ziploc bag, and take it out two hours before plating.

I really dislike the taste of mock-crab. I find it spongy. If you like it, definitely go ahead and add it to the salad. You can also flake some cooked salmon on top. If you’re brave, and go for raw fish, go ahead and add that. Lox is also a good idea. I once chopped up some baked fish sticks and sprinkled it on top for an added crunch (think tempura crumbs on sushi). Or, serve alongside fried flounder.

Check out my other version of sushi salad here.

Believe it or not, a couple of years ago, I actually made these for Shalach Manos. I prepared everything ahead of time. Something like 10 cups of sushi rice. Bags and bags of diced cucumbers. And of course, the heaven-sent store-bought shredded carrots. I didn’t use avocado because of the browning. I bought these great black square plates (and some other asian-inspired ones) and started plating. It took hours. Maybe if I wasn’t such a perfectionist, things would have went a bit faster. It was crazy. I would never do it again. I sent chopsticks and my wasabi-soy dressing. I printed out the recipe and called it “SHUSHAN SHUSHI SALAD” (now try saying that five times in a row!). The end product was so cute and a great mishloach manos, but unless you only plan on making a few, I wouldn’t recommend it!

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