Kosher Cooking Carnival: Mi’shenichnas Adar Edition

Shavua tov and chodesh tov!

Chazal tell us that when Adar begins, our joy increases.

And what better way for me to celebrate the start of the month of Adar Aleph (aka “Adar - Take One”) than by hosting My Very First Blogging Carnival^TM?

The Kosher Cooking Carnival (“KCC”) is a monthly blog roundup which includes all aspects of kosher food - from Jewish law and customs to recipes and restaurant/cookbook reviews.*

So, here goes:

Tu B’Shvat

Needless to say, the holiday of Tu B’Shvat figured prominently in the J-Blogosphere last month.

Basically, Tu B’Shvat is all about the fruits of Eretz Yisrael. Balashon discusses the etymology of the word p’ri (fruit), and Ruti writes about the spiritual wonders of food preparation in Israel.

Baroness Tapuzina bakes a tamarind date cake; Phyllis gets into the holiday spirit with a tree-shaped challah; and Leah has fun with edible Tu B’Shvat crafts.

Mimi serves an eggplant filled with bulgur and dried fruit and then uses the leftover dried fruit for chocolate fruit-nut clusters.

Gloria Kobrin suggests a quick and easy Tu B’Shvat entree: chicken cutlets with caramelized onions, spiced apples and currants, and the Shiputzim kids mix up a batch of lemonade.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Apparently, Shvat was International Mock Chopped Liver Month. :-) Don’t miss either Miriyummy’s version, which calls for peas and caramelized onions, or Leora’s version, which includes zucchini.

Meanwhile, Ilana-Davita continues the mock theme and prepares mock gravlax.

Shabbat

Laura shares an interesting challah recipe, and Batya experiments with a low-carb side dish.

BookishIma stuffs her vegetables, and Miriyummy puts her own spin on a traditional Hungarian favorite.

In addition, while sneaking a secret ingredient into her Mexican-style chicken, Miriyummy features yours truly. {blushes modestly}

Be sure to check out G6’s mouthwatering melaveh malkah buffet.

Desserts and snacks

Leora pops up some spicy popcorn (i.e. pope-korrrn pikanti, for the Hebraically-oriented among you), and Sarah Melamed whips up some chocolate pudding.

G6 takes the best of both worlds and ends up with a yummy chocolate tart.

Jennifer reveals the secret to really good brownies and also makes her pareve eclair baking debut.

Restaurant reviews

Ruti recommends a new Yerushalayim restaurant; Batya enjoys a tuna-bagel sandwich; and Yisrael Medad is amused by a surprise ending.

Everyday meals

The Rebbetzin's Husband seeks new crock pot recipes. Can you help him out?

Batya packs lunch; Ilana-Davita finds a great source for kosher, organic ingredients; and the Hip Hostess tosses a healthy salad with roasted butternut squash.

Jennifer “doubles” her hearty winter soup, and one of Hannah’s readers cooks creamy parsnip soup.

…And that concludes the Adar I 5771 Kosher Cooking Carnival.

!בתאבון

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* Miriyummy takes the reins the kitchen utensils for next month’s KCC. Don’t forget to submit your posts using the submission form, and please contact Batya if you’d like to host an upcoming edition.