Summer is the perfect time for guacamole because avocados (although available year round) are in season and are at their peak of ripeness. We love guacamole for chips of course, but also on burgers, salmon, mixed with rice, and in different varieties like the ones below.

Here are a few tips for the tastiest variations and for the perfect guacamole every time. First, use Hass avocados, the brown wrinkly kind for guacamole. They’re especially rich and creamy. Buy avocados that are slightly soft but not squishy. Ripen in a paper bag with an apple or a banana at room temperature. Store ripe whole avocados in the fridge for 2 to days. Use lime juice instead of lemon juice. Mash garlic and salt with a mortar and pestle (available in our shop), to fully incorporate the ingredients and add avocados for soft and creamy guacamole. Leave one pit in the guacamole to keep the bright green color of the avocados from oxidizing. Lastly, to keep a halved avocado from becoming black while reserving for later use, generously sprinkle the exposed flesh with flour and wipe off before reusing.

Try these variations for a little break with traditional guacamole.

Papaya Guacamole
1 small diced papaya
Juice of a lime
½ chopped, seeded jalapeno pepper (mashed in a mortar with a pestle with salt into a paste)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup cilantro, chopped fine
2 avocados, diced
½ cup red onion, chopped fine

Combine all ingredients together. Let flavors blend for 20 minutes.

Southwest Corn Guacamole
1 ear of corn
chili powder
ground coriander
kosher slat
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 avocados, diced
2 minced jalapenos, seeded, diced (optional)
¼ cup cilantro, diced
juice of 1 lime

Sprinkle the corn with chili powder, coriander and slat. Broil the corn for 2 minutes. Remove kernels from cobb when cool enough to handle. Add the rest of the ingredients and season with more chili powder, coriander and salt.

Even when the air-conditioning is blasting, the urge to cook is just not as great in the summer as it is on those cold winter nights. And while the desire to eat never leaves me, I’m definitely interested in lighter dinners. I’m really grateful that my kids enjoy eating vegetables (in fact we tried to feed my grandson pizza the other day but he only wanted orange pepper!) and so on particularly warm or slow summer days, we have a salad bar for dinner. You can supplement this with fresh bagels or crusty bread (buy it from the bakery since this is all about avoiding the heat!) and voila – dinner is served. You can certainly roast vegetables to put in your salad but I like to keep things simple and limit myself to cutting them and opening cans. Here are some possible salad fixins – feel free to add your own.

Romaine Lettuce
Butter Lettuce
Red Leaf Lettuce
Iceberg Lettuce
Arugula
Spinach
Hearts of Palm
Cucumbers
Baby Corn
Garbanzo Beans
Carrots
Celery
Radishes
Peppers – of all colors!
Jicama
Kalamata Olives
Green Olive Rings
Dried Cranberries
Toasted Pine Nuts
Toasted Almonds
Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Avocado
Chinese Noodles
French-Fried Onions
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Grated Mozzarella Cheese
Crumbled Feta Cheese

Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
Shake well!!

Panini have been around for centuries, and these days they’re being grilled up in practically every kosher lunch restaurant. The popularity of grilling Panini at home reached an all time high when Oprah Winfrey featured a Panini Press among her 2007 “favorite things” (I bought mine after that I admit!). As I mentioned in Great Products they are the ultimate traveling machines for kosher families. Why? Real food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while you travel (get one for summer in our shop). We toast bagels, grill sandwiches, grill fish and so much more. Here are a few gourmet Paninis to try but simple grilled cheese Panini, Pizza Panini, tuna melts and mashed bananas with nutella (family travel favorite) work just as well and are super easy and very family-friendly.

Try these:
Grilled Vegetable Panini with Basil Pesto
Cheese and Olive Tapenade Panini
Mediterranean Tuna Panini

Here are 7 tips that will ensure that the Panini you make at home are as scrumptious as can be.

1. Experiment with a variety of breads and fillings. Just because Panini originated in Italy doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to foccacia, mozzarella and other Italian ingredients. Or even just savory ingredients. If it’s got bread and fillings and is prepared on the grill, it’s a Panini!

2. Go for the crunch. What separates Panini from “regular” sandwiches? It’s the grilling! Grilled bread is the hallmark of Panini – make the most of it by brushing olive oil or melted margarine on top for a crostini-like crunch.

3. Be careful with “wet” ingredients. No one likes a soggy sandwich. Many of the great fillings we enjoy on “regular” non-grilled sandwiches, such as tomatoes and juicy meats, sometimes aren’t ideal candidates for Panini, where crispness is key. Seed tomatoes before using them and brush fish with panko before grilling in the sandwich. Also, add the wet ingredients to the center of the sandwich.

4. Cut with a straight-edged knife. A sharp, straight-edged knife, rather than a serrated one, will ensure a smooth separation for your finished Panini.

5. Greens go last. Greens, like lettuce or spinach get wilted when grilled. Food Network’s George Duran (aka “Ham on the Street”) offers a great solution: add them in last. Grill your sandwich and then insert anything you’d like to keep leafy – lettuce, spinach, arugula, and cilantro to name a few – right before serving.

To purchase a Panini press go to our shop and get ready for delicious food even when there are no kosher restaurants for miles.

The menu doesn’t need to be Mexican to enjoy the refreshing cool wine drink known as Sangria. Choose either the more traditional red wine version or the updated white wine style the next time you need (or just want!) . You can serve it for Shabbos lunch, with a Sunday barbecue or just because…Although oranges and lemons are standard fruits, you can vary the rest if you like and add cherries or strawberries or raspberries as the whim hits. Sit back, relax, enjoy!

Red Sangria
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice (fresh is always better)
½ cup orange juice
1 (750-milliliter) bottle red wine, preferably a Merlot or Burgundy but you can use what you have
1 small orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Combine sugar, lemon juice and orange juice in a large pitcher, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add remaining ingredients, give a gentle stir and add ice.

White Sangria
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 lemons, thinly sliced
2 limes, thinly sliced
1 red apple, thinly sliced
2 (750-milliliter) bottles white wine, preferably Sauvignon Blanc although again you can use what you have (it adds more sparkle but I prefer Moscato d’Asti)
1 (1-liter) bottle lime seltzer
1 (1-liter) bottle lemon seltzer
1 cup frozen green grapes (Freeze more than you need; they’re great for snacking!)

Combine sugar, lemons, limes, apple and wine in a large pitcher. Stir and chill. Before serving, add seltzer and grapes. Gently stir and add ice.

Recently GKC got to be on the other side of the kitchen counter and attend a cooking class /birthday party for a friend.

It was a lot of fun…good company, great food, new recipes. Something caught my eye on the table -big, fluffy, fresh-smelling, and very inviting challah rolls, piled in baskets. Normally, GKC doesn’t wash for weekday lunch but those rolls just needed to be tasted. They wafted homemade as they called out my name. They looked so light but, seriously, who makes challah on a Wednesday? Even for a birthday? Were these going to be part of the class?

GKC was smitten and went in for the kill… Wow! Delicious, light, homemade-tasting and gorgeous with the perfect muffin shape and a twist on top, almost like a cream puff.

Okay, GKC needed to know who made them. Was it a neighbor, the cooking instructor, my friend – who was the woman behind this challah??!! … Little did GKC know, the secret chef was…a man named Laizer. And here’s the kicker: these challah rolls as well as large challahs (regular and whole wheat) are made, available and delivered each week by Laizer’s bakery, the Solash Challah Bakery in the Five Towns.

The Who?

Laizer Solash, owner and head chef/baker at Solash Challah Bakery, bakes and delivers challah, challah rolls, sandwich rolls, and specialty sizes to the New York area each week (free delivery to the Five Towns, Rockaways, Ocean Side and Great Neck) – sorry out-of-towners, but maybe if you scream loud enough Laizer will figure out a way to get some to you…

Laizer started the business just a few months ago when a friend suggested that if he pursued his passion, he’d find success.

GKC asked and received some tips on baking beautiful and delicious challahs every time. “One of the keys to great challah making is in the rising. Here’s a tip: they need humidity to rise beautifully every time. If you have a proofing oven, great, but I can’t imagine that every home owner has a proofing oven in their kitchen, so an alternative would be to run the dishwasher for a cycle with no soap. When it’s done, place the challahs in the pan that they will be baked in, and put them in the dishwasher on a tray until they rise above the pan. Take them out and bake as your recipe instructs. Let them cool on a cooling rack, serve and wait for the compliments to follow!”

Try this with your favorite recipe or better yet, take a break and order one for Shabbos, or many for your next event. Call 718-337-6706 or email them at www.solashchallahbakery@gmail.com

My husband loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter (He also likes chocolate and coffee and just plain chocolate – you may detect a theme here!). He likes chocolate and peanut butter brownies, Reese’s peanut butter cups, you name it – almost every variation and every form works. So I was thrilled to discover the products by Peanut Butter & Co. Not only do they have regular smooth and crunchy peanut butter but they have a series of variations including mighty maple and cinnamon swirl. However the one that really caught my eye – and is now sitting in my pantry – is the Dark Chocolate Dreams, peanut butter blended with rich dark chocolate. No need to bake. Just dip in your spoon, I mean, use your knife and spread it on the bread or cracker of your choice.

There is also White Chocolate Wonderful for those whose tastes run in that direction. Check out their website www.ilovepeanutbutter.com and enjoy! Mmmm…

I love babkas. I love the fluffy yeast dough. I love the crunchy streusel topping. I love them with chocolate. I love them with cinnamon. I love them with apples and I love them with cheese. I’m an equal opportunity babka lover. And this recipe makes a rich and delicious one. Use either the chocolate or cheese filling or make half and half. But don’t do what I just did – this recipe makes 4 good-sized babkas – I tried to make 2 large ones. They looked beautiful but they collapsed in the middle…and my kitchen was full of cheese filling!! So we all took out our spoons…

Babka – Cheese or Chocolate

Dough:
4 teaspoons yeast
1 cup warm water
10 cups bread flour
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) margarine, softened
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups nondairy creamer, slightly warmed

Cheese Filling:
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
2 (7.5 ounce) packages farmer’s cheese
4 teaspoons vanillin sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1-1/2 cups sugar

Chocolate Filling:
1-1/2 cups cocoa
3 cups sugar
10 teaspoons vanillin sugar

Streusel Topping:
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine, cut into pieces
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar

Proof yeast in warm water. Add sugar and nondairy creamer. Mix in a few cups of flour, some of the margarine, some of the eggs and continue like that until flour is totally incorporated. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 1-1/2 hours.
In the meantime, beat all filling ingredients (either cheese or chocolate) until smooth.
For streusel topping, use food processor to pulse together margarine, flour and sugar until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.

Cut dough into 4 pieces and roll each one out on a lightly flour surface. Place filling along edge and roll up like a jelly roll. Attach ends to form circle and place in tube or other round pan. Cover and let rise another ½ hour. Sprinkle with streusel and bake until golden – 45 – 50 minutes. Take a piece for yourself – you won’t get another chance!

Cooking for kids is easy (really!) if you use the right ingredients and flavors. We know that our GKC readers enjoy hearing about new or existing products in the market (thanks for all those great comments that tell us so) and how we can use them in our everyday and holiday cooking, especially if they help get our kids to eat. Here are a few more products to use in your Yom Tov – just watch; your kids will eat every bite.

Jeff Nathan’s Gourmet Panko: Panko finally became kosher a few years ago and it is a “must have” staple in my pantry. Panko is the name for Japanese-style bread crumbs. They are crispier than regular bread crumbs and create a crunchier texture since they hold up better through the cooking process. They are less greasy too because they absorb less oil. This brand has a variety of flavors that add a little zing to every recipe. Try them in our Panko Crusted Chicken Nuggets or in Salmon Burgers. They can be used in place of breadcrumbs in any recipe to create a crispy topping or a lighter feel in meatballs.

Mehadrin Ice Cream: Everyone looks forward to extra ice cream on Shavuos. Mehadrin’s dairy and pareve ice creams are so smooth, creamy, and sweet that they are delicious on their own or in these decadent ice cream desserts – Tiramisu Bundt Cake or Razzle Dazzle Ice Cream Pie.

Lipton Onion Soup Mix: Finally, Lipton made a kosher onion soup mix! A welcome addition to the every kitchen. Onion soup mix adds great flavor to meat, dips, and of course, soup. Try the traditional recipes on the back of the package, like the onion dip with sour cream (I put that on top of salmon and bake it in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes – amazing, melt-in-your-mouth salmon) or use it in Brick Roast for the easiest and most delicious Shabbos roast.

Let us know how you use these products and we can post your recipes. Submit a recipe here or send us an email with a product you would like to see featured and we can make some recipe suggestions. Happy cooking and good Yom Tov!