Music to Cook By

I can’t imagine cooking (or baking) in silence.  Sometimes I chat with whoever is around or listen to a conversational show on radio, but it’s music that really gets me in the mood to whip, chop, stir, and simmer .  

My musical talents are nonexistent; I can’t sing on key and when I gave up clarinet lessons in fourth grade, my father gave my clarinet to an Israeli kibbutz in case I had second thoughts. Although I enjoy listening, I am timid about exploring new genres and artists. I may have the courage to experiment in the kitchen, but music is an entirely different story. 

Like much else in life, finding my “music mentor”, Stephanie, was happenstance. Although music is a huge part of her life, she is multi-talented and our initial connections were – as you might guess – food-related. 

Besides being an amazing singer, an insightful therapist, and a fun person in general, Stephanie is a great cook and baker. Years ago, she brought a fabulous ginger cake to a party and, when I asked for the recipe, introduced me to its creator, David Lebovitz. (Remember my obsession with all-things ginger, especially David’s candied ginger?) The cake remains one of my favorite desserts, even though it doesn’t include chocolate, and I'm indebted to Stephanie for introducing me to it.  

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Matzo for Mother's Day?

My pal MarocMama kidded me that I should do a post entitled "Matzo in May" after I bemoaned having so much matzo (and matzo meal) left over after Passover. Instead I am writing about the Streit’s matzo company this month and this post has nothing to do with my leftover matzos, Passover, or even Jewish cooking. 

I’ve never been a brand loyalist when it comes to matzo and other Passover foods. I don’t keep kosher, so I don’t look at the religious certifications displayed by Streit’s and other companies producing kosher foods. Up until this year, I’ve bought matzo to eat and for matzo pudding, matzo meal for my Passover rolls, and other products such as matzo farfel (small broken up pieces of matzo that I use for pseudo-granola during Passover) from whichever company’s products I found at my local grocery. 

But this year, after a rather random call to the Streit’s consumer number for help with a question, I made a special effort to reward that company with my business. I blogged about my experience with Streit’s and Rabbi Kirchner, but after Passover, I thought little about Streit’s or matzo, despite the 2 leftover boxes in my cupboard. Until last week. 

Then I saw this:

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5 Weird Uses for Food

What’s your favorite weird use for a food (ingredient)?

Mine is the tech miracle of drying out a wet iPhone in a bag of rice. 

Here’s another one, from my daughter Eleanor.  Next week, I’ll give you 3 more weird uses for a total of 5.  Do you have other weird uses of food I should include on the list?  If so, leave me a comment here or on the MotherWouldKnow facebook page, or tweet it to me with the hashtag #WeirdFoodUses.

Eleanor wrote this guestpost during her recent visit at Passover and so began her explanation with a quote from Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann of Mishkan Chicago, 

"Passover is about letting go old habits, comforts and crutches, and stepping into the unknown, wide open expanse of possibility."

I did this in the simplest way:

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