This recipe is incredibly easy to prepare and  makes a perfect summer dessert when served with vanilla ice cream and a dash of peach liquor.

Ingredients:

3  peaches pitted and sliced in half

juice of 1/2  lemon

2  heaping teaspoons of brown sugar

cinnamon to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.  Pour lemon juice over peaches and sprinkle browns sugar and cinnamon on top of slices. Bake for approximately  5 minutes on each side or until tender.

I love to cook and especially enjoy using new recipes and techniques. Here are a couple of tips that I thought would be helpful to all:

1.  Most chefs do not recommend rinsing mushrooms in water as they can become waterlogged and  flavorless. To clean mushrooms use a damp sponge and gently wipe away any dirt or grime.

2. An easy way to avoid tearing up when chopping onions is to chill them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before use. This will reduce the amount of acid enzymes released into the air which causes the tears.

3. Always store nuts in the fridge as they contain oil which can go rancid in warm temperatures.

4. The next time you use celery in a recipe don’t throw out the leaves. Many cooks use celery leaves to flavor chicken or vegetable soups, as a garnish on a salad or as a substitute for cilantro (just make sure not to overcook the celery leaves as they can become bitter).

5. Add uncooked rice to your salt shaker to keep the salt from clumping.

6. To avoid spills in the oven from an overflowing pie or tart simply place a cookie sheet underneath .

Here is a delicious veggie burger recipe from chef Elky Probkevitz. To contact Elky or to find out more about her personal chef services please visit www.takehomechef.net.

Veggie Burgers are a healthy alternative for a satisfying meal. These burgers have so much flavor, you won’t even miss the meat . This dish is a great choice during the nine days!

Ingredients:

15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 small red onion, shredded and squeezed dry

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1 small carrot, finely diced

1 cup plain breadcrumbs

2 scallions, finely chopped

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

2 Tbsp Worcestershire or soy sauce

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups mushrooms, sliced

4 english muffins or whole wheat buns, toasted

garnish: mayo, mustard, baby spinach or lettuce, tomato, onion

Smash the beans in a bowl with a fork until chunky. Add onions, walnuts, carrot, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, scallions, parsley 1 tsp sauce. Season with salt and pepper and mix with hands. Form mixture into 4 patties. Lightly coat with remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium-high heat and cook patties till golden, 2-3 minutes per side. Heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium heat, add mushrooms + 1 tsp sauce. Season with salt and pepper and cook 3-4 minutes. Serve on english muffins with your choice of garnish.

Check out these delicious Lemon Bars from Bakerella. I have always enjoyed going on Bakerella and reading her delicious recipes. Bakerella also take great pictures of the food preparation as well as the final product. If you enjoy baking then checking out  www.bakerella.blogspot.com is a must!

Here is the link to the Lemon Bar recipe www.bakerella.blogspot.com

This recipe was provided by Chef Elke Probkevitz, who is the creator of “Take Home Chef.” Take Home Chef brings a novel approach to kosher dining in that you can now have a personal chef come to your house and deliver a gourmet meal catered to your tastes and dietary needs. Click here to read more »