Looking Back, Looking Forward

By sweinberger on General

My, my, my - it has been really quiet around here lately! That can happen when the primary writers for a blog are paid to do a job that isn’t to write about food. (Oh, how I wish I had that job!) On behalf of Jabbett and myself, I’d like to apologize for the lack of new posts. We’re hoping that circumstances will allow us to be more involved in the near future. Moving on….

Pesach 5768 was an interesting one, wasn’t it? Let’s see…

* Early on, Manischewitz announced that there weren’t going to be any KFP Tam-Tams this year. Riots were narrowly averted.
* In parts of the US, there were Matzah shortages. Even if there wasn’t a shortage in your area, the rising price of wheat probably affected your Matzah purchase.
* MargarineGate ‘08! KFP stick margarine became a rare commodity, as Mother’s brand decided not to produce any this year, leaving Haolam 1 lb. blocks as the only option. Pesach bakers frantically searched for supplies of the treasured trans-fat. (I found a source, and immediately bought 14 pounds of margarine, which was shared among my family. 5 pounds are going in the freezer for next year.)
* As with every year, KFP Coke flies off the shelves, since soda aficionados believe that cane sugar sweetened soda tastes better. I’m a die-hard diet-cola drinker, so I can’t say.
* The Susie Fishbein Empire grows larger, as (possibly) the most popular Pesach cookbook ever, hits the shelves. 100+ reformulated recipes, 30 new recipes. More on that later. The NY Times interviews her. Non-KFP Celiacs buy the book for the wheat-free recipes.
* I’m saying that Quinoa for Pesach has hit the mainstream, as Ms. Fishbein included 2 recipes with it in her book. I’ve had it on Pesach for a few years now. This year I tried to make Quinoa Sushi, but couldn’t get it to hold together. But Hadar brand KFP soy sauce (and teriyaki) was available to season it right. Naturally, it had no soy in it whatsover.
* Chef Hung cooked for the Pesach Seders at Solo. Did anyone hear how that went?

And, looking forward…

* This is the weekend to bake your Shlissel-Challah.
* Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking is a great cookbook. I hope to have a full review up soon.
* Speaking of reviews, I have a lot to say about the aforementioned Passover by Design, and Susie Fishbein.
* September 7th, 2008 is the date for the 20th annual ASBEE/Kroger Kosher BBQ Competition.

Hopefully, I’ll be writing more in the near future. Until then, feel free to contribute your Pesach stories…