THE KOSHER NEXUS
A Publication of the Union For Traditional Judaism
Copyright Ó2000 Union for Traditional Judaism
2000 Vol. 7 No. 4 Fall, 5760
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FROM THE EDITOR |
We found the perfect antidote for those long and torrid summer afternoons. Not to mention for those not so long, yet equally languid autumn days. In a nut shell, it is a dip. A dip you make at home. Or as Gilbert Gottfried would say, “It was there all along and I didn’t see it.” This is a perfect dip (Uh, unless you are serving Fleishiq, then it doesn’t work at all. Sorry.)
This dip is courtesy of Sandi Ford and all our friends at Bone Suckin Sauce. This one is just too good to keep private. Try it- it rates a KN Five Forks.
NO BONES PARTY DIP
8oz of either cream cheese or sour cream
6 tbs of chopped onion
1/3 cup of Bone Suckin Sauce
OR
1/3 cup of Blessings Hot and Sweet Mustard
Mix all the ingredients until they are well mixed and smooth. Then, just dip away. We prefer it with cream cheese and the mustard, but, hey where is it written that you have to like it that way, too? Either way, try it- you will love it.
Now, take out the chips and dip away while we entertain you with this latest issue of the KN. Oh, and by the way, welcome to the end of year seven!
THE FANCY FOOD SHOW
The summer Fancy Food Show in Manhattan is always the true test of how well a foodie has been prepared. This is not a show for the faint of heart. This is the one that separates the merely curious from the truly committed and devoted. We are thinking of adding a CERTIFIED FOODIE training course to the curriculum of the Institute For Traditional Judaism to help us cope with the ever expanding scope of the show. But, hey, don’t send us inquiries yet- we are working on the curriculum now. Stay tuned… .
In the meantime, meet the newest member of the team:
She’s been in training now for two years, and after rigorous testing, Mommarapp joins the food show touring crew. Yes, Mommarapp, able to watch five kids with just one set of eyes while, at the same time, cook dinner, critique this week’s sermon, and still look like a million bucks after all the years- and who fights a never ending battle for family, truth, America, and the Halachic Way. Please welcome Mommarapp to these hallowed pages as she adds her comments to the mix.
Mommarapp’s fave stop at the show was at the Xcafe booth. Xcafe makes little cups of perked coffee essence that you add to hot water to make a perfect cup of coffee. The product is called Coffee PERCup, is Kof-K certified, and is amazing. You would think that someone just brewed fresh coffee. Each little one-ounce cup of coffee extract is perfect for a cup of coffee. Just think of the pleasure of drinking a hot cup of good coffee on Shabbat! Most of us have a hot pot on Shabbat anyway, now you can have hot, fresh tasting coffee instead of stale coffee from the thermos. There is classic blend, dark roast blend, Caribbean blend, Serengeti blend, South Pacific blend, Columbian Decaf, Hazelnut, and French Vanilla. The resultant coffee that you get is amazing. We predict that this will become a big Shabbat hit! You can reach Xcafe at 508 393 7060. They are located at: 75 Otis Street, Northborough, MA, 01532.
Another of Mommarapp’s favorite stops was at Davida’s booth. As you may recall, Davida makes some really fine, yet totally kitschy, stuff. Or, as we like to say, the kind of stuff that every shul’s Sisterhood Gift Shop will carry. But we love Davida, and she gave Mommarapp a big welcome as she whipped out the order form! This year, Davida has some really wild stuff. How about: Passover in a Canister? No, not really. But it is a canister that contains a complete set of silverware that comes with distinctively colored handles so you can give two sets- one for dairy and one for meat. Or, and we loved this one, how about a challah knife that has a miniature challah for the handle? Or the Matzah tray, matzah napkin holder, matzah knife set, matzah ball food timer?? Or what about the bagel sets: bagel knife sets, bagel food timer, bagel tray, bagel napkin holder? Our kids love the Hanukah candle boxer shorts we bought last year. We love Davida, and we love the stuff she sells. You can reach Davida at 213 581 7300. Her address is 2539 East 54 Street, Huntington Park, CA, 90255.
Needless to say, Mommarapp’s most anticipated stop was at the Bone Suckin Sauce booth. Sandi Ford (Ford’s Fine Foods) and her family have been like family to us for years now, but they had yet to meet Mommarapp. No worries- Sandi spotted us and came running, a huge grin on her face as she met the Capo di Tutti Capi of our family. Mommarapp gave Sandi a jar of her famous homemade chutney, and Sandi gave her a down home, country hug that was like to make her burst! Just remember this: there ain’t no better sauce out there than Bone Suckin Sauce. We use it on almost every thing. This is one serious sauce. You can find them on the web at www.bonesuckin.com. Or you can call them at 919 833 7559. Ford’s Foods is located at 1109 Agriculture St., Raleigh, NC 27603. Oh, and by the way, last year at the show, Kim was pregnant and had a beautiful and happy bouncy baby boy. This year, Sandi Ford (the next generation of Sandis) is “in the family way,” and we wish her an easy birth at a good and auspicious hour. Gosh, those Ford women sure are a busy lot! So listen, family expenses are up- buy some Bone Suckin Sauce, Salsa, or Blessings Mustard today!
EXPERTEEN REPORT
The Experteen did not make it to the food show this summer, but she reaped the benefits of the stuff that came home with us. In the meantime, the Experteen writes: “Wassup Y’all? I am most busy this summer- between work and school there is not a lot of time left over for much else. So, your Experteen begs off for this issue and promises to be back in the Fall with more of the stuff you want to read about and eat!” (Ed. Note: We have to admit, life with the Experteen has been easy this summer. A huge supply of kosher Bazooka gum, Bisli snacks, and a never ending supply of both pumpkin seeds and wonton soup has kept her happy. Watch for the Experteen’s triumphant return in the next issue.)
Meanwhile back at the food show:
From Marietta, Georgia, comes a great idea: Flavored honeys. These honeys come in small jars with a taste of heaven inside each and every one. Flavors include: Lemon, Cinnamon, Peach, Raspberry, Blueberry, and Amaretto. We loved all of them. The Honey Bee Company is under the supervision of the Atlanta Kashrut Commission. The company is located at: 1691 Enterprise Way, Suite D, Marietta, GA, 30067. You can phone them at: 1 800 572 8836. These are wonderful honeys. Try them- you will never go back to plain old boring honey again!
Echoes of Summer makes organic, gourmet fruit spreads, chutneys, and fruit butters. They are certified by the O-U. These are some mighty fine tasting spreads. Flavors include: Apple Butter and Plum Butter, as well as the following spreads: Wild Blueberry, Strawberry, Bing Cherry, Red Raspberry, Cranberry Pecan, Orange Pineapple, and Hot and Sweet Habanero Pepper Jelly. They also make Hot and Spicy Pineapple Chutney. All are fat free, and sodium free. They are low in sugar and carbohydrates. They are all natural and organic and they taste like they were just made in some country kitchen. MMM good. These are really tasty. The company may be reached at 508 429 9423. You can write to them at: 175 Maple St., Marlboro, MA, 01752. Their web page is at: www.echoesofsummer.com
A proud addition to the collection of kosher companies, OTIS SPUNKMEYER makes some really fine cookies. Now we know what all the hubbub has been about all these years. Now that they are kosher, we can enjoy them, too. Muffins and cookies are what this company does, and they it exceptionally well. We made several return trips to their booth just to make sure that we liked them as much as we thought we did. Guess what? We like them, we really like them! J The company has O-U Dairy certification. The cookies, especially, are real knock outs! You can reach them at: 527 Springfield Road, Kenilworth, NJ, 07033. The phone number is: 800 275 1538.
Another fine company showing Kosher baked goods was DAVID’S COOKIES. This company features O-U Dairy baked treats of every type. They make Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Chocolate Chip Scottish Scones, Rainbow Layer Cookies, Italian Assorted Cookies, Assorted Biscotti, Assorted Fruit Tarts (a fancy schmancy name for Hammantaschen), and Assorted Ruggalach. All of these are great tasting goodies. David’s Cookies is located at: 12 Commerce Road, Fairfield, NJ, 07004. You can phone them at: 973 227 2800.
We have mentioned Aunt Gussie’s Cookies and Crackers before, and it seems that the dear old lady is still puttering around the kitchen and doing her thing. And what a thing it is! Auntie makes cookies. Auntie makes really big, oversized cookies that are way fun to eat. Auntie makes some cookies that are fat free, some are low fat, sugar free cookies and crackers, and others still are high octane, full fat cookies. The best, though, are the oversized cookies which come with really creative designs on them. These are fun to eat. So, where is Auntie? You can find her at: 141 Lanza Ave, Bldg 8, Garfield, NJ, 07026. You can call Auntie at: 800 4 A COOKIE. Some cookies are dairy and others are pareve. Check the wrapper. Hashgacha is by the Kof-K.
Yet another fine cookie company is the Golden Glow Cookie Company. This company makes cookies that are pareve as well as Pat Yisrael. Supervision is by the O-K. They make Italian Bakery cookies, biscotti, no-sugar added cookies, Mama Rose Classic gourmet bakery cookies, ruggies, and Machaya Hamantaschen fruit tarts. Tasty cookies for when you need a pareve cookie. The company is located at 1844 Givan Ave., Bronx, NY 10469. Their phone number is: 718 379 6223.
In the department of There’s No Excess Like Wretched Excess, comes a really fine product that takes us from the mundane to the upscale. Sure, there are lots of chocolate spreads out there. The Dutch in particular seem to make some really fine chocolate spreads. The Israelis are not far behind. But we found a company that pushes that envelope right up the scale to a new height. Moon Shine Trading Company introduces chocolate and vanilla nut spread crèmes. These are no ordinary spreads. These are taam gan eden, first of all. Second, these are way, way upscale. Flavors include: Roasted Nut Crunch (almonds, cashews and filberts with a semi sweet crème), Vanilla Almond Dream, Vanilla Cashew Crème, and Almond Crunch. Each one was tastier than the next. We had to try each one over and over to see which one we liked best. We never could decide. We liked all of them. Ishai and Amina say to try the spread on cookies- we did. It really works! They also suggest you spread some on a baguette (hey, they are California folk, whattaya expect?) for breakfast. Ok, we cheated- we tried it on a bagel, and it was wonderful!
This stuff rates a Kosher Nexus Five Fork rating!
Supervision is by Kehilla Kosher in California. The company is located at: 1250-A Harter Ave, Woodland, CA 95776. You can call them at: 800 678 1226.
Bessin Corp. (part of the Sara Lee empire) owns SHOFAR FOODS. Although this provision company is not Glatt Kosher, we hasten to point out that the hashgachah there is quite rigorous and trustworthy. When Shofar was located in Newark, we had the opportunity to visit the plant on several occasions, and we always found it to be totally above board! KS Supervision is the supervision of Rabbis Kaufman and Small. We have always found their supervision to be quite good. Shofar makes all sorts of deli meats. You can reach Shofar at: Best Kosher Foods, 1001 West Exchange Ave, Chicago, IL 60609. Their phone number is (773) 650-5900. We repeat, however, that Shofar is not Glatt.
We will continue with the food show report in the next issue of the Kosher Nexus (IYH). In the meantime, on to other matters:
Not to be “gyvadik,” but we have to pause here to give notice of a major event that the UTJ will be holding this Fall. On November 8, 2000, at the Glenpointe Marriot Hotel in Teaneck, we will all gather to pay honor to three special couples. First and foremost, we honor Deborah and Rabbi Ronald D. Price for fifteen years of very devoted service to the UTJ. It is hard to even imagine the UTJ without them! In fact, it was back in 1979, when Rabbi Price organized an event called the Conference on Halachic Process that the seeds were planted for an organization that would become the UTJ of today.
Second, we honor Nancy and Dr. Eric Fremed for their devoted service to the UTJ. Dr. Fremed and Nancy have been major catalysts in much that is new and dynamic at the UTJ.
Third, we honor Judy and Rabbi Jeffrey Rappoport for their years of devoted service, too. Rabbi Rappoport has been involved since the conference mentioned above. Judy has long been an editor of UTJ manuscripts.
This is an event you won’t want to miss. All three couples deserve the honors they receive for all of them have worked long and hard for the benefit of all of us. Your editor is humbled to have been asked to be an honoree- what we do for the UTJ, we do for love of the organization. Clearly, our other honorees can all make that same statement. The UTJ is not just an institution, it is our life! We all would be quite honored to have you attend the dinner on Novemeber 8, 2000 here in Teaneck, New Jersey. Call Al Mendlovitz at the UTJ for ad blanks, ticket ordering info, and any other info you need. You can reach Al. at 201 801 0707, EXT 201.
One of the hottest of kosher hot spots has been Dougie’s in Manhattan. It has been so successful, franchises have opened in Brooklyn and Queens. The Kosher Nexus went to Dougie’s twice. We went to the Dougie’s in Queens.
The tables are jammed in to maximize the number of customers. No thought to comfort or ability to have a private conversation seems to have been given. The service, both times we went, was indifferent at best.
Dougie’s is a BBQ joint, and they do BBQ well. Be aware, though, that the prices are not low. We had one appetizer for the two of us, two dinners, no dessert, and no beverage, and the bill was fifty dollars. We don’t think that was a cheap meal in a restaurant whose ambiance can best be described as a low roar.
The next time we went to Dougie’s was for lunch. The wait staff must have been in hiding as it took almost 20 minutes for anyone to come back to the table to take our order. We ordered the chile and pastrami on a burger. The chile is best described as being somewhere to the left of mild, so mild that it didn’t deserve the name chile. The pastrami was so tough, we took it off the sandwich. On the other hand, both times we were there, the plate was covered with delicious French fries. The amount of fries was huge and they were tasty. But, no amount of French fries makes up for a bad dining experience.
Dougie’s in New York has the reputation of being a great place for frum “young people” to congregate, satiate and conversate. This old timer will skip the experience in the future.
IMPORTANT NOTICES FROM THE ORTHODOX UNION:
Henceforth, the O-U will require their Mashgichim when using canned vegetables to only use canned vegetables with a hechsher. Although canned veggies used to be presumed to be kosher, the O-U has revised that policy and will only allow hechsher’ed product. Many other Kashruth agencies have either made this their policy already, or will shortly.
Second, the O-U has announced that new bottles of Farm Rich Non Dairy Creamer will no longer be kosher. Current containers that have the O-U pareve designation may still be on the market when you read this, but all new containers will not be kosher at all. Let the buyer beware!!!!
So there you have it. Another issue of the Kosher Nexus comes to a close. We are very excited that year number eight will start real soon. Until then, keep on keeping on. Stay tuned- the whole gang will be back soon in Volume Eight, Number One. Most of all, thank you, gentle reader, for being so supportive. Without being “gyvadick,” we do hope to see you at the UTJ dinner in November. Help us support the UTJ for without the UTJ, the KN would not exist. Seeya!