The perfect Sunday brunch dish!

Mushroom Quiche

1 oz. butter
1 large onion, diced
2 cans sliced mushrooms
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup swiss or jack cheese cheese
1 cup grated yellow cheese
3 eggs, beaten
2 T. mushroom soup mix (Telma cubes work)
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter and saute’ the onions until golden. Add the mushrooms and saute’ for 5 minutes.

Mix the cheeses, eggs, mushroom soup mix, salt and pepper. Add onions and mushrooms.

Pour into greased baking dish and bake for 40-50 minutes, medium heat, or until top turns light brown.

Use up those over-rippened bananas sitting on your counter! This is an easy recipe and very delicious!

BANANA BREAD

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (3 medium)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar together. Add one egg at a time, beating till smooth. Blend in mashed bananas.

In second bowl, stir flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt and nuts. Add to banana mixture stirring only to moisten. Transfer to greased loaf pan.

Bake in 350 deg. F. oven for about 1 hour until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cake rack to cool. Wrap to store.

This banana bread recipe makes 1 loaf.

Ever feel like you need a touch of the “old country?” Well here it is! Enjoy this oldtime favorite!

SWEET AND SOUR RED CABBAGE

1 small head red cabbage, shredded
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
1/2 cup cider or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a large nonstick saucepan in 1/4 inch water, over high heat, combine the cabbage, onion, apple, vinegar, and brown sugar; cover and steam for 15 to 25 minutes, adding more water if necessary, until tender.

To eat immediately, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 1/4 cup cool water until blended. Add the mixture to the finished cabbage and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, until thickened.

If not using til the next day, before adding cornstarch, cover and refrigerate overnight. Then add cornstarch mixture, stirring until thickened, reheat, and serve immediately.

Well, boys and girls, it seems that sugar (you remember sugar, right??) is back “in” these days once again. The following story from the Chicago Sun Times Electronic Edition makes it all clear:

(Editor’s note: We run this story for its interest value, and not for the products mentioned.)

Restaurants hoping for a sugar high

May 23, 2005

BY LUCIO GUERRERO Staff Reporter

We went through a low-cal craze in the ’80s, and we’ve experienced the low-carb kick in the years since 2000.

Well, we are now ready to embrace our sweet tooth again: After decades relegated to the back page of the menu, it looks like desserts are back.

That was especially evident Sunday during the annual National Restaurant Association show taking place through Tuesday at McCormick Place.

Lined against the walls of the building were cases and cases — measured in yards, not feet — of sugary goods.

That’s no accident. The rise in desserts comes as more Americans kick their dieting and return to sensible eating habits — even if that means a sweet treat now and again.

Fewer people dieting

According to the NPD Group, a national research firm specializing in people’s eating habits, about 20 percent of Americans were on a diet toward the end of 2004. That’s down from highs of nearly 30 percent in the earlier months of the year.

“Look, when you go out, you want to really go out and have a special night. The dessert completes the dining experience,” said James Alphonso Churchman, research and development chef for Sweet Street Desserts. “Desserts are good for the soul.”

Well, then, Churchman’s creations are pure heaven. The Pennsylvania-based company provides sweets to restaurants across the country. They are also familiar to those fortunate enough to enjoy Chicago baseball from a skybox. That’s because Sweet Street supplies the goodies at U.S. Cellular Field and Wrigley Field.

On Sunday, its U-shaped display was full of pound-piling goodness. One of the company’s newest creations was more a piece of art than food. Dubbed “Dessert at Tiffany’s,” this stacked cake includes fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries nestled within a lemon-kissed cake and chantilly cream. It’s served with heirloom beet-syrah sorbet, brown butter crisps and tangerine-mint sauce.

It seems that a simple pie or peach cobbler isn’t going to cut it anymore in the competitive world of desserts. In Chicago alone, the battle for supremacy is fierce. Dessert-only restaurants, such as Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge and Sugar, are forcing traditional eateries to up the creativeness on their desserts.

Even Chicago’s famed Eli’s Cheesecake is putting a new face on some of its original products. This year, in honor of its 25th anniversary, the firm has re-introduced three of its cheesecakes — Hawaiian (pineapple coconut), cinnamon raisin and cherry vanilla — and added a modern look to them.

“It’s important that if you are going to indulge, it should be good and worth it,” said Marc Schulman, president of Eli’s Cheesecake.
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Amen to that, Bro!

Loyal readers of the Kosher Nexus newsletter know that our good friend Blaze is a long time UTJ member and friend of the KN. Blaze is a frequent fellow traveler at the various trade shows we attend. Herewith one of her super duper easy recipes for a really nice breaded chicken dish.

Marinate chicken pieces in Italian dressing (overnight is better).

Coat in cornflake crumbs.

Sometimes I pour the extra marinade around the edge of the pan.

Bake covered in oven for 1 hour at 350.