In a Nutshell:

Fruit Smoothie

My daughter-in-law makes a yummy smoothie in her Ninja:

Frozen pineapple, strawberries, and mango, plus apple juice and grape juice. So easy and so delicious!

—Faigy Grossman

Just Sayin’

What’s a quick-but-special dinner you make when you want to go all out, like on Rosh Chodesh?

Everyone has a different definition of “quick,” but I love making kebabs! I season the meat with lots of fresh herbs, chopped onion, minced garlic, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Shape them and broil on a rack for 7–8 minutes on each side; they’re ready fast. We enjoy the juicy kebabs alongside rice and Israeli salad. It’s a dinner that’s fresh, delicious, and special — because I don’t make it as often as I should.

—Sina Mizrahi

Kitchen Fave

I got this egg timer years ago and have never boiled eggs without it since. Just place it into the pot along with your eggs for perfectly soft- or hard-boiled eggs minus the guesswork.

—Suri Friedman

In regard to the Quick-and-Easy Sheet Pan Dinner, according to the Star-K of Baltimore and the CRC of Chicago, mini peppers (or any peppers) shouldn’t be eaten or cooked/roasted whole with the stem attached; the stems must be removed and the vegetables washed according to specific guidelines before eating or cooking/roasting.

—T.S.

Dividing challah dough to use some of the dough for pastries creates several significant sh’eilos. According to some opinions, since you’re creating two different minim, you need to know if either part of the dough is an adequate shiur to make a brachah on. Additionally, the filled pastries need to have enough filling to make the end product of a hamotzi dough into a mezonos.

Thanks for a great magazine!

—M.K.

FT, Help Me!!

What should I do when my cookie batter is too sticky? I’m afraid that if I add flour, it will become gummy.

I would stick it in the freezer for half an hour and then coat my hands lightly with flour and try to roll out the dough that way, the way you make crinkle cookies.

—Chavi Feldman

OK Quick:

Cooking or baking?

Definitely cooking! I always bake with a recipe and (almost) never cook with a recipe, and I love not having to check a recipe every few minutes. With cooking, you can edit and adjust as you go, whereas with baking, the fate is sealed till you open the oven door!

—Chanie Nayman

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 894)