A Healthy Recipe for the New Year

Jennifer Meister shares a rich black bean soup recipe.

We knew it would happen. It started with feasting at Thanksgiving followed by a month of eating and more eating as we toasted our way through Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve. So, here we are starting anew with fond holiday memories behind us and a serious craving for some veggies and a bean or two to start off the new year. Certified Holistic Health Counselor Jennifer Meister is serious about healthy eating and so much more. Just ask a regular at The Bar Method in Summit about Jen, where she's an instructor and you'll be met with an exhausting sigh about her no-nonsense vigorous teaching style. Before her gig at The Bar Method, she had her own yoga practice for seven years. All of these "teaching moments" led her even …

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Local Flavor

Ring In The New Year With An Old Classic

Decadent crab cakes are perfect with champagne on New Year's Eve

If your idea of celebrating the New Year involves an indulgent, pull-out-all-the-stops dinner, here's a recipe for you. Crab cakes courtesy of Westfield resident Margaret Hutchins hits all the culinary high notes, yet aren't overly complicated or time consuming.  "My neighbor says that these are the only crab cakes he will eat. He says he orders them at restaurants just to see if they are as good as mine. So far I am the winner," Margaret said. The difference between a good crab cake and a great one is the crab meat. There are lots of options for crabmeat and they are often confusing. First and foremost, do not buy anything labeled "Krab." It's misspelled because it's imitation crabmeat. Insulting or clever, you decide. The real stuff is …

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The Five Minute Tidbit: "Comida Casera"

Home-style Mexican and Latin American cooking is what's on the menu at Grill Creations in Garwood.

Ivan Alvarez, who owns Grill Creations in Garwood with his wife, Janet and daughter Estephanie, are passionate about their healthy Mexican and Latin American cuisine. We chatted with Ivan to get the scoop on how he serves up his tasty food without a deep fryer in sight. Patch: Tell us about your restaurant? Alvarez: We've been here a little over a year. We feel very happy and blessed to have the community supporting us. They have welcomed us here. Our restaurant is Mexican Gourmet. Latinos say "comida casera," which means homemade food. It not only tastes good but is healthy. Patch: Where did you learn to cook? Any influences? Alvarez: My father cooked for me as I was growing up in El Salvador. He worked here in America and cooked Italian …

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A (Delicious) Hors D'oeuvre With Just Two Ingredients? Impossible!

Whip up these Devils on Horseback in no time to impress your New Year's Eve guests.

With a name like "Devils on Horseback," you know you have to try it. With only two ingredients, how could you not? Quite simply, Devils on Horseback are dates wrapped in bacon and baked into a rich, smoky savory bite. It's hardly a recipe and has been kicked around forever at cocktail parties here and across the pond in England. It's on bar menus at swanky NYC hotspots like The Spotted Pig and just the thing to whip up when you're busy during the holidays. Like any recipe with a few ingredients, pay close attention to quality. Medjool dates (the largest, sweetest and most abundant) are ideal. There's a lot of artisanal bacon out there to choose from, but for this recipe good old Oscar Mayer is all you need. It's not sliced too thick or too…

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Cookies Are So 'Last Year,' So Leave Santa Peppermint Bark Instead

Grab a few candy canes off the tree and make this easy, decadent candy.

If you want to do something special for the teacher that lights up your child's eye, the neighbor who grabs your newspaper when you're not home or for you-know-who coming down the chimney, then this peppermint bark is the perfect gift.   While it couldn't be easier to make, here are a few tricks to make it fool-proof: Melting chocolate: Chocolate should be melted over indirect heat or it will melt into a lumpy and grainy mess and you'll have to start all over again. A double boiler is a pot on top of a pot that you can buy or you can make your own by putting a few inches of water in a pot and place a heat-proof bowl on top with the chocolate in it. Bring the water to a gentle boil and the steam will melt the chocolate to a beautiful, silky…

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The Five Minute Tidbit: All in the Family

The Greek Store in Kenilworth sells Mediterranean food and so much more.

Patch visited The Greek Store to chat with the Diamandas about their family-run business. From a mini Greek ghetto in Newark in the 1950s to their shop that stands in Kenilworth today, the Diamandas have trusted their Greek heritage, authentic dishes and homemade goodies to keep their store successful. Patch: Tell us a little about The Greek Store? Lia Diamanda: In 1950, my grandfather and his brother opened a local grocery store in Newark on west Market Street. It was like a mini Greek ghetto and their grocery store was where everyone shopped. In the 1960s they moved the store to Irvington and in 1979 they moved to Kenilworth where we are today. We've been here for 32 years. My father, Steve, my mother, Vasiliki, myself and our dear …

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A Recipe For Hanukkah That Keeps on Giving

Ginger ale braised brisket is excellent for any holiday and the game too

This recipe, a beloved Hanukkah staple in the Currie house is something that's requested by my whole gang all year long. Brisket is traditionally served to celebrate Jewish holidays like Hanukkah and Passover, but there's no reason why it can't be made anytime. The cut of meat is an inexpensive one and somewhat tough which makes it perfect for slow cooking over low heat.  The sweet-spicy ginger ale combined with the onions imparts a flavor like no other as it slowly braises with the lean meat.   Ginger ale braised brisket is delicious on its own, sliced and tossed with the oniony gravy the meat cooks in. But, it also makes for a decadent slider suitable for a casual Christmas supper or to kick back and watch a game or two. Top the sliders …

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The Five Minute Tidbit: Tasty Cakes

Bake You Crazy brings sweet treats to Berkeley Heights.

Bake You Crazy has only been open for two months and they're selling out of cupcakes as fast as they can make them. We got owner Ebru Santore out of the kitchen for just a few minutes to tell us the secret to her success and how she tries to make what your mother did (see attached video). Patch: Where did you learn to bake? Santore: I'm from Istanbul and in Turkey all women cook and bake at home. From my childhood, I've been in the kitchen with my grandmother and aunts watching them cook and helping them.  I was given a knife at a young age to peel apples, so I grew up confident and capable of every aspect of the cooking process. I was always learning something in the kitchen, but what I love the most is baking from scratch. I realized I …

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A Teaching Moment to Treasure at Holiday Time

The ovens are humming with pumpkin spice bread at the Alterman house.

If the name Liz Alterman sounds familiar to you, it's because she's the new editor of Westfield Patch. In a mere four weeks, she's everywhere in Westfield covering the town like a seasoned pro. And, in her spare time — when she has it — pumpkin spice bread is a delicious treat she can make with her kids and serve up to their teachers for holiday gifts. The recipe for pumpkin spice bread given to her by a dear friend is a holiday baking tradition in the Alterman home. "I love to make this recipe because it yields so many mini-loaves or tons of mini-muffins. It also makes the whole house smell amazing," Liz Alterman said. "It's perfect to give as a small gift for teachers, a hostess or a neighbor. Many people I've given it to have asked me …

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The Five-Minute Tidbit: Not Your Average Joe

The Robert Treat Delicatessen in Westfield serves homemade food with a side of history.

A Sloppy Joe sandwich is a staple among area delis. No, we're not talking about that ground beef "Manwich" oozing spicy tomato sauce from the bun onto your lunch tray in high school. In Westfield — and much of North Jersey (more on that later) — it's a triple-decker sandwich with meats of your choice, cheese, cole slaw and Russian dressing on rye bread. The three-inch colossus originated in Cuba before a convert emigrated to U.S. shores. Once the recipe made its way north, some area delis staked a claim that they'd created the first American Sloppy Joe. The Town Hall Delicatessen in South Orange, which opened in 1927, claims on in-store signs and on its website to be the birthplace. But competing versions exist from Summit to Westfield to …

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