http://matzobox.com Matzo Outside the Box is dedicated to all things matzo, with recipes for year-round use and a blog written from the perspective of Bernie Mendelbaum, a character created by Natalie Seltzer. Bernie is an 80 year-old Jewish grandfather obsessed with matzo, but he quickly learned that a blog is a perfect outlet for kvetches of any kind. en bernie@matzobox.com Copyright 2010 2010-03-29T20:13:06+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/passover_2010/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/passover_2010/ Ok so I am as the kids say “hanging” with Jacob today. He is keeping me company on the sofa while Gerty cooks up a storm in the kitchen. He says I should “live tweet” from the Sedar table. I don’t know how God will feel about this one but I am going to do it. He is going to sit next to me with his iphone and we are going to use “Tweetie” so everyone can be at the table with us. I guess it’s like a play-by-play? Follow me on Twitter to keep up with all the action. 2010-03-29T19:13:06+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/gertys_in_the_kitchen_with_matzo_balls/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/gertys_in_the_kitchen_with_matzo_balls/ Lucky for me I have a clear line of sight into the kitchen from my recovery couch. I can see my beautiful Gerty cooking up the matzo balls for tonight’s Sedar. She really does know how to cook up a nice fluffy matzo balls. I can’t wait to sick my teeth into them. The best way to ensure your matzo balls are cooked to perfection is to use a tablespoon and carefully place them in rapidly boiling water. DO NOT for the love of Passover roll your matzo balls. Do you really want to put me into an early grave? 2010-03-29T19:08:45+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/god_is_on_twitter/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/god_is_on_twitter/ I read an article last week in the Wall Street Journal: How to Perk Up Passover’s Plagues? Twitter, Charades and ‘Jewpardy.’ Seems I am not the only one who uses Twitter to talk about Pesach. Luckily Jacob came by today for a delish Shabbat dinner that Gerty is cooking up in the kitchen. He just showed me how to “talk” to other tweeters. I just talked to God! If anyone wants to try it just put an @ sign in front of a person’s Twitter screen name and your message will go right to them. Check out @TweetTheExodus. It is really a hoot. I kind of get it but I kind of don’t. Twitter is really special. Shabbat Shalom to you and yours. 2010-03-26T20:06:15+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/my_aching_hip/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/my_aching_hip/ I wasn’t sure if I was going to be up to writing this Pesach but Gerty has urged me to try to give it the best that I can. It hasn’t been an easy couple of months for good ole Bernie. At the beginning of February I had hip-replacement surgery. I have been at home recovering slowly but Gerty has been by my side every step of the way. She has been waiting on me hand and foot and I love her more each day. I finally got to go outside last week and enjoy the beautiful early spring weather. I took a slow “stroll” around the block to get a nice cup of coffee with Gerty and my dear Annie. It felt so good to feel the warm breeze on my face as I had been cooped up for so many weeks. Right here and now I promise to post a few new recipes and to keep you all in the loop during Pesach 2010. This year I will be watching the cooking instead of doing the chopping and stirring myself. One thing I know I will be doing a lot of is eating and spending time with my wonderful family… my favorite part of holidays. What’s your favorite part? I would love to hear a favorite memory or story from your Passover past or present. 2010-03-26T19:55:54+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/oy_vey/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/oy_vey/ Oy Vey… I am so tired from cooking and eating all night. Just about to hit the hay. More about what we ate tomorrow. Delish of course.  Full as can be. Dirty dishes everywhere! 2009-09-20T03:25:32+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/happy_new_year_to_you_and_yours/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/happy_new_year_to_you_and_yours/ Hello out there in technology land! I just arrived at my daughter-in-law Sharon’s home in Westchester. Jacob has been on my you know what for the past hour about my lack of what he calls “web presence” since Pesach. After I figured out exactly what he was talking about I decided I better get my ol’ keester up to the computer room to wish everyone a Happy New Year.  Rosh Hashonah marks the Jewish New Year. It is when us Jews reflect on the past year and look forward to the year to come. This past year has been both wonderful and difficult for me. I am lucky to still be living my life with my unbelievable wife Gertie and my whole big beautiful family. On the other hand, I have been having a rough go at it these last five months or so. I’ve never spoken about it before on my computer but I have some chronic pain that I deal with on a daily basis and haven’t been feeling like myself until just recently.  This is why Jacob hasn’t been bugging me to blog…but I’m feeling much better now thanks to many, many, many different doctors so I hope to be on the computer talking with you all more often. Jacob just said that the worse thing a blogger can do is “not blog,” “leave their fans hanging,” or “drop off the face of the blogosphere.” So here I am again. I apologize for leaving you all with no advance notice. I feel just awful about it. I’m busy in the kitchen helping Sharon prepare dinner. Stay tuned for some of my favorite holiday recipes. 2009-09-18T20:15:57+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/passover_2009_is_now_a_memory/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/passover_2009_is_now_a_memory/ Passover has once again come and gone. We take away fond memories of Seders, afikomen hunts and overall quality family togetherness. While Passover has come to a close as it does every year we all most likely have boxes of leftover matzo. You might even be compelled to buy a value pack of matzo on sale at your local supermarket. I do understand that some of you out there may want to take a break from matzo until Passover 2010. I understand… but from the bottom of my heart I cannot publicly condone this. I do have to press upon each of you my feelings about this fork in the road. Please don’t forget all of the wonderful moments you have had with matzo… the chocolate peanut butter matzo “pretzels”, the matzo pizza and the every popular brie en matzo croute. Don’t be so quick to resign from matzo for the next 12 months…. times are tough across the board and discarding entire boxes of matzo into the trash is not exactly what I would call economical. Don’t throw your matzo money away.  Turn it into matzo lasagna or eggplant matzo parmesan. I know I intend to keep on keeping on and do just that. I am not a fair-weathered matzo fan. After all, I’m a self-described matzo fanatic. Food 2009-04-16T23:29:18+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/hang_in_there/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/hang_in_there/ I know, I know, I’ve heard it all before: “I just can’t eat one more piece of matzo.” Usually when someone makes this announcement they have spent the last five days or so eating matzo with tuna, jelly or peanut butter on it. They have not yet discovered how glorious it can be. So I beg you.. please don’t give up on matzo just yet. You have to use it to the best of its abilities, not just as a “cracker” to hold up some mundane ingredients. You are at a crossroads right now. This is it… THIS IS IT! You can choose to fall off the Passover wagon and dive into some pasta, have another dinner of matzo and tuna fish, or take the road less traveled and use your matzo for good and make something deliciouso. Good luck to you all.  Hopefully at the end of the Passover 2009 road you will see the light and have a matzo epiphany much like the one I had many moons ago… and you won’t ever want to let it go. Food 2009-04-14T00:22:37+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/second_night_of_passover_2009/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/second_night_of_passover_2009/ I spent the second night of Passover at my daughter Frieda’s house. As per usual it was comfort food in all its glory. All the regulars were there: brisket, turkey, mashed potatoes, and of course Frieda’s Famous Matzo Ball Soup. I made Butternut Squash Lasagna and I put Jacob to work fixing up a batch of Chocolate Peanut Butter Matzo “Pretzels” with semi-sweet chocolate. What a hit… so creamy, so peanut buttery… with matzo starring as the crunch. Frieda decided to skip the gefilte fish and replace it with Horseradish Encrusted Salmon served cold. A definite hit but there were, of course, some grumbles from the gefilte fish lovers. However, at least “I want my gefilte fish with no slime” was not among the many shouts coming from the Seder table. Food 2009-04-12T22:25:06+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/first_night_of_seder_2009/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/first_night_of_seder_2009/ Last night my granddaughter Rachel hosted her first Seder in her new home on Long Island. Wait till you hear about the spread she put out… rosemary chicken; roasted asparagus, string beans and fennel; and lamb that she roasted for SIX hours. What a cook… what a spread! I was so proud and wish everyone in the world could have tasted her lamb… unbelievable. My daughter Frieda made my Butternut Squash Matzo Lasagna recipe… you really can’t tell that there isn’t any pasta in it. My daughter-in-law Sharon is also a great cook she made crispy potato latkes with homemade applesauce. For dessert Gertie made chocolate mousse in white chocolate cups, Rachel made her famous Matzo Bark, but this time she put raisinets, shredded coconut and roasted mini marshmallows on top (this addition was my all time matzo bark favorite). I made my Famous Chocolate Peanut Butter Matzo “Pretzels”. The food was marvelous and everyone left satisfied and filled with love. As usual Jacob and Nathaniel had an eating contest, which they do at every family holiday meal. Each one tries to eat more then the other. I guess boys will be boys. They ended up in their usual spots post dinner… doubled over on the couch grabbing their stomachs and swearing they will never have another eating contest again. That is until tonight’s Seder at my daughter’s house where they will most definitely go at it again. There was, of course, the usual Seder antics. I must tell you none of this nonsense used to go on when I was a boy. We used to sit through a four hour Seder all the while minding our manners. Nowadays the kids run the show and it can really turn into a calamity of errors. Shouts from the table included “Where’s the salt water?” and “We have to wash our hands again?” The Seder leader (who will remain nameless) forgot to hide the afikoman. My brother Morty was on his game. He showed up with yard glasses for beer that he bought at Bed Bath and Beyond and proceeded to try to convince someone… anyone… to use it as a wine glass. And of course he was monitoring everyone’s wine flow all night. The Passover Seder is not as serious as it used to be, but we ran through the basics and we were all together which is what is most important to me. Food 2009-04-09T13:42:40+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/matzo_meatloaf/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/recipes/view/matzo_meatloaf/ Meatloaf is one of my all time favorites… it brings me back to my childhood. My mother used to make meatloaf at least once a week with a side of mashed tators. She would scream out the window to my brother Morty and I to come in to the table. We never had a problem leaving the stickball game to run inside for mom’s meatloaf. Meat, Comfort Food, Passover 2009-04-08T13:00:32+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/three-sewer_morty/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/three-sewer_morty/ We use to call my brother “Three-Sewer Morty.” For those of you out there who aren’t stickball players please allow me to explain. A three-sewer guy is a kid who can hit the ball three sewers away from home plate… it’s like a block and a half. We never saw a kid hit four. No one can hit four sewers… no one! 2009-04-08T01:00:31+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/my_grandaughter_rachels_matzo_bark/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/recipes/view/my_grandaughter_rachels_matzo_bark/ Well here it is… Rachel’s famous matzo bark. Look Rachel, I posted your recipe. Doesn’t it look pretty listed on my website? Comfort Food, Passover, Snacks, Sweets 2009-04-08T00:35:54+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/cauliflower_matzo_au_gratin/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/recipes/view/cauliflower_matzo_au_gratin/ This will make a great side dish for Passover or any dinner of the year. It’s cheesy, it’s French…it’s unbelievable. French, Vegetarian, Comfort Food, Passover 2009-04-07T12:47:36+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/my_brother_morty/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/my_brother_morty/ My beloved brother Morty flew in from Boca today for Pesach. I can’t wait to see him in action at the Seder table. His favorite part is the “required” four glasses of wine per person, per Seder. Oh Morty…he is such a card….ya just gotta love him. 2009-04-06T02:10:01+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/whats_the_big_deal_going_viral/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/whats_the_big_deal_going_viral/ Jacob says I’ve gone “viral.” I asked him if I should go to the doctor. He explained to me that matzobox is getting a lot of visitors from different Internet websites and from people telling their friends. I asked him how could he tell? Apparently we have something called Google Analytics. I told him that my great niece Annie had been announcing the blog in something called “forums,” listing it on Jewish websites and “commenting” on other people’s blogs. She really is a peach that Annie…helping out so much to get more people reading my words. What’s the big deal? Technology 2009-04-04T13:07:44+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/mandarin_orange_and_cranberry_matzo_brei/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/recipes/view/mandarin_orange_and_cranberry_matzo_brei/ I must have matzo brei on the brain.  Here’s another take on an old classic Pesach dish. It’s sweet and DELISHIOSO! It makes a great snack or a sweet breakfast. Vegetarian, Passover, Nouvelle Matzo, Snacks 2009-04-02T23:03:59+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/my_granddaughter_rachel/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/my_granddaughter_rachel/ My granddaughter Rachel makes a wonderful matzo bark. I will have to ask her for the recipe so I can share it with all of you. I better write it down or I will never remember. Oh maybe she will read my blog post. Rachel if you are reading this please email me your matzo bark recipe. I have been really good about checking my email. Thanks….love Grandpa Boom Boom. P.S. See you at your Seder on Wednesday. 2009-04-02T01:42:37+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/2_herb_matzo_brei/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/recipes/view/2_herb_matzo_brei/ Who doesn’t love a little matzo brei….breakfast, lunch and dinner! My granddaughter Rachel enjoys matzo brei so much. I always make it for her when she comes by to visit on Sunday afternoons. Vegetarian, Passover, Nouvelle Matzo, Snacks 2009-04-02T01:23:59+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/thin_salted_matzo_not_for_pizza/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/thin_salted_matzo_not_for_pizza/ So just as I suspected the Thin Salted Matzo is not ideal for pizza. It’s mushy and does not hold up well under toppings. Also, I didn’t exactly love the extra salt especially with the mozz cheese. I highly recommend using regular unsalted matzo or if you feel like being healthy, the whole wheat matzo, REALLY turns out a crunchier pizza crust. 2009-04-01T00:57:42+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/thin_salted_matzo/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/thin_salted_matzo/ I’ve been a bit under the weather so Gertie has been taking care of me. Tonight she is making me matzo pizza dinner. She just came into the living room to show me the new packaging for the Manischewitz Thin Salted matzo. It seems they have wrapped the matzo in plastic wrap into two separate sections, with six matzos in each. I’ve never seen this before and I’m kveling over this new feature. It definitely will preserve the freshness of half the box while you eat the rest. Normally I wouldn’t recommend using thin matzos for pizza but I guess that is what happens when you let someone else do your matzo shopping for you. At least she used a five dollar off coupon. I’ll let you know how the thin matzos work out. 2009-03-30T22:12:22+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/bernies_famous_matzo_pizza/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/recipes/view/bernies_famous_matzo_pizza/ This is my all time favorite.  It is not just some sauce and cheese slopped on matzo.  It is a whole to do with layering and olive oil…check it out.  Italian, Vegetarian, Comfort Food, Snacks 2009-03-25T17:41:03+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/grandma_lillys_matzo_stuffing/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/recipes/view/grandma_lillys_matzo_stuffing/ My Grandmother Lilly used to cook this up all of the time.  Maybe that’s where I get my matzo gene. Vegetarian, Passover 2009-03-23T18:08:14+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/horseradish_salmon_en_matzo_croute/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/recipes/view/horseradish_salmon_en_matzo_croute/ My daughter-in-law, Faye has been obsessed with this recipe.  It is inspired by Martha Stewarts’ “Horseradish Crusted Salmon.”  Faye says, “It’s so now.”  So I made it with matzo, instead of breadcrumbs and let her try it.  I’ll let you be the judge. Fish, Passover, Nouvelle Matzo 2009-03-20T17:58:25+00:00 http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/whats_with_twitter/ http://matzobox.com/index.php/main/entry/whats_with_twitter/ My granddaughter Jennifer is 23 years old. The other day she came over to visit and found me at the computer. She had heard from Jacob, her brother-in-law, my new grandson-in-law that I had started a blog. She felt I needed to twitter. I told her to go wash her mouth out with soap. She then proceeds to tell me exactly what twitter is….apparently it is not a four-letter word. It goes like this. I go to the kitchen to make some matzo pizza, but before I do I log onto my twitter account and I write the following. “Bernie is in the kitchen making matzo pizza.” It’s like writing a one-sentence letter to everyone you know at once. According to Jennifer people have to sign up to receive these “letters.” She says if I want to have “a successful online presence” I HAVE TO TWITTER. I am not sold on this twitter just yet but I go along with it anyway to make her happy. Why would anyone want to sign up to constantly receive updates on my doings is beyond this old dog. Sign up for Bernie’s Tweets. 2009-03-18T22:35:13+00:00