26 | Banquet
SUGGESTED RECIPES
Salad – Buy the pre-cut ready-to-serve large bags from a
wholesale store. I dress and toss it with Italian dressing and then
serve it.
Soup – You can use the prepared boxed mix labeled “Chicken
Soup and Matzo Ball Mix.” Just follow the directions on the box.
Once you put in the matzo balls, don’t lift the lid off of the pot for
at least 15 minutes. This will make the matzo balls light and fluffy.
A secret for really fluffy matzo balls: substitute seltzer (club soda)
for the water.
Main Course – I use frozen chicken breast fillets also purchased
from the wholesale stores. I defrost them and marinate them in
orange juice for at least 30 minutes. You can marinate longer if
you like, but it’s really not necessary. Just before baking, top with
salt and pepper, slivered almonds, and margarine. Follow the
cooking directions on the bag the chicken came in. Generally I
cook them for 40 minutes, but be careful not to overcook them.
Another idea is to marinate them in regular or fat-free Italian
dressing; adding the almonds at the end. This is also very tasty.
Vegetables – (Tzimmes) – This is enough to feed 30 people,
people, so adjust the recipe up or down depending on your needs.
Mix together a combination of four 15 oz. cans of drained carrots;
four 40 oz. cans of yams (drain liquid from 2); two bags of dried
fruit, i.e. prunes, apricots, apples, raisins; and four 15 oz. cans of
chunk pineapple. Add 2 cups of orange juice, ½ cup of honey,
and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Make sure there is enough liquid so
that it just about covers everything. Cook it on a medium flame
until it is just about to boil, then turn the heat down very low just
to keep it warm. DON’T OVER STIR! You will want to be careful
when stirring so as not to break up the veggies. It looks nicer
when it is served this way and will still be very, very tasty!