Kosher Recipe Maven
KosherEye's "Foodie" Friend
In the past, it wasn't unusual to search the internet for a recipe and then "convert" it to conform to Kashruth standards. Today, that search has become easier, and the need to "convert" the recipes has diminished, with the abundance of websites and blogs dedicated to featuring kosher recipes. One of our favorites is Kosher in the Kitch, created by Nina Safar.
KosherEye was very interested in learning more about the dynamic and creative woman behind this very popular and successful venture. Nina was born in Brooklyn, NY and currently resides there with her husband Erez Safar. She comes from a large family, 9 sisters and 2 brothers, and was taught to cook by her mother. Nina would help her prepare tasty meals and delicious treats. "Growing up, there was always a warm home cooked meal and yummy snacks waiting for us after school. Her cinnamon buns and chocolate babka are still my favorite desserts and I love the fact that I can always count on there being freshly baked chocolate chip cookies in her cookie jar!"
When Nina married Erez, she didn't immediately start cooking dinner for her new husband. With her mother living close by, for the first two weeks the newlyweds would go there for dinner. It wasn't long before Nina decided it was time to start cooking dinner in her own kitchen. She wanted to experiment and create complex meals with the criteria they must be quick and easy to prepare. She searched websites and gathered recipes from her family and friends. Growing tired of having to search multiple sites and "wanting instant access to good kosher recipes", Nina decided to use the Internet – Facebook to be exact – to reach out to people who were also looking for kosher recipes. Her idea was to post recipes she liked and, hopefully, encourage others to do the same. So, in March, 2008, Kosher in the Kitch Facebook Group was born. This was quickly followed in May of that year with the online website.
Nina feels, "You don't have to be a chef to cook a good meal! " She had no idea that her "online recipe book", as she calls it, would attract such a large amount of people. You would think that maintaining two very popular websites would take up all of her time. This busy young woman is also involved with her husband's business, Shemspeed; her duties there include booking Shemspeed shows and arranging programming and events for artists with organizations and venues worldwide. In addition, she is busy with Maidelle.com, described by Nina as an interface which encourages young Jewish women to explore their individuality through their personal innovativeness and originality, while also providing them with the means to encounter other youths with whom they connect and identify. With all of her endeavors, is it not surprising she has a total following of over 7,000 people!
Nina shared her favorite part of Kosher in the Kitch – receiving the readers' feedback. "It's great to find out which recipes they enjoyed and hearing about their own favorite dishes." We asked her to share a little known fact about herself:
"People assume because I run a recipe site, that I enjoy spending long periods of time in the kitchen. Honestly, I can't spend more than 20 minutes in front of the oven, tops! I get satisfaction from preparing a good meal, having my guests smile and take seconds; however the actual task of cooking and baking can be tiresome. Which is why I like finding shortcuts in the kitchen. When I host parties, my specialty is cupcakes. I adore the size because you can indulge your sweet tooth without the guilt of slicing into a cake. There are only three cakes I make from scratch: Banana Cake, Zucchini Cake and Carrot Cake! Otherwise, when baking marble or chocolate I ALWAYS use a readymade mix. My favorite is Duncan Hines. They have a great Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake that comes out very moist. The trick is to make homemade frosting so it seems like it was made from scratch!" Who would have guessed--not us!
Nina shared two wonderful recipes with KosherEye. Her recipe for Mrs. B's Passover Brownie S'mores, was selected by Kosher Gelatin as their winning recipe and was featured on their new product, Elyon Pesach Marshmallows. She also shared a family favorite, Shumi's Fish (it is not a kosher for Passover recipe) .
To learn more about NinaSafar and to see her fabulous collection of recipes, visit KosherInTheKitch.com