Winner— Making Yom Tov and Running for Congress From Cindy’s Corners

Our third and final winner of the Cindy’s Corners Yom Tov Contest is Rochelle Kipnis. Like our other winners, Kipnis is quite unique.

She shares her recipes with her unique story. She is the campaign manager for her husband, running the daily fundraisers, press events and coordinating all the volunteer assignments weeks away from a very important race. That job alone seems like it’s 24/7.

In the middle of this all, Rochelle shares her tips behind the prepping, the family bonding and her appreciation of sharing her talents in the kitchen with family, friends and neighbors.

Kipnis is the wife of Congressional candidate Daryl Kipnis. Kipnis is running for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district against Bonnie Watson Coleman.

Not since the days of Senator Joe Lieberman has there been a politician whose campaign issues include kosher food, Shabbos walks and yeshiva education.

Kipnis’s wife entered the contest because she loves to cook. The mother of three likes to try different recipes and feels her children are young enough to sample foods without hesitation. Kipnis encourages them to bake challahs with her every week, even saying the Brachas together. Her dairy soup is perfect for ending a Yom Kippur fast or a meal in the Sukkah.

Credit: Grosz

Rochelle Kipnis’s Story in Her Own Words

I’m a former Board Certified Behavior Analyst and former News reporter but my life changed after having three kids because they’re my top priority. I am now a full time Jewish homeschooling mom to three kids in New Jersey, Campaign Manager to my husband, Daryl Kipnis for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, and occasionally helping out at my husband’s law practice, Kipnis Law Offices. With a busy lifestyle and constantly entertaining guests, I try to come up with simple, healthy, kosher recipes. I focus on teaching my children important Jewish values. Originally from Lakewood, New Jersey, I went to yeshiva and teaching my children the importance of eating kosher and organic is a top priority as well as respecting animals and all life on earth like in the days of Noah’s ark. In our kosher, vegetarian home, we only buy organic and natural products and like to make all of our own food. The closer we are to nature, the healthier we will all be. This recipe for organic, kosher, vegetarian french onion soup is my go to comfort food that’s so convenient for when we have our big Jewish family over for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur. It’s also an excellent recipe to serve in the sukkah especially on those chilly nights. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Rochelle Kipnis’ Organic Kosher French Onion Soup

• 1/2 cup unsalted kosher organic butter
• 4 onions, sliced, Pereg Naturals minced, sliced and onion powder (1/2 teaspoon of each)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Pereg Naturals Kosher fine Red Sea salt and Pereg Naturals ground black pepper
• 1 cup Royal Wine company’s Teperberg Winery (made in Israel) red wine , about 1/2 bottle
• 3 heaping tablespoons chickpea flour by Pereg Naturals
• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 1 baguette, sliced
• sliced kosher organic provolone cheese

Caramelize onions with all ingredients in a pot for about 10-15 minutes. Add broth. Cook for 15 minutes. Serve in oven safe bowls pouring soup over bread. Top with organic kosher provolone cheese and put in oven on broil for 3-5 minutes until the cheese bubbles. Serve, sprinkle with fresh thyme, enjoy!!!

Onion soup, as part of a meal, is one of those dishes that many wines go well with.

It’s a perfect time to try one of these varieties:

Sweet wines is the wine made by harvesting the grapes late, when they have already partially dried on the vines. Herzog Late Harvest wines include a Chenin Blanc, a Riesling, a Zinfandel, and a Muscat. Their sweet, yet complex taste and reasonable price make them especially attractive for the holidays.

Ice Wine, also known as “Eiswein,” is another world-class sweet wine. Made from grapes that were picked frozen on the vine, then crushed and pressed, they are best enjoyed chilled. These are primarily produced in Germany, Austria and Canada because of the early-season low temperatures. Tzafona Ice Wine Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 is an authentic ice wine grown from grapes in Canada’s Niagara Peninsula, is a great pick for the holidays.

Some of the world’s most famous and well-regarded sweet wines come from Portugal and are known as “port” or “porto.” These wines are made by adding alcohol early on to stop the fermentation, so they retain the natural residual sugar present in grape juice. Port wine is aged in oak barrels anywhere from 24 – 36 months. While only wines from Portugal can be labeled as Port, there are many wines from Spain and Israel which are made using similar methods. Royal Wines recommends Porto Cordovero Ruby and a Late Bottled Vintage by Taylor-Fladgate.

I hope you continue to follow @cindyscorners for more giveaways, entertaining and everything Shabbos and Yom Tov tips. Thank you to Pereg Natural Foods and Royal Wines for their contributions to our contest and their support of the Israeli/Kosher food industry.

Cindy Grosz can be reached at cindyscorners@gmail.com