Every Shabbos my wife serves yerushalmi kugel for kiddush. She serves this with kichel and schmaltz herring. She always places a slice of dill pickle on top of each piece of yerushalmi kugel. She says that we should make a bracha on the pickle after making a bracha on the kugel. I said to her, "G'nendal dear, the pickle is "tofel" to the kugel. In Israel it is always eaten with the kugel and is always considered secondary to the kugel there." I don't think that a bracha should be recited on the pickle slice.
Also, do you feel that there are too many carbs in the kugel?
Please advise us.
Yankel

I once spoke to Rabbi Belsky about this (not about pickles on Kugel, but close). He said that if the item is definitely big enough and could be eaten by itself, and even though you could put each mouthfull together, you make a seperate bracha. If I ever come over and you serve kugel please hold the pickles

I remember seeing in the "Shmiras Shabbos K'hilchasa" (perhaps Volume 2) that he agrees that the pickle is "tofel" to the kugel. He makes no comment, however, on the carb content.

It very well can be. It wouldn't be the first time there is an argument between the poskim

And certainly not the first time G'nendal and I have argued.

In fact, we recently had an arguement about the temperature in our house. She wanted to put the air conditioner on and I wanted to leave it off. I felt it was quite comfortable in the house. She said she was hot. She tried to remember the learning of her youth and said the the person who is cool should give-in to the hotter person. I told her, "G'nendal dear, I don't think it applies in our case, because you insist in walking around the house wearing a full length mink coat." (My dear Mother-in-Law, Machasheifa, bought it for her.)
Who is right?