Happy New Year Brisket – excellent recipe for delicious brisket.
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Category Archives: Holiday Recipes
A Noodle Pudding from Julie – Apricot Apple Noodle Kugel
Firstly I want to say thank you to Julie for your support and your wonderful recipes , it’s so great to be able to share new and different recipes especially for the same old same old. This one sounds amazing, and I am excited to try it. According to Julie it’s been published in several papers in Detroit. So we have a noodle pudding from Michigan. Thanks Julie. I am going to be making this one this year.
Ingredients:
1 lb . medium egg noodles
1 cups butter, melted
1 1/2 cup sgar
1 1/2 pints sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs, beaten
1 1lb. crushed pineapple, drained
1 lb. dried apricots, chopped
1 lb. dried apples, chopped
3/4 cup applesauce
brown sugar and cinnamon * for the top of the pudding ( about 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon) just enough to sprinkle over the entire top of casserole. You will have to eyeball this.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain. Pour melted butter over noodles. Combine sugar, sour cream, vanilla, eggs, pineapple, applesauce and apricots. Combine fruit mixture with noodles.
Line a 9 x 13 or larger pan with cooking spray and place dried apples in the bottom of the pan. Pour noodle mixture into the pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. ( you may not need 1/2 cup of brown sugar, just sprinkle entire top )
Bake for 45 minutes or until set and serve immediately. Cut while warm, this freezes beautifully. Julie suggests cutting it before freezing.
My Farewell to Nora Ephron: her Tzimmes
Nora Ephron was a wonderful writer and filmmaker. When she died, her recipes were passed around at her memorial service. This one was printed in the NY Times and I held on to it so I would be able to pay some small homage to her. Since Rosh Hashanah is almost here, I thought it appropriate to post this recipe, which is a traditional Jewish dish of stewed fruits and vegetables. The funny part about this recipe is that, in it, Nora states that it is “delicious with a pork roast”. You have to laugh at her delicious sense of humor. I will miss her work and so this is my homage to her–the woman and the artist. I will think of her with fondness when I prepare this dish.
Ingredients:
5 carrots cut in various shapes
3 peeled yams cut into pieces
2 cups butternut squash cut up
1 cup dried apricots
1 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup raisins
2 cups beef stock
3 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/3 cup brown or white sugar or marmalade
1 tbsp. cornstarch
Directions:
In a small pot bring the beef stock to a boil with the butter.
Add the carrots and boil for about 5 minutes till tender but not overcooked. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add 3 peeled yams, and boil for about 5 – 7 minutes till tender but not overcooked. Remove to bowl with carrots. Add butternut squash and boil until tender but not overcooked. Remove to bowl. Add a cup of dried apricots and cook 5 minutes, remove, and then do the same with the prunes. Add some raisins for a minute or two. Then boil down the broth that’s left, adding about 1/3 cup sugar, white or brown; or if you prefer 1/3 cup marmalade. When mixture is reduced by about half, remove about 1/2 cup to a measuring cup. Whisk 1 tbsp. cornstarch into it, then add broth to the pot, and whisk until thickened. Put all the vegetables and fruit into a large, pretty casserole dish, and pour the broth over it. Before serving, reheat at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.
* I printed this directly off of her recipe from the NY Times
Posted in Holiday, Holiday Recipes
Rosh Hashana is almost here! how can that be?????
How can this be? It’s still warm , I’m still out in Colorado and I’m not ready to let go of the last breath of summer. I am returning to NY next week and need to get myself in some sort of gear for this holiday. Have to switch my bike helmet for my chef’s hat. I only cook for 12 the first night, so it’s not too too scary. I will re-blog some of my beloved holiday recipes, and as always please feel free to contact me and contribute any recipes that have worked well for you over the years. Have a sweet , happy and healthy New Year to all of you.
Posted in Holiday, Holiday Recipes
Traditional Ashkenazi Charoset–Apple/Walnut
This is my easiest Charoset. It’s traditional in the sense that it’s an Ashkenazi (Eastern European) recipe. I add a little brown sugar instead of white sugar and it gives it just a bit more character. This makes about 4 cups, but you can easily double it. My family loves it, so I always make a double batch. Remember, while a reminder of the mortar used in making bricks for Pharaoh, charoset is really just a sweet condiment of apples and wine!
Ingredients:
3 medium Fuji apples (or any other kind you like), peeled, cored and finely diced (use processor to make your life simpler) I usually use whatever is in the house, but on Passover I go through so many apples, so buy what you like (I always like Granny Smith because they are nice and tart)
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped (buy them pre-chopped)
1/2 cup sweet red wine such as Manischewitz Extra Heavy Malaga or just Concord Grape is fine
*20 pitted dates, chopped; or 1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
*for a bit of extra added flavor you can add 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger (optional)
Directions:
After chopping apples, stir all ingredients in a large bowl. Keep in refrigerator ’til ready to serve. Serve at room temperature. You can also pulse everything together in processor, just be very careful not to over-process. I often do this to save time. You don’t want it too fine, so just go gently with the processor if you go that route. I do it in the processor, and I know exactly how I like it to come out, so go easy with the chopping. If it’s a little dry or too thick, you can always add more wine. I find this always tastes better after it sits and allows the wine to really soak and ripen for 24 hours. Before serving, check for consistency and add a little more wine, if necessary.
Posted in condiment, Holiday Recipes, Passover Recipes, Raw, sides, vegetarian
Tagged apples and walnuts, Ashkenazi Charoset, Passover Recipe, Traditional Charoset
Don’t Let the Apples Go Bad Cake
Apples are the kind of fruit we eat all year round. They are always in the fridge and if they don’t get eaten, I feel guilty that they’re just sitting there and going to go bad. I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen and decided since we were leaving for Colorado and I was not ditching perfectly good apples, I would make it and freeze it for when we come back. (The cake would freeze well…the apples, not so much.) You’ll need a tube pan. You don’t need an electric mixer, so it’s pretty easy on the special equipment. Use those leftover apples–dont’ let them go bad. No butter in this recipe, lots of sugar though. My house smelled divine.
I also love this recipe for the Jewish Holidays which are just around the corner…..just saying. I’m not ready to start posting for the Holidays yet but this makes a lovely dessert.
*you can see in photos that I use a melon baller to get the pits out of the middle of the apple. I prefer this technique over the corer thingys which never really work. The melon baller works perfectly: first cut apple in half, then scoop out just the pits.
www.smittenkitchen
Ingredients:
6 apples (I used what I had in the house: a combo of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp. Good old Macintosh will work, too.)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons sugar
2 3/4 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice (try to use fresh but if not, Tropicana will do)
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (this is optional; I didn’t use them this time out)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan. Peel, core, and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside (I sprayed with a baking spray. There’s no need to add any butter here.)
Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, sugar and vanilla. This mixture will be rather thick. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to make sure all ingredients are incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to get it all out of the bowl.
Pour 1/2 the batter into prepared tube pan. Spread 1/2 the apples over this. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Use your eye to halve batter and apples (don’t worry if it’s not perfectly halved.) Bake for about 90 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) comes out clean. I would check cake after 1 hour 20 minutes. I baked for the full 90 minutes; it’s a rather thick cake.
Posted in dessert, Holiday, Holiday Recipes
Tagged bake a cake, Don't let the apples go bad, What to do with Apples
Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes (gotta have ’em)
1/2 eaten Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
pre marshmallow topping
We always have to have a sweet potato dish with those darn marshmallows! This has a little twist which makes it a bit more interesting. It’s easy, tasty and unique, because I make it with both marshmallows and pecan halves on top. There are probably a million different recipes for mashed sweet potatoes, but this one goes on my table this year.
Ingredients:
3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks. Cook Sweet Potatoes (If you want to cheat with the canned ones, I won’t tell anyone, and what’s more is no one will know with all the other stuff in it.) Just drain them well.
1/2 cup whole milk (no skim please)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (when I double I just add 2 tblsp. butter no need to add 8)
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
20 big marshmallows or mini marshmallows ( as many as you can fit on top)
*40 pecan halves to cover top (you can use only marshmallows if you want)
Directions:
Cover sweet potatoes with cold water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are knife tender. Drain and return to pot. Mash potatoes with a masher, then stir in milk, butter, pineapple, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Transfer mixture to a 2 1/2 quart oval casserole dish, smooth out on top. If you want to make a checkerboard top, start at the top left, and alternate one marshmallow with 2 pecan halves until the entire casserole is covered. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until marshmallows are browned and puffed. If you don’t feel like doing the checkerboard, you can also sprinkle mini marshmallows on top, or some large ones. Whatever you like. This is pretty loose, but you gotta have marshmallows!
*this recipe serves about 8 – 10 as a side
Aunt Pammy’s Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
Fully Baked Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
This recipe belongs to my sister, Pamela. She is a great cook, and this is her signature Thanksgiving Dish. We count on it every year as her contribution. I highly suggest it if you like spicy because it is! It definitley packs some heat, be careful when you buy the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce , just make sure they don’t say Hot or you might be blowing the roof off of your Thanksgiving Dinner! Be prepared for a lot of flavor ! If your family likes spicy this is an awesome recipe, and you all know how much I like spicy by now. This is certainly a new take on Sweet Potatoes because they aren’t sweet. I also make a Sweet Potato dish with Marshmallows (* see recipe) and the two are always on my table, one sweet and one spicy. Thanks Aunt Pammy.
Ingredients:
5 lbs.Yams or Sweet Potatoes
Kosher Salt ( about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)
Heavy Cream ( about 1 1/2 quarts)
Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce (canned) *look in Mexican Food Aisle in most supermarkets
Directions:
Slice Potatoes thinly and add salt. Place in baking dish you are going to use and cover with kosher salt, start with 1/4 cup and go to the 1/2 cup. Use your clean hands and toss together.
Puree Chipotles in small food processor .* you can keep pureed chipotles in fridge for up to 2 months. So you can do this step ahead.
Put approximately 1 – 2 tsp. of chipotle pepper puree in heavy cream and mix together
Pour Cream Mixture over Potatoes in an ovenproof baking dish ( earthenware is nice for this)
Place in 375 degree preheated
oven for 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven.
Potatoes should be somewhat set and browned on top when ready.
Enjoy! and Happy Thanksgiving
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
I always have a fresh cranberry sauce on my Thanksgiving table, and I buy extra bags of fresh cranberries and throw them in the freezer so I can make it whenever I want to. It’s tart and sweet at the same time, and why would you buy the canned stuff when you can do this so quickly and easily. It’s delicious with all poultry. Buy a few bags of fresh cranberries, they are all over the place now. If you have the room throw a few bags in the freezer.
Ingredients:
12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Directions:
Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil, dump in whole bag of cranberries (12 oz) bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. I let it sit a little off the heat and then refrigerate, this is so easy. Keeps for a pretty long while in fridge, and can def be made way ahead of the big day. For Thanksgiving I use 2 bags because it is my second Cranberry Dish. Since it’s really just a relish 2 bags is enough. Just double . Depending on how many people you’re having, for just the 2 of us I make cranberry sauce using one bag and keep excess in fridge , it keeps for a while. Happy Thanksgiving!
*as it’s just a relish 1 bag would probably serve 6-8 and 2 bags would probably serve 10-12
Posted in Holiday Recipes, Holiday/ Thanksgiving Recipes, sides
Tagged Fresh Cranberry Sauce
