Spiralized Mini Potato Kugels

From The Newish Jewish Cookbook, Marcy Goldman

Spiralized potatoes make for exceptional kugel and these golden, crown-like kugels are good for the crown of the year (Rosh Hashanah) or Shabbat. If you don’t have a spiralizer, use an inexpensive hand shredder (the kind that makes tendrils of carrots as a garnish). Similar to a potato or carrot peeler, a hand shredder makes nice strands of potatoes or you can also, if you have it, use the special shredding blade on your food processor. I prefer red-skinned potatoes for this dish.

Olive oil
6 medium potatoes, peeled
3 eggs
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ cup minced scallions or chives
½ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Generously brush the insides of silicone muffin cups with olive oil. In each muffin well, place (cut out to fit) a ‘collar” of parchment paper to make a conical form. Brush inside of this collar with some olive oil. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place muffin pan on it. 

Spiralize or otherwise shred the potatoes. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, salt, pepper, onion powder, scallions and oil. Fold in the spiralized potatoes and mix very well to coat potatoes with other ingredients. Fill each muffin cup about half full with the potato mixture so that it’s within ½ inch of the parchment paper collar.

Bake until crisped and brown, 45–55 minutes. Gently unmold kugels from the muffin mold and remove parchment paper collars to serve. Use a knife to separate sides if kugels stick. These can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen and reheated in a 225 F oven until serving time.

Makes 12

Sticky Pomegranate Chicken

From Marcy Goldman’s The Newish Jewish Cookbook, River Heart Press 2019

Ah the flavors of the old testament as expressed by honey and pomegranate syrup and pomegranate spiral. This is a totally satisfying and exotic spin on ‘sticky chickie’. This recipe calls for legs but you can also use chicken breasts, cut in quarters for this delicious dish. Pomegranate molasses is available in Middle Eastern or gourmet food stores or from Amazon 

1/4 cup pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 lbs. chicken legs
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup pomegranate spirals
Cilantro, minced

In a medium bowl, mix the pomegranate molasses with the oil, tomato paste, honey and cinnamon. Add the chicken and onions and marinate in the fridge 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet or roasting pan with foil. Place the chicken pieces on it and bake 35–45 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a serving dish and spoon pan juices over chicken. Garnish with minced cilantro and scatter on pomegranate seeds on top. Serve with a kugel, rice or potatoes dusted with sumac on the side.

Serves 4

Laura Bush's Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies

Kitty Buchan made these for marissa's boys to have in their lunches. They are excellent!  and huge.  She did not add coconut but they were still amazing.

Ingredients

Prep:

25 mins

Bake:

17 mins to 20 mins at 350°

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups packed light-brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups sweetened flake coconut
• 2 cups chopped pecans (8 ounces)

• Step 1
  Heat oven to 350 degree F. 

• Step 1
  Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl. 

• Step 1
  In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars to combine, 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in vanilla. 

• Step 1
  Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans. 

• Step 1
  For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. 

• Step 1
  Bake in 350 degree F oven 17 to 20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned; rotate sheets halfway through. Remove cookies to rack to cool. 

Commercial Style Challah MG

Sometimes you want a challah like your favorite Jewish bakery makes it: a little denser, a little more yellow, a touch more sweet, with a darker crust and great toasting abilities. This is that bread – but made by you.  I make this and slice the entire bread for the freezer, simply to be used as toasting or sandwich bread. It makes two smaller challah breads or one medium challah and a few rolls. This is a great bread dough to prepare in a bread machine on Dough cycle.

Dough
1 1/2 cups warm water
5 teaspoons dry yeast
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 yolk
¼ teaspoon egg yellow food coloring (in paste, not liquid)  *
1/3 cup oil
6-8 cups bread flour

Egg wash1 egg
Sesame seeds for sprinkling

* The use of  egg-yellow food colouring is an old trick from commercial bakeries. I am not sure they still use it but it makes for that somewhat more deeply yellow crumb. You can omit it but it’s fun to try.
Line a doubled up baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a mixer bowl, stir yeast and water together and let stand a few minutes. Then add in a cup of the flour and stir. Then add in remaining ingredients, holding back about one third of the flour so that you mix everything well. Then, using dough hook, knead on slow speed, add in more flour as required, to make a soft dough,  knead 8-10 minutes, until dough is soft but elastic. Dough will be more yellow than your usual challah but that is the commercial appeal (and the cheat bakeries used to use to make bread seem richer and more egg laden)

Gather dough together in mixer and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Cover entire mixer with a huge plastic bag and let dough rise 45-60 minutes or until almost doubled in size. (A cool rise is fine too).

Gentle deflate dough and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide in two (one part is 2/3’s the dough, the rest, save for 3-5 challah rolls or make two smaller braids). Let rest 10 minutes and then form the larger portion into two or three ropes and braid. Make rolls of the remaining dough (this is what I do but feel free to make two smaller loaves instead). Place on the prepared baking sheet.

Spray the loaf with non-stick cooking spray and cover loosely with a large plastic bag. Let rise until almost doubled and then glaze with egg wash. Sprinkle on sesame seeds.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place in oven, immediately lowering temperature to 350 F. Bake until done, about 35-45 minutes. Cool well before serving.

Makes 2 medium breads or one larger bread and a few rolls

Best Ever Deep Dish Apple Cake MG

From The New Best of Betterbaking.com, Marcy Goldman

One of the best apples cakes…..ever! Don’t skimp on the apples and don’t use Granny Smith.

Apple Filling

18–24 large McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon

Batter1 cup canola oil
2 ½ cups sugar
5 eggs
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.

Prepare the apples and place in a large bowl. Toss with the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. In a large bowl, hand mix the oil and sugar; then add eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour, baking powder and salt to make a very gloppy, thick batter. It is pretty thick but not firm.

Place apples in the baking dish. They should totally cover the baking dish quite generously- and almost overflow it if not really…overflow it! If you find you need more –now is the time to do it.

Pour batter evenly over apples — or as best you can — depositing batter over the top of the apples. Shuffle pan a few times. Place on baking sheet and bake 60–90 minutes (it varies, depending on how juicy apples are) or until cake is set up and slightly browned on top. Cool well before serving.

Serves 12–16. Can be made ahead 2–3 days, but does not freeze well.

Cumb Toped Sweet New Year's Challah MG

This is a totally unique and majestic sweet challah that’s as lovely in the traditional round form or as a long braid. The crumb-topping is a nice change from sesame seeds and signals ahead this is going to be sweet and special! You can use raisins or dried cranberries to make this Rosh Hashanah perfect! This is a perfect occasion to use a bread machine to make the dough, or your reliable stand mixer.

1 1/2 cups warm water
5 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup canola oil
3 eggs
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 3/4 teaspoons salt
6–8 cups unbleached bread flour
1 ½ cup dried cranberries or plumped, dried raisins
Egg wash, for glazing

Crumb Topping1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup unsalted margarine or butter

In a large mixing bowl, briskly whisk together the water and yeast. Add in two cups of the flour, and then briskly stir in the sugar, honey, oil, eggs, vanilla, salt and most of the remaining flour. Mix to combine about one minute and then cover the mixture and let it sit for 12 minutes. (This helps the flour get absorbed and when you start kneading you will have to use less flour overall and get a more moist and silky challah)

Resume kneading on slowest speed of mixer to form smooth but resilient dough, adding in additional flour, as well as the cranberries or raisins, at this point, as required, 6–8 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Place in a lightly greased bowl and place this in a plastic bag, spray the top of the dough with non-stick cooking spray and seal loosely. Let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes.

Prepare the Crumb Topping by placing the flour and sugar in a medium bowl and blending to combine. Cut in the margarine or butter to making a crumbly mixture.

Once the dough has risen, gently deflate it onto a floured work surface.

For a traditional log braid (you will bake on the baking sheet), divide the dough in 3 strands about 10–12 inches long. Braid and then place the braid, making the two ends touch, to form a circle in the prepared pan. Pinch ends together to seal. For baking in the round, make the same braid but place it in the prepared spring-form pan and make the ends touch each other and pinch to seal. Brush the egg wash on the bread and then gently place the crumble topping on top. Let rise again, until almost doubled, 40–55 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake 40–45 minutes until well browned and a thermometer (I like this one ) registers 375 F inside temperature. If the top surface of the bread starts browning too quickly (and bread interior is not done), cover lightly with a sheet of foil to protect top crust, lower the temperature 25 degrees and bake it a little longer.

Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing and cooling on a rack. Serve with honey and apples.

Makes one large challah

Hot and Sweet Spiced Peach Cobbler MG

Hot and Sweet Spiced Peach Cobbler  

I love this updated classic cobbler with a touch of spice and from habanero pepper and cinnamon. Just taste test your peaches before baking with them. If they don’t taste good snacking on, then they’re not great for baking either. I used California peaches for this recipe and they were fabulous! I don’t peel my peaches btw but you can if you prefer. This is a wonderfully unexpected slice of heaven - sassy with heat and sweetness. Wear latex gloves to handle the pepper.

Hot and Sweet Spiced Peach Cobbler

Fruit Filling
9 large peaches, pitted and cut in thin wedges
1/2 habanero pepper (seeds removed) or 1 tablespoon finely minced hot pepper
4 tablespoons white sugar
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt

Batter
½ cup, or more, heavy cream mixed with 1 tbsp. lemon juice *
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
3/8 teaspoon salt

* You can also use buttermilk but this lemon juice/cream hack makes a wonderful top crust

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 by 13 inch pan or 3 quart casserole with non-stick cooking spray. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Fopr the fruit filling, place the prepared fruit in a large bowl.  Add in the minced hot pepper, white sugar, brown sugar, arrowroot, vanilla, cinnamon, salt toss to coat the fruit evenly. Place in the casserole or pan.

For the batter, mix lemon juice with the cream and set aside. In a mixer bowl, blend the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir in the cream. Fold in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to make a thick batter.

Spread or drop the batter in dollops on the fruit. Bake until the top crust is golden brown all over and the fruit is bubbling through, 35-40 minutes.

Serves 6-8

disneyland corn dogs

With 8 broken ribs and a separated shoulder Robert needed a little coddling and corn dogs came to the rescue.

Made famous by the Little Red Wagon food truck, these hand-dipped Disneyland corn dogs are iconic for a reason. With a light, puffy breading flavored with a hint of sweetness and fried to a perfect golden brown, you'll be surprised how easy they are to make at home!

Homemade Corn Dogs (Disneyland Copycat)

 Yield 12 corndogs

Ingredients

Batter:

• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 3/4 cup + up to 2 Tbsp buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp oil (vegetable/canola)

Other:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for dredging hot dogs)
• 12 hot dogs (we used all beef)
• 12 wooden skewers, candy sticks, or thin popsicle sticks
• 2 quarts oil (vegetable/canola), for frying

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat 2 quarts of oil to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add the egg, honey, buttermilk, and Tablespoon of oil. Stir to combine. Adjust consistency with an extra Tablespoon or two of buttermilk if batter is too thick. The batter should be able to coat a spoon, yet be pourable. Transfer batter to a tall drinking glass. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Insert a skewer into each hot dog. Place 1/4 cup of flour on a plate. Dredge/coat the hot dogs with flour, shaking off any excess. (This helps the batter stick.)
4. Dip one hot dog at a time into the batter and onto a little bit of the stick. Shake off excess batter as evenly as possible. Slowly dip the battered corn dog into the hot oil and release the stick when the oil reaches your fingers. The corn dog will sink to the bottom, then float. Cook about 2-3 minutes, turning with tongs to evenly brown all sides, and fully cook the hot dog and batter. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
5. Repeat with remaining hot dogs. You may have to tilt the glass to dip the last few hot dogs in the batter. I cook 2 corn dogs at a time. Enjoy hot! See notes for freezing instructions.

Recipe Notes

TO FREEZE: Cool corn dogs completely. Place in a zip-top bag. TO REHEAT: Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway, until desired crispness.

Carole Maynards wonderful cake

1 box Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake mix
20 oz can crushed pineapple with juice.

Mix together. Add coconut and chopped pecans. Sprinkle more chopped pecans on top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Recipes calls for a 9x13 pan but she used an 11x7 pan and says if you use the smaller size then be sure the cake is thoroughly baked.

If you  don’t  want to add coconut or nuts ,  take  a  cherry pie  fill ing  put on top   serve  with cool whip. Susan you can do anything  with the  basic cake mix and pineapple

AND BY THE WARM. IF YOU ARE MAKING THE ORIGINAL THEN ALWAYS WARM IT SLIGHTLY IN THE MICROWAVE. IT'S AMAZING WARMER

The best Homemade Spaghetti Pie

• This classic dish is the perfect way to use leftover spaghetti or even freshly cooked spaghetti when you're craving a filling dish. The flavors from Sargento® Shredded Mozzarella - Traditional Cut and a hearty pasta sauce all bake together until harmoniously melted.
• Serves 6
• 6 oz. spaghetti, cooked
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/2 cup (2 oz.) Sargento® Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 3/4 cup (3 oz.) Sargento® Shredded Mozzarella - Traditional Cut, divided
• 1 cup Sargento® Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
• 1 cup pasta sauce

Directions

1. Toss spaghetti with olive oil in large bowl. Stir in eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Pour spaghetti mixture into greased 10-inch pie plate; form into a crust.
2. Spoon Ricotta cheese over spaghetti crust. Top with pasta sauce. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 25 minutes. Top with half of the Mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella cheese. Cool 10 minutes before cutting.