Archives for March 2015

Passover: Apple Matzoh Kugel

While Kugel has been a staple of Jewish cooking for centuries, this is only my second time baking Mom's kugel recipe (definitely check out  Mom's Noodle Pudding). Served hot or cold- as a side, or, for the sweeter versions, as a dessert-most people characterize kugel as a type of casserole or pudding made from egg noodles or potatoes.  However, for Passover Mom I used matzoh for the main substitute. I know you're probably thinking there's no way a bland, hard, cracker-like piece of matzoh … [Read more...]

Passover: Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread

Most desserts that are kosher for Passover don't seem that appealing. How good could they be without flour and baking soda and baking powder?  To me, it's the same as eating a pizza without the tomato sauce--- you're more aware of what's missing than what you have. There's nothing appealing about this display- neither the sign, nor the flavorless treats in the boxes However, one of my favorite Passover desserts is Chocolate Chip Mandel Bread. Maybe that's because I'm also a lover of biscotti, the well-known Italian dessert, to which Mandel … [Read more...]

Passover: Chocolate Covered Matzoh

As a parent raising a Jewish family away from my hometown, I find myself feeling a little unglued and very melancholic. I miss the chaos of the Seder meals from my youth-- muli-generational, multi-family, songs, tall tales, etc... I miss listening to my grandmother recite the prayers and my parents sing the holiday songs. I miss the frenzy when we were allowed to finally get up from the table to search for the hidden pieces of matzoh (Afikomen) around the house. These past few years, I feel so honored to have an all access pass to … [Read more...]

Soy Noodles

We're gearing up for Passover in a week so that means that we've been plowing through some of the carbs that are in our pantry.  I usually don't cook too many noodle dishes for dinner because I know that my kids probably default the spaghetti dishes at least two days out of the week. But, this dish is so tasty and easy to make, I knew it would be a homerun. If you don't have some of the ingredients in this recipe, that's ok, I didn't either.  The original recipe has Shaoxing wine which I left out.  And (gulp) use whatever thin noodles you … [Read more...]