Rugelach

A family friend gave me this recipe a few years ago, and my family loves it!

1 c flour
2 sticks butter
1/2 lb cream cheese
one package of mini chocolate chips
Cinnamon and sugar

Combine flour, butter and cream cheese in food processor.  Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate 8 hours.  Cut in half.  Roll out two thin circle.  Spread 1 cup of mini chocolate chips onto each circle and press them into the dough.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Cut with pizza cutter into wedges (I like doing more than 16 wedges, use your judgement).

Roll up each wedge from the outside to the center.

Place on greased baking sheet.

Sprinkle again with cinnamon and sugar.

Bake 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes - until golden brown.

New Recipe

Sometimes I see a new cookbook at the library, and I check it out.  This time I checked out The Community Table - Recipes and Stories from the JCC in Manhattan and Beyond.  The first recipe I made was really good!  My husband and I really liked it.

Pappardelle with Ragu (originally made with lamb but mine is vegetarian)

2 T olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
One package of vegetable grillers (vegetarian ground "meat")
2 t ground coriander
1 t rosemary
1 t thyme
1/2 t ground cumin
salt and pepper
2 T tomato paste
1/2 c red wine
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/4 c vegetable stock
one pound of pappardelle pasta

In large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the carrots, onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes.

Turn up heat and add "meat" along with the coriander, fennel seeds, rosemary, thyme, cumin and salt and pepper.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Add tomato paste and red wine ad simmer for 25 minutes.

Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes.  Drain.

Put pasta in the "meat" pot and stir, then serve.

Honey Roasted Carrots with Tahini Yogurt

Another fall dinner for us.  Roasted vegetables remind me of fall.

This recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi's book - Plenty More

3 T honey
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
3 thyme sprigs
2 pounds of carrots - cut into large sticks
salt and pepper

Sauce
3 T tahini
2/3 c Greek yogurt
2 t lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400

In a large bowl, put the honey, oil, cumin seeds, thyme, salt and pepper.  Add carrot sticks.  Stir.  Put on large baking sheet (sprayed with Pam).  Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

While cooking put all sauce ingredients into a bowl and stir.

Transfer carrots to serving bowl and top with sauce.

Bread Machine recipe - Cinnamon Chip Bread

Fall is in the air.  I can feel it.  I really don't want fall to come, because that means winter is around the corner.  I haven't recovered from last winter.  I don't think any Bostonian has recovered from last winter.

Here is a recipe that is really easy, if you have a bread machine.

Cinnamon Chip Bread

1 cup plus 2 T water
2 T butter
3 cups bread flour
3 T sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1 heaping t cinnamon
2 1/2 t bread machine yeast
3/4 c cinnamon chips (can get from King Arthur Flour)

Use the basic cycle.

This recipe makes one loaf in a 1 1/2 lb machine.  Put all ingredients in the pan, except for the chips.  Start the machine.  Add the chips when the machine beeps to add raisins (some machines have a special place to put the chips).  Remove bread from machine at the end and cool on wire rack.

Excellent toasted with a small amount of butter.

The house will smell amazing.

Slow Cooker Greek Style Cinnamon Pot Roast

I have been MIA for a few weeks, and I am sorry.

Overnight camp ended, and then there was a flurry of activities, followed by a lovely vacation (Niagara Falls - Canadian, Day Trip to Toronto and the Baseball Hall of Fame).  I do owe you all a post about that. . . . . and then we had another week of no camp and no school.

Then school started and now Rosh Hashana is here.

So, I tried this dish at Newton City Hall when Newton honored some great local businesses.  Whole Foods made this, and not only did the kids like it, but I did.

Serves 8

2 t canola oil
2 1/2 pounds of beef chuck roast (trim off the extra fat)
1 t sea salt
freshly ground pepper
2 onions - chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
3 cinnamon sticks

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.  Cook until browned on all sides.  (About 10 minutes).

Transfer beef to a slow cooker.  Add onions to the skillet and cook, stirring until browned, about 6 minutes.  Stir in garlic and salt pepper.  Transfer onion mixture to the slow cooker.  Add tomatoes with their juices and put in the cinnamon sticks.  Cover and cook until meat is fork tender (8hours on low or 5 hours on high).

Remove from slow cooker and serve.

Summer Camp

My kids LOVED Jewish Overnight Camp - CYJ.  As someone who never attended overnight camp, I could never visualize what happened at camp.

Until this year, when the camp released weekly videos.

This was from week one:

HERE

And here is the one from the last week:

HERE.

Now I can see why both my kids love camp.  I can't wait for them to experience camp next summer, and for me to have a window of what they experience.

Thanks CYJ for a great summer!

Raising Funds for Hadassah

I will be participating in the Hadassah Walkathon on Sunday, September 20 around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, near BC.  This walk will benefit Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel.  Hadassah Hospital is a special place in Israel because it treats every patient, no matter what their religion, race or gender.  It is the only Level 1 Trauma center in the Jerusalem area.  Following the Boston Marathon bombing, surgeons used triage procedures developed by the Hadassah Hospital doctors.  It is truly a unique place in Israel.  When I was in Israel (years ago), it was one of the highlights of my visit.

I am a third generation Hadassah life member and Naomi is a fourth generation Hadassah life member.

Please give through this website (you will notice people giving in increments of 18, as 18 is a special number in Hebrew):

HERE

And if you are available on September 20, I would love it if you could walk with me and my family!  Please join my team to support this amazing organization!

It is a fun walk and easy - flat surface around the pond.