For a Good Year

Well I must admit, I did not anticipate the majority of my blog posts to be about food seeing as I am not the world's best cook (I've burned water once or twice), but I just couldn't resist sharing this recipe with you.  Now, I'll have you know, that this is my great grandmother's recipe and it is very near and dear to my heart, and stomach.  It's quite possibly my favorite food and even though you may never have heard of it before, I'm sure once you taste it you'll love it too!  

It's called kugel (קוגל), and it is a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish "pudding" (I put pudding in quotes because honestly, kugel can't be described until you eat it, and I don't particularly like pudding myself so comparing it to that seems like a slap in the face to my favorite recipe).  It's pretty simple to make and can be served as a main dish or as a side, or as breakfast, or a snack, or really anything you want because it's that good.  

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs (separated)
• 12 oz. egg noodles (fine work best, but you can use wide too)
• 1/2 lb. cream cheese
• 1/2 pint sour cream
• 2 cups milk
• 1//4 cup butter (melted)
• 2 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions:

• Cook noodles as directed on package, drain and mix with melted butter.
• Mix egg yolks, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and gelatin until creamy, slowly add milk (so you don't make a mess!); once mixed, add buttered noodles and coat them evenly with wet ingredients.
• Whip egg whites (I had to do this by hand this time, but using a mixer is 100 times easier and gives you fluffier egg whites, so if you have a mixer, use it!)
• Pour noodle mixture into a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and gently fold in egg whites (I like to keep as much "fluff" in the egg whites as possible, so don't beat them in, be nice to your whites).
• Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until the top is golden brown.

And it's as simple as that!

I know it shouldn't be that shocking to me that not many people here know what Rosh Hashanah is, but really, NO ONE here knows what Rosh Hashanah is!  I couldn't believe my eyes when Publix had a table full of matzoh and matzoh ball soup mix in the front of the store.  Yes, I'll admit I'm glad to see they at least made an effort, but really?  Do they think that Jews eat matzoh for every holiday?  I mean the stuff tastes like styrofoam, why on earth would we eat it to celebrate the start of a new year?  So for those of you who may have never experienced or even heard of Rosh Hashanah, I'll give you the quick and dirty...

• Rosh Hashanah (ראש השנה) literally means "head of the year" or "first of the year"
• This year, it starts at sundown on September 4th and lasts through sundown on the 6th
• Apples and honey (below) are eaten to symbolize our wish for a sweet new year
• A shofar (ram's horn) is blown during synagogue 
• No work is permitted (I guess that's why I am writing this blog instead of actually working) 
• We say the words "L'shana tova" which means "for a good year"
• Following Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, a day of fasting and reflection; this year, Yom Kippur beings at sundown on the 13th and ends at sundown on the 14th of September

And there you have it!  I hope that you enjoy the kugel and have a fantastic new year!  L'shana tova my loves!