So, Who is Cooking for Rosh Hashana Today?

[doberlady]

What is on your menu today for Rosh Hashana??

We are having:

Apples and honey
round challah
stuffed cabbage
cucumbers in sour cream/dill
double apple kugel

rugelach
crown apple cake

I wish I had one more dish to make but I do not feel like running to the store for anything else

[chicgail]

I did the best brisket ever. Miles away from my others brisket made with Lipton Onion Soup and beef broth. It took 3 days.

First I smoked it with applewood chips before I braised it for 3 hours. It rested for a full day. Then I tossed the braising liquid, thin-sliced it and reheated it in a homemade bbq sauce with strong coffee, beer, ketchup, brown sugar and chili powder. The brisket actually had a smoke ring. People were so excited about it.

I served it with matzo ball soup, kasha varnishe, roasted glazed beets and apples, challah, kugel and plum cake.

[ahuva]

teriyaki sauce salmon and red snapper fish heads
chicken with apples and wine
sweet short ribs
standing rib roast
carrot-zucchini "simanim" spring rolls
carrot muffins
spinach latkes
date bars
orzo with mushrooms and sausage
thai chicken satay

[cheesecake17]

I made carrot date bars. Half the family loved them and the others wouldn't touch them.

[mamachef]

Well, I'd eat them, cheesecake17! That's always the way with a certain holiday dessert: in my house, it's honey cake. You know. Half the family won't touch it and the other half scarfs it but if it's not there, the first half goes into a full-on meltdown: "Where's the honey cake? It's not right without honey cake!!" And then at dessert it's, "no thank you; I don't care for it."

[magiesmom]

Confirmed honey cake haters love the Smitten Kitchen recipe.

[mamachef]

I may have to check that out, but to tell you the truth, the honey cake situation irritates me soooo much that I just buy one and put all my efforts into the meal and the desserts that everyone will deign to eat. :)

[magiesmom]

I understand.
I'm going to make it again for break fast because everyone raved and it improves with age.

[cheesecake17]

In my house it's "that's kinda gross looking." my answer "ya don't like it dont eat it."

I shall try honey cake for sukkot... Having massive amounts of company and need lots of do ahead options.

[Chocolatechipkt]

We kept it simple:

Apricot chicken (and spicy apricot tofu for the vegetarian)
Israeli couscous salad with apples, almonds, and yellow raisins
Glazed carrots

Apple cake for dessert (there's a pic over on the What are you baking thread)

[mamachef]

Chocolatechipkt, I would really love to have both the chicken and tofu recipes, if you don't mind. Happy New Year!!

[Chocolatechipkt]

Happy New Year to you!

I'm afraid I don't have a formal recipe for either, so let me know if this doesn't make sense.

Apricot chicken

1 pkg boneless skinless chicken thighs (you could use bone-in thighs, legs etc--this was 8 pieces, I think)

1 jar apricot jam (I like Bonne Maman)

1 Tbs freshly grated ginger (or ground ... use more or less. I like ginger)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 tsp dried thyme

3-4 whole cloves of garlic (you can chop them up too)

salt and pepper

In a foil-lined baking dish (easy clean-up), mix together the apricot jam and all the spices, including the garlic, and then nestle the chicken parts upside down in the mixture, making sure the exposed side has some jam on top (to keep it moister.) Bake at 400 for 35-45 min., and then pour the accumulated juices into a small saucepan. Flip the chicken over and return it to the oven. Meanwhile, boil the juices til they've reduced by at least half and pour them back over the chicken. Serve and enjoy. :)

[Note: I've also done this with sauteeing the chicken first, then caramelizing some shallots and mixing the apricot-spice mixture into that, before pouring it over the chicken and baking. The above version is faster, of course, lol.]

Apricot tofu

1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, sliced into 6-8 pieces

apricot jam (I used the other half of the jar from the chicken)

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp+ smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dijon mustard

3-4 cloves of garlic

salt and pepper

Press the tofu on a kitchen towel (non fuzzy type) or paper towels for at least 15 min. (I usually put a cutting board on top and do all my other slicing/chopping while I'm waiting.) Then, mix the apricot jam and spices together and pour them into a glass baking dish. Lay the tofu slices in the mixture, shingling them so they overlap a bit. Spoon some of the sauce all over the tofu and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 400 for 45 min. or so. Uncover to let brown and serve.

[mamachef]

Oy, I wish I'd been able to get here earlier to see everybody's wonderful menus! I wish you all a blessed 5773, full of good health, love, prosperity, and peace. May you all be inscribed in the Book of Life this year.
Manoman, have I been cooking. I have four clients who requested dinner delivery per usual, but Rosh Hashanah-themed. So I cooked for them, and I cooked for my fambly at the same time. Quantities were huge. The menu for everyone was:
Round Challah
apples and honey
hummous and pita, marinated vegetable mezze
matzo ball soup
brisket, braised in port and stock w/ prunes and carrots
kasha varnishkes (bowtie noodles and kasha, cooked in broth; w/ onions and mushrooms)
broccolini sauteed w/ garlic
glazed butternut squash chunks
green salad; honey vinaigrette

walnut-date cake
pecan pie
halvah, dried fruits and nuts

L'shana tova, y'all.

[Emme]

Crudite and Hummus, and Edamame to start

Gefilte Fish - i had planned to make my own, but Shopper Bee decided otherwise... Kedem it was instead
Wreath Challah - i need this by hand to prematurely dispense some aggression...
Matzo Ball Soup - matzo balls were muuuch better than last year
Brisket - don't eat it myself, but man i love the way it smells when it is cooking; i had planned to roast a chicken as well, but two attendees couldn't make it, and it was gonna be too much food
Roasted Potatoes
(Roasted Veggies - another omission on the part of Shopper Bee... we had words)
Honey Cake - mine is a little bit different... okay a lot different (dark cherry juice, pineapple juice, chai tea, amaretto, etc...), and there was great angst on my part as to whether it would go over well... it did.
Sponge Cake
Fruit and (seriously Shopper Bee? seriously?!) Cool Whip

all in all, went well, but next time when i'm cooking in my own kitchen, it will be vastly different.

[garlicvampire]

It's an Oregon sourced theme for us. My wonderful husband is doing all the work. Almost everything is local - wine, apples and honey, heirloom tomato salad, Tillamook scalloped potatoes, almond crusted chicken (usually it's hazelnuts) and he's making cinnamon swirl bread so the house smells marvelous! Shana Tova, y'all!

[AmyH]

Just 3 of us.
Roast chicken,
Roast brussels sprouts
Harvest grains blend (Trader Joes)
Round raisin challah
Apples and honey

Tomorrow after shul I'll make a chicken broth from tonight's carcass and make matzoh ball soup
brisket
mashed sweet potatoes with honey and caramelized apples from this recipe:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/re...
maybe a salad or some broccoli
and maybe a small honey cake if I get around to making one

L'shana tova and a sweet New Year to all!

[doberlady]

we usually go out to lunch after shul tomorrow and Tuesday. I guess I better give some thought to dinner.

The cabbage rolls were a success and I have plenty left over. They doubled in size after cooking DUH to me.

My dad was so happy and he smelled them in the oven as soon as he got here. Oh how I love to make people happy with food!

Hope everyone had a wonderful dinner.

[AmyH]

Those sweet potatoes with honey and caramelized apples were delicious! I highly recommend them. My son said I can't make sweet potatoes any other way from now on. I used "smart balance" parve spread instead of the butter since it was a meat meal and they turned out fine.

[meatn3]

Just me, so it's simple.
chicken soup with matzoh balls
honey cake with baked apples
phone call to my family's gathering

Shanah Tovah y'all!

[jpr54_1]

you are invited to join me-it's just me also
i will hvae enough to eat for at least a week

[meatn3]

Thank you - if we both pack up our goodies we can meet in the middle around Savannah and feast together!

[rockycat]

You should have let us know you were alone. I always cook for at least 8 and we'd have been happy to have you. That is, if you don't mind having dinner at 8:30.

[meatn3]

Oh, that is so wonderful of you. I guess I've been away from family and generally solo for so long that I've become quite used to quiet holidays and don't even think about it. Regarding dinner at 8:30, my eating times are all over the place and I happily adapt!

Hope you had a lovely evening! The marshmallows sound very intriguing.

Slightly off topic, but I hope we can get another group together for the traditional CJC (Chinese Jewish Christmas)!

[rockycat]

Let's check in when it gets closer. We may be doing the "other" CJC - Florida with the in-laws.

Shanah tovah.

[valerie]

We are 11 people tonight (but I have enough food for 20!)

Roasted carrot and garlic hummus with pita chips
Crudite

Round Challah
Apples & honey
Chicken soup with matzo balls
Brisket
Spicy chicken with tomatoes and marjoram
Honey Roasted potatoes
Roasted Broccoli

My sister is in charge of bringing desserts.

[jpr54_1]

round challah
apples and honey
chicken soup and matzah balls
brisket-sweet potatoes
gefilte fish
watercress salad with tomatoes/cucumbers
cucumber salad
for dessert-taglach
oolong tea

[rockycat]

Ooh, tayglach. I haven't had that in so long. I wish I'd thought of making it myself. Do you fry/boil or bake?

Oh, and I felt that I shouldn't have time to sit down so I also made some apple cider doughnuts and apple-honey marshmallows. I need my head examined.

[jpr54_1]

no-i bought it

[blue room]

For your New Year dinner, I'm curious about the "apples and honey" which all of you mention -- is it traditionally served always a certain way, or sort of incorporated in all the food?

[doberlady]

we slice and dip in honey and also have other things with apples in them like apple in a dessert or the apple kugel we are having

copied and pasted the below:

Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year and like most Jewish holidays there are food customs associated with it. One of the most popular and well-known food customs on Rosh HaShanah has to do with dipping apple slices into honey. This sweet combination stems from an age-old Jewish tradition of eating sweet foods to express our hope for a sweet new year.

[rockycat]

There's only 3 of us the first night and 4 the second, so I'm not going too overboard:

Chicken soup w/matzah balls
Brisket
Silan Chicken
Golden Beet Tzimmes
Kugel Yerushalmi
Butternut and Chickpea Salad w/Tahini Dressing
Jewish Apple Cake
Orange Honey Cookies

and I scored a guava for the new fruit since we've already had pomegranate this season. And if I run short of food (highly unlikely), I'll throw together some kasha varnishkes. Challahs, apples, and honey go without saying.

Shanah tovah u'metukah.

Jewish Apple Cake

[rockycat]

That should be "Butternut Squash" above.

[cheesecake17]

Howd you make the Islam chicken? Looking for a chicken dish for sukkot,

[rockycat]

That's actually "silan" (date honey) chicken. Here's the recipe I used.

http://www.baronesstapuzina.com/2009/...

It's on the sweet side, but we liked it. I used lemon juice rather than grapefruit juice, but I think that grapefruit juice might give you a little better flavor.

[cheesecake17]

Thanks. I meant to write silan, spell check got the best of me. Going to try this, think the family would enjoy it.

[magiesmom]

Just a small group, so
chopped liver
Brisket with potatoes, carrots and turnips
apples and honey
braised romano beans
cucumber and radish salad with pickled red onions
fig and sea salt round challah
honey cake

[doberlady]

everyone's meals sound so delicious.

I added in green beans and a baby leaf salad with a tarragon vinegrette

[smilingal]

fig and sea salt round challah??? do tell. please!

[magiesmom]

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/0...
It was really really good

[smilingal]

Thanks - I will love to try this.

[magiesmom]

I am going to have a hard time making any other for awhile ;=)

[tzurriz]

Round Challah, both raisin and regular
apples and honey
chicken soup with matzo balls
Standing rib roast
Potatoes of some sort (still undecided)
Broccoli and cauliflower
pumpkin pie
And banana pie.

Oy.

[doberlady]

no OY!!

sounds wonderful!! I was torn over the soup. Oh well!! Will have hubby run to the store for green beans!! Ack.

Enjoy your meal and Shana Tova !