It is Rosh Hashana time again, the Jewish New Year and this year we will pray extra hard for peace, quiet and our people to be home and safe. I’m doing my best to get this out to you all, considering that last night, we sat in a shelter for a couple of hours and just didn’t have the heart to bug my beloved son Yehuda again, he who both encouraged me to start writing the blog and enabled me to do so by being my IT guy and fixing any and all glitches. So bear with me if there are some glitches in the template (he helped me too many times, I’m almost ashamed to say, so love and xxxs my son, you are the best!!!) and not all the recipes “pop up” as they should, for some weird reason, none of the desserts do although once I publish the post they may. C’est la vie, can’t stress about it!
On the day to day level, we have what we call a 3 day Yom Tov, since Shabbat follows hot on the heels of the holiday, with myriad meals to prepare and it tends to be a bit overwhelming to contemplate 7 meals that you want to have both festive and yet not too heavy.
So I’ve tried to put together a list of recipes that should help keep the holiday calm and wonderful and not too intensive in the making. May we all have a beautiful, sweet New Year and only good, blessed news for all our people.
Debbie Fishman’s Amazing Water Challah
I include this recipe since I’m totally enamored of it and use this now instead of my old recipe (although my kids still use the old one) but in case you want the old (and good) one, here you go:
1st Dinner
For the full list of recipes scroll below
1st Lunch
For the full list of recipes scroll below
2nd Dinner
For the full list of recipes scroll below
2nd Lunch
For the full list of recipes scroll below
The Full Recipe List
Rosh Hashana Simanim – Symbolic Foods for the New Year
If you wish to make a nice variety of the special symbolic foods, this is a nice list.
Daniella’s Orange Soup (Marak Katom)
My DIL’s (not sweet, it’s savory) orange soup as a nice change of pace. Also, it’s vegetarian.
Rice Stuffed Chicken in Honey Pomegranate Sauce
A really delicious and lovely to present chicken dish.
Bourbon, Garlic and Honey Brisket
Great when hot, equally good when cold, so you can slice and serve cold for lunch, too.
A change from the regular potato kugel.
Shamefully Fast and Easy Broiler “Grilled” Pargiot/Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
These are always a hit and are super quick to make. They are also lighter than eating a skin on bone in piece of chicken and would be excellent for a day meal when you want to heat something up fast.
Chicken in Lemon and Olives, Slow Cooker or Stovetop
fabulously easy, no browning the chicken, all in the crockpot!
Delectable Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker Corned Beef
another one of my faves, also good hot or cold and keeps beautifully (freezes well too).
Potato Salad with Peas and Carrots
Just carby enough but somehow lighter than kugel and always welcome. Nice at lunch.
Quick and Easy Asian Cabbage Salad (GF)
As it’s name states, quick and easy and also delicious. Can be made in advance for a more pickled type or on the spot for a more crunchy version.
This is a very nice side dish but can also be served to your vegetarian crowd as well.
fresh and crunchy, a very nice bright salad.
Fish Balls in Tomato and Pepper Sauce
This is a great starter or a main, depending how meat/chicken heavy you choose to go.
Vegetarian Stir Fry with Tofu and Noodles
Wonderful and satisfying can be a main or a side dish.
This is another dish that works when you zoom home from synagogue and have little time to warm things up. This is served cold! Just swap out the sour cream for non-dairy sour cream and if you really want to make it fast, put all the ingredients in covered bowls the day before i.e. the mango salsa and topping in separate dishes and the cooked fish in it’s own pan. Then just put it all together in your tortillas. No hard shell corn tortillas? Use little flour ones, works well too.
Beef Short Ribs in Dried Fruit
Delectable and warms up beautifully, this has pomegranate molasses in it, appropriate for the holiday.
Keeps well and is good both hot and cold. Kids especially love it.
Lemon and Ginger Boneless Chicken Thighs (Pargiot)
another versatile possibility, this is great hot but equally great cold and sliced over salad. Perfect for lunch.
Paulette’s Orange Chiffon Cake
Light, fluffy, so much desired after a heavy meal and despite separating the eggs, you can do it all in one bowl if you follow my cheat, a personal fave of mine.
my most recent honey cake offering, shhh don’t tell, I snuck a piece or two off it already…
Sable’ and/or Jam Thumbprint Cookies, a 2 in 1 Cookie
I was in the mood for a pretty finish to the meal without a whole piece of cake. So instead of jam, I made no dent in the cookies and I dipped them in chocolate. 200 grams of chocolate disks to 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or veg oil) melt in microwave in bursts till melted, stir stir stir till smooth and dip and lay on parchment paper to harden. Not hardening fast enough? put in fridge. I then immediately boxed them and froze them. They are beautiful to eat right out of the freezer and keep best that way.
Fresh Blueberry and Peach/Nectarine Quick Bread
Our dear friends Miriam and Phil who we regularly do Shabbat meals with will be joining us, G-d willing. Only one thing, Phil cannot have chocolate or citrus. No big but I have to remember this when cooking and baking. This recipe was with him in mind, it uses apple cider/juice instead of orange.
