Tonight we celebrate the first night of Passover with the Seder and the retelling of the story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and slavery (For more info, see Disney’s The Prince of Egypt.) Growing up, all we ever knew were the things we could not have on passover (bread, pasta, etc.) but lately more and more companies are putting out products for passover that I wouldn’t eat during the rest of the year. Feh.

This recipe is something that could be eaten year-round. My mother used to make this for us in Poland when I was younger. It’s so delicious,  it will make you forget that it’s passover. Almost.

Enjoy!

Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

• 2 – mixing bowls
• 1 – 13 X 9 baking pan

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ¾ cup oil
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¾ cup potato starch
• 1 ½ cups cake meal
• 6 apples, peeled and cut up
• ½ cup cinnamon sugar
• Strawberry preserves

Preparation:

Mix apples with cinnamon sugar and set aside.  Mix eggs, oil, juice and sugar until well blended. Add potato starch and cake meal and mix until smooth.  Grease 13 X 9 pan with oil, pour in half of the batter, and put apple mixture on top of batter. Drop strawberry preserves by spoonful over apple mixture.  Cover with remaining batter.  Drizzle some more strawberry preserves over top of cake and using a small spatula, zig zag preserves over the surface of the cake.  Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Well everyone, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Now, it’s time to break out the Menorah, the dreidels and the gelt, and celebrate Hanukkah! “I love cooking for Hanukkah,” says The Bubbe, “We make a nice roast or chicken, some veggies, and of course, the latkes.”

Forget about a mix in a box, The Bubbe takes these simple ingredients and makes latkes that will knock your socks off! The Bubbe even came up with a Veggie Latke this year that turned out very tasty.

This year you can make them too and wow your friends and family as you celebrate Hanukkah this year. Enjoy the video.

Cooking with The Bubbe – Homemade Potato Latkes from The Bubbe on Vimeo.

Preparation

Peel potatoes and cut up for shredding in food processor.  Squeeze out excess liquid from shredded potatoes.  Do the same with the onions. Put shredded potatoes and onions back into food processor and mix well.  Pour mixture into large mixing bowl.  Add eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.  In large skillet, heat enough vegetable oil to fry latkes.  When oil is hot, drop large heaping spoonfuls of potato mixture into pan and fry until golden brown on each side.  Drain latkes on paper towel to absorb excess oil.  Makes approximately 18-24 latkes.

For a different twist on the traditional Potato Latke, try these Veggie Latkes made from zucchini and carrots

Peel zucchini, then cut up for shredding in food processor.  Squeeze out excess liquid from shredded zucchini.  Put zucchini into large mixing bowl and add shredded carrots, beaten eggs, flour, salt and parsley. Mix well and set aside.  In large skillet, heat enough vegetable oil to fry latkes.  When oil is hot, drop large heaping spoonfuls of mixture into pan and fry until golden brown on each side.  Drain latkes on paper towel to absorb excess oil.  Makes approximately 18-24 latkes.

Tonight we celebrate the beginning of the Jewish New Year, 5770, and there is no better way to start off the new year than with a sweet treat like The Bubbe’s Honey Cake. This sweet recipe was handed down from generation to generation from The Bubbe’s homeland of Poland.  Share it with friends and family and a sweet New Year will be yours. It is our hope that we should all have a year of health, happiness, and a little prosperity wouldn’t hurt, right?

Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

• A mixing bowl
• A 10 inch tube pan

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Honey
• 1 cup Sugar (or Splenda)
• ¾ cup Oil
• 1 cup (cooled) Black Coffee
• 6 Eggs, Separated
• 2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tsp. Cloves
• 2 Tbsp. Apricot Brandy
• 3 ½ cups (less 2 Tbsp.) flour

Preparation:

Beat egg whites until stiff and set aside. Beat egg yolks with oil, sugar, coffee, honey, brandy and beat well. Then add dry ingredients until well blended. Fold egg whites into mixture by hand and then pour into greased 10 inch tube pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 65 minutes. Test after 1 hour with cake tester, and, if still wet, bake additional 5 minutes.

“It’s hot out there,” The Bubbe says.

Well, it is August, and as the days of summer are waning, everyone is enjoying the last sights, sounds and smells. Right now tomatoes are peaking, so August is the perfect month for nice bowl of chilled soup like Gazpacho. No one really ate gazpacho in the old world, so this is from The Bubbe’s experiences and exposure to many different cultures throughout her life. Always a fan of soup, The Bubbe is always finding new ways for her loved ones to get their veggies! This dish is easy to prepare and delicious to eat.

Cooking with The Bubbe – Gazpacho from The Bubbe on Vimeo.

Here’s what you’ll need to prepare this dish:

• A good sharp knife
• A nice cutting board
• An immersion blender or a food processor

And here are the ingredients:

• 6 medium tomatoes
• 2 medium English cucumber
• 2 large sweet peppers (red or yellow)
• 2 medium shallots
• 1 large Vidalia onion
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1 tbsp table salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups tomato juice

Make sure all ingredients are diced, about 1/4 inch. Place all ingredients in a large pot and blend using immersion blender to desired smoothness. Chill for 12-24 hours and serve cold. You can garnish with anything you like, maybe a little sprinkle of dill, or diced avocado. Enjoy!

A few years ago, The Bubbe was featured in the Gazette, a Maryland community newspaper, in an article featuring her preparation of gefilte fish from scratch prior to Passover seder. We would share the recipe with you, but some things have to stay a family secret.

Read the whole story here: http://www.gazette.net/gazette_archive/2000/200016/chevy/news/8079-1.html