I once again did my own Passover Seder this year and incorporated things from last year into new things from this year! Passover food does not have to be bland and boring and it doesn't have to be deadly in fat either...Sure, some of the stuff I made is heavy and bad for you (but delicious), but there's also a lot of lighter stuff, like these Vegetarian Mock Gefilte Fish (which also save your friends from a potentially unpleasant taste experience...Gefilte fish are definitely an acquired taste.) So enjoy all of these recipes! Also, sorry there are no photos, I was going going going Monday night and didn't have time to snap some shots...

Ingredients
3 medium potatoes, peeled
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 large eggplant
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Vegetable oil for cooking (double check the ingredients...Canola oil is kosher but some veggie oils are not!)
Matzah meal (optional)
Sea salt, freshly ground pepper, paprika

Intrigued? Read on for the rest of the recipe...

 
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Happy Purim! Decided to make Hamantaschen this year (as I have most years of my life) just to keep up with tradition. Unfortunately there was no Purimspiel or noisemakers...well not toy noisemakers = )

Ingredients (makes about 32 cookies)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon zest
2 eggs
Filling (Any kind of preserves, poppy seeds, chocolate chips, mini M&Ms...)

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Directions
  • Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder in large bowl. Cut butter in until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
  • Mix lemon zest, vanilla extract, and eggs in a separate bowl. Stir into flour mixture until dough forms a ball (you may have to use your hands. Don't be afraid to get dirty! It's the best part of baking...I'm still covered in flour = )  )
  • Cover and refrigerate dough for about 2 hours or until firm.
  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Roll half the dough at a time to 1/8" thick on a lightly floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into 3" rounds (I use the top of a tall tumbler as my cutter. It's a quick and easy trick!)
  • Spoon 1 level teaspoon of the filling you choose onto each round (We used apricot and strawberry preserves..and some chocolate chips for fun). Bring up 3 sides and pinch corners to form a triangular shape (which mimics the shape of Haman's *noisemaker!* tri-cornered hat).
  • Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 - 15 minutes and remove to rack immediately. Voila tower of hamantaschen = )

 
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Yet another Groundhog Day tradition that I haven't had time to post...Groundhog Pancakes!

Just use your regular Buttermilk Pancake recipe and use a small dollop for the head, larger dollop for the body, tiny dollops for front legs and a tail, then chocolate chips or blueberries for an eye and a nose.

Read more for the recipe I use.


 
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Welcome to a Weber/Galloway family tradition (Copyrighted! So no copyright infringement, kiddies!) that has lasted for the past 21 years!!

When I was younger, my dad and I used to bake pretty frequently. One Groundhog Day when I was in kindergarten, my dad decided we should make a batch of cookies and shape it into a groundhog so I could bring it in to school...This turned into a yearly tradition! We also added groundhog shaped pancakes the morning of (though that has changed to an evening tradition for me, since I started college anyway).

Unfortunately, for those who hate winter, our beloved Punxsutawney Phil has predicted another 6 weeks of winter. I'm kind of ok with that because I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a big blizzard!

Read on for our family secret chocolate chip cookie recipe...; )