Bundt Noodle Kugel

The first time I tried this dish was in college, the first time I had a Jewish friend in fact. It was a late night and we were studying for mid terms in the fall and I remember Sloane said she was hungry and had some left over Kugel in the fridge. I was thinking more on the lines of let’s go get Taco Bell, but being no stranger to trying new foods and not wanting to be rude I accepted her reheated square piece of slightly sweet and over indulgent rich amazingness. By the end of the night I crammed both for an exam and myself with what I had no idea would be my first Jewish love: Noodle Kugel! 

Now it's my turn to recreate this dish which I had searched high and low for the perfect recipe, and got lucky that friend's mom was sweet to share her favorite recipe with me. Let me tell you all that the picture of the final product was taken after I had cut a bite out of it, my impatience and excitement got the best of me!

This dish is great for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a great time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted, divided

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup sour cream 

3/4 cup applesause

1 package (16 ounce) medium or large egg noodles, cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12 cup bundt pan with non stick vegetable spray. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter into bunt pan.  Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over butter in pan, then sprinkle chopped walnuts over the brown sugar. 

 In a large mixing bowl combine remaining 1/4 cup melted butter, salt, eggs, cinnamon, granulated sugar, sour cream and applesauce. 

Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until brown.  Remove from oven, and turn upside down on serving plate. Serve hot. 

Slaw with Cucumber Dill Dressing

When I think summer time, I think fresh vegetables, grilling out and an American staple: Coleslaw. I had never tried my luck at slaw but this recipe made me want to get the grater out and go for it. Once again, this is a Wespie, Wes the neighbor has a bountiful of delicious recipes to share, which of course are all adored by me!

This is not just like any other slaw you’ve had, the dill dressing makes it very refreshing and it also goes with just about anything you’re serving with your summer meals. Another plus was how quickly this recipe was ready, the grating was probably the most work you’ll do, and well you can make that easy on yourself and just buy the stuff that’s in a bag and ready to mix.

Ingredients

1/2 head shredded cabbage

1/2 medium sized cucumber, peeled and grated

4 oz low fat cream cheese (softened)

3-4 oz buttermilk* (add until consistency of thick slaw dressing)

1 tablespoon dill weed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

* I made one small change, instead of buttermilk I used Greek yogurt

 Here is my hard work on the grating

Stir together: Cream cheese, 3 oz buttermilk*, dill weed, salt and pepper.  Add additional 1 oz or more buttermilk* until the desired consistency of your dressing.

Toss with shredded cabbage, chill, serve and enjoy!

PS: I made this the same day of the Zucchini Cakes and it went really well together.