December Kosher Connection - Chinese Food

I've posted this recipe before but was prompted to repost by the kind folks who run the Kosher Connection Link Up. This month's theme is Chinese Food and my yummy Pastrami Egg Rolls are always a hit at our Friday Night Table.

I begin by combining a can of stir fry vegetables, chopped fine, with some sauteed chopped onion and red cabbage and some finely diced pastrami. I seasoned it with soy sauce and some seasonings. This recipe is very flexible. I have, on occasion, added canned mushrooms as well. If you like it - ADD IT!  Then roll the mixture up in egg roll wrappers and fry them quickly in super hot oil.

The results are pleasing to both the eyes as well as the palate.

Sometimes a Wednesday's Wacky Sign Just Can't Wait...!

This gem was spotted today in Teaneck, NJ.
Otherwise I'd have said, "Only in New York!...."

Pirsum Project - Clever Camera Tricks

This clever photo comes to us via Annette from Chashmonaim.
Click on the photo to enlarge.
Her special lens created a magen david around each flame :)

Pirsum Project - Zos Chanukah in Har Nof

Thanks to Debbie for sending this lovely photo to round out this year's Pirsum Project!

Food Photo Friday - Gearing Up For An Engagement Party

These "simple" sugar cookies have become somewhat of a tradition for me for family simchas.
The problem is, that although the dough is simple and even the WRITING is (relatively) simple (if not dull and repetitive), the icing and outlining is quite tedious. 2-3 minutes per cookie x 100 cookies = you do the math.

Oh, and let's not forget that those little nonpareils which delicately outline each heart, skitter everywhere and I continue to step on them for days, no matter how often I sweep. I end out with the loveliest polka dotted soles of my feet.


They do, however, add a bit of fun, love and personalization to a simcha.

So if you ever want to attempt these cookies, consider yourselves forewarned ;)

Pirsum Project - Good Enough To Eat

This clever menorah is courtesy of Gourmet Glatt in Cedarhust. How creative!!

Pirsum Project - How The Time Flies

Pirsum Project - Enjoying the Light

Thanks SquasH (@EmesOrNT) for sending in this sweet photo of her son who sat enjoying the lights of Chanukah in that exact position for half an hour :)

Keep the photos coming! Email them to guesswhoscoming2dinner@gmail.com and tell me how/if you'd like to be credited. Extra props to the person who can take a nice outside photo of Washington Heights windows (I've never managed a good one...)

Chanukah Blog Party - Sweet Potato Leek Soup

Chanukah, and winter in general, is a time for soul-soothing, heart-warming comfort foods.

I love to whip up a batch of sweet potato leek soup for Shabbos Chanukah to be enjoyed with all the other delicacies reserved for this special Shabbos. (I still remember my grandmother preparing stuffed goose. I wonder if anyone does that anymore - or if it's even available.). 

This savory soup is surprisingly easy to prepare and even die-hard sweet potato abstainers are  pleasantly surprised. Garnish with homemade whole wheat dreidel croutons for a bit of fun.


SWEET POTATO LEEK SOUP

2 T oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 leeks, white and light green parts, well cleaned and chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 T salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I use substantially less, and have omitted for delicate stomachs)
32 oz broth
1/4 c parsley, optional


Heat oil and add onion garlic and leeks.
Let onions sweat for 5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, salt and cayenne pepper. 
Mix and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in broth and parsley. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer half an hour. Puree.



Please don't forget to send in your Pirsum Project menorah photos throughout the week as well and tell me how/if you'd like to be credited. (Search "Pirsum Project" on this blog to see some lovely photos from previous years - like here, and here, and here...)





Ready for more?

Welcome to our first ever Chanukah Blog Party, hosted by Leah of Cook Kosher and Miriam of Overtime Cook. It's traditional on Chanukah to eat fried treats, most notably doughnuts and latkes, and we've got a fabulous array of Chanukah themed recipes, treats and crafts from Jewish bloggers all over the world! Scroll down for links to all of the delicious treats. 

To help get everyone into party mode, we have a bunch of fabulous new cookbooks to giveaway! Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win one of:

2 copies of Susie Fishbein's new Kosher By Design Cooking Coach (sponsored by Artscroll)

2 copies of Leah Schapira's  Fresh and Easy Kosher Cooking (sponsored by Artscroll) 

2 copies of Esther Deutch's CHIC Made Simple (sponsored by the author)

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Sunday, December 16th. Limit one entry per person per blog, so visit the other blogs for extra chances to win! 

Prizes can only be shipped within the US. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address in order to qualify.

How to enter: Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite family Chanukah tradition.

This is the second of many fabulous Holiday Blog Parties. If you would like to be added to the mailing list to participate in future parties, please email holidayblogparties@gmail.com

Stop by the other blogs and check out these Chanukah Themed Recipes:

Latkes:

Jamie from Joy of Kosher made Zucchini Latkes with Tzatziki

Daniel from Peikes Cookbook made Potato and Fennel Latkes Fried in Duck Fat With Chinese Five Spice Apple Sauce

Susan from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen made Squash and Potato Latkes

Samantha from The Little Ferraro Kitchen made Ruby Red Beet Latkes with Cumin

Nechamah from TIforOA Food Ideas made Healthy Oatmeal Latkes

Liz from The Lemon Bowl made Traditional Potato Latkes

Melanie from From Fast Food to Fresh Food made (I Can't Believe They're Crispy!) Baked Latkes

Laura from Mother Would Know made Three Variations of Sweet and Savory Latkes

Sarah from Crispy Bits and Burnt Ends made Kimchee Latkes

Shulie from Food Wanderings made Baked Panko Sweet Potato Leek Latkes

Donuts and Desserts:

Miriam from Overtime Cook made Shortcut Cannoli with Chocolate Mousse Filling

Leah from Cook Kosher made 5 Minute Donuts

Estee from The Kosher Scoop made Tropical Fruit Fritters

Melinda from Kitchen-Tested made Sweet Steamed Buns

Amy from What Jew Wanna Eat made Homemade Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Gelt

Avidan from Baking It Up As I Go Along made Orange Olive Oil Cake

Tali from More Quiche Please made Glazed Chocolate Donut Holes

Amital from Organized Jewish Home made Mom's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Princess Lea from The Frumanista made Túrógombóc

Stephanie and Jessica from The Kosher Foodies made Beignets

Gigi from Gigi's Kitchen made Bunuelos: Mini Powdered Cheese Donuts 

Esther from Esther O Designs made Edible Menorahs

Patti from No Bacon Here made Hanukkah Oreo Balls

Shoshana from Couldn't Be Parve made Churros con Chocolate

Shaindy from My Happily Hectic Life made Inside Out Apple Crisp

Eve from Gluten Free Nosh made Gluten-Free Hanukkah Sugar Cookies

Amy from Baking and Mistaking made Mini Cream-Filled French Beignets

Sarah from Food, Words, Photos made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Victoria from Itsy Bitsy Balebusta made Pure Vanilla Donuts

Vicky and Ruth from May I Have That Recipe made Dulce de Leche and Eggnog cream filled mini sufganiot

Dena from Oh You Cook made Poached Pears in Pomegranate Sauce

Michele from Kosher Treif Cooking made Tiramisu Cheessecake

Sharon from FashionIsha made Sparkly Chanukah Cookies

Yosef from This American Bite made Garlic, Zaatar and Olive Oil Popcorn

Appetizers, Soups, Sauces, Drinks and other Hanukkah Food:

Laura from Pragmatic Attic made Caramel Spice Applesauce

Jessie from Bread and Butter made Honey Spiced Hanukkah Martini

G6 from Guess Who's Coming 2 Dinner made Sweet Potato Leek Soup

Claire from I Love Soup made Sweet Potato, Coconut & Lemongrass Soup

Jennifer from Juanita's Cocina made Kugel

Liz from Kosher Like Me made Ready, Stuff Roll!

Shelley from The Kosher Home made Hanukkah Crafts and Printables

Pirsum Project - Nazi Germany 1933

This poignant photograph has apparently been circulating for a while, but this is the first time I've ever seen it so I thought many of my readers may not have seen it either.

This menorah was in an apartment window overlooking the town hall of Kiel, Germany, bedecked with its Nazi flag (c. 1933-1939).

It is quite a powerful image.

Pirsum Project Begins - First Light

Thanks to twitter friend @SShaindyS for kicking of this years Pirsum Project with her photo of light 1.
Keep sending in your photos to guesswhoscoming2dinner@gmail.com
Get creative!
I'll put in my personal request.
For years now, I've been trying to take the perfect shot from OUTSIDE of all the windows lit, without  much technical success :)

She Put The "Guess Who" In Coming To Dinner...

Sometimes I think these kinds of things happen only to me.
I might have mentioned that my son is engaged ;).
You already know that we like to have lots of Shabbos guests at our table.
This weekend was slated to be no exception.
We were looking forward to sharing our meal with three lovely ladies -  A, R and "R's friend from out of town", whom we had not yet met.
When Joey got engaged, Kayla of course, rounded out the guest list.
What I didn't know (and apparently nobody else did either), was that purely by coincidence, "R's friend from out of town" turned out to be none other than KAYLA'S ROOMMATE! 
When R's friend arrived at R's house on Friday, she excitedly told R that her roommate just became a kallah - - - to none other than a Washington Heights boy! R was curious to know which WH boy had gotten engaged this week. It was quite amusing to find out that their long ago scheduled Friday night dinner, was at the very home of the engaged couple!
Happy surprises, and a few laughs, all around.
And around here... you truly never quite know who's coming to dinner!