Mama's Homemade Challah

For better or for worse, Challah is the element of my religious upbringing that resonated most with me.  In my mind, good challah is one of the very best breads out there, and growing up I ate far too much of it.  Were it not for the the time commitment + inconvenience of my early bedtime, I'd be in serious trouble now that I have my mama's killer recipe!

So this Thanksgiving we had a bit of an episode with the ol' challah making: the dough wasn't rising on the cool, gloomy morning, then we tried the oven at a really low temp and it started to cook a bit--oops--so we put the batch on hold and started all over.  Long story short, we wound up baking those initial loaves and they turned out great too.  Four loaves of Mama's challah came in so handy over the long weekend: french toast for breakfasts, sandwiches for lunches and slices for snacks alllll day long!

Mama's Homemade Challah

6 1/2 - 7 1/2 c unbleached sifted flour
1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 c butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs
1 c milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm
2 packages active dry yeast, dissolved in 1/2 c warm water
Topping
1 egg yolk
1 t milk

• Sift flour
• In a large bowl, mix together sugar, salt, butter and eggs
• Stir in milk and water-yeast mixture
• Add 4 cups flour and mix well; add 2 1/2 cups more and mix thoroughly
• Turn out dough on a floured board and knead until dough is smooth and no longer sticky
• Shape into a ball and place ball in large greased bowl.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours
• Divide dough into two parts; let rest for 10 minutes
• Divide each dough piece into 3* equal parts and roll each part into a 12 inch rope
• Braid ropes, pinching ends to seal and tucking ends under to secure
• Place diagonally on a large, greased cookie sheet (lined with aluminum foil, naturally)
• Preheat oven to 375
• Brush dough with egg-milk mixture, cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 45 minutes**
• Bake, covered in foil for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake 5 more minutes until golden and brown

Between the prep, the rising and the baking, this is a good 3 hour endeavor, but if you have the time and the warm surface to do so, the outcome is so worth it.  My recommendation is to cut a healthy slice, toast it, and top with salted butter :) yum!

* Extra credit: divide dough into 4 parts and then divide 4th piece into 3 parts and make a mini braid to sit on top of challah, follow pinching and tucking instructions but connect braids in opposite directions

** Learning lesson from Thanksgiving experience: if it's a cloudy day or you simply have no warm surfaces, lengthen the time loaves are rising in braids.  I went up to ~1 hour, 15 mins and it worked fantastically!

Pumpkin Pie for AB's Thanksgiving

Fun fact about BSC (...though likely not too surprising): Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday.  Looking beyond the implications of the origin of the celebration, there is absolutely nothing imperfect about the modern day agenda: cooking, eating, drinking, football, and (in my house at least) extremely forgiving expandable waistbands.  


Stemming from this love for the amazing Thanksgiving holiday grew a genuine sympathy for, what I call "Thanksgiving orphans": people without one, or several of the Thanksgiving basics - a tradition, invitation and/or delicious, comforting home cooking.  Which takes us to present day:


One of my very best friends, AB, lives in NYC; I miss him, and I know he's not going home for Thanksgiving this year.  It tugs on my Jewish-mother-in-the-making heartstrings to think of him missing out on the staples, so I figured I'd make sure he got a homemade version of his favorite treat anyway!  


This pumpkin pie recipe is adapted from Paula Deen's (a.k.a. Queen of all things butter) highly-rated version and will be FedEx-ed to AB so it arrives before Thursday.  

Pumpkin Pie for AB's Thanksgiving

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed

1 c sugar

1/4 t salt

1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 c half-and-half

1/4 c (1/2 stick) melted butter

1 t vanilla extract

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/4 t allspice

Crust

1 c flour

1/2 t salt

1/3 c butter, at room temperature

3 T cold water

Whipped Cream

1 Quart Heavy Whipping Cream

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 t cinnamon

2+ T Confectioner's sugar, to taste

• Preheat oven to 400
• To prepare crust, sift together flour and salt; cut in butter until it forms a fine meal.  Add water, one T at a time until all of the flour is moist; knead into a dough (if time allows, refrigerate for 30 minutes) then roll to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured board
• Gently press pie dough into pan, use a fork to prick bottoms and sides for ventilation, and trim edges; line the dough with aluminum foil (and ideally dried beans or pie weights, but I've found that the foil is better than nothing) to help pie keep it's shape when baking; bake for 14-15 mins, until golden brown
• While the crust is in the oven: beat cream cheese in a large bowl with a hand mixer.  Add the pumpkin and beat until combined.
• Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined.  Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter and beat until combined.  Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, and beat until incorporated.
• Pour filling into warm, prepared crust and bake until center is set (PD's recipe claims 50 mins, but this has taken up to 1.5 hours with an aluminum pan)
• Let cool on a wire rack and serve at room temperature.  Enjoy with copious amounts of fresh whipped cream:
• Prepare by using a hand mixer to whip cream in a large bowl; once peaks form, mix in remaining ingredients - taste regularly to optimize flavor!

I commend the selfless work that so many people do for the less fortunate, especially on days of such epic gluttony; whether it's a pie for your favorite "orphan," or volunteered time/service/donations, think of what you can do this year to make someone else's holiday more magical!


Happy Thanksgiving!

Skinny-fied Spaghetti and (Turkey) Meatballs

CK has been really pushing for spaghetti and meatballs lately.  Only problem is: we're on a bit of a pre-Thanksgiving diet, so we're trying to stay on the lighter side.  Unfortunately, the two usually do not go hand-in-hand.


But, I decided to rise to the occasion and skinny-fy the delicious Italian dish with turkey meatballs and whole wheat pasta.  I've gotta say: major success!

Skinny-fied Spaghetti & (Turkey) Meatballs

Whole Wheat Spaghetti

1 t olive oil

1 lb Jenny O's Lean Ground Turkey (93/7)

1/2 brown onion, minced, divided

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c parsley, chopped, divided

1 egg white

1 t crushed red pepper flakes

2 t spicy Italian seasonings

1 t dried oregano

1-2 t salt (according to your taste) + extra

1 t black pepper + extra

1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 c pre-prepared pesto, optional

1 small zucchini, diced

1/2 - 1 jar pasta sauce

• Preheat oven to 500
• Sautee minced garlic in olive oil; season with salt and pepper and stir until golden brown - Keep residual oil in pan for later use
• In a large bowl, combine: turkey, 1/2 c onions, garlic, parsley, egg white, red pepper flakes, Italian seasonings, oregano, salt and pepper
• Line a baking dish with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray (or lightly coat with oil) and divide meat mixture into 2-inch diameter meatballs, evenly spaced
• Broil for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350 and continue baking for 20-25 minutes (make sure they're cooked through, but be careful not to overdone)
• While meatballs are cooking, cook pasta according to package directions and prepare the sauce:
• Sautee zucchini and remaining onions in the pan used to cook garlic, season with salt and pepper until onions are translucent and zucchini are softened; add pesto and tomato sauces and mix well
• Add 1/2 cup cooking water (the starchy water that's boiling the pasta) and stir to combine; continue cooking on low until sauce is reduced to your liking (and rest of the meal is done)
• Serve spaghetti, meatballs and sauce together, topped with cheeses and remaining parsley.  Enjoy!