One Bowl Semolina Yogurt Cake

I had semolina in the freezer for about a year and decided I needed to figure out what to do with it. This cake is easy, delicious, with just a little bit of bite. I think the kids will like it - it's so moist and satisfying. Really easy to bake. Semolina is flour made from hard durham wheat. 

Heat oven to 340. (Odd, I know!)

1 egg
1/3 c. sugar
pinch of salt
1/3 c olive oil
1/2 c yogurt
1 c. semolina
1 t. baking powder
1 t. vanilla
1/3 c shredded coconut (plus more for the top of the cake)

Syrup:
3/4 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
1 t lemon juice

Grease/spray a 9 x 9 pan.

In a bowl (it's a one bowl cake), mix the egg, salt, and sugar until light.

Add oil and yogurt, mixing until smooth.

Add in semolina, baking powder, vanilla, and coconut.

Spread into your pan and bake until browned, about 25 minutes in the convection oven.

Meanwhile bring the water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil, stirring for a few minutes until it's a transparent liquid. 

When the cake is finished, pour the syrup straight over it. No need to poke holes in the cake - it absorbs.

Sprinkle with coconut. 

I cut it into 16 squares. 

Apple Roses

Pretty Food is a category I enjoy - artistic expression using the medium of food.

I saw many versions of these online, too many to keep track of, but finally nailed it. They are really pretty, and the symbolism of rose and apple matches both Rosh Hashanah and Shavuot. Symbolic foods are especially fun, in my book.

I had never worked with puff pastry before. It is readily available. Buy a two sheet package. It's nice to work with - I was always a little scared of it.

Muffin tin for a dozen - spray well with oil.

Two sheets puff pastry - 1.1 lbs
2-3 very red apples. The skin color is key here.

Blueberries, optional

Lemon juice
cinnamon/sugar mixture
flour for flouring the board you roll them out on
red jam (your choice of flavor) - a few tablespoons, or Rosh Hashanah, honey!
3 T melted butter or margarine (the puff pastry can be parve, if that is an issue). Then these are vegan.

Leave the puff pastry at room temperature ahead of working with for an hour or so.

Core the apples by cutting them in half and scooping out the core, or use a corer. (We have one in Chestertown.)
Slice them as thinly as you can. Some people use a mandolin, though I don't have one.

Put the sliced apples in a dish, cover with water and a little lemon juice so they don't discolor, and microwave for 3-4 minutes. You want them to be very pliable but not mushy. Strain them in a colander.

Flour a board for rolling out a sheet of puff pastry til it's about 12 x 14. Cut it, the shorter way, into 6 strips with a pizza cutter.

Spread the jam over each strip, and sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

Take 6 to seven apple slices and lay them across the top 1/4 of the strip, overlapping and extending beyond the top. Fold over the puff pastry and start rolling . If the apple slices slip out you can keep easing them back in. Flatten a bit and set in the greased muffin tin. 
Sprinkle more cinnamon/sugar on top of each, and spread melted butter or margarine on each to help it to crisp up.

I was running short of apples and threw in a few blueberries. They look really pretty!

Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar before you serve, to gild the lily, so to speak!

PS it seems like you could poach the apples in some red wine and color them, which would be even prettier. Plan ahead and try it!

Breadcrumb Eggs and Spinach

This is from MilkStreet - I haven't nailed this yet but want to try again, since it's such a quick and nutritious meal.

~1 c. bread crumbs - run stale challah through the food processor, works great
~ 1/4 c. grated parmesan
thyme, smoked paprika

sherry vinegar - 1/2 T or so
salt, pepper
olive oil
fresh spinach
3 eggs (best if they're from Arcadia Farm!), scrambled (unless you prefer sunny side up)

grated cheese if you want

In a large skillet, add the breadcrumbs. Add seasonings, parmesan, and olive oil and stir until lightly toasted, a few minutes at medium heat.

Make 3 holes, and put 1/3 of the beaten eggs in each. Cover with fresh spinach and optional grated cheese. Put the top on and steam at 2 or 3.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Chickpea Spinach and Avocado Crema

This is artful, delicious, and fun to make. The recipe calls for stuffing the potatoes in individual servings, but I did it with a deconstructed approach. You need to think ahead - make sure you have a few ripe avocados. And roasting the potatoes in advance makes it easier. This is a forgiving recipe - change amounts, add vegetables. I served it with fresh artichokes first and brown rice - a beautiful meal.

6-8 sweet potatoes, roasted at 425 for about 45-50 minutes
3 T olive oil

one onion, chopped, or shallots
4 cloves minced garlic
3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 oz. chopped sun-dried tomatoes. A scissors works better than a knife.
1 container fresh spinach (quantity is fungible)
1 lime, zested and juiced
salt, pepper

Heat olive oil until shimmering and add onions or shallots. Cook about 3 minutes and add garlic for another 30 seconds.

Add the chickpeas and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the spinach until it wilts.

Add salt, pepper, and zested lime along with its juice.

In the meantime, work on the Avocado Crema.

3 ripe avocados

1/2 c Greek yogurt

1 lime, zested and juiced into the mixture

red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper

salt, pepper

Peel and dice the avocados, a messy job!

Drop them in along with the yogurt, and process them until they're smooth. 

Add the zest and lime juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

It discolors if you leave it open. There are methods for avoiding this - us a plastic top adhered directly to it, and refrigerate.

Serve a platter of the sweet potatoes, the chickpeas, and the avocado crema separately.

Red, White & Blue Ricotta Cake

I found this on a YouTube video, in metric measures. It incorporates much of what I like in baked goods: not too sweet, fruit added -- in this case, cranberry and blueberry, an uncommon combo -- and lemon zest. I suspected the large amount of ricotta plus the yogurt or sour cream would give it the taste of a Danish, and yum. I was right!

Bake one larger, flatter cake in a spring form, and one smaller. A bundt pan would be fine, too. The picture is the mini-cake I baked for Eyal and Nadav. When I come to take care of Noa, I make sure there's a treat for the boys when they get home from school. You can't see the blueberries, which are the lower layer.

2 eggs

1/2 c sugar

Lemon zest to taste

1/2 c natural yogurt or sour cream

1/3 c neutral oil

1 1/2 c flour (can be half whole wheat)

1/2 t. salt

Scant T baking powder - seems like a lot, but it came out fine

1//4 c. cranberries, currants, or raspberries

 

Topping: 

1 c. ricotta - 8 oz

1 t. vanilla 

1/4 c sugar 

1 egg

1 T coconut

1/2 c blueberries, dusted with flour or cornstarch

Optional- Powdered sugar when you serve it.

 

350 / 35 min.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest. 

Add and whisk the yogurt, oil, flour(s) and baking powder.

Pour it in the greased baking pans, and drop the red berries on top. No need to mix, as they sink.

Mix the topping ingredients, except the blueberries. Place dollops of the ricotta mixture on the surface. Add the blueberries across the top.

Bake about 30-40 minutes until golden brown and the ricotta topping is solid. Dust with powdered sugar when you serve it.

This is a nice breakfast cake. Not very desserty.

 

Eyal particularly loves this cake. He inhales it!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l8IiRxkr8Y

Peanut Butter Cookies

I have baked peanut butter cookies exactly three times. I once made them when Dick and Rochelle visited, and Dick ate them with such gusto that it made a big impression. When I went to visit when Ram was a baby, I baked them to bring with me (though with SunButter), and Thaer liked them so much they were gone in an evening. I just went for Dick's 80th and Ram's 2nd birthdays, and you guessed it. I brought them peanut butter cookies.

I took two to Eyal and Nadav before my trip, so they could taste test, and they gave them big 👍👍.

1 1/3 c flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 c packed light or dark brown sugar,
1/4 c regular sugar + [1/2 c. sugar for rolling later]
1 egg
3/4 c creamy peanut butter (spray the measuring cup first!)
1 t vanilla

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a mixer, or a large bowl with a hand beater, beat the butter for 1 minute on high til creamy. Add in the sugars until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg. Add the peanut butter and vanilla until mixed.

Add the dry ingredients and beat until combined. Dough is creamy and soft. Chill the cookie dough for an hour or two, or up to a few days.

Heat oven to 350. This will fill two greased cookie tins.

Put the extra 1/2 c sugar in a bowl. Roll each cookie, a scant tablespoon (think, large grape) in the sugar, and put ot on the tin, leaving space for expanding during baking. Using a fork, make criss-cross tops. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set and browned. 

Cool for about five minutes before removing with a spatula onto a cooling rack.

This is from Sally's Baking Addiction.

Eyal and Nadav's Toast Crowns with Chocolate Pudding Dip

Nadav with toast crowns and dip in
Chestertown, Hanukkah 2025

Eyal and Nadav and I like to discuss breakfast at sleepovers.

Since I often make them Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding when they visit, and also Toast Crowns for breakfast (both recipes are on this blog), they had a great idea.

Toast Crowns with Chocolate Sweet Potato Pudding Dip!

It's especially fun when the dip is in a fancy glass!