Hi Julie

Glad you like the book. The recipes are EASY aren’t they!

You didn’t say whether this is a sweets-only kiddush or a small meal or whether you can serve hot or only cold. So let me make a few suggestions and if you need more, ask me again.

For sweets only, you can’t do better than those Grand Finale Cookies. They are a combination chocolate-chip and oatmeal raisin cookies and I’ve never known anyone who didn’t love them. I usually add a few more chocolate chips than the recipe says because my grandson complains if I don’t. I use McCann’s Quick-cooking oats. I also use finely chopped almonds.

To make them nut-free, add a bit more oats (1/3 cup).

The Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies are also easy and well-loved. And one of my favorites, which you can make ahead of time, is the Yogurt Spice Cake. You can serve that with cut up fruit and yogurt sauce or serve it plain.

My sister-in-law’s favorite is the Crunchy Almond Apple Cake.

Any of the above are easily transportable and easy to serve and all make-ahead.

If you are serving hot savory food, my best suggestions are: Spinach Pie, which you can make ahead and freeze (I did that last night!) or make 2-3 days before your event and keep refrigerated.

Another good hot dish that you can serve alone or with spinach pie (this is always a combination I serve) is the Bulgur Wheat with Lentils, Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms, a riff on Mujadarah (the recipe for that is on this website). If you make this ahead, keep the vegetables separate, reheat them separately and spoon the vegetables on top of the wheat just before you serve the dish.

If you need something cold: Tzadziki, the yogurt dip that you can serve with pita bread, cut up vegetables, and so on. This is one you can make 2 days ahead also. And my favorite: Bulgur Wheat Salad with Feta Cheese and Dill Dressing — so very refreshing (this is the recipe I have made at all my book demonstrations).

Note that the servings sizes change when you are not serving a meal. So, for example, if you serve both the Bulgur Wheat and Spinach Pie as a tidbit after services, they will serve 12-16.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more information.

Has anyone else noticed that people may or may not eat a particular food depending on what it’s called?

I know there’s a lot written about this but I saw it for myself yesterday, when I had a party at my house and served buffet style. One of the dishes was Mujadarah (there are lots of ways to spell this Middle Eastern dish). Everyone seemed taken by its name and helped themselves to some, which was terrific because it turned out to be one of the favorites of the day and people came back for seconds and more and there wasn’t a morsel left for today. :(

Only a couple of people asked what it was and when I explained it is made with bulgur wheat and lentils they hesitated.

Just say Mujadarah and people will eat it. It is a special dish. Not only delicious, but easy to make and you can cook it a day or so ahead of a party. It is also a vegetarian dish that is fabulously nutritious (high protein and fiber).

I once read that Mujadarah is the dish that the biblical Esau found so tempting that he sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowlful. Recipes for this so-called “Esau’s Pottage” abound. Some of them contain meat or meat stock or vegetables. My recipe is fairly plain and simple. I make the onions at least one day ahead because the thick, rich juices leech out of the caramelized onions after a few hours and I pour these into the cooked bulgur and lentils for extra flavor. 

Make extra. This stuff goes (at least when you call it by its proper name).

Mujadarah

1/2 cup olive oil

3 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced

3/4 cup lentils

3 cups water or stock

1 cup bulgur wheat

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon ground cumin

salt to taste

Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the onions are soft and brown. Spoon the onions into a container and cover the container. Refrigerate when cool if not serving the dish immediately. Place the lentils in a saucepan and cover with the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for 18 minutes. Add the bulgur wheat, stir, cover the pan and cook for another 5 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Let rest in the covered pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl. Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add the parsley and toss the ingredients. Add the cumin and salt to taste. If serving immediately, stir in the onions with any accumulated juices. If serving at a later time, stir in the onions and juices, cover the pan and reheat in a covered baking dish in a preheated 350 degree oven. Makes 4 servings

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