When I first moved to the United States with my family, we settled in Stamford, Connecticut. My mother insisted we buy that particular house because of the massive apple tree in the back yard, complete with a swing tied onto a low branch. At the time, apples in Thailand (my native country) typically sold for close to $50 a pound, as they were considered “exotic” fruits. Naturally, my mother’s excitement over the prospect of unlimited apples in her own back yard got the best of her. Consequently, I learned how to make apple pie. Lots and lots of apple pie.

This pie worked out perfectly fine for me, until one day my fiancé requested one. It was then that the curve ball came. “I like it with crumbs on top,” he said. My eyebrow raised as my eyes widened. Crumbs on top? What matter of silliness is this? Then I thought, the guy gave me this huge diamond ring, the least I can do is give him a crumby pie. So I set to work, revamping my cherished apple filling to compliment and withstand a Dutch crumb topping.

This is what I came up with, and I must say, Eric might be onto something with these silly crumbs. Any way you slice it, it’s a great way to end a meal, not to mention a perfect way to start out the new year. L’shanah tova!

Ingredients:
Your favorite pie crust (an all-butter crust seems to work the best here)

Filling:
3 lbs Baking Apples (approximately 6 apples total, see note), sliced to about 1/8″ thickness
1/4 to 1/2 C Medium Brown Sugar, to taste
1/2 tsp to1 tsp Kosher Salt, to taste
1 to 2 tsp Saigon Cinnamon, to taste
2 tsp Corn Starch
Juice of half a lemon

Topping:
3/4 C Rolled Oats
3/4 C All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Saigon Cinnamon
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 C Unsalted Butter
1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Roll out dough to fit into a standard 9 1/2″ pie pan. Place pie crust into freezer. If you are not using an all-butter dough, brush the bottom of the pie crust with a beaten egg white before baking.

2) While crust is in the freezer, combine sliced apples, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Taste frequently to make sure you have the seasonings right. This variation depends on how naturally sweet, spicy or juicy the apples naturally are. After well seasoned, add lemon juice, sprinkle corn starch over the apples and combine. If the apples are particularly juicy, you may need to add an extra teaspoon of corn starch.

3) Remove the pie crust from the freezer. The crust should be very cold, but not frozen. Pour apples into the pie crust and spread evenly. Place pie into preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes, to dehydrate the apples.

4) While pie is in the oven, make streusel topping by combining the dry ingredients and incorporating the butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter. Alternatively, you may use a food processor. Process/work the ingredients until you get crumbs.

5) Remove pie from the oven and reduce the heat to 375F. Spread crumb topping evenly over the apples and return to oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes more. Pie is done when filling is bubbling and slightly thickened. It will probably smell pretty good too. Allow pie to cool a bit and serve. If you can’t wait that long, ice cream helps a lot. Enjoy!

~ Recipe submitted by Allaya Diep

Ingredients:
1 regular frozen pie shell
2 cups of frozen berries
1 can apple pie filling
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put in a regular frozen pie shell in the oven for 10 minutes to cook it a little. Then take it out and cool it on a cooling rack. Meanwhile, mix the frozen berries with the apple pie filling in one bowl. In a separate bowl mix the rest of the ingredients to make the crumble topping.
When the pie shell has cooled, pour the berry apple filling into the shell and then top with the crumble topping. Put the pie on a piece of aluminum foil in case any of the liquid bubbles over. Bake for about 55 minutes or until the liquid is bubbling and the topping looks golden brown.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

Ingredients:
4 cups cranberry or pomegranate juice
2 bags frozen unsweetened strawberries
2 bags frozen unsweetened sliced rhubarb
1 cup good quality strawberry or black currant jam
1/4 cup kuzu, arrowroot or cornstarch (Passover: potato starch), dissolved in a little cold water in a small bowl until smooth

Directions:
Bring all but last ingredient to boil in a medium pot. Reduce flame to low and cook 5 more minutes. Add starch mixture and cook only till mixture begins to boils and looks clear (a minute or two). The mixture will be chunky. If you like it smooth, cream it with an immersion blender. Wait until the mixture cools, then store in glass jars in the refrigerator.

~ Recipe submitted by Levana Kirschenbaum of www.levanacooks.com for more great passover recipes go to, Levana cooks for Passover!

Date nut bread, sounds dead-good-for-you-serious, doesn’t it? That is until you taste it. Plump and moist and chock full of goodies. I make it with spelt flour too, so it’s a win-win.

Ingredients:
1 cup diced dates, packed
1 cup dark or golden raisins
2 1/2 cups flour, all purpose, whole wheat pastry or spelt (as always, spelt is my favorite)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup hot strong tea, decaf ok

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Mix the first set of ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the second set of ingredients in another bowl. Combine both mixtures, making sure not to overmix. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan, or 6-cup loaf pan, and bake 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Muffins: Pour the batter into greased muffin molds (about 12 medium) and bake 30 minutes

~ Recipe submitted by Lévana Kirschenbaum of www.levanacooks.com

‘Tis the season to be jolly….yes, even in Israel, wintry festiveness has settled upon us (in the form of Channukah, festival of lights) and we are indulging in donuts, latkes, and other seasonal delights. Personally, I find myself missing the mince pies…

Happily, these pears went some way towards fulfilling that craving. Warm, spicy, rich and comforting, a perfect dessert for a chilly winter’s evening. Surprisingly easy to prepare, the best thing about them is the steaming mulled wine left over once you have served the pears.

Ingredients:
2 small cinamon sticks
125g sugar
300ml red wine
150ml water
thinly pared rind and juice of 1 small orange
4 firm pears
frozen vanilla yoghurt or ice cream to serve

Directions:
1. Place the cinnamon sticks on the work surface and with a rolling pin, slowly roll down the side of the cinnamon stick to bruise. Place in a large heavy-based saucepan.
2. Add the sugar, wine, water, pared orange rind and juice to the pan and bring slowly to the boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Meanwhile peel the pears, leaving the stalks on. Cut out the cores from the bottom of the pears and level them so that they stand upright.
4. Stand the pears in the syrup, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the pears to cool in the syrup, turning occasionally.
5. Arrange the pears on serving plates and spoon over the syrup. Decorate with orange slices if you wish, and serve with ice cream or frozen yogurt.

~ Recipe submitted by Joanne Mandel of the delicious food blog, Eat Love Jump

When it’s cold outside there is nothing better than warming up inside with a thick and flavorful soup. The leeks and apples in this recipe give the more mild butternut squash a zesty kick of flavor.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash peeled and cut into cubes
3 green apples peeled and cut into cubes
1 leek, white part only, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
6 1/2 cups chicken stock or 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth mixed with 3 cups water
pine nuts
cinnamon
chili powder
coriander
salt

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and saute the leeks until slightly golden. Add the diced garlic. Continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Then add the butternut squash cubes and the apple cubes. Cook for about 5 minutes on high flame. Add the salt, coriander, chili powder and cinnamon, and cook for a few minutes. Then add the stock and simmer on low flame until the butternut squash cubes and the apple cubes are tender, about 40 minutes. Once is has cooked, you can either use an immersion blender to make it smooth or transfer in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, reheat to serving temperature, and season with salt. You can garnish each portion with some of the pine nuts. I like to add ginger and some additional cinnamon when serving.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

This recipe is a deliciously sweet addition to Turkey. It has a subtle crunch from the walnuts and will have everyone asking for more!

Ingredients:

1 or 2 cans of whole cranberry sauce (depending on how much you want)
mandarin orange segments
crushed pineapple
candied walnuts

Directions:

Mix the above ingredients together.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

Ingredients:

frozen pastry dough
Macintosh apples
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon

Directions:

Combine the cinnamon and sugar. Peel apples and remove the core, then roll them in cinnamon & sugar mixture. Place the apples in the center of the pastry dough, and wrap around the apple. Place on baking sheet and bake uncovered on 350 for about 45 minutes. You can sprinkle powered sugar on top before serving.

~ Recipe submitted by Yehudis Baitz

Miriam’s Amazing-Super-Fast-and-Easy Peach Chicken:

My kids and guests love this!! I have to hide it before Shabbos or it’s gone before lichtsind.

For 2-3 Chickens

Arrange the chicken in a foil pan or shallow baking dish

MIX TOGETHER:
2 Cups BBQ sauce or Ketchup
1 Cup Peach or Apricot Jam
3 TBSP onion soup mix

Sprinkle some matzo meal or corn flake crumbs lightly over the chicken
Brush or spread the BBQ mixture over the chicken

Open a can of sliced peaches, or take a handful of apricots, and arrange them over the chicken

Bake at 350 for about an hour

TIP: This recipe yields plenty of gravy, which is lovely over rice. Throw in a few slivered almonds and it’s positively gourmet.

My mom rocks because she is funny, creative, supportive, she tells-it-like-it-is, she gives free advice 24/7, and she’s there for me whenever I need her.

~ Recipe submitted by Heidi Ort