Beany Malone: Rosh Hashanah - Unexpected Day Off

Rosh Hashanah and Staying Home

Happy New Year! Today is Rosh Hashanah! I had to stay home from work today, because a plumber/handyman is at the apartment fixing our bathtub (the tiles are falling out) and our kitchen floor's linoleum. I am holed up in our bedroom with the two cats, keeping them out of the way of the work. They would be extremely "helpful" if allowed out. Being home for a Jewish holiday makes me feel like I should celebrate by baking a Jewish apple cake or challah. Since marrying someone of Jewish heritage (not religious though), I have wanted to get in touch with his family's roots by baking rugelach, learning about the holidays, and history. It is traditional to eat apples dipped in honey for Rosh Hashanah; so that you have a sweet start to your year.

For breakfast I ate Pepperidge Farm white bread toasted with butter and beet-berry preserves. Adequately sweet, if you ask me. Also, Pepperidge Farm is (in my opinion) the best toasting bread. When I was little my grandpa would make toast with with butter and jam and a side of oatmeal for breakfast when we visited his and my gran's house. I would dunk my toast in the oatmeal (gross right?). Speaking of oatmeal, if you want a simple breakfast that tips its hat to Rosh Hashanah, eat some McCann's Apple Cinnamon Irish oatmeal (maybe with a dollop of honey added in for tradition's sake). It is my favorite! As a kid, I only ate way overly sweetened Quaker cinnamon/sugar oatmeal, but have grown to love a more oat-y breakfast (it's very low in calories and full of good nutrients). I also like plain Irish oatmeal with a handful of raisins thrown in for sweetness (it's an easy and healthy office breakfast that can be made in a mug).

Okay, Jewish baked goods that I would like to try baking at home:

Jewish Apple Cake

When I was at college in Pennsylvania, I briefly worked "under the table" at a cute little bakery. I would have to bake overtime until 2 a.m. sometimes for the Jewish holidays; two dishes that we made for this were Jewish Apple Cake and Noodle Kugel. I never got into the apple cake (probably because they cost about $30 a pop), but there was an overabundance of kugel at the end of the holidays that needed to get eaten; I think I gained a good 10 pounds just on kugel. It was sort of a cross between bread pudding and noodle casserole. Not that flavorful, but addictively carby and dense.