Jewish New Year Cards

Growing up on an apple orchard, we did everything imaginable with apples, including using them as stamps. Around the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana, it’s typical for Jews to send out New Years cards to friends and family. I had fun making these recently with our kids to wish our loved ones Shana Tovah and a sweet new year.

Apple Stamp Cards

Directions: Slice an apple in half from the stem down. Put a small amount of tempura paint on a plate and dip each half in like a stamp. Press onto thick cardstock-type paper. Use watercolor paints to add a stem and leaf and any personalized message. Mail as a postcard or pop them in an envelope to share.

Watch this little video for a short tutorial!

Happy New Year!

I can’t believe it is 2020! When I can, I like to spend some time during the holidays to take stock of the past year and set some intentions for the New Year. Two women who have inspired me recently in this regard are Gabby Bernstein and Tina Roth Eisenberg.

Tina Roth Eisenberg is the founder of Tattly, CreativeMornings, and a creative co-working space (to name a few!) and I love this talk she gave about the importance of pursuing side projects. Ever since I first heard it a few years ago, I like to go back and listen again when I need a little jolt of inspiration.

Gabby is a speaker and author and I just finished her book, The Universe Has Your Back. It has inspired me to carve out some time to get clear on what I really want to manifest this next year.

Do you have any creative side projects you want to take on in 2020?

And in case you are looking for healthy recipe ideas as we move out of the holidays, I love this Peanut Butter Avocado Shake from my first book!

PEANUT BUTTER AVOCADO SHAKE

1/2 ripe avocado

1 1/4 c (300 ml) milk (I use almond milk)

2 frozen bananas (peel & cut into chunks before freezing)

3 ice cubes

2 T peanut butter

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth!

Serves 2

New Year's Brunch ROUND-UP!

In case you’re hosting a New Year’s brunch, I’ve got some easy ideas for you. For brunch, I’ll often look for quiche or tart ideas since they are yummy served warm or at room temperature. This Caramelized Onion Tart was the first ever video on The Forest Feast’s YouTube Channel! In just 2 minutes I take you through the steps of making a simple Caramelized Onion Tart. Note: For full recipe instructions scroll down:

Caramelized Onion Tart (serves 4-6 as a main course)

3-4 medium onions (red, white, or both!)

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

6 eggs

1/3 c cream (milk or half-n-half works, too)

1 sheet of defrosted puff pastry

4 oz. creamy goat cheese (like chevre) at room temp.

2 t chopped fresh rosemary

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.) Roll out the sheet of puff pastry until it fits into an approx. 13x9-inch greased casserole dish or baking pan. Press the pastry into the pan, crimp the edges to form a crust. 

2.) Slice 3 to 4 onions into thin circles. Sauté for about 30 minutes with butter, olive oil and a pinch of coarse salt in a large skillet over medium/low heat. Caramelize the onions- you’ll know they’re done when they become translucent and begin to get a bit golden.

3.) While onions are cooking, beat 6 eggs and 1/3 c cream with a fork in a bowl. Set aside.

4.) Spread the goat cheese all over the bottom of the puff pastry in the pan forming a base layer of the tart.

5.) When onions are done, spread them evenly over the goat cheese “base layer”. Then pour the egg mixture over the onions. Lastly, sprinkle the top with chopped rosemary, and salt and pepper, if you like.

6.) Bake at 350F degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the egg is set and the crust is golden. 

Serve warm. (Lovely with a side salad for brunch or lunch!)

For more New Year’s Eve brunch ideas, check out:

Yellow Squash Ribbon Quiche

New Year’s Wine & Cheese Party Menu

Prosecco with Pomegranate

The Golden Mary (a take on the classic Bloody Mary)

Pomegranate Challah

The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur is this week, which continues the season of the Jewish New Year. To celebrate this annual cycle, challah is often formed into a round (instead of being braided) and harvest type foods, like pomegranate, are often eaten. I combined these ideas into a sweet bread, baked with lots of honey and pomegranate seeds. You can work the pom seeds into the dough itself, or just sprinkle them on the top, or both!

I have tried a million challah recipes and came up with this combo of ingredients that I like best. Bread is not that hard, you can do it! Here’s how:

Put one packet of yeast in a bowl with ¾ cup warm water and let it sit for 5 min until it gets a little bubbly. Then toss in an egg, 1/3 honey, 2T brown sugar, a big pinch of coarse salt and a half stick melted butter. Mix it all by hand or using a mixer. Then add flour, little by little until it’s no longer sticking to the side of the bowl and is thick and doughy and doesn’t seem to absorb any more flour (you’ll know…). You usually need about 4 cups of flour.

Knead it for a couple minutes (or just let it go around in the mixer with the dough hook) then throw that lump of dough into a big bowl you’ve coated in oil, and cover the top of the bowl with saran wrap. It’ll rise to about twice the size in a couple hours. Then take it out, roll it into a snake, then coil it into a round. Sprinkle with pom seeds and brush with egg (optional, but makes it feel more official!). Let it rise on a cookie sheet for another 45 min or so, then pop it in the oven for about 25 min at 350 degrees. Check it once in a while to see how brown it’s getting, and tap it on the bottom to see if it’s done (it should sound kind of hollow). Enjoy!

By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast