Hamentashens, by Cheryl

Yay for Purim season! What a fun Jewish holiday... too bad the typical carnivals and parades can't happen this year, but we are prepared for a lot of zoom celebrations! Last night I went to a hamentashen baking zoom class through our temple. I actually have never made hamenatashens before. They were always just around and I never felt the urge to, and to be honest I don't LOVE hamentashens. I always find the dough to be too dry. BUT, this dough is delicious, soft, and sweet! I was eating it before I even baked it. There's a tad of orange juice in the dough and I really think that adds to its flavor. And my first batch came out great! No oozing of the insides and no breaking apart of the dough. Definitely put these on your list to make! 

Ingredients: (recipe from a temple member)

3 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1/4 orange juice

2 eggs

2.5 tbsp baking powder

Fillings: chocolate chips, apricot jam, raspberry jam, nutella, etc. 

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the orange juice. Mix in the baking powder, and then gradually stir in the flour until the dough forms a ball. If the mixture is too sticky add some flour. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. 

2) Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

3) On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 2.5 inch circles using a cookie cutter or a glass. Place circles on prepared cookie sheets. 

4) Spoon 1/2-3/4 teaspoon of filling, or 4-5 chocolate chips onto the center of each circle. Pinch the sides of each circle to form a triangle, covering as much of the filling as possible. (They may be frozen on the cookie sheets if desired to help retain their shape while cooking).

5) Bake for 10-15 minutes (mine took 14) until the edges are golden brown. 

Makes approximately 2 dozen. 

Balsamic Coffee Pot Roast, by Diane

This was super delicious, and fairly easy for how complex it tastes! The recipe came from a Whole30 blog, @thekitchenista, and it had a cool list of flavors: coffee, balsamic vinegar, orange peel, roasted garlic, and vanilla to name a few. This roast literally fell apart! It may have been a bit too tangy, so next time I might nix either the aminos or the vinegar, but it paired well with the recommended sweet potato mash.

Ingredients:

Kosher salt

2-3 lb chuck roast

2 tbsp coconut or avocado oil

1 large white onion, rough chopped

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup coconut aminos

1 cup strong brewed coffee

2 cups beef bone broth, plus more if needed

4 orange peel strips

2 bay leaves

1 whole head garlic, top sliced off

2 tsp vanilla

1/8 cup chopped dates

Directions:

1. Dry and salt the roast one day ahead, 1 tsp of salt per lb of meat. Refrigerate overnight.

2. Heat a large Dutch oven to medium high heat, add in the oil until just smoking. Dry the meat and sear until deeply browned and crusty on all sides. Remove and set aside. Set the oven to 275.

3. Keeping the oils in the pot, brown the onions, then add in paprika, pepper, crushed red pepper, and tomato paste. Cook one minute.

4. Add in remaining ingredients and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. 

5. Add the meat back into the pot, making sure liquid covers 3/4 of the meat. Add more broth if necessary to do this. Cook in the oven with the lid just cracked for 3-4 hours until internal temperature is 200 and the meat is fork tender but holds a slice. 

6. Remove the meat, set aside. Strain the sauce, saving the liquid, and add liquid back to the Dutch oven until it simmers. Add back the onions, and remove all the garlic and smash it into the sauce. 

7. Reduce to the desired consistency, then add meat back in. Serve over mashed sweet potatoes.