Luchen Kugel

We had a bunch of apples from Costco and I wasn't sure if we'd eat them all, so I decided to make Kugel. We had all the other ingredients and it's one of my favorite thing to have for breakfast. Kugel is a Jewish side dish, not a breakfast food, but who cares!

My Grandma gave me this recipe, which was her mother's recipe. We don't have a lot of family heirlooms since both my maternal Grandma and Grandpa were 1st generation Americans, so it is nice to have a bit of family history! Her kugel is a sweet, apple and raisin kugel, yum!

Bertha Schreiber's Luchen Kugel

1/2 lb (8oz) broad egg noodles

2 eggs (sometimes I use 3 to hold together better)

3 Tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp shortening (my Grandma uses margarine, I use butter)

1/2 cup raisins

2 apples peeled and sliced (I usually eyeball and add an extra apple if needed)

*Boil noodles as directed; drain and cool.

*Add slightly beaten eggs to the cooled down noodles to coat.

*Melt fat (butter or marg.) to mixture of apples, raisins, cinnamon and sugar.

*Add some more cinnamon and sugar on top. If you have a really hot oven, I would suggest skipping this step.

*Bake in greased casserole at 350F (180C) for an hour

Serves 4 to 6.

X-Factor

Finally some people who can sing! My favorites from tonight:

Jamie Archer



Miss Fitz

I ♥ My Friends/Family

I'm a very lucky girl! My best friend Sabrina sent me this super cool diaper bag last week. It's called OiOi, I'm not sure if it's punk or Jewish or both like me, but I love it! How cute is it???



My sister Alison also sent this super cute penguin hat from Etsy, modelled here by Gee Gee and Emma.

The Bebe is going to have a cute warm noggin' and I'm going to have a styling bag to schlep it's dirty drawers around in. SCORE!

Thank you xoxoxo

22 weeks

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop.

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. Their lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and they are even developing tiny tooth buds beneath their gums. Their eyes have formed, but their irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers their body and the deep wrinkles on their skin, which they'll sport until they add a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside their belly, their pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

*How far along?: 22 weeks
*Total weight gain: Don't know, they don't weigh me at my appointments
*How big is baby?: Spaghetti squash or papaya
*Maternity clothes?: Yup
*Sleep?: I've been attempting to nap, but I wake up feeling even worse then before I slept

*Best moment this week?: NBH trying out the baby carrier we bought

*Movement?: Super squirmy/twisty bebe

*Food cravings?: No
*Labor signs?: No
*Belly button in or out?: Innie
*What I miss: Energy
*What I'm looking forward to: Preview of "Funny People" tonight
*Milestone: Getting our flat valued to go on the market

X-Factor is back!

X-Factor is back and in it's honor I decided to have a cheesy dinner of Velveeta shells and cheese :)

The format is the same as last year, except contestant must audition in front of a live audience as in the "Got Talent" format. I have to say I'm not a fan of the addition of backing music at this stage; I don't think you get the same impact you get with a capella auditions.

Perhaps it's not surprising then that one of my favorites is Duane Lamonte, who sang a capella. he made it through the 1st rounds last year, but not to the live shows.

I haven't watched the X-tra Factor yet, but all in all I wasn't that impressed with the 1st episode. I feel like I barely saw any auditions and where were the groups? the over 25s? Hopefully it will get better as the season goes on.

I ♥ Esteban

Cincinnati's emergency kicker and international soccer fan booted the decisive extra point late in the first half and the Bengals beat the sloppy New England Patriots 7-6 on Thursday night.

'' 'Esteban' Ochocinco is back, the most interesting footballer in the world,'' Ochocinco said. ''Everyone has to remember, I've always said that soccer is my No. 1 sport. I think Ronaldinho would be proud of me right now.''

Ochocinco practices kicking but had never done it in a preseason or regular-season game in his eight years with the Bengals, the first seven as Chad Johnson . But when Shayne Graham 's groin felt sore in pregame warmups, coach Marvin Lewis decided to rest the team's franchise player and see what Ochocinco could do.

He did very well.

After the game, Ochocinco pulled out his PDA and displayed a photo of him with soccer star David Beckham.

''Soccer's my first love, Kicking's easy ... like riding a bike,'' he said. ''I can kick them from 50, 60 yards, left or right hash mark. ... I kicked all through high school.''

© Sports Illustrated

Greek Nachos

I have a lot of food blogs in my Google reader and came across this post for Greek nachos, unfortunately there wasn't a recipe. Cue NBH to the rescue! He googled and created his own interpretation and it was really good!


1 packet of Quorn mince
4 pita pockets
1/2 cucumber
1-2 tomatoes
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 lemon
160g feta


Spice Mix:

2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon


1) Cut Pitas in half and then into wedges. Drizzle with olive oil sparingly and bake in the oven at 200C for 10 minutes or until brown and crisp.

2) Roughly Chop Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Feta and set aside.

3) Mix yogurt and zest and juice of lemon and set aside.

4) Brown Quorn in a little oil and then add 1/2 cup of water and the spice mix. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat until all the liquid is gone; about ten minutes.

5) Arrange pita chips on a plate and top with "meat," and feta. Grill until cheese melts.

6) Top with tomatoes and cucumbers. Drizzle with lemon yogurt sauce and enjoy!

NBH adds that he put a few drops of peppermint extract to the sauce, but only because we didn't have any fresh mint. He'd add the mint to the sauce and garnish with it as well next time.