HEAVENLY MINI BLINIS WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE- Aliza Scherer

1 loaf white bread

Filling:

8 oz whipped cream cheese

1 egg yolk

1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter, unwhipped, melted

1/2 C sugar

1 t cinnamon

Sour cream Sauce:

1 container sour cream

8 oz dessert whip

1/2 bag frozen strawberries

Remove rind of each slice of bread. With a rolling pin, gently roll each slice, turn over and roll on the other side. Combine filling ingredients spread one T of filling over each slice of bread. Roll up jelly roll style, mix sugar and cinnamon, melt the butter, dip each mini blini into the melted butter and roll in the cinn-sugar mixture. Place seam side down onto baking pan, Bake 350 for 20 minutes.

Sour cream sauce: cut up the frozen strawberries into small pieces, but do not blend. Whip up the dessert whip, add sour cream and strawberries, mix until combined.

Serving suggestion: Pour 3 ox. sour cream sauce into a martini glass, add 1-2 mini blinis standing vertically against the side of the glass. Garnish with fresh blueberries.

CHEESE LUKSHEN KUGEL- Yehudis Edelstein

There are so many delicious quiche recipes out there that I chose not to give another and instead, my mother's famous cheese lukshen kugel! It's always a hit every Shavuos!

6 eggs

1 C sugar (less 4 T)

12 oz cream cheese

2 sticks butter (less 4 T)

1 pint sour cream

1 lb medium noodles, cooked

2 C corn flake crumbs

Mix everything together except the 4 T butter and the 4 T sugar and the corn flake crumbs

mix the 4 T butter, 4 T sugar and the crumbs together and sprinkle on top

Refrigerate overnight and then bake and enjoy!

CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING- Elisheva Bier

Here's a terrific recipe for carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. This recipe is originally for the NY Times. The story behind the cake goes as follows- a woman opened a bakery called the Carrot Top Bakery with this recipe as the feature cake.

Cake:

1 C oil

2 C sugar

3 C ground carrots (7 medium)

1 C walnuts coarsely chopped

2 C flour

3 t baking powder

1 t cinnamon

1 t nutmeg

1/2 t salt

4 eggs

Frosting:

1/4 C butter (1/2 stick) at room temp

1/4 C shortening

1 1/2 C cream cheese (3/4 Lb) at room temp

2 T milk

1 T vanilla

1 1/2 C confectionary sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease 9 x 11 inch sheet pan (I usually make it in a 9x13 or in 2 square pans)

In a large bowl, combine everything but the eggs. Then add the eggs and mix well.

Cook for 45 minutes or until cake is springy to the touch.

Cool in pan

Frosting-cream the butter, shortening, and cream cheese with a wooden spoon or hand mixer. Add milk and vanilla extract. Add confectionary sugar and stir until smooth.

Frost when cake is cool.

BAKED MOZZARELLA STICKS- Geulah Kadosh

A quick and healthier version- from gourmetkoshercooking.com

1 (10 ounce) package of string cheese

1/2 C flour

1/4 C cornstarch

2 egg whites

2 T water

1 1/2 C bread crumbs

1 t oregano

2 T butter or margarine, melted

Marinara sauce of your choice

Cut each piece of cheese in half. Combine flour and cornstarch on a plate. Beat egg whites with water in a shallow bowl. Combine bread crumbs with oregano and place on another plate. First dredge the cheese in the flour mixture, then dip in egg white mixture, then coat with crumbs. Place on baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle cheese sticks with melted margarine. Bake for about 7 minutes. Serve warm with sauce. (Seven minutes may be too long, leading to melted cheese! Check after 5 minutes) Enjoy!

TOMATO & OLIVE STUFFED PORTOBELLO CAPS-Geulah Kadosh

Quick appetizer, from eatingwell.com- Although it calls for grilling, I plan on baking the mushrooms on Shavuos.

2/3 C chopped plum tomatoes

1/2 C shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 C Kalamata olives

1 t minced garlic

2 t extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1/8 t dried rosemary

1/8 t ground pepper

4 portobello mushroom caps, 5 inches wide

2 T lemon juice

2 t soy sauce

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl

Preheat grill to medium

Discard mushroom stems, remove brown gills using a spoon, discard gills. Mix the remaining 1 T oil, lemon juice and soy sauce in a bowl. Brush the mixture over both sides of the caps.

Oil a grill rack, place the caps on the rack, stem sides down, cover and grill until soft, about 5 minutes per side

Remove from the grill and fill with the tomato mixture. Return to the grill, cover, and cook until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.