Melt-In-Your-Mouth Hanukkah Gelt Cookies

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chanuka gelt cookies on OvertimeCook - these melt in your mouth!

How is it that Chanukah is almost here already. Didn't we just cook up a storm for Rosh Hashanah? Well like it or not, Hanukkah is right around the corner. Luckily, I've got a bunch of new and totally delicious recipes up my sleeve to share with you! I'm going to start off with this fabulous cookie recipe. The inspiration for this idea came from these cookies, which were (and continue to be) a total success. They're delicious and easy and totally scream "chanukah!" So I decided to come up with this new version. I made a melt-in-your-mouth cookie dough - with cream cheese in it, of course. And then I press a hanukkah coin right into the middle of it. How adorable is that? Get on these … [Read more...]

Apple and Cabbage Rice

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Apple and Cabbage Rice 2

Can we talk about how apples are starting to show up in grocery stores again? I don't think anyone here is more excited about it than I am. I know I have mentioned this before, but I really love apples. I've got some sweet apple recipes on this blog, but did you know apples make a fabulous savory ingredient too? This rice is totally going to prove that. It's my new favorite. Speaking of favorite recipes, this one is totally easy. And simple. It's perfect for Rosh Hashanah next week, or really for any time you want a great side dish. Who's up for a great serving suggestion? This rice would be perfect stuffed into (and under) a whole chicken and roasted. Or just served alongside some chicken. … [Read more...]

Fill Your Freezer: 40 Freezer Friendly Starters, Soups and Sides

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40 freezer friendly starters soups and sides on overtimecook

So, my Jewish readers who are feverishly starting to prepare definitely know why this is coming. For the rest of you, bear with me for a bit, but the Jewish high holidays are rapidly approaching, followed almost immediately by the Holiday of Sukkot. For Jewish housewives all over the world, that means a whole ton of cooking to be done. And for those who like to prepare ahead, the freezer becomes your best friend. (Of course, there are many times when pre-made meals in your freezer will make life easier, so keep this list handy all year round!) I personally love to have my food ready in advance, in the freezer. Most of the cakes and cookies on the blog freeze really well, but I figured I … [Read more...]

Baked Apple Pie Wontons with Caramel Dipping Sauce

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Apple Pie Wontons on OvertimeCook

These apple pie wontons are crispy on the outside, but soft, hot and cinnamony on the inside. Best of all? They're baked, not fried! I know I've been a bit heavy on the desserts here lately. I have an excuse though. Not a good one, but an excuse nonetheless. I've been working really hard on my holiday desserts for my magazine column. Seriously, really hard. You'll start to see the results soon, but stay tuned, because there's a second feature of mine coming up after the first! Anyway, baking up a holiday storm for weeks on end doesn't leave all that much room for cooking. Hence, no real food recipes. I do have some new ones coming up soon though, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I … [Read more...]

Streusel Swirled Butterscotch Bundt Cake

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Buterscotch Bundt Cake on Overtime Cook

This recipe will always have a very dear pace in my heart. Why, you ask? Well, it's the first of my recipes to ever go "viral." This recipe was published in my dessert column in Ami Magazine a year ago, and it was crazy popular. Here's the cool thing. One of the ingredients in this cake, butterscotch chips, are only available in non-dairy and kosher through one company (that I know of). And while most kosher grocery stores in the New York area carry these chips, it isn't something that they stock large quantities of. Which was never much of an issue, until my cake recipe was published. Suddenly, these chips were nowhere to be found. Nobody had them. Any store that could get them in sold … [Read more...]

Peach Crumb Muffins

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Peach Crumb Muffins on overtimecook

Hold on to summer with these delicious muffins - loaded with peaches, brown sugar and cinnamon, then topped with delicious crumbs! Where, might I ask, has the summer gone? Am I the only one who gets all panicky when the summer starts winding down? Did I do enough? Did I enjoy it enough? Did I eat all the right produce, have all the right barbecues, bask in the right sun? WIll I hang on to this warmth in a couple of months from now, when I'm struggling to stay warm through the cold New York winter? I don't know. I guess there's never enough of such good things. Like summer peaches. How delicious are they? And you have to admit that nothing in January will compare to the juiciness of them. So … [Read more...]

Oatmeal Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

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Oatmeal Peanut Butter M&M Cookies on Overtime Cook

These dense and crunchy Oatmeal Peanut Butter M&M Cookies are a party in your mouth! Read on... I can't even tell you how many times I intended to post this recipe. I made it a whole bunch of times. And each time these adorable looking cookies got rave reviews. But somehow I never managed to write down the recipe. And worse, never got to photograph these cookies. And so for months, these cookies went un-posted. And that's a shame, because they're really delicious. So I sacrificed for all of you. I baked up yet another batch of these cookies. On a fast day, of all days. Big mistake. These smell amazing when they bake, and my entire family was quite unhappy with me, forced to smell … [Read more...]

9 Meatless Meal Ideas

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9 meatless meal ideas on overtimecook.com

If you're an observant Jew, you are probably very well aware that "the 9 days" are coming. For those who aren't familiar, the 9 days of mourning are a period of time in the summer when Jews mourn the destruction of the temple in various ways - one of which is not eating meat. I personally have a really difficult time of it, as chicken is my supper pretty much every night. I don't touch fish, and diets and pasta don't go well together. So I figured I would gather together a few of the recipes I will be making for the 9 days. If I need them, I am sure some of you do as well! So whether you are a Jew looking for "9 days" ideas, or you're simply looking to cut down on your meat consumption, … [Read more...]

15 Recipes That Helped Me Lose 15 Pounds

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15 recipes that helped me lose 15 pounds

I'm really excited about today's post, but also a little nervous. I love sharing funny little anecdotes with all of you, but I am usually uncomfortable sharing more personal information here. But today I am crossing that barrier to post about something I am very proud of. It started a while ago when I promised myself that I would buy myself the new (and insanely gorgeous) MacBook that I had my eye on for ages when I lost 15 pounds. And since then, I have been dieting hard, more motivated than ever to shed a couple of pounds. It hasn't been easy. In the last couple of months I have made a huge number of delicious desserts, including a huge number of of cheesecakes. And I forced myself to … [Read more...]

Citrus Shallot Salad Dressing

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Citrus Shallot Salad Dressing on OvertimeCook

When it comes to eating food repetitively, I think there are two types of people. Those who are totally fine with it, and those who can't face the same food too often. My parents fall into the first category. They both have a habit of finding a food, cuisine, style of cooking, spice, or some other food they enjoy. Then they cook it. And cook it. And cook it again. And so many more times that people like me want to scream at the sight of the repetition. Personally, I need to vary my food. (I can't imagine you're shocked right now.) And while I definitely have old standby foods that I'll fall back on, I'll almost never eat the same food day after day after day. And when I do, you know that … [Read more...]