The term kugel, originates from the Middle High German term for “ball.” Originally, a new German practice arose to steam dumplings in a clay pot called a kugeltopf, where topf meant “jar or pot,” instead of directly in a stew. This method of cooking turned the dumpling batter into a pudding of sorts and it changed the nature of the dish. Kugel became the generic name for these puddings and with the introduction of sugar in 17^th-century Europe, sweet kugels became popular. Obviously, the makeup of the cranberry crunch kugel does not resemble the puddings from dumpling dough of yore, in fact, it doesn’t include all the base ingredients of eggs, starch, and fat (without additional liquid). And yet, a kugel it is. Perhaps it is this designation of a kugel that people assume it’s a sensible side dish.

But that’s not an excuse. This iteration of cranberry crunch kugel has no business sitting next to my cholent, so I decided that it was time the recipe got a makeover, one that would transform the dish into something savory and healthier. The result is a side dish that is an excellent accompaniment to meat or other proteins, and will leave enough room for dessert, appropriately served afterward, of course.

Not Your Bubbe’s Cranberry Crunch

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
20 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
2 cups red wine
6 sprigs of thyme
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper

Topping

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon wheat bran
1/4 cup margarine (I use Earth Balance but you can also use butter), cut in small pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Heat olive oil in saucepan and sauté garlic until it begins to turn golden.
3. Add cranberries and sauté for 1-2 minutes until begin to slightly soften (if using frozen, this may take a few more minutes for the cranberries to defrost in the pot).
4. Add thyme, sugar, and wine and bring to a boil.
5. Once at a boil, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
6. Combine the flour, bran, and salt in a bow, the cut in the butter until all the pieces are well broken up. The topping should be crumbly but not dry.
7. Once the cranberry filling has thickened (it should not be liquidy but have a jam-like consistency), season with salt and pepper to taste and pour mixture into a greased 8×8 pan and sprinkle topping on top.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes until topping is golden.

Also try:

Not Your Bubbe’s Cole Slaw

Not Your Bubbe’s Cheese and Spinach Blintzes

Not Your Bubbe’s Chocolate and Cinnamon Babka Cupcakes

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Recipe: A Savory Cranberry Crunch appeared first on Jewcy.

Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber are just a few of the big music names to come to the aid of the surviving members of the Berry Family, following a July 3 auto accident that killed parents Joshua and Robin and left brothers Peter, 9, and Aaron, 8 paralyzed and sister Willa, 6, injured.

If you want to try an help the surviving children pick up the pieces, please go to Show Your Hearts, and see what you can do.

The post Celebrities Show Their Hearts For Devastated Houston Family appeared first on Jewcy.

Good old Lord Byron hit the theme of today’s episode on the nose: “This is the patent age of new inventions for killing bodies, and for saving souls. All propagated with the best intentions.”

Patents, the ownership of ideas in the name of individual financial gain and fame. It is the grill of the artist, the mark of individual success. A US office with the mantra, “To promote the useful arts and sciences,” provides the utopic petri dish in which people are to be properly incentivized to share their ideas and inventions. But does that environment actually exist, or are creatives sitting like Chicago drills, uninspired to (pro)create?

Lone comrades screwed by the system? Where is the Bolshevik class of the creative professionals willing to protect the individuals en masse in this kind of terrain?

The post The Ira Glass Infatuation Post/ This American Life Review: When Patents Attack! appeared first on Jewcy.

Nineteen year old Esther Petrack raised controversy and eyebrows this year as a modern-Orthodox contestant on Cycle 15 of America’s Next Top Model.  While criticized by some, we find her fascinating, gorgeous and genuine.  After placing herself in an admittedly precarious environment for an observant girl, she confronted the same issues many young heebs tackle, but in front Tyra Banks.  For that, we crown her America’s Next Jewish Model, and, one of this year’s Big Jewcies.

Esther is spending the year in Israel, eating falafel and tweeting up a storm.  Here’s a list of our favorite tweets from the blossoming model Jewess:

The post The Big Jewcy: Esther Petrack – America’s Next Top Jewish Model appeared first on Jewcy.

If you ask Greg Reitman how his life is going, he will probably point you towards his website 30 Second Life.  There, the marketing director at Textingly tries to boil down his daily routine into capsule sized videos that run in under, yup, 30 seconds.

Also to note: Greg’s wife, Erica, was on the list last year.  This makes them the first married couple to make the Big Jewcy in separate years.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR 30 SECOND LIFE?

The truth is I was spending way too much time in Excel and Powerpoint at my corporate job in 2007 and it was sucking the life out of my soul. I needed to find a creative outlet so I wanted to do something that had never been done before in Brooklyn. I started a blog!

I love film and music and I had just gotten a Flip Cam as a present so doing something that incorporated all three seemed like a natural fit.  A 30 second video  was a good amount of time to tell my daily story on the web without being obnoxious and adding a music soundtrack was a great way to illustrate how I was feeling at the time.

HOW OFTEN TO YOU POST TO THE SITE?

During my freelance working days, I had a lot more time on my hands so posting four times a week was totally doable. It’s hard now though. I work long hours at my full time job and honestly wish I had more time to dedicate to the project.  I will say that I feel most creative in my life when I’m actively involved in shooting, editing and crafting the perfect story. So to answer your question: Not enough.

YOU MUST OF DOCUMENTED SOME COOL SHIT OVER THE YEARS. ANYTHING COME TO MIND?

It’s amazing how much more interesting your day is when you can inconspicuously record stuff on the subway. I remember in 2008 I took some awesome footage of this short middle aged guy falling asleep on the subway. He was sitting next to this drop dead gorgeous blonde model who was about 6 foot tall. His head kept bobbing and knocking into her chest. He would wake up then fall asleep again and the cycle would continue. Her expression of shock and disgust was priceless.

YOUR WIFE ERICA DOES THE BLOG FUCKED IN PARK SLOPE. ARE YOU GUYS THE ULTIMATE PARK SLOPE BLOGGER POWER COUPLE?

I don’t know about Erica and I, but our dog Oliver likes the fact that people know of the blogs. He gets recognized on the street all the time. Oliver owns this town.

DO YOU HAVE ANY VIDEOS THAT STAND OUT?

I really like Nov. 8, 2009, Nov 7,  2009, Feb. 10, 2010, and this one [even though it’s actually 3 minutes long]

The post The Big Jewcy: Greg Reitman – His Life In 30 Seconds appeared first on Jewcy.

• Jerusalem officials approved new housing for Jews in the heart of an Arab neighborhood in the eastern part of the neighborhood.

• You know the Charlie Sheen thing has reached a new level of absurdity when Perez Hilton is reporting on his feud with the ADL.

• We hope John Galliano has a fun time in rehab.

• The Daily Show began it’s Indecision 2012 coverage with Jon Stewart wondering why “we have a socialist Muslim President subverting the Constitution and the will of the people of America,” why more Republicans aren’t lining up to take on Obama.

• The UK is airlifting 6,000 Egyptians out of Libya.

The post Daily Jewce: East Jerusalem Housing, Charlie Sheen Vs. The ADL, John Galliano Goes To Rehab And More appeared first on Jewcy.