Thank you for mentioning that!! I realized at some point that I do get some consolation from that sentiment. I was sure I wasn't alone. Thanks for confirming my suspicions
Whatever version of Rugelach you make, try using French butter if you can find it. The flavor is wonderful. My French cousins introduced me to French butter when they visited. It also made the Rugelach lighter, like Phyllo dough.
I wasn't sure if it's Rugelah or what my mother used to call "roll ups." Roll ups are made from pie crust dough rolled out and cut into 2 inch (at the base) triangles, then sprinkled with lots of cinnamon & sugar. Mom used white sugar, but I've had them with brown sugar.
These initially came from the parts of the pie crust that was cut away after lining the pie dish. We liked pie, but we liked roll ups as much and got more of them per bath of pie crust.
The Rugelah I've had had a cream cheese dough which is different than pie dough. Still the shape and intent seem the same. That Joyce's mom called them "meltaways" is so interesting - not a term I'd ever heard for them. And like hamantaschen, we all have our favorite "fillings" - I'm traditional for hamantaschen (poppy) and for Rugelah, cinnamon and chopped nuts. Ummmmm.
Citizen60 is it batch of pie or what is bath of pie? Yes, my grandmother and mother made those for us when we were growing up 60 years ago. It was such a delicious treat that our cousins and I loved!
One lady our family knew when I was a kid somehow put beer in with the filling ingredients. They were the best I remember having. I wish I had that recipe.
I am on a diet until my one holiday meal on New Year’s Eve, but I’m going to try making a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, some Wondra Flour, and wetting it to jam consistency with a strong flavored beer and spreading it on the rolled-out dough. That would come close to my memory. If it works, how do I tell you?
What a lovely idea. One of my favorite memories is baking Christmas cookies with my five grandchildren each year. They are adults now, two with children, and are continuing this memory with their babies. Thanks, Joyce, for the break from dealing with our awful, awful president puppet and his evil puppeteers.
I have 11 S. Sudanese who I consider my "grandkids" - they and the parents are very much my family. I mentored their dads (including being involved with 2 start up non profits to help with education) starting 23 years ago when 3,800 "Lost Boys of Sudan" were brought to the U.S. About 300 were located between Worcester and Boston where a bunch of us volunteered with the start up of 2 non-profits to assist in educational needs. Best and most rewarding experience I have had for the past 2 decades! It's personal with me when trump rages against immigrants. They are all U.S. citizens (Naturalization Ceremonies are so inspiring and moving) but in today's world trump could care less.
On a much brighter note . . .on Saturday, I'll be baking cookies with the four eldest girls (ages 8 to 13 yo - as of today). For 7 years I have taken the now oldest to the Urban Nutcracker in Boston for her birthday. Last year we baked cookies the day before and, totally unsolicited by me, she wanted to bring to the homeless. This year all four will be attending and they all want to bake for the homeless. Saturday, my kitchen with be a cloud of flour and good 'ole silliness will reign!! I cannot think of a better way to spend my time :)
We made sure they got their citizenship years ago, as soon as they were eligible (takes 5 years of living in this country with no travel outside). The guys (and years later the women who became their wives) all were here legally from the start. But, from first hand experience with these folks, the path to citizenship can be challenging. You can Google The Lost Boys of Sudan to garner background information on their journey. I don't usually post links.
And, their constant challenge is they are "Black in America" and continue to face considerable discrimination and harassment. I told them to keep a picture of their U.S. Citizenship Naturalization papers (the kids were born here) and their U.S. Passports on their person if they are ever picked up. We had to cancel a 25-year gala event as it was scheduled right when trump was showing up in parking lots to round up South Sudanese! I have never been more ashamed, embarrassed, disgusted, and even frightened by what republicans have done to our country as I am now.
Honestly, I feel I get so much more in return. A little selfish too. Our kids were on their way to college when these guys entered our lives and I was just getting good at parenting :) To step in to help hese young men was a life changing (for the better) experience and I consider myself so fortunate that we were able to connect. Their kids are the best . . . so loved but unspoiled and so respectful. The 14 year old is starting to show a little "attitude" but not in a bad way; more questioning. Having studied civics in school, he is dumbstruck at what is happening to our government. The young are listening!!
Thanks, Janet. I am familiar with the Lost Boys' story and not this part of it. Yes, "Black in America" is fraught as is Brown in America. It is heartbreaking. And it's not just "papers please" like AZ had (has?) - ICE no longer cares about legalities. People are grabbed and maybe let go much later if they can prove citizenship. The Somali communities, esp. in MN and MA, are being harassed and I'm beside myself. The thugs hired to do this got bonuses of $50k to sign up and thugs were wanted. How do any MAGAts live with themselves? What do they say to any children? grands? others? about what they do?
What you said. Under this administration any person of color is at risk, including the native-born and green-card holders. "Ashamed, embarrassed, disgusted, and even frightened" pretty much describes my own self. I gather you're in MA? Me too! On the larger of the two islands off the southeast coast -- the one that DeSantis sent 50+ Venezuelans and others to three years ago. ICE has been here too.
Thanks for sharing how wonderful the United States used to be toward immigrants. Your groups work and success tells it all. I’m glad it’s “personal” with you. IMO that is what makes us so fiercely determined against MAGA & trump. 🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Saturday we are also baking! We've already done the raisin-pecan filled mini pastries and the Kentucky bourbon balls, so it's time for decorating sugar cookies (two kinds--one with plant based butter for our dairy free family) and building a gingerbread house. Daughter is bringing black bean chile for everyone. This is how we survive and thrive with joy.
WHAT an interesting name! @Citizen60 said using pie crust and to that I wrote that all the rugelach I've had had a cream cheese dough used. I wonder if those who were immigrants and Jewish (like my family) used a different name for them based on location so that their background would not be known - make it more "American".
That seems most likely. And the use of spare pie dough makes sense from people who knew not to throw away anything remotely useful. That certainly cuts across the world of cultures!
The next door neighbors baked pies. My favorite treat were the leftover pieces with cinnamon & sugar, baked to crunchy. We are in DC now and have a favorite pie & cake baker (Bake Peace by Timmy.) His pie crust is delish and I may ask if he’d make and sell my childhood treat!
My reaction to the name “meltaways” was similar. I thought, “what an Anglo-assimilative name!” I never knew what rugelach were until I married into a Jewish family. But growing up with a mom who baked, and who was always clipping recipes from magazines or picking up the latest Pillsbury Bake-off cookbook at the supermarket checkout, I heard of plenty of goodies with the word “meltaways” (or “melt-aways”) in the name.
I grew up around Washington DC and my mom is from the Boston area, but the recipes from my mom’s sources in the 1960s-70s (Ladies’ Home Journal, McCall’s, Pillsbury Bake-off) could have come from anywhere. I do agree that the cute name “meltaways” has a “Midwestern nice” ring to it.
Thanks, CathyP - your response made me smile. Regionalisms (“Coke” used generically, soda or pop) fascinate me and this was a great discussion making me hungry!
I just baked rugelach last night! And I’m doing the rest this morning! Chanukah begins at sundown on Sunday. It’s one of the cookies I am baking for it. i’d love to see your recipe, Joyce!!
And I was for years a baker - before the internet was ubiquitous and taking up time! I had a huge box of saved cookie cutters and loved decorating - using a dedicated garlic press for lions' manes or hair on people cutters. I both miss doing that and don't. Years ago I gave my cutters to a young girl on the street on which we lived on Capitol Hill in DC. I hope she still has them!
One thing that make me happy at this season is baking butter cookies and giving cookie boxes to the trash and recycling crews who take care of our neighborhood and to other workers
The chicken sugar cookies! I love'em! Gosh, I remember back when my kids were little making gingerbread dogs, chickens, bears, etc. I've become such a lazy cook- I'll probably make pumpkin bread in the bread maker for my holiday get together with spinners and knitters. We generally avoid politics butUnfortunately (or not?) we lost our one republican member when someone brought up CA's Prop 50. Ah well.
“We’re in this together.” Is the perfect expression of what we are all doing…hopefully…working together for change.
Yes, I love that phrase also.
Thank you for mentioning that!! I realized at some point that I do get some consolation from that sentiment. I was sure I wasn't alone. Thanks for confirming my suspicions
Me too
Would you share your family recipe for Rugelah? Do you use fruit/cinnamon, or chocolate, or both?
thank you!
Whatever version of Rugelach you make, try using French butter if you can find it. The flavor is wonderful. My French cousins introduced me to French butter when they visited. It also made the Rugelach lighter, like Phyllo dough.
That sounds wonderful!
I wasn't sure if it's Rugelah or what my mother used to call "roll ups." Roll ups are made from pie crust dough rolled out and cut into 2 inch (at the base) triangles, then sprinkled with lots of cinnamon & sugar. Mom used white sugar, but I've had them with brown sugar.
These initially came from the parts of the pie crust that was cut away after lining the pie dish. We liked pie, but we liked roll ups as much and got more of them per bath of pie crust.
The Rugelah I've had had a cream cheese dough which is different than pie dough. Still the shape and intent seem the same. That Joyce's mom called them "meltaways" is so interesting - not a term I'd ever heard for them. And like hamantaschen, we all have our favorite "fillings" - I'm traditional for hamantaschen (poppy) and for Rugelah, cinnamon and chopped nuts. Ummmmm.
Citizen60 is it batch of pie or what is bath of pie? Yes, my grandmother and mother made those for us when we were growing up 60 years ago. It was such a delicious treat that our cousins and I loved!
One lady our family knew when I was a kid somehow put beer in with the filling ingredients. They were the best I remember having. I wish I had that recipe.
This is fascinating. I feel I have to go on a quest to find this recipe.
I am on a diet until my one holiday meal on New Year’s Eve, but I’m going to try making a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa, some Wondra Flour, and wetting it to jam consistency with a strong flavored beer and spreading it on the rolled-out dough. That would come close to my memory. If it works, how do I tell you?
Yes! Please share! I really like my Rugelach recipe, but I’d love to try yours (if it’s not a secret family recipe - totally respect that!)
What a lovely idea. One of my favorite memories is baking Christmas cookies with my five grandchildren each year. They are adults now, two with children, and are continuing this memory with their babies. Thanks, Joyce, for the break from dealing with our awful, awful president puppet and his evil puppeteers.
I have 11 S. Sudanese who I consider my "grandkids" - they and the parents are very much my family. I mentored their dads (including being involved with 2 start up non profits to help with education) starting 23 years ago when 3,800 "Lost Boys of Sudan" were brought to the U.S. About 300 were located between Worcester and Boston where a bunch of us volunteered with the start up of 2 non-profits to assist in educational needs. Best and most rewarding experience I have had for the past 2 decades! It's personal with me when trump rages against immigrants. They are all U.S. citizens (Naturalization Ceremonies are so inspiring and moving) but in today's world trump could care less.
On a much brighter note . . .on Saturday, I'll be baking cookies with the four eldest girls (ages 8 to 13 yo - as of today). For 7 years I have taken the now oldest to the Urban Nutcracker in Boston for her birthday. Last year we baked cookies the day before and, totally unsolicited by me, she wanted to bring to the homeless. This year all four will be attending and they all want to bake for the homeless. Saturday, my kitchen with be a cloud of flour and good 'ole silliness will reign!! I cannot think of a better way to spend my time :)
Thank you for helping people settle here and learn. Tho they've been here a very long time, are they safe from deportation? Citizens now?
We made sure they got their citizenship years ago, as soon as they were eligible (takes 5 years of living in this country with no travel outside). The guys (and years later the women who became their wives) all were here legally from the start. But, from first hand experience with these folks, the path to citizenship can be challenging. You can Google The Lost Boys of Sudan to garner background information on their journey. I don't usually post links.
And, their constant challenge is they are "Black in America" and continue to face considerable discrimination and harassment. I told them to keep a picture of their U.S. Citizenship Naturalization papers (the kids were born here) and their U.S. Passports on their person if they are ever picked up. We had to cancel a 25-year gala event as it was scheduled right when trump was showing up in parking lots to round up South Sudanese! I have never been more ashamed, embarrassed, disgusted, and even frightened by what republicans have done to our country as I am now.
You are an amazing person. Wish there were more like you.
Honestly, I feel I get so much more in return. A little selfish too. Our kids were on their way to college when these guys entered our lives and I was just getting good at parenting :) To step in to help hese young men was a life changing (for the better) experience and I consider myself so fortunate that we were able to connect. Their kids are the best . . . so loved but unspoiled and so respectful. The 14 year old is starting to show a little "attitude" but not in a bad way; more questioning. Having studied civics in school, he is dumbstruck at what is happening to our government. The young are listening!!
Thanks, Janet. I am familiar with the Lost Boys' story and not this part of it. Yes, "Black in America" is fraught as is Brown in America. It is heartbreaking. And it's not just "papers please" like AZ had (has?) - ICE no longer cares about legalities. People are grabbed and maybe let go much later if they can prove citizenship. The Somali communities, esp. in MN and MA, are being harassed and I'm beside myself. The thugs hired to do this got bonuses of $50k to sign up and thugs were wanted. How do any MAGAts live with themselves? What do they say to any children? grands? others? about what they do?
What you said. Under this administration any person of color is at risk, including the native-born and green-card holders. "Ashamed, embarrassed, disgusted, and even frightened" pretty much describes my own self. I gather you're in MA? Me too! On the larger of the two islands off the southeast coast -- the one that DeSantis sent 50+ Venezuelans and others to three years ago. ICE has been here too.
Thanks for sharing how wonderful the United States used to be toward immigrants. Your groups work and success tells it all. I’m glad it’s “personal” with you. IMO that is what makes us so fiercely determined against MAGA & trump. 🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
That's so beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Saturday we are also baking! We've already done the raisin-pecan filled mini pastries and the Kentucky bourbon balls, so it's time for decorating sugar cookies (two kinds--one with plant based butter for our dairy free family) and building a gingerbread house. Daughter is bringing black bean chile for everyone. This is how we survive and thrive with joy.
Have a joyous, delicious day!
sounds wonderful!
We call what you call Rugelach “deetsie bo bo’s ( i guess my wifes texas granny called them that.. used the pieces from pie crust trimmings..
WHAT an interesting name! @Citizen60 said using pie crust and to that I wrote that all the rugelach I've had had a cream cheese dough used. I wonder if those who were immigrants and Jewish (like my family) used a different name for them based on location so that their background would not be known - make it more "American".
That seems most likely. And the use of spare pie dough makes sense from people who knew not to throw away anything remotely useful. That certainly cuts across the world of cultures!
The next door neighbors baked pies. My favorite treat were the leftover pieces with cinnamon & sugar, baked to crunchy. We are in DC now and have a favorite pie & cake baker (Bake Peace by Timmy.) His pie crust is delish and I may ask if he’d make and sell my childhood treat!
My reaction to the name “meltaways” was similar. I thought, “what an Anglo-assimilative name!” I never knew what rugelach were until I married into a Jewish family. But growing up with a mom who baked, and who was always clipping recipes from magazines or picking up the latest Pillsbury Bake-off cookbook at the supermarket checkout, I heard of plenty of goodies with the word “meltaways” (or “melt-aways”) in the name.
Oh it does sound like that! What part of the country? Sounds “Midwestern nice”!
I grew up around Washington DC and my mom is from the Boston area, but the recipes from my mom’s sources in the 1960s-70s (Ladies’ Home Journal, McCall’s, Pillsbury Bake-off) could have come from anywhere. I do agree that the cute name “meltaways” has a “Midwestern nice” ring to it.
Thanks, CathyP - your response made me smile. Regionalisms (“Coke” used generically, soda or pop) fascinate me and this was a great discussion making me hungry!
Food Porn!
I just baked rugelach last night! And I’m doing the rest this morning! Chanukah begins at sundown on Sunday. It’s one of the cookies I am baking for it. i’d love to see your recipe, Joyce!!
Love your chicken cookie cutters!❤️
Those cookies look scrumptious! I'm not a baker, but I am a big believer in the power of Christmas cookies to bring people together. Thanks Joyce!
And I was for years a baker - before the internet was ubiquitous and taking up time! I had a huge box of saved cookie cutters and loved decorating - using a dedicated garlic press for lions' manes or hair on people cutters. I both miss doing that and don't. Years ago I gave my cutters to a young girl on the street on which we lived on Capitol Hill in DC. I hope she still has them!
One thing that make me happy at this season is baking butter cookies and giving cookie boxes to the trash and recycling crews who take care of our neighborhood and to other workers
Don't forget UPS, Fedex, and USPS! They love to be remembered, even with a card.
I love the chicken cookies!
I'm so impressed!! And you can bake too. And with all your free time!
Joyce, Thanks for the timeline cleanse. You baked products look delicious. Your neighbors will enjoy them.
Now you are making me hungry Joyce! Saturday can't get here quickly enough -
The chicken sugar cookies! I love'em! Gosh, I remember back when my kids were little making gingerbread dogs, chickens, bears, etc. I've become such a lazy cook- I'll probably make pumpkin bread in the bread maker for my holiday get together with spinners and knitters. We generally avoid politics butUnfortunately (or not?) we lost our one republican member when someone brought up CA's Prop 50. Ah well.