Jessica Ebony
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Happy Holidays Friends,

This is one of my favorite times of year. The holidays are upon us, and it’s parties galore! To help you get into the festive spirit, here are two easy potluck dishes that have been a staple of mine for years. Bon appetit!

Dinner: Baked Eggplant Parmesan
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A great and easy dish, this would be excellent if you’re going to a Christmas Eve, fish/dairy dinner. Best served hot and right out of the oven! Ask your host or office, if you can bake it there (transport it un-cooked), or cook it ahead of time, and just put it in the oven for a few minutes just so the cheese is nice and gooey.

Total Cooking time: 40 min
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:
· 2 Boxes of Eggplant Cutlets (I like Trader Joe’s, found in their freezer section Frozen)
· 2 – 25 oz jar marinara sauce (I like Rao’s, but anything will do)
· 2 1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
· 1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese optional)
· Fresh basil or parsley, optional

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In the bottom of an 8 x 10 baking dish, spread one cup of marinara on the bottom of the pan. Place the frozen eggplant cutlets in the dish in one layer, and continue to create “Stacks” overlapping like you would with lasagna noodles.
3. With each new stack spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, and sprinkle a layer of the mixed cheeses.
4. The final stack should have the remaining sauce (no more than a cup, though, or it will be a mess) and cheese on top. Sprinkle with fresh basil.
5. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and let rest 5-10 minutes.

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Dessert: Sufganiyot (Jelly Doughnuts)
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Hanukah is the 8 day Jewish festival of lights. Before going to a holiday or Hanukah party, find out if the host keeps Kosher. For the cliff notes sake and to get you through the party, one of the aspects of Kosher or Kashrut (Ancient Jewish Dietary Laws) means that some Jewish people don’t mix meat and dairy foods, and don’t eat pork or shell fish. When going to Hanukah or Holiday parties play it safe and bring a vegetarian or vegan dessert. Alert the host if your dish has milk in it, just in case they were serving Kosher meat that evening.

Sufganiyot (Jelly doughnuts) is a traditional Hanukah dish. Here’s an easy, and healthier version of the old classic from “Good Housekeeping”. This dish includes dairy so alert hosts and people observing Kashrut.

Total cooking time: 1 hr.
Servings: 16 doughnuts

Ingredients:
· 3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
· 3/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
· 5 teaspoon(s) rapid-rise yeast (2 packages)
· 1 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon
· 1 teaspoon(s) salt
· 1/4 cup(s) vegetable oil
· 3/4 cup(s) warm whole milk (120° to 130°F), plus extra for brushing
· 2 large eggs, at room temperature
· 1 cup(s) sour cherry or other jam
· 2 tablespoon(s) confectioners’ sugar

Instructions:
1. In electric stand mixer bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, yeast, cinnamon, and salt. With paddle attachment of stand mixer, mix on low 15 seconds or until combined. Add oil and milk; beat on medium-low speed 3 to 5 minutes or until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time; beat 10 minutes or until dough is elastic, occasionally scraping sides of bowl.
2. Meanwhile, lightly oil large bowl. Transfer dough to prepared bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk.
3. Lightly grease 3 cookie sheets. Gently punch down dough, folding it onto itself. On lightly oiled work surface, gently roll dough into 16-inch log; cut log crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Shape each piece into ball; transfer to prepared cookie sheets, 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap; let rise 20 to 30 minutes or until slightly puffed. (May be made up to 1 day ahead up to this point. Refrigerate, loosely covered. Bring to room temperature before baking.)
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush tops of dough with milk. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, 12 to 15 minutes or until pale golden. Cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes.
5. Cut 1 corner of self-sealing plastic bag to make 1/4-inch-diameter hole; fit with 1/4- to 1/2-inch plain piping tip, and fill bag with jam. Slide paring knife into center of side of 1 donut without cutting through other side. Using sawing motion, cut pocket in donut without cutting opening any wider. Fit piping tip into hole and pipe jam until filled. Repeat. Dust donuts with confectioners’ sugar to serve.

-JRS
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Share your favorite easy/cheap/delicious potluck meals with us! We want to hear from you!