Rosh Hashanah, part one

Weeks ago, I decided I was going to make not one but two Rosh Hashanah dinners for my husband and our friends. As the weekend approached, I got a bit apprehensive. But come last Thursday night, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work.

Do other people drive to four different grocery stores to get all of the ingredients or is it just me? In Chicago, I hit Treasure Island for San Marzano tomatoes; Jewel for my King Arthur all-purpose flour; Whole Foods for my brisket; and Costco for lemons, berries and gallons of extra-virgin olive oil. I spent much of Thursday night after Jack went to sleep and Friday morning, traversing the city in search of all of my ingredients. And then, with a clean house and full kitchen, I was ready.

Friday, the turkey went into the oven mid-afternoon. I'm a white meat gal. I love Ina's herb-roasted turkey breast. It always turns out moist and delicious. My sides included honey glazed carrots and a variation on this cornbread stuffing (I used chicken sausage rather than bacon and added mushrooms). My dear friend Amy made my Mom's sweet potato casserole, which she got from her beloved Aunt Shirley:

Sweet Potato Casserole

4 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine above ingredients throughly making sure to cool potatoes slightly before adding eggs. Place in a greased baking dish and sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Topping: (may cut in half depending on size of baking dish)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup melted butter

And to fully round out the Thanksgiving-like menu, I made Jeremy's grandmother's cranberry compote:

Cranberry Compote

1 can of whole berry cranberry sauce

1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained well

1 can crushed pineapple, drained well

1 bag of frozen strawberries

1 regular-sized jar of applesauce

Stir together and let sit overnight in the fridge.

I cheated on dessert (hey, it was Friday!): pumpkin pie (surprisingly very good and I fancy myself a pumpkin connoisseur) from Costco and cupcakes from Southport Grocery.