Noodle Kugel

Here's another recipe I made for my Ladies Auxiliary book club. It's noodle kugel with dried cherries, which is a traditional Jewish pudding/dessert. It tastes kind of like a bread pudding with noodles instead of bread. I got the recipe from Smitten Kitchen, again, and I was really happy with it. When I was reading The Ladies Auxiliary I wondered what in the world the kugels they were always mentioning tasted like and I'm happy I made this, because now I know.:) You can make this ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to bake it, just let it sit on your counter for 30 minutes to let it come to room temp.

Noodle Kugel

1 lb wide egg noodles
2, 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened
1 lb 4% small curd cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick butter, melted
8 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup dried cherries (I used a 6 oz package which was a little over 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a baking dish that is bigger than 9x13 (I used the next size up).

Boil the noodles for just 5-7 minutes, not all the way cooked. Drain in a colander.

In a very large bowl beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add cottage cheese and beat for another minute. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add sugar, melted butter, and beat, scraping down sides again. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each egg. Add cinnamon, vanilla, and mix. Stir in dried cherries. Finally, mix in the drained egg noodles, carefully mixing until incorporated. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for 1 hour. Check to see if the center is set. You may need up to 30 minutes more until the center is set and sides are browned. Serve hot or warm.

Here's all The Ladies Auxiliary book club eats laid out before my guests arrived. There's challah with butter and freezer jams, noodle kugel, hamantaschen cookies and Oreo truffles, pita chips and carrots with hummus, kosher dills, and my big ol' water dispenser down there at the end. I loved cooking all these new foods. It makes me want to go through my local library's ethnic cookbook section and try some new recipes!