Two weeks ago, I celebrated the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. I'm not Jewish, but I sure wish I was. We celebrated with good food, too much wine and pop music from Israel (thank you Matt.) My bro took these lovely pictures... except for the Manchego, which had vanished before he had time to take out his camera. Rosh Hashanah Menu: Brisket (see recipe) Tsimmis (recipe below) 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes 1 package carrots washed, skinned and cut into 1 inch pieces 1 sweet onion 1 package dried mixed fruit (raisins, apricots, prunes, etc) ½ cup brown sugar

3/4 cup orange juice ½ cup butter cut into chunks Throw all ingredients except butter into a crock pot. Last, scatter butter across top. Cook on low for 5 hours. While it is not necessary, you can stir the ingredients once during cooking. Serve hot and wait for compliments.

My friend Wendy raves about her Bubby Sookie's (Grandma's) famous, sweet and sour meatballs. It's now at the top of my list of things to cook this weekend. Check out a picture of the original chef (and her very happy husband) below! Bubby Sookies' Sweet and Sour Meatballs Secret Sauce You can use a stock pot on the stove or a crock pot. I usually use the crock pot if I am going to serve as an appetizer so everything stays nice and hot.

2 - 16 0z cans of jellied cranberry sauce for every 32 oz jar of Spaghetti Sauce (it doesn't matter what kind, I usually use whatever is on sale or whatever I have in the house.) Mix this up so they are really blended. Bubby's secret? Add a few ginger snaps to the sauce. (Break them up and let them dissolve.) Let the sauce heat until everything is dissolved, which will be about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and stir occasionally if in a stock pot. If cooking in a slow cooker, you can put on high and leave it along for awhile. Now you are ready to make the meatballs. Meatballs 1 lb ground beef 1/4 cup uncooked rice (minute or long cooking, whatever you have) 1 egg 1 sm to med onion grated 1 carrot or a handful of baby carrot grated 1/2 tsp salt Mix all ingredients together. I add a little bit of the sauce into the meatballs for flavor. Brown the meatballs in a pan. Once the sauce is blended and really cooking, add the meatballs and let cook for another hour. Serve as an appetizer or over rice and carrots for dinner. Your house is going to smell amazing. *This recipe freezes really well!

The Fish and Veggies blog started exactly one year ago. It's been a pleasure cooking delicious recipes and sharing them with you all. To celebrate the first anniversary, I'm looking back at some of my favorite recipes. Arepas Pan Seared Steak with Mushrooms Bruschetta Moroccan Potato and Egg Sandwiches Miso Salmon Mussels in White Wine Caramelized Pears Manchego with Honey Butter Crab Cake BenedictsI'm already looking forward to next year. Who knows what delicious food we'll eat?

I spend a large amount of money at Chipotle. It's like Mexican magic in a bowl. I wanted to cook something Chipotle-ish, but I was craving seafood. So here is a quick, easy bowl of shrimp on top of black beans, corn, bacon and pico de gallo. For even more Chipotle love, serve over cilantro lime rice. Fiesta Shrimp Serves 2 2 slices thick slab bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces 10 large shrimp peeled and deveined 1 can black beans 1 can sweet corn pico de gallo (tomatoes, garlic, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice) 1. Saute bacon in medium sauce pan until cooked through. 2. Lightly salt shrimp and add to pan for 3-4 minutes. 3. Add corn and black beans and stir until heated through. 4. Remove from heat. Top with pico de gallo (to taste).

I admit, anchovies look strange. But they are so salty and creamy, just begging to be turned into a sauce! Tonight, I used this 4-step method to create a red fish with garlic anchovy sauce. I slightly burned the garlic (those are the black crispy bits below) and my house smelled strange, but the dish tasted fantastic. This is a keeper, ladies and gentleman, and it was on the table in 15 minutes. Serve with roasted broccoli. Red Fish with Garlic Anchovy Sauce 1 cup flour 2 fillets red fish (I used Rockfish, but bass or salmon would work too) 2 ounces anchovies packed in oil 1 small shallot, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, finely diced 1 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons butter Extra virgin olive oil 1. Dredge fish in flour, and add to sizzling hot olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Cook fish about 3-4 minutes each side until it flakes easily. Place fish on plate and tent with foil. 2. Add shallots and garlic to the oil and drippings in the hot pan. Add more oil if necessary, and scrape up any bits on pan. Add anchovy fillets and let melt into sauce, about 2 minutes. 3. Add 1 cup dry white wine and stir until reduced by half. 4. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until fully combined. Return fish to pan to heat through and coat with sauce.

Last night I wasn't hungry at all, but I needed to eat . On a scale of 1 to 10, I felt 'negative 5'. All I had in the house was pasta, eggs, cheese and some basil that was questionable in age. I have seen several Carbonara recipes that combines a raw egg and pasta. The heat from the pasta actually cooks the egg and creates a creamy sauce. Hmmm, interesting. Traditional Carbonara has thick bacon or pancetta. Since I didn't have anything that wonderful in my fridge, I called myself a vegetarian and enjoyed the bowl of pasta. I loved it. It was creamy without using cream. The cheese made it salty. Perfect for a crummy feeling evening. Comfort Carbonara serves 1 sick girl 1 serving thin spaghetti/Capellini 1 egg 1 ounce Pecorino/Parmesaan cheese Fresh basil leaves torn Salt/Pepper to taste 1. Place pasta in salted boiling water, and cook until tender. 2. Drain pasta and place in your favorite bowl. 3. Crack egg into separate bowl and whisk thoroghly. Pour egg over hot pasta. 4. Grate cheese on top, and tear basil leaves to finish. 5. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir together and enjoy.