Next year Rosh Ha'Shana is Sat-Sun September 23-24, plan accordingly. I support the plot (against) OWJ :)

And if you want to know if it's possible to check-in a folding chair, it's been discussed already on Hawaii thread(s) maybe 2 years ago.

I spend too much time here :)

Am I the only one who adds Sherry to the chicken soup? REally, it's delicious. (Doesn't hurt to take a few sips while making it either LOL)

Also, I confess--I use the mix for the matzo balls (add some seltzer too) and they really turn out good.

Could I have the recipe for Chicken Marbella?

Also, my mother used to cook with the fat as well--and they wonder why their colestral was so high!

OWJ-where is it that you live again?

Artlover,
If I don't remember to take the Silver Palate to work tomorrow, I'll send it from home over the weekend. It's so good and so easy. Or maybe OWJ will beat me to it.

OK, Artlover, here's the Chicken Marbella recipe.

I do the marinating part the night before and then the cooking part just before I serve it. It's good at room temperature too, so it's a nice dish for a buffet or potluck. You don't have to be exact with the recipe amounts and I always use more prunes, olives and capers than this calls for. Also, I never bother with the parsley or cilantro.

Chicken Marbella, Silver Palate Cookbook
(16 pieces, 10 or more portions)

4 chickens, 2.5 lbs each, quartered (or 16 pieces)
1 head garlic peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, garlic, oregano, pepper, salt, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers/juice and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight. (I do this in a well-sealed Tupperware box so I can turn it over a couple of times.)

2. Preheat oven to 350F.

3. Arrange chicken (and prunes, etc.) in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when juice runs clear (rather than pink) when chicken is pricked with a fork at the thickest part.

5. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to serving platter (arrange prunes, etc, nicely on it). Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Serve the remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.

6. To serve cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to platter. If chicken has been covered and refigerated, return to room temperature before serving and spoon some of the reserved juice over chicken.

I generally use both white and dark meat with the bone in but my cousin likes to make it with boneless breasts which she says makes a nicer presentation. Let me know how it goes.

Artlover, sherry in soup? What a waste of sherry :))

I just saw this post (I'm not on the US board that much). Thanks to all for the kind sentiments.

May this year be a year filled with peace, good health and joy for all. L'Shana Tova!

As for the recipes....yummm. I have had that Chicken Marbella and it's wonderful - never thought about using it for the holidays. Great idea. I used a new brisket recipe this year which is like a brisket/tzimmes combo. It had (in fact, still "has" as I have lots leftover :-) ) brisket, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, dried apricots, carrots and prunes in it. It was great. We started, of course, with apples and honey. The brisket/tzimmes was served with green beans, homemade applesauce with apples from a local orchard, and green salad. My SIL makes an awesome honey cake with ginger whipped cream. Of course, like everyone else on the holidays, if I don't have enough left at the end of the meal to serve it to everyone again, then I didn't make enough. :))

Wishing all a great year!

HDM--
I too skip the parsley/cilantro at the end--I forgot about it the first time I made it and it still tasted great...I substitute apricots for the prunes, just because we like those better and I'm like your cousin, I only use boneless chicken breasts.


For anyone making this--it's a great thing to make ahead and makes a ton. It's one of those dishes that tastes better the longer the flavors meld. I marinate one day, cook it the next and just warm it the day I serve it. It also freezes well!

OWJ
Apricots -- what a good idea! I'm going to try that next time along with the prunes. For me, one of the best things about this recipe is that you don't have to brown the chicken first. It just gets beautifully brown because of the sugar. And when I read birgators description of the fall holidays (thanks, birgator) I realized how perfectly this dish suits the occasion.

You never know what you will find in this forum. Happy New Year to all.