Food Section Day, Comfort Food II

It is Wednesday and, as many of my friends know, Wednesday is my favorite weekday. Why, you might ask? No, it's not because it is hump day. It's because Wednesday is the day that major national newspapers publish their food sections. Today's sampling includes an article about the growing concern over Chinese food products and the role of China in garlic production. Another article discusses the rise of dessert-centric restaurants. And, of course, I took the opportunity to add some yummy recipes to my burgeoning collection (for that cookbook I'll write one day when I'm a famous blogger).

However, it is a gray and cold(er) day outside, and while the prospect of creamy roasted garlic dressing is enticing, what I'm really in the mood for is something warm and easy on my (slightly queasy? must have been the three glasses of wine last night) stomach. So, I've included Meryl Junik's fabulous noodle kugel recipe below. I am not a raisin person - I see them as a necessary evil in some recipes, but avoidable in most. This recipe makes a nice smooth kugel that tastes great hot or cold.

Warning: this recipe makes a LOT of kugel.

Meryl's Delicious Noodle Kugel

1/2 lb medium egg noodles
1 bar regular or reduced fat cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1/4 c. sour cream (light works well)
1/2 c. butter or margarine, cut into cubes
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 9 or 8 x 11 deep glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil and cook noodles.
3. Drain noodles and return to pot.
4. Add cream cheese and butter and stir until melted and distributed throughout.
5. Add remaining ingredients, stirring, and pour into baking dish.
6. Bake 45 minutes until bubbling and lightly browned.
7. Serve warm or cold (actually a great cold dessert with a dairy shabbat lunch - excellent use for leftovers).