Back For Seconds

These Lehigh Valley natives moved away only to return later to raise their kids. They share what brought them back and why they stay—and (bonus!) heirloom recipes for dishes that have their families reaching for round two.

Lehigh Valley residents are lucky to live in an area with cultural treasures like the State Theater in Easton, Musikfest in Bethlehem, and Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown, to name a few. They also happen to be surrounded by reminders of Jewish heritage and are in the middle of a vital Jewish community. 

When you consider these things, along with the good job opportunities, access to excellent schools, overall quality of life, and countless other benefits of living here, it starts to become clear why families choose to stay for generations. And many a Jewish grownup who lived here as a kid and moved away for a while eventually came back to raise their own family. 

A handful of those grownups shared a bit about their own family backgrounds in the Valley. They also told us what brought them back to the area and what keeps them here. And while they were doing all that sharing, each slipped us a time-tested family-favorite recipe.

Jessica Volchko- Jessica (Reich) Volchko’s family moved to the Lehigh Valley when she was 7, and she grew up as part of the Jewish community. She had her bat mitzvah here, got married here, and had her kids’ naming and brises here as well as her son’s bar mitzvah. “We have remained because of the supportive, inclusive community, small enough that you know almost everyone, but large enough to have many avenues for participation,” she says. “We love raising our family here.”

Grandma’s Chicken Soup

4 large chicken breasts
6 celery ribs, cut up
8 carrots, cut up
1 tablespoon parsley
3 eggs
½ cup seltzer
1 cup matzo meal
Salt and pepper

 

 

Skin four large chicken breasts. Add to a Dutch oven along with the celery, carrots, and parsley, and salt to taste. Cover with water, bring to a full boil, and cook for 7 minutes. Simmer for 1½ hours, covered, adding matzo balls for the last half hour, remembering to cover again.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, seltzer, and matzo meal, and add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 12 hours. Then form small balls and add to the soup, which may be served with cooked noodles too.

 

Roberta Penn- Bernard and Muriel Frank lived in Allentown with their two children. When their daughter Roberta, now a retired psychologist, married Alan Penn, an attorney, they moved back and started their own family here.

Roberta is fond of the Valley Jewish community for its cohesiveness, advocacy for deserving causes, and warmth. She also likes the diverse experiences and opportunities available. She reminisces about family dinners with her cousin Judi Levy. Here’s one of Judi’s recipes that has become a favorite of her own children and grandchildren.

Brisket á la Judi Levy

1 large first-cut brisket 
1 large Spanish onion, sliced
5 carrots cut into 2-inch slices
4 ribs celery cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small can tomato paste
2 cups plain tomato sauce
½ cup ketchup
½ can whole-berry cranberry sauce

Mix together all the ingredients except the brisket, then place the mixture in a large roaster with a lid. Add the brisket. Sprinkle with cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Put in a 400-degree oven for half an hour. 

Pull out the roaster to place heavy-duty foil on top. Turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and roast for another three hours or so. Add water to the pan during the last half hour of cooking. Mix well occasionally, remembering to recover each time.

 

Emily Ford- Emily Ford and her husband, Brian, lived in Philadelphia for 15 years. When their second child was born, they decided to move out of the city. They chose the Lehigh Valley as their destination so they’d be closer to her parents, Elaine (Roth) and Leon Papir, and to join “a welcoming thriving Jewish community to raise our children.”

Brian works from home and Emily got a job at Lehigh University, where she remains. “We couldn’t be happier,” she says. “We’ve followed in my parents’ and grandparents’ footsteps by being active in the Jewish community and raising our children here.” Below is a recipe passed down from Elaine’s mother, Pirry.

Pirry Roth’s Kugel (Non-Dairy Noodle Pudding)

1 pound medium noodles
½ teaspoon salt
1¼ stick margarine
¾ cup sugar
8 ounces apricot or peach jam or preserves
1½ teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs
1 handful white raisins (optional)
1 cup crushed Frosted Flakes
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
(For a dairy version, add: 1 pound cottage cheese, 1 pint sour cream)

Cook the noodles with the salt in the water and drain. Melt the margarine. Put the eggs, sugar, preserves, and vanilla into a blender and blend. Put everything except the cereal, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the cinnamon in a bowl and mix. Put the mixture in a 9-by-13 Pyrex.

Mix the Frosted Flakes, remaining sugar, and cinnamon together into a topping and spread over the noodle mixture. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 1 hour. The noodles on top should be lightly browned.

 

Ellen Sosis- Ellen Sosis and her husband, Scott Anderson, along with their dogs (now there are three), moved back to the Lehigh Valley in 2021 to be near her parents. “We just love it here!” Ellen says. “Once here, I left my longtime consulting career and entered the entrepreneurial world, designing and selling bedazzled wine, martini, and beer glass shaped purse hooks on Amazon.”     

Besides spending time with her parents and her dogs, she has spent her time volunteering for Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy, and Temple Beth El’s Sisterhood. 

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting involved in the local Jewish community and with all the wonderful people here!” she says. “Plus, we purposely upsized, rather than downsized, in our latter years because we truly enjoy entertaining, and now host all the holiday gatherings at our new home. My mother was thrilled to pass the torch to us—however, the family still insists on us making all of her famous family recipes (rightly so!). I thought I would share a fan favorite, her mandel bread recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!”

Audrey Sosis’s Mandelbrot

¾ cup sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup chopped walnuts
2 eggs
½-¾ cup chocolate chips
Salt
2 cups plus heaping ½ tablespoon of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, walnuts, eggs, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and a dash of salt. Then add the mixture in the small bowl to the mixture in the large bowl.

Separate the mixed dough into two long, flat oval mounds on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake for 27 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes, and cut into slices about 1 inch long. Sprinkle one side with cinnamon sugar and bake 4-7 minutes.

Turn the other side up, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake 4-7 minutes. Cool. The bread can be stored in plastic bags in an air-tight container. Metal seems to work best.

 

By Sandi Teplitz. Teplitz provides a recipe and often a book review for each issue of Hakol, the Jewish newspaper of the Lehigh Valley published monthly by the Jewish Federation.