Story submitted by Reva Leizman in honor of Esther Levin Bialosky (deceased July 20, 1985).
The Story Behind the Recipe:
My mother, Esther Levin Bialosky, was born near Wheeling, West Virginia in a small town on August 12, 1900. She was the smallest baby born in the town, weighing only about a pound. In fact, my grand-father was approached about having her in a traveling circus which he adamantly refused. After growing up, very poor,in Wheeling , mother moved with her mother, brother, and sister to Cleveland, Ohio when she was about 15 or 16 years old. My grandfather travelled back and forth from Wheeling to Cleveland. My mother, still a young teen-ager went to work at the Rose Iron Works of Cleveland to help support the family and help put my uncle through medical school. At that time in history, a girl finishing school was thought to be less important than a boy being educated.My grandmother had a small rooming house also to help maintain the family. When my mother was older and of marriageable age, she was introduced to my father, Ben Bialosky, by a matchmaker cousin. After she was married and could afford to join various Jewish women’s groups, she did. She strongly believed in working for one’s community, and was an active member of various prominent Cleveland Jewish groups such as BN’AI Brith of Cleveland and Hadassah, plus the Cleveland Heights Schools PTA. She was very proud to be elected President of her Hadassah chapter and also served as Treasurer of her BN”ai Brith chapter for many years. Mom also helped with my Brownie and Girl Scout Chapters.My mother had never been able to finish school because she had to go to work to help the family, but she was extremely intelligent and determined to work hard to see that her daughters (Iris Bialosky Zahler and me Reva Bialosky Leizman) finished high school, college, and graduate school. These were goals that both she, and my father Ben, encouraged and supported.
Our family always loved Grandma’s delicious strudel and looked forward to family gatherings to savor it together. We were so delighted that Mom would share her recipe with us and with various other family members, living as far away as Alaska. Our mother was a very,very special, and beautiful lady and I am so pleased to share a little of her with the Jewish Community of Cleveland of which she was so proud to be a member.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 sticks sweet butter
1-8 oz. cream cheese or cottage cheese, or sour cream
2 cups flour
Raspberry preserves (or apricot )
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup yellow raisins
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
Mix together the first four ingredients and divide into 3 or 4 balls. Refrigerate overnight.
Roll out each all separately as thin as possible on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.Brush dough with preserves and remainder of ingredients. Rolll up and bake at 350 degrees.
Check in 25 minutes. Cool. Cut into one inch diagonal slices when done. Freezes well.
Our family always loved Grandma’s delicious strudel and looked forward to family gatherings to savor it together. We were so delighted that Mom would share her recipe with us and with various other family members, living as far away as Alaska.
Our mother was a very, very special, and beautiful lady and I am so pleased to share a little of her with the Jewish Community of Cleveland of which she was so proud to be a member.
2 sticks sweet butter
1-8 oz. cream cheese or cottage cheese, or sour cream
2 cups flour
Raspberry preserves (or apricot )
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup yellow raisins
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
Mix together the first four ingredients and divide into 3 or 4 balls. Refrigerate overnight.
Roll out each all separately as thin as possible on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.Brush dough with preserves and remainder of ingredients. Rolll up and bake at 350 degrees.
Check in 25 minutes. Cool. Cut into one inch diagonal slices when done. Freezes well.
Our family always loved Grandma’s delicious strudel and looked forward to family gatherings to savor it together. We were so delighted that Mom would share her recipe with us and with various other family members, living as far away as Alaska.
Our mother was a very, very special, and beautiful lady and I am so pleased to share a little of her with the Jewish Community of Cleveland of which she was so proud to be a member.