creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome my craft loving friends to Craft Schooling Sunday! Thanks so much for joining me here, and for those of you with blogger blogs who shared projects last week, please forgive me, but blogger just wouldn't let me leave any comments! So thanks so very much to you all, better luck for me and blogger next time. There were lots of great projects last week, and I'm so happy to be able to share them with you, enjoy!

First off, I haven't delved into the world of scrapping myself, but I just love this scrappy collaged shopping bag made by a Polish scrapper and shared by Sandy over at Sandy's Place. And isn't this crocheted headband sweet? It was made by Strasilo, from Croatia, one of two Croatians that shared projects at the party last week! Love the international aspect of this party!

This knitted rag doily rug by one pearl button, using a free pattern from coco knits, is just too gorgeous for words, and definitely on my list of upcoming projects! And Carolyn's Homework gave her kitchen counter a seriously gorgeous makeover by creating these vintage look bottles to hold the family's vitamins!

Can't stop making things just doesn't stop wowing me with her ability to work in so many mediums, and I just love this bent wire bracelet that spells MOM! And this rubber boot garden knome house? Yet another project that happened to also be on Sandy's Place....an entry in a competition that she held. Talk about clever and creative, and this one is from Poland, I believe.

I just love these playful clay beads from running with glitter, made with a bakeable but easy to work with clay called Pluffy! I love sidewalk chalk, and the idea of painting with chalk sounds great too, not to mention gorgeous! You can find this recipe for chalk paint from the chocolate muffin tree, as well as a great wealth of nice craft projects to do with the kiddos.

Isn't this little matzo and jellybean house from tinker lab just the cutest? A fun craft project to do in the kitchen with some of those left overs. And last but never ever least, from my super creative friend Aunt Peaches, a craft foam and pipecleaner light cover (which even includes some hebrew letters) and is constructed on a base of two strawberry/mushroom baskets. Amazing. Well folks, that's it for the features, can't wait to see what this week's party brings!

Baking Challah After Passover— Schlissel Key Shaped Challah

Baking schlissel challah, the key shaped (or baked with a key) challahs is an Ashenazic Jewish custom which I'm happy to say I have been doing for quite a few years. And the time to do this custom is NOW! Namely when one is baking the challahs for the first Shabbat after Passover. Schlissel means "key" in yiddish, and as far as the meaning of this custom, well you can certainly consult google on this one, but I'll just say that the key is about bringing blessing into our homes and specifically the blessing of livelihood.

There are a few ways in which one can make schlissel challah, and this year I'm doing the three ways I know of in order to cover my bases, and hey, maybe this blog will even start bringing in a little income! I'm putting the key in the photo under one challah, I'm pressing a key into another challah to leave the imprint in the dough before baked, and I've made an old fashioned key shape from challah dough, not the most beautiful key you've ever seen, but my seven year old thought it was great, so that's good enough for me!

And since your next question may be "what recipe do you use?" Well I'll be happy to share that with you soon, so stay tuned!

p.s. The key shaped challah actually turned out nicer looking than I expected, so here it is! And let me tell you, it was delicious too. The exact same recipe that I bake almost every week, but it had a little extra something in it. It even reminded my husband of his grandmother's Moroccan shabbat bread, go figure!

Chocolate Mocha Glaze Icing For Your Next Cake!

Nearly two years ago when I first started this blog, I posted my basic chocolate cake recipe and promised to add to that post the recipe that I use for the chocolate glaze topping which is simple, stress free, and can be made with basic ingredients that you most likely have in the cupboard. Once you master this one, you can start thinking about how to make fun and fancy cake pops!

And, wouldn't you know, a few months short of two years later I was just linking to that post for a birthday cake post that I'll be sharing next week and lo and behold I saw my promise—unfullfilled that is! Whoops....that's life in the busy blog lane, so here is that recipe at long last. Use it, enjoy it and if you're like me, you may even realize that as long as there are some sprinkles on hand, your family will love this simple solution to icing a cake just as much as something made in the mixer!

• 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar, or if you're like me, just use regular sugar it that's what you have!
• 3 tblsps cocoa
• 1 tblsp instant coffee, disolved in one tblsp of warm water (optional, leave it out if your family doesn't like coffee)
• 3 tbsps oil
• 4 to 6 tblsps water

In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients, and add oil. Mix, add coffee, and gradually add water one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Pour over cake and set aside to harden. For bundt cakes, make consistency slightly on the runny side so that you can drip the icing over the sides of the cake. Let it run to the bottom creating decorative pools of chocolate on the plate around your cake. Just be sure to keep the cake away from 7 year olds who might think this was a mistake and won't be able to resist running their finger through these tempting pools of chocolate while you are in the shower!  If this does happen, so try not to scream. Take a deep breath and clean off the finger smears with a damp paper towel and remember to lock the cake up next time (note to self)!

Yield: Frosts one 9 x 13 flat cake

Recipe courtesy of Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook

A Simple Pipe Cleaner Craft: Tic Tac Toe!

A super simple pipe cleaner craft that's also a game. No explanation required right? Pipe cleaners are one of those simple craft supplies that one should always have on hand, as there are really so many great uses for them! In the past I have posted about pipe cleaner birthday crowns, and pipe cleaner sculptures, as well as pipe cleaner and pom pom critters! And now, you can even stash some in your purse and make a quick tic tac toe game when the need arises!

And of course, you can make some extras to use for scoring or tallying just about any game. I do think this would be a great way to teach a young child this classic game, don't you?

A Fun Memo Pad Drawing Exercise To Get The Creative Juices Flowing!

For many children, drawing of any kind can be a wonderful and creative experience, and as parent I get particularly excited when a see a child using drawing to tell personal stories. Unfortunately we see this most often in pre-school and kindergarten children, with that creativity disappearing as children learn new things and are influenced by their peers. Fortunately there are exceptions of course, and with every child it certainly is a good idea to encourage "thinking out of the box" when it comes to drawing. A good way to do this is quite simply to introduce a new canvas of sorts!

It occurred to me that drawing tiny pictures on square memo pad paper could be a nice creative exercise. And guess what? My kids loved it! I even got a few drawings out of my non-drawer!

During a pre-Passover organizing effort, I finally finished this little project by framing the best of their drawings using these cardboard window frames, which are in fact recycled from a memory game that we opened several years ago— we had to punch the cards out of these frames, ever had a game like that?  I think the results are quite sweet, and I'm so happy to have finally used this item in my recycling stash!

So have some fun with drawing or doodling on small squares of paper, and I do think this would be a great take-along activity for your next trip near or far. And of course if you don't have any frames like these in your stash, I'm sure you can quickly whip up something similar, or adhere the little works of art checkerboard style to a larger piece of cardboard. I'd love to see what YOU do with this idea!

Moroccan Mofleta.....The First Leavened Bread After Passover!

If you happen to mention mofleta to a Moroccan, the response will very likely be something like "ahhhh, mofleta, my Savta's mofleta is the best!" Mofleta is made from dough very similar to pita dough, with just a touch more oil, and it is cooked in a frying pan like a large pancake. Good mofleta must be made from very thin dough, and is quite tasty when eaten with butter and honey. (Symbolizing abundance, sweetness, and happiness, and also Israel, the land of Milk and Honey.) While mofleta is eaten during the year, in some families every Rosh Chodesh, in others as a Chanukah treat, it is universally enjoyed amongst Moroccans as the first bread after Passover. And I mean right after Passover, like the very same night that the holiday ends!  (This would have been last night for those outside of Israel.)

You see, Moroccan women tend to be very quick in the kitchen and very neat and clean. Not to mention that traditionally families lived together, so there would certainly be a few generations of women in the kitchen at any given time. Which means that cleaning up after the Passover holiday ended (at night) and putting away every last Passover dish before bringing any flour into the house wasn't such a big job for them. And the idea of throwing a late night party that same night for family, friends and neighbors wasn't overwhelming, it was simply a joyful tradition that everyone looked forward to!

As far as what's happening in my house right after Passover, well I have yet to learn how to make mofleta (though rest assured, I will, soon!) or be organized enough to throw a party at the end of a week long holiday, but I do believe it's in our future and I would like it to be! How nice to end the holiday with yet another warm tradition. I just need to find a few of those Moroccan women to gather in my kitchen to give me a hand!

And in case you're wondering, the mofleta in this photo was sent over yesterday by a kind neighbor who instinctively knew that mofleta after Passover would make my husband happy. Okay, by the time it arrived I had sent the husband and kids out for pizza so that I could tackle the mountain of laundry, but I certainly appreciated it, so that I could share this wonderful tradition with you!

All Natural Banana Ice Cream Made From.....Only Bananas!

Did you know that you can make "ice cream" from just one ingredient — bananas? I first learned this little secret here, and when my husband brought home two huge bunches of bananas for Passover, I had a feeling I'd need to use some of them for some kind of treat. And just when those bananas started to look a little brown I remembered the banana ice cream idea!

Now I have to say, this won't go over well as an actual substitute for those who want to eat real ice cream, but for those avoiding sugar or who happen to be vegan or just love super healthy fare, well this one is for them. And for those of us who enjoyed lots of matzo and other delicious foods during the past week of Passover, ahem, this one is also for us! Though I made it plain, I do think it could be quite delicious with some chopped walnuts, ground coconut, chocolate chips or shaved chocolate (for those not avoiding sugar....), or even some peanut butter mixed in! Have fun experimenting with this and you might even want to make some in an ice cube tray to have some little treats on hand, or as popsicles.

How To:

Slice some bananas and freeze on a plate. After about 2 hours, place them in your food processor or blender and watch in amazement as something that resembles coffee ice cream forms before your eyes! Eat immediately or refreeze, just you'll need to defrost it a bit before re-serving.

Note: The only electrical appliance that I have in my Passover dishes is actually a soup blender, and that worked just fine well!

Gorgeous DIY Fabric Flower Table Decor For Every Occasion!

These elegant and artful stacked organza fabric flowers, (made by melting polyester organza or chiffon fabric circles with a flame), and which I posted about with a tutorial here, will make your table look just amazing! I had originally planned to use them as napkin rings, but after I found this coordinating wired floral ribbon in my stash, I decided to simply wrap the ribbon around the salad plate. Our seder table looked so beautiful with this simple addition, which I'll be sure to use again and again! I'm sure these flowers will be used as actual napkin rings at some point, and at the moment I've got them hanging out tied around one of my empty Moroccan frames, where they also happen to look lovely

One note, the fabric I used is a polyester satin organza, though one can and should try using chiffon which is slightly sheer and looks really great using this technique. And I have to say, the fact that my table was adorned with flowers all slightly different, looked much more interesting than if they were all the same, so have fun making a bunch of varieties.....wouldn't these be wonderful for a DIY wedding or sheva brachas? Get together a group, teach them how to make these flowers, and enlist their help. Sounds like a great time to me!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! We are in the middle of celebrating Passover, so I'm just stopping by for a minute to share with you the wonderfully colorful features from last week, and to wish all of you who are celebrating Passover a wonderful 7th (and 8th) day, in which we celebrate the splitting of the red sea! A historic event and a chance to feel deliveration from the things to which we are slaves even today, in our personal lives and in the world around us. And of course it's certainly a great opportunity to express gratefulness, and to reflect on how different our lives are from those who were truly slaves. How one switches from the heavy topic of slavery to crafts I don't really know, so I'll just end this paragraph with fond regards to you all and thanks so much to those who've taken a few moments to share their creativity here!

Isn't this gorgeous pink bowl made from tickets just amazing? My friend Amy over at mod podge rocks has a great tutorial, and you won't believe how simple it is! And this lamp shade is just amazing, don't you think? Craft Passion crocheted it using yarn made from fabric and a special crocheted loop stitch which I've got to try sometime soon. And of course for a shabby chic/cottage look one could certainly try this using faded sheets and pillowcases!

Here are two really nice projects for the little ones, both using yarn dipped in glue. Hands On As We Grow made this free-form yarn garland, and the chocolate muffin tree made these wonderful tissue paper covered globes which could look great outdoors and even as real lanterns paired with a string of lights!

Mich in L.A. is at it again with her brilliant and thrifty ideas— this time she shows us how to use mardi gras beads to make tassels of all kinds. (For those of you who aren't familiar with these beads, they are the kind that molded onto the string, rather than being actual strung beads.) And a bicycle basket covered with crocheted flowers, from Laura, brilliant and quite simple if you crochet. These roses were made with a technique similar to the one I used to make my crocheted floral headband.

I just love this balloon wreath from hands on as we grow, and the fact that her 3 year old son helped by decorating the number three. And as a first time contributor she really lucked out with two featured projects! Fowl single file is back to baking artful cakes, like this hockey puck cake for her husband. She even included the real signature of his favorite player! I'm not sure if the player piped his signature or if she traced it, but either way it was surely appreciated, and quite a feat!

Fun and colorful drums made from recycled cans and balloons? Brilliant, thanks to quirky momma. And these simple felt puppets from she wears flowers have very large mouths, very cute in themselves and great as a teaching tool about healthy eating as well as the dangers of putting non-food items in mouths!

 

A Return Visit To Bat Yaar—A Dude Ranch Of Sorts In Northern Israel

Oh how I love Bat Yaar, a kid friendly spot between Tsfat and Amuka, with some nice outdoor activities for the kids, and an absolutely breath taking view of the Hula Valley, and the Jordan mountain range beyond. Yes, that would be the actual country of Jordon, not your next door neighbor's child! I know many of you imagine Israel to be a dessert country, but here in the North the topography and plant life are very similar to Northern California! You can see my photos and post about our first visit to Bat Yaar here.

I just adore these little covered wagon replicas which are actually mini dining cars for the restaurant there!

And the main attraction is the horses—a few times around the paddock for little ones, and trail rides for those looking for a little adventure. This time the smell of the horses brought me back to my summer camp days and my love for horses, which has long since been replaced with crafts!

This time, the rabbits were in their hutch, but my boys were happy petting this sweet old farm dog, and my very brave 7 year old (see him way up there?) tried the wooden Swiss Robinson style obstacle course high up in the tree tops. Not recommended for kids under about ten unless there's an adult there to lead them through the scary parts! And yes, he's wearing a safety belt attached to a cable running above him during the whole course. His question last night was "when can we go back?"

This time we spent a few more moments interacting with the horses, and my daughter just loved the simple monkey bars in the little park just beyond the paddock. We brought a Passover picnic lunch, and also played a game of forrest bowling with wooden discs. A wonderful time was had by all, which is fortunate, since today it is raining! And I'm off to cook once again for Shabbat.....and to enjoy the remaining three plus days of this wonderful holiday. All the best to you all!