creative jewish mom

Fostering An Interest In Vegetables: Visit A "Vegetable Museum"!

Ever been to a grocery store that stocks over 35 kinds of apples from around the world?

Have you heard of white eggplant?

Do you know how to prepare taro root and Yucca?

Ever seen orange tomatoes, yellow and purple cauliflower, multicolored chard?

What about New Zealand horn melon? (Note to my readers from New Zealand: do you eat this?)

Let's face it, most of us, including myself, are really quite uninformed when it comes to all the amazing types of fruits and vegetables that are grown and eaten around the world. Fortunately for us, my mother finds things like this very interesting, and on our trip to Northern California this summer, she wanted to show her grandchildren the amazing selection of produce available at The Berkeley Bowl West, even though it was definitely out of our way.

So taking a pointer from my mother, I though I'd write about the idea of finding a local (or not so local) "vegetable museum" in your area and sparking some interest in your kids by introducing them to many things they've never dreamed of. You know, things that grow in the ground and on trees! Seems like a good way to encourage healthy eating, don't you think?

Moroccan-Style Baked Chicken And Potatoes: Simple & Delicious!

Like my chicken recipe, these lanterns, originally available at zgallerie.com, are "Moroccan style, how's that for creative photo selection? If you see something like these, stock up on a few to use as great Succah decorations next year or for instant indoor style anytime!

I have been making this recipe for at least three years, and it's always delicious! I served this with confidence to guests in our Succah today, and my kids loved it too! It's simple and a really great for serving a crowd since there are really very few steps involved.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces, or the chicken pieces/quantity of your choice
• potatoes
• turmeric
• chicken soup powder, msg free (and yes I usually turn my nose up at chicken soup powder in recipes, but in this case it's really the secret ingredient.....)
• fresh coriander, (can substitute fresh parsley)olive oil or vegetable oil
• ginger (optional, I didn't use any today......)
• seasoning: our kosher chickens are very salty as is, so no additional salt is necessary. Use your own judgement based on your experience with the chickens you use.

Directions:

Peel and thickly slice enough potato rounds or half rounds to generously cover the bottom of the baking dish you'll be using...I use a large pyrex dish, but have certainly used very large disposable aluminum trays as well (you can save them for crafting ya know!) when preparing a large quantity.

Make a thick sauce by combining about 1 tablespoon turmeric, 1/2 tablespoon soup powder and enough oil to achieve a maple syrup-like consistency. Add a teaspoon or so of ginger if desired. Add chopped coriander, at least 1/2 cup or so.

Dunk the chicken pieces in the sauce to coat the top of each piece, and place top side up on the bed of potatoes. Bake covered for about 1 hour and bake for another 15 minutes or so uncovered until chicken is nicely browned. Enjoy! I served this dish with a platter of whole-wheat couscous embellished with a mix of boiled zucchini, pumpkin (dlat), carrots and onion, cut in long strips. A refreshing lettuce salad would be a great compliment as well.

 

Sweet & Sour Chicken In Onion Sauce: A Delicious Recipe From The Baghdadi Jews Of India

I'm just stopping by the blog for a moment to give you one of my all time favorite recipes, from the Baghdadi Jews of India. Jews in India? Yes! In fact there have been Jewish communities in India since 76 CE, just after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, as well as Jews who later immigrated to India from other countries such as Iraq. The Sasson family are well know Baghdadi Jews from India. And I'm sure you've all heard of Vidal right? Just a fun fact that really has nothing to do with a chicken recipe......

I think this is one of those recipes that will be great no matter whether you follow the amounts exactly, or whether you have all the spices. And it freezes well! The main thing is to use lots of onions and it will be delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2lbs (1kg) finely chopped onions
• 4 tblsp vegetable oil
• 2 or 3 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander
• 3/4 tsp ground cardamon
• 2 bay leaves
• a good pinch of red chili powder or cayenne pepper (which I've never used)
• 1 chicken, cut into pieces (original recipe calls for 6 boneless and skinless fillets weighing 1 3/4lb (800gm) cut into smaller pieces, but I've never done that!)
• 1lb tomatoes, peeled and chopped or a 14oz (400gm) can of chopped tomatoes (to peel tomatoes, soak in boiling water until you can remove skins with your fingers)
• 2-3 tblsps wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar or to taste (I've never added the sugar)

Directions: Put the onions in a large pan with the oil and stir fry/cook gently with lid on until onions are soft and golden. This can take up to 1/2 hour. Add the garlic, ginger, spices and bay leaves and stir for 5 minutes. Put in the chicken pieces, season with salt, and saute for 10 minutes, such that they are lightly browned on both sides. Now add the tomatoes and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes, or 45 minutes to 1 hours if using pieces of a whole chicken. You want most of the excess liqued to evaporate leaving a nice gravy. Finally stir in the vinegar and sugar and cook 10 minutes more. Delicious served with rice.

Note: This recipe is courtesy of my favorite cookbook, Claudia Roden's The Book of Jewish Food. An amazing encyclopedia/cookbook packed with many many recipes as well as the history of Jewish food around the world. Very fascinating, and highly recommended for those who love to "read" cookbooks and also cook from them!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome and thanks so much for stopping by for another creative meeting of crafters from around the world! I am in the middle of celebrating the holiday of Succot with family and friends, which is keeping me very busy, so I'll open the party with this one comment about last weeks contributions WOW!

I just love this doiley stenciled stool from Amy at modegepodgerocks, and Aunt Peaches has some really creative coffee filter flower arrangements to share with us, check them out here, she's amazing!

Ever seen a cupcake liner project that's as gorgeous as this one from domestifluff? Wow!  And Kalleen over at atsecondstreet threw a really fabulous owl themed baby shower, check out these piped chocolate owls and much more!

Chantal made this wonderful "magic spinning fairy" craft/science experiment, called a thaumatrope, a really great project to do with the kids! And I just love this simple pompom skirt that Kojo Designs made and posted over at atsecondstreet. Now that's there's a baby girl in the family, watch out!

Lilla A. Design comes up with the greatest projects, including these wonderful homemade wooden blocks. Now I know what to do with those scraps that I have hanging around my studio! And I just love these fabric acorns from zemphira with real acorn caps, so simple and a great fall craft, even kids could do this one!

Aunt Peaches also totally surprised me with these creative pipe cleaner crowns, a super party activity! And I just love these oh so simple pieces of embroidery hoop art using just torn pieces of fabric from allforthispenny!

I don't know about you, but the projects from last week were just amazing, all of them!  Thanks so much to all of you!

Slice of Life: Love In A Box Of Cornflakes!

 

Love is everywhere! Our job is to contribute to this love with kinds words and actions towards friends and strangers alike. A smile, a warm greeting, a helping hand can all make a huge difference and yet are so easy to do.

Sometimes we all need a little reminder to open our hearts, which is what happened to us the other morning when my daughter pulled this huge heart out of a box of cornflakes! I honestly wasn't exactly sure what the message was until I sat down to write this, but now it's very clear! So I just want to say that I think that each and every one of you is special, and with just a little extra thought and effort, you can make your own special contribution to the world! Go for it, there's nothing as wonderful as knowing in your heart that you've done your part, whatever that may be!

Note: In case you're wondering, we eat our cornflakes mixed with branflakes and other more healthful cereals. My attempt to help my kids feel "normal" and yet eat a healthful breakfast at the same time. I think this qualifies as creative mothering, any thoughts?

Getting Ready For Succot........!

Succos is coming, and I thought I'd share with you a very tightly edited glimpse of what has been happening over at our house today. And when I say tightly edited, you know what I mean right? 

• The roof of our succah, which is called schach, is in place!  We use large bamboo mats which we save from year to year, and have in the past combined them with freshly cut palm fronds, which is very lovely. 
• We are making large gold stars using poster-board  sized pieces of medium weight gold cardboard,  and the instructions from my post here. They look amazing and definitely a nice compliment to my quasi Moroccan style succah.
• Large round 4-braid challahs are going in and coming out of the oven, and filling the freezer (and filling the house with an amazing smell that we know and love) totaling 6 kilos of flour in all. Recipe to come......soon.....
• Metal Bracelet globe ornaments, using my tutorial here, were assembled, totalling 29, based on the supply at hand and at the dollar store!
• And that jar of red stuff? Well you know how the creative mind works right? When you're already so busy that you're going to burst at the seams, add something else to the list! I spied some rubbing alcohol in the cabinet and thought I'd give my friend Rosi from Italy's marker craft dye project here, a try! And who knows, maybe we'll use it tonight to dye some shells that could be used for something or other?

Paper Party Decorations Part 7: Simple Butterfly Banners Kids Can Make Themselves

Looking for a project to keep your kids busy right about now? Here's another sweet idea that could be used with paper silhouettes of any kind, but is particularly successful with a butterfly shape. And who wouldn't want butterflies in their succah, or anywhere for that matter?  They are certainly preferable to the real live bees that seem to visit every year! My eight year old daughter made  this all by herself except for some initial help from Mom in drawing the butterfly silhouette, and I just love the results!

You'll Need: colored paper, fishing line, plastic pony beads, a glue stick

How To: Draw an outline of a butterfly on a piece of cardboard, and cut it out. Trace around your butterfly template to create a number of identical butterflies, and cut these butterflies out as well. (My daughter actually stapled together several sheets of paper and only traced butterflies on the top sheet. Brilliant!) Sandwich the fishing line between two butterfly shapes by gluing the butterfly bodies together, and add beads to the fishing line between each set of butterflies. Fold the wings of the butterflies in opposite directions to create the look of fluttering wings.

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to our second party of the new (Jewish) year! We're in the midst of preparing for the 7 day (8 days outside Israel) holiday of Succot, my favorite! I've still got lots of preparations to start/finish before Wednesday night, so I'll just mention that last week's party was the biggest ever and so full of amazing projects.....thanks so very much to all of you for taking the time to share with us! And there were even a few new contributors from interesting places like Slovakia, Quebec, and Jakarta! And now, here are just a few of the wonderful creative ideas from last week:

Aunt Peaches shared her wonderfully creative jewelry made from plastic drink cups melted in the oven, and Gabriela Delworth tie-dyed cheesecloth and used it to make this fabulous rose bud ring!

Over at Michele Made Me, the used up tape dispensers have been talking to Michele, and so she just didn't have the heart to throw them out. This piece says "Go, Go, Go" got it? I don't know about you, but I find it very comforting to know that there are people like Michele out there, who make my hoarding habits look normal! And these gorgeous roses? Another very nice project from Aunt Peaches, coffee filter flowers!

I just love the look of this cooper ring and button bracelet from made stuff. And Lilla A. from Denmark does it again with this inventive plaster cast wall art made by indenting wet sand with a bunch of toys and then filling the indentations with plaster!

Fowl single file made these adorable amigurumi crocheted cupcakes, which she thought to give as party favors to the kids, but I suggested giving them to the Moms as pin cushions! Welcome To My World from Quebec crocheted this adorable little bag which one could certainly use, but I thing it would look great hanging out on a doorknob somewhere !

I'm really inspired by this felted geode project that eclectic chica did with her kids...I think I want to make some too just for the surprise of cutting them open, wow! And Camille Dawn over at mother lode shares with us this beautiful learning tool that would look great on any coffee table even if everyone already knows their ABCs!

And now, it's time for another chance to share your latest crafting adventures! Please link back to this party with a text link or badge. And its so great to have you!

Tonight Is Yom Kippur!

Wishing you all a fulfilling and meaningful Yom Kippur, and all the very best in the coming year!

Before Yom Kippur we are very careful to ask for forgiveness from family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, employees and anyone that we may have offended in the past year, either knowingly or unknowingly! So I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to my readers! If I have offended anyone, please know, my intentions are to be sensitive and respectful in my writing, and in the imagery that I post here. If I fell short of this even in the slightest way, please forgive me!

The image above is a painting by the reknowned Jewish artist Marc Chagal, and it is for sale as a limited addition piece here.

Make Stunning Golden Spheres From Simple Metal Bracelets!

Wouldn't you like to make some sparkling decorations for your table? Place them here and there along a runner, or group them casually with a collection of pretty dishes.  Hang some from your chandelier, or add a few to your side table for a touch of modern elegance. Place one in each wine glass, or tie on a small piece of ribbon with your guest's names and use as place-cards......and I just tried slipping one around a napkin as a napkin holder and they look great! Truthfully I'll be hanging these in my Succah next week, but after that I'm quite sure I'll be using them indoors as part of our fall/winter decor.

I'm sure you've seen those skinny metal bangles, you know the super cheap version of the real gold ones that women from India traditionally wear in stacks with their lovely sari outfits? Well I just happened to see packs of 20 at the dollar store, and snatched up all the gold ones.....at the time I didn't quite know what I'd use them for, (though I was thinking Succah decor) but when I got home the idea popped into my head, wow! 

You'll Need:

• metal bracelets, three or four per ornament
• gold thread or wire (the thread gives the ornament a softer touch, wire is easier to work with....)

How To: For an Ornament Using Three Bracelets:

1. Place one bracelet inside a second bracelet, and position such that the two bracelets cross one another to form an x. (see ornament on bottom left)
2. Using gold thread or wire bind the two bracelets together at the x, at both the top and bottom points.
3. Place the third bracelet down over the top of the two, (as if it's the equator line running around the middle of the earth, see ornament on bottom middle.) and bind to the other two with gold thread.

How To: For an Ornament Using Four Bracelets:

1. Place one bracelet inside a second bracelet, and position such that the two bracelets cross one another to form an x. (see ornament on bottom left) Insert a third bracelet, and position such that the bracelets intersect to form a five pointed star shape. (See ornament on top, middle)
2. Using gold thread or wire bind the three bracelets together at the intersection point, at both the top and bottom points.
3. Place the fourth bracelet down over the top of the three, (as if it's the equator line running around the middle of the earth, see ornament on top, right.) and bind to the other bracelets at two or more intersection points. 

Note : This idea would also be quite successful with large rings. I recently bought gold rings in a few sizes at JoAnnes, and plain metal rings are often available from  lamp shade making suppliers, or even possibly at the hardware store. Plain rings could be wrapped with gold thread or even fabric, and large spheres would look great with something hanging in the middle, like a mirrored ball, a little bird, another smaller sphere....enjoy!