creative jewish mom

Delicious Spelt & Oatmeal Rolls, With Date Syrup!

These spelt rolls made with oatmeal and date syrup were a huge hit last night at dinner, and I have to admit, they were delicious! So delicious in fact that I couldn't quite believe it! A neighbor and I recently found a way to order our favorite organic spelt flour directly from the supplier in bulk, so I'm planning to be doing a lot more baking, starting with these rolls, which are really just a revised version of my whole wheat mini baguettes. 

These rolls are fabulous for sandwiches, or toasted open faced and spread with a little coconut oil, my latest culinary discovery, and oh so delicious and healthy!

Simply follow the recipe for the whole wheat mini baguettes, substituting spelt flour for the whole wheat flour, and if desired make your rolls bigger, I made 14 from 1 kilo of spelt flour and they are the perfect size for a nice sandwich.

Also, since I was using spelt flour, and I wanted them to be as least dense as possible, I did set the baking rack on the stove top for about an hour such that the rolls could rise before baking, after which I brushed on egg white and sprinkled on the sesame seeds. That's it, enjoy! 

And if you feel like having a little fun in the kitchen, how about substituting spelt for whole wheat, in my whole wheat pretzel rolls?

The Perfect Crocheted Heart Ornament For Any Time!

Last week I had a vision of making my daughter a winter scarf with tiny crocheted hearts, based on an afghan stitch I'd seen. Well, that vision wasn't realized as nicely as I'd hoped when I tried out that stitch (I'll share it with you, not to worry!) so then I decided to try out a granny square with a heart in the middle. On the second attempt, I arrived at this adorable crocheted heart, with a fun dimensional flower in the center, and decided to stop there! And that my friends is how this cute crocheted heart ornament to was born. Yupp, no heart scarf in sight, but I do believe there will be a fun crocheted hearts wall hanging that I hope will look sweet over her bed! I even purchased some chunky yarn in colors to match her new comforter cover, so I believe it will happen!

In My Winter Window Garden.....Stunning Cyclamen!

Not to deceive you with the title of this post.....the miracle isn't that my cyclamen are blooming but rather that I finally realized the importance of splurging a little on some cheerful blooms during the winter months!

And potted cyclamen now for sale everywhere certainly fit the bill!

On my visits to The Netherlands, I took note of the lovely Dutch tradition of filling their homes with flowers— in the winter blooming hyacinths and orchids, and in the summer beautiful arrangements of cut flowers. On each of my two visits I made a mental note to try and make flowers a greater part of my life, and at long last I took a small step in that direction by purchasing a small pot of blooming cyclamen! Of course now I'm dreaming of a few more pots, since cyclamen here come in three colors, which I do think would add even more cheer, and who can't use a little cheer during the cold winter months?

 

 

Here in Israel, cyclamen bloom in the wild, and so there is a particular affection for this flower, as it marks the heart of winter! I was told in the floral shop to keep the plant outdoors, as it loves cold, but that if I want to enjoy it indoors, I should place ice cubes in the pot, got that? And of course a little winter sun is okay, like on my windowsill here, but direct sun all day wouldn't be recommended, and in any case your plant will show you that it's unhappy! 

 

 

When purchasing your cyclamen do try to find a plant that has some buds waiting underneath the blooms, so you'll be able to enjoy the flowers for a few months, hopefully!

 

If your cyclamen gets yellow leaves and dies back, simply remove the bulb and set aside in a paper bag or in a bag of moss until next fall, when you can plant it again in moist soil, and try to get another year of blooms, possibly successful, possibly not. If the plant does not die back, so make sure to place it in total shade during the summer months and water as needed. 

 

And now, I'm making a mental note to myself to be sure to take a walk in the woods with the kids sometime soon to see these beauties blooming in the wild, here in light pink, and generally peeking out from between the rocks.....an amazing sight!

 

The Perfect Bowl Of Oatmeal....With Coconut Oil!

I really don't know why it is that I never actually figured out how to make oatmeal properly all these years! Truthfully I have not been adding enough water (or milk), which explains why it was so gloppy most of the time! Now thanks to my friend from Amsterdam, who at the end of our stay in Barcelona gifted me with a leftover box of Dutch Quaker oatmeal, I have finally learned the trick. Of course I did have to run to the computer to translate the cooking instructions from Dutch to English, but it sure was worth it.

Now this winter I'm enjoying a large, delicious and healthful bowl of oatmeal almost every morning, with a few delicious additions:

Ingredients: For 1 hearty serving or maybe 2 smaller child-sized portions

• 1 cup oatmeal, quick cooking, buy it in the cans so you'll have some containers for crafting!
• 2 cups water (or 2 cups homemade almond milk, recipe here)
• 1 oz chopped almonds
• 1-2 tblsp organic maple syrup, the real thing (grade B)
• 2 tsp coconut oil

Instructions: Add water, oatmeal and almonds to a small pot. Bring to a boil and stir for one minute or so, until water is absorbed. Transfer to a bowl and add coconut oil and maple syrup.

Note: You may or may not have heard about the latest info about coconut oil? I've been reading about it lately from holistic health practitioners, and was happy to see that it's new identity as healthy, as opposed to terribly unhealthy, is generally accepted. Yippee! Check out this mainstream article here, which also has some interesting information.

So if you love coconut, go for it, it's downright delicious— instead of butter, as a cooking oil (the healthiest oil for high temperature cooking) on greenbeans, wow, or with a baked sweet potato, yumm. Coconut oil actually comes in solid form, so is most easily used with hot foods.

And while I don't know prices in the rest of the world, here in Israel it's a bit pricey, at my local store 54 shekels for  684ml But truthfully you don't need a lot, and in the end if you invest in a larger quantity, it may not be much more expensive than good olive oil. Invest in a small jar and give it a try......I know I'm absolutely grateful for this new addition to my family's diet!

Finger Knitting Braided Scarf Winter Craft For Kids!

Ta da, at long last a great way to use those ropes of finger knitting — a fun finger knit braided scarf! A finger knit braided scarf is a perfect winter craft for kids of all ages, and something they can proudly wear! My seven year old made this is two nights, and I just love it!

Okay, we're honestly not really sure if a braided scarf like this one looks a little too girly, even in neutrals, so you decide. We may try making one with neutral colors and four strands which may be more suitable for a boy. Though I have to tell you, my daughter and I had to forcibly persuade my seven year old not to wear this scarf he made to school, to avoid teasing, and he said "I really don't care what anyone thinks!" I hope he stays this way!

You'll Need:

• chunky yarn in three colors
• fingers
• see my previous post about how to finger knit here.

How To:

Decide how long a scarf you'd like to make, ours is 200cm, a good length for a scarf that would provide warmth. Make three finger knit ropes each the same length, and about 1 1/3 greater than your desired finished lenght. If you make a tight braid, so you may want to make the strands even 1 1/2 times longer. Not exactly sure, do a little test yourself, and do the calculations with your kids, a great way to show them how useful math can be for creative activities too!

Tie three finished strands together with a knot and braid. Tie another knot at the end of the braid, trim ends and proudly wear! Would love to see photos of any little artists who give this one a try! Happy winter crafting!

Whoops, almost forgot! While your kids are finger knitting you could make some fun hangers like the one in the photo by following my instructions for a crocheted wire hanger cover. Enjoy!

The Four Holy Cities On Rachel's Yarzheit, Part 2

As we continued our day-long trip visiting holy sites in Israel on the yarzheit of Rachel Imeinu, (more about that on my previous post here) we at long last reached the Tomb of Rachel, Kever Rachel, located on the road between the Holy Cities of Hebron and Jerusalem, just next to Bethlehem, Beit Lechem, about 4 miles southwest of Jerusalem. And no surprise, we were not alone in our desire to visit Mama Rachel on the anniversery of her passing, an estimated 70,000 people came to pray at her tomb on this day, wow!

The Four Holy Cities Of Israel On Rachel's Yarzheit: Part 1

The view from the gravesite of the great sage, Rebbe Meir Baal HaNess, looking at the city of Tiberius.

It's very quiet out there in blog land, and I at long last have a moment to share with you some photographs from a special and uplifting tour of the Four Holy Cities of Israel that my daughter and I joined on October 27th. This tour, which included interestingly enough, four bus loads of women, and departed from the Holy City of Safed, took place on a very special day, the yarzheit (day of passing) of our beloved mother Rachel. A day especially good for prayer and introspection in the merit of Rachel, and which, in our case included a visit to her gravesite near Bethlehem!

Today Is The Tenth Of Tevet

Today is the Tenth of Tevet, a solemn and important day on the Jewish calender, as well as a fast day.

The kids only have a half day of school, and when my nine year old walked in the door he handed me this coloring page and said "do what you did last year and say I did it."  The kind of request that melts a crafty mom's heart, if you know what I mean? Now of course I knew exactly what he meant and just could not deny his sweet request, so here you have it, yet another Tenth of Tevet coloring page with a crocheted border! 

You can see last year's version (and some info about the day) using the very same coloring page here. And of course do keep this idea of crocheting around just about anything in mind, it can transform even the most simple page into a work of art!

Crocheted Chunky Ankle-Tie Baby Booties

Hip hip hooray, after many many attempts, I've finally managed to crochet a pair of baby booties that were cute enough to actually give as a gift! I don't know why it's been such a challenge, but I think it mostly has to do with not using the appropriate yarn and hook size, and also wanting something that looks cute just sitting there, which many booties do not, or at least the ones I've tried!

Ruffled Knit Scarf Using Mesh Yarn......Knit By A Ten Year Old!

It just so happens that knitting scarves from mesh yarn is all the rage with the girls in my daughter's school, so I gave her a ball of this special yarn for Hanukkah, and yesterday she knit herself a scarf. Well, it wasn't exactly what I'd call knitting, as she used her fingers more than the knitting needles, but she did a great job and is so very proud of her accomplishment. And of course, I'll be happy to buy her another ball of yarn, for the sake of encouraging crafting! (Now if I can just get her to learn how to actually knit, I'll be even happier!)

The mesh yarn isn't really yarn exactly, but rather more like trim, but it comes in a skein, and like many other speciality yarns on the market, allows one to create something with amazing texture and interest! And you only need one ball of yarn to make a scarf, so it's a great idea for gift making this winter too!

And there she goes, modeling her new creation which she did of course wear to school to join the club of other young knitters. Yippee!