creative jewish mom

Pillar Geraniums Grown From Cuttings

Unitil today I didn't know that my almost four feet tall geraniums were called pillar geraniums, though of course I knew that while still geraniums, they were certainly different from the compact or trailing varieties generally seen in the nurseries around here! These very tall and hardy beauties (they endure some snow and freezing weather here) with large fuzzy leaves were started from cuttings that I took from the garden of a friend who had passed away. Though I really just did it on a whim and had no idea if my foot plus cuttings would actually root, but they did!

So now, even though my watering system failed while I was away for a month, and I couldn't do much as far as trimming or planting new cuttings during the shemittah year in Israel, my two pots of pillar geraniums are looking pretty good, I must say! I love the fact that they have that wild overgrown garden look punctuated with gorgeous flowers. (They do need to be staked though or grown in tomato hoops, or they will fall over and not look too great.) And to think, I used to turn my nose up at geraniums for being too simple. Now I know better fortunately!

And for those of you who live in regions with snow, pillar geraniums in containers can be overwintered in a garage by cutting the plant down to just its trunk and putting the plant into a dormant stage with little to no watering during this time.

And here is a side view of my original pillar geranium container which fills a little niche to one side of my garden. Truthfully I really should get a larger container but these guys really aren't all that particular, so for now with so many other plants needing my attention I think we'll just leave it as it is!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

 

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! I don't know how it happened exactly but last weeks party wasn't just a party but a huge event, unlike any other in history! Thanks so much to all the new contributors and for giving me three times the work trying to pick the features! And of course for all that amazing inspiration, and those desserts, oh my, good thing I'm off sugar so they look like works of art to me.

And just because it is about time, (years in the making, sigh)  I even designed a new logo for the party, with a button to come soon, really! And now, for my picks from last week's party, enjoy!

 

 

Love this gorgeous DIY marble-look clock from lemon thistle (USA) and these dip dyed party horns are so much fun, also as it turns out from lemon thistle (USA.)

This little peg doll family craft from fynes designs is so adorable, and love the yellow and aqua hutched stuffed to the gills!

 

This DIY wooden crate bookcase from creating really awesome free things (USA) looks amazing, and this scrabble vase centerpiece from simply darrling (USA.)

 

Fantastic tin can art caddy from pillar box blue (United Kingdom) and a gorgeous crocheted market bag from homemade at my place (Mozambique.)

A fun rainbow colored crocheted tissue box cover from my world of crochet (Germany) and a super sweet crocheted pear from happy in red (The Netherlands.)

A super sweet crochet clutch from Anna simple crochet (Portugal) and great crocheted wrist warmers from howling at the moon (The Netherlands.)

A felted rose barrette from an inspired mess (USA) and a wonderful blessings jar idea from marty's musingg (USA.)

Homemade Almond Milk Is A Way Of Life.......

For several years now I have been on and off dairy, and since I have not been able to find sugar free almond milk in my local health food store, I have been making my own. And truthfully, I have tried quite a few non-dairy bevarages that come in cartons, and never found one (except for coconut "water", which is delicious but very high in fat and calories) that I would want to consume on a regular basis, so homemade almond milk is the answer. Yes, it does take a few minutes or more to prepare, but you can make small quantities and I do think doing your own processing is always preferable!

Almond milk only keeps for a few days, so I generally make the amount that fits into the jar you see above, which uses 1/2 cup almonds. This works for me as I am the only one drinking the almond milk, you can certainly make more if necessary. Also, if you want to make almond milk that will serve as cream for your coffee, you may prefer it just a bit thicker, so simply use less water.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almonds, soaked for 8 hours in water, or blanched
• 4 cups water
• 1 large date (optional)
• a splash of vanilla 

How To:

Add almonds, date (if using), and half of the water to a strong blender and blend. Strain almond milk using a fine strainer over a bowl, or a piece of cheese cloth inside a strainer over a bowl.) A "nut bag" for making nut milk would also be great probably, though all I had available to me is a large tea strainer, which works fine, though I'm not able to get every last drop out of the pulp. Return the remaining pulp to the blender one more time and repeat with the remainder of the water. 

If you will be using the almond milk for coffee and it bothers you if it separates, I just read that one can heat the milk to avoid this happening. Heat on low and simmer for 15 minutes. Not sure if this extra step is worth the trouble, but just keep it in mind. Also, the milk keeps for no more than 5 days, and possibly less which is why this recipe is for a small quantity.

Almond milk really is delicious as a milk substitute with say oats or quinoa, or granola, and I have to say in my opinion it's the only milk substitute (ah yes, except for that aforementioned coconut) that really actually stands on its own taste wise. So giving up cow's milk really can be done with minimal discomfort, yippee! 

Note: I'll admit, there are days when I make almond milk without soaking the almonds, which just means i believe that you won't benefit from all the nutrients in the nut. I'm not sure if there is anything on the outside of the nut that one is getting rid of by soaking it, will have to look into this!

Chickpea Flour Flatbread

Introducing my favorite new recipe, chickpea flour flatbread, especially great for someone like me who is not eating wheat, or needs to avoid gluten! Of course you could call this is a chickpea flour pancake, whichever sounds better to you! It is true that the taste of the chickpea flour may not be for everyone, but when accompanied by something a bit savory or spicy I think even the pickiest eaters may be won over. I gave my kids a bite together with my hot pepper dip, and they didn't spit it out! So there may be a family meal using these pancakes in the future (with a huge selection of delicious veggie and bean based things to spread on them) in the meantime I'm just going to enjoy them myself, starting with tonight when I plan to enjoy some with the traditional Moroccan salads that I make every week for shabbat.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 2 cups water
• 1 small white onion finely chopped (and you could add some fresh chopped coriander too)
• 1 tsp baking powder (optional, try with and without and see which you prefer!)
• a dash of cumin, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon (and more than a dash if you like these spices)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if possible, but my family will more likely eat them with the salt)
• olive oil (preferrably spray) to lightly coat pan

Preparation:

Combine dry ingredients and onion. Add water and use a wisk to make sure all lumps are dissolved. Heat a non-stick frying pan and lightly coat with olive oil spray. Use a ladle to place batter in pan, flatten batter with ladle, and once pancake starts to bubble, flip over and continue cooking until nicely browned on both sides.

Pancakes can be stored in the fridge and easily re-heated, though have yet to try freezing them. Cut pancakes into wedges, or if you are skilled at making a thin pancake you may be able to use them as roll ups. I folded one in half to make a very satisfying sandwich. Enjoy!

 

Drinking Straw Garlands Are A Perfect Way To Use Scraps!

Crafting with drinking straws is so much fun, especially when the colors are fabulous like these, and when there are so many ways to make quick and great looking decorations for the holidays, for birthdays or just because! Today I wanted to share with you three ways to make garlands from little scraps that you may have after for example, trimming your drinking straw starburst ornaments, or possibly making one of the many other crafts I'm planning to share with you!

Garlands are a great base for so many decorations, be it a bunting banner or  a welcome sign, or even a chain of snowflakes, or dreidels or greeting cards. Of course, if you ask me I think they look adorable as is! And come to think of it, these would be so sweet taped to the front of a gift, or even wrapped around the gift, right?

You'll Need:

• wide drinking straws
• yarn
• a crochet hook (for one of the methods)

Top: Simple string 1cm (or so) pieces of straws onto yarn. To keep pieces from falling off ends, thread each end of yarn through the last piece and pull so that yarn is tight, but not tight enough to distort the straw.

Middle: Make a garland with pieces of straw spaced out by simply threading the yarn through each piece of straw a second time.

Bottom: This one is for the crocheters out there! Make several chains to start, and then slip a piece of straw onto your crochet hook, and simple single crochet around it, sc, and then put another piece of straw on the hook. Try it and you'll see what I mean, this could even make a fun fringe of sorts for a little crocheted wall hanging couldn't it?

Let me know if you use any of these techniques, I'd love to see them! Happy drinking straw crafting.

 

Quick Drinking Straw Starburst Ornaments, Perfect For So Many Occassions!

When I spotted these large drinking straws in fabulous colors at my favorite Swedish retalier, (yes we have Ikea in Israel and the food in the restuarant is kosher!) I just had to buy quite a few bags as I knew they'd be great for crafting. I have actually started making chanukah decorations using these straws, and while I can't share them with you just yet, I was doing research to see what other crafters had made using straws and I came across this great project from Aunt Peaches, and then realized that I had even featured it on craft schooling Sunday a few years back.

So of course, I had to give it a try and this is the result! Pretty darn cute, I must say, and would look great for just about any occasion or even hung in a child's room from the ceiling. Gotta try that one!

You'll Need:

• colorful drinking straws, or just one metallic or solid color if you prefer
• zip ties

How To: This is so simple you're not gonna believe it, but you may need assistance from someone with lots of strength in their hands! All you do is take 25 or 30 straws, and gather them together in a bunch. Wrap a zip tie around the middle of the bunch and then pull as hard as you can so that the zip tie closes as much as possible.

The large starburst seen here was made with straws as-is, while the small size was made by cutting each straw in half. After closing the zip tie as tightly as you can, go back again and try to pull it even tighter. Trim if desired. And now go make a bunch more!

Taking My Plant Based Diet Commitment One Step Further!

I have actually lost count as to how many weeks it has been since I decided that I would eat a plant-based diet for one year, since I actually started several weeks before actually announcing my commitment here on the blog. But since my official start day was on the first day of the Jewish new year, Sept 14, 2015, I have almost completed a month, which means only 11 more months to go!

As far as not eating fish, meat, chicken, eggs and dairy, I have been 100% on track, I did not even taste one little tiny drop of these things! I did not taste the roasted lamb, the grilled chicken, the Moroccan fish, the grilled cheese sandwiches, the weekly vegetable kugel, or even all the delicious cakes my daughter made for the holidays. That in itself is actually quite an accomplishment given all the food I was cooking and serving. Funny enough, in the past telling myself that I was giving up sugar would not have been enough to enable me to resist all those desserts. But because I decided that I am not eating any animal products the cake is off limits, a great way to trick oneself isn't it?

(One tiny confession: during the succot holiday my neighbor gifted us a plate of homemade middle eastern pastries which included baklava, my favorite. Being almost 99% sure that it did not contain eggs, I had a few pieces. And I must remember to ask her is there was any egg in her recipe, hopefully not.)

Now that the holidays are over and life is calming down a bit, it is time to move forward with my healthy eating and remove a few more things from my diet, the things that are truly my biggest enemies: sugar and wheat! I have tried eliminating these from my diet in the past, but did not last more than a month, but this time I'm much more serious, so here's hoping I'll be able to do it this time.

So, no sugar and no wheat means no standard whole wheat pasta, none of my delicious challah, none of the chocolate and rice crispy bars my daughter makes, no non-dairy ice cream and much more. But truthfully, I'd much rather know that I've done my very best to attain good health and well-being than to eat these things which ultimately make my joints ache and cause puffiness around my eyes and possibly swelling in my hands. Sigh.

So that is it, I'm now two days into no sugar, no wheat. Wish me luck, and do join me on this journey if you so desire, I think it is going to be an interesting one!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday! Last week's party was full of really great projects for fall from great crafters from around the world. So without further ado, here are the features from last week's party:

Love this bunting applique market bag from tea and a sewing machine (United Kingdom) and oil pastel pumpkins from Aunt Peaches (USA).

Fabulous clay tanagram magnets and a wonderfullly styled photo from pomenco (The Netherlands.)

Jewelry making journal  (USA) stacked ring pendants, and a tied fabric wreath from tea and a sewing machine (United Kingdom.)

Crocheted version of Danish woven paper hearts from homemade at my place (Mozambique) and fun rhinestone covered gourds from Aunt Peaches (USA.)

Simple and great looking fall rag garland from homemade interest (USA) and a beautiful idea fro making a votive glass using fall leaves from estrea chikitu (The Netherlands.)

 

A fun vintage chandelier addition using upcycled plastic covers from Mich in LA (USA) and a great looking fused plastic bag toiletries bag from my home is my castle (Sweden.)

 

No-bake chocolate cookies cake from Winnie (Israel) and apparently addicting chocolate bars from homemade interest (USA.)

Pumpkin coconut loaf from burnt apple (USA) and date walnut coconut cookies from olives and okra (USA.) That is it for the features, what have you been up to?

Propogating Purple Heart From Cuttings, So Simple!

One of the great joys of gardening, and in my case, container gardening for the most part, is propogating plants to either have some more of something you love, or to refresh a plant that has grown tired or unattractive. I generally stick to those plants that practically do all the work themselves, and purple heart is one of them! I have a pot of purple heart that I inherited from a neighbor when she moved, and now that the shemittah year is over, I can start refreshing my garden once again, so yesterday I gave my purple heart plant a nice pruning (it tends to get too leggy) and the cuttings are sitting in water waiting to be re-born.

Purple heart cuttings can be quite simply placed into moist soil, like geranium cuttings, or one can root them in water first and then carefully plant, you decide!

And truthfully for the time being, this little Moroccan style tea glass filled with these small yet dramatic cuttings looks so great, I think I'll root these in water. Even my husband who doesn't tend to notice all the plant happenings in our home, noticed this and said wow! Oh and of course, those tiny pink blooms are just the sweetest, right?

FYI: Also known as purple queen, purple heart (Setcreasea pallida) is a striking plant with fuzzy, purple, lance-shaped leaves that reach lengths of 7 inches. The stems grow straight up and then lean over, creating a cascading effect. Bright pink flowers appear at the end of the stems in summer and autumn. Purple heart works well as a ground cover or in a patio container or hanging basket. Purple heart is suitable for planting in U.S. Department of Agriculture growing zones 9 through 11. In cooler climates, it is often grown indoors.

Try to take cuttings from non-flowering growth, and water plant well the day before taking cuttings. Enjoy!

Mini Torah Scroll Cake Or Cupcake Flags!

Due to a very packed schedule that involved tons of cooking and of course trying to keep my house from spinning out of control, I didn't have a chance to actually show you how I used the little mini sefer torahs that I made for the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. So now I present to you, mini sefer torah cake or cupcake flags — so simple to make and truly adorable. And of course, while the holiday of Simchat Torah is over, once can still use these to decorate a cake this shabbat, when we start reading the Torah all over again, or for the holiday of Shavuos.

I made the skewers that hold the sefer torahs shorter and spaced those around the cake alternately with taller skewers with just two washi tape flags each. The effect is really cute, and could be even better if one decorates the cake with just solid color (like blue or orange) sprinkles as opposed to the multi colored ones we had on hand.

You'll Need:

• bamboo skewers
• washi tape
• mini sefer torahs (click here for tutorial)
• hot glue

How To:

To decorate our chocolate cake made in a bundt pan, I made 12 cake flags total, six with sefer torahs, and six with two flags. I affixed the mini sefer torahs to the skewer with hot glue, and the flags are simply made by folding a piece of washi tape around the skewer and then cutting out a notch. So simple and so sweet! Enjoy!