creative jewish mom

No-Bake Chocolate Quinoa Date Balls With Nuts, The Perfect Summer Treat!

After Passover I had quite a few dates and almonds that really needed to be used up, and I remembered the chocolate almond date balls recipe from years past. I made this as a dessert for husband and myself when there were no guests for shabbat, and he just loved the balls, as they can pass as sugar laden not so great for you something or other! A big phew as I really don't want to bake things that I personally don't want to eat! That said, I realized that truly one does not need so much sugar (even natural from dried fruit) and that the balls could be enhanced by adding other things. So I started adding quick oats and some coconut, with good results, and then a lightbulb moment happened a few weeks ago.....what about adding quinoa? So I gave it a try, and kept adding more and more quinoa, until I was able to really reduce the proportions of dates and nuts, so that it is also a whole grain treat!

The great thing about these chocolate quinoa date balls is that you can experiment with adding all kinds of things, and making a variety of coatings as well, such as chopped pistachios, cocoa powder, something colorful for a special occasion, got it? And, these would also be great to make when on the road, or renting a summer cottage, especially for folks like us who might rent a place where the oven isn't usable for kashrus reasons, so no-bake is the answer! Honestly I just made these last night with no appliances whatsoever, so you can too! Enjoy, and maybe now is the time to start thinking about training your family's taste buds to go for the healthier choices? ( Or at the least maybe just keep them for yourself to pull out when everyone else is eating the junk?)

Giant 6 Strand Challah That Uses 1 Kilo Of Flour Per Loaf

Giant challahs, often used for banquet style meals on shabbat or for a festive occasion are something one can truly bake at home. Okay, maybe not the most giant ones, but something large enough to do the job! This past shabbos was the pre-wedding celebration for one of my sons, and we hosted a crowd of 50 for the Friday night and shabbos day meals, which means in my case, that losts of challah, and challah rolls needed to be baked! For the main table where the groom sits, flanked by his father and soon to be father-in-law large challahs are the custom, so I baked something that was big, but still would fit in my freezer drawers, and that turns out to be two large challahs made from 2 kilos of flour. I do do have a large 90cm oven, so I can bake challahs made from 2 kilos of flour on one tray, but if you don't, you can still bake these challahs one at a time, and they aren't so huge that you have to worry about whether the inside got baked, just follow your usual baking time and assesment. For the freezing part I put piece of cereal box cardboard under the loaves for extra reinforcement and they were fine, though one left over loaf did eventually break after being handled too much, so croutons anyone?

Key Shaped Schlissel Challah From Twelve Rolls!

I'm so happy to share with you that I have completed my key shaped challah baking (an ashkenazic Jewish custom called in yiddish schlissel challah) a full day ahead of time which means there is time to share it with you! Of course that is only because I'm in Israel and Thursday, today, was Isru chag, meaning not a Yom Tov, and time to get cooking for shabbos after turning the kitchen back over to its usual self. As you may know, key shaped challahs are baked the very first shabbos after Pesach, though if you don't have time to make an actual key shape you can always put a key in the pan, which many do, and yes it is surely more simple, but not nearly as delightful.

I had been saving a photo on my desk top of a key shaped challah that I'd taken a screen shot of from one of Tamar Ansch's challah videos (though I'm not sure whose idea this was exactly sorry about that!) and fortunately I found the photo, though didn't have the exact supplies, so I winged it, and it worked out! So presenting a very simple key shaped challah made with twelve rolls, that actually looks like a key after baking, which is not always so simple! Unfortunately this key is too fragile and too large to actually fit into my freezer, so my family will have to enjoy it in a slightly less fresh state, but so it goes, this key shaped challah business is not simple because the shape can easily break apart at the neck, yikes! Okay, lets take a closer look at how this challah came together, and I'll also provide you to links of my many previous efforts!

A Giant Key Shaped Challah!

Didn't bake the traditional key shaped challah yet? Not to worry, you can do it this week as well!

I'm so happy to share with you my first ever giant schlissel challah, the key shaped challah that we traditionally bake the very first shabbos after Passover. Yes of course, I do make key shaped challah every year, but over the years they have seemed to get smaller and smaller. This year, after baking 2 kilos of challah which did include 3 smallish keys, I had the nagging thought that I really wasn't giving it my all, and so friends, I got out two more kilos of flour on Friday morning, and I'm so happy I made the extra effort to really make this tradition the focus of our Friday night shabbos meal! Of course, now there is no going back, but that is just fine, looking forward to trying something new next year! And those tiny key shaped challahs? I gave two of them to neighbors who don't have this tradition, but certainly appreciated it! Keep on reading to see the challah before baking and a few tips I learned this time around! Hello, like you need a huge tray or a DIY tray to place the challah on your table, any guesses what mine is made from?

Simple Flowers And Leaves Decorated Challah

I am rushing to post this as there is still cooking to be done for the holiday of Shavuot, which we are welcoming tonight! Round braided challahs decorated with simple flowers and leaves really do make your holiday table special, so if you have a few extra minutes, give it a try, even for just one challah! This design is quite simple to make, and if you follow the instructions, I do think you'll be happy with the results! Trust me, I've been doing this for years, with varied results, and this design actually looks good after baking as well, which many just do not. So make some round braided challahs using my 4 strand round challah tutorial, set aside a grapefruit sized piece for the decorations, and keep on reading!

Flower Covered Challah For Shavuot!

We are welcoming the beautiful Jewish holiday of Shavuot tonight, and I decided last night that it was time to make some decorated challahs to embrace the holiday, in which we bring flowers and greenery into our homes to remember the lush surroundings on Mt. Sinai. Yes indeed, I did take note of the relative luxury of this act while many of my fellow Israelis were in bomb shelters, and I am grateful to live in a location that is generally not a target, and we have never used the bomb shelter room in our home as such, though I am relieved that we have one! Okay, back to challahs and the upcoming holiday! I love to make round challahs, and they are especially lovely to distinguish a Yom Tov from shabbat.....and a four braided challah looks amazing and is so simple to do once you get the hang of it. Check out my four strand round challah, and become a pro, you can do it! Incase you missed it the link is HERE. Regarding the simple flowers that top this challah, keep on reading......

Schlissel Challah Rolls For The Shabbos After Passover!

To honor this special shabbat, namely the first one after Passover in which we traditionally prepare challah in our homes once again, this year I decided to try once again to make some small rolls shaped like keys, which we call schlissel challah. And yippee, at least one was photo perfect enough to share with you. This key shaped challah baking business is not simple as once the dough rises the forms can go in a million directions, and I'm only showing you this one, so don't expect perfection!

And after all, the whole tradition isn't really about the key, or a perfect key for that matter, but rather about the idea that when a Jewish woman makes challah, and makes the appropriate blessing over the dough before it is baked, she is bringing blessings into her home, which has the power to open all kinds of gates!

Do take a look at the traditional key shaped challahs that I have made in previous years to see how I shaped the dough, and then just do smaller versions of that! Wishing you a wonderful shabbos filled with blessings, whether there is a key or not. And if not, why not whip up some fun key napking rings?

10 Benefits of Slow Cooking

Above Left: A cast bronze cholent pot from Germany, circa 1708, with the name of the family embossed on the pot, from the collection of The Jewish Museum, Jerusalem, on loan from the Jewish Museum of New York  Above Right: Bialystock, Poland Nov 20,1932 Bringing pots of shabbos cholent to a baker’s oven on friday afternoon. Photo courtesy of YIVO Polish Jewish archive

Slow cooking is part of a culinary culture that’s been around for centuries, and is in fact a huge part of Jewish culture, and specifically the Shabbat day meal, in Jewish homes around the world. Because cooking and baking are forbidden on Shabbat, special Shabbat dishes are cooked on Friday and kept hot overnight to be eaten on Saturday morning/afternoon. Cholent, (called Hamin or Dafina by Sephardic Jews) a meat stew of sorts simmered overnight, has been eaten on Shabbat in all Jewish communities since the days of the Mishnah. In many cases families would place their pot in a baker’s oven before Shabbat and retrieve it when it was time to eat. Since the oven served the entire community, it was important to identify the owners of each pot, and often their names were engraved on the pot, as seen in the photo above. Today, with the advent of electricity and gas in our homes, we either plug in a warming tray before shabbat, or use a gas flame covered with a sheet of metal on the stove top to slow cook food (that is already 50% cooked before Shabbat) to be eaten the next day. We even have home appliances and electronics for slow cooking like crock pots. They come in different styles and features. Crock pot sizes and compatibility depends on how you want to use it and what fits your daily cooking routine.

Of course, slow cooking can also be employed anytime, as It’s hassle-free and a great way to prepare food the night before or in the morning so you can get home after work, and serve a meal without having to spend hours cooking. Slow-cooked food is rich in flavor and nutrition and because the preparation is ahead time, and likely less rushed, it gives us an excellent opportunity to  actually enjoy the process of making the meal. In this day and age, everything is faster, from our busy lives to the food we eat. Slowing down is great for both our bodies and our minds.

Okay, lets learn some more about how to go about slow cooking and some options for including it in your weekly meal plans!

Chocolate Chip Cookies With Sprinkles For Chanukah Or Any Festivity!

Wishing everyone a lovely light-filled Chanukah on this fourth night of Chanukah. It is pouring cats and dogs here in Northern Israel creating a very dramatic setting for the glowing flames of the holiday. My kids are all snugly tucked in bed with a book so I’m taking a moment to share these fun cookies with you. Courtesy of my teen daughter I might add, who does all the baking......and who baked some more goodies today as we have a small army of guests coming for meals this special upcoming Shabbat!

This idea is pretty self explanatory but keep on reading for a few tips......

Key Shaped Challah

The Ashkenazic Jewish custom of making key shaped bread, or rather challah, (called schlissel challah) for the first shabbos after Passover is something I love to do, though this year on that particular shabbos we were in the Ukraine, so no key shaped challahs.......but then again, since it is a symbolic custom rather than a Jewish Law I figured I'd bake those key shaped challahs the very first time we made challahs at home, which was last Friday. And since my camera battery charger is broken and the replacement has yet to arrive my daughter quickly took some photos to share with you. At this point you may just want to keep this in mind for next year as serving key shaped challahs this shabbos will likely result in some strange looks and/or confusion, but if that doesn't bother you, I say go right ahead and enjoy! Keep on reading for all the links to previous posts with lots of inspiration as far as exactly how to make a key shape!