3,323 years ago, the Jewish nation gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai to receive a special gift from G-d - the Torah! Every single year since then, the Jewish people gather on the 6th day of Sivan to hear the Ten Commandments being read from the Torah.
Each year at Chabad House we host an ice cream and Ten Commandments party. Our annual ice cream party took place in the evening yesterday. A few minutes before 5:30 people started to come in and then before I knew it the Chabad House was filled with people. While the Torah reading got started with the adults, I lead a special program for the children. A little while later it was time to read the Aseret HaDibrot - the Ten Commandments, and so all the children headed downstairs and into the main room. Describing the scene, my father told me today, "it was incredible to watch the kids come into the room, they just kept on coming and coming, more and more kids". As we got read the Torah I looked around the room and saw well over 100 people from all over Hampton Roads. I saw people of all ages from little babies to bubbies and zaidies. People from all walks of life - yet standing there together we all something very much in common - we were the Jewish nation standing once again to receive the Torah from Hashem, and it was heart warming.
Of course along with the reading of the Torah we get to eat lots of food on Shavuot (as on any Jewish holiday!) It is customary to eat blintzes on Shavuot - though in most cases they are filled with cheese. While I couldn't include any dairy in my menu, I still wanted to have blintzes, and so I spent quite some time creating my potato blintzes. In the afternoon when everything was cooked and baked I noticed a container of mushrooms in my fridge so I decided to try my hand at making a mushroom sauce for the blintzes...what a yummy combination that was!
So while most foods I blog about are quick and easy, these recipes are more time consuming - but well worth it. (If you are wondering what you need the recipe for now, I have to say that my kids finished off the last blintzes tonight and let me know they would be a good dinner food.)
Potato Blintzes
Make some crepes:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Oil for frying
Mix the eggs, flour, water and salt until smooth. Heat a small amount of oil in a small frying pan (I think non-stick works best) on medium-high. When oil is hot drop a small ladle of batter into the pan and quickly swirl around to make a very thin pancake. When the crepe starts to bubble it is time to flip it over and quickly cook the second side. Remove finished crepes to a plate line with a paper towel.
Mashed potatoes:
(This "recipe" comes from my father. He was the mashed potato maker in our house and they were always my favorite. So I learned his tricks and now make it myself:)
The amounts listed here filled 24 blintzes and I still had leftover mashed potatoes.
7 large russet potatoes
2 eggs
2 yellow onions
Oil for frying
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Peel and cube potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with water. Sprinkle some salt into the pot. Boil and then lower the flame and allow potatoes to cook until they are soft. When soft, drain the potatoes. While potatoes are piping hot add two raw eggs to the potatoes and mash. (I mash mine with my hand mixer!) The heat in the potatoes will ensure that the eggs get cooked while making the potatoes nice and smooth.
Peel and dice the onions and sauté until very soft. Add the onions to the potatoes and season with salt, pepper and garlic.
To make the blintzes:
I fried mine in an electric skillet to ensure an even oil temperature. I set the temp to 350.
Place a small amount of mashed potatoes in the crepes, fold up and then fry until golden colored on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.
Mushroom Sauce
Canola oil
1 lb button mushrooms
2 yellow onions
Dried thyme
Dried marjoram
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Flour
Water
Place oil in a frying pan and heat on medium-high. Add sliced mushrooms and diced onions. Saute mushrooms and onions until very, very soft. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, marjoram and thyme. Mix some flour and water together in a bowl and then pour into the very soft mushrooms and onions. Mix continuously until the sauce has thickened and has an even texture. Serve hot over blintzes
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Strawberry-Spinach Salad
Today I had four lovely families over at my home for lunch. We had a full house, but it was a house full of happily playing kids and laughing adults. The perfect addition to all the great company was a super yummy feast for lunch. I must've been hungry when I planned my menu because there was SO much food to eat today.
I baked two styles of focaccia bread, garlic-basil and black olives with sage, and made croutons from left over Challah to put in the garden salad. I Used beautiful strawberries and baby spinach leaves to put together a delicious salad. Pasta was mixed with soy sauce and spices and salmon was baked with simple seasoning. A variety of veggies were marinated and grilled alongside a bright yellow pineapple. For dessert we had oatmeal-craisn cookies and cupcakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries. A great time was had by all and my family barely ate dinner after having a feast for lunch:)
The strawberry-spinach salad was a big hit and there was only about a spoonful left by the time the afternoon was over. With Shavuot around the bend, I think it is a perfect recipe to serve at your holiday meals. (Speaking of Shavuot - if you are in the Hampton Roads area, why not bring your family and friends to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments and relive the giving of the Torah...there will be lots of fun and games for the kids and a yummy ice cream party too!!)
Strawberry-Spinach Salad
Baby spinach
Strawberries
Red onion
Poppy seeds
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Wash and check spinach leaves for insects and then place in bowl. Wash and slice strawberries and add to spinach. Dice a red onion and to the rest of the salad. Dress with canola oil, rice vinegar, sugar (I used Splenda), poppy seeds, salt, pepper and garlic. Yummy!!!
I baked two styles of focaccia bread, garlic-basil and black olives with sage, and made croutons from left over Challah to put in the garden salad. I Used beautiful strawberries and baby spinach leaves to put together a delicious salad. Pasta was mixed with soy sauce and spices and salmon was baked with simple seasoning. A variety of veggies were marinated and grilled alongside a bright yellow pineapple. For dessert we had oatmeal-craisn cookies and cupcakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries. A great time was had by all and my family barely ate dinner after having a feast for lunch:)
The strawberry-spinach salad was a big hit and there was only about a spoonful left by the time the afternoon was over. With Shavuot around the bend, I think it is a perfect recipe to serve at your holiday meals. (Speaking of Shavuot - if you are in the Hampton Roads area, why not bring your family and friends to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments and relive the giving of the Torah...there will be lots of fun and games for the kids and a yummy ice cream party too!!)
Strawberry-Spinach Salad
Baby spinach
Strawberries
Red onion
Canola oil
Rice vinegar
Poppy seeds
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Garlic
Wash and check spinach leaves for insects and then place in bowl. Wash and slice strawberries and add to spinach. Dice a red onion and to the rest of the salad. Dress with canola oil, rice vinegar, sugar (I used Splenda), poppy seeds, salt, pepper and garlic. Yummy!!!
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