Cinnamon-Sugar Cookies

After an incredible month of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah - and countless meals served and tons of games played with the kids...it was time for a little down time.  So Levi and I decided to dash off to DC for two and a half days to get a little break! After making arrangements for our kids and booking our hotel (got the deal of all times!) it was time to pack up the food for our trip. My sister in law always says that if she is going on a vacation where she needs to bring food along - she is going to travel with me - because she knows she will have more than enough food!  So I got to work...first I made sure that we would have plenty of desserts :) We packed strawberries and whipped cream, jello and I quickly baked a batch of cinnamon-sugar cookies and a whole bunch of snacks. Realizing that we can't just eat snacks and desserts for all of our meals, we also took along sliced brisket for sandwiches, oven fried, coated, chicken strips, boiled eggs, tuna and lox. I rounded out our meal plans with some fruits and veggies and delicious salads all prepped and ready to eat in small plastic containers  - we left out the onions, tomatoes and dressing so that our salads were crisp when it was time to eat them. (We dressed them right before we ate them.)

To keep our food nice and fresh we packed all of the perishables right into our plug in cooler. This is one of our favorite toys! The cooler gets plugged in in the car so everything stays cool for the whole trip. Once we arrived at our destination, we plugged the cooler into the wall in our hotel room. No ice, no mess!

I have to say, after a super hectic month it was great to get away for a bit. We chilled out, slept in, visited a museum, took a boat ride, walked along the Potomac River and did some shopping too! As we were leaving DC we pulled into a scenic overlook, which is where I took the included photo - it was really cool to watch these little cloud fluffs passing by at right about eye level!

With all of the food that we brought along we certainly did not go hungry :) Of all of the snacks and desserts I packed, Levi's favorite (and I think mine too!) were the cinnamon-sugar cookies - so I have included the recipe for these cookies.

Cinnamon-Sugar Cookies


4 1/2 cups flour (you may need to use more)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 oil oil
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Cinnamon and Sugar


Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients (except for the cinnamon and sugar) together. Dough should be somewhat thick. Mix 1 part cinnamon and 3 parts sugar in a bowl. Form cookies by picking up dough and patting down into round cookies. I make mine about the size of my palm (I have little hands). Dip both sides of the cookies in cinnamon-sugar mixture and then place on greased cookie sheets. Bake for about 25 minutes - these cookies seem to be best when the outside is crispy and the inside is soft - the cookies will start to brown ever so slightly when they are ready. Enjoy!

Simchat Torah

I don't know about you, but I love Simchat Torah. It is such a lively and joyous holiday! Amidst all of the singing and dancing, I managed to do some thinking as I watched our holiday unfold. Sooo..here are some of my thoughts.

 I absolutely LOVED watching our Chabad House fill with people this past Thursday night. I loved seeing people who I see all the time, I loved seeing people who I only see a few times a year and I certainly loved meeting new people for the first time as they came to celebrate with the Torahs. After a delicious dinner, the children headed to a separate room for a cool magic show, while the adults got the Hakafot (dancing around the Bima with the Torahs) started. When the magic show was done, all of the kids lined up and marched into the Shul singing "Hashem Is Here" - it was a beautiful sight! I couldn't stop watching as the children sang and danced with our beloved Torahs - for it is the children who will make sure that the Torah and our traditions, are passed on from one generation to the next.

Later in the evening, we said a L'chaim for the safe return of Gilad Shalit, a L'chaim for all of the souls of those who have been lost in senseless acts of terror in Israel and of course we voiced our wishes that Hashem will protect our special land, even with the release of so many terrorists. Then we danced and danced as we dedicated the Hakafah to Gilad and all of Israel  - the energy in the room was kind of surreal.

Throughout Hakafot, something came over me each and every time I saw someone dance by with a Torah. Watching as our Torahs were held with such love and care. I couldn't help but feel an amazing sense of Jewish pride. I had this incredible feeling of how wonderful it is that for thousands of years our nation has held onto our Torah.

On Simchat Torah we read the last part of the Torah, and then we immediately start the cycle all over again - as the study of Torah truly never ends. As we said, Chazak, Chazak when we completed the Torah - I thanked Hashem that we have completed the cycle of the Torah once more...and when we started with Breishit, I looked forward at the coming year and all of the opportunities that will come along with it.

Along with all of the singing and dancing and being sentimental (it happens to me sometimes!), we also did our fair share of eating - sometimes it seems this is what we do best:) At our big Simchat Torah party on Thursday night we served a grand buffet, including a mexican style corn salad - here is the recipe.

Mexican Style Corn Salad


2 cans of corn
1 can black beans
1 small can sliced black olives
1 red pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
Canola oil
Rice vinegar
Cumin
Lemon juice
Salt
Black pepper
Granulated garlic
A little bit of sugar if you would like


Drain the cans of corn, beans and olives and place in a bowl. Add diced pepper and onion. Season with canola oil, rice vinegar, a splash of lemon juice, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic and cumin (and a bit of sugar if you please). Mix and allow to sit for a little while to allow the flavors to mingle. Enjoy!

Scallion Dip

A few weeks back, with Rosh Hashanah approaching, I told my husband that I felt like I was on a roller coaster - doing the climb to the top - and that Rosh Hashanah is the top of the incline and then whooooosh...you zoom down at super speeds to the end of the month of Tishrei. Do you know that feeling? The feeling that sort of makes you go ahhhhhhh, eeeeeeeeeeeeeee....as you head faster and faster from one holiday to the next. Roller coasters are exhilarating and super fast  - the Jewish month of Tishrei has me feeling exactly the same! The planning, the shopping, the cooking and eating, the Mitzvot, the stories and of course the visiting family all add up to an exhilarating ride!

Being that this month seems to rush along at super high speeds, I can barely believe that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have come and gone. As I move forward into Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah I am confidant that Hashem has granted us a wonderful and sweet year - and so I happily  plan menus, shop and cook as we celebrate Sukkot and thank Hashem for many the miracles He performed for us in the desert so many years ago - and for the many blessings and miracles we see on a daily basis.

As you get to planning all of those delicious Sukkot meals - here is a recipe for scallion dip. About two months ago I was trying to think of a new dip to grace my Shabbat table. I happened to remember flipping through my cousin's Chabad House cookbook (Thank you Henya at Chabad at University of Wisconsin!). I based my scallion dip on hers and made a few small changes. Scallion dip has been a huge hit so far and works perfectly as a dip for Challah and  chicken fingers and as a sauce or dressing for fish and salads.

Scallion Dip

2 bunches scallions

Mayonnaise 

Sugar (or Splenda if needed)

Salt

Garlic Powder

Lemon Juice

Wash scallions well and trim the ends. Cu the scallions into chunks and place in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Chop. Add mayonnaise (start with 1 cup) and then process together with the scallions. Add mayo until the dip is smooth and and about the consistency of a creamy salad dressing. Add a dash of lemon juice, a little salt, a little garlic powder and some sugar. Process again. Serve with your favorite foods and enjoy!