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jillbcooks 3/31/2009 8:00:00 AM
Getting a household ready for Passover can be a hugely complex process and time consuming process, depending on one’s level of observance. With many different guidelines for preparations, most derived from Jewish customs, one must begin by figuring out how strictly you will adhere to the laws.
A quick explanation for non-Jewish readers: there are many different ways to practice Judaism, and they depend on the type of synagogue one attends (for example, Reform, Conservative or Orthodox) and the cultural origins of one’s family (for example, Ashkenazic Jews generally come from Eastern Europe and have different traditions than Sephardic Jews, whose roots are i...
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shopping, chametz, meringues, Passover
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jillbcooks 3/26/2009 8:10:00 AM
I do love decadent chocolaty things very much. But I recognize that not everyone shares this appreciation, because of predisposition or circumstance. On the occasion of Easter, all I really want to do is make treats in mass quantities and give them to my family and friends. Truth is, though, that they want a taste (or two) but probably not a boatload of sugary, unhealthy treats. When it comes to Easter treats, I love novelty. I love to try to think of something that I haven’t seen before. One year it was chocolate covered Peeps pops, another was mini fondant covered carrot cakes…you see where I am going with this.
The two peop...
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Cheerios, chocolate, Easter, candy, clusters, Jacques Torres
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jillbcooks 3/24/2009 10:56:00 AM
Different members of my family celebrate different holidays. Some celebrate Easter and others celebrate Passover. As you can guess, there is a lot of preparation to do. Next week I will be writing more about Passover, but today I am focusing on a fun project for kids which is great for Easter and can be modified for any event, such as birthday parties, Valentine’s Day, or even a rainy afternoon when kids are stuck indoors: making candy necklaces.
As much fun as holidays can be, they also run the risk of being a bit boring for kids. Reuniting with family is fun, but without activities to keep kids occupied they can get into some shenani...
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Easter, kids, activities, candy, truffles
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jillbcooks 3/19/2009 8:34:00 AM
Even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I am grateful that I was responsible for household chores when I was young. My mom still keeps house in a fastidious way, and I try to do the same. In anticipation for holidays, mom would begin cleaning at least a few weeks out, cleaning everything from curtains to cabinets. My sisters and I were tasked with helping mom, and in the process learned how to be thorough about eliminating clutter and creating a healthy and comfortable home. I have always been drawn to the kitchen, and often helped mom clear out the cabinets and organize the pantry. Children as young as four can help with spring cleaning the kitche...
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spring, pantry, canisters, cleaning
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jillbcooks 3/17/2009 8:10:00 AM
If you never heard of boxty, but you like potato pancakes, rosti or latkes, you’ll probably love this traditional Irish potato pancake. Boxty is like a cross between a pancake and a hashbrown. Like any basic dough, boxty can be prepared in many ways, from being fried as cakes in a skillet or cooked as dumplings on a simmering stew. I like mine crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle, topped with a bit of sour cream and chopped crispy bacon. Most commonly a savory side dish, boxty can also be served with cinnamon sugar as a breakfast treat. ...
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Bisquick, potatoes, St. Patrick's Day, boxty
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jillbcooks 3/12/2009 10:05:00 AM
Have you recovered from losing an hour last week as our clocks “sprang forward?” The time shift is a harbinger of spring, and even here in chilly Minne-snow-ta (as my out of state friends call it), daylight has lingered for much longer this week than it has in a very, very long time.
Before life gets busy with all the obligations of spring, like Saturday m...
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Breakfast, pancakes, Books, family, reading
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jillbcooks 3/10/2009 9:37:00 AM
Last month I wrote about my plans for baking mishloach manot to give to friends as Purim treats. I love giving food as gifts, and I love Purim because giving food is essential to the holiday.
A traditional Purim food is a pastry called hamantaschen, which means “Haman’s pockets.” These triangular filled pastries are reminders of Esther’s victory over villainous Haman, the biblical story of her forced marriage and bravery in protecting her fellow Jews. To celebrate the joy of Esther’s triumph, Purim is a day of feasting, and just ...
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holiday, hamantaschen, pastry, poppy seeds, preserves, prune, Purim, yellow cake mix
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jillbcooks 3/5/2009 7:35:00 AM
I recently tried to replicate a cake that my aunt used to make when I was a kid, a spice cake with peanut butter frosting. I loved it and looked forward to it every time there was a family gathering at her house. She hosted the whole extended family just about every July 4th, since her house had a pool to keep us kids occupied. There is even a picture of me eating this cake—I must be about five or six, in a wet bathing suit, wrapped in a towel sitting at her picnic table decidedly focused on my cake, probably anticipating the sparklers and fireworks to come later that evening. Inevitably, the cake would be accompanied by a tall plastic tumbler of red fruit pu...
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cake, family, memories, peanut butter
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jillbcooks 3/3/2009 8:08:00 AM
I read a news story yesterday about children and vegetables that was fascinating. My first business—which offered cooking lessons for kids—was called Picky Eaters, so I was regularly invited by groups to give talks about how to get finicky kids to eat a wider variety of foods. Parents were always seeking hints and tricks to get children to try vegetables, specifically.
According to the study featured in the news story, “186 four-year-olds were given regular carrots and, on other lunch days, they were given the same ...
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children, dinner, picky eaters, vegetables