It's Friday morning, I'm listening to my Friday music (Ehud Banani) and already made the Challah dough. I still have a loooong list of things to do, why, I didn't even take a shower yet this morning, but this post is sitting in my mind for the last few days, so let's put it out there!
It was Purim this week, on Tuesday. We don't feel the holidays too much here, not like living in Israel. Last week Edan and Shira went to a Purim workshop, where they learned about it, did some crafts and a puppet show, and of course got a "Mishloach Manot" (sending portions?).
On Monday evening we went to a local synagogue, congregation Beth David, to hear the reading of the Megillah, the book of Esther. They did a family light version where between reading (portions of) the book they played "Who Wants To Be A Persian Millionaire" with the characters of the story. We got to use רעשנים (noise makers) every time the name Haman was mentioned. Fun! on our way out the kids got an hamantasch אוזן המן. Just this was worth the whole thing for me, because it solved my dilemma of what filling to use: chocolate or jam; these hamantaschen had both! how brilliant!
On Tuesday morning I made Hamantaschens with the kids in Shira's class. I prepared the dough the night before, using an excellent recipe I got when Edan was in Kindergarten, from Tiran, another Israeli mother. I also told them a light version of the story of Purim.
Later that afternoon I prepared many more Hamantaschens at home; that happens when you double the recipe. Edan and Shira got to the job of distributing them to the neighbors. Shira stopped at the first stop, her friend Sara, and stayed there for dinner and play (they're Persian and she loves the food). Edan visited all of the neighbors, by himself.
I saved some of the cookies for my mindful based stress reduction class I do on Tuesdays (a subject for another post) and found out the instructor is from a Jewish home and was really happy to have them.
Here's the recipe (thanks, Tiran!):
mix
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup butter
add
3 eggs
add
1/2 cup orange juice
4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
winners' filling:
a little strawberry jam + a few chocolate chips
original recipe says brush with egg, but I didn't.
