Growing Up Creative

The taste of Passover

This Passover was a vey special Passover for me. It was not about going to places, or traveling abroad (which could have been nice - a spring vacation in Paris -); it was not even about the Seder. It was simply about family and spending time together.
Try and imagine my parents, finally, see their 3 kids, 7 grandchildren, dogs and cats, come together after too many years of not being under one roof. We had so much catching up to do. We found our selves do nothing but eat, drink, admire the kids, and talk and talk and talk and do loads of dishes.
Looking at the future generation, I found my self enduring the past while drinking my sweet cup of instant coffee with broken matzo, just like I used to with my grandfather during the many breakfasts I had in my grandparent’s house over Passover.


 
Or making matzo brie for breakfast, using my grandmother’s secret recipe, and watch my girls eat it with piles of sugar just like I used to do.

Funny how I don’t remember even one present that I received for Passover, but the flavors - flood me with memories and a nice warm feeling.

What is the flavor of your Passover as a child?  I would love to here your comments.

And with this sentimental note, I don’t think I can look at another matzo for another year.

tali

Persian food, a true love story

In my employment history I had the opportunity of working for 2 Persian employers for a good period of time. One was Jewish and the other was not. Both shared a passion for food (just like me). The first time I have tried Persian food was on a trip to New York to do some buying for the store I was managing. My boss and I have stopped for lunch at a small Persian restaurant called Colbeh near the garment district. It was love at first bite. Later my other boss introduced me to  Moby dick  which is a Persian kebab place on Huntington Ave. in Boston, that used to be our dinner when we had to stay all night working on hypothetical projects.
There is something you need to know about me, I am ½ polish ½ Hungarian, I eat GefilteFish with sugar. Persian food is not exactly from my part of town.
It was after celebrating Thanksgiving in Santa Fe with a couple of friends, Way before kids, when I have started cooking Persian food my self. we spent some time with this nice Persian couple who told me all about this Persian cook book – New Food of Life.  that was it....I was no longer dependent on restaurants. My kitchen transformed and saffron became part of my grocery list at the market.

Why am I telling you this?
because, I want you to try it too.
Tomorrow is the Persian new year holiday, Sizdah Bedar (or, the Festival of Joy and Solidarity), and also celebrates the joyous coming of spring (I just found that out via Green Prophet). A great excuse to try Persian food.

Accidentally Zoe have asked me to cook some of her favorite yellow rice tomorrow (which is the secret code for Persian food)

So I guess I will be spending the afternoon in the kitchen, with Ori right besides me on the kitchen counter, and this will most likely be our menu:

Matzo Ball soup (my grandmother's recipe)
Spinach and Prune Koresh (page 219)
Saffron Steamed Plain Basmati Rice (page 146) with potatoes crust (Zoe’s favorite)
Yogurt and cucumber dip (page 29)
Tomato and cucumber salad
strawberries for desert, unless you have any other suggestions...

So pick up the New Food of Life, its good and really easy to follow (if I can do it...everyone can)
Don’t be afraid to try new things, a new world of delicious flavors and smells may open up to you and your family.

tali

 

What does Miriam has to do with sibling rivalry?!

Many things come to mind when I think of Moses older sister Miriam. A strong woman, a musician, a prophet, a poet and I am sure there are more I am missing. There is this basic virtue in Miriam that I have always taken for granted, Ori’s teacher has pointed it out to me the other week and I wanted to share it with you.
Miriam is a responsible and caring older sister. A virtue we tend to take for granted not only in Miriam but also in our own family relations, yet sibling rivalry is something we try to resolve almost on daily bases.

Miriam kept on following Moses in his little basket without loosing track of him, making sure she knew where he ended up and who drew him from the water.

If sibling rivalry is an issue in your house, you may use Miriam as an example for caring relations between siblings.
A great way to tell the story is by acting it with puppets.
You may also build a little scene such as the one Ori did in her school, with Miriam made out of a spoon, hiding in a toilette paper roll decorated as reeds, and little baby Moses in his basket.  Tell your kids the story; emphasize Miriam’s care for Moses and her acting out as a responsible sister.
Try and have a conversation with your child of how does he/she care for their siblings, give he/she examples from your sibling relations of how you care for each other. (You don’t have to tell them how you have released your brother from jail, although it does have a FREEDOM theme that works great with Passover…. try and keep it down to stories they can understand and relate to…)

This is what Ori made in her school which I thought was a great play tool that could help get the message across:



You will need:
Cardboard (for base
Blue paint
toilette paper roll
green tissue paper or white paper colored in green (for reeds)
plastic spoon or a popsicle stick
a small baby toy
egg carton or a small basket
pebbles
pipe cleaners
fabric scrap (for Miriam’s dress)
glue
scissors
drawing tools

How to:
Phase 1: The base

1. Paint the cardboard base in blue (mimicking the Nile river)
2. Paint the paper roll in shades of brown
3. Glue some green paper strips around the paper roll, trying to make it look like reeds
4. Glue the paper roll onto the cardboard base
5. Glue some pebbles on to the cardboard base
6. Set aside to dry

Phase 2: Miriam

1. Turn the spoon or Popsicle stick into Miriam,
2. Draw a face, add a dress using paper or a fabric scrap and some pipe cleaners, add some hair using paper or yarn
3. Set aside to dry

Phase 3: Moses

1. Turn egg carton cup into a basket by painting it in shades of brown
2. Glue some green paper strips around the paper roll, trying to make it look like reeds
3. Line the basket with some fabric (so baby Moses will be comfortable)
4. Place baby Moses in his basket. (if you dont have a small doll, you may also draw a baby on a paper, or mold one using modeling clay etc. use your creativity.
5. You may glue the basket onto the base

When done, place Miriam in the toilet roll, as if she is hiding in the reeds looking after Moses.

Note:
For this craft project I don't have process pictures like I usually do. I hope the image of Ori's project from school will be clear enough. I trust you will use your creativity in helping your child construct the scene. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I do hope to get some pictures from you.

If you want to read more about sibling rivalry, my friend Emily has some great input on her fantastic blog - child perspective


Happy Passover
tali