Tu Bishvat or SuperBowl.

Tu Bishvat or SuperBowl.

Thе story happened to me many years ago. I would rather to write this story on Russian and for those who prefer on English, please use Google Translation Service

Каждый раз перед Superbowl эта история вспоминается мне. Сама история произошла более чем 10 лет тому назад. Каждый раз перед Superbowl я думаю, что важнее еврейские традиции или американская культура? Может быть и то и другое важно...

Еще до приезда евреев из Советского Союза, американское еврейство было УБЕЖДЕНО, что в Советском Союзе никто не помнит ни о каких обычаях, да и евреи мы только по паспорту. По приезде в Америку каждая еврейская община НАСТОЙЧИВО заботилась о том, чтобы многие из нас познакомились с древними обычаями. Часто американские евреи даже не подозревали и не подозревают, что о многом мы уже знаем, и многие обычаи мы соблюдаем. Если честно, то многие американские евреи не знают того, что знаем мы.

Много лет тому назад я познакомилась с американским евреем. Знакомство было достаточно интересным как и сам мужчина. Будучи воспитанной в Советском Союзе, где мы привыкли поздравлять друг друга с праздниками, я подняла трубку телефона, чтобы поздравить его с Tu Bishvat. "Happy Holiday!" - я произнесла. Помолчав несколько секунд он воскликнул: "Superbowl!" Именно в тот год праздник Ti Bishvat совпал с Superbowl. Я удивленно спросила его "Is it a Jewish Holiday?" Он понял, что сделал ошибку. С этого момента я четко поняла, что американские евреи преданно учат нас быть евреями, а сами полностью погружены в американскую культуру.

Как ни говори для многих из них американская культура ближе, чем вековые традиции своего народа. А для меня это стало еще одним американским уроком.

Great-hearted...

Sometimes it's not easy to be Jewish, not always we're proud who we are because none of us is perfect. But there are moments when we are proud to be Jewish. Definetely lately we have plenty of such "great-hearted" moments. I expect, that everybody have already watched this segment on CNN. Anyway, I'm posting video about extraordinary in all means Israeli hospital in Haiti. Please feel free to watch it.

Apple & Honey Strudel

Apple and Honey Strudel.

Dough: 2 1/2 cups flour, 8oz (2 sticks) margarine, 1/2 cup cold water, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1/3 teaspoon salt.

Apple filling: 4 tart medium sized apples, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 4 tablespoons bread crumbs

For assembling: 1 small egg, 2 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons oil.

1. Measure the flour into a big bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut margarine into the flour until mixture resembles small peas.Mow work with your fingertips crumbling the margarine in the flour until it resembles cornmeal.

2. Combine in a measuring cup the water, vinegar and salt, and drizzle it over the flour.Blend with a fork then knead with your and 40 kneads. The dough is quite soft and elastic. Shape the dough into 2 balls.
Wrap them with waved paper and let rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 375F and begin to prepare filling. Peel the apples and thinly sliced. Add all ingredients and mix well.

4. Dust working surface with flour and roll out a rectangle, out of each ball, of about 12" x 15".Brush each rectangle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle all over with bread crumbs. Divide filling into 2 equal parts, using 1 part for each. Put filling on the dough. Roll up lengthwise, starting by folding 1" edge over the filling, then rolling like a jelly roll. Repeat the same with the second ball.

5. Transfer the strudels to a cookie sheet. Beat the egg and water together well then brush on tops of the strudels. To prevent strudels bursting while baking make 1" diagonal buts in the tops with sharp knife. Bake in oven for 1 hour, or until the strudels are nicely browned. Cool completely before serving.

Avocado Dip

Avocado Dip
For 2 medium bowls
2 avocado, 4 Tbls mayonnaise, 2 Tbls. finely shopped onion, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 Tbls lemon juice.

Peel avocados. Mash the flesh and mix in all other ingredients. Pour into bowl.

My note: I used food processor to mix all ingredients.

Паста из авокадо.

2 авокадо, 4 столовых ложки майонеза, 2 столовых ложки мелко нарезанного лука, 1/4 чайной ложки перца, 1/2 чайной ложки соли, 2 столовых ложки лимонного сока.

Почистить авокадо, размять мякоть плода и соединить со всеми ингридиентами.

Я положила все в кухонный комбайн и провернула.

Recipe from "A taste of Tradition" by Ruth Sirkis

Rose's Tips for Cake Baking

Rose's Tips for Cake Baking It's quite interesting and useful. Let's have fun with cakes!

Beets salad

Beets salad

2 medium size beet root, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup mayo, salt, 1/4 chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup chopped prunes.

If using fresh beets: Remove leaves, leaving about an inch of stem, and don't cut the taproot. Wash gently (don't break the skin), and place in a pot of cold water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until done (firm but cooked, about 40-50 minutes). Drain the beets, cool under running cold water, and remove skin with fingers.
Finely Shred. Combine all ingridients and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate covered for several hours before serving.

Салат из красной свеклы.

2 шт свеклы среднего размера, 2 зубчика чеснока, 1/4 чашки майонеза, соль,
1/4 чашки мелко нарезанных грецких орех, 1/4 чашки мелко нарезанного чернослива

Свеклу вымыть (не очищать), завернуть каждую в фольгу и запечь в духовке при температуре ~180° ~60-80 минут (в зависимости от размера свеклы) или отварить до готовности. Вареную свеклу очистить и натереть на крупной терке.
Чеснок пропустить через чесночный пресс. Смешать все ингридиенты

Chocolate Chickpea Spread

Recently I found a nice dessert recipe. It's really HEALTHY and easy. Please use it.

Chocolate Chickpea Spread

Frosted Apple Squares

Frosted Apple Squares
Dough
1/2 cup (4 ounces) lukewarm milk
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups (17 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 8 ounces) unsalted butter

Filling
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1 ounce) cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
8 cups (about 3 pounds before peeling) apples, peeled, cored, and very thinly sliced

Glaze
1 cup (4 ounces) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the dough: Beat the eggs and milk together, and set aside. Combine the yeast, flour, and salt in a medium bowl, and cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg/milk mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough in half and chill for about 30 minutes.

Lightly grease a half-sheet pan (13" x 18"). On a piece of parchment paper, or on a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough into a 12" x 17" rectangle; the dough will be quite thin. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. If you used parchment, this is easily done by flipping it over into the pan and gently peeling the parchment off, then smoothing the dough where it needs it. If you didn’t use parchment, transfer the dough by rolling it onto the rolling pin, then lifting the pin above the pan, centering it and unrolling the dough. Smooth out the corners. You may find a giant spatula helpful to transfer the dough.

For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Spread the apples over the dough, and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Roll out the remaining dough and place it over the apples. Pinch the edges together. Cut steam vents in the top. Cover with greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and let rise in a cool place for about 1 hour. After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the pastry for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s golden brown. Remove it from the oven and cool on a rack for 20 minutes.

For the glaze: Mix the sugar, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle it over the bars. Cool completely. Cut into 3 ½" squares if you want to serve it as dessert (topped with ice cream, of course!), or 2" x 3" bars. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Yield: 3 dozen bars.

Variation: For added color and flavor, spread a layer of dried cranberries atop the apples before adding the top crust.
Recipe from King Arthur Flour