Do it Yourself

I am not the most creative person nor am I really very artistic, but I sure do appreciate the beautiful work of others.  I know the way I love to make delicious treats others like to create cute little containers to package them in.  Does anyone want to partner? I will make the treats and you make the packaging?  Let me know.

Anyways, over the past few months I realized that we can get so many great ideas for our Purim Mishloach Manot from everyone else’s holiday packages.  Take a look at some inspiring ideas and let me know if you decide to use one and when you will be sending them over.

Here are some fantastic ways to dress up store bought treats.

Repackaged Candy Favors by OhHappyDay

On a Roll Scroll from Family Fun

Package candy, home made minis or dried fruit in these cute boxes.

Candy in boxes by Martha Stewart

This idea comes from DIY wedding favors, so you can change the design how you like, but there are some great ways to dress up these candies.

Dress Up Your Candies from Once Wed

If you happen to be a scrapbooker try these scrapbook wrapped chocolates.

Scrapbook Wrapped Chocolates by Little Details

Oh, and don’t forget the centerpieces or table decorations for the big Seudah. I just love these golden crown tea light holders from Maks and Spencers.

Make your own felt crown for your kids or your table or anything, they look so festive.

And don’t miss our how to make a Cape and a Crown from Rivky Koenig our own designed Printable Purim Cards from the magazine and our Mexican Feista Purim Seudah from Creative Jewish Mom.

Dressing up on Purim is so much fun and something most children look forward to the entire year. Use these instructions to create an array of hats and accessories to enhance a variety of costumes.  In the time it takes to say “abracadabra” (okay, just a bit longer than that) you can craft a cape worthy of any good king, queen, or “magician.”  The most incredible part is that it’s done with no needle and thread involved. How’s that for a Purim miracle!

Crown

Materials

• scissors
• pencil
• metallic poster board
• white glue
• gold or silver glitter
• sequins or rhinestones
• stapler

How to do it:

1. Photocopy the crown template and cut out. Trace the template onto the back of the poster board 6–8 times (depending on size needed), side-by-side, so that a long crown form is outlined.
2. Cut out the crown. Decorate the crown by gluing glitter, sequins, and/or  rhinestones on.  Let dry.
3. Measure the crown on your head. Staple the overlapping ends together; trim if necessary.

Estimated time: 10 – 15 minutes

Glittery Mask

Materials

• plastic eye mask
• paper plate
• white glue or glittering
• glue
• glitter

How to do it

1. Place the mask onto a paper plate. Coat the mask with a thin layer of glue.
2. Sprinkle glitter all over the mask and shake off the excess glitter. Let dry.

Estimated time: 5 minutes

Tie the dress-up theme into you Purim Seudah by using royal napkin rings and dramatic place cards at each place setting.

Crown Napkin Rings

Materials

• scissors
• pencil
• metallic cardstock
• glittering glue, sequins,
• rhinestones, optional
• permanent marker or
• paint marker, optional
• cellophane tape
• 3″ strip narrow elastic

How to do it

1. For each crown napkin ring: print and copy the mini crown template and cut out.
2. Trace the template onto the back of the cardstock and cut out.
3. If you like, you can decorate the crown with glittering glue, sequins, and or rhinestones. Let dry. Use the marker to write your guest’s name on the crown.
4. Tape elastic to the back of the crown, ½” from each end.

Estimated time: 10 minutes

Mask Place Cards

Materials

• scissors
• pencil
• metallic cardstock
• metallic paint marker
• cellophane tape
• small skewers
• crown napkin ring
• mask place card

How to do it

1. For each place card: Photocopy the mask template and cut out.
2. Trace the template onto the back of the cardstock and cut out.
3. Use the paint marker to personalize with your guest’s name. Turn  over and tape the top of the skewer to the side of the mask.

Estimated time: 10 minutes

Rivky Koenig is the author of Crafting Jewish published by Artscroll/Mesorah Publishing.

Calling all Jewish Hostesses! Let’s use our year-round Jewish holidays to express our creative passions, as well as our desire to keep our families coming back for yummy food and a great Jewish holiday atmosphere. With so many table setting shopping resources at our fingertips, its exciting to set a fun holiday table that combines the old with the new, has a dash of color and sparkle, while also making sure to connect to the Jewish holiday theme at hand. No matter what your own personal style, budget, and the table decor that you already own, there is always a creative, yet easy way to update your holiday look.

This year, I decided to stick with the traditional Hanukkah blue and silver color combo mainly because I already owned blue water glasses given to me by my consuegro (Syrian word for son-in-law’s mother) as a Rosh Hashanah gift, plus I happen to own a set of blue and silver rimmed Greek style dishes (a perfect Macabee theme!). Wanting to add some holiday knicknacks to my Chanukah table, I decided to check out the local Ikea and West Elm stores and see what I could pick up without too much of a dent to my wallet.

After an hour or two of piling anything blue or silver into my shopping carts, this is what I finally ended up with:

1. Chanukah blue cotton place mats at $1.99 each. A great buy!
2. Silver mirrored squares – these come in a packs of 4 and are a great investment.  Buy a dozen or two to use on a dessert bar, as placemats, or even line your entire table with them. Your friends will definitely ask to borrow these mirrored squares when they see how cool they look on your table. I placed 4 in a row as a runner in the center of the table and then placed one atop each blue placemat.
3. Go run and buy these beautiful silver candles from Ikea before they run out of them!
4. Eight of these festive candles look so elegant lined up along the center of the table-”menorah style”. Ikea also has gorgeous cobalt blue glass candle holders that fit perfectly as a base for my new silver candles. I placed four candles into their bases in a row to the right and the left of my own “shamash” vase. I filled my cobalt glass and silver vase with spray painted leaves that I found at my local florist. (Note- my son reminded me that this “menorah display” cannot be used as the actual menorah- even if I decided to use a candle as a the shamash in the center- according to tradition, the menorah has to be fashioned out of one piece of metal, wood, or glass…)
5. I couldn’t resist buying two velvety bluish purple pillows at $19.99 from Ikea to place on silver gray chairs at both heads of the table of the table.
6. Dashing into West Elm (while the whole family waited outside), I purchased these stunning silvery shimmery cotton napkins at $7 each. They look perfect atop each plate. I neatly folded each one and topped with a sparkley dreidel.
7. I also found delicious kosher blue and white swirley lollipops at West Elm that I placed on the mirrored table runner as well.
8. P.S. Don’t forget to buy inexpensive Dreidel Ice Cube Molds! (see ice cube pic below). Kids love ‘em!

Use these suggestions as a basic guide for your own unique Chanukah table.   Start with your favorite silver, blue or white tableware as a base and fill in with flowers and accessories.  Be daring and let your personality show through! I’d love to see what you come up with!

For more of my Chanukah table resources and Jewish Holiday Table setting pictures from Jewish Hostesses all over the world, please check out The Jewish Hostess! Happy Holiday!

With Chanukah just around the corner, now is the time to pull out some quick and crafty decorating ideas to get your home ready for the holiday! Not to worry, I’ve got a few ideas that will get you started in no time, and your house will look more festive that ever without too much effort. Sounds great, right?

While I love to knit and crochet, I also happen to think that yarn is great for crafting. I picked up a ball of pom pom yarn recently, and realized that it makes instant pom pom garlands! So I draped my dining room chandelier, and now it’s ready for just a few well placed ornaments. Yippee!

And then I tried wrapping the yarn around some glass vases, inserted some shot glasses filled with candles, and voila, a gorgeous centerpiece for Chanukah was born! And you could re-use them for the next bris, how about that?

I was thinking of making napkin rings somehow with the yarn, and then I remembered the little casual table setting trick that’s in style at the moment, so I tied some yarn around a setting of silverware, cute as can be! Simple right? And of course I’ll also be using pom pom yarn to hang the decorations my kids make and for any other crafty garlands that we come up with between now and Chanukah. Can’t wait!

If you don’t have any pom pom yarn on hand and would rather use up what you do have, rest assured, there are many great projects to make with any kind of yarn that may or may not take just a bit more effort but will also be wonderful additions to your holiday home. Here’s just a few ideas from my blog creativejewishmom.com to get you started:

Wrap glass vases in two colors of regular yarn, in this case light blue and dark blue, for a stunning and contemporary centerpiece, tutorial here.

Go green and make yarn wrapped napkin rings from recycled plastic bottles, and yarn wrapped luminaries from recycled cans for your holiday table.

Yarn snowflakes look great all winter, as do pom pom bouquets, which you’ll use over and over, believe me!

That’s all for now, have a wonderfully creative Chanukah, and the good news is, that it’s eight whole days long, which makes your crafting efforts really worth it! And do stop by my site creativejewishmom.com for lots more Chanukah craft ideas, and ways to fill your life with creativity all year long. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Let me know what you end up making in the comments below and share your photos on Facebook.

I remember the first time I realized that granola ain’t exactly a low cal diet food.  SO disappointed!  I mean, it just screams healthy, doesn’t it?  Shouldn’t a girl be able to eat all she wants of the stuff and go on losing pounds & inches? But I got over it. In an incredible feat of denial, I decided granola shouldn’t be a guilty pleasure.  I still categorize it in the “good-for-me” food group.  Hey, better granola than Godiva.

My recipe for Homemade Granola includes flaky light coconut chips and is sweetened with brown sugar, maple syrup (with its rich, earthy flavor) and raisins.  You can swap in an equal measure of craisins or chopped apricots, or pineapple, or any dried fruit of your choice in place of the raisins.

I love my granola in yogurt or ice cream – how do you enjoy yours?

Ok, the name is funny, but this is serious cooking. Spatchcocking poultry is the process of removing the backbone and sternum of a bird. The bird is then flattened out by pressing on it. (more…)

Although it is true that the best way to make smooth creamy ice cream is with an ice cream maker it is possible to get very good results without one as well. The key to creamy ice cream is to freeze the mixture quickly. In order to get the best results it is essential that the ice cream is well chilled before freezing. While this method may seem a bit strange it produces a creamy ice cream that is almost as smooth as one made with an ice cream maker.

Make ice cream according to the directions in the recipe, making sure to chill the mixture at least several hours but preferably overnight. Line two rimmed cookie sheets with plastic wrap. Pour half of the mixture onto each pan and freeze until completely firm. Remove one pan from the freezer. Working quickly, peel the ice cream off the plastic and break into medium-large pieces. Place them in the bowl of a food processor fit with a metal blade. Process until the ice cream is the texture of soft serve. Place in a container and freeze until firm. Repeat with the remaining ice cream. If making a recipe with a mix-in, such as cookie dough, fold the mix-in into the ice cream after removing it from the food processor.

This method can be used to make any Homemade Ice Cream recipe, a selection of some can be found here, Homemade Ice Cream Recipes.

Let’s get real. We all know how uber important good BBQ sauce is to the success of your grilling. If you’ve got the right one, it’s all the seasoning you need; if you’ve got the wrong one, ain’t nothin gonna save your meat.

There are great bottled brands on the market, and “best” is a matter of taste. But if you are feeling a bit adventurous, why not try your hand at an easy homemade BBQ sauce recipe? I admit I never thought of creating my own BBQ sauce until I was inspired by the “DIY (Do-It-Yourself ) Diva” columnist, Felisa Billet, in my Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller magazine. It turns out there are some DIY recipes which are easier than you or at least I thought.

Peach BBQ Sauce

You’ll like my Sweet Spicy Smokey BBQ Sauce. It’s traditional, covering all the BBQ bases, but sensational. For something with more of a fruity flair, go with Peach BBQ Sauce. It’s perfect for Father’s Day and every summer celebration, but I’ll bet you’ll find yourself making it all year long.

Some other recipes to try:
• Apple Honey Marinade
• Cosmic BBQ Sauce
• Honolulu BBQ Marinade
• Fresh Lemon Grass Marinade
• Argentine Chimichurri Marinade and Sauce

Q: I can’t find kosher anchovy paste or fish sauce. How do I make my own?
Amy, Tulsa OK

A: Amy, believe it or not, you are not alone. I hear this question often. It is hard to find these products with reliable kosher supervision just about everywhere.

Specialty products like these usually come on and off the market either because of low demand or importing problems. One day, when I was griping over this problem to the Gourmet Glatt supermarket manager, he said his wife had the absolutely best recipe for anchovy paste. So I called her and we’ve posted it here for you!

For a fish sauce recipe, try this one on for size and let me know what you think: Kosher Fish Sauce

What can you give the woman who has it all for Mother’s Day?  Hair accessories?  A cookbook?  Perfume?  Nah. Better opt for something she can’t get herself (or return): kid-friendly craft projects made with love!

Mother’s Day, time to get out your crafting scissors and paint brushes. Or, just call in the troops with their school supply boxes and unbridled creativity because we’ve put together three crafts kids can make to surprise mom on her special day.

Whether you present her with a plant in a uniquely painted pot, an everlasting bouquet of family photos, or breakfast in bed on a decoupage tray, she will love the effort you put into to finding the perfect gift.

Kids will love this opportunity to draw, paint, cut, glue.  Just make sure they wear smocks!

One-of-a-Kind Terracotta Planter

As the seasons change, mom can showcase new flora in this lovely, hand-painted planter.

Materials:

Terracotta flower pot and plate
Acrylic or patio paints
1- or 2- inch wide foam brush
Cosmetic foam wedges or cotton balls
Ribbon and additional trim such as buttons, sea shells, craft jewels, optional
Glue gun and glue sticks
Dirt and a seasonal plant

Directions:

1. Place the pot on a clean surface in front of you.  Using the foam brush, paint the flower pot in a single color.  Allow to dry.
2. When dry, dip the foam wedges or cotton balls in a contrasting color of paint and sponge-paint designs all around the flower pot.
3. To personalize the gift even more, hot glue decorative ribbon in a contrasting color on the wide rim of the flower pot.  Or, decorate the rim by gluing a collage of sea shells, buttons or craft jewels.
4. Once dry, complete the gift by filling the pot with dirt and a beautiful plant.

Decoupage Breakfast Tray

Make sure to serve mom’s favorite breakfast on this tray which doubles as a gift she can use to store her personal items.  This idea is from Rivky Koenig, who wrote “Crafting Jewish” (Artscroll, 2008).

Materials:

Sandpaper
Unfinished wooden tray, any size
Papers Towels
1/2 inch- and 1 1/2 inch- wide paint brushes
Cream and beige colored acrylic paints (or colors of your choice)
Paper napkins with fruit or floral images
Scissors
Decoupage medium such as Mod Podge or watered down craft glue
Black or green felt, optional
Craft glue, optional

Directions:

1. Use the sandpaper to sand down any rough edges on the tray.  Wipe off wood dust with a damp paper towel.
2. Using the 1 1/2-inch paintbrush, paint the entire tray with the cream paint.  Allow to dry.
3. Take a dry 1/2-inch paintbrush and dab the bristles lightly in the beige paint.  Brush the paint off against a paper towel to remove as much paint as possible.  Lightly stroke the paint on the tray to give it an antiqued look.  Let dry.
4. While the tray is drying, cut out the fruit or floral shapes from the napkins.
5. Using a clean 1 1/2-inch paintbrush, coat the inside of a dry tray with Mod Podge or watered down glue.  Place the fruit shapes on the Mod Podge-covered surface.  Smooth the shapes down carefully with your fingers.  The shapes may get a little wrinkly.  Continue to smooth it.  Allow to dry.
6. Brush another coat of Mod Podge on the entire surface of the tray, covering the cut-out shapes completely.  Coat the raised sides of the tray, inside and out, as well.  Allow to dry.
7. Optional: Cut a piece of felt the size of the underside of the tray.  Use craft glue to glue the felt to the underside of the tray.
8. When mom wakes up on her special day, present the tray laden with breakfast items.

Bouquet of Family Photos

This evergreen bouquet is a wonderful way for mom to have a thoughtful memento from the people who love her.  Not watering required!

Materials:

Scrapbooking, wrapping or construction paper or cardstock
Glue stick
Family photos
Glitter glue, optional
Tape or a glue gun and glue sticks
Green pipe cleaners, one for each flower

Directions:

1. Cut out a simple-shaped flower (like a daisy) from a piece of paper or cardstock in two sizes, one slightly larger than the other.  These will be your flower stencils.  Trace the flowers on various pieces of paper so you have an assortment of colors.  Cut them out.
2. To make the center of the flowers, cut the photos into circles.  Each center should be a picture of a different person in the family.
3. Glue a photo circle in the center of each of the smaller flowers.
4. To matte the flower, glue the smaller flower on one of the larger flowers in a matching color.
5. Use the glitter glue to outline the border of the smaller flower, optional.
6. Tape or hot glue a pipe cleaner to the back of each flower.  Tie a ribbon around the stems to make a handheld bouquet.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Shop for fabulous Mother’s Day kosher gift baskets on Kosher.com

Originally posted May 4, 2010.

Forget about those pre-packaged drink mixes and wow your guests with these fresh homemade iced tea and punch drink recipes.

Summer is my favorite season for entertaining on Shabbat. Since the afternoon lazily passes by, lunch becomes an unhurried affair full of good food and conversation—quite different from the winter rush when we barely finish dessert before the sky gets dark.

To augment the leisureliness of Shabbat lunch in the summer, I like to enhance the mood by serving a special beverage. While guests may have finished the challah and licked the cholent bowl clean, what they really love is a pitcher filled with a refreshingly cool homemade drink, as in something other than iced tea from a mix.

Surprisingly simple to prepare and easy to make in advance, the best beverages can be made from the comfort of the kitchen. My favorites include agua fresca, a Mexican watermelon spritzer; gingered fruit punch sweetened with honey and molasses; mint iced tea (brewed with real tea bags, of course); and lemonade that’s nothing more than freshly squeezed lemon juice, water, and sugar.

One morning amidst the July heat, I remembered that the guests due to arrive at my home were big soda fans. Sans anything other than grape juice and milk, I noticed a bag of lemons in the fridge whose image took me back to the thirst-quenching lemonade I used to drink at the state fair as a kid. With that memory in mind, I mixed one part lemon juice to three parts water and sweetened the mixture with a lot of sugar, topping it with tons of ice and thick slices of lemon rind. In less than five minutes, I prepared two pitchers of ice-cold lemonade which had my guests raving.

Here are three recipes of cool drinks you can enjoy all summer.

Kosher agua fresca, gingered fruit punch, and iced green tea with mint can all be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for up to two days.

Putting thought into the drinks you serve shows you pay attention to details; a trump card that will take your meal to a new level. And if you don’t have time to make a pitcher of something special before the candles are lit Friday night, do not fret. As long as you have lemons, there’s always lemonade.

Note: Making lemonade on Shabbat can be tricky, due to the prohibition of squeezing. Consult your local Rabbi for the proper method of preparation.

When Shavuot rolls around, most people think blintzes and cheesecake.  While Rivky Koenig, author of Crafting Jewish (Artscroll 2008), loves the holiday’s traditional dairy cuisine, too; flowers are the first thing that comes to her mind.

“Everything is so beautiful and fresh this time of year,” says Koenig, who recently launched a new line of Jewish craft supplies on craftingjewishstyle.com.  “Adding a floral touch to the holiday is an easy way to get creative for Shavuos.”

Instead of purchasing large floral arrangements, which can be expensive and impersonal, Koenig suggests buying simple flowers and arranging them in bud vases or in a cluster of tea cups.

“Or, you can buy a few stems of the same type of flower and color and arrange them in a square or rectangular vase,” says Koenig.  “To up the ante, tie a wide ribbon in a contrasting color around the vase so you can’t see the stems.  You’ll be amazed at the pop of color the ribbon adds.”

If you want to opt out of floral arrangements all together, Koenig suggests creating floral-inspired Shavuot crafts.  Floral decoupage plates, daisy napkin rings and adorable sunflower headbands are simple, fun and gorgeous projects the whole family will love.

Here’s how:

“This is one of my favorite crafts,” says Koenig.  “It involves a lot of different techniques—cuttings, gluing and painting—so the kids feel really good about themselves when they finish this project.”

Materials

Paper napkin with a floral motif
1 smooth glass plate
Scissors
Mod Podge or craft glue diluted with water
Disposable plastic bowl
2 (1- or 2- inch wide) foam brushes
While acrylic paint
Gold acrylic paint
Gold paint marker, optional

Directions

1. Open the floral napkin and place it under the plate so that an overall design will be on the back of the plate.  Decide which part of the design you want to affix to the plate.  Cut out that section of the napkin, making sure that it is the size of the plate or slightly larger.
2. Take the napkin off the plate and turn the plate over.
3. Pour a small amount of Mod Podge or diluted glue into the plastic bowl.  Dip the foam brush into the Mod Podge and smear a thin coat of it onto the back of the entire plate.  Carefully center the napkin, face down, on the Mod Podge-covered surface and smooth out any air bubbles.
4. Use a foam brush to spread another thin coat of Mod Podge to cover the back of the entire napkin.  It is okay if the back of the napkin wrinkles slightly; just smooth the ripped part together.  Let dry for at least an hour.
5. Once dry, use your scissors to trim off any pieces of hardened napkin that extend over the edge of the plate.
6. Then, use a foam brush to coat the back of the plate with white acrylic paint.  Allow to dry completely.  Paint over the white paint with a coat of gold paint.  Allow to dry completely.
7. If desired, finish the plate by using a gold thin marker to draw a thin line around the top edge of the plate.

Tissue Paper Flowers

Whether you hang these gorgeous crepe paper flowers from a chandelier, affix them the back of dining room chairs, or twist them around napkins, you’ll be amazed at the simplicity of this one-of-a-kind craft.

Materials

Tissue paper in desired colors (eight sheets per flower)
Floral wire
Scissors
String

Directions

1. Stack eight 20×30-inch sheets of tissue paper.  Make 1 1/2-inch wide accordion folds, creasing with each fold, until the entire paper is folded.
2. Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, and slip over the center of the folded tissue; twist, so that the wire holds the folded paper in place.  With scissors, trim the ends of the tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.
3. Separate the layers, pulling the paper away from the center, one fold at a time.
4. Attach string to the wire and hang the paper flower from a chandelier or affix to the back of a dining room chair.  If using as a napkin ring, bend the wire into a loop to fit around a napkin.

Photo Credit: Photo from Flickr – dklimke

This craft is a perfect way to enhance your holiday’s tablescape.  Reuse the napkin rings throughout the summer.

Materials

Silk gerbera daisies
Glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors
Wide ribbon

Directions

1. Cut the flower end off of the stem of the silk flowers.
2. Hot glue the daisy head in the center of a side piece of ribbon.
3. Decoratively tie the ribbon around a cloth napkin.

“Who says flowers only belong in gardens and vases?” says Koenig.  “These crafts show you that flowers are perfect just about anywhere.”

Materials

Ribbon scraps
Glue gun and glue sticks
French clip barrette or pony tail holders
Silk flowers
Scissors

Directions

1. Use the glue gun and glue sticks to glue a piece of ribbon to the top of the barrette, tucking the ends under and gluing them down.
2. Separate the flowers from the stem.  Use your scissors to trim off as much of the underside of flower as you can.
3. Hot glue one or more flowers to the barrette.  Press down on the flowers to secure.  Allow to dry.

To make a flower pony holder:

1. Separate one large flat flower (such as a sunflower, peony or daisy) from its stem.  With the scissors, trim any remaining stem from the back of the flower.
2. Use the glue gun and glue sticks to glue the back of the flower to the pony tail holder.
3. Cut a small piece of ribbon and hot glue it over the back of the flower where it is attached to the ponytail holder.  Part of the ponytail holder should be sandwiched between the flower and the ribbon.  The ribbon should not be visible from the flower side of the ponytail holder. Press down to secure the ribbon to the flower.  Allow to dry.

Happy Shavuot!

When Lag BaOmer rolls around, picnic baskets and bonfires take center stage, but that shouldn’t stop you from getting creative with these nifty holiday projects.

While the 33rd day of the Omer may not be a crafty holiday, all it takes is a little imagination—and a love of all things Jewish—for Laurie Bellet, an art specialist from Oakland Hebrew Day School, to come up with fabulous art fun.

“When I think of Lag BaOmer, I think of track and field and picnics,” says Bellet. “And of course, the Torah.”

To rev up the holiday, Bellet created these fun craft projects to keep kids busy on this special day, which is a welcomed break during the solemn days of the Omer. Enjoy these crafts indoors or outdoors, at home or school, with the family or on your own.

Design-Your-Own Hat

This simple craft is perfect for Lag BaOmer outing because traditionally the day is spent outdoors. Whether you spend the holiday picnicking or playing field games, your stylish hat will protect you from the sun.

Materials:

• White canvas hat purchased from a craft store or online.
• Fabric glue
• Ribbons, flowers, buttons and other decorative elements
• Paint markers, acrylic paints, glitter

Directions:

Use glue to affix the decorations all over the hat. Use paints and markers to add flair as you create your signature style.

Paint-Your-Own Parachute

For kids of all ages, parachute games are the highlight of Lag BaOmer’s outdoor fun. Start the day by having the kids decorate a plain parachute and then use it as part of the holiday’s outdoor games. This is a great group activity—ten to fifteen kids can decorate the parachute together.

Materials:

• Plain parachute (available from ssww.com)
• Fabric or permanent markers
• Stencils, optional

Directions:

1. Spread the parachute on a clean, flat surface.
2. Decorate the parachute with the fabric or permanent markers. Use stencils to create repeating patterns all over the fabric.To design intricate images, place a picture underneath the parachute (the fabric is translucent so you will be able to see through to the image). Trace the image onto the fabric with different colored markers.
3. After Lag BaOmer, the parachute can be hung from the wall or a ceiling as decorative art.

Living Torah Picture

Your child will “see” themselves in the Torah as they create this “reflective” art project. Not only will they reflect on what the Torah means to them personally, but when they look at the Torah, they will actually see themselves in it. This art project will remind them that each person is another branch in the tree of life.

Materials:

• Adhesive reflective or mirror paper (available at craft stores and at online), or reflective silver mylar or wrapping paper
• White and brown construction paper
• Crayons
• Scissors
• Glue

Directions:

1. Cut a large rectangle out of the reflective paper. Peel off the back and affix it in the center of the white construction paper. If the reflective paper is not the adhesive kind, use glue to stick it on the white paper.
2. Using the brown construction paper and scissors, cut out two “eitzim” or rollers. Glue them on both sides of the reflective paper, to create the Torah.
3. Around the Torah, draw images from the Bible and meaningful pictures or designs that represent what the Torah is about.

Picnic Tote Print

Materials:

• White canvas tote bags (available from craft stores and online)
• Scrap paper
• Fabric markers, acrylic paints,
• Paint brush
• Clean Styrofoam tray (from vegetables or meat)
• Pencil

Directions:

1. Place a piece of paper in between the tote bag so front and back of the bag won’t stick together. Decorate the tote with markers and paint.
2. To make a print, apply a light coat of paint on the imprinted design on the bottom of the Styrofoam tray. Press the bag onto the tray with your hand and pull the bag up. When you release, you’ll see the design. Keep coating the design with paint and printing it all over the bag.
3. For a more sophisticated print, begin by removing the raised edge off of the meat tray to make it flat. With a pencil, draw a design onto the flat side of the meat tray. Dig the pencil into the Styrofoam as you create your design. Lightly cover it with paint and press the tray onto the bag, as you would with a stamp. Repeat until the bag is covered with prints.
4. Don’t write words or numbers or they’ll come out reversed!

On a hot June day, I open the freezer in my mother’s kitchen looking for a tray of ice. Instead of clear, slippery cubes, I find green, coarse ones. Although I am eight years old, I am puzzled how the cubes changed color and texture overnight.

At dinner that evening, my mother brings out a plate of steaming pasta the same verdant shade as the cubes. Like many cooks, she makes batches of pesto when basil is in abundance during the summer, storing and freezing them in ice trays and transferring them to Ziploc bags for use during the fall and winter. And so began my love affair with pesto.

Originally from Genoa, Italy, this sauce is traditionally made from fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic cloves, and grated parmesan cheese, pounded together and diluted with fine olive oil that is not too strong in flavor.

The pesto I enjoy today is a different than my mother’s basil-centric versions. A quick internet search yields intriguing combinations: ginger and black sesame pesto, arugula and cashew pesto, and even chocolate mint pesto. (For the curious cooks out there, this dessert pesto, which is spread in between wafers, is made from chocolate mint, a type of mint leaf that smells like a York peppermint patty; stevia, an herb whose leaves have a granular crunch and taste like sugar in the raw; macadamia nuts; walnut and hazelnut oils, and splash of rose water).

Even more exciting than the new flavor profiles are the creative ways to utilize this sauce. Besides traditionally accompanying pasta, pesto can be found in salad dressings and soups, and as marinades or toppings for vegetables, fish, chicken, pizza, and fondues. Those who are lactose intolerant, or kosher cooks who prefer serving pesto with a meat meal, can easily leave out the cheese. Using more than one type of herb and a mixture of nuts produces a complex sauce whose absence of cheese will be hard to detect.

A debate ensues amongst cooks whether pesto is best made with a food processor or a mortar and pestle. Hand-grinding releases more of the essential oils without cutting through the cell walls of the ingredients, yielding a silky, shiny texture with a refined flavor. A food processor, while an obvious time-saver, creates a pesto where the oils are not as intensely released because the cell walls of the ingredients are cut through. While the texture is more uniform, the flavor may be too sharp and unbalanced.

Regardless of the equipment or the specific flavor profiles, the most important aspect of an excellent pesto is to use good quality ingredients. Make sure the herbs are fresh, the nuts toasty, and the oil clean. When combined, these ingredients will elevate any dish they accompany.

Here’s what you need to know when choosing ingredients for a fabulous pesto that will leave your taste buds wanting more.

Herbs—Always use freshly picked herbs to ensure the highest quality taste. To prepare the herbs, remove the stems and lightly pack the leaves in a measuring cup until the desired amount is reached. Immerse the leaves in cold water and use your fingers to wipe away residue. Shake off the water and roll the leaves in a paper towel or dry in a salad spinner.

Garlic—Never substitute garlic powder for fresh cloves or the taste and consistency will suffer.

Cheese—If you can, freshly grate cheese to ensure the pesto will have a full cheese flavor. Once the herbs, nuts, garlic and oil are combined, add the grated cheese by hand so the flavor will be balanced.

Oil—When using olive oil, choose an extra-virgin oil that tastes of olives and doesn’t have a strong aftertaste. If milder nuts and herbs are used, experiment with oils such as corn, canola, safflower or walnut which may provide a more neutral taste.

Nuts—While nuts can be added raw, toasting them releases essential oils and creates a more intense flavor. Walnuts are often used in stronger pestos and milder nuts such as pine nuts, unsalted pistachios, or almonds are used in delicate pestos. For those with nut allergies, or if you want to make your pesto a little different; olives, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes make good substitutes.

Storage—For long term storage, pack the pesto into small containers, cover with a thin layer of olive oil and cap tightly to seal in the flavor and to avoid oxidation. Exclude as much air as possible to prevent loss of color and moisture.

When preparing pesto that will be frozen, make sure the herbs are completely dry before adding the rest of the ingredients. If water is left on the leaves, ice crystals will form once the pesto is frozen, weakening the flavor and texture.

Pesto freezes best when there is slightly more oil in the mix because the fat protects the herbs from potential freezer burn. If you intend to freeze the pesto from the start, add a few tablespoons oil or softened butter or margarine.

Now try these kosher pesto recipes: Summer Herb Pesto, Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

After all that cleaning and cooking, why leave your seder table looking  drab? Easy-to-make fresh fruit topiaries are perfect centerpieces.

Topiaries are multi-dimensional “mini trees” fashioned from flowers, fruits and greenery. These gorgeous centerpieces herald spring in all its beauty while adding a unique touch of elegance to the Passover seder.

Topiary, the art of ornamental gardening, dates back to the 18th century. Often found in colonial and Victorian decor, it is easy to re-create with Styrofoam, real or dried greenery, fruit and flowers. Lemons, limes, oranges, apples and pomegranates work especially well, although use whatever you feel will look best on your table.

As the holiday progresses, keep your topiary alive by exchanging the fruit for flowers and other decorative touches.

Materials:

A large decorative vase with a round opening
2 floral moss blocks or Styrofoam balls, spray painted green
1 2-foot thin round wooden pole, spray painted green
Willow vine sprays
Spanish moss in the color of your choice
Box of U-pins
10-20 green hydrangeas, depending on the topiary’s size
Green floral wire
Green floral tape
Various pieces of fruit, such as 20 lemons or limes, 10 oranges or apples, and smaller accenting fruit and nuts such as purple grapes, cranberries, strawberries, chestnuts;
12 inch wooded sticks, such as shish kabob skewers
Box of toothpicks

How To:

1. Choose your decorative vase in proportion to the size of the floral moss blocks or Styrofoam balls. Cut the moss block or Styrofoam to fit the inside of the pot. If needed, tape it in.
2. Choose your wooden pole so that the height of the “tree” will be 2-1/2 times the height of the pot. Insert the stick into the foam in the pot to make a hole for the “trunk,” and remove the stick.
3. Tuck Spanish moss into the pot to cover the moss block or Styrofoam, and fasten it down with U-pins. Stick some of the hydrangea on the moss to add color and texture to the base of the “tree.”
4. Insert the stick in the original hole in the now-covered moss block or Styrofoam. Glue, if necessary. Place the second moss block or Styrofoam on top of the stick to make a hole and then remove.
5. Working in concentric circles from the top of the moss block or Styrofoam, attach pieces of willow vine sprays, using floral wire to secure the vine sprays in place.
6. After half the foam is covered with greenery, attach the foam on top of the stick and completely cover the rest of the ball. Stick in hydrangeas to enhance the topiary ball shape. Embellish the stick with vine sprays, moss, and using floral wire, secure the remaining hydrangea, if desired
7. Bring the topiary comes to life by adding the fruit. Cut all but four or five of the fruits in half and attach the whole and uncut fruit to wooden skewers. Arrange the cut fruits, cut side down, around the upper portion of the topiary by carefully pushing each stick into the moss. Place the uncut fruit around the perimeter of the base of the topiary by carefully pushing the sticks into the moss.
8. Attach the accenting fruit to toothpicks (strawberries work well with lemons, purple grapes with green apples, blue berries with limes) and arrange them all over the topiary by carefully pushing the toothpicks into the moss.

Note:

To increase the life of the fruit, choose slightly under ripe pieces and store the topiary in a dry place, as moisture will cause the fruit to decay faster. The fruit should stay fresh for 4-5 days, depending on the type (oranges will last longer than berries) and the quality at the time of purchase. When the fruit needs to be changed, gently twist the U-pins free and pull out the fruit. Replace with new fruit or change the look by adding flowers. The willow vine sprays do not need to be changed, as they will dry in place.

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