The winner of the DonorsChoose gift card is JaneTheWriter! {{{Waving}}} Hi Jane!!!!
But we can all be winners if we go and help students and teachers...so go check out some of the great projects that you can fund through DonorsChoose.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Bumper Crop
Don't forget that I'm giving away $10 to DonorsChoose on this post....
I think it's so interesting how different my children can be from each other.
Often, they want to do exactly the same things in the same way. But sometimes they surprise me with their varying degrees of interest in some things.
For example, the garden.
While David could care less about the garden and Yael is interested to some degree, Sam is totally into it.
He helped me plant, he helps me harvest, he will go out by himself to pick tomatoes, and he'll even eat the fruits of our labors. He's totally into it.
This year, we're having a bumper crop of cucumbers....
and Sam is overjoyed!
I think it's so interesting how different my children can be from each other.
Often, they want to do exactly the same things in the same way. But sometimes they surprise me with their varying degrees of interest in some things.
For example, the garden.
While David could care less about the garden and Yael is interested to some degree, Sam is totally into it.
He helped me plant, he helps me harvest, he will go out by himself to pick tomatoes, and he'll even eat the fruits of our labors. He's totally into it.
This year, we're having a bumper crop of cucumbers....
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Separated at Birth?
I knew there was a good reason I was resisting the bangs.
But she's the happiest little girl around.
So who can complain?
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
For everything there is a season....
For everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Yes, today is the first day of school.
Sending off my (gulp) third-grader for the fourth time to his first day of school.
Wow.
And what a blessing, to have a wonderful school to send him to.
To know that there will be pencils and pens, markers and paper.
To have the funds to buy school supplies.
To have the luxury of buying him a new lunchbox.
To have the comfort of knowing that his teeth was checked by a dentist, his health was checked by a doctor, and when he outgrows his shoes, there will be new ones to fit his growing feet.
I am so incredibly blessed.
In honor of the first day of school, I'm giving away one $10 giving card to Donors Choose.
Because there are schools, teachers, and students that are not as blessed as I am.
Leave me a comment telling me your favorite back-to-school tradition and you'll be entered to win.
Tell a friend via Facebook or Twitter and I'll give you an extra entry.
If I hit 36 entries, I'll give out two $10 gifts.
Please help me out and leave a separate comment for each entry (comment, Twitter, Facebook).
Ends on Friday...
Sunday, August 22, 2010
When I'm a Bubbie...
This week's Haveil Havalim is over here.
My Bubbie is almost 95 years old. She doesn't bake any more, but when she did, she had some great recipes, like carrot cake and mandelbrot. The other great thing that she made, possibly the greatest of them all, was her coffee cake. She made a yeast dough cake that was similar to "monkey bread" - each piece was rolled in cinnamon-sugar and (sometimes, when I was lucky) nuts, and then squished together to make a pull-apart cake. Truly spectacular. So good that my parents shlepped some to me in Israel, so good that I'm pretty sure they shlepped some to Cincinnati when my first child was born, so good that I remember digging into one on a plane ride with my aunt when I was 8 years old.
So good that I've never ever ever tried to make it.
Plus, the recipe calls for scalded milk, which scares me.
So I had a bit of a yen for coffee cake. Something cinnamony and cakey and delicious.
And I did NOT have a yen to deal with yeast dough.
So I went to my trusty King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, which always comes through for me with the best recipes and I picked out the Classic Cinnamon-Nut Coffee Ring to make on Sunday morning.
I was NOT disappointed.
Recipe, slightly modified by me:
For the filling
In a small mixing bowl, combine thenuts, chocolate chips, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter.
Spoon half of the cake batter into a lightly greased 9- or 10-inch tube or bundt-style pan. Smooth the batter to level it and sprinkleon two thirds of the all of the filling. Top with the remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining filling.
Bake the cake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. The smaller (9-inch) pan will take the longer time to bake. (By the way, my 10-inch pan took almost 55 minutes too.) Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack. Cool it completely, then sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving, if desired.
Why should you put all the filling in the middle? Read the directions very carefully. It says to put the rest on the top, and then you flip it OUT of the pan. Guess where most of that cinnamony-goodness ended up? Yep, on my counter top. Under the wire rack conveniently placed there. Nonsense. I am not going to waste all that deliciousness again. See how in this picture (above) it appears that there's some sprinkly stuff on top? That was me trying to save some of that fallen-off cinnamony-goodness. {{{Sigh}}} Live and learn.
Huge hit.
I think that when I'm a Bubbie (God willing), this is the cake that I'm going to make for my grandchildren. It's that good.
My Bubbie is almost 95 years old. She doesn't bake any more, but when she did, she had some great recipes, like carrot cake and mandelbrot. The other great thing that she made, possibly the greatest of them all, was her coffee cake. She made a yeast dough cake that was similar to "monkey bread" - each piece was rolled in cinnamon-sugar and (sometimes, when I was lucky) nuts, and then squished together to make a pull-apart cake. Truly spectacular. So good that my parents shlepped some to me in Israel, so good that I'm pretty sure they shlepped some to Cincinnati when my first child was born, so good that I remember digging into one on a plane ride with my aunt when I was 8 years old.
So good that I've never ever ever tried to make it.
Plus, the recipe calls for scalded milk, which scares me.
So I had a bit of a yen for coffee cake. Something cinnamony and cakey and delicious.
And I did NOT have a yen to deal with yeast dough.
So I went to my trusty King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, which always comes through for me with the best recipes and I picked out the Classic Cinnamon-Nut Coffee Ring to make on Sunday morning.
I was NOT disappointed.
Recipe, slightly modified by me:
Cake
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) butter
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) vegetable oil
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (I used vanilla yogurt, because that’s what I had)
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) butter
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) vegetable oil
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (I used vanilla yogurt, because that’s what I had)
Filling
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts or pecans (didn’t feel like dealing with children who say silly things like “I don’t like nuts” when they’re just crazy.)
1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips (I really didn’t want the chocolate to mess with my cinnamony goodness)
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter, melted
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts or pecans (didn’t feel like dealing with children who say silly things like “I don’t like nuts” when they’re just crazy.)
1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips (I really didn’t want the chocolate to mess with my cinnamony goodness)
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
For the cake
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the salt and flavorings and beat until evenly incorporated.
For the cake
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, oil, and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the salt and flavorings and beat until evenly incorporated.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. (If you let your kids do this part, note that they should keep their little fingers out of the mixture, ok?) Add the flour mixture to the butter-egg mixture alternately with the yogurt, mixing on slow speed just until blended.
For the filling
In a small mixing bowl, combine the
Spoon half of the cake batter into a lightly greased 9- or 10-inch tube or bundt-style pan. Smooth the batter to level it and sprinkle
Huge hit.
I think that when I'm a Bubbie (God willing), this is the cake that I'm going to make for my grandchildren. It's that good.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Summer's Not Over Yet!
A good day at the park means that summer isn't quite over yet.
Even though we're thinking about Elul.
Even though school starts on Tuesday.
Even though it's getting darker earlier now.
There's still time for a day at the park.
Even though we're thinking about Elul.
Even though school starts on Tuesday.
Even though it's getting darker earlier now.
There's still time for a day at the park.
What signifies the END of summer for you?
Summer Stock Sunday still has some more weeks left...so check it out over at Robin's place!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Brothers
The Big Brother...
May they always be the best of friends...please?
The Little Brother...
It's such a joy to watch when they're getting along, when they're playing together, when the Big Brother is giving the Little Brother all the encouragement and love that I hope I'll always see....
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