Celebrate Purim with Hamentaschen

Tracey R. Rich Teaches Jewish Culture with her Website

Here is an excerpt from the  Judaism 101 website:

Purim   

Celebrate Purim with Hamantaschen cookies

Significance: Remembers the defeat of a plot to exterminate the Jews
Observances: Public reading of the book of Esther while “blotting out” the villain’s name
Length: 1 day
Customs: Costume parties; drinking; eating fruit-filled triangular cookies

Purim begins at Sunset on March 23, 2016

The story of Purim is told in the Biblical book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people. 

Here’s Tracey R. Rich‘s Recipe for Hamentaschen

Hamentaschen (lit. Haman’s pockets):  These triangular fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman’s three-cornered hat.

Hamentaschen

Yield:  Approx. 20 – 24 cookies

Ingredients: 

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup orange juice (the smooth kind, not the pulpy)
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup wheat flour (DO NOT substitute white flour! The wheat flour is necessary to achieve the right texture!)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Various preserves, fruit butters and/or pie fillings.

Directions: Blend butter and sugar thoroughly. Add the egg and blend thoroughly. Add orange juice and blend thoroughly. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating white and wheat, blending thoroughly between each. Add the baking powder and cinnamon with the last half cup of flour. Refrigerate batter overnight or at least a few hours. Roll as thin as you can without getting holes in the batter (roll it between two sheets of wax paper lightly dusted with flour for best results). Cut out 3 or 4 inch circles.

Put a dollop of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up the sides to make a triangle, folding the last corner under the starting point, so that each side has corner that folds over and a corner that folds under (see picture). Folding in this “pinwheel” style will reduce the likelihood that the last side will fall open while cooking, spilling out the filling. It also tends to make a better triangle shape.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown but before the filling boils over!

Traditional fillings are poppy seed and prune. (Apricot is Tracey R. Rich’s favorite) Apple butter, pineapple preserves, and cherry pie filling all work quite well.

On her website, Judaism101  Rich writes, “I usually use Pathmark grocery store brand fruit preserves, and of course the traditional Simon Fischer brand prune lekvar. I have also made some with Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread); I find it a bit dry that way, but some people like it.”

The number of cookies this recipe makes depends on the size of the cutting tool and the thickness. Rich use sa 4-1/4 inch cutting tool and roll to a medium thickness, and gets 20-24 cookies out of this recipe.

Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Variation

If on a wheat-free diet for wheat allergies or a gluten-free diet for celiac-sprue, substitute 2 cups of buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup of milled flax seed for the white and wheat flour. Reduce the baking powder to 1 tsp. The resulting hamentaschen will have an unusual pumpernickel color, but taste great.

Make sure the buckwheat flour you use is wheat-free/gluten-free.  Sometimes buckwheat flour is mixed with white or wheat flour. The Hodgson Mill buckwheat and flax  are gluten-free and have reliable kosher certification.

Find more information about Purim at the Judaism 101 website. © Copyright 5756-5771 (1995-2011), Tracey R Rich

Click here for more Hamentaschen recipes.

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Horseradish Potato Gratin

By Kate Merker for Real Simple©

Yield: 8 Servings

Photo by Con Poulos

Ingredients:

• unsalted butter for the baking dish, at room temperature
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/4cup prepared horseradish
• 1/4teaspoon ground nutmeg
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 3 pounds russet potatoes (about 6), peeled and thinly sliced

 

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the cream, horseradish, nutmeg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the potatoes and toss to coat.
2. Transfer the potato mixture to the prepared baking dish, pressing gently to submerge the potatoes. Cover the dish with foil, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden, 50 to 65 minutes.

 

This recipe and more can be found at www.RealSimple.com.

Celebrate Spring!

Have fun solving this puzzle!

Palm Sunday

Lemony Almond Macaroons

Recipe by Sara Quessenberry for Real Simple©
You can make these sweet treats up to one week ahead of time. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Yield: 24 cookies

Photo by Ellen Silverman

Ingredients:

• One 14-ounce package sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 large egg whites

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325° F. In a large bowl, combine the coconut, almonds, sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Mix in the egg whites.
2. Drop mounds of the mixture (each equal to 2 tablespoons) onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1½ inches apart.
3. Bake, switching the baking sheets halfway through, until the edges begin to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

 

White Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes Recipe

Yield: 10 Servings

White Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 8 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
• 3-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in soup. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream.
2. In a greased 13×9-in. baking dish, layer half of each of the following: potatoes, ham, cheese and sauce. Repeat layers.

Bake, covered, 30 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 40-50 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

 

 

Nutritional Facts
1 serving equals 417 calories, 20 g fat (12 g saturated fat), 88 mg cholesterol, 1267 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 22 g protein.

 

Originally published as White Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes in Taste of Home December/January 2006, p27

Word Scramble

Directions: Unscramble these words related to Spring and gardening.

1. GNRISP
2. DCRAANIL
3. LWOERT
4. TOPTNIG LISO
5. OFLRWETOP
6. SESDE
7. LIPSUT
8. ZEFILRTIRE
9. TAEWR
10. RSPIRNLEK
11. DILWLOFWRE
12. SEWDE
13. NDILDEONA
14. AIDYS

Answers:

1. Spring
2. Cardinal
3. Trowel
4. Potting Soil
5. Flowerpot
6. Seeds
7. Tulips
8. Fertilizer
9. Water
10. Sprinkler
11. Wildflower
12. Weeds
13. Dandelion
14. Daisy

This puzzle was by Creative Forecasting Inc.