Kosher Cooking Carnival #29: Pre-Passover Edition

Welcome to the April 7, 2008 edition of kosher cooking carnival.

Here are the previous editions:
#1,#2,#3,#4,#5,#6,#7,#8,#9,#10,#11,#12,#13,#14,#15,#16,#17,#18,
#19,#20,#21,KCCMetaCarnival,#22,#23,#24,#25,#26,#27.#28

Thanks to Batya for all of her hard work on the KCC. She will be hosting the May edition; WestBankMama in June. Contact Batya if you'd like to host. And thanks to all of the bloggers who contributed and submitted entries, including those who dragged out their Pesach cookbooks a little early.

Purim already seems like a long time ago, but you can save these for next year:

Learn about the traditional Purim food with The Origins of Hamentashen in Jewish Literature (Revisited) posted at the Seforim blog.

Yolanda Shoshana presents Cilantro Lime Rice posted at Kosher Soul Food. If you're sephardi you can make this for Pesach too.

Devo K presents Today's Photo posted at In the middle, on the right, about the challah she made for Purim.

Kreplach is another traditional food for Purim. The New York Times presents Missing Ingredient, Gone for Good - New York Times posted at NYT > Dining & Wine.

Keep this for the next time you're invited to a latke-hamantashen debate. Tip Diva presents Top Ten Tips - Winning The Debate posted at Tip Dude.

Getting rid of Chametz

Traditional Jews clear out their pantries to get rid of chametz (leavened foods) and make way for the Passover food.

If you still have flour you can try Ima shalom's Recipe Friday: Bread Machine Challah posted at Ima Shalom.

Sarah presents Sugar Snaps posted at ~ Sarah's View ~.

Got pita? Cosmic X presents Two Minute Pizza posted at ****** Cosmic X in Jerusalem ******.


Preparing for Pesach

This year Passover begins on Saturday evening, April 19 and continues through Saturday evening, April 26. Those outside of Israel observe an additional day, Sunday, April 27. This year the preparations for the festive Passover meal are more challenging because observant Jews must finish all of the preparations for Passover a day early because of the Sabbath.

The Rebbetzin's Husband presents Erev Pesach on Shabbat at
The Rebbetzin's Husband.

Dixie Yid presents Achieving Harmony at the Pesach Seder - Part 1 posted at Dixie Yid - Thoughts on life and Chassidus.

Tzipiyah presents Starting Pessah Cleaning posted at Tzipiyah.com.

Frumstepper presents Egypt and the 12 Steps posted at Frumstepper.

Here's something different: Skull-A-Day: 270. Matzo Skull A.K.A. The Skull of Affliction posted at Skull-A-Day.

If it's art you like check out Passover Postcards posted at DubiQuilts - Quilts and Fiber Arts.

Yolanda Shoshana presents Jewish Holiday Cooking posted at Kosher Soul Food.

Phyllis presents Ima on (and off) the Bima: It's That Time of Year Again... posted at Ima on (and off) the Bima.

Adena presents Passover is coming posted at MotherThoughts.

Toronto Pearl presents PPS*... posted at pearlies of wisdom.


Pesach—Kashrut and Customs

Batya presents Oy Gevalt, Kitniyot posted at Shiloh Musings.

Soccer Dad sent in Wall Street Journal tastes kosher (including Israeli) wines posted at HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog.

Frumhouse presents A Pesach Memory posted at Little Frumhouse on the Prairie. I think the alternative title should be "How to keep your kids from getting a shidduch."

ProfK presents To Brok or Not to Brok, That is The Question posted at Conversations in Klal.

David Linn presents Back to the Shmurah Matzah Bakery posted at Temunot.

Passover is a rough time for people with food allergies and sensitivities. Bythebay presents a New Source for Gluten-Free Oat Matzo posted at Gluten-Free Bay.


Pesach Recipes

If you are looking for something unusual check out Passover Preparations posted at Baroness Tapuzina.

Who would expect to find beef with kosher-for-Passover beer at a blog called Kosher Vegan Lasagna? You'll find that and more at Pesach Recipes.

Ilana-Davita presents Salmon in Curry Sauce posted at Ilana-Davita.

Yolanda Shoshana presents Kosher Soul Food: Passover the recipes... posted at Kosher Soul Food.

Ariella Brown presents Pesach recipes -- desserts, main, and sides all gebrokts posted at Kallah Magazine: the blog for the magazine.

Robin presents Turning up the heat - Passover Recipes posted at Around The Island.

triLcat presents Pesach Food posted at triLcat Talks about Writing, Literature, and Her Life..


Leora presents One Potato, Two Potato posted at Here in HP.

ProfK presents Where Pesach is, there Recipes Also Reside posted at Conversations in Klal.

frumhouse presents Bat Ami Yiffat Laila Yemenite Charoset Recipe For Passover - Pesach posted at Bat Ami Yiffat Laila...Means...Daughter of my People Beauty as the morning dawn

Schelly presents Carrot-Coconut Vichyssoise at Preparing for Passover posted at Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog.

sylvia_rachel presents Soup! posted at The Trailing Edge.

Raggedy Mom presents Two Pesach Recipes posted at Raggedy Mom.


Pesach Desserts

Leora presents Sponge Cake Recipe posted at Here in HP.

Jewish Blogmeister presents Kosher For Passover: Fancy Desserts: Easy Recipes posted at Jewish Blogmeister.

Steven presents Matzos that’s SOFT?!? posted at Renegade Kosher Cooking.

Ilana-Davita presents My Pesach Chocolate Cake posted at Ilana-Davita.

Tzvee presents Bernice's Favorite Pesach Recipe: Peach Kugel posted at Tzvee's Blog.

sylvia_rachel presents Two Pesachdik dessert recipes posted at The Trailing Edge.


Not about Passover:

I'll end with a few posts not connected to any holiday:

Saifuddin presents Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbasi) posted at Hakim Abdullah.

Jenny gives us a way to Share The Food You Love posted at the so called me.

Esther provides an alternative KCC at MY URBAN KVETCH: The Jewish Blogger Recipe Virtual Collective posted at MY URBAN KVETCH.

Going to Paris? Check out Food/ Kosher in Paris, 2008 posted at Michel Gurfinkiel.

Ibn mordechai talks about waiting between meat and dairy at Do We Have to Wait? posted at Da Kani Ma Chaser?.

Steven presents Kinda Renegade Coffee posted at Renegade Kosher Cooking.

Wishing you all a joyful, meaningful, kosher and delicious holiday.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
kosher cooking carnival
using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: kosher cooking carnival, blog carnival.

Fake Burka Video posted

This video is clearly and obviously a fake. There are many clues, sprinkled throughout the video, showing the lack of modesty among these wanton women.

1. Because they are not wearing "shalim," the contour of their shoulders and arms are clearly visible. At one point one of the ladies shockingly lifts her arms up in the air .
   
2. They wear flesh-colored stockings (or perhaps none at all? Chas ve-chalilah).
   
3. They read Yediot Aharonot, a traif secular newspaper.
4. At minute 2:46, it is possible to view a glimpse of neck, and again a few seconds later.
5. One of the women has a cellphone on a string around her neck. Tzanua women do not speak on the street on a cellphone. See Mishbetzot Zahav Levusha where it says that this is clearly against the spirit of tznius.
6. One of the woman works outside the home, in a library (a library!!) no less. Tzanua women earn their living through home businesses.
7. One of the women is seen casually touching a boy in passing.
8. They have English initials on their robes. This is a sign of a secular taint and a serious aberration from the ancient dress of our holy patriarchs and matriarchs.
   

Hat tip: Jameel

In which we send mishloach manot twice to the same family

Some organizations sell ready-made Mishlochei Manot (Purim food packages) as a fund-raiser, and last year I let my son A (now 11) buy one through school. Unfortunately he thought the goodies were for him and opened it as soon as he brought it home. This year, although I succumbed to pressure to buy another from Y's school, I was able to keep it intact.

I send packages to my English-speaking friends collectively, so I only trade actual misloach manot with a few families -- mostly parents of my children's long-term friends. I know that they appreciate homemade goods, because they generally send me the same. So I was not happy when I came home from hearing the megillah Friday and found that in return for a package containing challah and potato kugel, A had given the deliverer the prepared package from the organization.

I wanted to be able to let this go, but I couldn't have my friend think that I sent her a package of junk that I didn't even wrap myself. And the ramifications would be felt next year, when she wouldn't know whether to send me a homemade package or not. So A, who had already done quite a bit of delivering without a word of complaint, made another trip.

Sometimes Pesach is a lot easier.

Happy Purim

Here's a recap of our Purim activities so far.

1. Mishloach Manot. I think I spent more time agonizing over what to put into the Purim packages than I actually spent cooking. In the end I made individual "quiche-in-a-loaf." (Don't ask me how to make that plural. And don't ask me how to make it, period; I couldn't reproduce the recipe.) Last year's rant



2. Costumes. My 6.5yo dressed up to as a police policeman. He won't let me put his picture on the blog. My little one was, appropriately, a monkey. Notice the ears and tail. Last year


3. Megillah reading. The noise level was significantly lower than usual, with almost no caps. The rabbi even made an announcement about it. Here are the low-tech raashanim (noisemakers) made by my kids.


Tomorrow will be a full day. We have some Shabbat shopping left, my husband will be reading the megillah at 9am, and as soon as my son gets home from yeshiva he will rush off to read to a relative in the hospital. We have packages to deliver. And the rabbi said we should start to eat by 11:48 PM, so that our meal won't be too close to Shabbat.

I wish you all a joyful Purim and a peaceful Shabbat.

An Explosive Purim? *UPDATED*

An email has been going around containing a slide show about the dangers of mild explosives. The son of the producer was injured when caps exploded in his pocket.



Thanks to Aidel Maidel for the technical help in embedding the document.

The Jerusalem Post summarizes: [The JP, perhaps erroneously, assumes that the parent in question was the father; the slide show does not indicate the sex of the parent.]

The father, who remains anonymous, said the friction from the round explosive-filled caps rubbing against each other in a pocket or held in a child's hand can easily cause them to explode and ignite. His son suffered major burns, requiring treatment with morphine, daily removal of bandages, and antibiotic creams. The process, said the father, "was a nightmare" that could have been prevented by preventing his son from getting caps.

The boy in the slide show was left with only a few scars, but my friend who works in a pediatric emergency room saw half a boy's scrotum blown off in a similar incident. The JP continues:

He noted that some of the companies that manufacture them give warnings in extremely tiny, unreadable print, and that they bear no responsibility for what happens if the caps are used "according to instructions," which include not separating caps from the plastic ring to which they are attached. The plastic melts when ignited and can cause serious damage, even though most parents, children and teachers think such caps are harmless.

Beterem, the Israel National Center for Child Safety and Health, notes that every year, dozens of children are seriously hurt by explosives on Purim, which will be marked next week (and the following Sunday, in Jerusalem and other ancient walled cities).

Ironically, our shul sent the slide show out to all its members. I say ironically, because the noisemakers used in our shul to blot out the name of evil Haman during the reading of the Book of Esther include cap guns.

I responded to the gabbai (synagogue administrator), asking whether caps would be permitted during the megillah reading. The gabbai said yes, as long as the instructions mentioned in the slideshow were followed.

We wonder whether the synagogue is planning to inspect pockets at the door.

The parent of the injured child points out that according to the warning label, caps should be kept in the original package and not handled. He or she asks whether the caps are intended to jump from the package to the pistol on their own. But according to the JP, Beterem comes short of forbidding caps entirely (Beterem article in Hebrew):

One should never use toy pistols or other arms that look like real ones, says Beterem, which also warns against using any kind of firecrackers, explosives or gunpowder. Caps should never be stored in pants pockets. Parents are urged to buy toys only at recognized stores.

We wrote back to the gabbai and pointed out that caps are not only dangerous, distracting and deafening, they detract from kedushat beit hakenesset (the holiness of the synagogue). My husband thinks it's "quixotic" of us to expect the shul to ban them completely. We haven't gotten a response.

We are part of a "Mibereshit" group of families who meet weekly to study the weekly Torah portion. When I asked my children if they prefer to go to the Mibereshit group's Megillah reading, they asked whether there would be caps. They hate the noise.

As I write this I can hear earsplitting explosions set off by neighborhood children.