I had just dropped off groceries for this week’s Shabbat kiddush when I saw a brown rabbit sitting on the lawn as if waiting. I’ve seen this rabbit before but never so close.
I wonder if the rabbit was waiting for kiddush, having heard about all the great salads we serve. Continue reading
We are about to start a new year. We have a new rabbi, new congregants, new students and most of the COVID-19 restrictions have been loosened. We are almost back to normal.
That means that kiddushes will be almost like they used to be except for two things: Beryl and me.
Beryl has a full time job and I will have recently moved and anticipate being overwhelmed by all that has to be done in a new home as well as my other responsibilities as a professional librarian. Neither of us can coordinate kiddush every week as we did pre-COVID. Beryl and I will still coordinate special events like bnai mitzvot celebrations, yahrtzeits, and the like.
So we are asking for some of you to step up and join us as coordinators. Continue reading
For the last kiddush under Rabbi Greenstein’s supervision, the Shomrei kiddush team went all out to prepare a menu that reflected his and Zelda’s preferences and paid tribute to his vision.
The team of Karen Altman, Aileen Grossberg, Beryl Hiller, Sharon Hurwich, Carol Katzman, Audrey Levitin, Zen Lucey (recoverd from COVID just in time), Cary Riker, (our newest volunteer) and Rita Singer prepared a veritable feast.
As requested by Zelda, there was no cake but there were chocolate covered donuts (Rabbi Greenstein favorite Shabbat treat ), lots of green salad, and egg salad, a Greenstein favorite. Specially requested by Rabbi Greenstein was sable served with a no mayonnaise potato salad.
Preparing kiddush for Rabbi Greenstein and Zelda was a labor of love, all the more so because Rabbi Greenstein has made a point of dropping into the kitchen every Friday morning to thank the cooks. He has also in his role as Rabbi answered questions about food products and kashrut so that both halachic and culinary needs were satisfied.
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds salmon filet
1/2 c. pomegranate juice
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
Mango, Cucumber and Sumac-Onion Israeli Salad
(Serves 4-6)
Ingredients
Salad
2 mangoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 3 cups)
1 cucumber, diced (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup Simple Sumac Onions (see below)
3 Tablespoons chopped, fresh mint
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Simple Sumac Onions
(makes 1 cup)
1 red onion, sliced very thin
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground sumac
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes: Use jarred mango. It’s quick and easy and just as good as fresh in this recipe. Costco has an excellent jarred mango. It is also available in the refrigerated produce section of Shoprite and other markets. This salad will keep for a few days.
Potato Salad with Capers and Onions
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
1/4 cup capers (rinsed), preferably salt-packed
1 1/2 pounds medium Yukon Gold or other salad potatoes
Salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Ground pepper
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
parsley
Directions
Notes: This can be served as an accompaniment to smoked fish such as lox, whitefish or sable.
As our “busy” season draws to an end, the hard-working, dedicated kiddush volunteers scored another culinary success with the 50th anniversary celebration of Bruce and Natalie Baff. Continue reading
Holly and her mother-in-law stopping in to say thank you
A sincere thanks to those who volunteered to help prepare and set-up Olyvia Hahn’s bat mitzvah kiddush. Continue reading
Do you remember the folktale about the shoemaker and the elves who secretly helped out the shoemaker or the stories of Elijah who provided beautifully set tables for poor, but righteous folk?
We have our own not-so-secret elves at Shomrei who on this past Saturday were out in full force at Teddy Goldman’s bar mitzvah as the social hall morphed from sanctuary to banquet hall in less than twenty minutes. Continue reading
On Friday, March 25, the Shomrei kitchen was abuzz with the sound of knives on cutting boards and the voices of volunteers making new friends.
What to make for dinner when you’ve already had fish twice- three times if you count the sushi- the soup from the souperspreader is gone and well, you just can’t face the supermarket?
There’s the pantry. Now, I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a natural cook although I’ve always liked to cook. But as a kid, I was constantly shooed out of the kitchen: I had no cooking mentor although one of my grandmothers was a fine cook. Continue reading
The building was teeming with people this past Shabbat with JLC, the Henei Mah Tov service, Tot Shabbat, and the regular service in the sanctuary. The social hall was party-like with birthday balloons and colorful tableware.
What a pleasure to have so many young kids and their parents sharing the space and a very special kiddush lunch.
That first double digit birthday is a big deal for any kid. We were able to be a part of Brian Singh’s entry into “tweenhood.” Continue reading
The sounds of prayer were complemented by the buzz of conversation as Shomrei celebrated the upcoming wedding of Jared Hurwich and Perrin Shapiro at the first indoor kiddush in almost two years.
The kiddush crew was out in full force prepping for this kiddush which was just a bit different from what they used to do. Instead of artfully arranged platters, there were trays of individual containers to grab and take to the tables. Cookies were snuggled into a foil pan with a see through tops so that the contents could be seen and labels abounded to identify the foods on display. Continue reading