“I went to the birthday party because I thought Shomrei should be represented,” said Beryl Hiller, who is a member of our Refugee Assistance Group.
The party on July 15 was for Ghiahi, the one- year- old son of a Syrian family in Elizabeth, one of five helped by our synagogue under the auspices of that group. Continue reading
The Shomrei Caterers have been busy these last few weeks. Congregants have discovered that we can do an excellent , creative job for them for kiddushes both large and small. We customize menus, provide creative plating and table set-ups.
So think of Shomrei when you plan an event.
Here are some recent successes from Shomrei kiddushes and MESH meals. Continue reading
The weeks of anticipation were almost over. Shavuot was just a couple days away. Shomrei’s preparations for the community Tikkun were in high gear especially in the kitchen where the refrigerator shelves were overflowing with butter and eggs, vegetables and fruit.
The quiches had been baked; the cheesecakes were here, too. The blintzes were being prepped.
But what about the kugel? It’s not Shavuot without kugel. And why kugel and other dairy dishes? Continue reading
Are you looking for items to enhance a winter menu? You might want to try some of these recipes. They have been featured at Kiddush, MESH, and Shabbat across America. So they’ve been thoroughly taste- tested.
Carrot Hot Dogs
Beryl Hiller constantly finds creative, economical dishes to enhance our Kiddush lunches – don’t you miss them? The following dish might sound a little odd, but it was a hit at a recent Kiddush and perfect for anyone including vegetarians and vegans. That cook-out in the middle of winter might be just the thing to get rid of the winter blahs. Continue reading
From Captain Stuart Green
Historians differ over exactly when Jews started eating Chinese food on Christmas Day. Some attribute the practice to Benjamin Cardozo; others to Elena Kagan. In any event, this minhag is now so well established, that reservations at T.S. Ma must be made weeks in advance. Aileen Grossberg had the idea of sharing this custom with our guests at the MESH cafe, and so, on a freezing cold night the day after Christmas, cooked up a feast of Chinese-inspired dishes – assisted in the afternoon by sous chef Beryl Hiller – to warm the heart and belly. Continue reading
From Captain Alex Kent
Aileen Grossberg
Thanksgiving is a day for thanks although we Jews often give our thank yous at the New Year, Rosh Hashanah.
So I am taking this opportunity to put the THANKS back into Thanksgiving and express my thanks to people involved in activities that I have a stake in.
So thank you to all the volunteers who help to get food on the table for those weekly kiddushes. Even when I am not directly involved, I thank them. Without our volunteers we would have no bountiful weekly spreads and the fellowship that comes with sharing a meal.
Continue reading
Eighty (80!) people attended Shomrei’s Syria Supper Club Sukkot Dinner on October 8. The dinner featured bountiful, delicious vegetarian food prepared in Shomrei’s kitchen by three Syrian cooks who have been recently resettled in the U.S.
Rabbi Greenstein welcomed everyone in the sukkah, and then we moved inside (the weather was threatening) for the meal. It was a win-win event all around; attendees enjoyed a delicious meal and the cooks displayed their cooking talents and earned some income to help support their families. (Almost all of the proceeds of the dinner went to the cooks.) Continue reading
The weather should be cooling off and we will be looking forward to heartier dishes in the coming months. This recipe selection is a pastiche of tried and true heartier dishes perfect for the cooler transitional weather.
Elegant appetizers can still be relatively simple to prepare. Beryl Hiller discovered this delicious stuffed mushroom recipe which can be easily made vegan with slight changes.
Stuffed Mushrooms Continue reading
The dog days of summer are here. Cool chicken salad or baked salmon certainly make perfect summer suppers. But who wants to slave over a hot stove preparing? Not I, said the Little Red Hen. So she searched for ways to cool her kitchen since she knew she’d not get any help from her barnyard friends.
My favorite solution has been my Breville countertop oven. It’s on the expensive side and does take up counter space, but this appliance is a marvel. It’s big enough to bake a 13 inch pizza or a 9 by 13 inch pan. It will also toast one slice of bread or one bagel. It broils, it, bakes, it toasts. It has a defrost setting, a reheat setting and a convection mode. In addition, the newer models have a slow cook setting. Best of all it doesn’t heat up the kitchen, a boon for those of us with old homes without central air conditioning. I’ve barely used my full sized oven since I got this appliance. So save your pennies and look for a sale. Continue reading