Parshas Toldos

This week we made red velvet cake pops to look like overflowing pots of lentil soup, like Yaakov sold to Eisav for the Bechorah.  We baked a Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix with vanilla frosting, made into cake pops, dipped in chocolate candy melt and red candy melt for the top, and stuck mini chocolate lentils on top.  They were delicious!

Parshas Lech Lecha

Here is a link to a summary about Parshas Lech Lecha:

http://www.torah.org/learning/parsha/summary/lechlecha.html

We are going to focus on the promise that Hashem made to Avraham that his children would be as many as the stars and sand - just like you can't cound the stars, or the grains of sand, Bnei Yisroel will not be able to be counted.  This was said before Avraham had any children so this was a significant promise.

We will be making star-shaped cookies and covering them with colored sugar, to signify the stars and sand.

Parshas Noach

For Parshas Noach, we are going the obvious route of rainbows! we made rainbow cupcakes and got mini cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles....this is a deviation from our normal Parshas Noach treat of a Marble ("mabul") cake but I was outvoted on this one.

Pictures to follow!

Rainbow cupcakes. Take your favorite cupcake recipe (or buy a yellow cake mix). Divide the batter into six equal parts. Add a different food coloring to each part of the batter (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Line your muffin tin. Add one teaspoon of each color into each section. Kids love to play with the colors and help adding each color to the cupcake to build the perfect rainbow cupcake!

Parshas Bereishis

Bereishis is the first parsha in the Torah.  It includes the seven days of creation, along with Adam and Chava.  There are so many different parsha treats that can be used this week, such as anything star shaped (for the fourth day of creation) jelly fish (fifth day of creation) animal crackers (sixth day) etc.  But we are going to use the old standby "beraishis cookies"  aka black-and white cookies to symbolize the first day of creation, when dark and light were separated:

Black and white cookies recipe:

(adapted from the Spice and Spirit cookbook (the "purple cookbook"))

• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour

White Frosting

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• 2 TBSP hot water
• 1 TBSP oil
• A drop or two of lemon juice

Chocolate Frosting

• ½ tsp vanilla
• 4 TBSP cocoa
• 4 TBSP oil
• 4 TBSP hot water (or more)
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

Beat oil and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. Add flour.

Form into balls and place on a baking-paper-lined cookie sheet. Leave room for spreading. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes (or less, if you’re making mini cookies), and let cool.

Meanwhile, combine the white frosting ingredients in one bowl and the chocolate frosting ingredients in a second bowl.

When cookies have cooled, flip them over. Frost the flat side – one half with the white frosting and one half with the chocolate frosting.

Ki Tavo

This one will be an easy one! The Parsha starts off talking about the mitzvah of Bikurim, bringing the first fruit of the harvest to the Bais Hamikdash....

Parshas Ki Teitzei

This past week's Parsha had many mitzvos in it.  We chose to focus on the mitzvah of Shiluach Hakein, the mitzvah to send the mother bird away before taking the eggs from her nest. 

We made birds' nests out of chocolate chips, peanut butter and chow mein noodles, with jelly beans as the eggs. 

Unfortunately, all were eaten before a picture was taken, but the basic idea was this:

(minus the easter grass... )

Recipe:

1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1/2 c. peanut butter
4 c. chow mein noodles

Jellybeans, M & M's or little candies

Melt chocolate chips on stovetop, remove from heat, add peanut butter and chow mein noodles and mix.  Spoon into muffin tins, make an indentation with the back of your spoon or your finger, and freeze for about an hour.  Right before serving, add the jelly beans/candies and enjoy!

credit:  challahcrumbs.com
 http://www.challahcrumbs.com/parshaCrafts_Torah%20Study.php?artId=141