ma Guide

Holiday

d

Celebrate Chanukah with recipes and crafts for the whole family.

BY LINDA BACHRACK

Mr

e make our way up
the path; I am clutch-
ing my menorah. The
sun is flashing gold as
it begins to set over the mountains.
My. Aunt Bessie beckons us inside,
where the walls are decorated with
, dreidels and the air is redolent with
latkes. My grandfather takes the
menorah I made that day and places
it among the other menorahs of his
children and grandchildren.
Together, we light the Chanukah
candles and say our quiet prayer. Then
we burst into a rousing chorus of the
dreidel song. It is a
festive time, lit by the
glow of the
Chanukah candles."
So writes Joan
Zoloth in the intro-
duction to her first
book Jewish Holiday
Treats (Chronicle
Books, $14.95).
Zoloth's goal in
writing the book is to
pass on some ideas
for celebrating the
holidays,. in hopes
that readers may want to incorporate
new traditions with the old. The soft-
bound book, with delightful pho-
tographs by Lisa Hubbard, offers a fes-
tive collection of recipes and craft pro-
jects covering all the major Jewish holi-
days.
"For me, lighting a menorah at
Chanukah or making any other holiday
treat is a link to the past and a celebra-
tion of my roots," says Zoloth. "Every
family has its own special traditions and
dishes for celebrating Jewish occasions."
The Chanukah chapter includes recipes
for latkes, chicken soup, kids' applesauce
and Momma's Beef Brisket with Fruit, as
well as Chanukah Star Cookies that little
ones can help cut out.
Craft projects should keep the kids
busy throughout the eight days. They

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Chanukah Star Cookies

Cookies:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
'1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

can make Chanukah gelt, dreidels, their
own menorot and potato-stamped gift
wrap.
Tips for cooking and crafting with
kids make this book an indispensable
holiday reference guide.

Menorah for the Young
For each menorah you will need:
air-dry ceramic clay
bamboo skewers
poster paints
paintbrush

Form the clay into a 1-foot-long, 2-
inch-thick piece. The shape can be free-
form. Have your child push a thumb
into the clay nine times, one for each
candle. Take a small 1-inch-long piece
of clay and roll it out in the palm of
your hand to form a log cylinder. Shape
the cylinder into a ring and wrap it
around a thumbprint to form a holder
for the candlestick. Pinch the holder to
the menorah. Repeat this step for each
of the remaining eight thumbprints. Use
several rings of clay for the center can-
dlestick. If the clay becomes too dry
while working with it, apply a little
water with your fingertips. Use a bam-
boo skewer to draw designs or engrave a
name. Allow 1 to 2 days to dry com-
pletely.
After the clay has dried, paint your
menorah as desired. Allow the paint to
dry before inserting candles. A parent
may have to drip a bit of hot wax in
each holder to keep candles in place.

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
2 or 3 drops blue food coloring

To make the cookies, in a
large bowl cream the butter and
sugar. Beat in the egg. Add the
vanilla and mix well. Combine
the flour, baking powder, and
salt in another bowl. Add to the
creamed mixture and stir until
smooth. Chill the dough for at
least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350
degrees.
Divide the dough into 2 or 3
portions. On a generously
floured board, roll out each por-
tion 1/4 inch thick. Cut out
shapes using flour-dipped 3-inch
cookie cutters and place cookies
on ungreased baking sheets. Bake
5 to 7 minutes,ttr until edges are
lightly browned. Let cool on a
rack.
To make the icing, blend the
sugar, lemon juice and water in a
bowl. Add more water if need to
thin icing. Divide the icing in
half. Add the blue food coloring
to one half and mix until the
color is uniform. With a small
spatula, spread the blue icing
evenly over the cooled cookies.
Place the white icing in a pastry
bag fitted with a star tip, and
pipe designs as desired.