AppleTree A Simply Spectacular Sukkot Family holiday fun — with no bottle caps or sandblasters. great celebration in Taiwan, with dancing, sword fighting and air shows. Why not try an authentic dish from Taiwan in your sukkah? ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM AppleTree Editor Jr ust ask Grandpa and he'll assure you: Back when he was young, kids would be busy for a whole day with nothing more than a bottle cap. Why, they could build an entire play village with just that bottle cap and a bit of dirt! Well, maybe. Contrast that with many maga- zines and books today that purport to provide "family project" ideas. All you need is your own color photo- copier, 600 popsicle sticks of differ- ent colors, beeswax, a sandblaster and 50 yards of fabric onto which you have sewn various appliques, lace and ribbon — in short, just the sort of thing every family has sitting around the house. Well, maybe. Looking for some fun, fairly easy family projects (be warned: these do involve more than a bottle cap and a bit of dirt) for Sukkot? At last, they're here. #1) Have Your Sukkah And Eat It, Too: This year, Oct. 10 marks both the start of Sukkot and Cookie Monster's Birthday. In honor of that famous cookie fan, here's a beautiful and easy "paint" for cookies. Use your favorite sugar-cookie recipe and shape into rectangles — that's the sukkah. Now here's the recipe for the edible paint: 2 T. pudding mix (preferably vanilla, but any kind will work) 1 t. powdered sugar several drops food coloring water Mix the first three ingredents, slowly adding water to make proper consistency (you can add more water if the mixture gets too gloppy). Use fresh brushes to paint designs on the dough, then bake cookies as usual. Now eat your sukkah! (Note: special thanks to Diane Schaeffer of Jerusalem, who came up with this cookie "paint," which pro- duces a beautiful and tasty topping). 0 IN 10/10 2003 40 #2) Do You Remember?: As your children sit in the sukkah, ask them TAIWAN SHREDDED BEEF WITH ONIONS 1 1/2 lb. steak, about 1/8" thick, cut into match-like pieces 4 T. soy sauce 3/4 cup oil 2 cups chopped onions 1 T. cornstarch 1/4 t. pepper 1 1/2 t. salt Toss steak pieces with cornstarch and 2 T. soy sauce. Heat 4 T. oil in a skillet. Add onions and salt, then saute for about 3 minutes. Remove onions to anoth- er dish. Heat remaining oil, then saute meat until lightly browned. Add onions, soy sauce and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute. Serve over rice. to look around and try to remember as much as possible. Then have them close their eyes and list everything they saw. #3) Something Corny. In addition to being the month in which, this year, we observe Sukkot, October is National Popcorn Month. What a delicious opportunity. Challenge children to come up with innovative popcorn toppings, or have your friends over for a Sukkot snack and have a taste test to see the favorite. Some ideas: • cinnamon and sugar • sugar and salt • chocolate bits • hot fudge (try warming this briefly in the microwave, then pouring over popped corn) • garlic salt • parmesan cheese #4) 10 10 Taiwan: And speaking of holidays, Oct. 10 also is Taiwan National Day, also known as Double Tenth Day (since it's the 10th day of the 10th month). This is a day of - - Another idea? Learn more about the Jewish community of Taiwan (about 30 Jewish families reside there). The country is home to a Jewish commu- nity center, synagogue and Sunday school. You can learn more by visiting wwvv.haruth.com/JewsTaiwan.html This Web site also features a photo of the synagogue and tells you how to contact members of the Jewish community there if you would like to visit. #5) Picture This Here's a fun holi- day card to send to friends and fami- ly. Have your children make a huge sign, on poster board or butcher paper, that says: "Happy Sukkot, 2003!" Then take their photo as they hold their sign. #6) Oh, You'll Bee So Happy: Imagine little "flying" creatures you'll actually be happy to have in your sukkah. Provide children with cookies or tea biscuits, bits of licorice or pret- zels, and Wilton Decorating Icing (found at craft stores and some gro- cery stores; it is OU certified kosher). The edible icing, available in various colors, works as a kind of glue. Your children can use the cookies, pretzels, etc., and icing to make bees and wasps. Then eat them for dessert. #7) Magazine Sukkah: Everybody has old magazines lying around the house. Have children go through and cut out pictures of items to make their dream sukkah. Likely they will find pictures of tables, rugs, lamps and dishes. Challenge them also to find a large block of color, then cut that into something for the sukkah. You now have two options. First, children can glue all their cutouts onto a blank piece of paper and make a great card. (If you've got extra photos of your family, you can cut these out and put them in the sukkah). Another idea is to place all the cutout items in an envelope. Children can use them again and again to decorate and redecorate their dream sukkah by placing the "furniture" and other pictures on a piece of blank paper. #8) I Ask You ... Prepare a list of interesting questions that might intrigue your children. Skip the silly stuff ("A space alien has just landed on-your front lawn. What do you do?") and the questions you've already seen everywhere ("What was the best vacation you ever had?"), concentrating instead on questions that will really give you insight into your child's thinking. For example, depending on the son's or daughter's age, you might ask: • Do you think you should be allowed to listen to CDs that carry a parental warning? • At what age do you think you should be allowed to view films rated "R"? • What is the best thing to do if you have a nightmare? • What do you wish your parents