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 © 1999 Giora Shimoni |
As a child, we always lit candles and sat down to Friday night dinner together. Often my grandfather would join us. And sometimes we would have guests, more distant relatives and people who recently moved to our city.
The favorite part of the meal for me then was the sweet challah. Today, one of my friends makes challah every Thursday with her two daughters. It is a nice mother-daughter tradition. Susi has contributed her challah recipe here for our enjoyment.
Many people serve fish as their first course. This article on gefilte fish from the About.com Guide to Jewish Food includes everything you could ever want to know about this "quintessential Jewish food," including recipes. Mushroom blintzes are another favorite first course on Friday nights. My kids prefer chicken soup to fish and blintzes. I enjoy making soup on Thursday night and having the smell of it remind us all that Shabbat is on the way.
My kids favorite Shabbat chicken is apricot chicken. Next to the chicken, I usually serve rice. A cold cabbage nut salad goes wonderfully with the rice and chicken.
Pareve ice cream is a sweet way to finish the Shabbat evening meal. And making pareve ice cream is so simple that my 8 year old makes it almost all by herself (I just help with the mixer). Here is Susan Ehrenfeld's pareve ice cream recipe.
A good place to start when planning your next Shabbat meal is Shabbos with Bubby Irma. This site has includes traditional Shabbat recipes, starting with challah and ending with cakes and cookies.
While the food is special
on Shabbat, I best remember Shabbat dinners because it was a time the whole
family sits down together, no one is in a hurry, and everyone gets a chance
to talk. When the singing starts, even the babies understand that Shabbat is
a celebration.
~ Lisa
Katz
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