Simanim are the special, symbolic foods that we eat on Rosh Hashanah as the start to a happy, sweet new year, full of good things. For example, and perhaps the most well-known, dipping an apple in honey. These two foods are used because of the sweetness of both the apple and the honey; the apple specifically, as opposed to another fruit, symbolizes Gan Eden, which our Sages believes has the scent of an apple orchard.

I love to incorporate the Simanim into the meal itself, instead of just a plate at the beginning of the seudah, for a few reasons. Firstly, preparing the Simanim in addition to a regular Yom Tov meal is a lot of extra work, something many of us busy mothers don’t have time or energy for. Second, we tend to get very full on the Simanim course alone and then don’t have much room left for the rest of the meal. By incorporating the Simanim into the meal, we get the best of both worlds! Delicious yom tov foods, with all the symbolism.

The following is a menu template for the night meals. My family only eats the Simanim at night, and we typically ate the same meal each night. Just don’t forget to add a new fruit for the second to night upon which to recite the bracha of Shehechiyanu.

Don’t forget about menu planning! There is a handy Rosh Hashanah menu planner in our incredible Tishrei Bundle, plus checklists, Sukkah art and more!

Simanim Inspired Menu

Wherever possible, I’ve included the symbolic food in parentheses next to the menu item. Refer back to my Rosh Hashanah Simanim Free Printable for a more in-depth explanation.

Please note, when it is just my family, I only serve 2 proteins at night, fish and chicken OR meat (usually chicken.) I’ve included more options here so you can choose what works for you.

Appetizer

Round Challah

Honey for dipping

Salatim (small salads and dips): Carrot salad (or tzimmes), Techina (sesame), Hummus Simanim

Beet Carrot Apple Salad with Date Vinaigrette (carrots, apple, pomegranate, dates)

Fish

Gefilte fish with carrots

Honey Sesame Salmon (honey, sesame/make sure to include the fish head)

Soup

Potato Leek Soup (leeks)

OR

Pumpkin Soup (gourd)

Entree

Pomegranate Roast (pomegranates, juicy meat)

Rosh Hashanah Chicken with Apples (apples)

Side Dishes

Tongue Spring Rolls (tongue)

Farfel (symbolic)

Pomegranate Coleslaw (pomegranate, apples)

Apple Kugel Muffins (apples)

Dessert

Honey Cake (honey)

Pomegranate Granita (pomegranate)

Which foods will you be including on your Simanim Inspired Menu? Let me know in the comments!

The post Simanim Inspired Menu for Rosh Hashanah appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Some people obsess over shoes, or handbags, or makeup. My obsession? Yup, kosher cookbooks. I love a good cookbook. I love the art in the images and the little personal tidbits that I read in the recipe blurbs. I even love reading the dedication page. So much goes into writing a cookbook, it’s like reading a part of the author’s soul. Especially when it comes to food.

When I buy kosher cookbooks, it’s a form of self care. I save it to read during a quiet night, cozy on the couch. I’ll read it multiple times, with a pad of sticky page markers before I choose a recipe to kick-start cooking from it. When I was younger, single and before I had children, I would read novels. But when I started having children, I didn’t have time to dive deep into a book and not be able to put it down for hours. And slowly, as my kitchen skills improved, cookbooks became my new novels. I can read them over and over again and never get bored. My favorite part of menu planning for a Yom Tov is sitting down with my stack of cookbooks and going through every single recipe until I’ve composed the perfect menu.

The list is below is MY favorite kosher cookbooks. You may have your own list of favorites- I’d love to hear which kosher cookbooks are your most used. These are my favorites based mainly on usability- how often I use them and how many recipes across the board work for me and my family.

There are a plethora of incredible kosher cookbooks out there, and many I have not yet gotten my hands on, which means that they may be my favorite one day, but I won’t include anything on the list that I don’t own and love, with dog-eared and food-spattered pages.

My Favorite Kosher Cookbooks

1. Spice and Spirit (The Purple Cookbook)

This was the first cookbook (but not the last) that I borrowed (stole?) from my mother’s kitchen. It’s the classic kosher cookbook that taught me and so many others how to cook the basics. I still refer back to it when I’m looking for a simple, traditional recipe to feed my family. It’s no frills, no pictures, just solid, dependable recipes that work every time.  There are also excellent guidelines (with drawings!) to keeping kosher throughout the book.

I also love the Spice and Spirit Kosher for Passover cookbook. My family is very limited in our what we can eat on Pesach, as per our traditions. This cookbook has been a godsend in helping me cook delicious meals with very little to work with.

2. Something Sweet by Miriam Pascal

When I used to attempt to bake in my teens, I would flop even the simplest of Duncan Hines cakes. As in, where the instructions had you add in a total of THREE ingredients, I would inevitably forget one. In general, I like the art of cooking a lot more than the science of baking. But Something Sweet is the dessert cookbook that literally taught me how to bake. Miriam Pascal’s first cookbook has easy-to-follow recipes that come out finger-licking delicious every single time.

3. Real Life Kosher Cooking by Miriam Pascal

I may as well tell you right now, all three of Miriam Pascal’s cookbooks are on this list. Her cooking style is very similar to mine and about 95% of the recipes in her books and on her website overtimecook.com are recipes that I turn to time and time again with excellent results.

4. More Real Life Kosher Cooking by Miriam Pascal

The title says it all. There has yet to be a cookbook written by Miriam that I don’t like. They are worth every penny!

5. Perfect for Pesach by Naomi Nachman

While this is technically a Pesach cookbook, I actually use this more frequently year-round than during Pesach itself. There is a handy guide in the back of the book for switching recipes to year-round, but even in their Pesachdig version, the recipes are consistent and yummy! This past Pesach, I was flipping through the cookbook for inspiration, and I came across a recipe for ribs that looked promising, but used ingredients that my family doesn’t use on Pesach. Pesach ended on a Thursday night, and after turning my kitchen back to chametz, I defrosted the ribs I had in my freezer. Friday morning, I popped a fully Pesachdig recipe into my oven, and it made for a wonderful Friday night meal.

6. Perfect Flavors by Naomi Nachman

When it comes to kosher cookbooks, when I like an author, I stick with the author. Naomi Nachman’s second cookbook is full of mouthwatering recipes that were inspired by her world travels- but they don’t use exotic hard-to-find ingredients! These recipes are tasty and simple to make, and many of them have become staples every week in my home.

7. Kosher by Design Kids in the Kitchen by Susie Fishbein

Before I became a mother, I worried that I would hate baking cookies with my kids. And I do. Probably because I don’t love baking myself. But I absolutely love cooking with them and teaching them how to cook on my own. I love teaching them how to create flavor profiles, how to put a whole, balanced meal together and how to read a recipe. We have a bunch of kosher cookbooks specifically for kids but this one is my favorite. My kids love flipping through it to create a menu for supper and as their reading skills get better, so do their cooking skills. The instructions for each recipe are thorough; the author assumes that the kids cooking are beginners and she details every step with accuracy. Of course, the food is always flavorful as well.

8. Millenial Kosher by Chanie Apfelbaum

If you’re in the market for gorgeous kosher cookbooks with trendy recipes that also taste fantastic, this is the cookbook for you. It’s bright and beautiful to read, cover-to-cover. Additionally, the recipes are so interesting, with modern appeal, yet simple to execute. It’s not necessarily the cookbook I turn to for my everyday, every Shabbos recipes, but it’s definitely the go-to when I want to impress someone or have something new and different to serve.

9. Shabbos Under Pressure by Sharon Matten

This cookbook is fairly new on the market, but it is the first one of its kind; a kosher cookbook written specifically for your Instant Pot. If you’ve read some previous blog posts of mine, you know that I absolutely love my Instant Pot. I have 2, one for year-round and one for Pesach, and they are a huge asset to me in my kitchen. I haven’t tried all the recipes in this cookbook yet, but I have used many as inspiration for my own concoctions. I’m also finding it very helpful as a guide on how to utilize your Instant Pot to its maximum capabilities.

10. The Balabuste’s Choice

Of all the kosher cookbooks on this list, this one is the most nostalgic for me. It was the first cookbook I received as a gift when I was a new bride and I cooked many, many recipes from it when we started off our marriage in Israel. The pictures are few and outdated and the recipes are simple and traditional. But they are practical recipes, easy to follow and come out tasting like the comfort food your mother used to make when you were a child.

Above, I mentioned preferring cooking over baking, because I can be more creative – and the recipes I play around with in the kitchen draw so much inspiration from the ten kosher cookbooks I’ve listed.

What are YOUR favorite kosher cookbooks?

The post My Favorite Kosher Cookbooks appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

This list of indoor activities for kids is not your typical list of screen-free things to do, like play with kinetic sand or bake cookies. While craft ideas for children are super popular, I wanted something a little different. This list is aimed at getting kids to move more, even if they’re stuck indoors.

Kids generally have a lot of energy, and being cooped up inside is fun for nobody- not your kids and most certainly not you! These exciting things to do inside will definitely help you deal with excess energy and boredom.

13 Indoor Activities for Kids

1. Scavenger Hunt

For a super fun activity, set up a scavenger hunt. You can gear it to any age, younger kids (draw pictures for clues) or older kids and teens! For maximum physical activity, plan the route with clues that lead them the furthest distances in between each clue, all over the house.

2. Dance!

Probably one of my favorite things to do with my kids is to turn up the music and dance. It’s an excellent mood booster and gets everyone’s blood pumping!

3. Dance Party for One

When no one else is around to dance with your little ones, or you have other things to take care of, set up this awesome dance mat. This is a great way to get your kids moving and having fun indoors!

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4. Twister

Who doesn’t love this classic game of bending yourself into knots? I especially love this game because it’s the perfect way to keep busy on a Shabbos afternoon.

5. The Floor is Lava

You can use props around your house for this one or make it easy with this version of this super popular game. It’s a sure way to have the kids jumping all over the place. (And then they get to clean up afterward!)

6. Stepping Stones

These fun stepping stones are designed to get your child to move and jump and play, while using their imagination. You can use these for The Floor is Lava too!

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7. Mini Trampoline

A mini trampoline is great to keep indoors for both little kids and big kids to get a good daily workout.

8. Jump Rope

Good ol’ fashioned jump rope is another awesome activity (in the basement!) for your kids. One kid alone can challenge himself to beat his own record, or a few kids can play together.

9. Yoga Activity Blocks

I love that this indoor activity is a little different than the others. It’s a great way to promote balance, focus and of course, movement. There are so many options for various poses that your kids will remain occupied for a while!

10. Ninja Warrior

For the really adventurous, why not set up a Ninja Warrior style course in your playroom for your kids to climb? There are some great ideas on Pinterest for you to check out.

11. Hopscotch Mat

If your kids love making a Hopscotch course with chalk outdoors in the summer, they’ll love this indoor version! You can also make your own with painters’ tape.

12. Indoor Jungle Gym

These tumbling toys are perfect for toddlers and young children. Your kids will love climbing on them, over them and all around!

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13. Pogo Jumper

This is another indoor activity that’s probably best relegated to the basement, but it sure is fun for kids. They learn how to balance themselves and get great movement while doing so.

How do you keep your children busy indoors while promoting movement? Comment below!

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The post 13 Indoor Activities for Kids to Encourage Movement appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Purim is one of my most favorite times of the year. It’s a time when I like to allow my creative side to come through. I love getting all caught up in planning the costumes, the menu, the mishloach manos. I love when it coordinates to a theme. (Yes, I know, that’s not a halachic or non-halachic requirement. But it’s fun!)

This year is the first one that my children have decided to dress up as separate individuals, without a theme to tie it all together. And I’m totally okay with that. I always promised myself that I’d do a theme as long as my children were game. Now they’ve each requested to be different things (and they stuck to their requests for 3 straight months!) so my husband and I are ditching the costumes, planning a simple mishloach manos, and letting the kids party their way.

The Purim Planner I’ve designed is family oriented. You have 5 sections; one for costumes, one for mishloach manos, one for megillah, one to menu plan your Purim seuda, and one all important Things to Do section. If you’re invited out for the seuda (lucky you!) just cross that section out. As always, with all our printables, make it work for YOU.

You can download the Purim Planner below. (Donations are optional, just enter $0 as the price, but a small tip helps us run this blog and pay our hosting and other fees):

Do you love all the planning that Purim entails? How will this Purim Planner printable make it easier for you? Comment below!

The post Purim Planner – Free Printable appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

I tend to stay away from vegetable soups that get all their flavor from added boxed broths or consomme. Instead, I like to find ways to develop rich flavors on my own. In this butternut squash soup, I chose to roast the butternut squash and apples to caramelize them and bring out their sweetness, so that the soup has layers of delicious flavor.

If you read the title of this blog post fully, you’ll notice that there’s farro in this soup. While totally optional, I highly recommend you add it in. Farro is a delicious grain with a slightly chewy texture. When added to soup, it turns it from a simple vegetable soup to a thick, filling bowl of comfort food.

If you like to garnish your soups, reserve the seeds from the butternut squash when you peel and cube it. Rinse and dry the seeds well. Drizzle a little olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper over the seeds and roast them at 375 for about 8 minutes- watch them well so that they don’t burn!

For a printable version of this butternut squash soup recipe, scroll to the end of this post.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Farro

What you need to make this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 2 apples, peeled and sliced
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 TBSP canola or vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 onions, peeled and diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 cube frozen ginger
• 1/8 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup farro, rinsed
• 10 cups water

How to make this Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:

1, Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, Scatter cubed butternut squash and apples on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for approximately 40 minutes, or until squash and apples start to brown and caramelize.

2. While squash is roasting, prepare vegetables to saute. Heat canola oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add diced onions and saute for 5-10 minutes, until translucent. Add minced garlic and ginger and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add carrots and saute until softened. Season generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper.

3. Pour in white wine and deglaze the bottom of the pot.

4. Add roasted squash and apples and any released juices to pot. Add farro, then water. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to simmer, and allow to cook for 30 minutes.

5. Using an immersion blender, blend soup to desired consistency. (We like it slightly chunky.) Taste and add salt if needed. Serve hot and enjoy!

What’s your go-to soup on a cold, wintry day?

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The post Hearty, Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Farro appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

After years of trying to pack myself a decent lunch for work and usually failing, I finally came up with a sensible plan that works. The best part about these lunch ideas for work is that they’re A. healthy and easy to assemble and B. require minimal work- if you do it the way I describe below.

There are inspiring meal prep plans all over social media, but the problem is, those are typically geared for dinner, and for a family at that. I decided to come up with my own kind of meal prep meal, but for only one or two people (myself and my husband, occasionally), and specifically for lunches. I wanted food that was filling, healthful and that had just enough variety that I wouldn’t get bored. Because I HATE when I get bored of a favorite meal.

Personally, I like to take an item from each section below and create lunch bowls. I start with my base, add a protein, a vegetable or two and a topping. Occasionally, I’ll add a dressing, but I prefer to season each item individually when I prepare it and then allow the flavors to meld together in the bowl. While I typically prepare these lunch bowls “macro bowl” style, all the components below would do really well in a wrap as well, if you’d prefer.

All the items below can be made all at once, on Sunday (or whatever day works best for you). If stored properly, I’ve found that everything below will last at least 5 days in the fridge, which gives you a week worth of lunch ideas for work. Storage is important. While I take each lunch to work in a plastic, disposable container, the food each gets stored individually in glass containers. These keep the food freshest for longest, without any unwanted flavors (i.e. from an aluminum pan) mixing into my food.

I generally spend less than an hour on Sundays preparing these lunches. All the veggies get roasted at once on a large sheet pan– as pictured below, I don’t mix the items, I just keep them separate and season them each individually.

While the vegetables cook, I prepare my base (often a grain) and proteins- I grill chicken, bake salmon, prepare tuna, cook quinoa, etc. I usually prepare two proteins and two lunch bowl bases per week and switch it up every day. The toppings are easy. My favorite is roasted chickpeas which can cook with the vegetables. If you’re adding nuts or seeds and dressing, preparing those should take you less than 5 minutes.

It’s important to note that I do NOT make everything below every single week. I pick a few items from each list, prepare it and refrigerate, and then, every morning, assemble my lunch bowl with the various components. I make just enough that every day is a little different.

Lunch Ideas for Work

Lunch Bowl Base Ideas

• Spaghetti Squash (I find it easiest to prepare this in my Instant Pot)
• Zoodles
• Quinoa (my favorite!)
• Farro
• Brown Rice

Lunch Bowl Protein Ideas

• Baked salmon (you can even season a couple of pieces in 2 or 3 different ways and bake them all at once in the same pan)
• Grilled chicken
• Tuna
• Sliced turkey

Lunch Bowl Vegetable Ideas

• Broccoli (roasted or fresh)
• Sweet potatoes (roasted)
• Butternut squash (roasted)
• Shredded carrots
• Sugar snap peas
• Red onion (raw, roasted or pickled)
• Roasted Cauliflower
• Red cabbage
• Roasted zucchini
• Cherry tomatoes (raw or roasted)
• Leaves/greens of choice (spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, arugula, etc.)

Lunch Bowl Topping Ideas

• Roasted chickpeas
• Avocado
• Nuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Your favorite salad dressing

If you’re not in the mood of making a lunch bowl or wrap, you can also make a big pot of soup for the week, and take some in a thermos every day for work- an especially comforting lunch in the colder months.

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What do you typically take for lunch to work? Do you buy lunch often? Comment below!

The post Easy & Healthy Lunch Ideas for Work appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Whether you’re hosting one party, multiple parties or no parties at all, this Chanukah party planner will come in handy. Even if it’s just you and your family, fill out one of these to make a regular supper turn into a fun night!

While formatting this Chanukah party planner, I could not decide whether or not to include lines or blank space. Personally, I love blank space. I’m one to scribble in the margins, draw little diagrams, and preset lines are too restrictive for me. But after doing a poll in our Instagram stories, I decided to offer both versions- so when you download this free printable (below) you’ll get both options, a planner with lines and a planner with blank space, so you can choose the one that works best for you.

I had a hard time choosing what to include on this Chanukah party planner- specifically regarding the party favors. I’ve never given out party favors, but I’ve definitely received them, so I chose to include it. Of course, you do you! If you don’t want to spend on party favors, considering doing a secret gift exchange and/or grab bag with your guests, so that everyone leaves with something, but not at your (additional) expense.

For the entertainment section of this Chanukah party planner, why not choose from my list of Chanukah party games and activities for a low budget, fun activity?

Decide whether you’ll be serving buffet style, or a sit-down meal. If you’ll be doing a meal, will you serve family style or individually plate each course? Consider the amount of work that will go into whichever choice you make. As Chanukah is a time that most of us still work, a party may be happening after a full day, so take that into account in your planning.

Some delicious additions to your meal may include my refreshing Crunchy Snow Pea Salad, or Menucha’s healthful Spaghetti Squash Latkes.

You can download the Chanukah Party Planner below. (Donations are optional, just enter $0 as the price, but a small tip helps us run this blog and pay our hosting and other fees):

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Will you be hosting any Chanukah parties this year? Or will you only be a guest? Comment below!

The post Chanukah Party Planner – Free Printable! appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

Disclosure: this post contains commissioned links and images.

What’s a good Chanukah party without some exciting games? A Chanukah party is a wonderful way for family and friends to get together, eat good, greasy food, laugh and create memories. Prepare some of the ideas from the list below to up the fun factor at your party, and make sure everyone leaves happy.

Most of these Chanukah party games and activities are geared to kids- but kids and adults of all ages will enjoy them! The idea is to create a happy atmosphere, so if everyone is laughing, you’re doing great! I tried to include games that don’t depend on a certain amount of people or ages, so that whoever is at your party, even if it’s just you and your children, everyone will still have loads of fun.

One more thing- don’t think that these Chanukah party games and activities are exclusively for parties. My plan for Chanukah this year is to do things a little differently than we’ve done in the past. I noticed that every year, I invest a lot of time and money into buying a gift for each child, for each night. It adds up quickly, and after a few week, the toys are not even being played with anymore. This year, I’m going to make it more about family and exciting experiences than gifts. We’ll still do gifts- but only every other night. The alternating nights, I’ll be picking an activity from the list below and making a fun night out of it!

8 Chanukah Party Games and Activities to Make your Party a Hit!

1. Spin & Pass

This is a game that can be played one of two ways. Whichever one you choose, try to keep the gifts gender and age neutral for maximum fun.

You can play it the traditional “Pass the Present” way- prepare one large package, with many layers of wrapping, with small gifts hidden under each layer. Each person that holds the package gets a turn to spin the dreidel.

Nun: Spin the dreidel again

Gimmel: Unwrap a layer

Hei: Pass the package to the person on your right

Shin: Pass the package to the person on your left

You can also play this with multiple, individually wrapped gifts. In this version, everyone gets a gift- but don’t unwrap it just yet! Pick a person to start spinning the dreidel; after one turn to spin, pass the dreidel to the person next to you. The game ends when all the gifts are unwrapped.

Nun: Everyone passes their gift to the person sitting to their left

Gimmel: Dreidel spinner unwraps his/her gift (but it’s not his to keep just yet!)

Hei: Everyone passes their gift to the person sitting to their right

Shin: Spin the dreidel again

2. Build a Menorah out of candy!

How creative can you get? Set out bowls of nosh and candy (this activity works well with dried fruit or raw vegetables as well.) Split your party attendees into two or three teams and set a timer (10 to 20 minutes is plenty of time). Have a competition to see who can build the best Menorah out of the ingredients provided.

Some nosh that works well: chocolate filled wafers, chocolate non-pareils, wafer rolls, chocolate gelt, laffy taffy ropes, candy corn, sour gummy candy in various shapes, sour belts, marshmallow fluff (for “glue”).

*All links were checked to be certified kosher at the time of this blog post being published. Please double check kashrus before ordering. We assume no responsibility for kashrus errors. 

3. Visit a fire station!

This is more of a Chanukah activity as opposed to a Chanukah party game, but I still felt it important to include on this list. Gather the troops and head over to your local fire station to learn about fire safety and thank your civil servants. Bring some chocolate gelt and donuts for the firemen and women!

If it’s just you and your family, you will probably just be able to walk in. If you’re taking a larger group, call (the non-emergency number) ahead of time to schedule a tour.

4. Dreidel Toss

Divide your guests into two teams, relay race style. Mark a spot on the floor with some tape for your players to stand on. Set up one bucket per team- about 5 feet away from the standing spot. Using plush dreidels, have each team race to get a dreidel in the bucket, retrieve the dreidel, and pass it on to the next person behind them on line. The team that finishes first wins!

5. Chanukah Bingo

Chanukah bingo is a great game to play, and all ages will love it! Make your own, or print this free version.

6. Guess how many Dreidels

This is a great activity to do as your guests enter your party. Load up a large clear container with a bunch of dreidels (but count them first!). You can include only dreidels, or dreidels mixed with dry beans for added difficulty. Have your party goers guess how many dreidels are in the container. In the middle of your party, announce the winner and give them a prize! (If you go with the dry beans version, this can turn into a great sensory activity for the kids later on!)

7. Pin the candle on the Menorah

A fun spin on “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”, this Chanukah party game will have you and your guests rolling with laughter. Using posterboard, draw a large menorah with candles- but only the amount of candles that you are lighting that night. Do not light the shamash. 

On a separate poster, draw candles and cut them out. Put some funtak or tape onto the candles. Blindfold your players with a scarf, spin them around until they don’t know right from left, and see who can pin the shamash onto the Menorah, in the correct place!

8. Five Second Rule; Chanukah Edition

This game is super simple to prepare and play, and always results in a lot of laughter. All you need is a timer and a stack of index cards. On the index cards, write down different categories, all related to Chanukah. The player picks up a card and has five seconds to say three things related to that category.

Here are some ideas related to Chanukah for you to prepare on the index cards. This is just to get you started- I’d love to hear some more ideas you may have! The answers I wrote in parentheses are just suggestions- don’t write those on the cards!

• Fried foods (latkes, donuts, fries)
• People you give gifts to (Morah, the babysitter, the baby)
• Maccabim
• Characters in the Chanukah story (Antiochus, Mattisyahu, Yehudis)
• Kinds of oil (olive, canola, coconut)
• Kinds of donut fillings (custard, jelly, chocolate)
• Chanukah songs (Maoz Tzur, Yevanim, Oh Dreidel)
• Customs related to Chanukah (Light with pure olive oil, eat fried foods, eat dairy)
• Mitzvos that Antiochus banned (Shabbos, Bris, Rosh Chodesh)

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Do you have any of your own fun Chanukah party games and activites? Share your ideas below!

The post Chanukah Party Games and Activities appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

I learned the term “brain dump” from watching someone’s Instagram story, where she described keeping a journal next to her bed, and when too many thoughts consumed her at night, she would write it all out and fall asleep peacefully. The concept is brilliant. We often have so many thoughts dancing around in our heads that it can be difficult to sort through the important and the not so important.

While a journal or diary are certainly perfect for more important brain dumps, this Menu Inspiration printable is of a more simpler kind. We see and hear of so many fantastic recipes that we’d love to include on our Yom Tov table; whether on blogs, in Facebook groups, on Instagram stories or from our coworkers and neighbors. But how do you remember what you want to cook and include in your menu planner?

Enter the Menu Inspiration Brain Dump printable. It’s perfect! Every time you have another idea, just add it to the list. And in a week or two, when you’re actually ready to craft your menu, just refer back to this brain dump and sort it all out into a magnificent menu fit for a king.

Download your free Menu Inspiration Brain Dump printable:

Want to make your Pesach prep easier, your seder table more beautiful, and your kids’ happier and busier? Get the printable Pesach bundle today for 75% off the full value! It’s full of 30+ cleaning and menu planners, kids’ games, coloring pages, and activities as well as cool seder table decorations!

Have you seen our incredible Tishrei Bundle yet? Chock full of amazing menu planners, Sukkah art, checklists and more!

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Every week, without fail, I find myself frantically searching for my calendar to determine what time Shabbat starts and ends. I check multiple times before Shabbat, because I never remember, and then as it nears the end of Shabbat, I start to check again. Sometimes, I don’t have a calendar on hand and check online, which I obviously can’t do on Shabbat.

I wanted a way to display Shabbat candle-lighting times without sacrificing on my decor. My apartment isn’t much, but I do have it nicely decorated, with my living room in shades of blue, and I wanted a craft to reflect the decor and match the room. But I didn’t really have a specific idea in mind, so I pushed it to the back burner.

While on vacation in Virginia, the answer to my dilemma fell into my lap. I was in Target’s Dollar Spot and came across this large, kitschy chalkboard plaque, complete with a hanging string. I instantly knew this was what I wanted to create my Shabbat candle-lighting sign with.

The best part is the chalkboard finish- it makes it super easy to erase and fill in the new times every week.

In order to simplify this craft as much as possible, I created a template (download below) to cut out and paint in on your chalkboard plaque. No guessing size or whether or not your letters are properly spaced. Just print, cut and get to crafting!

What you need to make the Shabbat Candle-Lighting Sign

• the template (optional); download and print the template below to help guide you in cutting out the word שבת and a pair of candlesticks
• hanging chalkboard plaque; I got mine for three dollars at the Dollar Spot in Target, but you can use any kind you’d like. Mine measures approximately 11″x14″.
• craft knife
• self healing cutting mat
• ruler
• acrylic paint; I used an aqua color shifting metallic paint for the letters, and gold acrylic paint for the candlesticks.
• 1″ foam paint brush
• masking tape or painters tape
• chalk in the color of your choice

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Download the Shabbat Candle-Lighting Sign Template here:

How to download it for free: Just enter $0 in the price field. You’re welcome to enter more – as of now, any optional donations are going directly to help us pay hosting and other running costs.

How to make the Shabbat Candle-Lighting Sign

1. Using your craft knife and cutting mat, carefully cut out the letters and candlesticks from the template, making sure that the rest of the page stays intact. Do this slowly to ensure you don’t tear the paper. I printed and cut using regular paper, but if you’d like something sturdier, you can use cardstock.

2. When your template is properly cut, measure the center of the chalkboard plaque, and mark it with a pencil. Measure one third of the way down from the top of the plaque and position the שבת template in the top center of the plaque.

3. Lightly tape the template in place on the chalkboard plaque.

4. Pour a little paint on a plastic paint or palette, and, using your foam brush, lightly paint the inside of the letters.

5. Allow to dry for a few minutes and repeat with a second coat of paint.

6. Allow to dry for a few minutes and repeat with a third coat of paint. If you are using a color shifting metallic paint, like I did, you can try to bring out more of the color and texture by dabbing the third coat on instead of stroking it.

7. Allow to dry for at least one hour then remove the template.

8. Position the cut-out candlesticks template on the lower left of the plaque, one slightly taller than the other.

9. Lightly tape the template in place on the chalkboard plaque.

10. Paint the candlesticks in the same manner as the letters and allow to dry fully.

11. Write out what time Shabbat starts and ends this week with chalk and hang your Shabbat Candle-Lighting Sign in a visible spot!

How will you personalize this Shabbat Candle-Lighting Sign to make it your own? Comment below!

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