Double Batch - Parshat Bishalach Part II

This week the double portion theme really got to me and I baked two batches of challah! The first I used as a photo opp which produced the pictures on the earlier entry this week and then I shipped off two of the loaves to my brother. A few months back my brother and I had agreed not to send expensive generic Chanukah gifts. Instead, he sent me a wonderful handmade funky print of a photo of Sam and I on a biplane. I thought I'd reciprocate by sending some things from my kitchen, only it has taken a while.

This is actually a resurrected family tradition of sending challah. Every week when I was at Camp Moshavah my dad used to send me challah with our neighbor who commuted between Camp and Riverdale. On weeks when he couldn't get it to me that way he would Fed Ex it. This was obviously challah from the esteemed Bagel City and it made me a very popular girl at camp. So Benjy- I hope you're the most popular boy in Ocala. Or you can have it all to yourself for Shabbat.

The second batch I made for a demo at a CJP Oneg on Friday morning. I had proposed the crazy idea that at 9 am I would do a short text study on the story of the manna in the Parsha, make the connection to challah and do a challah braiding demo and then a tasting of a pre-baked challah - all in 15 minutes. Thankfully it went off without a hitch. And the most important lesson I taught I learned from Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking (a real gem from the 80s - thanks for lending it to me Shif!) - don't let bread dictate your schedule - you should dictate it's schedule! Which I did, twice this week.

A few more quick updates:
1. Sam and I sampled two of the sausages from Smokey Joes for dinner on Thursday night that we browned and served with polenta and sauteed onion and zuchini - my God were they good! I wish you could have been with me as I was browning them for the Tagine - wow I had to hold myself back from eating them all right then and there.



2. Happy (almost) Tu Bishvat. Here are some great links to Tu Bishvat resources such as a podcast for how to run a Tu Bishvat Seder, some environmental ideas and good down to earth lessons from Rav Alex Israel.

3. I snuck a square of one of the date bars and boy were they delicious