I took my children out for a walk on Main Street in search of the perfect Hamentashen. A Hamentashen is a 3-pointed cookie with one of the following fillings; poppy seed, prunes, apricot, strawberry, chocolate, or hazelnut. We had a lot of fun, as all of the bakeries and stores are Purim ready. Shelves are lined up with candy, gift baskets, and Hamentashen.

Purim is a Jewish holiday rich in meaning and plentiful in food. Hamentashen represents the three-cornered hat that Haman, the villain of the Purim story, wore on his head. If you’re not sure what Purim is and why we will be “noshing” so much, keep reading and you’ll find out. If you already know all about Purim, skip on down a couple of paragraphs to find out what bakery has, in our opinion, the perfect Hamentashen.

What is the reason for celebrating Purim? Purim is the celebration of the Jewish people and how they overcame Haman’s (the villain) request of King Ahasverus to annihilate all of the Jews in the Persian Empire. This happened in 357 BCE, but it is something that has been recognized as one of the most important Jewish events ever since.

Another way that we celebrate Purim is the giving of Mishloach Manot, or, gift baskets. Mishaloach Manot must contain two types of ready to eat foods. For example, a Hamentashen and a mini bottle of Kedem grape juice is perfect for kids. However, there are some very beautiful gift baskets online at kosher.com, and ohnuts.com. They range in price, from $18 to $50. On our search for the perfect Hamentashen, we saw some on display at Main Sweet at 72-54 Main Street Kew Garden Hills, NY, 11367, 718-261-3917, and also at Kandi Kastle, 71-40 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, NY. 718-520-7520. Some people chose to make donations in lieu of Mishloach Manot because there are too many people that are not able to give. This year, we have decided to make donations and make just a few Shaloch Manot gifts with homemade Hamentashen. Speaking of Hamentashen, why don’t I get to the point and tell you where you can find the perfect Hamentashen on Main Street.

We couldn’t decide which bakery was better, so we have two bakeries for you to try. Mendy’s Royal Kosher Bakery, 72-22 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, New York, phone 718-544-8736. They had green Hamentashen filled with apple and chocolate-filled, chocolate Hamentashen. We took some home, but we ate them up before the morning. The prices at Mendy’s are more than we would like to spend (12.99 per lb.), but the Hamentashen were delicious. The other bakery that fantastic Hamentashen was Main Street Bagels, located at 72-26 Main Street, Kew Gardens Hills, New York, (718) 793-8100. We found the most delicious Hazelnut filled Hamentashen and I even went back and bought some more. They were also very thick and looked “perfect”. I bought four Hamentashen for 2.00.

You can also try out your very own Hamentashen with this recipe from Spice and Spirit is very easy and delicious.

Traditional Hamentashen

Ingredients

4 Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Oil

Juice of 1 Lemon

Rind of 1 Lemon, Grated

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

5 Cups Flour

2 tsp. Baking Soda

pre-heat oven to 350

Directions

Beat Eggs and Sugar First

Add Other Ingredients

Place on greased cookie sheet and flatten dough. Use a round cookie cutter, and then fold the round shaped dough like a triangle. Add your filling, put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. For a shinier cookie, brush on raw egg before placing the cookie sheet in the oven. Enjoy!

I wanted to start a list of some of the Chanukah events I found going on in the New York area this year. This was not easy to do, as most of the events that came up in my search were from last year or even a couple of years before that. I was looking for events specifically for families with small children. If you are single, newly married or thought this list might have more parties, you should definitely check out Bangitout.com.

I tried to find events that were completely free, but there are some events included that aren’t free, but the event looked like a lot of fun so I just had to post it. Chanukah is one of my favorite Jewish holidays.

I’d love to hear if you attended any events from the list below and what you thought about it. If you have an event to post, please share it here!

Sunday, December 13

MENORAH MAKING

TIME12:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
COST FREE
LOCATION Central Park, Belvedere Castle, Central Park (Located mid-park at 79th Street), Manhattan
PHONE: (212) 772-0210.

ACTIVITIES Let your holiday spirit (and appetite!) grow while creating your very own edible Hanukkah menorah. This program is part of the Central Park Conservancy’s Winter Holiday Program series. For more information and to view the complete Winter Holiday Programs schedule, please visit www.centralparknyc.org/winterholidays.

HANUKKAHTHON

TIME: Children’s Galleries For Jewish Culture
LOCATION: 515 W. 20^th Street, Suite 4E
PHONE: 212-924-4500
COST: TBA

ACTIVITIES: Exhibitions, treasure hunt, music, prizes. Make Hanukkah lamps out of clay; create large dreidels; design “stained glass” decorations to hang in the window.
http://www.cgjc.org/

CHANUKAH MENORAH LIGHTING

TIME: 6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Bay Terrace Shopping Center (upper level next to entrance to movie theater)
PHONE: 718-279-1457
COST: FREE Sponsored by Chabad of Northeast Queens

ACTIVITIES: Huge 18 foot Menorah * Live Music & Dancing * Sizzling Potato Latkes * Raffle * Edible Chanukah Gelt * Be entertained by Keith Leaf the Amazing Fire Juggler. For more information and for a listing of additional Chabad Chanukah activities go to the Chabad of Northeast Queens website,http://www.chabadnortheastqueens.com

Wednesday, December 16

CHANUKAH ON ICE NYC

TIME 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

COST: In Advance $22/Adult; $18/Children 3-13,

At the Door 25/Adult; $20/Children 3-13

LOCATION: Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park

ACTIVITIES: Now in its third year, Chanukah on Ice NYC is fast becoming a New York Chanukah tradition! On Wednesday, December 16th, with the dramatic New York skyline as a backdrop, Jewish families and singles will converge on Trump Wollman Rink in Central Park for a celebration on skates. Chanukah on Ice features Jewish music, traditional Chanukah refreshments and a giant sparkling Ice Menorah which is lit at the start of the program. In attendance this year at the Menorah Lighting is the popular acapella group Six13, who will serenade the audience with their version of Chanukah classics. The Chabad Centers of upper Manhattan are sponsoring this event, which drew close to 1,000 participants last year

CELEBRATE CHANUKAH AT THE JCC

TIME: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

COST: Free Member/Free Non-Member

LOCATION: 334 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023

PHONE: (646) 505-4444

ACTIVITIES Celebrate the holidays in the lobby of the JCC. Crafts, stories, and more—a free drop-in program for your little one to enjoy. http://www.jccmanhattan.org

Photo credit: MissCGlass

When you visit Kew Gardens Hills in Queens this time of year, you will see a lot of hustle and bustle as people restock their kitchens with food and beverages in preparation for the many Jewish holidays to come. Rosh Hashanah was a feast in itself and recipes with honey, carrots, dates, and raisins filled our tummies. My kids loved dipping apples and challah in the honey dish that my four year old made in preschool. Even though we made our own whole wheat challah from a recipe in the Kosher Palette, friends and family dropped off round challahs and honey cakes from the local bakeries on Main Street.

 This coming Shabbat is referred to as Shabbat Shuvah, as it is right smack in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Day of Repentance). According to JewFAQ.org, the literal translation of Shabbat Shuvah is “Sabbath of Return,” but it is also a play on the phrase “Shabbat Teshuvah” (Sabbath of Repentance) Yom Kippur is a day that is dedicated to focusing on prayer and repenting for our sins. Even the nicest people that would never hurt a fly fast and ask for forgiveness on Yom Kippur. We are doing this as an entire group, so all of our prayers help. It makes sense that a fast would accompany such a day of prayer. Before the fast begins at sundown this Sunday evening, families will eat a meal complete with protein and complex carbohydrates, as they help sustain the body throughout the fast day.

Once the fast is over (approximately 25 hours from when it started) people feast on trays of whitefish, lox, and bagels from some of our local food shops on Main Street. I love the fish trays from Supersol on Main Street. Bagels and Appetizing also has incredible bagels and cream cheeses like raisin and cinnamon and chive. They also have delicious tuna salad, egg salad, and avocado salad. We always like to throw a cheese blintzes in the oven and when it’s nice and warm top it off with sour cream, yum!

Photo credit: Barbara Rolek for About.com

When I first came to Queens almost eight years ago, I was most impressed by the number of kosher restaurants on the main drag (Main Street, between Jewel Avenue and 76th Avenue). Fast forward five years and now there is everything from Sushi, Middle Eastern, Mexican (meat), European, Italian (dairy), and Lox and Bagels. I will be featuring these places and much more in future posts. First, I’d like to give a brief overview of the laws and practices of kosher food.

First, I’d like to address the meaning of what kosher does not mean. Most people-even Jewish people-say that kosher means that a Rabbi came in and blessed the kitchen. Last week, while at the OU(Orthodox Union) Advanced Kashrus Seminar For Women, a Rabbi told us where that idea came from. There are times when a Rabbi will get to the restaurant or hotel kitchen very early in the morning and perform the morning prayer with tallis (prayer shawl) and tefillin (black straps that wrap around the arm and head). I can see how this might translate to a Rabbi blessing the location that he is in, but in reality he is just saying his morning prayers. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what does kosher really mean? There is so much to keeping kosher and this post could go on and on. However, I will outline some of the main ideas from a website I visit trust and frequently visit, JewFAQ.

This all started back when the Torah (the entire body of Jewish teachings) was given to the Jewish people. The Torah begins by stating “In the beginning, G-d created…” Since G-d created the world and within his creations the laws of keep kosher, some Jews keep kosher just for that reason. This is not the opinion of Jews around the world and that is fine.  When I became a Torah Observant Jew eight years ago, I studied sources and commentaries that further explained the idea that G-d created everything.  Torah Observant Jews observe the laws of the Torah and show appreciation of the creator, G-d, by keeping those laws.

In order to keep this post shorter than longer, I would like to share the basic rules of keeping kosher. In a nutshell (yes, nuts are kosher) a person keeps the laws of kosher by purchasing only kosher chicken, beef, and fish and kosher certified products from the supermarket. Another big part of keeping kosher, always separate milk and dairy. Not just the food combination, but the dishes, pots and pans, and eating utensils. Yes, I have two separate sets of dishes. Thank G-d for bridal showers and wedding presents!

I would like to share a solid overview of kosher laws that I found on KosherFAQ  and I have posted them here:

1. Certain animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden animals.
2. Of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with Jewish law.
3. All blood must be drained from the meat or broiled out of it before it is eaten.
4. Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.
5. Fruits and vegetables are permitted, but must be inspected for bugs
6. Meat (the flesh of birds and mammals) cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy. (According to some views, fish may not be eaten with meat).
7. Utensils that have come into contact with meat may not be used with dairy, and vice versa. Utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food may not be used with kosher food. This applies only where the contact occurred while the food was hot.
8. Grape products made by non-Jews may not be eaten.
9. There are a few other rules that are not universal.

While the laws of keeping kosher may seem limiting to most people, it made perfect sense to me. It is not as hard or isolating as people think, just try out some of the kosher places in Queens and you’ll see what I mean. Here a couple to get you started!

Carlos & Gabby’s

If you’re going to the US Open this week or picking up a friend at LaGuardia Airport, Carlos & Gabby’s has the best kosher Mexican food in Kew Gardens Hills, NY. Located at 67-11 Main Street, Flushing, New York, 11367, phone (718) 575-8226, and walking distance from Queens College, you can enjoy Mexican favorites, fused with a handful of American classics… not to mention all those great sauces (Tangy BBQ, Avocado Ranch, Creamy Caesar, Mmmm!) You can view the complete menu here.

Grill Point

If you are in the mood for some traditional Middle Eastern food you can find plenty of it at Grill Point. Located at the corner of Jewel Avenue and Main Street (69-54 Main Street Flushing, NY 11367, phone (718) 261-7077).

This shawarma  (sandwich-like wrap with shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, or beef) place in Queens has homemade laffas (pita bread), and includes a free salad bar. Customers can add delicious moroccan style carrots, pickled cabbage, pickles,  and/or jalapeno peppers to their shwarma and top it off with delicious hummus. Check out this review of Grill Point , is your stomach rumbling yet? I know what my family is havin for dinner tonight!

Photo credit: Flickr – Newwavegurly