What better way to spend your Thursday night than baking challah all night long?  Nothing!  I got a chance to bake challah with my grandma at an event called The Great Challah Bake at her temple.  My aunt Samantha and my grandma’s best friend also came too.  When we got to the temple we went into a tent where we got bags that had challah recipes on them, a stress toy, and an apron.  Then we walked into the main room where we were going to actually prepare our challah.  We got a huge plastic bowl, measuring cups, a huge spoon, flour, sugar, and yeast packets.  There were also ingredients on the table that everyone shared.  Before we started to bake we watched a video that teaches us about the Shabbat Project which helps people around the world to celebrate Shabbat.  If you do not know what Shabbat is, it is a holiday that we celebrate Friday evening to Saturday evening it celebrates the day God rested after he made all of the living things.  The organization helps people everywhere celebrate Shabbat.  After the video we started to make the challah!  We got a placemat where there was the recipe and added in the ingredients.  We mixed it with the big spoon and then got to knead it with our hands which was my favorite part.  The dough was a little dry so we added some water and it felt nice between my fingers.  After we kneaded it, we had to let the dough rise a little from the warm air, so while we let it rise we went and did the horah.  The horah is a traditional jewish dance that you usually dance at a bar/bat mitzvah or at a jewish wedding, but today we did it while our challah was rising.  It was very fun and I almost forgot we were baking challah.  Once we finished dancing we braided the challah it was difficult for me, but I managed to do a three braid, and a four braid I was super proud of myself.  After we finished braiding and helping other people braid we cleaned up and managed to get a few extra bowls.  I had a super fun time and really want to do it next year. ​

Earlier this month it was Westchester Wine & Food Weekend and there was an event they created for kids to cook with chefs in the kitchen at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in White Plains. It was their first time doing this event. For my birthday, my dad signed me up for it. When we got there, I have to admit, I was a little nervous. Then we went down to the kitchens (there were two) and they split us up into two groups. When we walked into the kitchen, there were aprons, chef hats, and a bottle of water for each of us. They said one group was going to make the gnocchi and the other group was going to make the tomato sauce. I was in the tomato sauce group. At first, I wasn't that thrilled to be in the tomato sauce group. Along the way, it got better. I actually know how to make gnocchi so I'm going to tell you about that first.

So to make gnocchi, first you get three pounds of russet potatoes. Then you have to boil them and then mash them. They (the chefs) did that beforehand for us. We put it in a big bowl with two cups of all-purpose flour and one pinch of salt. In another bowl, we put an extra large egg and canola oil. Then we rolled it into a big worm shape and cut it into little square pieces. After that, we put it into boiling water. When they floated to the top, we took them out and put them into an ice bath. Last, we put them on a platter with plastic wrap over it and put some canola oil on the gnocchi.

My group though made the tomato sauce. First we peeled Roma tomatoes and took the seeds out. Then we put the tomatoes into a pan with some olive oil. Then we added a cup of shallots (which are like mini-onions) and a quarter cup of garlic. We then let it sit for five minutes. Then we put in tomato paste and stirred it. We then blended it. I didn't tell you the whole recipe though so don't try it at home. When I tried it, it was the most delicious pasta and sauce I've ever tasted.

Other people should send their kids here next year because then they will have their kids be able to help them cook. The best part was eating the gnocchi. It was really soft and light. I asked the chefs questions (like how to know when to take the gnocchi out) and had fun talking to the other students too!

A lot of people celebrate Easter, but my family celebrates Passover. Every year we have a Seder with a lot of food. This year, we had a Seder with my dad's side of the family. I know this may sound crazy but my great-grandma is still alive! For Passover, she came over to teach me how to make latkes (potato pancakes). We are changing it up and doing our first video instead of a regular blog post! Hope you like it!

You might not know this about me, but I want to be a pastry chef when I grow up. That’s why I try to bake a lot. I am Jewish, so that means I celebrate Jewish holidays. The holiday that’s coming up is Purim. We bake because there is a bad guy in the Purim story called Hamen and we eat hamantaschens because Hamen’s hat was shaped like a triangle. We eat them to get the bad thoughts away. 

So right before Purim, my grandmother and I made hamantaschens. First, my grandma rolled out her handmade dough. Second, we cut the dough into circles. Then we put jelly in the middle of the circle. We picked a lot of different jelly flavors. First, we used Knotts Berry Farm Boysenberry preserves. Next, we added apricot preserves. Then we added prune jelly and lastly we picked chocolate chips. The final step, we baked them overnight. 


Last of all, we ate them. MMMM! They were delicious. Even if you are not Jewish, you can try this and celebrate Purim, which is on March 15th and 16th.

Last weekend, my Mom and I decided to make a carrot soup. I had been begging my mom for weeks to make this soup. First, I chopped nine carrots. Then I chopped two celery sticks. After that, we cut one onion each. Next, we seeded tomatoes and I cut them. We also added lemon, chicken stock, garlic, and melted butter. Then we put all of the stuff in a big pot and we let it cook. Next we took our immersion blender and mixed it all up. Last, we put in Sriracha, salt, and pepper. You can make this amazing soup at home. Try it!

We were snowed in on this past Saturday so we decided to cook. Yes, my favorite! First, my mom made cauliflower soup. It had a lot of texture and thickness to it. When you add sriracha it gives it so much more flavor and spiciness. She mixed the soup with an immersion blender which gives the soup its creaminess and textured flavor.  Then my dad made a paella. It's a Spanish rice dish with chorizo. rice, peas, and chicken. At the supermarket, me and my dad compared the rice. Even though you think rice is all the same, it's completely different. When I tried the paella I thought the rice was too creamy but it was really delicious. You should try it out and make cauliflower soup and paella. They are good on a snowy day.