Okay moms, your kids are adorable. But there’s one thing at mealtime you just can’t stand. And you all know the feeling. It’s when they stick up that cute little nose of theirs at the beautiful healthy food you’ve prepared and say, “I don’t want it.” As a mom of such adorable children, I decided to pass along a little wisdom I learned in the last few months. Specifically, I want to share with you 5 kosher products that recently appeared on the shelves of my local supermarket. They’re healthy, wholesome, and yummy. And guess what? My kids tried them and actually loved them!

So here they are….check out these items and please comment. We could all use a little mommy wisdom!

Aurora Natural Granola Vanilla Crunch – OU-D

This lightly sweetened granola came in a number of other flavors including Cranberry Vanilla and Brown Sugar. The kids loved finding the biggest chunks. It’s been great as a snack and as a yogurt topper. Quite addictive actually for the adults too! And here’s the yogurt they eat the Granola Vanilla Crunch with…

Stonyfield Farms Organic Yogurt – 0% Fat – OU-D

Despite some initial skepticism, my kids absolutely loved the Vanilla and Strawberry flavors. The best thing is that they’re only 70 calories and have no artificial sweeteners. Incidentally, my kids have been enjoying their YoBaby line of drinkable yogurts for some years now. This product is definitely a hit.

Barilla Piccolini Mini Pipe with Carrots and Squash – OU

This items is so new, it doesn’t even appear on Barilla’s website yet! This orange-colored pasta is chock full of Thiamin and Folate and a whole host of great nutrients. Best thing for moms: it cooks in just 6 minutes.

Champion Raisels (The Fruity Flavored Raisins) Sour Peach Pucker – OU

We couldn’t find a website for this product, but we found this great video from ABC introducing it last year. This fruity snack even passed muster with the one who doesn’t like raisins, so I consider that a mom victory. Hey, it might be candy on the outside, but it’s definitely a raisin on the inside!

Seneca Farms Oatmeal & Fruit Apple Cinnamon – OU

This item is great when a kid (or mom!) needs a fast meal, especially breakfast. The little cup microwaves in 45 seconds and there’s no need to add water or anything. Truly genius. And who can resist a nice hot oatmeal?

And there you have it. My new favorite products!

Please comment and let me know which of these sound interesting, or if you’ve purchased them. I’m curious to hear your experiences.

 

Oprah’s visit to Hasidic Brooklyn aired on Feb 12, 2012 from 9-10 pm and on Feb 13, 2012 from 10-11 pm on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. 

As an insider when it comes to Orthodox Judaism (though not the Hasidic brand), I eagerly anticipated Oprah’s two-part series. How would “we” be represented?

I had seen Oprah’s after-taping interview with Chabad.org (a MUST-WATCH) and saw how positively she felt about the spiritual teachings she gleaned from her visit. I was very excited for Oprah to have such a positive view of Judaism.

As it turns out, however, the narrator began by reminding us that the show was only about Hasidic Jews. I was not going to be represented. “Ok,” I thought as I settled down to watch, “if it’s embarrassing, at least she isn’t talking about me!”

But the irony was that she WAS talking about me.

I’m not Lubavitch, I’m not even Hasidic, but I knew everything Oprah learned. I felt everything she learned. I felt it as an insider, and I especially identified with the sheitel-wearing ladies in Part II.

Oprah was smart to invite the ladies to a candid chat. As she says at the end of the episode, she got exactly what she came for. She connected with the women, she understood them, and she felt a common bond.

As an insider, it was pretty powerful. I’ve always liked Oprah and admired her success, but now I understand why she’s so successful. She’s open, warm, inquisitive, and blunt (all at the same time) and this is what makes her so likeable. She did an amazing job in Part II, helping the women feel at ease, respecting them, asking good questions, and listening to them.

There was one middle-aged lady sitting to Oprah’s left, next to Shternie Ginsburg. I don’t know her name (I think she was Chaya), but in my mind, she represented the rebbitzens of the world. She was smart, articulate, she exuded leadership, and her tone was very spiritual. She was truly a beautiful person.

Oprah was a complete outsider, but she managed to tell a tale of friendly Jewish women who value community, raise their kids in a wholesome way, and love their husbands. She is a genius.

I know that the vast majority of Oprah’s viewers may never know that the people she met were Lubavitchers, and that Lubavitch is just one type of Hasidim. And they may never know that there are non-Hasidic types of Orthodox Jews.

But Oprah’s brief glimpse into these people’s lives showed religious Jewish women with values, personality, confidence and a lot of love. Whether a person is an insider or an outsider, the show was both meaningful and inspiring.

I have to admit that in the beginning of the first episode, I wondered why there was no reference to the 18th century or the Holocaust. And I didn’t understand why she focused so much on marriage, Taharat Hamishpacha, and TV. I felt like there was so much more of our identity that she was missing. I worried that she was ignoring the forest for the trees. But by the time I finished watching the second episode, I understood that through this tiny slice-of-life lens and the perspective of Lubavitch, she was able to weave a beautiful story in which we—all Jewish women—had a starring role.

And so I thank Oprah for NOT focusing on the bigger picture. I thank her profusely for not mentioning the debate within Lubavitch about the Rebbe’s potential messianic status. I thank her for NOT mentioning the differences between Lubavitch, Belz, Bobov, Satmar, and Ger. And I thank her for NOT reminding us of painful periods in Jewish history.

Instead, she met with families, chatted with women, and showed short vignettes of life around town. We saw a wedding, a kosher restaurant, a wig store, a Judaica store, and even the Mikvah. Through this lens, she captured a vibrant culture with positive goals and much to look forward to.

And all Jewish women can thank Oprah for that.

There’s more on Oprah’s visit to Hasidic Brooklyn, including exclusive “webisodes” on OWN’s Website.

My Grandma Hilda was always full of life and loved to cook and entertain. Every year on Chanukah, she had a big party with friends and family. She always had a massive spread of food, gifts for the kids, dreidels, and chocolates. And her potato blintzes were incredible! I’ll never forget how the potatoes were always so smooth and sweet, they would practically ooze out of the blintz. There was just something about them that kept me coming back for more. Several years ago, she gave me the recipe over the phone. I made them this year based on my notes, and they were delicious. Even though she never really knew what a blog was, she sure knew what a blintz was. So in honor of Chanukah and her recent first yahrtzeit, here is her recipe.*

Grandma Hilda’s Blintzes

Makes: Approx. 24 small blintzes or 12 large blintzes.
Total Time: 1-1.5 hours
Tip: Start by boiling the potatoes. While they are boiling, prepare the batter mixture and fry the crepes. Then mash the potatoes, and then fold and fry the blintzes.

Potatoes

8-10 potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp. butter
salt
pepper
fried onions (optional)
milk

Cut the potatoes into quarters or eighths and boil them in a large pot for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from pot into a large bowl, retaining the potato-water in the pot. While the potatoes are still hot, add the butter to the potatoes and mash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Saute onions in frying pan until brown and add to mixture (optional). Use small amounts of milk and potato-water to thin the mixture as desired. The potato mixture should not be runny; it should be solid.

Batter

8 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla (optional)

In a blender or other type of mixer, blend all ingredients until very smooth and no lumps remain. (Mixing by hand is okay, but not recommended.)

In a small frying pan, on a very low flame, heat about 1 tsp. of vegetable oil. For the first crepe, pour in 4 tbsp. of batter at once (about 1/4 cup). (For a large frying pan, use 1 tbsp. of oil and 1/2 cup of batter.) Let it cook for a few seconds, then slowly tilt the pan in a circular motion to get the excess batter to even out, making a nice round crepe. Cook 3 minutes until browned on the bottom, then pile onto a paper towel.

The thinner the crepe, the better. If the batter is too thick, add a little milk and mix again.

Oil the pan before each subsequent crepe.

Putting it all Together

Place a large spoonful of potatoes into the center of a crepe. To create the “envelope,” fold the bottom of the crepe up over half of the potatoes, then fold the top down to meet the bottom, then fold the left inward, and then the right inward over the left. Turn the blintz over (the open side should be on bottom) and put it back into the frying pan for 1-2 minutes until browned. Flip them for 1-2 minutes more to brown the top. Serve hot.

*I kept to the recipe, only adding paprika and garlic powder to the potatoes. And I used whole milk. However, please let me know if you made the recipe and how it came out for you. I’d be happy to post edits or variations.