Jewish news home october 19 2015

AT HOME

Supplement to Jewish News October 19, 2015 Jewishnewsva.org | At Home | October 19, 2015 | Jewish News | 21

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Dear Readers, Fall is a favorite season of the year for many, including me. While the spring is

the time to begin spending more of our days inside. (That is, after we get those leaves raked and gardens prepared for the winter!)

Moving indoors, however, doesn’t mean going to sleep. These months offer the perfect time for some extra cleaning, tackling

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Reba and Sam Sandler Family Campus of the Tidewater Jewish Community 5000 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 200 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23462-4370 voice 757.965.6100 • fax 757.965.6102 email news@ujft.org Terri Denison, Editor Germaine Clair, Art Director Hal Sacks, Book Review Editor Sandy Goldberg, Account Executive Mark Hecht, Account Executive Marilyn Cerase, Subscription Manager Reba Karp, Editor Emeritus Sherri Wisoff, Proofreader Jay Klebanoff, President Alvin Wall, Treasurer Stephanie Calliott, Secretary Harry Graber, Executive Vice-President www.jewishVA.org

project, making certain your home and all of its parts (roof, heating and air and other essentials) are in good working order, and maybe even hosting a dinner party or two. For some, it might also be the time to

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Published 22 times a year by United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.

when we look to outside, fall tends to be

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commit to purchasing a home.

Our articles and advertisers in this section reflect all of these activities. For

Subscription: $18 year For subscription or change of address, call 757-965-6128 or email mcerase@ujft.org.

example, Shikma Rubin, a loan officer at Tidewater Home Funding, writes about helping a young couple with the loan for their first home and the trend of millennials becoming homeowners. We even have an article on Jewish calendars that so often take center-stage in our kitchens on refrigerators.

So, after reading this section, perhaps you’ll be inspired to cook, to shop, to organize or just sit by the fire and read.

Whatever you choose, we hope you enjoy!

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22 | Jewish News | October 19, 2015 | At Home | jewishnewsva.org

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HOME Jamie Geller launches HOME

Fast, fresh family-friendly, food and craft video tutorials New York, NY—Jamie Geller, world-renowned Jewish food and lifestyle expert and bestselling author recently launched HOME by Jamie Geller.

On the site, www.home-jg.com, homemakers can register for a fee for how-to video courses providing methodology, tips, techniques, and skill sets focusing on cooking, creativity, and crafting all from the comfort of home. Each video course includes in-depth detailed classes hosted

by Geller along with some of the most knowledgeable experts in the industry.

HOME by Jamie Geller is produced by Ananey Communications, the leading multichannel TV firm in Israel in partnership with Kosher Media Network.

Courses include: • The Ultimate Challah Course: Challah baking is part magic, part science and 100% spiritual. Learn the technical skills, tips and tricks to make picture perfect challah each and every time.

• Brisket 101: All about that delicious, sumptuous, melt in your mouth cut of meat which reminds so many of childhood, whether a family dinner or a holiday feast. Learn how to master simple techniques and methods for no-fail brisket, that’s simply the best.

“I am so thrilled to launch HOME together with Ananey Communications,” says Geller.

“One of the most rewarding parts of my job is touring North America, Europe and Israel teaching tips, tricks and techniques to enhance and ease people’s day-to-day lives, both in and out of the kitchen. Our new platform featuring premiere lifestyle, cooking and crafting courses, now makes the process of creating a more delicious, more beautiful and most importantly more meaningful life readily available to busy homemakers of all skill levels all over the world.”

Known as the “Queen of Kosher” (CBS) and the “Jewish Rachael Ray” (The New York Times) Geller is the founder and chief creative officer of Kosher Media

Network, publisher of JamieGeller.com, JOYofKOSHER.com and the award winning JOY of KOSHER with Jamie Geller magazine. She appears regularly on the TODAY SHOW, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, Martha Stewart Living Radio and has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Family Circle, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, RachaelRay.com, Yahoo and more. Geller and her husband live in Israel with their six busy kids who give her plenty of reasons to get out of the kitchen fast.

For more information, visit: JamieGeller.com.

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Jewishnewsva.org | At Home | October 19, 2015 | Jewish News | 23

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StatePoint—When updating your home each season, most of the emphasis is placed on delighting your sense of sight. Why not spend some time on your home’s fragrance?

To refresh your home this fall, consider these tips: Start Fresh With the cooling weather and new beginnings, autumn is an excellent time of year to do a deep clean, just as many do in spring.

Clean your refrigerator, pantries and any other areas that contain food, discarding expired items and wiping down surfaces.

Reduce mold in humid areas of your home with ventilation and dehumidifiers.

Shampoo rugs and take this opportunity to launder seldom-washed linens, like window treatments, dust ruffles and bedspreads.

Dust surfaces, such as your bookshelf, coffee table and knick-knacks.

Add Scents Add inviting, festive fall fragrances to your home with classic jar and tumbler candles that evoke the fall experience from the comfort of home—whether it’s a walk among falling leaves, an afternoon picking berries or a sip of warm cider.

For each room, pick a scent and add candles in a variety of sizes to add a festive feel to the room with both sight and scent.

For example, five new fall 2015 fragrances from Yankee Candle are perfect for bringing the outside in, such as Autumn in the Park, which evokes the scent of fresh peeled apple, fallen leaves, lemon zest and a hint of pumpkin, or Sugar & Spice, a swirl of cinnamon, buttery vanilla and sugar crystals.

Set to Bake You can use fragrance to entice your family’s taste buds too. In fall, it’s time to reunite with your oven and slow cooker.

Use in-season ingredients and traditional fall herbs and spices to fill your home with delicious and delightful flavors and aromas.

Apple cinnamon crisp and pumpkin pie make for delightful desserts when the weather cools; and warm, inviting stews, soups and chili using autumn’s hearty harvest should include vegetables like squash, fennel and beets and spices like cumin and cardamom.

Out with the old, in with the new: when it comes to scents and flavors, take time to refresh your home in fall with all the best that the season has to offer.

HOME First Person

A home loan for a 19-year-old? Believe it

by Shikma Rubin

H

ow do I know millennials are serious about becoming homeowners? This spring, I did a home loan for a couple of 19-year-olds.

Over the past year, I have noticed a sharp increase in the number of young adults who want to buy their first homes.

As a lender who specializes in home loans for millennials, it’s encouraging to see. And what’s more, I can tell my generation is focused, responsible and ready to sign on the dotted line.

Let me tell you a bit more about Steven and Tesa, the 19-year-old couple. Steven moved from Ohio to join the Navy. He’s stationed on a ship in Norfolk and quickly realized it’s more cost-effective to buy a

home than continue to rent.

During the loan process, Steven impressed me again and again. Whenever I needed information, he brought it right over. Each time he pushed out to sea for trainings, he told me when he expected to return and sent an email when he was back on land.

Steven and Tesa asked smart questions, demonstrating that they understand the financial commitment of a home loan. For instance, Steven asked about funding fees and closing costs, two topics he researched on his own (millennials love Google) and then went to me for the answers.

And then, at the closing table, I watched Steven sign the paperwork on his very own house in Chesapeake. It was a proud moment not just for the young couple, but

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our local economy. We need millennials to buy homes here, and it’s important to educate them on the various loan programs so they’ll continue to do so.

I always want the chance to sit down with young people and explain the process.

Often, they’re closer to homeownership than they realize.

“Millennials are typically first-time homebuyers and don’t have to sell a home to qualify for a new purchase,” says Emily Nied, a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Towne Realty. “They are in a better negotiating position than older buyers who may have a home to sell. Also, there are many loan programs with low down payment requirements, which often makes buying cheaper than renting.”

In Tidewater, millennials come in all

Shikma Rubin stripes (and all ages) but maintain a common thread: they are determined to tear up the rent check and buy their first home.

The next generation of homeowners has arrived.

—Shikma Rubin is a loan officer at Tidewater Home Funding in Chesapeake, Va (NMLS #1114873). She specializes in lending for the millennial generation. Visit shikmarubin.com for a free copy of her ebook, 15 Things Millennials Want from the Home Buying Process. She can be reached at 757-490-4726 or srubin@tidewaterhomefunding.com.

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Jewishnewsva.org | At Home | October 19, 2015 | Jewish News | 25

HOME Save a fridge magnet for must-have Jewish calendar

by Edmon J. Rodman

LOS ANGELES (JTA)—It’s no miracle that I knew the exact minute that Rosh Hashanah was coming; my trusty Jewish calendar hanging on the refrigerator told me.

While it doesn’t actually speak to me like my friend Marcy’s Jewish calendar computer program, my old-fashioned paper version not only provides me the eve of when Rosh Hashanah began, Sept.

13, and the precise moment, 6:44 pm, but a lesson in klal Yisrael, literally “the whole of Israel.”

And it’s all for free.

Unlike the mezuzah, there is no Torah mandate saying you need a Jewish calendar in your home, but try living a Jewish existence without one. In addition to not knowing the date when someone texts you an invite to a party on the fifth night of Hanukkah (Dec. 20), how can you say “I love you” on Tu b’Av (kind of a Jewish Valentine’s Day celebrated in 2016, that is 5776, on Aug. 19, the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av) if you don’t know when it is?

Besides, you probably have discovered that the “regular” Gregorian calendars sometimes get the Jewish holidays wrong or omit them. Sometimes Hanukkah is reduced to one day; do they think it’s Christmas?

If you’ve ever wondered why Jews always seem out of time, it could be that our calendar is a little off. A 12-month strictly lunar calendar, to adjust to the length of the solar year, is about 11 days shorter. To compensate, the Jewish calendar uses the lunar calendar with a month added occasionally, standardized by Hillel II in the fourth century, in case anyone asks.

To the English-speaking ear, the names of the month sound different, too. Nisan, the month of Passover, was also used by the Babylonians and not coined by a Japanese automaker. Iyar, the month of Israel Independence Day and Lag b’Omer, is not named for a character created by A.A. Milne and also is Babylonian. Tishrei is Babylonian, too (fortunately there isn’t a royalty), and is derived from an Acadian word meaning “beginning,” which makes sense since in that month is Rosh

26 | Jewish News | October 19, 2015 | At Home | jewishnewsva.org

Hashanah, which literally means “head of the year.”

Yes, I know that Jewish calendars, especially the free ones you pick up in grocery stores and kosher markets in the weeks before Rosh Hashanah, can be kitschy, filled with dated photos of Israel, mothballed Judaica and my favorite, chicken recipes by the month.

But the calendar that I picked up for free at a cemetery where I was attending a funeral, called “Communities Far & Wide,” provided me a trip round the Jewish world.

Saving on airfare, I visited the Jewish community of Mauritius in November, Greece in December (off-season), Norway in March, and in September, the Namutumba Synagogue in Uganda, the home of the Abayudaya, the “people of Judah—a community practicing full Jewish observance for close to a century.”

In Tidewater, Chabad of Tidewater’s annual Jewish Art Calendar is mailed directly to homes. If not placed on refrigerators, these chock-full of information calendars are stashed on bookshelves and used throughout the year as a resource for holiday details, candle lighting times and all sorts of other material such as blessings, recipes and explanations of rituals.

Hebrew Academy of Tidewater/Strelitz Early Childhood Center produces a glossy, colorful calendar each year filled with students’ art, along with photographs of smiling students themselves.

The calendar that my friend Marcy had in her home this year took her on a different journey. Titled “Seeing the Beauty in Every Day,” the calendar from Chai Lifeline was a connection to her daughter Daniela, who passed away a few years ago.

Chai Lifeline is a national organization that helps families “struggling with pediatric illness or loss,” as its website says.

Marcy’s family experienced its services firsthand when their daughter, suffering from familial dysautonomia, a progressive neurogenetic disorder to which almost exclusively Ashkenazi Jews are susceptible, attended Camp Simcha in the upstate New York hamlet of Glen Spey. Each summer, according to the organization, 400 seriously ill children “are treated to an unforgettable,

medically supervised overnight camp.”

“She just loved the camp. It was the high point of her year,” Marcy said.

The calendar, which Marcy receives, keeps her on top of the week’s Torah reading and candle-lighting times, and also shares a little wisdom about the difficulty of making hospital visits to children “in so much pain.” You “see the difference your visit makes, how you can make children smile and laugh again,” the text says.

“We used to get five Jewish calendars in the mail. Now we’re down to one or two,” says Marcy, who attributes the decline to the growing popularity of Hebrew calendar programs like Hebcal, which she uses on her computer.

For me, the handiest Jewish calendar is the one published every year here by the Chevra Kadisha Mortuary. Printed on both sides of a long piece of cardboard, it has no travel pictures—but nonetheless connects you with a journey of some depth. “Cemeteries-Monuments-Caskets.

Pre-need arrangements available,” it says in bold type on the bottom.

Yet it helps with arrangements for the living, too. Free, and available at many kosher establishments around town, I usually grab a stack to hand out to friends and family. I rest easy knowing in the New Year we will all be on the same page.

—Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist who writes on Jewish life from Los Angeles.

Contact him at edmojace@gmail.com.

HOME Affairs to Remember cookbook helps make events memorable

W

e all know what it can be like hours, and especially moments before a dinner party at home begins. Even for the experienced, it is not unusual for hosts to be in panic mode. Founder of Food and Fond Memories, a popular food website, Sandy Axelrod, a former caterer, has produced numerous parties and events. In her first cookbook, Affairs to Remember, she shares insider tips and advice, along with some of her best recipes for good eating and easy entertaining. Axelrod’s tasty as well as compelling book can provide home cooks with everything needed to create a memorable party or dinner.

The recipes in Affairs to Remember have been taste tested by literally thousands of guests at events that were catered by Axelrod’s company, Affairs to Remember Catering more than 18 years. Only those that received rave reviews were included in the book. The book has something for everyone for any occasion, with recipes such as:

Bubie’s Chicken Soup with Knaidlach Serves 12–15 My grandmother, Helen Abrams of blessed memory, or Bubie as she was known to me, was an amazing cook. And of course fabulously flavorful chicken soup was a routine part of her repertoire. As a toddler in our summer home in Ventnor, N. J. I was always by her side in the kitchen.

For the soup: 2 whole chickens, quartered (preferably Kosher, Organic or Free Range) 3–4 small yellow onions, not peeled, scored 3–4 carrots, peeled, sliced on the diagonal 1 bunch celery with tops, cut up Soup greens 6–7 quarts water Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Place everything in a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to simmer and cook covered for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Knaidlach (Matzo Balls) Serves 12–15 6 eggs 6 ounces cold cold water 6 heaping tablespoons schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), solidified/cold, recipe follows, or buy pre-made) 1 teaspoon kosher salt pinch of white pepper 11 ⁄3 –1½ cups matzo meal Beat eggs lightly with cold water. Add the chicken fat and stir until the fat dissolves.

Add salt and pinch or two of white pepper. Gradually beat in the matzo meal, a couple of tablespoons at a time, proceeding slowly as it thickens so you don’t add too much.

The mixture should be about as thick as light mashed potatoes, and a little soft and spongy. Chill covered for 5 to 7 hours. Half an hour before serving time, make matzo balls. With wet hands shape the mixture into balls about 1-inch in diameter. Drop gently into boiling chicken soup. Cover the pot loosely and let boil at a moderately brisk pace for about 25 minutes.

Iced Beet Borscht Served in Bubble Wine Goblets Serves 10 I adore the color of this borscht. It is almost fuchsia and looks gorgeous in a bubble wine glass. The flavor is pretty gorgeous too, earthy, tangy and a little sweet all at once.

3 pounds red beets (about 12) 2 yellow onions, peeled and diced 2 carrots, peeled and grated 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons sugar 6 cups low sodium chicken broth 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 pint sour cream 1 English cucumber, diced, for garnish Preheat the oven to 350º F. Thoroughly wash the beets. Wrap in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast in a 350º F oven for approximately 30 minutes until fork tender. When cool enough to handle peel and grate. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and sauté for about 10 minutes until soft but the onions should not be browned. Add the grated beets, sugar, and broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and purée in a food processor or blender until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Chill. Place the sour cream in a large bowl and slowly whisk in the beet borscht until totally blended. Pour into bubble wine glasses and garnish with the diced cucumber.

Jewishnewsva.org | At Home | October 19, 2015 | Jewish News | 27

HOME Pumpkin Challah Cinnamon Rolls

by Shannon Sarna

(The Nosher via JTA)—This recipe needs very little introduction because it is just so decadent and delicious. Pumpkin challah. Cinnamon rolls. Sweet glaze. This is the autumn comfort food of your dreams. Or at least mine.

You can use this method to make cinnamon rolls using any flavor or recipe of challah you like. Just roll out your dough, schmear it with softened butter (or margarine) and cinnamon sugar, then roll it up to bake.

It’s gooey, spicy and the pumpkin flavor is delightful but not overwhelming. If you are looking for a brighter orange color, you could actually replace the pumpkin puree with sweet potato puree. The taste and consistency will be almost identical.

I recommend serving these sweet rolls with a nice cup of tea or coffee, a big comfy chair and relaxing dose of foliage watching.

—Shannon Sarna is the editor of the Nosher. The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news, from Europe to Yemen, from challah to shakshuka and beyond. Check it out at www.TheNosher.com.

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Ingredients For the dough: 1½ tablespoons yeast 1 teaspoon sugar 1¼ cup lukewarm water 4½–5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur brand) ¾ cup sugar ¼ cup vegetable oil ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) ½ tablespoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 large eggs

For filling: 1½ cups brown sugar 1½ tablespoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, room temperature For glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar ¼–1 ⁄3 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Pinch salt

Directions In a small bowl place yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar and lukewarm water. Allow to sit around 5–10 minutes, until it becomes foamy on top.

In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, mix together 1½ cups flour, salt, sugar and spices. After the water-yeast mixture has become foamy, add to flour mixture along with oil, vanilla and pumpkin puree. Mix thoroughly.

Add another cup of flour and eggs until smooth. Switch to the dough hook attachment if you are using a stand mixer.

Add another 1–1½ cups flour and then remove from bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead remaining flour into dough, continuing to knead for around 5 minutes. Don’t add more flour then the dough needs—the less flour, the lighter the dough.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with damp towel. Allow to rise 3–4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt for filling.

Grease two 9-by-13 Pyrex dishes. You could also use round cake pans.

Split dough evenly into 2 balls. I like using a kitchen scale to be as precise as possible, though it isn’t necessary.

Roll out each ball of dough into a large rectangle about ½-inch thick. Spread half the softened butter all over. Top with half the brown sugar mixture. Roll up on the longer side, working quickly. Pinch dough together and pinch ends.

Cut dough into roughly 2-inch pieces. Place in greased baking dish. Repeat with other half of dough.

Allow the cinnamon rolls to rise another 30 minutes. Place a damp towel over rolls while rising.

Bake around 20–23 minutes, or until rolls appear puffy and no longer raw or too doughy in the middle.

While rolls are baking, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and pinch of salt in a small bowl. If glaze seems too thick or too thin, add milk or powdered sugar until desired consistency. Drizzle on top of challah rolls using a spoon while rolls are still warm, so glaze melts slightly.