5 best gifts for a three year old.

or...at least my three year old.  Yup- My darling EG is turning three this weekend.  I can't believe it's been that long since I gave birth to her, and that she's growing up so fast.  It seems like only yesterday I was getting married, and that just before that I was pregnant for the first time.

In honor of my darling EG, I would like to present her hearts desires:

1. Chapstick.

 

 Specifically the EOS brand of adorable ball chapstick that she's seen Mommy carrying around.  She's been asking me for a while for her own, and somehow I said, when you are three.  And she's turning three, so I guess I'll have to get her some.  It's not cheap as far as chapstick goes, and lord knows that she ends up eating at least half of it since she's decided that it needs to cover her chin too, but this Lemon version has SPF 15, so at least that's something...

2.  Pillow.

EG has been wanting a pillow forever.  I didn't realize that she needed a special one, so the first one I bought at Bed Bath and Beyond was a total bust.  She hated it, I hated it.  What a diaster.  So, I snuck that one away and out came the now famous words "not until you are three."  Which is this week.  So I've decided to buy this Kinder Fluff pillow. Reviews are great, it's not that expensive, and I think she'll like it.  And it will also stop her from using the decorative owl pillow I bought her, which can't be good for her or the pillow anymore.

3. Flip Flops

This is the only thing that she desperately wants that I am taking great pains to buy nice for her.  While the pillow is also a practical thing, I'm not sure it's really practical for her, but flip flops- a necessity at this point.  Everyone else in the family has rainbows, so EG isn't any exception.  I debated buying them online, but with the store so close to Great Grandpa in San Clemente, I think we'll get them in person for her.  She's totally psyched about having them.  Just a little backstory- we've been avoiding getting them because she hated things between her toes, but I think she'll be okay now.

4. A Haircut

MikaelWiman

EG has been wanting to get a haircut for at least a year now.  It all started when Janie and Joe's haircutting moved into the neighborhood.  We go to that park, and when we go she would see all the toys and really want to go in there.  Then Jacob (her cousin) gets haircuts all the time- she wants to be like him.  But Working Dad is so against haircuts.  And luckily for me there is a tradition in Judaism to get your haircut at three years old.  Yes, I know what you are thinking- that tradition only applies to boys.  Well, it's a tradition, not a law.  And anyways if we're not supposed to cut trees for three years, then I'll associate my daughter with a tree if I want to.  So here's to next Saturday's haircut!  Let's hope she likes it when it's all said and done.

5. Strawberry Cake

PetitPlat - Stephanie Kilgast

Yup my girlie is specifying the cake she wants already.  Of course, it was really the only thing I've let her specify about this party.  So I guess I'll do my best to beg, borrow, or bake one for her.  It will be a bit hard to do the baking, since I've packed up most of my packing pans.  I think Suzy Cakes will have to do for this year...  But doesn't this look yummy?

 

Purim Parties of the South Bay

Lots of Purim Parties coming up next week and weekend.  Here's what I have for you to consider:

Temple Menorah- Dr. Seuss Party
Wednesday March 4, 2015
6:30pm Megillah reading
$20/family for dinner

Sunday, March 8, 2015
Purim Carnival
11:30-3pm

JCC- Beach Cities- Brooklyn Party
Wednesday, March 4 2015
5pm for Dinner & Megillah reading
$20/person for dinner
$10/child kids ages 3-11 (prepay)

Congregation Ner Tamid- Back to the Future
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
6pm Dinner and movie screening
$5/person for dinner

Temple Akiba- Traditional
Sunday. March 1, 2015
Traditional Purim Carnival
Tickets needed for game booths.

Congregation Tikvat Jacob
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
6:30pm for dinner & Megillah reading
Dinner included.  Costume contest for Kids and adults

Temple Shalom of the South Bay
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Community Purim Party

Shabbat Dinner- Easy Peasy

Tonight I'm going to recommend the easiest Shabbat dinner you might ever make.  So incredibly simple, you won't believe how good it tastes.

The Menu:
Roast Chicken
Roasted Vegetables
Challah
Pears & Cranberries for dessert

Let's start with the Roast Chicken.  Roasting a whole chicken can seem daunting, and while I've been able to cook one since college, it can be quite a process. That was until I got wind of the Buzzfeed Roast chicken contest.

If you haven't' checked this out, you are missing out on some of the best roast chicken knowledge that the Internets have to offer.  They compare the best of the best recipes, including Glamour chicken's engagement chicken, Julia Child's chicken and the Pioneer woman.  They follow the recipe exactly, and then compare the results.  And not only is the recipe that won the easiest, its obviously the best because it won.

So, let's break down Thomas Keller's roast chicken recipe.  Twine, a roasting rack, salt and pepper. 

Step 1: Dry the chicken inside and out

Step 2: Cover it with salt and pepper inside and out

Step 3: Truss your chicken.  It's easier than it sounds.  Click the link above to follow the photos- so easy.

Step 4: Put it on the rack and in the oven at 400degrees.

That's his recipe.  It's really that simple.  I hope you've been following along, but not that closely.  Because for our Shabbat dinner we're going to make a quick twist.  We're going to throw some potatoes, onions and brussel sprouts in the bottom of the roasting rack.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil and a bit of salt on top, then put the whole thing in the oven for about an hour.  You'll know it's done when the juices run clear and a thermometer reads 165.

On to dessert: Oven Pears in Simple Syrup.  The best part about this is that you prep it on the stove, then stick it into the oven when you start dinner.  You can't overcook it, you can't really screw it up.  Half it, double it, totally easy.  Also, totally parve, so it's easy with a dairy meal too.

PEARS: 

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries (I prefer fresh)

4 firm-ripe pears such as d'Anjou or Bose (about 2.5 lbs total)

1/2 rinsed lemon thinly sliced (ends discarded)

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

 

Step 1: Sort cranberries and discard stems and any bruised or decayed fruit. Rinse and drain berries. Peel pears: cut in half and core. In a 2- 2 1/2 quart baking dish, combine cranberries, pears and lemon slices.

 

 

I arrange the pears intermittent with the lemon slices and the cranberries, so it makes a pretty presentation when it comes out of the oven. It is also best to serve in the same dish that you bake it in. If you have a lot of people, you might have to double the recipe.

 

Step 2: In a 1-2 quart pan over medium high heat, stir sugar, vinegar, ginger,cinnamon,cloves and 1/2 cup water until mixture boils and sugar is dissolved. (You can make this syrup the day ahead if need be). Pour over fruit. Cover dish tightly with foil. 

 

I often bring this to someone's house.  Put the pears in a dish ready to go and bring the liquid in a different container. Pour on top and put in the oven when dinner starts.

 

Step 3: Bake in a 350 degrees regular or convection oven until pears are tender when pierced, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Make it look pretty by arranging the lemons and the pears intermittent, along with the cranberries dotting the top.  If you make it in a nice dish, then you just serve it straight to the table.

So, there's your easy peasy dinner...

Tu'Bshvat- A fruity celebration

It's time to celebrate Tu B'shvat.  What is Tu B'shvat you ask?  The celebration of the trees.  A new year for the trees, if you will.  If it weren't complicated enough that Judaism is on a totally separate calendar than the rest of the world, we'll add some additional confusion by claiming to have four different new year's.  This is one of them.  While it's not the most significant (that being Rosh Hashana) it's still important. 

There are lots of laws in the Torah regarding what you should do with your harvest and your trees.  When the temple was still in existence, we had specific tithes that we needed to set aside, as well as sacrifices.  It's also a law not to take the fruit of a tree for the first three years it's planted, so this is the 'new year' for all the trees.  If you planted it three years ago, now is the year to eat.

As you can see from the beautiful Infographic below (thanks aish!) it's a fun holiday to celebrate.  When else do you get to concocte such an exciting menu full of fruits and veggies, and enjoy time out in the sun?

Speaking of menus, Chai and Home has a lovely menu planner printable. Perfect for you to remember which dish coordinates with which species.

I'll be throwing my first Tu B'shvat dinner this year.  Have you thrown one?  Any advice?

Chanukah Happenings

There are lots of fun Chanukah events happening around the South Bay and the Los Angeles area.

Red Tricycle has a listing of things in the greater LA area, and I've compiled some of the more local stuff here:

Monday, December 8th: Temple Shalom, How to Make Latkes 4:30-5:30pm
Tuesday, December 9th: Rabbi Silver (Temple Menorah) is reading stories at the Barnes and Noble off of Rosecrans
Friday, December 12: Temple Shalom Latke and Kugel cook-off 5pm tots, 6:30pm dinner, 7pm services
Sunday, December 14th: 11am-1pm, Roy Carrol Holiday Drive, JCC Beach Cities


Tuesday December 16:
           5:30pm, Redondo Beach Civic Center corner of Diamond and PCH
           5:30pm: Del Amo Fashion Center, near AMC Theatres
Wednesday, December 17: 4-6pm, Manhattan Village Mall
Thursday, December 18: 5:30pm, El Segundo City Hall 350 Main Street
Sunday, December 21: 
          10am- 2pm: Manhattan Torah Center, Chanukah Extravaganza
          4-6pm, Hermosa Beach Pier Chanukah Extravaganza

  
          5-6pm, South Bay Galleria Mall 3rd Floor
Monday, December 22:
          10am- 2pm: Manhattan Torah Center, Chanukah Extravaganza
          5:30pm Plaza El Segundo, in front of Anthropologie
Tuesday, December 23:
           10am- 2pm: Manhattan Torah Center, Chanukah Extravaganza
5pm: Chanukah on Ice at the Toyota Training Center

Temple Menorah is also having a Chanukiah making contest (or a Menorah contest for those of you confused)...

Redondo Beach Ciivic Center 
Tuesday, December 16 at 5:30pm corner of Diamond St and Pacific Coast Hwy
Manhattan Village Shopping Mall
Wednesday, December 17 at 4:00pm - 6:00pm
El Segundo City Hall 
Thursday, December 18 at 5:30pm, 350 Main St, El Segundo Hermosa Beach Pier
Sunday, December 21 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Galleria Mall
Sunday, December 21 at 5:00pm - 6:00pm in Redondo Beach 3rd floor
Plaza El Segundo
Monday, December 22 at 5:30pm  (in front of Anthropologie) 

Birthday Bash!

What a fun weekend birthday bash we had for EG.  The weather turned out perfectly, and we were able to have everyone enjoy the beach in the sun.

My cousins R & G came out to Costco with me, and really made the set-up happen.  Without them we wouldn't have been able to do nearly anything with me injured the way I am.  But, thanks to them, we had an adorable space in the house, and I know that it was quite a success.  I found fun plates and napkins at the 99cents store, they said 'fun in the sun' and were just perfect for the beach party.

For a 'party favor' I gave away buckets with a few toys to each kiddo.  I really hate party favors  and don't think that they need to be a part of a party.  But at the same time I was really hoping to avoid all of those ridiculous fights I new we would have at the party if each kiddo didn't have a bucket and a shovel.  2 year old's can be territorial, and I know that EG has a big soft spot for buckets.  So, in order to avoid the drama, I gave away buckets. 

As I mentioned, it was a birthday beach bash, so we centered everything around the beach ball and EG's favorite toy- a bucket and shovel.  We had lots of people, and so many buckets that we never really had any arguments at all.  I also gave away bottles of bubbles to each kid, which were a fun little addition.

I bought this ridiculous bathing suit for EG- since I knew that 90% of the photos from the day would feature the suit.  And though it was expensive, I'm really glad I did it.  She looks great in it, and it makes me really happy.  Plus I had something that matched okay, so we look cute together!

We kept the menu really simple, going with snack foods (goldfish, chips, popcorn) and lots of fruit.  For the main course we served pasta salad, green salad and homemade crustless quiche.  Lots of things that littles like, so it was easy to keep all the kiddos entertained and well fed.  Though EG was way to distracted to each much that day at all...

Of course, the one thing we could count on her eating- dessert!  When we went shopping we ended up being very lucky.  My cousin spotted a cupcake cake at the Pavillions, and it was the perfect thing.  Being 38 weeks pregnant, and practically immobile made it hard to imagine baking a cake- but the cupcake cake was PERFECT!  We were able to easily split the cupcakes up and give one to each child- EG LOVED her cupcake!

Don't try to distract me mom- I'm eating cupcake here!

We did try to take her up for a nap, and she said goodbye to everyone easily, but in the end it didn't work out.  I think that was the most stressful part of the day for me.  I know she's a sleepy child, and when she doesn't get her nap, she's just impossible.  I felt terrible because she needed to shower before sleep, and we let it get just a bit to late before putting her in the shower.

Add to that the fact that as I expected everyone didn't leave at the time the party ended.  Not a big deal, but I felt badly that EG wasn't napping well (or at all) and yet I was depriving her of time with her friends.

My friend Kate once let her son stay up a good 2-3 hours after bed time while she was hosting a party.  We had put EG down in the same time frame, and I thought, how crazy- I child needs to sleep.  But the reality is that Kate had it right- EG said she was ready, but trying to put her down during the party was a bad plan.  I should have waited until everyone left before even trying.  Notes for next time...

The last piece of decor that we have done for her parties is a large number made of photos.  Last year it featured two colored photos- one of my Aunt Sandy and one of Grandma MaryLou, both of whom had passed. This year I didn't do any in color, though I debated printing the one of her in the 'big sister' t-shirt in color (the most momentous part of the year for her I think).  I work hard to make sure that everyone who's coming to the party can find something of either themselves or an activity that they were a part of.  It just shows a mini-wrap-up of the year, and I think it's fun to see how she's changed. 

Wow!  I look so pregnant in this picture!  

We did have a guestbook, I asked everyone to sign a copy of the book "Beach Day" which I think will be a great reminder for EG to have later on.  It's also so practical, because we'll read it often and can look at the messages. 

We didn't really let EG open most of her presents.  I just think it's too overwhelming.  What do you do about presents?  

That was the gist of the party.  What did you do this weekend?

Beach Baby Turning Two in the Sand

This weekend my darling little EG turns two!  I can't believe how quickly time has flown by, and how much fun we've had over the last few years.

We decided on doing a beach party since virtually every single day EG asks to go to the beach.  she once tried to reason with Working Dad that it would be okay if they didn't go to the beach, she just needed to go to the pier...

I designed the invitation myself, using something I found on Etsy as a visual.  I like things to be bright and colorful, and this year I went a bit simpler than I usually do.... I created it in Photoshop just by adding different layers and using free images that I found and modified.

We're giving away beach buckets to each of the kiddos, so everyone has their own toys to play with at the beach.  I don't really believe in 'party favors' but for me it's not a favor, it's a necessity so everyone can play nicely at the beach.  They will each get a bucket, shovel, rubber ducky, extra impliment and a bottle of bubbles.  That way everyone has stuff to play with.

I'm keeping the decor and the food really simple.  I've bought some beach balls that we'll string up, and I'll be hanging balloons from the front door.  We bought a few buckets for the tables that I'll put flowers in, and I'll be using buckets for pretzels, chips, etc.

Being 38 weeks pregnant and throwing a birthday party isn't easy.  Thank G-d for helpful cousins (here's to you R&G) and helpful husbands!

I'll try to post some photos on Monday with an overview of the party.  Have a wonderful Shabbat and a great weekend!