Apple Strudel Muffins

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
* 1 1/2 cups chopped apples


* 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon butter


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
4. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
5. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

Tehina Cookies (egg free)

Thanks to Israeli Kitchen for this recipe.

Tehina Cookies yield: about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
200 grams soft margarine
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup tehina. If there’s a layer of oil floating on top of the jar, stir in back in.
2 cups plus 4 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
option 1: 2 Tbsp. pine nuts and powdered sugar
option 2: cinnamon and sugar (this is what I used)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 160 C - 325 F.

1. Cream the margarine and the sugar together.

2. Add the vanilla and the tehina and blend again.

3. Combine the flour and the baking powder; add to the tehina mixture.

4. Form balls the size of walnuts and place them on a baking sheet protected with baking paper. The dough is dry and crumbly, so squeeze it together to make the balls.

If adding the optional pine nuts, do it like this: form one cookie ball; take 2 or 3 pine nuts into your left palm, and with your right hand, press the ball onto them. Reverse it onto the baking sheet. If the ball crumbles slightly, just squeeze it back into shape with your fingertips.

If coating with cinnamon and sugar, roll the slightly flattened balls in the mixture and place on the sheet before baking.

Bake for 13-15 minutes. Do not bake longer. The cookies need a little moisture to retain their shape and not crumble.

Cool the baking tray on a rack, and don’t touch the cookies for at least 5 minutes. If they’re handled while hot, they will fall apart.

Dust with powdered sugar if you wish, when they’re cool. Hide a few for yourself before you offer them to family and friends.

Now this sounds like a cool place!

Read all about the water buffalo dairy in Israel over at Israeli Kitchen.

Wish I'd known about this place when we had a car... this sounds like a cool place!

KCC

The Kosher Cooking Carnival is up at Leora's and she's got my chocolate turtle cheesecake recipe listed among a few dozen other delectable recipes and food-related posts. Take a look!

The One More Mitzvah Project

A fellow blogger who tragically lost her almost 5 month old daughter is putting out a request.

We are sitting Shivah for our daughter, Adelle Shayna, who passed away Motzei Shabbos. My Shiny baby was a Tzaddikess whose little life was totally connected to HaShem. We learn that the Shechina is present at birth and death and in the 145 days in between those events, Shiny's every action was motivated by the Will of G-d. We're so very blessed to have been a part of that. I've gotten a lot of emails and comments on my own LJ from people promising to take on another Mitzvah in her Zchus. I'm posting here because I want more. Call me greedy if you want but I'm asking you all to please do one more Mitzvah in the merit of Adelle Shayna Bas Yael Davida and Mordechai Eliah.
It has been such a great comfort and given me such strength to see this happening. If you could please comment and tell me if and what you're doing in her merit, I would be greatly appreciative. Amazing things are happening. My father has been putting on Tefillin the last four days and before that he hadn't done it in 40 years. Please help us do more amazing things.

Non-Jews can also participate by looking into/keeping the Seven laws of Noah (the Noahide laws).

In addition, to help spread the word, I've started a Facebook group, so please feel free to join One More Mitzvah l'Shem Adelle Shayna Project

Recipe, as requested

The info in italics are my changes (these are my own variations which I find helpful since I live in Israel and can't readily find some ingredients or don't feel like paying 3-4 shekels more per container).

Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake

Graham cracker crust in a springform pan
1 14 oz. bag caramels (1 container dulche de leche spread)
1 5 oz can evaporated milk (omit if using spread)
1 cup chopped pecans
2 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened (750 grams of gvinah levanah, 5% or higher)
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 6 oz. pkg semi-sweet chocolate pieces, melted
1/4 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, melt caramels with milk over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour over crust. Top with pecans.

Soften the dulche de leche spread by placing the container in a bowl of hot water. Pour over crust. Top with pecans.

Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing on medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in chocolate and extract.

Pour over crust.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes.

(In the photo 2 posts down, I made a chocolate ganache and poured that over the cheesecake then topped with chopped, roasted pecans and then well, globs of the caramel cream (dulche de leche) around the edge)

Chill and serve.

Now driving is Assur?

R' Chaim Kanievsky OK'S Expulsion Of Yeshiva Students
Dec 16, 2008

Jerusalem, Israel -- Recently, a Yeshiva in the Givat Shaul area of Yerushalayim expelled around ten students that received their drivers licenses. The Yeshiva was attempting to stop students from applying for their licenses, and asked Israel's licensing office for the names of the students from their Yeshiva who had recently received their driving certification.

The Rosh Yeshiva visited R' Chaim Kanievsky for advice on how to deal with these students. Sources say that R' Kanievsky told the head of the yeshiva that, "A person who categorizes himself as a Ben Torah should not have a license, which takes him out of this category."

R' Kanievsky added that R' Shach had already said decades ago that this practice should not be allowed, because aside for the dangers involved, it takes people away from learning Torah, . Therefore, he said, despite his anguish over the issue, the students should be expelled from the yeshiva.

The Rosh Yeshiva asked about an additional boy who had also gotten his license only because his father was disabled, and getting around was difficult. R' Chaim Kanievsky responded that that student could be kept in the Yeshiva, but advised him to cancel his license anyway.

So Hatzalah and ZAKA and driving to shul and Beit Medrash and driving to do Bikur Cholim and Menachem Avel are now taking away from learning Torah? What about heading towards putting in to practice what one learns in the Torah?

Not for those dieting...

Last night I went to a bridal shower. I made a chocolate turtle cheesecake... my piping skills leave something to be desired (it would also help if I had been using a real piping bag instead of a baggy with the corner snipped off)... but man, was it yummy!

Israeli parents be aware, change in vaccination!

From a friend of mine:

I was at tipat chalav with my son this morning.

Consider yourselves informed...the new MMR vaccine (12 month, and booster in grade 1) is now an MMRV vaccine and INCLUDES THE CHICKEN POX VACCINE!

I was able to decline the V, and they do still give the plain MMR, on request.

For those of you who are interested in the chicken pox vaccine on its own, I was told that if I change my mind he can still get it, so I would assume that it is now included in the sal.

You know, I don't get it. There's enough controversy surrounding vaccinations in general and the MMR specifically, why do something so asinine as to make it even MORE of an issue?

Win a free Ergo Carrier

Win a Free Organic Embroidered Ergo Baby Carrier Hands Free System from Along for the Ride