Shavuot Activities and Recipes

Activities:

Cook a dairy festive meal
Make Blintzes
Make fruit baskets to decorate your home for the holiday
Visit a scribe to watch how a Torah is written
Study Torah the first night of Shavuot

Ten Commandments Foldout:

1 sheet colored construction paper 12” x 18”, 1 sheet white paper 9" x 12", glue, markers, crayons or paints, scissors

Fold the colored sheet in half, widthwise. Open the paper up and fold each of the side edges into the center so that they meet at the fold line.
Fold the paper again along the center fold. Cut a tablet shape from the paper by cutting a curved top.
Open folded paper and you should see four curved top sections.
Take the two outer sections and fold these in toward the center. Decorate as you like.
Fold the white paper, widthwise, and cut a tablet shaped curve in the top.
Write your own personal commandments for living or the Ten Commandments as we know them.
Display your commandments to remind yourself of the laws of the Jewish People.

Tissue Flower Pots:

tissue paper (assorted colors), florist wire, pipe cleaners, 6 oz. Paper cups, modeling clay, green construction paper, scissors, stapler

Cut tissue paper into 5” x 5” squares.
Fold squares accordion-style and secure in the center with a piece of wire.
To make flower, gently pull back each section of tissue and “puff out”. Attach a pipe cleaner as a stem.
Make 2 or more flowers and put stems into a small dollop of modeling clay. Insert a cup.
Make a border of grass from green construction paper. Fold paper in half lengthwise and cut at ¼ “ to ½ “ intervals along fold. Wrap “grass” around cup and staple.

©Behrman House., Inc., included with permission, www.behrmanhouse.com

Recipes

Blintzes-dairy:

Batter:

4 eggs
¾ c. flour
1 c. milk
Salt and pepper

Filling:

1 ½ lbs. farmer or dry cottage cheese
2 eggs
1-2 Tbsp. sugar to taste
Salt and pepper

In a blender, mix all ingredients for batter. Pour ½ cup of batter in small skillet. As soon as batter covers bottom of skillet, pour excess back into cup. Cook until edges turn brown. Turn out onto dish towel. Repeat. Combine ingredients for filling and put one Tbsp. into center of each crepe. Fold like an envelope. Fry in butter and serve with sour cream, applesauce, or cherry pie filling.

Sour Cream Cake:

¼ lb. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ cup of raisins
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt

Topping:

Combine – ½ c. sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ¼ c. chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar. Mix sour cream and baking soda in separate bowl. Add eggs and vanilla to butter and sugar, beating well. Add dry ingredients. Then add sour cream mixture. Mix well and pour half of the batter into a greased tube pan. Cover with raisins and half of topping. Pour in remainder of batter and cover with the rest of the topping. Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Noodle Kugel- dairy:

1 lb. fine noodles
¾ lb. butter
1 lb. creamed cottage cheese
10 eggs
½ lb. cream cheese
1 pt. sour cream
1 ½ c. sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Graham cracker crumbs

Cook noodles, drain and put into large pot. Melt ¾ lb. butter in baking pan in the oven. Mix all ingredients, except noodles, with a mixer. Fold in the noodles. Pour in melted butter, but leave enough to coat bottom of pan. Mix well. Pour into 11 x 18 inch baking pan. Sprinkle top with graham cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Serves 10.