We were going to have our Israel meal on Thursday but I hadn't read through the recipe before Thursday afternoon and realized that I should've been soaking the dry beans overnight so we had it last night instead. It was an interesting meal....both in looks and taste! Cholent is basically a brisket and bean stew. There wasn't anything special about it but it was ok. The recipe said to add 6 whole eggs (shell and all) to the stew while it cooked all afternoon but that made the eggs way too overcooked and dry. I really wish I would've skipped that because I didn't have enough eggs left to make the french toast casserole I had planned for this weekend. I need to be sure to look over the recipes when I make my menu and see if there is one particular ingredient I'm going to be using a lot of and be sure to buy enough! :)The side dish was called Tzimmes. It was a layered sweet potato, carrot, apple and prune dish with a honey, brown sugar and orange juice glaze. It was nasty! I had a feeling it might be but the ingredients were so inexpensive and I only made half of the recipe. The whole point of the meal is to try new things so I went ahead and made it.
And lastly the challah was a white bread recipe that you braid and then cover with an egg wash and poppyseeds. That turned out fine and was good with the bean stew.
Even if the kids don't like the food all that well they really enjoy the experience. The conversation around the table while we eat is usually about the particular country we are studying. Scott quizzes them on the different facts and they are proud to know the answers. And every now and then they are suprised at how good something is and it becomes a new favorite. Elle is getting all excited for her birthday this month and has been talking about her birthday meal. She said she thinks she really wants to have Chinese food for her special dinner. :)
I love this picture of the girls. Elle is brushing the egg wash on the challah and Ava is watching.
3 comments:
I really enjoyed reading about your Israel meal. I cook adafina/cholent for over 16 hours,sometimes longer, on very low in the crock pot. The eggs are raw when I put them in, just wash the shells well, and nestle them into the beans and under the meat. I add garlic, whole and peeled, and never salt but other seasonings, as it toughens the beans. The very long cooking makes the beans taste and feel different than beans cooked for a few hours, and the eggs become very very creamy. The eggs are the first thing the kids ask for and eat! I use garbanzo beans and sometimes white beans, have even used pintos.
It's nice that you are incorporating your teaching into your kitchen!
Thank you so much for leaving a comment Aine! I am going to print off your suggestions and attach them to my recipe incase I ever make cholent again. Our youngest child is only 18 months so I'm sure I will be doing this study with her someday when she is older. I love the idea of using the crockpot and cooking it for a long time since I only cooked mine for 5 - 6 hours.
-Darcy
That is a great picture of your girls! I love the fact that you use a step stool in your kitchen so that they can see and help!
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