Please “like” this Hanukka post and share with your friends!  A lot of hostess effort went into this holiday table!

 (Enjoy from Hanukka 2011!)

Happy Hanukka to all of my Jewish Hostesses!

This year I decided to get an early start on my Hanuka table setting.Being that my Amex card was getting a little rusty, I decided to get into the holiday spirit and  venture out to Ikea and West Elm to see if I could whip up some Hanuka table decor inspiration on a budget.

I decided to stick with the traditional Hanukkah blue and silver color combo because I already owned blue water glasses given to me by my consuegro (Syrian word for son-in-law’s mother) as a Rosh Hashanah gift, plus I happen to own a set of blue and silver rimmed Greek style dishes (a perfect Macabee theme!).

After an hour or two of piling anything and everything blue or silver into my shopping cart at Ikea, this is what I finally ended up with:

1. Hanukah blue cotton place mats at $1.99 each. A great buy!
2. Silver mirrored squares-(come in a pack of 4- these are a great investment- buy a dozen or two- you can use them on a dessert bar, as placemats, or you can even line your entire table with them. Your friends will definitely ask you to borrow these mirrored squares when they see how cool they look on your table…) I placed 4 in a row as a runner in the center of the table and then place one atop each blue placemat.

3. Go run and buy these beautiful silver candles from Ikea before they run out of them! Eight of these festive candles look so elegant lined up along the center of the table-menorah style.  Ikea also has gorgeous cobalt blue glass candle holders that fit perfectly as a base for my  new silver candles.  I placed four candles into their bases in a row to the right and the left of my own “shamash” vase. (Note- my son reminded me that this “menorah display” cannot be used as the actual menorah- even if I decided to use a candle as a the shamash in the center- according to tradition, the menorah has to be fashioned out of one piece of metal, wood, or glass…like in the beit hamikdash…)

4. I couldn’t resist buying two velvety bluish purple pillows at $19.99 from Ikea to place on silver gray chairs (from B and B party rental in Brooklyn, N.Y.) at both heads of the table of the table.

5. Dashing into West Elm (while the whole family waited outside), I purchased  these stunning silvery shimmery cotton napkins at $7 each. They look perfect atop each plate. I neatly folded each one and topped with a sparkly dreidel. I also found delicious kosher blue and white swirley lollipops at West Elm that I placed on the  mirrored table runner as well.

Hanuka Flowers, Cakes, Cookies, Boxes and Sparkle and Chairs:

1. Again, thank you to B and B party rental for these gorgeous silver grey chairs. Ballroom chairs always add that touch of elegance for all of your  holiday table decor and party needs. Call B and B at (718) 436 – 8433 or go visit at 1076 38th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
2. My good friend Shirley Barnathan happens to be a Brooklyn and NYC florist. Check out her Facebook  florals  here. She ran over with some gorgeous Hanuka-blue dyed feathers, and within minutes, she draped them from my dining room chandelier. Shirley also filled my center vase with stunning silver sprayed leaves. Within seconds she picked up my dying orchid plants with replaced them with vibrant new ones. She also brought over some place card holders that I borrowed for the photo shoot. Its great to have friends in the business!
3. The magnificent and gorgeous Hanukka cake is by Fortune Farca. You will be amazed at her bakery creations! Check out her Facebook page HERE!  The beautiful and delicious Hanukaa dreidel cookies are by the talented Esther Dana. Check out her Facebook page HERE . There’s nothing like gorgeous holiday themed baked goods to cozy up the look of your table.
4. Chocolate Hanukka Coins, Dreidel and Hanukka Ornaments are inexpensive and really add to the holiday excitement. Sticking to one or two colors within your scheme  give a more elegant look. Shop here for Hanukkah Table Accessories and inspiration!
5. You can find silver boxes and gorgeous ribbon in  local shops or try sites like M and J trimmings for pretty Hanuka blue ribbons.
6. Hanukka sprinkles and nonpareils can be used as “sand” to sprinkle around chocolate coins and dreidels. They will really add a lot of pizzaz to your table!  Click here for a selection of Wilton Kosher Sprinkles. Use the White Glitter Sprinkles for extra sparkle.
7. P.S. Don’t forget to buy inexpensive Dreidel Ice Cube Molds! (see ice cube pic below). Kids love ‘em!
8. Keep scrolling down below to see the rest of my Hanukka table setting.

Use these suggestions as a basic guide for your own unique Hanukkah table decor. Using your favorite silver or blue or white tableware as a base, and then shop around your favorite discount stores, florist, Crate and Barrel, Ikea, Target, or West Elm for fun accessories to add to your holiday centerpiece. Of course if you want to go all out, you can click on over to Barneys for a real first class treat -to your wallet!

Of course I can’t wait to see your Hanuka holiday tables! Please send your pics over to marlene (at) thejewishhostess.com.

I have a fabulous brand new gourmet kosher cookbook for the most voted winner!

What do you think of this holiday table setting? Comment below with your suggestions for your sparkling Hanukka celebration!

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If you are lucky enough to get a hold of  this brand new gourmet kosher  cookbook, then dont just buy one, buy at least 4!!! One for your mother, sister, best friend, daughters…. Here’s why:

1. Its a beautifully designed  spiral bound 2 1/2 inch thick cookbook.
2. Its compact and kitchen friendly.
3. The profits go to a great cause- the Sephardic Bikur Holim Food Pantry.
4. You will get a head start on your Rosh Hashanah gifts.
5.  Its truly a labor of love by the Syrian Jewish community’s TOP CHEFS!! All of the secret recipes that you’ve been dying to get your hand on, are all HERE!!!!
6. Cost: $36. – call 732-531-1117 for purchase information or email Renna at rcalvo2292@aol.com

Recipe for Chicken Lettuce Wraps  from “Cooking for a Cause” Gourmet Kosher Cookbook

•  2 large chicken breasts (boned, skinned & diced)
• 1 red pepper (chopped)
• 1 green pepper (chopped)
• 3 stalks celery (chopped)
• 3 carrots (chopped)
• parsley (for garnish)
• ½ can bean sprouts (drained)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 3 tbs. hoisun sauce
• 1 tbs. apricot preserves
• 3 tbs. soy sauce
• 3 tbs. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• lettuce leaves for cups (either Boston, butter or romaine)

1. In sauté pan over high heat, add oil, sauté garlic for a minute.

2. Add chicken, celery, peppers, carrots and bean sprouts.  Sauté until chicken is cooked.

3. When chicken is cooked, add the remaining ingredients for the sauce.

4. Cook over medium heat for 2 more minutes.

5. Spoon chicken mixture into lettuce cups and serve.

Mozelle Tobias

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Thank you Kineret Spector for sending in this beautiful inspiring story about the importance of carrying on our wonderful Jewish holidays and traditions! Marlene

The Reason for Everything

It was Sunday night dinner in our Sukkah.  Family and good friends totaling 20 were gathered around the table, already a beautiful sight!  I beamed at my guests for a minute and thanked everyone for being there, before turning to go in for the soup. Suddenly, my friend Jody’s daughter spoke up.”I want to say something!” she announced.  We all turned to look at Gilda, 6 years old, a normally reserved and serious child, and shy around adults – definitely not one to speak up at a table of 20. But Gilda showed no sign of hesitation as she continued, ”I just want to say how happy I am to be here in this Sukkah, and it is so beautiful in here, and I really love it.  I am so happy.”  Her eyes glistened as she looked around the Sukkah.

I was speechless. Years of hosting, cooking, decorating, inviting. Every Shabbat and holiday, as we say, Eem kol ha lev - with our whole heart.  And always to a happy, satiated, and appreciative crowd.  But Gilda’s pure and genuine compliment, in all its simplicity, instantly reminded me (and provided a case in point to my whole family), why we do this at all.  For our children.  For the next generation of Jews.

Every Shabbat and Holiday is ultimately for them, but especially Sukkot.  We know the symbolism of a sukkah and retell it every year.  But for children, it’s even more than that. It’s a fort! A little hut! A small house! An enchanted little getaway. And we get to have this in our driveway every year because we’re Jewish!  While the Sukkah is being erected, the kids are hard at work at the decoration table, making paper chains, paper lanterns, and welcome signs.  They get to decide where it goes.  It’s their own little Sukkah fort.  Truly, the party starts that evening, as it all starts to come together.

For Gilda, the magical appeal of a sukkah may have been just that spark that evoked the gush of appreciation and awareness. I’m so lucky. I’m so happy. I’m Jewish. I’m part of something. Our kids do as we do.  We tell them we’re Jewish, we model the rituals and tradition, we tell and retell stories of our ancestors, we explain and we teach. But to witness the moment when the first burst of genuine spirituality is stirred in a child – that is just a transcending experience.  From oldest to youngest, we were all touched by a little bit of sukkah magic that night.

Kineret Spector lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four daughters.  Please ‘like’ her facebook page BSG Tablescapes. 

 

Check out the new Jewish Hostess Aprons HERE!

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One of the Simanim or symbols used on the Jewish New year of Rosh Hashanah is a specific type of squash or gourd – known in this context as either “qara” or “kera” or “k’ra” or “kra” in Hebrew and Aramaic, this type of squash is otherwise known as spaghetti squash or calabash. Pumpkin, another type of squash, may also be used but traditionally many Sephardic or Syrian Jews prefer cooking spaghetti squash in a thick sugar syrup known as “shira”. For as long as I can remember, my mother, and then later on when I got married, my mother in law cooked up this pot of sweet golden threads known as “sillet”(pictured above in between the date and the apple).

As kids we knew that we would have rather be munching on Ring Dings and Devil Dogs, but as we grew up, we appreciated this once a year traditional treat for a sweet New Year.

Recipe for Sweet Spagetti Squash “Hillu”- Syrian Style Simanim for Rosh Hashanah

• 1 spaghetti squash

Puncture with a knife in several places. Place in a large pot with water. Boil for 25-40 minutes.

Remove from hot water and immerse in cold water to stop cooking.

Cut in half and remove seeds. Some people cook bizzer from these seeds. Here’s a quick “How to Roast Your Own Pumkin Seeds” link.

Make sweet “shira” syrup:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup of water
• dash of lemon juice

1. Boil water with sugar and lemon juice 30 minutes till thick and syrupy.
2. Shred squash till spagetti like. Drain in a colander. Add squash to shira syrup mixture and simmer and stir occasionally. Refigerate. My mother in law freezes it in a Tuperware. Stays nicely in the fridge. May sprinkle with pistachio nuts before serving.

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 (Enjoy my Rosh Hashanah table setting from September 2011!)

Dear Hostesses,

Even though Rosh Hashanah came a little bit later this year, for some reason I was still scrambling till the last minute. Thank goodness  it all came together somehow by the time it was time to light the candles! Setting my table took about three days, (believe it or not), and of course it always looks so effortless when the guests walk in.

1- My tablecloth- a simple linen hem stitch cloth was the backdrop for the beautiful dishes that my mom packed up as a gift to me before the holiday. She had owned them for about 40 years, and I seem to remember the navy dishes with the gold scrollwork being piled high at the the disco-dinner party that my parents had made for my older brother back in the 70′s. Looking back, she still wishes that she had ordered more than service for 18. Out of curiosity,  I checked on Replacements.com and actually found these dishes! Unfortunately they are out of stock but will let me know if they ever uncover any more.

2- My napkin rings are lucite each napkin ring has a small hole to display a flower. You can purchase them at The Jewish Hostess Shop.  I didn’t want to deal with keeping real flowers alive with water that would spill on everyone’s new holiday clothes, so I sent my daughter to the flower district on 28 Street between 6 and 7th  in Manhattan to find very real looking orchids which we snipped with scissors and slid into each ring.

3- Honey dippers- I bought these wooden honey dippers from www.craftparts.com. They were so inexpensive! About $30. for 50 of them. The little kids had a great time sliding them into the lucite napkin rings, and I also bought honey sticks (not shown) which we also slid into the napkin rings on the kids table.

4- I have about 6 of my grandmother’s little crystal shot glasses (above), so I poured some honey into each of them and spread them along the length of the table.

5- I had a lot of fun putting together my centerpiece of “new fruits” for my Rosh Hashanah table. Last year I purchased this L’Objet centerpiece bowl from Parci Parla, and I knew that it would be a perfect match for my mom’s gold dishes. I purchased a gold apple for about $15 from “Aimee”, and a gold butterfly from Karen’s Invitations on Avenue U  and then ran into Ouri’s fruit store to get whatever new gorgeous fruits that were still left on the shelves. Ouri had the best Medjool dates, mini pineapples, dates on the vine, concord grapes, champagne grapes, raisins on the stem, Meyer lemons (which gave a pop of color), and several more fruits which I cannot remember the names. (If you really want to know ALL of the names of these fruits then I give you permission to email Martha Stewart with any questions and I’m sure she will answer you right away- let me know!)

6- I love these little tasting spoons and bowls that I found online from  http://www.worldmarket.com, and I especially loved how cool all of the red pomegranates seeds looked lined up in the white ceramic tasting spoons before we said the Beracha.

7- Sugar in a mini silver dish…. (above), and “sillet”(next to the apple and the medjool date) made by my mother in law- which is a Syrian recipe for the gourd. I will hopefully post this gourd recipe by next Rosh Hashanah!

After this pic was taken, we put out the rest of the berachot which included leek edjeh, (fried patties made by my mother in law) sugared quince, and loobiah (meat stew made with black eyed peas)

8. Note the natural honey in the wood crate  from Ouri’s fruit. Ouri warned the women in the fruit store not to let their families eat the “waxy” exterior which he said is not kosher. Just serve the delicious honey that drips out!

Shana Tova Oometukah to all of my Jewish Hostesses!!!! Love, Marlene

P.S. Check out Candy Gabbay’s Missoni Mania Rosh Hashanah table!!!!

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There are two techniques  to scooping out 613 of those pomegranate seeds!

The first one was sent in by Linda Dayan in Israel-:

Technique #1:

1-When my children were little, we wanted them to be a part of the preparing for Rosh HaShana. We used to put giant bibs on them and let them remove the seeds from the pomegranates. The reason that we eat this fruit on Rosh haShana is the symbolism of its many seeds; that we should have a new year filled with many mitzvot. It is even said that the pomegranate contains 613 seeds, the number of mitzvot in the Torah. I don’t know if this is true, but the counting was another way to keep our kids busy, while I was cooking!

Now that my children have B’H,  grown and we are both (hopefully) smarter… I have discovered easier ways to seed this delicious, healthy fruit. Here goes:

Put on an apron!

Roll the pomegranate on your counter, pressing gently around all sides.

Cut the pomegranate in half (like you would slice a grapefruit). Slice off the little crown on the top.

Place the two halves of the fruit face down on a cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap and then a dish towel.

Get your poultry hammer or heavy wooden spoon and hit around all the sides – and top of the fruit.

Carefully, lift off the coverings and the rind. Those beautiful, bright red seeds will be yours for the taking.

Technique #2:

2– Watch the video now:

and/or read on….

First cut off the top of the pomegranate. With a spoon, gently take out some of the center core. Be careful not to squeeze or disturb the seeds. Next, use your knife to score the outer rind around the fruit. Put your thumbs in the center and gently pull apart the sections. Peel away some of the white skin. You may be able to remove pieces from the rind.

To easily remove the seeds, place the pieces of pomegranate into a large bowl of cold water. Now when you go to remove the seeds, they’ll come right out. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl. With the sieve, remove the skin floating on top. When the skin is gone, take out the seeds. Don’t freeze the seeds as they lose their color when frozen.

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Enjoy this Rosh Hashanah 2011 inspiration…

Thanks Lorene for another stunning holiday table setting! I love your tropical greens, reds and oranges! Those colors make me so happy and in the mood yet to eat ANOTHER holiday meal!!!

These festive colors and easy runner idea is also great for a Sukkot table!

Shana Tova!! Marlene

Hey Marlene,

Shana Tova!

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Enjoy Rosh Hashanah inspiration from 2011!

WOW!! What a gorgeous holiday table!!  If you are looking for elegant table setting ideas then you’ve come to the right place! Viviane’s flair for color and style is evident with the effort that she put into her Rosh Hashanah table. Shades of the color purple are associated with royalty, wisdom, and mystery in which the flowers, dishes, placemats and stemware add the extra touch of sophistication to the table.

 I love how she so cleverly used  Kim Seybert napkin rings as a backdrop for printed place cards for her guests! And the individual simanim for each family member! What a cool idea! Love it! I’m sure adults and children alike went home with wonderful holiday memories that reflected the effort and thought that went into this special holiday table setting. (Not to mention all the the yummy kosher holiday recipes that were prepared as well! Viviane- send us your holiday menu also!!) Shana Tova! Marlene

“I got my idea online from a Chinese hostess website. I bought the spoons from a restaurant warehouse and the plates underneath from CB2. I went to Paper Moon Invitations on Avenue P and had them print up the cards with each beracha. Then I went to Lana fabric on Kings Highway and bought organza plum ribbon and tied each one to each spoon. Every person got their own plate with their own spoons and simanim. What a nice night! Viviane”

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•