Parshas Bechukosai

The Last Mitzvah in the book of Vayikra is that every farmer that owns cows, sheep or goats has to give a tenth of them to Hashem as a mizbeach.  The way this is done, by making all the animals come through a fence.  Every tenth animal that walks through the gate is marked with a stick that is dipped in red paint.  These are then taken to Yerushalayim and the Kohein slaughters them and burns the insides on the Mizbeach.  The meat is given back to the farmer to eat- but he can only eat this in Yerushalayim.

Sheep Cookies

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

60 ml oil

30 ml water

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cocoa

Method:

1. Beat the egg and sugar for 2 minutes

2.  Add oil while still beating

3.  Add water and vanilla

4.   gradually add flour

Beat till you get a cookie dough consistency.

5.  Remove 3/4 of the dough and place in a dish.

6.  Add cocoa to the rest of the dough and beat till well incorporated.  If you find its too try add a drop of water.  

7.  Place in another dish.

8.  Cover the doughs and place in fridge for half an hour- an hour.

To make the sheep.

Pre heat oven to 18- degrees C (360 degrees F)

 1.  Roll about 10 little balls and place in an oval

2.  Press down a little...

3.  From the brown dough add legs and head.  You may want to add a brown little tail...I made mine white, although I think a little brown tail might have been cuter... 

4.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes- until starts turning golden brown.

Decorate the sheep with any icing you choose.  I mixed a bit of icing sugar with a drop of water and food colouring.  Using a food paint brush (a paint brush I use only for food) I painted the number ten.  

For the eyes I once again mixed icing sugar and water without food colouring...

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos

Orit

XXX

Click here to get to my Face book Page.

Parshas Behar

On Rosh Hashana of every seventh year starts the 'shmitta' year.  For this entire year, farmers cant plant sow, plow or work the lands in Eretz Yisrael.  The only work he can do is water the plants enough that they dont die.  

Fruit trees grow fruit anyhow.  The farmers are not allowed to sell these fruit.  They have to declare the trees 'Hefker' -public property.  This means that anyone can come and pick the fruit off these trees.  The farmer has to keep the gates to his farm open so anyone can come and pick fruit if they wish.  He may pick enough for himself to consume that day.

This Cake shows apple trees with a sign saying 'hefker' in Hebrew.  The vegetable patch is empty as one cannot plant vegetables during this year.

To make the apple trees:

Stick a marshmallow on top of a pretzel stick.  Dip the marshmallow in water and then roll in sugar that is mixed with green food colouring...

to make the apples...

Mix a bit of icing sugar and a tiny drop of water.  add red food colouring and mix.  you can use a paint brush to paint the apples or even an ear bud would do the trick!

To make the sign...

Melt about 2 tbls white chocolate in the microwave.  Pour over wax paper and using the back of a tsp spread to make rectangle.

Once dried, use a knife to straighten the edges by trimming...

using the same 'paint' used for apples, write 'hefker'.  Again, I used a paint brush but an ear bud would work just as well...

To make vegetable patch, I just used something with a zigzag edging and just pulled across the area...

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos!

Orit

XXX

Click here to get to my facebook page.