To me, Shavuos smells of flowers and blintzes. My oldest "fan," my grandmother, Mrs. Gittel Carlebach, a”h, was nifteres on Pesach at the age of 99. She loved to make her Yom Tov table beautiful and create special memories for her family. One of the last discussions I had with her was about the details of my Purim decor article. She loved hearing about the latest styles and recipes.
She maintained her youthfulness despite her age, as she was too busy to get old. As recently as three months ago, she was spotted on a stepstool, getting down her place cards from an
upper cabinet to set the table for a beautiful candlelit dinner she’d prepared for some guests! Blintzes were her specialty. As she waited the 25 seconds for each crepe on her electric
crepe maker to be ready, she used to say a couple of pesukim from her sefer Tehillim, which she kept in the drawer adjacent to her counter. We always said that her blintzes were stuffed
with Tehillim.

Here are some ideas to make your Shavuos meals more beautiful, l'kavod Yom Tov.

FLOWER POSTCARD COOKIES

These cookies are so much fun to create. With minimal work and supplies, your children will really enjoy producing their own original flower designs. If you’d prefer not to bake cookies, use graham crackers instead.

YOU WILL NEED:

• sugar cookie dough
• large rectangular cookie cutter
• white and green fondant
• rainbow Twizzlers, cut into small beads using kitchen shears

1. Roll out the cookie dough and cut using the cookie cutter. Bake according to recipe directions. Allow to cool.
2. Roll out the white fondant, and use the same cookie cutter to cut into rectangles. Stick the fondant to the cookie with a bit of water.
3. Use the Twizzler beads to design flowers on your cookie. Roll out green fondant for flower stems. Stick fondant flowers to the cookies using a bit of water as “glue.”

DONUT HAR SINAI CAKE

I can hardly recall a Shavuos without a Har Sinai cake. (As a child I thought it was equivalent to matzah on Pesach!) Up until today, my mother brings a Har Sinai cake along with her when she comes for Shavuos, to be enjoyed by the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 27–30 mini donuts (I used a mini donut machine)
• 7.8-inch (19.8-cm) half-ball of FloraCraft Dry Foam
• green icing (I added food coloring to purchased poured fondant)
• rolled fondant
• fondant flower plunger
• edible pearls

1. Place foam onto a cake plate.
2. Dip the donuts into icing. Allow to dry.
3. Roll out the fondant and cut out flowers using the plunger.
4. Place donuts onto the foam, covering it as much as possible. (Toothpicks might be necessary if the icing does not stick without them.)
5. Decorate empty spaces with extra icing, flowers, and pearls.
6. Form luchos out of fondant. (optional)

SALAMI ROSES

This idea took root when I wanted to make a Yom Tov version of the ever popular franks in blanks. This has a very similar flavor profile, but is way prettier to serve!

YOU WILL NEED:

• roll of salami
• puff pastry dough
• duck sauce
• disposable muffin pans

1. Slice the salami into thin slices, then cut each slice in half.
2. Roll out the puff pastry according to package directions. Cut into 1x12-inch (3x30-cm) strips.
3. Place approximately 8–9 salami halves onto one strip of puff pastry, with the slices overlapping each other.
4. Starting from one end, roll up the puff pastry to form a rose.
5. Place roses into disposable muffin pans. Brush roses with duck sauce. Bake according to package instructions.

ROSETTE VEGETABLE PIE

This bed of roses is no garden variety! With a few vibrantly colored veggies, you can make a quiche into a Shavuos-worthy centerpiece.

YOU WILL NEED:

• any vegetable soufflé or quiche that gets baked in a pie crust (unbaked)
• 1 each of purple and orange carrots
• 1 each of small-sized green
• and yellow zucchini
• cooking spray
• salt

1. Prepare your soufflé or quiche.
2. Use a peeler to peel all the vegetables lengthwise into strips.
3. Roll up all the strips and arrange them over the soufflé.
4. Spray the vegetables with cooking spray and sprinkle a little salt on top.
5. Bake according to pie-crust package directions.

(Originally featured in FamilyTable, Issue 644)