A few days ago I was in my supermarket stocking up on school snacks. I made eye contact and smiled at the older woman in the checkout line behind me, thinking she was certainly going to tell me how adorable the kvetchy, hangry child sitting in my shopping cart was.

Instead, I got a distraught look in return, and then she asked in a strong accent, “Tell me, how many kids do you have? Because that looks like a lot of snacks!”

“Don’t worry,” I responded. “They only take one a day, and it’s only for school.”

“No, no, no, no, no,” she said, complete unsatisfied with my defensive response. “Children need homemade food. You don’t give this to kids. You should be making them blintzes!” (She wasn’t referring to Tuv Taam.) I agreed with her, and told her how right she was (on some level).

Walking out of the store, I thought about her comments, somewhat humored by the fact that she knows nothing about my day-to-day life. I’m a mother who loves serving her kids healthy and nourishing suppers and making sure they get some fruits and vegetables in somehow, someway. I was grateful for the mussar, and it reminded me of how idyllic it would be if I had time in my day to make homemade blintzes for a snack. It’s a message about nourishing the people we love, and how love weaves its way into the food we make.

I’ll be thinking about this during the pre-Yom Tov cooking days as I make everyone’s favorite Shavuos dishes, which I make only once a year (incidentally, homemade blintzes are one of them), and I’ll think about it as I pack their backpacks with store-bought popcorn and a prayer.

CHANIE NAYMAN
Food Editor, Family Table

Dairy Rugelach

This recipe is from The Kosher Palette, reprinted with permission (with my revisions) by the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy.

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 8-oz (225-g) pkg cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• ¾ cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• generous sprinkle cinnamon

Combine butter, cream cheese, fl our, salt, and ¼ cup sugar, kneading until a smooth dough forms. Divide dough into three balls, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Combine nuts, ½ cup sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.

Place dough on a floured surface and roll into ¼-inch (½-cm) thickness in the shape of a 9-inch (23-cm) circle.

Sprinkle filling on dough, leaving ½ inch (1 cm) uncovered at the outer edge and a quarter-sized circle uncovered in the center. Cut 16 triangles using a pizza wheel or knife. Roll each triangle, starting from the wide edge; place, seam-side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 22 minutes or until golden brown.

Note: In order to get the desirable flaky dough, they will need to be really golden and well baked. You don’t want an underbaked cookie here!

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 741)