Purim will be here before you know it. My 6-year-old wants to be a magician. Fortunately I have a cape I made in an ambitious moment a few years ago. My 8-year-old decided he wants to win the contest for most original costume, and is excited about dressing up as a photographer even though I won’t let him take my camera. I haven’t decided whether to say anything or not about his chances of winning. I’m open to ideas for making it more creative.

Last year I asked readers for easy Purim costumes you can make at home. Here’s a summary:

Last night, after a noisy reading in our synagogue (but with only a few caps), I asked my daughter if she wanted to come to the women’s reading of Megillat (Scroll of) Esther this morning. She didn’t say no right away, which is almost a yes for a teen, so we went.  I don’t believe I’ve ever been to a women’s reading before.

Read more on Women’s Megillah Reading, Fake Fur Hats, and Purim Humor…

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The women of my Emunah chapter make up over 260 packages to be distributed to members of local English-speaking chapters. Every family gets one package, but with the names of everyone who sent to them. Proceeds go to Emunah’s charitable projects. This year we were able to get excellent  chocolate–shaped like flowers no less–at a good price. We added nuts, raisins, grape juice and a wrapped bakery cake.

Read more on Purim Packing…

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It’s time to pick the winner of the Oh, Nuts Purim Basket Giveaway. My fellow blogger Chaviva (check out her thoughtful and well-written blog) made a video of herself writing the commenters’ names on small pieces of paper and (presumably, since I didn’t watch the end) picking the winner out of a hat.

Read more on And the Winner Is. . ….

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More posts on Chacham Ovadia Yosef, women, and the megillah:

• Rafi listened and shares details.
• According to Professor Jeffrey Woolf at My Obiter Dicta, the ruling isn’t surprising. And it has no implications for Ashkenazim (Jews of Eastern European descent).

Read more on Links on Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s Ruling, a Slew of Carnivals, and More…

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The secular newspapers like to report on the weekly talks of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the leading rabbinic arbiter of the Sephardi/Mizrachi community in Israel. Occasionally he says outrageous things, but this time he made a ruling likely to please a more liberal readership.

Read more on Rabbi Ovadia’s Surprising Ruling: Women Can Read Megillah for Men…

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Purim Basket

Oh, Nuts is donating delivery of a free Purim gift basket to a lucky reader of this blog. Originally the giveaway was for a basket worth up to $30, but when I pointed out out that baskets for delivery in Israel cost more than that, Oh Nuts agreed to include the one pictured above as an option for Israelis. I drive a hard bargain.

Read more on Purim Basket Giveaway…

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Welcome to the April 7, 2008 edition of kosher cooking carnival.

Here are the previous editions:
#1,#2,#3,#4,#5,#6,#7,#8,#9,#10,#11,#12,#13,#14,#15,#16,#17,#18,
#19,#20,#21,KCCMetaCarnival,#22,#23,#24,#25,#26,#27.#28

Thanks to Batya for all of her hard work on the KCC. She will be hosting the May edition; WestBankMama in June. Contact Batya if you’d like to host. And thanks to all of the bloggers who contributed and submitted entries, including those who dragged out their Pesach cookbooks a little early.

Purim already seems like a long time ago, but you can save these for next year:

Learn about the traditional Purim food with The Origins of Hamentashen in Jewish Literature (Revisited) posted at the Seforim blog.

Yolanda Shoshana presents Cilantro Lime Rice posted at Kosher Soul Food. If you’re sephardi you can make this for Pesach too.

Devo K presents Today’s Photo posted at In the middle, on the right, about the challah she made for Purim.

Kreplach is another traditional food for Purim. The New York Times presents Missing Ingredient, Gone for Good – New York Times posted at NYT > Dining & Wine.

Keep this for the next time you’re invited to a latke-hamantashen debate. Tip Diva presents Top Ten Tips – Winning The Debate posted at Tip Dude.

Getting rid of Chametz

Traditional Jews clear out their pantries to get rid of chametz (leavened foods) and make way for the Passover food.

If you still have flour you can try Ima shalom’s Recipe Friday: Bread Machine Challah posted at Ima Shalom.

Sarah presents Sugar Snaps posted at ~ Sarah’s View ~.

Got pita? Cosmic X presents Two Minute Pizza posted at ****** Cosmic X in Jerusalem ******.

Preparing for Pesach

This year Passover begins on Saturday evening, April 19 and continues through Saturday evening, April 26. Those outside of Israel observe an additional day, Sunday, April 27. This year the preparations for the festive Passover meal are more challenging because observant Jews must finish all of the preparations for Passover a day early because of the Sabbath.

The Rebbetzin’s Husband presents Erev Pesach on Shabbat at
The Rebbetzin’s Husband.

Dixie Yid presents Achieving Harmony at the Pesach Seder – Part 1 posted at Dixie Yid – Thoughts on life and Chassidus.

Tzipiyah presents Starting Pessah Cleaning posted at Tzipiyah.com.

Frumstepper presents Egypt and the 12 Steps posted at Frumstepper.

Here’s something different: Skull-A-Day: 270. Matzo Skull A.K.A. The Skull of Affliction posted at Skull-A-Day.

If it’s art you like check out Passover Postcards posted at DubiQuilts – Quilts and Fiber Arts.

Yolanda Shoshana presents Jewish Holiday Cooking posted at Kosher Soul Food.

Phyllis presents Ima on (and off) the Bima: It’s That Time of Year Again… posted at Ima on (and off) the Bima.

Adena presents Passover is coming posted at MotherThoughts.

Toronto Pearl presents PPS*… posted at pearlies of wisdom.

Pesach—Kashrut and Customs

Batya presents Oy Gevalt, Kitniyot posted at Shiloh Musings.

Soccer Dad sent in Wall Street Journal tastes kosher (including Israeli) wines posted at HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog.

Frumhouse presents A Pesach Memory posted at Little Frumhouse on the Prairie. I think the alternative title should be “How to keep your kids from getting a shidduch.”

ProfK presents To Brok or Not to Brok, That is The Question posted at Conversations in Klal.

David Linn presents Back to the Shmurah Matzah Bakery posted at Temunot.

Passover is a rough time for people with food allergies and sensitivities. Bythebay presents a New Source for Gluten-Free Oat Matzo posted at Gluten-Free Bay.

Pesach Recipes

If you are looking for something unusual check out Passover Preparations posted at Baroness Tapuzina.

Who would expect to find beef with kosher-for-Passover beer at a blog called Kosher Vegan Lasagna? You’ll find that and more at Pesach Recipes.

Ilana-Davita presents Salmon in Curry Sauce posted at Ilana-Davita.

Yolanda Shoshana presents Kosher Soul Food: Passover the recipes… posted at Kosher Soul Food.

Ariella Brown presents Pesach recipes — desserts, main, and sides all gebrokts posted at Kallah Magazine: the blog for the magazine.

Robin presents Turning up the heat – Passover Recipes posted at Around The Island.

triLcat presents Pesach Food posted at triLcat Talks about Writing, Literature, and Her Life..

Leora presents One Potato, Two Potato posted at Here in HP.

ProfK presents Where Pesach is, there Recipes Also Reside posted at Conversations in Klal.

frumhouse presents Bat Ami Yiffat Laila Yemenite Charoset Recipe For Passover – Pesach posted at Bat Ami Yiffat Laila…Means…Daughter of my People Beauty as the morning dawn

Schelly presents Carrot-Coconut Vichyssoise at Preparing for Passover posted at Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog.

sylvia_rachel presents Soup! posted at The Trailing Edge.

Raggedy Mom presents Two Pesach Recipes posted at Raggedy Mom.

Pesach Desserts

Leora presents Sponge Cake Recipe posted at Here in HP.

Jewish Blogmeister presents Kosher For Passover: Fancy Desserts: Easy Recipes posted at Jewish Blogmeister.

Steven presents Matzos that’s SOFT?!? posted at Renegade Kosher Cooking.

Ilana-Davita presents My Pesach Chocolate Cake posted at Ilana-Davita.

Tzvee presents Bernice’s Favorite Pesach Recipe: Peach Kugel posted at Tzvee’s Blog.

sylvia_rachel presents Two Pesachdik dessert recipes posted at The Trailing Edge.

Not about Passover:

I’ll end with a few posts not connected to any holiday:

Saifuddin presents Turkish Red Lentil Soup (Mercimek Çorbasi) posted at Hakim Abdullah.

Jenny gives us a way to Share The Food You Love posted at the so called me.

Esther provides an alternative KCC at MY URBAN KVETCH: The Jewish Blogger Recipe Virtual Collective posted at MY URBAN KVETCH.

Going to Paris? Check out Food/ Kosher in Paris, 2008 posted at Michel Gurfinkiel.

Ibn mordechai talks about waiting between meat and dairy at Do We Have to Wait? posted at Da Kani Ma Chaser?.

Steven presents Kinda Renegade Coffee posted at Renegade Kosher Cooking.

Wishing you all a joyful, meaningful, kosher and delicious holiday.

Read more on Kosher Cooking Carnival #29: Pre-Passover Edition…

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This video is clearly and obviously a fake. There are many clues, sprinkled throughout the video, showing the lack of modesty among these wanton women.

1. Because they are not wearing “shalim,” the contour of their shoulders and arms are clearly visible. At one point one of the ladies shockingly lifts her arms up in the air .

Read more on Fake Burka Video posted…

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Some organizations sell ready-made Mishlochei Manot (Purim food packages) as a fund-raiser, and last year I let my son A (now 11) buy one through school. Unfortunately he thought the goodies were for him and opened it as soon as he brought it home. This year, although I succumbed to pressure to buy another from Y’s school, I was able to keep it intact.

I send packages to my English-speaking friends collectively, so I only trade actual misloach manot with a few families — mostly parents of my children’s long-term friends. I know that they appreciate homemade goods, because they generally send me the same. So I was not happy when I came home from hearing the megillah Friday and found that in return for a package containing challah and potato kugel, A had given the deliverer the prepared package from the organization.

I wanted to be able to let this go, but I couldn’t have my friend think that I sent her a package of junk that I didn’t even wrap myself. And the ramifications would be felt next year, when she wouldn’t know whether to send me a homemade package or not. So A, who had already done quite a bit of delivering without a word of complaint, made another trip.

Sometimes Pesach is a lot easier.

Read more on In which we send mishloach manot twice to the same family…

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