Parashat Bereishit

In the beginning...
Several years ago, I decided to engage our then 5-year-old and 1-year-old in some razzle dazzle in honor of the parashah. It has since become family tradition--at least for the first 12 weeks or so of the year. The educational philosophy behind the project suggests that kids (and adults) learn better when lessons are reinforced through a variety of modalities, so this is a creative way to reinforce parashah highlights. The themed shabbatot also allow us to focus on the parashat hashavua in an engaging and dynamic way in addition to asking parashah questions that may or may not make it home in a backpack.

Over the coming months, I plan, please G-d, to continue with the parashah themed shabbat meals and to share my plans on this blog. In general, I will aim to update the blog on Wednesdays, so if anyone is looking for an idea for shabbat, he or she can read about it with some time left to implement it at home.

Below is the meal that I plan to serve for this shabbat on which we read about the creation of the universe. This week, the parashah meal will be for lunch, so the menu includes food warmed on a "plata" or cold foods. Each dish will represent a day of creation:

Day one: light and dark
a platter of white basmati rice and black rice served side by side (On Friday night, we've also served black bean soup and white bean soup poured into the same bowl. When poured simultaneously, they stay distinct and separate.)

Day two: separation of the waters and the firmament
Layered mocktail drinks (orange or pineapple juice and grenadine or cranberry juice work well) To layer a mocktail, you need a clear glass, a spoon, and juices of different densities. Start by pouring the heaviest liquid into the cup (syrupy drinks such as grenadine are heaviest). Invert your spoon in the glass and pour the next layer over the back of the spoon very slowly and gently. That should help the next layer fall smoothly atop the first. If you are brave enough for a third layer, just remember to go form heaviest to lightest. For a dairy meal, cream is lighter than juice.
Layered terrine of gefilte fish (a la Kosher by Design)

Day three: trees, seeds, and flowers
composed salad of broccoli trees, flowers created from vegetables (i.e., pepper petals, string bean stems, carrot flowers, alfalfa sprout grass) etc. If I find edible flowers, I would definitely include them.

Day four: sun, moon, stars
a gorgeous sunburst made of pureed winter squash, cranberries, and apple slices (a Kosher Pallette II winner)
star-shaped pasta
a small bowl (small relative to the sunburst) of mashed potatoes for the moon

Day five: birds, fish, etc.
a bird's nest created out of spaghetti, birds shaped out of chicken tenders with black sesame seed eyes and tails made from cellophane-topped cocktail picks.

Day six: Humans
easy--to recognize G-d's greatest creation: RIBS!

Dessert:
sinfully delicious chocolate cake--shaped like a snake. To create a snake cake, bake cakes in two bundt pans ( I have mini bundts that I am using for a very narrow snake), cut each cake in half, and line up the halves in alternating directions to make a swervy snake. Decorate the snake with frosting tinted green and an array of candy embellishments; your family and guests will understand just how enticing that serpent could have been!

For decor, I think I will be going with the black and white; it's dramatic, pretty, and relevant. If I could arrange real drama, I'd start the meal in darkness and then have my shabbat timer turn the lights on in the middle, but I can never get the timing that precise.

Shabbat Shalom

copyright Tammie Rapps 2008