Change your clocks and the batteries in your smoke detectors

Just a quick reminder... this Sunday morning at 2 am, change your clocks back to standard time. And don't forget to also change batteries in your smoke detectors (and carbon monoxide detectors, if you have them). Sure, you might have remembered to change them six months ago and they might be fine, but this isn't someplace to take chances.

Family Fun Day at the JCC on Nov 1

This coming Sunday morning from 10-12, there will be a Family Fun Day at the JCC. Enjoy arts and crafts for grown-ups and lots of fun for the kids that will not involve cleaning off muddy sneakers. (YAY!) Contact the JCC at 703-323-0880 to learn more or to register.

Do holiday books expire?

The week before Sukkot, we started reading "It's Sukkah Time!" (written by Latifa Berry Kropf and illustrated and photographed by Tod Cohen). Now my son wants to read it every night, regardless of our discussions of how Sukkot is over. But this is a long lull between holidays, and I'm not that interested in starting Chanukah books yet. I have to admit that I'm thinking of returning it to the top shelf of the bookcase and seeing if he asks for it. Anyone else face this strange situation?

And another plug for the upcoming JCC Jewish Book Festival (Nov 8-15) - where there will be lots of new kids' books available. I'm looking forward to shopping!

open gym at Gesher - 3rd Friday of each month

I've received notices about this for a while but since my son's in preschool on Friday mornings, we've never gone - but it sounds like fun, and is even more appealing in this sort of weather!

Come out of the cold rain or snow and give your little ones a chance to run and play in a full-size gym at Gesher Jewish Day School. Our gym is open for young children (babes, toddlers, or preschoolers) every 3rd Friday of the month at 10:00. We have appropriate toys and ride-ons, plus songs and blessings for a Kabbalat Shabbat circle just right for little ones! RSVP appreciated but not necessary. This is a free program where you can meet other Jewish parents of young children and your kids can have fun at the same time! Gesher Jewish Day School is located at 4800 Mattie Moore Court, Fairfax, VA 22030. For more information or to RSVP, contact Debra at dmendelson@gesher-jds.org or 703-962-9216.

JCC's Jewish Book Festival - Nov 8-15

Clear your calendars for the second week in November for the JCC's Jewish Book Festival! There are events geared for kids, for sisters, for history buffs, for fiction lovers... come one, come all! Registration is open now.

Events for children include:
-- All Aboard the Noah's Ark Express - Sunday Nov 8, 9:30 am (character breakfast) - Cost $5 per person
-- Share a Shabbat with Author Sarah Gershman - Friday Nov 13, 9:30 am (Ms. Gershman will read and sing from her book, The Bedtime Sh'ma) -- Cost $5 per family
-- Making Magic with Mounds of Morsels with Author Elinor Klivans - Sunday Nov 15, 2 pm - Ms. Klivans will lead children and parents in a recipe from her book, The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook - Cost $24 per child (includes cooking supplies and a signed copy of the cookbook)

Visit the JCC's website for more information: http://www.jccnv.org/cultural-arts/4th-annual-jccnv-jewish-book-festival.html

There are many events for adults, too. More about them soon.

Simple apple crisp recipe

We're at the stage where we're thinking, "What did we think we were going to do with so many apples?" At the time we were picking them, a half bushel didn't seem like so much. Here's a quick recipe that I adapted from the March 1993 issue of Glamour. It was originally a pear crisp, but I've been using apples at least as often as pears.

~6 medium-sized pears/apples, peeled and sliced

1 T lemon juice

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

3/4 c all-purpose flour

1/2 c butter or margarine

1/2 c dark brown sugar

1/2 c quick oats

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Grease 2 qt glass baking dish.

Place fruit in dish and toss with lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Combine butter and flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Stir in brown sugar and oatmeal. Sprinkle over fruit.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until fruit is tender and top is browned.

Ideal served warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Games with Jewish content

Hi, there. I've been thinking about having our families visit for Thanksgiving and how good to have things to do other than shopping and cooking. (Yeah, I know that some people would offer football, but the Eagles aren't playing, so I'm not interested.) Also, while movies are OK, there's no real interaction - plus we have a problem with one member of my family who I won't name who tends to recommend movies that no one else likes.

So what to do? There are two games we really enjoy, both of which are suitable for various sized groups and very amusing. One is Fluxx by Looney Labs. There are a number of versions, but the basic or family versions are simple. (Perhaps wait to bring out the Monty Python version until late in the evening!) It's a card game for 2-6 players, age 8+. The idea of the game is that the rules are constantly changing (i.e., in fluxx). What's Jewish about it? There's actually a 7-card Jewish booster set that includes cards for Torah and Hebrew Knowledge. Toss that in with one of the basic decks and it makes it just a little bit more special. It's sold directly by the manufacturer and at local game stores.

The other game with Jewish content is Apples to Apples. It's another card game for 4-10 players. You're dealt cards and the goal is to offer the card that the judge for the round would say is most like her card. The basic version is advertised as 12 years+ and there is a junior version for 9 years+. There are both Jewish and junior Jewish versions. There is a Yiddish version, too, but we don't have enough folks to enjoy that at our holidays. The games are sold at online retailers and many JCC/synagogue gift shops may stock them, too.

Both of these games are easy to learn and we've gotten lots of non-gamers involved. Pick them up soon and learn the rules so that you can explain them to your families. (Fluxx is very portable and even if you are traveling, you can play. We have played in an airport, using our luggage as a table.)

I'll keep an eye out for other Thanksgiving weekend activities, too!

Simchat Torah celebrations

Are you looking for a Simchat Torah celebration but aren't affiliated with a synagogue? Well, of course most would be glad to have you join them regardless. However, there's a novel celebration downtown at the Sixth & I Synagogue. On Saturday night at 8 pm, there will be dancing in the streets! You must RSVP for the event, but everyone is welcome.

Amazing apple cake recipe

Here's an apple cake recipe that my aunt has made me promise never to take home to a family gathering. She's claimed it forever. I am only to make it south of the Mason-Dixon line for people who have never met her. (Much of my family is in Pennsylvania.)

Batter:
3 c flour
4 eggs
1 c oil
2 c sugar
1/4 c orange juice
2.5 t vanilla
1 t salt
2.5 t baking powder
Mix together until blended.

Apple mixture:
6-7 peeled and sliced apples
2 T cinnamon
2 T sugar
Mix together.

Alternate adding batter and apples in a greased tube pan.
Bake at 350 F for 1.5 hours.

Enjoy!

Sukkot without your own sukkah

Not all of us have a suitable location for a sukkah, and there's only so much we can do about it. There are pop-up sukkah kits that you can re-use from year to year, though, as long as you add s'chach (the greens covering the ceiling). However, even without a kosher sukkah, there's no reason you can impart the spirit of the holiday to your family.

Eat a meal outside, even if it's a bit chilly.
Eat a variety of seasonal vegetables.
Serve lemon desserts to honor the etrog. (This idea is from a Jewish Journal article.)
Talk about what it would be like to be on the move all the time. (Maybe you can talk about homelessness and send a donation to a local shelter, food bank, or advocacy group.)

There are also a number of community sukkah events, including one at the JCCNV on October 6th. Local synagogues and Chabad houses are almost all hosting events, also. There are several sukkah "hops." If you've never been to one, consider it - it's really neat to see how differently people decorate their sukkot!