Temple Beth El Blog

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds Russet baking potatoes or yellow boiling potatoes, about 3 medium potatoes
• 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 medium onion, peeled and finely diced or shredded; about 3/4 cup shredded onion
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• about 1/2 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Peel the potatoes. Cut each potato into about 6 chunks.
2. If you’re using baking potatoes, place them on a microwave-safe plate. Sprinkle with 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, to taste (more if you like a saltier latke). Cover the plate with plastic wrap, and microwave for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
3. If you’re using yellow boiling potatoes, cut each of the chunks in half, and place them in a medium saucepan. Cover with about 4 cups of water; the water should cover the potatoes by about 1/2″. Add 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons salt to the water (yes, tablespoons; use the greater amount if you like saltier latkes). Boil the potatoes for about 8 minutes, or until they’re fork tender. Drain in a colander.
4. Allow the potatoes to cool a bit while you shred or dice the onion, and whisk the egg. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
5. Use a potato ricer to rice about 1/3 of the cooked potatoes into a bowl. Sprinkle with half the onions and 1 tablespoon of the flour, and drizzle with about half the beaten egg. Rice another third of the potatoes into the bowl, and sprinkle with the remaining onions and flour; drizzle with the remaining egg. Rice the remaining potatoes into the bowl.
6. Gently combine all of the ingredients. Don’t stir too much; you don’t want thoroughly mashed potatoes.
7. Line two rimmed baking sheets with easy-release aluminum foil (for easiest cleanup, and guaranteed no-stick latkes). Or simply get out two rimmed baking sheets. Pour 1/4 cup oil into each, tilting the pan to spread it around.
8. Place one of the pans into the oven, and allow the oil to heat for 2 minutes. this step isn’t necessary if you use easy-release aluminum foil, but helps avoid sticking if you’re using a plain aluminum foil.
9. If you’ve heated the pan, remove it from the oven. Scoop a heaping 1/4 cup of potatoes onto the pan; a muffin scoop works well here. Repeat till you’ve scooped 6 or 7 latkes onto the pan. Using the back of a spoon or your fingers (be careful!), gently flatten the latkes to about 3/8” thick.
10. Repeat with the second pan and the remaining potatoes.
11. Bake the latkes for 10 minutes. Reverse the pans in the oven—upper pan to the lower rack, lower pan to the upper rack—and bake for an additional 15 minutes, till the bottoms of the latkes are golden brown.
12. Remove the pans from the oven, and carefully flip the latkes. If you’re not using easy release foil, and they stick, try baking for a few more minutes; when they’re thoroughly cooked on the bottom, they should flip over without sticking.
13. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the bottoms are nicely browned.
14. Remove the latkes from the oven, and serve warm.

Aunt Randy’s Hot Fudge Sauce

Makes 4-8 servings

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup cocoa (sweetened)- Ghirardelli
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 T butter

1. Mix together but do not boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Stir until smooth.
2. Let cool before storing in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
3. To reheat, microwave or heat in pan for 30 second to a minute until pourable but thick.

Molded Chocolates

• 8-10 ounces melting chocolate
• Chocolate molds- like Jewish stars, dreidels, menorahs
• Oreos or sandwich cookies
• Microwavable bowl

1. Pour melting chocolates into bowl.
2. Microwave for 30 seconds on high.
3. Stir well.
4. Microwave for another 20-30 seconds and stir.
5. Repeat microwaving and stirring until all the chocolate is melted.
6. Spoon into molds.
7. If using Oreos, put melted chocolate in bottom of mold, add Oreo and spin Oreo in chocolate to set it.
8. Freeze for 6-9 minutes or refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
9. Flip over molds to release chocolates.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Catalina Dressing   (You can use Kraft or any Store brand)
• 1 can of Cranberry Sauce  ( 14 Oz Ocean Spray or Any Store brand )
• 1 Tablespoon of Dried Minced Onion
• 1 Tablespoon of Trader Joes 21 Season Salute
• 1 teaspoon of Garlic Salt
• 1 teaspoon of black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt or any salt
• 1 teaspoon of Lemon Pepper  (I like Trader Joe's)
• 3-5 large Carrots Peeled and sliced on an angle
• 1 tomato diced up 

Directions:

Never worry about over seasoning in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot, more is always better in these devices...

1. Place the 3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts in the slow cooker, spray the Crock of your Cooker if it's not non-stick...  Newer slow cookers are usually non-stick material now...
2. Pour the Catalina and Cranberry sauce over the chicken.
3. Next pour the seasonings over the chicken and sauce. You can also do it in reverse order, its  not a problem.
4. Add the Carrots and Tomato and spread everything evenly coating the chicken breasts...
5. Cook on LOW for six hours, if you are home, stir it up a bit after about 4 hours, but not a problem, as it can cook on its own nicely for the duration of the time set

It really is a great Shabbat chicken, perfect to serve year round. It's wonderful with a side of steamed green beans, Brussel sprouts, or rice. I like the rice and vermicelli side mixes. If you keep kosher, you can get the Kosher Chicken Breasts at Trader Joes, and the rice side dishes via Manishevitz.  I've also had this with a side of potato or noodle kugel. Excellent!

Enjoy and let me know how yours turns out!

Ingredients: 

• 2/3 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup Heath bar milk chocolate English toffee bits, plus 1/4 cup for the topping, separated
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Kitchen Supplies:

• 2 baking sheets
• parchment paper
• electric mixer (hand mixer is fine)
• large mixing bowl
• rubber spatula
• tablespoon measuring spoon 
• spatula
• wire cooling rack

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. Cream together butter and sugars with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes
3. Add egg, vanilla, lemon juice, and then mix on low speed for 30 seconds until incorporated. Mix on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed
4. Add flour, outs, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, then mix on low speed until just combined. Be sure not to overmix the dough!
5. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chips, toffee and nuts.
6. Scoop out 8 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat until you have 12. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake for 20-22 minutes.  The cookies don't always brown a lot, so don't be afraid to take them out even if they aren't totally golden brown.They will continue to make on the cookie sheet when they are removed from the oven.
8. Remove from oven and leave them sit on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Makes ~10 bowl-sized servings.
Easy to make in large batches. Freezes well.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup green and red peppers (sweet), diced
• ½ cup celery, diced
• ½ cup onion, diced
• ¼ cup carrots, diced
• 1-2 Tbsp garlic, crushed & chopped
• 1 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen)
• 1 cup zucchini or yellow summer squash, diced
• 2 cups tomatoes, diced (if canned, choose plain, fire-roasted, or with green chilies)
• ½ cup sliced black olives
• 1 Tbsp or more of your favorite chili powder (I recommend ones from Penzy’s)
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp ancho chili powder (optional, but adds a great smoky flavor)
• 8-10 dashes Tabasco (or your favorite hot sauce… this is where you can raise the heat!)
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 4 cups chicken broth (or veggie)
• 2 Tbsp corn starch + 2 Tbsp water
• 2 cans of black, pinto, or great northern beans—rinsed 
• 2 cans of kidney beans in mild chili sauce
• OPTIONAL:
  • 1 lb. ground beef, turkey, chicken, or meat-substitute
  • Jalapeno peppers, diced
  • Cooked pasta (your choice of style)
  • Shredded cheese
  • Corn chips (e.g. Fritos)
  • Raw diced onions/scallions
  • Sour cream

Directions:

• In a large saucepan (at least 4 quarts), heat olive oil on medium. Add peppers, celery, onions, carrots, and garlic. Sauté until tender. 
• If you are adding ground meat, add to pan and sauté until thoroughly cooked. Stir periodically to make sure meat doesn’t burn or stick to bottom of pan. If using very lean meat, you may need to add a little more oil.
• Add corn, zucchini, tomatoes, and black olives and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add all spices and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Add tomato paste, chicken broth, and jalapeños (optional). Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly to avoid burning. 
• Mix corn starch mixed with 2 Tb of water and add to pan. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, until thickened. Then add beans and simmer on low until heated all the way through. 
• Taste it!!!! Add more seasonings to your taste level, as well as additional salt and pepper if desired.
• Serve it in big bowls with room for pasta and/or as many toppings as you want!!! Bonus points if you make cornbread too!

Cooking, painting, packing food-here are wasy to help people in our community. One just involves eating breakfast!

Porchlight
by Pam Robbins
The Porchlight shelter continues to operate at Warner Park Rec Center. They do nightly COVID screening and monthly COVID testing, and they have flu shot and voter registration opportunities. The shelter served 98 men last night and has capacity for 190 if needed. They are bringing bunk beds from the shelter at Grace Episcopal Church to Warner Park in two weeks to help with capacity. Check out their wish list of hygiene supplies, household items, and cleaning supplies:

The city continues to look for a permanent shelter space; there are no updates yet. The shelter plans to be at Warner Park through year end. The new site might have an on-site kitchen. We are staying in touch with Porchlight to hear about meal service opportunities as they arise. Porchlight has current volunteer opportunities for individuals or small or large groups at Porchlight, including landscaping, painting, cleaning, and more. Please contact Jessica Mathis for more information.

The Road Home and Healing House
by Cathy Rotter
The Road Home is having their annual breakfast virtually this year. Table captains will host a Zoom meeting on Thursday, October 22 at 8:00 am to share a prerecorded video that The Road Home made specifically for the event. My husband Ron and I are hosting a "table," so if you would like to be our guest, please RSVP to me. There is no limit to the number of people and there is no obligation to give, although there will be an ask. If anyone is interested in being a table captain, please contact Peggy Halloran at The Road Home. Here is a short informative video about The Road Home. 

Healing House serves individuals without homes as they recuperate from surgery, illness, or childbirth. TBE cooks meals for the residents and staff on a quarterly basis. We covered three weeks in 2020 and it was very much appreciated, but the program is very popular and we were unable to sign up for a fourth week. We will sign up for more weeks in 2021. 

In the meantime, financial donations can be made to help provide breakfast and lunch items for families. Donations can be mailed directy to The Road Home Dane County with "Healing House meals" in the memo so that the funds go to support this much needed recuperative shelter in our community.  

Food Boxes for Madison School Families
by Vic Levy
In March, as the COVID-19 virus closed Madison schools, the Thoreau Weekend Food Bag Program (was put on hold, and efforts shifted to becoming part of the wider Madison West High Area Collaborative Volunteers are needed to help the weekly efforts of the Collaborative to deliver food to Madison schoolchildren. Working out of Westminster Presbyterian Church (at 4100 Nakoma Road, Madison ), the Collaborative stores, packs, and delivers food boxes to families with children in all 14 of the elementary schools in the West High area. Recently, between 250 and 270 boxes were distributed weekly! See the new Collaborative website: http://www.madisonwestcollaborative.com.

Volunteers for the Collaborative perform a wide variety of tasks and come from schools, congregations, and social groups throughout Madison. 

• In-person volunteer opportunities: Each Tuesday morning, several volunteers are needed at Westminster Presbyterian Church to unload shelf-stable food and stock the pantry. On Friday morning, volunteers are needed to pack large boxes of food and household goods for that day’s delivery. Masks and social distancing will be maintained. This would make a great b’nai mitzvah project for a teen who is comfortable working in person with social distancing. 
• No-contact volunteer opportunities: On Friday mornings, volunteers are needed to pick up milk and produce at Second Harvest Foodbank. Volunteers must have cars or vans with lots of space, and drivers must be comfortable carrying heavy boxes. Later on Friday, usually between 10:30 am and 1:00 pm, drivers are needed to deliver food boxes to families’ doorsteps throughout the west side of Madison. Again, larger vehicles and those who are comfortable carrying moderately heavy boxes are encouraged.

Because of the number and diversity of volunteers needed, we are encouraging TBE members to sign up to support this initiative whenever they are available. Once COVID eases and children return to schools, the Thoreau Weekend Food Bag Program will resume as before. Right now, Temple Beth El is scheduled to help in late December 2020 and in January 2021. We will provide an update if that becomes a reality.

Volunteers can sign up on the United Way’s website: 
At present no other registrations or background checks are necessary. After you sign up, each Sunday you will receive information about how you can choose to help at Westminster Presbyterian Church during the coming week. 

Other Volunteer opportunities
Meals for Catholic Multicultural Center 
Thanksgiving Food Collection 

One of the greatest antidotes to my pandemic blues is knowing what a committed and giving community Temple Beth El is. Since April, in just one of our several food programs, TBE volunteers have helped the Catholic Multicultural Center provide nearly 1,000 meals to individuals on Madison’s south side who are in need or experiencing homelessness. More than 20 different individuals have stepped forward at different times to cook a meal, and some are cooking meals regularly twice a month. Whether you have the time and resources to cook every month or simply want to contribute as you can, your help is welcome! 

Each TBE volunteer cooks a hot dish of about 20 servings at home, using a recipe for that week. The recipe takes 1.5–2.5 hours to prepare (depending on which recipe we use) and costs about $20–$40 (depending on the recipe and where you shop). A volunteer collects all the cooked food from various front steps in a ”no contact” exchange and takes it to the Catholic Multicultural Center on Beld Street. The center staff then package the meals into takeout containers and hand it out to 80–100 hungry folks. The food can be prepared on Tuesday and refrigerated or can be cooked Wednesday morning.

Please join us in this effort to feed people in need during this crisis. Sign up for one or more meals on Signup Genius. We will send a recipe to each cook at least a week prior to the delivery date. If you have any questions, please contact Sue Levy at 608-273-4527.

TBE members recently helped organize two presentations on voting rights, with a strong focus on voter suppression tactics and what we can do about them. Members left the presentations inspired to work to make sure everyone can vote this fall. 

At the Social Action Shabbat on August 28, our speaker was Ryeshia Farmer, coordinator of the "Rights for All" campaign of the ACLU of Wisconsin. Ms. Farmer presented information about registration, voter identification, early voting, and absentee ballots. She concluded by offering concrete actions we can take to protect and expand the right to vote for every American. 

On September 13, Matt Rothschild of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign discussed the history and current practice of voter suppression in America and in Wisconsin. He made it clear that voter suppression is not a thing of the past; it is still very much at play in the present election. He presented a list of readings and resources to help combat voter suppression and support a healthy democracy. This program was sponsored by the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign and by Jewish Congregations for Social Justice, a collaborative effort of the social action committees of Temple Beth El, Beth Israel Center, and Congregation Shaarei Shamayim. 

If you're interested in learning more, we recommend that you watch the short 38-minute documentary “Suppressed: The Fight to Vote.” This online video is both engaging and enraging!

TBE formed a Civic Engagement Action Team this year and joined the URJ “Every Voice, Every Vote” campaign to promote nonpartisan voter registration and education activities throughout 2020. Those activities are reaching their peak this month as we work to get out the vote in Wisconsin and elsewhere. We work to support Jewish values in public life and to ensure that people who are often disenfranchised can make their voices heard as well.

It is not too late to join us. Every week we send out many opportunities to help. We make calls, send texts, register voters, put up yard signs for nonpartisan voter assistance organizations, do outreach to people living in apartment buildings and trailer parks, and more. Many of our activities can be done from home. There are also in-person registration activities for those who feel comfortable doing them. Madison has enough poll workers, but other cities are still in need. In particular, we encourage you to sign up to be a nonpartisan poll observer if you can.

To be added to our mailing lists, contact Marcia Vandercook, for the TBE Civic Engagement Action Team, or Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, for the Interfaith Civic Engagement Project co-sponsored by Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice and the Wisconsin Council of Churches. The two campaigns have been working together collaboratively and will continue to get out the vote before the November election.

Do you need your ballot witnessed? Two TBE members, Robin Sweet and John Grande, will come to the house of any voter who needs to get their absentee ballot witnessed in a socially distanced manner. You can contact them to set up a time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact Robin or call at 608-469-7469.

Thank you to all who have donated to the High Holy Day Food Drive. In your worship service program for the High Holy Days, you received the familiar food drive envelope. If you can still find it, please return it with a check payable to Temple Beth El with “food drive” on the memo line. If you can’t find it, no worries: make your contribution online here and choose “High Holy Day Food Drive” as the donation type.

Currently we are on 70% toward our goal. Last year we raised over $14,000, and with a greater need this year, we want to raise over $15,000 to help Second Harvest Foodbank and our other partners.

Most of the funds we receive go to Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. They have come to depend on our contribution each year, and we hate to fall short.

After the pandemic began, we made additional donations to support a variety of food pantries and emergency relief programs reaching different segments of the community: the Dane Sanctuary Coalition emergency food fund, the Latinx Consortium for Action Emergency Relief Fund, the Mount Zion Baptist Church food pantry, the Catholic Multicultural Center food pantry, and grocery boxes for Madison school families. These programs are still very much needed, and if we can we will support them as well.

So please give as generously as you can; any amount is greatly appreciated.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz box of large macaroni noodles
• 2 cans of Campbells cheddar cheese soup
• 16 oz of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 cups of milk (doesn't matter, skim or whole)
• 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce (give or take)

Instructions:

1. bring noodles to a boil, cook a little beyond the recommended time so noodles are soft
2. drain the noodles and return them to the pot
3. stir in cheese soup, cheddar cheese, milk and Worcestershire sauce and mix thoroughly
4. pour contents into glass oven safe dish
5. cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for at least 30 min or until cheese begins to bubble

Over the last few months, you have received information about the Temple Community Contribution program, which will be launched during our membership renewal period starting in late October. With this program, Temple Beth El moves away from a membership system based on a recommended percentage of household income, replacing it with one in which congregants choose an annual contribution amount reflecting our mutual shared values and responsibility to one another.

Your annual contribution will continue to fund our entire operating budget and will not be allocated to a specific area. The membership renewal packet will contain examples of costs in each of our foundational areas—beit knesset (house of community), beit t’filah (house of worship), beit midrash (house of study), and beit tzedek (house of justice)—as a representation of all that we do together as a community. This information can guide you when you are determining your 2021 contribution amount. Although your active involvement at TBE may focus on one or more of these areas, your financial contribution supports all of them, strengthening our entire community.

While the amount of your annual contribution might not change from your past contributions, we hope that the reasons for your financial support will align with the values most important to you. Your support provides a space, physically and spiritually, for Jewish life to thrive.

Look for your membership renewal packet to arrive in the mail at the end of October. Feel free to reach out to Stefanie Kushner, executive director, with any questions.

Join us for an information session about the Temple Community Contribution program on Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00 pm.

Register for the information session.

¾ cup sugar
¼ cup softened butter
1 egg
Ingredients:

• ½ cup milk or water
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups blueberries

Topping:

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup flour
• ¼ cup softened butter

Directions:

• Beat the sugar and butter together. Add egg and beat. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the blueberries and mix until smooth. Fold in the blueberries.
• Spray a 9" square pan with PAM and add the batter.
• Mix all the topping ingredients together until crumbly and sprinkle the topping over the batter.
• Bake at 375° for about 40–45 minutes.