Happy Shavuot: Favorite dairy dishes, alcohol-free beer and cosmetics
This week, make your favorite dairy dishes for the holiday, take a sip of light alcohol-free beer and scrub away the dreariness of lockdown with some pampering new cosmetics.
By NERIA BARRHoliday delicacies(photo credit: Courtesy)
This week, make your favorite dairy dishes for the holiday, take a sip of light alcohol-free beer and scrub away the dreariness of lockdown with some pampering new cosmetics.Holiday delicaciesYou know how you can sometimes forget about old favorites, but then when you think about it you really crave them? This happened to me this year with blintzes. I don’t usually feel like sweet dairy desserts, but once everybody started mentioning them and publishing recipes, I just had to have it. But plans aside, I didn’t really feel like actually making the blintzes from scratch, so I was very pleased to discover a new home-style line of baked goods from “American Quality Foods,” called Brunch & Crunch. Two products especially were handy in preparing for Shavuot – the cheese blintzes and the Belgian Waffles. Both only need to be defrosted and heated, and the taste is great. NIS 15.90Back to basicsPies, quiches, lasagna, moussaka and other Shavuot staple dishes made me dig deep into the baking form drawer to find just the right baking dish – and what I was looking for was an old square one that I got from my mom. If you don’t have one – look for the old fashioned Corning plane white square dish that will hold your traditional savory or sweet pies from oven to fridge, to the table and then straight to the dishwasher – love it. For the holiday, the square dish (8X20X20 cm.) is only NIS 99. Available at www.shekel4u.co.il or in stores.Fried ravioliI miss Italy these days and the thought that it will take a long time before we can return to the beautiful cities and their delicacies made me look for Italian-inspired dishes such as the new Panzerotti by Pasta Nonna. Panzerotti is a savory turnover – like small calzone that are fried rather than cooked. Pasta Nonna’s new panzerotti come in two flavors –mozzarella and tomatoes and polenta and mushroom. The chilled fresh pasta is ready to for frying and serving. Delicious! NIS 24.80 for 400 grams. Easy does it. The pasta keeps fresh unopened in the fridge for up to 60 days.Sweeter than sugarIf you are watching your sugar intake or feel that you had too much candy during the lockdown, Tusso introduces new flavored stivia-based sweetners including Vanilla, Acacia and Natural. The sweetener is packed in small bags, each equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. When using in baking and cooking, I find that stivia sweetners are sweeter than sugar, so make sure to use the right amount… or your cake will be way too sweet. I found that using it together with sugar produces the best results. NIS 19.90
Spicy mayoIn time for the grilling season, Hellman’s Israel introduces its first seasoned mayos – perfect for burgers. Offered in two flavors – with chili pepper and with garlic – they add spice to any sandwich as well. NIS 10No alcoholPersonally, I find it hard to understand why anybody would choose to drink alcohol-free beer. For the taste? There are better tasting beverages – aren’t there? But apparently some people just love the flavor and would love to enjoy a cold beer even when drinking alcohol is out of the question. Paulner has a nice alcohol-free cloudy wheat beer that is also low on calories (only 100 cal. for 500 ml.) and the flavor is really nice with a light aroma of malt. NIS 8 to NIS 12Light snackIf you belong to those who just love to spread their rice cakes with chocolate – look no further. Patit just introduced new chocolate-coated rice cakes in personal packaging. Just the right snack to have with your coffee at work. The rice cakes come in two flavors – coated with milk chocolate and milk chocolate with salty caramel. Nice. NIS 2.50 for a pack of two.Pink glowThe new hydrating cream by GaDe ‘Glow FX’ is everything you need after months in quarantine – it brings back radiance, smooths fine lines and protect the skin. The pearly pink color, silky texture and lovely smell help provide an overall pampering experience. The formula contains pigments of pearls as well as other fine powder that reflects the light and hides fine lines. Vitamin C helps fight free radicals while the company’s secret formula helps protect the skin. NIS 179.90. Available in shops or at www.gadecosmetics.co.ilGreen solutionsKiehl’s launches its first cannabis-based cosmetic oil. The New York brand introduced Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Herbal Concentrate, a calmative, non-comedogenic face oil for problem skin. Inspired by Kiehl’s apothecary heritage, the calmative face oil is formulated for skin prone to blemishes, visible redness and discomfort. Formulated only with naturally derived ingredients, including hemp-derived cannabis sativa seed oil and green oregano oil, this light-weight face oil helps calm the feeling of stressed skin, while visibly reducing skin redness and helping balance hydration. As in all of the company’s products – customers are invited to test the oil before purchasing it. NIS 205, Available in the brand shops around the country.For the home salonFor those who prefer to color their hair at home, L’Oreal Paris introduces a new formula and eight new shades in the new summer collection of Excellence Cream. The new collection was inspired by Celine Dion iconic colors and includes, for the first time, a gentle shampoo that helps relax the scalp. NIS 42.90PrettyFeel like “somethin’ new”? Local jewelry designer Roni Khan has a stainless steel bracelet that “changes colors” – the inside part of the bracelet comes in a variety of colors and sizes – making it a perfect accessory for the summer. NIS 159-NIS 169. www.ronikhan.comApricot seasonLooking for a way to boost your glow and scrub away the past few weeks? Try Garnier’s new facial mask and scrub. This two-in-one face mask and face scrub with apricot extract works as an instant facial in a jar, for soft, smooth and hydrated skin. It is vegan and contains no sulfates, silicones, mineral oil, dyes or parabens. This glow-boosting face mask and scrub exfoliates and polishes for instantly hydrated, fresh, healthy radiant-looking skin. Suits all skin types. NIS 39.90
