White Chocolate Matzo Treats For The Holidays

One thing we can learn during Jewish heritage tours is that some kosher recipes are easy-to-do. What I’ll be writing about today is how to make a holiday dessert within 10 minutes using three ingredients. Since holidays are coming, this is a cool and fun treat to prepare for those who have a little time to cook.

White Chocolate Matzo Treats

Photo Credit: shockinglydelicious.com

Ingredients:

• 2 matzo crackers
• 3/4 cup white chocolate, either chips or finely chopped
• Sprinkles

Procedure:

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, then set it aside. Break the matzo crackers into pieces, you can break it depending on the texture that you want your cookies to be. (I like to break it into smaller shards.) After breaking all the matzo crackers, arrange it to the parchment paper that you set aside a while ago.

Melt your white chocolate, you can do it through a cup or a microwave. (I melted it using a cup with hot water so that I could check the consistency of the chocolate.) When your chocolate is already fully melted, dip the matzos into the chocolate and lift it out while you let the excess chocolate drip off. If you broken you matzo into smaller pieces, use a small spatula to spread the chocolate over the top of the matzo shards.

While the chocolate is still wet, shower the sprinkle all over the matzo pieces. There’s no limit on the number of sprinkles to be used, so be creative! Let the chocolate dry for 20 minutes and then the white chocolate matzo treats are ready to serve.

This recipe is a very easy-to-do dessert for the holidays. You can also do this with your kids. This is such a fun dessert to do!  If you want to learn more about easy-to-do Jewish holiday recipes, you can visit the Kosher River Cruises website and blog.

Bath and Body Souvenirs To Take Home From Provence

People rarely go home without bringing something back from their travels. Assorted knicknacks bring back happy memories from places far and away. To cap off your perfect Jewish trip, don’t forget to grab souvenirs for you, plus your family and friends.

When you travel to the Provencal region of France, some of the best types of souvenirs that you can buy are bath and body products. Since Provence is one of France’s most prominent agricultural producers, there’s a wide array of Provencal bath and body products that you can indulge in.

Provencal Soap

Provence is well-regarded for its all-natural soaps produced using artisan methods. Provencal market stalls have walls and walls of soap for sale so make sure to check the labels of the ones that you’ll be bringing home.

Savon de Marseille or pure Provencal soaps are made with at least 72% vegetable oil. It’s fascinating to know that Provencal soaps have only three ingredients to be considered authentic: olive oil, palm or copra oil, and soda.

Only four soap makers remaining in Provence. These are the 'Savonnerie du Midi', 'Savonnerie du Fer à Cheval', 'Savonnerie du Sérail' and 'Savonnerie Marius Fabre'. They remain the few that use ancient cauldrons to manufacture the soaps to this day. These make Provencal soaps unique and one-of-a-kind.

Lavender Products

The Provencal region of France is also synonymous with lavender. Lavender fields bursting with blue and purple bloom is the perfect image of Provence, so bringing home lavender-inspired products from your Judeo-Provencal tour is a great way to remember the beautiful place.

During ancient times, lavender was used as a medicinal plant. It was and still used as a unique fragrance and flavor enhancer. Now, it’s also used in various cosmetic products.

So what lavender products from Provence can you bring home? Provencal stalls sell lavender massage oils that are rich in vitamins and nutrients and are known for its aromatherapeutic effects and skin-soothing components. You can also find lavender bath salts, bath bombs, and even lavender eye pillows to make you sleep better.

Perfume

Did you know that the world perfume capital is a little town called Grasse, a medieval Provencal town? Historically, Grasse was a leather tanning town which was known for its high-quality leather gloves. The nobility were fans of its quality, but were not pleased about its smell. A tanner named Galimard came up with the idea of producing a scented leather glove.

Galimard presented a scented leather glove to Catherine de Medici who fell in love with it. The royals and other nobility climbed on the scented leather glove bandwagon and gave Grasse its worldwide reputation. This started the town’s rise as a perfume capital.

When you buy perfumes on market stalls and shops during your Provencal tour, check the labels. If they came from the Galimard Perfumery, Molinard, or Fragonard Perfumery, rest assured that they were produced by Grasse’s top perfume makers. You can also ask the vendors about the origin of the perfumes to make sure you’re bringing home an authentic Provencal scent.

A kosher cruise on river Rhone includes in-depth guided tours in various Provencal cities. This is a great chance to learn more about Judeo-Provencal history as well as discovering the world-class soap and perfume industry of Provence.

Taste The Sweetness of Provence

Exploring French cuisine is one of the highlights of the Southern France and Provence River Cruise. This Jewish heritage tour is a weeklong river cruise through the Rhone exploring Jewish and secular destinations through in-depth guided tours.

During the comprehensive guided tours in Provence, Jews will be able to get closer to their Judeo-Provencal heritage and learn more about the role of their Jewish ancestors in Southern France. Moreover, the tour incorporates a chance for everyone to try the gastronomy provided by nature itself.

Southern France is known for its diverse flora. Red, nutritious fruits are one of the natural gifts Provence should be proud of.

Carpentras’ Sweet Strawberries

Photo Credit: provencedays.com

The town of Carpentras is famous for being a Jewish sanctuary during the Middle Ages. During your visit to the town, you can interact with you the Jewish community of Carpentras.

Visiting the Jewish community will fill your mind with more knowledge about your Jewish ancestry. Now, how about filling your tummy? Carpentras has just the fruit to satisfy your craving.

The strawberries of Carpentras are recognized for their rich scarlet color and remarkable sweetness. Not only are they a local star, but they’re also known worldwide as one of the best, freshest strawberries in the market.

Fall in love with the taste of these delights as you nourish your body with the natural Vitamin C and B9. The strawberries can also be eaten fresh, in a dessert, in a pastry, or a jam!

My Cherry Amore

Photo Credit: seeprovence.com

Provence is not only known for its historical and architectural wonders. Provence is also known for being one of France’s fruit baskets. Other than the luscious strawberries, it is also known for another red fruit - the cherry.

35% of the French cherry production comes from Provence. So, during your fun and educational Jewish tour in Provence, don’t forget to taste the cherries that the area is very proud of.

Consuming cherries is good for your health, too. They’re rich in anti-oxidants that help soothe joint and muscle pain. Cherries also have pectin that can lower your ‘bad cholesterol’ levels, contain quercetin (an anti-cancer flavonoid), and beta-carotene that help maintain your eyesight and skin health.

Provencal cherries come in different varieties that could be eaten fresh, as a dessert, as part of a salad, or a tart.

As a Jew, joining Jewish tours is a great way to spend time to discover new places, new food, and new friends. Fill your mind, soul, and tummy as you cruise through the majestic Rhone. Contact us and spend your vacation with Kosher River Cruises.

Sightseeing in Salamanca

Experience Salamanca while on a kosher holiday in Kosher River Cruise’s river cruises. This is just one of the many places you will discover on your tour of Spain.

Salamanca is a city in western Spain that is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the community of Castile and León. The city lies on several hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Salamanca, Spain

These places are some of the highlights of your stay in Salamanca.

Roman Bridge of Salamanca

The Roman bridge of Salamanca, also known as Puente Mayor del Tormes is a Roman bridge crossing the Tormes River on the banks of Salamanca. The importance of the bridge as a symbol of the city can be seen in the first quartering of the city's coat of arms.

Salamanca Cathedral

The New Cathedral is, along with the Old Cathedral, one of the two most magnificent cathedrals of Salamanca. It was built somewhere between the 16th and 18th centuries in two styles: late Baroque and late Gothic. Construction began in 1513, and the cathedral was consecrated in 1733. Ferdinand V of Castile of Spain commissioned it

Roman Bridge of Salamanca

The Roman bridge of Salamanca, also known as Puente Mayor del Tormes is a Roman bridge crossing the Tormes River on the banks of Salamanca. The importance of the bridge as a symbol of the city can be seen in the first quartering of the city's coat of arms.

Casa de la Conchas

The Casa de las Conchas is a historical building currently housing a public library. It was built from 1493 to 1517 by Rodrigo Arias de Maldonado, a knight of the Order of Santiago de Compostela and a professor in the University of Salamanca.

Casa Lis

This exceptional museum of decorative arts is in Casa Lis, a Modernist building constructed in 1905. With almost 2,500 pieces, the collection spans from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Objects displayed include decorative glass, porcelain figures, statues crafted from gold, enamel works, paintings, ivory pieces, furniture, jewelry, antique toys, and even a Fabergé egg.

Plaza Mayor

The Plaza Mayor in Salamanca, Spain is a large plaza located in the center of Salamanca, used as a public square. It was built in the traditional Spanish baroque style and is a popular gathering area.

Convento de San Esteban

The Convento de San Esteban is near the Old Cathedral, a little way from the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), in a peaceful setting. This Dominican monastery has a splendid church built between 1524 and 1610 with a facade that exemplifies lavish Plateresque decoration. The church boasts a gilded high altar of 1693 by José de Churriguera, one of the sculptor's most significant works, and three side altars created by his pupils.

On the hunt for kosher vacations? You know where to look.