Getting ready for the Pesach Seder

I'm thinking about making my superb chicken soup for this year's seder - here's the recipe:

Most Magical Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
 1 chicken
1 large onion
1/2 large head of celery
4-5 carrots
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 parsnip (optional)
salt and pepper
nutmeg
handful of parsley

and a large soup pot

Method:
Slice the carrots, garlic, and celery. Coarsely chop the parsnip, and cut the onion in half. If you’re feeling healthy, you can also remove some of the fat from the chicken.

Put all the ingredients into a large soup pot, and add enough water to cover the chicken well. Cook over high flame until water boils, then turn down the flame to medium/low. Boil for at least 1 and a half hours.

Towards the end of cooking, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and a large fistful of torn parsley. Enjoy!

My recipe features on the Most Magical Chicken Soup apron which, as usual, is illustrated by our favorite lovable and quirky artist Galit Lofman at Jerusalem's own Ira Ginzburg Studio.

Happy pesach, everyone!

Perfect Pesach Gifts

We are getting into a Pesach state of mind. This morning we set up the new store window, which created a lot of excitement and activity around and inside the store.

Yesterday we shot some great photos of the new Pesach range, which is now found in stores and museum shops around the US and in Europe as well.  When you are in town come by and if you are not close enough to come into the store, stop by our website at http://www.barbarashawgifts.com/

Fun at the Fair

Exhibiting at the New York Gift fair felt like a big step forward. Pleased that the Barbara Shaw range can now be found at  Museum shops and selected stores across the USA. It was wonderful to meet store owners and managers and hear the positive reactions to the new items. We are now in the Jewish Museums in NYC, Spertus in Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, plus in stores in NYC - Rosebud, LA- Gallery Judaica, Shalom House, Berkeley -Afikoman. We are also in Panama City- Stellas Linens, and in London, Paris and Denmark.
If there a store near you that you think could stock the range - let me know - Thanks Barbara

Barbara in the Jerusalem Post

We've been written up by the Jerusalem Post travel section!
Lots of fun behind-the-scenes peeks into the story behind my designs.
Here's a link to the article on the Jerusalem Post website.

See you at the New York Gift Fair- Javitz Center Jan 29th - Feb 2nd!

Things are very hectic as we prepare for the Gift Fair in New York. This is the first time I shall be exhibiting at the fair, and I am both very excited and nervous. In the studio we are in the final stages of designing the booth - No 1968, which we are aiming to make strikingly bold and bright - a taste of the store. Terrific Tova Safra our muti-talented designer is ensuring that all our marketing materials, brochures and fun give away is in production and will be ready in time. And at the same time we are forever working on new designs and products.

We shall be showcasing new designs for the spring and Passover season and presenting some well loved favourites. Pls find us under the Israeli banner. We will be making appointments with stores next week.
I decided to exhibit in New York as I currently do sell to a number of stores and Museums in the US but I would like to extend my reach. Response has been so terrific from visitors to my store that I feel I can bring a bit more joy and fun further afield.

Hanukka Is Almost Here

Hanukka latkes in our "Letters" serving dish

This Hanukka, I'm celebrating one of my all-time favorite foods: Latkes! (Levivot, in Hebrew)
My tried-and-true recipe for cooking up these golden potato patties is so simple and delicious that for ages I've wanted to use it in one of my designs - and now I have!

Meet the Latkes apron - It's got a lovely hand-printed graphic illustrating the recipe with quirky pictures of each ingredient. It comes in blue and bordeau. This recipe makes about 25 latkes if they ever get to the table; most of the time you can't resist eating them from the pan...

and I hope you'll join us this season for some fun:

Barbara Shaw invites you for a Pre-Hanukka Party: drinks, tasty nibbles, and good cheer.

Dec 15th 2011, 4-7pm

Live music with Simon Shaw

Bezalel Street #2, Jerusalem
02-625-7474

Everyone Loves a Yiddishe Mama!

She stirred the savory, dill-spiked chicken soup as it simmered for hours on the stove... She served the hearty, stick-some-meat-on-your-bones shabbat cholent, brought steaming to the table on chilly Saturday afternoons while the family gathered round, laughing noisily over a week's worth of small (or not-so-small) misfortunes...
Isaac Bashevis Singer once said that "Yiddish is the language with the most vitamins in it," and this is certainly what your Yiddishe Mama would have hoped for, whenever she peppered you with questions about your health and well-being...

Here at Barbara Shaw we love to celebrate all our yiddishe mamas - their struggle and their strength, but most of all - their hilariousness! We hope that you enjoy our ever-expanding collection of home gifts that feature the the witty Yiddish sayings of yesteryear.

At our Bezalel Street store this month you can find coasters, mugs, aprons and more with all your favorite Yiddishisms, each one full of the twinkle-eyed fun in zaydie's grin ;-)