Yes, folks, it’s that time of year again. As has been our family’s annual tradition, the Steinhardts have once again baked Hamantaschen for Purim. This year, however, we also made smiley face cookies. 
And, as I’ve done for the last three years, I’m going to bore you all with the pix again.
Hamantaschen (and smiley face cookie) baking… 2005
Zev Steinhardt
You have really cute looking kids - I have no idea what the other things are, but I’d be happy to try them (mutters to self… google is my friend)
Hamentaschen (singular = hamentasch) are the traditional Ashkenazi Jewish cookie made for the holiday of Purim, which was this past Friday. They’re kind of like a modified jelly cookie - you make a flat circle of cookie dough, put a dollop of filling in the middle, and fold the sides up to make a triangle. Back in Europe, the traditional fillings were prune or poppy seed, but here, apricot and raspberry are probably most popular, joined by prune (ick), strawberry, other jams like blueberry, and other more adventurous stuff like chocolate. Poppy seed, a love-it-or-hate-it filling, is dying out, but my mom and I fight tooth and nail over the one or two we get every year.
A quick overview of Purim, complete with a recipe for hamentaschen, is here.
I love the UPS costume, personally. Was it one of those years on your block where every little girl went as a bride? I never did that one myself, although I of course had the requisite Queen Esther year, which I guess is related.
Back when I still went to synagogue prior to my Bar-Mitzvah (Yes I know I should start going again, but I have issues with my faith) I went as Queen Esther many years (with my mother’s help even and I’m a guy)
Whatr I find “strange” now is that no one ever questioned it then
You can get a huge variety of fillings here in Tel Aviv, especially in the more adventurous bakeries. Poppy seed is stillfar the most popular, although pureed dates have been gaining ground over the past few years. My wife has been experimenting with various citrus fruits, with decent results, although my favorite filling is still my mom’s - strawberry jam and granola.
So, Zev - what’s in yours?
Your children have such gorgeous smiles, and it does a body good to see a family looking so darn happy! What great photos. Thank you for sharing! I enjoyed seeing them last year and it’s a lovely tradition. Many of my fondest memories revolve around holiday season baking with my mother, and I wish I had photos like these, year by year!
Lemon (my wife’s favorite), Poppy (everyone else’s favorite) and strawberry (no one’s favorite, but it’s there anyway…)
Zev
I got a kick out of Chiam dressed as the UPS guy. (Just to prove I’m not sexist, we have a UPS lady here) Cute kids there Zev.
I say we enlarge some of the photos and discuss at length the stuff Zev has in his kitchen. What do y’all think? 
As you can no doubt tell, we don’t have any cabinet doors in our kitchen. That has been an ongoing saga since we moved in last August. Last word was that we’re getting the doors next week, but I’m not holding my breath…
So, yes, if you walk into our kitchen, you can see everything that we have there.
Zev Steinhardt
They’re so big! I remember three years ago, seeing the pictures, and it was the first mention I’d ever heard of hamantaschen. And I STILL want some.
If you want to compare, I still have the old pictures up as well…
Zev Steinhardt
You know, they’re not difficult to make - if I ever wake up, I cna post a recipe or two…
BTW, on a related subject, seen this weekend near my dad’s place in Queens, the following Engrish sign on a storefront:
“Closed for Esther Sunday.”
Maybe they were trying to compromise between Easter and Purim?
I used to make those cookies, for Purim, at the bakery/deli I worked at while I lived in Michigan. We did date filling and poppyseed filling, and I rather liked the poppyseed, although up until that time I’d never tasted it.
It give me an idea. This coming Sunday the kids in my second and third grade Sunday school class are doing a short performance of the story of Esther. I ought to bake some hamantaschen, to pass out afterwards to the other students, and the parents.
To hijack slightly, I had three girls that wanted the part of Esther so we had to have a drawing for it. One girl who really wanted the part, but didn’t get it, has been cast as Haman instead, as I didn’t have enough boys who wanted to do speaking roles. She wasn’t too upset, after I told her Haman had nearly as many lines as Esther did!
Aww what cute kids!
I can’t wait until my daughter’s old enough to help her mommy bake Hamantaschen.
I’m partially to the apricot filling myself but my husband likes the prune just so can say lekvar over and again.
zev_steinhardt- your kids just get cuter as they get older.
I loved your wife’s festive wig, I’m thinking it’s NOT her usual sheitel!