PJ Our Way Kids Blog

Dov Smiley is a comic book artist who brings Jewish values to life in a fun and modern way. Dov teaches comic book art, creates Jewish-themed comics, and gives workshops on how comic books can help young people embrace their love of pop culture, comics, and fantasy as part of their Jewish experience.

Dov and PJ Our Way partnered to give subscribers the opportunity to create their own superheroes which Dov then turned into comic book characters! Each month we will be revealing a couple of our SUPER PJ Our Way Superheroes.

 

Check out our February, March, and April superheroes!

Comment below and let us know what you think these superheroes would say to each other.

Hummus, or hummous depending on where you’re from, is a classic Israeli dish and a favorite snack for kids everywhere. Members of the Design Team and Advisory Committee were excited to share their favorite ways to eat and make hummus. Scroll down for videos and recipes and share your favorite hummus treats in the comments.

Members of the PJ Our Way Design Team and Advisory Committee share their tips and recipes for traditional and creative ways to make and enjoy hummus.

CLASSIC HUMMUS WITH ISSY

Issy shares her recipe for a classic hummus made with garlic, cumin, and chickpeas.

HUMMUS AND VEGGIES

Celestina whips up a fancy crudité platter for a healthy hummus snack.

HUMMUS TASTE TEST

Aya and her siblings try out jalapeno hummus, roasted red pepper hummus, and chickpeas, straight up—which do you think they like the best?

SMOOTHIE

Forget protein shakes – whip up a hummus smoothie with Avi.

SHABBAT HUMMUS and FALAFEL

Once a week Yovel and Heleni take an adventure to the Shuk for special hummus that’s made just for Shabbat. Watch as they enjoy a big bit with falafel.

SPICY PITA CHIP HUMMUS DIP

Crunch, crunch, crunch—Cayla makes an amazing dip with a little bit of a kick.

HUMMUS AND PITA

Hummus is one of Erica’s favorite foods. Watch her whip up a super quick batch and enjoy it on fresh pitas.

HOMEMADE PITA CHIPS

Emily knows that any good dip needs a chip. Follow along with her and learn to make some delicious pita chips.

Looking for more ways to explore Israel? Check out these activities.

Seven weeks after Passover ends, we celebrate Shavuot commemorating receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. One of the most fun traditions on Shavuot is eating delicious dairy-based foods like blintzes, borekas, and cheesecake! One common explanation for why we eat dairy products is that when the Israelites received the Torah, it was too complicated for them to begin preparing kosher meat. As a result, they ate dairy, and now we do the same on Shavuot.
 
Try this tween-friendly easy no-bake cheesecake recipe adapted from our friends at I Wash You Dry to help you celebrate Shavuot this year.
 
Easy No-Bake Cheesecake
Adapted from I Wash You Dry
Yield: 12 mini or 6 regular muffin-sized cheesecakes
 
Supplies

• 12 mini-muffin or 6 regular muffin wrappers
• 1 muffin pan with 12 mini-muffin spaces or 6 regular spaces

 
Ingredients

• Crust:
  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • You can use a Nilla Wafer placed on the bottom of the muffin cup for a quicker crust option.

 

• Filling:
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/4 cup cold milk
  • 3.4 oz. instant vanilla pudding mix

 

• Toppings:
  • Cherry pie filling
  • Fresh strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
  • Crushed pineapple
  • Nutella
  • Chocolate sauce and mini-marshmallows
  • Sprinkles
  • Be creative – what else sounds good to you?!

 
Directions

• Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl. Divide the mixture into each muffin cup and press down to form crust. Place the crusts into the freezer for 10 minutes until they firm up.
• Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, add the pudding mix and slowly beat in the milk until fully combined. Divide among muffin cups. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Top each mini cheesecake with a tablespoon of your favorite topping. Be creative! Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy!

 
Make it your own!

• Try substituting a different flavor of pudding mix!
• Make Nutella cheesecake by substituting 3/4 cup Nutella, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/8 t vanilla extract for the milk and vanilla pudding mix.
• Superhealthykids.com recommends a healthier cheesecake filling. Using the recipe above for the crust and toppings, substitute the following for the filling:
  • 2 cups of cream cheese
  • 1 cup of whole milk plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 2 T lemon juice
  • 1 t vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Mix all ingredients together in a food processor, spoon it into your cupcake wrappers, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

 
Comment below to tell us what type of cheesecake you like to eat!
 
Thanks to iwashyoudry.com and superhealthykids.com for the inspiration and recipes!

The Three Stooges were funny Jewish guys who liked to entertain. If you want to learn more about them, read this book!

 

Read more about Who Were the Three Stooges?

Lev thought he was going to be a shepherd for the rest of his life, but now his uncle wants him to go play music for the prophets. And to make things more confusing, strange things are starting to happen. Read this adventurous biblical fiction novel to find out!

 

Read more about The Lamp of Darkness