Tomorrow evening, the Biblical feast of Trumpets (also known as Rosh Hashanah, or the new year) begins. We'll be having a quiet day of rest at home Thursday, enjoying New Year's Apple Challah and I'm not sure what else (still haven't planned the main course!). :)

Tomorrow will be a busy day of preparation, so I got a head start by making chocolate chip mandelbrot today. Of course, we couldn't wait until tomorrow night to sample it -- but there will still be plenty left, and it's a fun special treat!

Yehoshua and Eliyahu helped me make the mandelbrot. Afterwards, I heard Yehoshua talking on the phone to Nana (Joshua's mom), saying "I helped mama make something today." Nana must have asked what we made, because Yehoshua replied, "Something with chocolate. Chocolate is really... chocolate is really my best."

Yehoshua got to stir the batter. He loves to help and does a great job. Eliyahu wanted to help, so I gave him the (closed) bottle of lemon juice (I was out of OJ!) and a measuring spoon. Notice Eliyahu's short haircut? I cut his hair last Friday, and he sat so still. He loves haircuts with the electric clippers! Eliyahu likes to be a part of everything that Joshua and Yehoshua are doing, and begs to be included, even in things like showers and haircuts -- things Yehoshua was terrified of at that same age! :)

After the mandelbrot is baked, it has to be sliced and then baked like this, to dry it. Yehoshua and Eliyahu "helped" me slice it... by eating a number of the slices!! It was a big, crumbly, chocolate-y mess... that bib on Eliyahu didn't work well enough. ;) I had already done a lot of the clean-up when I took this picture. :)

Anyway, chocolate chip mandelbrot is easy to make and a great project for the children to help with! :) Because, you know, chocolate is really my best, too. ;)