As we prepared for Shabbat Friday morning, I kept a running list of what we needed from the store – like parsley for the Moroccan carrots. I had no intention of going to the store this Friday – none whatsoever. Honestly, I’ve done my time of schlepping around week after week on Fridays for all the last minute needs. Between diapers, nursing, preparing lunches and setting the table on Fridays over the years – I’ve worked hard and the time has finally arrived for change. I have an eleven year old now that enjoys his weekly supermarket runs!
As I gave Mendel the list which included lettuce, parsley, and tomatoes he asked with excitement, “can I make rum balls.” “Sure,” I answered. We added tea biscuits and sprinkles to the list and then Shoshi tried her luck and asked if she could make a cookie pie. We added whipped cream and cookies to the list. They called from the store to ask about buying Shabbos cereal but felt no need to clarify if I had meant 3 tomatoes or 3 packs of tomatoes.
Upon returning with over a dozen tomatoes, the kids were ready to begin cooking. Rum balls are a great recipe – major advantage, kids can do it themselves. First you need to smash the tea biscuits. Remember these are kids that have out grown all those destructive years. Now that the kids are formally housebroken – I figure it’s safe to re-introduce smashing things into their lives.
Place packs of cookies into a larger plastic bag and bang and bang. Of course you could throw them into a food processor but then you would have to clean it and you’d be depriving your kids of a lot of fun. Put the crumbs into a bowl
Next, mix all remaining ingredients in a small pot. Mendel now knows about the three types of rum; gold, white and black. He says it doesn’t matter which one you use for cooking. Pro tip: don’t send children on their own to the liquor store to pick up the rum. *Some rum requires Kosher Certification, more info at www.crcweb.org
Boil the mixture – this is important because the boiling process evaporates the alcohol and this dish that is being prepared by children is not alcoholic. No need to be ostracized by the types that read 
parenting magazines, bath daily in Purell and have stock in the sunscreen companies.
Pour sauce over crumbs and mix. Shape the balls with your hands and coat with your favorite topping and make sure to place them on a beautiful dish. The beautiful dish is very important, the kids need to know how important their cooking is. Make sure to give much acknowledgement to the chef before serving and enjoy!
Rum Balls
2 packages of Tea Biscuits
1/2 cup of sugar
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. rum
2 Tbsp margarine
Topping
1) Crumble biscuits and set aside in a bowl
2) Combine sugar, cocoa, water, rum and margarine in a small pot on the stove top. Heat until boiled and margarine is melted
3) Pour sauce over crumbs
4) Shape into balls and refrigerate
