Good For Your Health

Laughing, that is. I usually don't watch these things, but this time I did, and I'm not sorry, thought I do need to go to sleep already, but before this somehow gets deleted, I really want to post it, so you can watch it. OK?

Click here: A Gift for Laughter

Honestly, it is funny. They just don't make comedians like they used to.

Who Was It?

Ages and ages ago, when I was pretty new to internet at home, I signed up with classmates. Of course the free one!

Periodically I get notices from them that new classmates have also signed up, but big deal. They never showed any interest in me when we were classmates, so why should I care? But now, my "best friend" from my early days in Great Neck signed up. I saw her name. And they also told me that "someone" join as a gold member and you'll find out who! has looked at my profile. Yes, of course it's her. I even managed to discover her new last name.

So, if anyone knows an Ilene Asinofsky Meyerson, please tell her to contact me.

Back to "Routine"

As you know, I'm an Israeli English Teacher...

I just spent my last four days off, two Sundays, Thursday and Friday, testing high school girls in nearby schools.



The "oral" Interview Test is both fun and the most complicated to prepare for. It's not just a "chatty" talk.

There's a structure and very clear rubrics, or guidelines on how to grade it. Sixty points are about a research project. To get full points, the students are supposed to talk for three minutes and then answer questions. If they don't do that, and it does take preparation, then I have to take off points. Unfortunately, not all the teachers train the kids for that requirement. Also, in some schools, they have the test a year or two after they've done the project, so it's not so fresh in their minds.

In one of the schools, I tested in the science labs, as you can see by the decor. I tested in girls schools, and I was very pleasantly surprised by the amount of science majors, physics and biology.

There were other views, a new neighborhood.

I really do enjoy the job of testing, because I can discover how wonderful the younger generation is.

Another Week, Another Havel Havelim

The 145th Havel Havelim is on your screen at the click of a button!

Enjoy the posts from all over the jblogging world.

And don't forget that it's never too soon to send in your links for the Kosher Cooking Carnival.

archives submit post

Teaching/Learning Foreign Languages

This goes for moving to any new place which requires learning another language, not just Hebrew in Israel.




There's a lot more I want to write about the subject, but I don't have the patience to sit here in this freezing den. Let this suffice for now. I'd like your comments.

On Shabbat I read an article in the Jerusalem Post about the difficulties young English-speaking immigrants have, because they're not taught Hebrew properly.



First of all, I'll quote a friend who make aliyah (moved to Israel) about twenty years ago:

"Anyone who thinks that it's easy to come with with young kids hasn't tried it."



The time, whether a few weeks, months or years, it takes for a kid to learn Hebrew well is Hell for all. But not all the blame should be on the Israeli establishment.

• Attitude is crucial. When parents stress to kids that they want them to continue native-tongue functioning in the "old language," the child won't work as hard to learn the new one.


• Put away all the old movies, cartoons, etc and get Hebrew only versions.


• Even before aliyah, train your children, and yourselves, to memorize: poems, songs, famous speeches. This talent/skill is needed to learn a new language.


• Attitude: Make it clear to all in the family that language skills are the key to a happy life. Work together to perfect Hebrew.

Anyone can learn a foreign language. You don't have to be a genius. The more languages a child is exposed to at a young age, the easier it will be later to learn additional languages.

I Left My "Mark"

It's testing season in Israeli high schools. There are now two testing seasons actually. The winter season was once very minor, used mostly for special programs for those not in "proper" high schools. But now, in order to reduce pressure at the end of the year, many schools are having their students tested on the winter dates.

Where I teach, we've been busy with "pre-tests" to prepare the boys for the "real thing." I proctored a double session yesterday.

On Sunday, I was in a nearby school, testing a few dozen students in the "Interview" English Test. And today I tested girls in another local high school. When I went into the English Room, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the "decorations" I had made when I subbed there, eight were still displayed.

It was really nice to know that my short presence hadn't been erased.

Education, The Carnival

OK, not that kind. Not the kind that makes me think, at times, that my classroom is more like a zoo. I'm referring to the blogging kind of carnival, which is like a "floating" magazine.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the latest Carnival of Education. Pay a visit, and don't forget to tell them who sent you!

I Am Not Making This Up!

I think I've mentioned that one of the things keeping me busy this week, and next, is the fact that I'm testing students in other local high schools. Part of the English requirements here is an "interview." With the exception of the lowest level, it's done by an outside teacher.

I really love doing it. I find it even more fun than teaching. The kids want to do well and are very receptive. It's a structured interview. Sixty percent of the points are based on how well they can talk about a "research project" they did in English and the other forty percent is a personal interview.

Since I only work part-time, it's easy for me to make the time to go to other schools. This year worked out very well. One school asked me to teach on Sunday, which is a day off for me, and another school asked for Thursday and Friday. I don't work then, either. I just made one condition, transportation. "Tremping," hitchhiking is awful enough as my mode of transportation for work, but if they want me in a good mood to appreciate how great their students really are, I shouldn't be stressed out trying to get to their school.

No problem. Both schools agreed.

Sunday's transportation was great with a young driver I know well. But I was getting very worried about tomorrow's arrangements; I hadn't heard from the school. Today, I was terribly busy trying to get tests and assignments prepared before work, and I didn't have a break the whole time. We were doing "practice tests." I had sent an email to the teacher in charge before going to work, but I was worried. She hadn't called.

Winter is setting in. The insulation has lost the summer's heat, and it was very cold at work. The room I was in didn't have heating. I couldn't relax, worrying about tomorrow. Had they really made arrangements?

Then I waited a long, long time for a ride in the direction of home. It was cold, very cold. I kept trying to remind myself that when I wait a long time, there's usually a pleasant surprise, but...

By the time a car came by, opened the window and announced: "Ariel," I could hardly think. I asked if I could get off at the Shiloh Junction. I had barely gotten in when the women in the front seat said hello to me by name. I was surprised. I was so tired and hadn't expected someone I knew. She continued that she hoped she had prepared her students well for tomorrow's test.

Yes, I Am Not Making This Up! I couldn't believe it. I told her that I still hadn't heard about my transportation. Maybe she could contact the teacher who was in charge to find out what was going on.

Better than that. Her husband, who was driving, is one of the administrators and began calling up all their drivers to find the one who was supposed to pick me up. It took about four phone calls, then BINGO! The right driver who was concerned that he hadn't gotten exact instructions. So, we made all the arrangements right there, on my way home.

And when I got off at the junction, immediately a car came, and the driver took me straight to my door.

Baruch Hashem, Thank G-d
Hashgacha Pratit, Divine Providence

To Give You a Taste...

...of what I've been up to. Here are a few pictures:

We were at the 34th Azkarah, Memorial for two friends from Betar, New York, who where killed in the Yom Kippur War. The army assigns soldiers to be at the ceremonies, and they're always amazed that we continue to get together. The widow of one of the friends explained to the young soldier that we're "family." We grew up together in Betar. No "blood relations" can be any closer than we are.

The other night we attended Sheva Brachot in Jerusalem, the post wedding celebrations of a granddaughter of British friends, who brought us to England to work with the Betar Movement there over thirty years ago.

Last night I went to Kfar Adumim for a Bat Mtizvah celebration, granddaughter and daughter of good friends. The highlight activity was weaving a wall-hanging for the Bat Mitzvah girl. As you can see, both boys and girls participated. The instructor is a neighbor from Shiloh.

Check out...

...the latest Havel Havelim, which offers a great variety of posts from the jblogging world, and for dessert...

... there's nothing tastier than the latest Carnival of the Recipes, on Gillian's Food History blog. There's something for everyone's taste. And a special something to look forward to, she has volunteered to host February's Kosher Cooking Carnival!

Different Perspectives

I'm a special ed teacher, or at least my specialty is finding unique and creative ways to explain things to people who don't succeed with the classic or regular techniques. I didn't major in "special ed;" I just found myself in situations in which I had to teach kids with difficulties, before I learned "how to teach."

Yes, that's my background. One of my "inventions" is calling "long" and "short vowels," "strong" and "weak." When you say their names, "strong vowels," you need stronger facial muscles. In contrast, you need very little muscle strength for the "weak" or "short vowels."

Periodically, I'm reminded of how different things seem depending on where you're sitting. Yesterday morning, I was reminded anew while waiting for my ride to the Ofra Girls High School, where I was to test students for the Interview part of the English Bagrut.

As I walked down to the sidewalk, I admired the gorgeous green of the weeds, as the early morning sun shined through.


But then, a few seconds later, when I looked at the same scene from the sidewalk, the green was lacking that glow.

The SEASON!

There are all sorts of foods we eat here in Israel, which we had never even heard of when we lived in New York. Two of them were our "First Course" this Shabbat morning.

They both begin with "A," and neither is an "apple."

Artichoke dipped in avocado. Sorry, but there's no picture of my simple avocado salad.

Take a ripe avocado, and mash it with a bit of mayonnaise, chopped onion, some garlic and olive oil. Yes, that's it.

And the artichoke* is also very easy to make.

All you have to do, after soaking and rinsing to try to make sure nothing's lurking in the leaves/petals, is to boil (add peppercorns and lemon to the water) it until the leaves are easy to pull out.

How do you eat it? Well, pull out each leaf and dip the "fleshy part" in "something." That something can be olive oil, avocado salad, mayonnaise, t'china, whatever or nothing. When the leaves are gone, you'll have its "heart," plus the "hair." Pull out the hair and eat the heart, stuffed if you want.

*They are like giant asparagus.

Dishes Waiting, but...

Just a few words...

Nice Shabbat, my married daughter was over with her family.

Her eldest must have fallen out of bed and ended up opening her chin. At 2am, we weren't going to bother the local doctor. 8am was early enough for that. So it was closed with glue.

Sure beats what I had to do with my 3rd, when she, at about the same age, split hers. I had to take her to the Hadassah, Ein Kerem, Emergency Room in a cab. I don't remember why we didn't go to Shaare Tzedek. Then after she was checked, we were put into a small room and I was given a suppository and told to "stick it in..." Well, I did. When she was unconscious I looked for medical staff. Yes, we were alone. She was stitched up, and I don't remember much more than that.

Besides the medical emergency it really was a nice Shabbat.

I have lots of dishes to do. I was at a synagogue meeting, and we voted to expand, finally.

This week I agreed to do administer the Oral Test (Interview) of the English Bagrut, in a couple of high schools. It's work but fun, and both schools are providing me with taxi service.

Yes, Israeli Buses

Something nice before Shabbat...

The OU Shabbat letter included a lovely story by Esther Heller about the less mentioned advantages of living in Israel.

As horrendous as our politicians are, your average Israeli is still wonderful at heart especially if you have to travel on public transportation.

I'll never forget what happened one day, well over thirty years ago, after I finished a very unpleasant visit to the American Consulate. It's located in "East Jerusalem" and staffed by Arabs. In those days, you had to walk through former "no man's land," where the old wall/border was. The closest bus stop was Sha'ar Shechem, the Damascus Gate.

Daughter #2 was just a toddler in a stroller and hadn't been all that quiet and passive while waiting in the consulate. I don't remember what my chore was there, maybe arranging passports...

I just know that when I finally made it to the bus stop, I must have looked awful. The bus driver got out of his seat, went down the stairs and carried my daughter, well strapped into her stroller, into the bus.

Compare that to my experience just two years later in Golders Green, London. We were on shlichut, for the Betar Youth Movement. I, in advanced pregnancy, was taking my eldest to school, accompanied by my then three year old. The bus stop we needed serviced two schools, so I waited until the other kids, unaccompanied, got off the bus for us to step down. As we stood, perched at the edge of the open bus, it began moving. My older daughter fell out, I began yelling at the driver to stop. Thank G-d we got off safely, but I was shocked that not only did the driver yell at me for not being fast enough. And even worse, from my Israeli perspective, not a single person helped me, neither physically withe the kids, not by telling the driver that he should have checked before driving.

When I told the story to my mother's British cousin, all she could say was:

"It was so much nicer here during the war." (WWII)

Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach
Have a Peaceful and Blessed Shabbat

KCC #25 The Great Green One

5X5=25
THE 25th KOSHER COOKING CARNIVAL!

Looking back, here's a listing of all the previous KCC's: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24.

If you're interested in hosting one, please don't be shy. It's great fun; just let me know which month you want.

The Kosher Cooking Carnival is in its third year already. It's not just a "recipe carnival." It includes posts about all different aspects of kosher foods, including:

Halachik Controversies
Traditions
Menus
Special Holiday Foods and
History
Cookbook and Restaurant Reviews
And, of course, recipes

There is no limit to the amount of posts you can send, as long as they fit the criteria. You may also send in links to other bloggers' posts.

Thanks Juggling Frogs for sending me He'brew Beers Reviewed by Hoosier Beer Geek posted at Tzvee.blogspot.com. And also for this interesting post from Seth's blog. JF has been really great, sending me lots of kosher food links; thanks! I many not have credited her with all of them, so please take this thankyou for them all.

Borei Minei V'samim, what a great idea from Ya'aqov!

The Babka Nosher gives us Zesty! Yummy!

Take a looks at Elisson's BACHELOR DINNER; it looks great.

Try these Latkes posted at Crunchy Granola Mom, who's a friend of Juggling Frogs.
Teddy sent in his latke recipe plus.
Here's my new version of potato latkes.

Rafi G. brings up a good point. Should the city of Afula tell its citizens how to make chulent?

Here's something special: A Simple Jew presents Erev Shabbos Chanuka. You must take a look. And read how A Simple Jew makes Sufganiyot, which are good to eat all year long.

Elisheva presents Yoshon/Chodosh Notices. Thanks Elisheva!

There's plenty of valuable information and bargains on Kashrut News, so take a look.

Try Mother in Israel's Microwave apple/pear sauce; it looks nice and easy.

Teddy's pizza looks yummy! He's definitely going ethnic with The Secret Of Hawaj - Yemenite Spice, too. And if you have some left-over beef, try his Meat Stew - With Beef Stock or Leftovers. I'm sure it's great, like all his recipes. And now for your favorite meat eaters, serve Teddy's Rib Roast.

You've most probably noticed that the majority of the posts here are from two bloggers, Juggling Frogs and Teddy. They are the two main kosher bloggers, and I'm happy to announce that together they have cooked up the most complete set of illustrated instructions for making challah. Note that I wrote "making" and not "baking," since this isn't about popping a pre-made challah from the freezer into the oven.

Eggnog is good all year long, at least I like it. Neighbors of mine make it for Purim and the lucky few get it with Mishloach Manot, but Treppenwitz makes it for Chanukah. Here's his recipe.

Gillian Polack gives us Vegetarian frying from 1891; let's try them. They seem very modern, actually.

Here's a different kind of "latke" from West Bank Mama.

Is this too green for you?!!



Here's my meal at Shammai 12, green, spinach ravioli in pesto sauce. You can't see the garlic, but it was sure there!

Teddy gives us Muffin Meatloaf And Potatoes a la Barbara; I must try it.

Getting away from recipes for a minute, how do you make your refrigerator Shomer Shabbat? It's not as easy as it used to be. All the great cooking in the world won't help, if the light goes on in the fridge when you open it.

Juggling Frogs shows us how to make your own colored sugars; bookmark that for Purim. I didn't use those things for my own kids, but now I'm a savta (grandma.)

Juggling Frogs sent Foods to Counteract Your Moods [Food] posted at Lifehacker. There are times I wonder what they fed the students where I work….

And I'm sure that Dark Chocolate Cranberry Blondies, posted at Baking Bites, will put everyone in a good mood.

Only Juggling Frogs can tell us how to make a bulk cookie cutter from tuna cans. And only our Juggling Frogs can find us a site with all sorts of useful formulae for things like Taco Seasonings and Brownie mixes. And here's another link she sent, Heart4Home's 9 Traits of Organized Kitchens. Now, to clean and organize my kitchen according to their suggestions.

Don't you wish that Ezzie had invited you to A SerandEz Thanksgiving?

Mother in Israel tells us how to save time in the kitchen. I remember when I was the cook in the local day care center, and I found I could cook for two days in a drop more time than for one. It's all in the planning.

Read about Manhattan's First Kosher Cheeseburger? It's posted on Jewish Blogmeister. And he also reviews a new soda. He's not just Jewish Music…

Juggling Frogs sentCrockpots -- not just for Shabbos anymore posted at Coffee and Chemo. This is a very inspiring blog, so read it, even if you don't have a crockpot.

I'm sure that my super-simple-one pot vegetable soup can be cooked in a crockpot. If you try it, please let me know how it comes out. Thanks.

OU's Kashrut News asks you to do a favor and answer the OU Survey: What Do You Want to Eat Next?

Now, finally, if you haven't yet heard it,

here's the story behind
the "cook" in the

Kosher Cooking Carnival logo.

That's it for this month. If you're interested in hosting a future KCC, please let me know, shilohmuse at yahoo dot com. Please submit your posts and any others you deem suitable for KCC via blog carnival.

Thanks to all of you, and please post and link this edition of KCC to your blog.

What Next?

That's my latest work of art, the hat with some tops I have to match. Now, my problem is what to crochet next.

A few years ago, before I crocheted hats, when I was still doing needlepoint, I met someone who told me how much fun she had crocheting hats. She also told me how many she had--dozens and dozens--I can't remember the exact number. But I do remember that my reaction was:

"I don't want to have so many hats. I don't need so many hats."

Then I ran out of wall space, and airplanes stopped allowing scissors (needed for needlepoint) so I began to crochet.

And, yes, I've lost count of how many hats I've crocheted. And yes, again, I don't need so many. But really, crocheting isn't that awful a vice. And I do wear hats every waking moment of the day.

My big problem is that I don't know how to crochet anything other than hats. OK, when my grandson gets older, I'll be able to crochet him kippot. I used to crochet for my daughter, but she does nicer stuff.

I have all sorts of yarn and string left over, and I'd like to use it, instead of buying more. That way the hats, or whatever, won't cost anything. Two of the colors I used in my last hat were left-over from other projects/hats.

Networking With The Greats

There has been anarchy in one of my classes. When teenage boys go wild, I'm not going to endanger my health. But one thing I must do is to blog about it and send the post to The Carnival of Education and get the advice of teachers from all over the world.

Here's the latest edition.

Easy, One-Pot Vegetable Soup

I must admit that, as I write this, the smell of the soup is driving me nuts, but it's only half an hour until the end of the fast.


Usually I make a two-pot vegetable soup, which is always delicious. But then I make too much, and I just made it last week during Chanukah, so I decided to make a quicker, easier and smaller one.

First thing I did was to take a handful of beans, check them, rinse them and put them in a pot with boiling water.

• I let them cook 15 minutes, then sit, covered*, for an hour.


• pour out the liquid, since people say that beans are easier to digest if you pour out the first liquid


• next some split peas, check, rinse, add to pot with more boiling water and cook at least a half hour. Sit covered.


• Then I added cut-up onion and carrots


• Tomato paste and rice and lots more water, and cook for an hour.

Put in salt, pepper and whatever a few minutes before turning off the flame. And let it "sit" a bit more.

*Cover with a heavy towel to keep the heat in the pot.

I hate fasting

Is it in bad taste (tasteless --oops again) bad pun, or anti-religious to say that I don't like fasting?

According to Jewish Law there are a number of fast days, which move so slowly, throughout the year. Today, the Tenth of the Jewish Month of Tevet, is one of them.

With the exception of Yom Kippur and the Ninth of Av, the fast days are only during daylight, from the first rays of the sun until darkness.

The 10th of Tevet is both the best and worst of the fasts. It's the shortest, because there are few daylight hours, and it's the worst, because it's so cold, and by not eating, I get cooolllllldddeeerrrrrrrrr and even cccoooooolllllllllddddddeeeeeerrrrrrrr.....

Sometime this after noon I'll probably cook a vegetable soup which is a great fast-breaker.

Rotten Return

When I entered the Teachers Room yesterday, after a nice long Chanukah vacation, I was rather surprised to see the "Supervisor," my boss from the Education Ministry. After that, if you can believe it, things went even further down hill.

It definitely could have been a better day.

A Teacher's Life

This is not original. It has been going around on the internet and was sent to me by a fellow teacher, a cousin of mine.

The Teacher Applicant

After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right: You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the state exams. You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English and Spanish by email, letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card. You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a chalkboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. You want me to do all this and then you tell me........ I CAN'T PRAY?"

This about sums it up!

Back to Work

It was so nice being on vacation, a week and a half, actually more.

I didn't do all that much, besides relax. And yes, go to the Dead Sea with a friend. It was Chanukah, and that's the winter break here. In Israel we live according to the Jewish Calendar.

This morning I have to get myself ready to greet all my students. I just hope that they're ready for me!

Recipes, The Carnival

No, not KCC. That's due to be served to you on Thursday. It's almost ready, just waiting any last minute guests, hint, hint!

The Carnival of Recipes is posted. There's a nice mix of recipes. Of course, some aren't kosher, but they can be ignored or adapted for the kosher kitchen. I just couldn't resist the dessert table...

Perfect Way to Start the Day

There's nothing more beautiful than a Shiloh sunrise in the winter...

A nothing more interesting to read with one's morning coffee than....

Here's the link.

www.CustomSignGenerator.com has hundreds of online image generating gadgets (banner ad maker, sign generator, label designer, custom e-cards, button creator, etc). Make your own words show up in images to use on your website or blog!

They Sure Don't Make Shopping Bags Like They Used To!

Who could ever resist that hot pink and black bag? Certainly not any of us from the '60's.

Davka, the New York Times has an article about the great shopping bags the stores are giving out with your purchases there.

Last week after buying the whole family Chanukah presents, I figured better safe than sorry* and bought myself some presents in "Crazy Line." The bag was worth it! And when I asked the saleswoman for some more bags, to make it easier to carry all the gifts, she was very generous. You would have thought I had ought myself a whole new wardrobe there, instead of just a few tops.

So, the message is, you don't have to shop in New York to get great, free shopping bags from stores.

*just to make sure I had some gifts, too, of course

A Couple of Things

First of all, take a gander at the latest Gantseh Megillah, filled with a great variety of articles.

And I'm busy with this month's Kosher Cooking Carnival. Please submit your posts and any you deem suitable for KCC via blog carnival. The Kosher Cooking Carnival is more than just recipes. Any post about kosher food or kashrut is welcome. If you're interested in hosting one, please let me know. Thanks

Teaching Tricks

This isn't "magic" tricks. This is about teaching tricks, meaning tricks for teachers. I read "How my day was saved" on Frumteacher and I remembered something I did recently at work.

I've been teaching EFL English here in Israel for ten years, into year eleven now, and up until just over a month ago, the "mefakachat," supervisor never showed. I know her, because she taught me "Testing and Assessment" when I did my teachers license a few years ago. We got along fine then.

But I went into a total panic when I heard that she was coming to visit and observe. My 10th grade group is a challenge. Sometimes the lessons are great, and sometimes... not so. Of course, that's the class she was going to observe. And I know those kids wouldn't cooperate.

I had been teaching them "questions," how to understand and how to write them. So I made up a form, with all the question words and space to write questions. They had to write questions to ask the guest. She got bored before they finished; they are sort of slow. So my "guest" wrote "answers" on the board and asked the kids to guess the questions.

I'd be lying to say that it was a rousing success, but it wasn't a total disaster.

For Shabbat

Do you see that funny little metal thing? It covers the "light fan switches" for the fridge/freezer, and it's attached by two small magnets. Do you want to guess how much it costs?

A couple of weeks ago, when I was sick of course, I couldn't get the Shabbat light-stopper to stay on. That meant that we could neither open nor close the fridge, since by opening it the light went on and closing it went off, which is forbidden on Shabbat.

On the old fridges it was easy. As soon as the fridge arrived we would just unscrew the bulb and live happily ever after, until the death of the fridge. Our previous fridge had a little thing which held back the light switch. We put it in Shabbat mode and that's how it stayed until we dumped the fridge.

We were told that this new one was more complicated and we spent a fortune for a little plastic thingee, which began misbehaving. Like some severely hyperactive kid, it just wouldn't stay put. This fridge isn't even two years old. I called the store and they said that I can buy a special "magnet."

OK, but the store is only open in the morning and not every morning. I finally made it there yesterday. The lady remembered my many calls and handed me this little metal thing. When I balked at the price, she even offered to hold my check in case it didn't work and only deposit it if I gave my OK. Yes, I could return it.

As You can see in the picture, it does work.

Do you want to guess the price? Would you believe ns100? Yes, one hundred shekels. At today's rate, that's $25- including tax!

But it's for Shabbat...

Catch It While You Can!!

Chez Gita is closing down. Yes, that lovely little restaurant on Chavatzelet Street in downtown Jerusalem.

Instead of my usual rushed felafel, I made a point of having a meal there and even treated myself to a piece of cake... which was so rich I couldn't even finish it.


I sat by the window and enjoyed the view. OK, you probably think I'm nuts to enjoy watching a "construction scene," but I always get a kick out of the reflections on windows.
There's a certain elegance to the restaurant, though some other diners were speaking so loudly, it was hard to control myself. I felt that I should join their conversation. The music was lovely; I tried to concentrate on that and the view.

If you can, pop in for a lovely meal or snack.

Good luck Gita...

Finally tried it out

For whatever reasons, I kept thinking that the Shammai 12 restaurant in Jerusalem was similar to the Hillel chain.


Maybe that's because the streets are parallel. But the Aroma chain is the one similar to Hillel. Shammai 12 is something else. It's one of those "Italian" ones.


I finally tried it out not long ago.


The waitress tried to talk me out of having spinach ravioli in pesto sauce. She said that many customers are turned off by so much green, but I liked it. The only mistake was that I was at a "social occasion," the screening of Refusenik afterwards, and I kept having to clean my mouth with mint strips because of the garlic.


The location, music and food, all fine.

EDUCATION-- Read all about it!

The Latest Carnival of Education is truly great! The various posts from all over the world deal with important issues.

Take a gander!

ps thanks to sara g for the correction

What's Your Favorite Chanukah Food?

What do you eat with your latkes?

Do you prefer yeast sufganiyot or the quickie type?

What's you favorite filling for sufganiyot?

In what type of oil do you fry all that special Chanukah Food?

Have you eaten in any good kosher restaurant lately?

Shemitta: How has it changed your life?

TU B'Shvat's approaching: What's your favorite fruit?

Do you celebrate the holiday with a special "Seder TU B'Shvat?"

and now...

If you've blogged about these things and other kosher food topics, and if you haven't... nu? How about it? Please send me your posts for the next

Kosher Cooking Carnival!

If you're interested in hosting a future KCC, please let me know, shilohmuse at yahoo dot com. Please submit your posts and any you deem suitable for KCC via blog carnival. The Kosher Cooking Carnival is more than just recipes. Any post about kosher food or kashrut is welcome.

Thanks

Strange Tag

I was tagged to the the 7 Strange Things About Yourself meme.

Now, strange and me, that's an easy combo. Let's start with the obvious...

1. I was actually double-tagged. I just got back from the morning in the Dead Sea and was excited to see two comments to my blog, both tags. One from Babka and the other from Fern Chasida. They had both been tagged by Juggling Frogs, and they both tagged me.
2. My married name (before we Hebraized it) rhymed with my "maiden" name; I went from Spiegelman to Winkelman.
3. Not only isn't "muse" my real name, but Batya isn't either.
4. I am one of the oldest female jbloggers. I know of one older than me, for sure.
5. But most people can't tell how old I am, since I inherited good genes.
6. I may be eligible for "senior discounts" before I decide what I want to do when I grow up.
7. My very first TV appearance, probably before most of you were born, was on the "Allen Berk Show," the summer of 1967. If you want details, please ask... yes, it would make a great post.

And I tag: my husband, (poor guy, being married to me can't be easy,) Cosmic X, Soccer Dad, The Muqata, and Joe Settler. And please, if anyone else is interested, please, post the meme and let me know.

The Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4. Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog

Must Get Picture CD's Organized

Somehow I must make time to put them in some sort of order, and it would help to get better "holders."

When my camera was new, I took some pictures at a friend's party and she said she never got them. At least I found them on the other computer. If I can't find the CD, I'll have to burn them again and email the pictures.

Other things to do now...

New Version of Potato Latkes

Yes, Baruch Hashem, the house was pretty full last night to celebrate the 7th night of Chanukah.

I tried a new version of the classic, raw potato Potato Latkes (pancakes.) Using my food processor, I shredded about half the potatoes, onions and a nice big carrot. Then I used the knife attachment to "chop" the rest really fine. Everything was then put in a big bowl with the eggs, seasonings and matzah meal to sop up the liquid. No, I don't pour out any liquid from the potatoes and onions, and I didn't soak the potatoes in water, nor did I bother peeling the potatoes.

Everyone agreed that it was a great success! Doing it this way is the "best of both worlds."

Exact measurements? Sorry. There's really no way of measuring exactly. I'd estimate that you should have approximately twice the bulk potatoes to onions. You can add carrots and squash. This isn't some exact chemistry formulae.

And this is our traditional game. Pin the candle on the Menorah.