Friday, June 07, 2019

Shavuot Menu, Keeping it Easy

Maybe someday I'll still do it. A number of years ago, I started writing a cookbook which I named:
The Lazy Cook Cookbook
For some strange reason, people told me that the title is awful. Am I the only person who looks for easy ways to prepare food? I don't like recipes that have too many steps and too many ingredients. Those of you who have seen my recipes already, must have noticed that they're pretty minimal.

Those of us who live very Jewish lives, according to halacha, Jewish Law, will be celebrating the Shavuot Holiday immediately after Shabbat. That means that since it's forbidden to do any preparation, whether cooking, setting the table or even cutting a salad on Shabbat for the Holiday, even the fanciest balabustas, Jewish housekeepers, should keep it pretty simple. The family and guests, if you have any, will want to eat as soon as possible, no doubt.

That's why I decided to serve me and my husband cream cheese, lox and salad. That's not something we have frequently or at all. I may serve a dairy vegetable kugel, which should heat up pretty easily, but I still have to make it today. With the added treat of ice cream for dessert, we should be ready on time to go to a Torah class. Neither of us learn all night anymore. We're not as young as we used to be.

For Shavuot "lunch," after synagogue, I'll make a version of my "one pot baked fish and vegetables" in advance. We don't have any guests for that meal either, so I can cook exactly what we need to eat.

Ever since we both began to "diet," I try to serve us only what we need. The only "unlimited" foods I have on the table are salad and low carbohydrate vegetables. We've never been on "starvation diets." Just the thought of one makes me gorge on forbidden foods. When we have guests, I put out more food, but many of our guests are "repeats" and have the same food preferences as we do.

I bought a couple of special cheeses as Shavuot treats, besides the ice cream. We won't starve for sure.

Soon I'll go to our local swimming pool, and then after breakfast I'll cook, Gd willing.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Shavuot Sameach To All

2 comments:

rutimizrachi said...

Sounds like we eat similarly. Simple, pure food, not more than we need. (We've taken to avoiding the ice cream part, but that's just because I think we've had a lifetime's share of sugar already. Coach doesn't agree 100%, but he is cutting back, b"H. I need him to live to be really old, in good health, and I'll do whatever I can get away with to help that to happen.)

I like your cookbook title, and think it would cause me to pull it off the bookstore shelf. (This may not be saying much, however. You've seen the titles of my books. I may not be the best judge of a good title...)

Shabbat shalom, and chag Shavuot sameach!

Batya said...

Another sign of how much we have in common...

I guess we're going to have to work on my books. I need a coach/mentor for that. And I do have another possible cookbook title, a bit punny.