Monday, November 27, 2023

Nice Healthy Lunch, Vegetables with Eggs

 


A half of a gorgeous orange squash had been staring at me for days from the top shelf of the refrigerator door. I felt inspiration. Did it really want to be the "nest" for an egg? 

I decided to give it a try. 

I cut up onion, squash and tomato and put it in a deep frying pan. Then on top I put two "rings" of the squash, added some oil, covered and cooked it until soft.

Finally, I put an egg in the hole, covered and cooked some more.

The rest is history.

Give it a try making it your own, different vegetables, some cheese on top.

Tell be how yours came out, your variations etc.

Enjoy

Thursday, November 23, 2023

First Time Baking Simple Rye Bread

Yesterday I planned on buying plain whole wheat pittot to use for sandwiches when I travel very early in the morning to Jerusalem for classes in Matan. I've discovered that I function better (meaning stay more alert and awake) if I eat a "good breakfast" before classes. 

Although not my usual menu, I've discovered that a sandwich on whole grain bread seems to do the trick best. That's why I wanted to buy some sort of whole-wheat bread/pitta. They would take up less room in my fridge's limited freezer than rolls. I found a bag, but then for some inexplicable reason, I read the ingredients. Hmmm, there were all sorts of additives, and I lost my appetite for them. 

So the intrepid baker, yours truly, went to the flour section and searched for whole-wheat flour. I couldn't find any. All they had were the 70% and 80% whole-wheat, but there was 100% rye flour. So, I decided to give it a try. 

Just two problems. 

1-Although I've been baking challah for decades, I've never baked simple bread.

2- I've never used rye flour, which I understand reacts differently from wheat.

I began googling, and most recipes had too many ingredients and seemed too complicated. Then I found Easy recipe for 100% rye bread from Virtuous Bread. Nothing could be easier. It doesn't need a mixer, and it includes only four ingredients including a pinch of salt. Following is what I used.

300gram flour, 250gram water (from the faucet,) tablespoon of brown sugar, pinch plus of coarse salt, Tablespoon of dehydrated yeast.

The only equipment you need:

a large bowl, two big mixing spoons, measuring cups and a "loaf" pan for baking

Directions:

In the large bow mix yeast in the water. Leave it a few minutes, until the yeast liquifies.

Add the flour and salt to the water, mix. I had to add more water. You'll get a sticky gob, but don't worry. You don't have to knead the dough.  Keep mixing with the spoons.

When the mush is mixed, pour (using the two spoons) it into the loaf pan. Instead of greasing the pan I used baking paper. 

Then let it sit at least two hours, covered loosely by a plastic bag. Don't bake until it fills the pan and seems to have a least doubled.

Bake at 200C for about 40 minutes. I think that next time I'll lower it to about 170 once it looks crusty and then keep baking an baking.

When it's ready, have it cool on a rack. After I made my sandwiches I sliced the remaining. 

I made my 


Here's the rye bread, recipe note on top

This must be the world's easiest bread recipe. I mixed it with a spoon. I didn't have to knead it, just poured the gop into the pan and let it sit, covered, for a few hours. Then I baked it in a hot oven. 

avocado and tomato in between slices of the rye bread


Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Winning Slogan ביחד ננצח Together We Win

I must admit that when I first saw pictures like these, I thought they were fakes, had been photoshopped. But the eggs were in the tray of 30 I bought last week. Not all the eggs have the message ביחד ננצח Together We Win Yachad Ninatze'ach, just a few of them. Law requires that "expiration date" and size be stamped on the egg.


ביחד ננצח Together We Win

ביחד ננצח Together We Win

These paper towels also have the message, plus a flag. Patriotism, thank Gd, is very popular here. 

I dressed in blue and white today, also.


עם ישראל חי

AM YISRAEL CHAI

PEOPLE OF ISRAEL LIVES

Thursday, November 09, 2023

It's a Very Good Time to Pray Together, Rosh Chodesh Kislev

Rosh Chodesh Kislev is just a few days away.



Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan was a two day Rosh Chodesh, the first on the 30th of Tishrei and the second on the first of Marcheshvan, so because of the ongoing war, a defensive war against Gazan Hamas terror, we women prayed together at Tel Shiloh, Ancient Shiloh, Shiloh Hakeduma on both days. A record number of women came to pray together. 

This year's Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5784 is just one day, Tuesday November 14, 2023 at 8:30am. 

תפילת נשים בשילה הקדומה ראש חודש כסלו תשפ"ד יום ג' 14\11\2023

Full activities at Shiloh Hakeduma, Ancient Shiloh may not be on because of the war, but we can still pray togther. 

Shiloh is the Biblical location for Women's Prayers, which is why I started inviting women to join me on Rosh Chodesh many years ago.

Gd willing may we speedily celebrate a true victory over our vicious enemies!



Monday, November 06, 2023

Book Review: Innocent Spouse, Spookily Prophetic Re:Today's Gaza War vs Israel and Unabashed Anti-Israel Campaign

Over a month ago, we heard from Leonard Getz, a member of our "Betar circle of friends," who said that he and his wife would be in Shiloh to see the archeological site and hoped to see us, too.  A neighbor and I took them around to give the "grand tour" of Shiloh, including picking grapes from my mini-vinyard. Before they left, Len mentioned that he had just written and published a book. I was immediately interested and told him that I review books, so he offered me Innocent Spouse book to review, I had no idea then that Innocent Spouse  would have such timely relevance. 

I began reading Innocent Spouse just before Hamas attacked Israel in such a shockingly brutal and perverse way.  Unlike my memories from the 1967 Six Days war of Jewish unity praying for Israel, and silence from others, this there are now virulent massive anti-Israel propaganda and demonstrations all over the world, including the United States, on the streets, universities and media.

Innocent Spouse is a murder mystery. Sandra Wolf, an ambitious young journalist is suddenly incommunicado the same time that a series of controversial articles of hers are published in a rival newspaper to the one she works for. Liz, her friend/student/protégé is determined to find her, especially since the police refuse to get involved. Liz's father is an IRS agent who audits businesses trying to discover what they're hiding. Liz, her father and her boyfriend end up discovering not only that Sandra was murdered, but also that a neighborhood Islamic group is not quite what appears on the surface plus its connection to the newspaper Sandra had worked for. 

Innocent Spouse alludes to the growing power Moslem Americans, which is more obvious now than ever before. I decided that I had to ask Getz a few questions.
1-Did you write Innocent Spouse to reveal a reason for the massive anti-Israel demonstrations in the states?   I began working on this novel in 2015. It took me 7 years to write it, so the answer to this question is no.

2-Are you surprised by the grassroots American sympathy for the Hamas terrorists, which seems stronger than for their Israeli victims?   Most, if not all of the vocal support in America for Hamas is from leftists and, not surprisingly, Islamists. I am surprised by its intensity, exemplified by tearing down posters of hostages including children.

3-How did you come up with the idea of exposing radical Islam's insidious influence on American life?  You write about what you know. Having worked for the IRS for 40 years I know about taxes and the workings of the IRS; after retirement I worked part time for the Middle East Form focusing on Islamists in Philadelphia. I’ve been writing about media bias for many years as well. I put all this knowledge in a pot and stirred until ready.

4-Had you foreseen that the book would be so timely?  Two recent events in Philadelphia were so uncannily similar to my novel that several readers commented that they thought about my book when they took place point, some even calling it prophetic. One, a 17 year old who had been radicalized over the internet had purchased bomb making materials etc. and was arrested by the FBI. Two, a young journalist was found murdered in his home. But as far as events in Israel now, that I did not foresee. I don’t think anyone has.
I must congratulate Leonard Getz on his retirement profession as mystery writer. Innocent Spouse is a fascinating book, which was a finalist for the Silver Falchion Award for Best Mystery in 2022. And it was also a finalist in the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Mystery. I look forward to reading his next one. Innocent Spouse is available in both paperback and kindle.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Conservatarian Press (November 10, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 339 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1957586206
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1957586205