just discovered and a KCC reminder

Every once in a while I check out if there are any additional blogs on the Israeli "ring." Today, while my husband is still performing for the machers, and I'm exiled to the den and computer, I checked again.

Read what's coming out of Alfei Menashe, which isn't all that far away from here. There are bloggers all over.

And besides that, I'm sure that bloggers eat and probably cook, so that it shouldn't be a problem for everyone to blog something about food "anything as long as it's kosher" for the next Kosher Cooking Carnival. Please send your links to shilohmuse@yahoo.com or via the conservative cat form.

lots to do

I have lots to do. We're expecting some "machers" this morning. That means important people. So I really ought to get dressed, fix up the living-dining room, maybe bake a cake etc.

I'll report on it afterwards, though I may be hidden during the visit, due to my "undiplomatic" ways. But at least I must change the table cloth. "Someone" put a round one on, instead of an oval or rectangle which matches the size/shape. Should be my biggest problem...

and there's wash to hang outside... unless the sun doesn't show

Maybe I should just go shopping and leave

"Safe" medications

Is there really a "safe" medication without side effects, one that won't cause secondary problems?

Years ago, at the end of my third pregnancy, my blood pressure went up a bit, and the procedure in those days in England, where we were, was hospitalization. Those were the days when a mother stayed a week in the hospital after giving birth, rather than the few hours they're hospitalized today. So it's not like my life was in danger, or the numbers were really high. I ended up going there at night. They took my blood pressure which had gone up a bit more, which was probably due to the fact that I was leaving my two kids home, and the younger one had just come down with the chicken pox. Before going to sleep I was given two pills. The nurse couldn't or wouldn't say what? or why? so I was in a dilemma what to do. I didn't want to take medication, and nobody there could tell me anything about those pills. Finally, I compromised, considering that maybe they were important, and I took one, half the dose. I think they were valium, and I really didn't want any medicine at all. I wouldn't even take aspirins. The next day everything was fine, but I spent a week there while they tried to figure out why my blood pressure had risen. I wasn't ordered to take any other medication, though they offered quite a variety every day.

From what I've been hearing, prosaic is now extremely common, even for pregnant women. A recent article brings up the dangers to the unborn baby.

Another medication which doctors insist has no side effects and doesn't remain in the body or endanger it is Ritalin. Now they're saying that Ritalin "could have dangerous effects on the heart."

Another drug, Accutane, which is very popular and successful for curing acne, is also known to cause miscarriages and deformed babies . It's very hard for the doctors to enforce the "no pregnancy" rule in their patients taking the medication.

Very frightening, isn't it?

How far off?

A friend and I were just emailing about Pesach (Passover) plans. I said it's far off, and she said it's real soon.

Before this Pesach we have a quick trip to the states for a wedding, and before that there are three birthdays, and Purim's in the middle of the birthdays, and before the birthdays, my "baby" is supposed to return home, G-d willing, from a year in the states. So Pesach, which is all of two months away, seems very far away.

I guess it's all relative. It's all relative to whatever else is going on in one's life.

winter, dread

It's winter, real winter, today, and I dread going to work. This has nothing to do with work itself, or my studetns, better left undescribed. It also has nothing to do with the fact that the rain is so necessary for our existence. It's because last year I got so soaked just walking to the bus stop that I almost went back home. Instead I called the office and asked the secretary to get me dry shoes and socks. She thought I was joking. I insisted that I was serious. There was no way that I could teach in dripping wet boots, socks and clothes. So she got someone to bring me dry shoes and socks for the lessons, while my own dried out a bit. I wore plastic bags in my boots on the way home.

I just can't bear the thought of going through that again. Also, on Tuesday I waited a full hour in Beit El until I got a ride to Ofra. I just can't do it in the freezing rain. Am I getting old, burnt out or both?

Great News!

No more need to buy those expense faux foods to avoid cholesterol and be healthy! You can have your butter and not feel guilty!

According to The New York Times:
Low-Fat Diet Does Not Cut Health Risks, Study Finds
That's right!

And if you want to know other ways of saving money, read the:Festival of Frugality #9

Enjoy!

in the kishkes

At Amona the police hit the Jewish demonstrators "in the kishkes," "guts," to cause internal injuries, but this post is about a different type of "kishkes." It's about my first attempt to cook "kishke."

Kishke is a traditional Jewish food, at least for Ashkenazim, that's the community that spent a few hundred years in Europe. It can be described as a type of starchy sausage. The genuine article was probably stale bread and fats slowly cooked in intestine casing. Yeah, it sounds pretty disgusting, but...

...nowadays it's generally made pretty differently and wrapped in things like aluminum foil, baking (parchment) paper and similar things.

I grated an onion and carrot in the food processor.
Then I combined it in a bowl with about 1/3 cup of oil and
an egg or two
some spices, salt, pepper, paprika
and mixed it all up with matza meal
until it was almost solid
then I rolled it in cylinders in the baking paper
and placed them on top of chulent

OK, what's chulent
It's a slow cooking stew, traditionally served on Shabbat. It's started before Shabbat and then cooks all Friday night until Saturday (Shabbat) lunch.
The chulent I made last week, which got raves from the frequent critics, was simple.

First I browned a few pieces of stew meat with an onion,
then I added beans which were partially cooked, or use canned beans,
then some large chunks of potatoes and water to cover
It was already simmering when I placed the kishkes in.

I added more water before Shabbat, since it seemed to need it.

Then it wasn't touched until I served it late Saturday morning.

The critics loved it!

All in the family...

I was talking to a friend the other day, post-Amona. She's from a large family, siblings all pretty similar religious life-style, dress the same etc. There's one difference. One of them thinks my friend's a bad mother, because her kids go the pro-Eretz Yisrael demonstrations, like staying in Gush Katif to try to prevent Disengagement.

The siblings try to stay away from politics when they're together, which admittedly is pretty tough in Israel.

Of course, my friend's kids were in Amona, and she was in frequent touch, via the cell phone. During one call, she was told that Cousin X was there, too.

"How could that be? I just spoke to my sibling who insists that none of those cousins would ever do something so foolish, dangerous and irresponsible!"

"Do you think I don't know my own cousin, who incidentally, had an arm in a sling?"

So she called her sibling.

"Do you know where X is?"

"In school, of course!"

"Well, I don't know how to tell you this, but my Y just saw X in Amona." She was kind enough not to mention the sling.

"Ridiculous! Impossible! I'm calling X immediately!"

It took X a few days to make contact with parents, most probably due to the threatening messages, or maybe X was waiting until there was no need to wear a sling.

Ani Yerushalmi, I am a Jerusalemite

The famous Israeli singer, Yoram Gaon's recent statements don't really surprise me. We lived in his grandfather's house.

The movie, "Ani Yerushalmi," "I am a Jerusalemite" came out in 1971. We were living in the "old city" of Jerusalem, within the walls at the time. We were in Maon Betar. One evening some people came by and told us stories about the building, which had been owned by the "Kukiya" family, which owned many buildings in the city. The people told us that Yoram Gaon's grandfather had lived in the building, and they showed us which room was his.

"Ani Yerushalmi" is Mr. Gaon's movie. (I haven't seen the movie for decades, so I'm trusting my memory.) It begins by traveling the road "up to Jerusalem" while Yoram Gaon is singing about the city. He then enters the "old city" and tells us that he's off to his grandfather's house. What a thrill it was to hear him say that and know that we were living in that very same building.

Soon after, my husband got a part-time job in the Jerusalem municipality, and the old men he was working with told him a story. Yoram Gaon's father used to work there, in the same office. He was a very religious man. One time when he and one of the other workers were traveling somewhere, they passed the Hadassa Ein Kerem Hospital. The elder Gaon said: "When I die, make sure they don't take me there." He didn't trust them; he didn't want to be autopsied.

A few weeks later, the elder Gaon told his friend that he just needed to sit for a few minutes. Suddenly he was dead. His friend remembered the request and got some heart medicine from someone and put it in the dead man's desk drawer. That way they could tell the authorities that he had suffered from heart trouble, so there wouldn't be an autopsy.

The 1973 Yom Kippur War was a terrible time in Israel. The country was in danger of annihilation. Syrian forces from the North and Egyptian from the South were over-running the country. There were many dead and wounded soldiers. Celebrities from all over came to try to cheer the troops. My husband was then working in PR in Shaare Tzedek Hospital and Danny Kaye came over from Hollywood, (and he didn't get me an autograph.) I heard from a friend who said that her husband reported that Yoram Gaon came to visit the troops, but all the famous singer could do was hug the soldiers and cry.

And now Yoram Gaon is showing his love for the country for the Land of Israel by being brave and saying something that will make his "friends" angry. He's seeing the connection of the kids who demonstrated at Amona with those who established the kibbutzim before the State of Israel was restored. He's asking the question all should ask:

It would be a good idea to think long and hard about this: When the regime fights the people of Amona, who is it actually fighting? Are these youth the State of Israel's real enemy?

I wish I hadn't said "yes"

A few weeks ago my son had this "great idea" and asked me if we could try, in honor of his cousin's upcoming Shabbat visit, baking a "fruit crisp" like her mother makes. Considering that he was going to do it, and he's a great cook, I agreed, though my usual cakes are of the simple "one bowl" variety.

Step one was to google, since I had never made anything like it. I found something that seemed pretty easy and printed off the ingredients and instructions.

We went over them, since reading English isn't his greatest talent.

This is what I printed out (sorry but I didn't save the link):

INGREDIENTS:
5 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup water

PREPARATION:Arrange sliced apples in a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl, combine the sugars, flour, and oats; stir in melted butter. Spread mixture over the apples. Pour water evenly over top. Bake in a 375° oven for 30 minutes, until apples are tender and top is nicely browned.

Did you notice something? No, so I'll continue.

He really wanted one with cranberry sauce like his aunt makes, but we couldn't find any in our store, so I bought canned strawberries, which he mashed up. Yes, we made changes, besides the usual margarine for butter.

On the sliced apples he put brown sugar. OK, now what did the instructions say? The sugar is for the topping, so we had extra sugar in the fruit. He mixed the strawberry mush with the flour and oats and added more sugar. Not quite like the instructions said.

Yes, this was very sweet and very delicious and very addicting, and since then we made it again, and I find it totallyirresistiblee. And we made it a little differently, with sliced peaches, from a can, on the apples, and liquid from the can instead of water. No extra sugar, but it was sweet, very sweet.

So I guess it's one of those "no fail" recipes. So let's call it: "No Fail Fruit Crumble" or "Diet Killer Crumble"

Good idea?

I feel better knowing that schools in other parts of the world have trouble getting the kids to attend school. Over the years we've tried all sorts of unsuccessful methods. Now, here's an article in the New York Times, telling how some schools have improved attendance.

Just plain bribery. It may seem silly, but works. I think most parents would tell you that kids do want rewards, even for the simplest things, even for the things they should be doing from their hearts or their own benefit.

As an EFL, English as a foreign language teacher, my classes suffer very seriously from absenteeism. It's making it harder and harder to move the class along, when I have too many kids absent. And English is not the type of subject that one can cram easily.

Now, what can we give them, since we can't afford a car?

Urban renewal vs urban desertion

Residents of Gush Etzion always considered themselves the "elite" of YESHA, part of "consensus." Many don't consider themselves as "settlers" and refuse to take part in the struggle for Eretz Yisrael.

Recently they were shocked and traumatized when not all of their regional council was included within the ghetto walls mutilating our precious Land. Now for another slap in the face. Their buses will no longer go through downtown Jerusalem. Their bus routes were our envy. We in the Binyamin Local Council and the Shomron have a less convenient bus. It goes via Romema, Shmuel Hanavi, Ramat Eshkol, French Hill and Pisgat Zeev.

The new terminal for the Gush Etzion and Hebron area buses will be the Malcha train station with a stop at the Malcha Mall. This will more than double the travel time to downtown Jerusalem and the popular neighborhoods the buses used to go through.

There is something much worse about the changes, much worse than the logistical inconvenience. This is another attack on the downtown businesses!

Jerusalem, like many other cities all over the world, is suffering from "mallitis," the growing popularity of malls, which is taking a big chunk out of the economic viability of downtown businesses. By removing the suburban bus routes from the center of town and the Jerusalem Central Bus Station, the government is weakening the center of the city.

Whether weather, or not?

I'd really like a constant weather report on my toolbar. For awhile, I had the weather bimbo up here, on me-ander, but she didn't have a Jerusalem weather report and spent her time waving a flag. As a said, she was a real bimbo.

There's some sort of yahoo option, but yahoo is the worst of spyware, from what I understand. It's bad enough that I use the email, but to have a yahoo spy on my computer, recording and reporting everything we write and receive... too much for me. Remember, I'm the one who tells the telemarketing fundraisers: "I don't give by telephone." And then I'm happy when they hang up. Why should I give my credit card number to an unknown voice on the phone?

So, I don't know of any way to have an easy "no-step" or "one-step" way of checking the weather forecast.

Education #52

The Carnival of Education #52 is really a great one. The issues brought up are important. There is something for everyone to read.

Take a gander!

not mundane

Honestly, I don't think that the Carnival of the Mundane is mundane. It has lots of good posts, including...
take a gander!

And just a reminder to start sending me your kosher food posts for The Kosher Cooking Carnival!

The Mundane, again

It seems so strange to be dealing with the mundane of Shabbat preparations, when others are in pain, physical pain from the terrible injuries caused by police brutality. I have to finish cooking and cleaning. Last night I wrapped the gifts for Hallelie and Porat. Yes, they're all coming for Shabbat.

So, I'll just get off the computer for a bit.

No more film?

My sister's a professional photographer, arty type pictures. Not the "smile, say cheese" variety. Her portfolio has lots of black and white. She even has used a giant old fashioned camera with giant negatives. I'm just an ordinary photographer with an ordinary film camera. It's not an antique; I consider it new.

But according to the experts it's almost a dinosaur. I like my camera. I've sold gorgeous pictures I've taken with that camera. It's so easy to use, and I'm a real pro at changing film.

I'm starting to prepare myself for the unpleasant fact that my next camera will be a digital. I won't go into "Foto Nir" with the film in my hand, and he won't have my name written on the envelope before I get to the counter. It'll be different, very different. I'll probably go in with a disk and tell him what to print. Or I'll do it all by ordering online and then wait for the pictures, and even little album books to come in the mail.

Obviously, I'm not afraid of the 21st century, or I wouldn't be typing this out on the computer.

I just hope that the digital cameras will be easier to use for middle-aged eyes, and I hope that the batteries will last much longer. My film camera doesn't need constant recharging or new batteries.

Help me out. What do you recommend?

It's not new, but...

Considering what has been going on recently, this is quite topical.

Crossing The River

Three men were hiking through a forest when they came upon a large, raging violent river. Needing to get on the other side, the first man prayed, "God, please give me the strength to cross the river."

Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs and he was able to swim across in about 2 hours, having almost drowned twice.

After witnessing that, the second man prayed, "God, please give me strength and the tools to cross the river."

Poof! God gave him a rowboat and strong arms and strong legs and he was able to row across in about an hour after almost capsizing once.

Seeing what happened to the first two men, the third man prayed, "God, please give me the strength, the tools and the intelligence to cross the river.

" Poof! He was turned into a woman. She checked the map, hiked one hundred yards up stream and walked across the bridge.

GO AHEAD!
SEND THIS TO A WOMAN WHO NEEDS A GOOD LAUGH AND TO ANY MAN WHO CAN HANDLE IT!

Honestly, don't you think that things would be better if women ran the world!?

Pray for Yechiam ben Rachel

Refuah Shleimah to Yechiam ben Rachel
He was beaten by the police at Amona, and now is fighting for his life.

The Best Movie Theater

Years, ok, decades ago, my husband and I went to the movies a lot, an awful lot. Sometimes we'd go to two movies a day. Our first date was to see a movie.

In recent years, quite a few actually, I haven't been to a movie theater at all. It's not that I haven't seen movies.

One of the reasons is that I'm not comfortable sitting in the seats. I just found myself miserably in pain. And, especially in Israel, where so many people are reading the subtitles, there's a lot of noise, since people talk and don't care that they can't hear. And finally, movies are expensive to see.

There's also no reason to see the movies when they're "new." It's not like a newspaper. Good movies are just a enjoyable months and years after release.

The last time I saw a movie at the movies was when I went to see the Andy Kaufman movie, "Man From the Moon." That's because Andy and I went to school together, Great Neck North.

Since then, the only movies I see are on the VCR and DVD. I can put up my feet without being yelled at by the ushers. I can get up whenever I want for a break of any sort. That's what "pause" and "stop" are for. I can eat what I want and get phone calls. I can fold the laundry and entertain friends. I can eat popcorn with just the right amount of salt sans food coloring. I can watch movies at any time of the day or night.

I can buy the movies I want for less than the price of a few tickets. When I was in NY a couple of weeks ago, I found a couple of great stores for DVD's. KMart and a store in the Manhattan Mall. In the MM store, lower floor, they had some great movies for $14- two for $25 and four for $40- I bought a couple, and then asked my parents, 80 plus, how much a senior ticket cost in the local theater. They said $5- Meaning that even two discounted tickets cost the same as a DVD of an old movie, if you're buying four. Friends and family can share them. Today they're available in libraries, just like books. There's really no reason to go to the "movies," pay a fortune per ticket and then be forced to pay inflated amounts in the movie kiosk, or snack bar. In many places, it's forbidden to bring your own food from home. It think that they purposely spray the place with popcorn odor to make us hungry, so we'll buy junk food during the intermission.

If it's a good movie, you can, and will want to, see it more than once. So definitely the best movie theater is your own home!