I Need Sunshine!

I'm just not a winter person, not at all.

When I take a picture of what should be the bright sunrise and I get just white, I'm miserable.

Rain's predicted both today and tomorrow. Why can't it just rain at night, so we can wake up to a clean world and bright sunshine?

I tried editing the picture taken this morning, but it ended up looking like a sandstorm was coming from the east.

So I added a bit of color. Like it?

Here are some great sunrise pictures I've taken from my house on other winter days. It's sometimes glorious!!

Yes, I know that in a few months I'll complain about the heat, but I won't complain about the gorgeous sunrise!

Sufganiyot Made Easy! No Yeast!

This is my latest version of the Israeli fried doughnuts aka Sufganiyot, a favorite food for Chanukah. Our homemade version is absolutely nothing like the ones you can buy. I love the flavor of ours, and so do my children and grandchildren. For sure they are healthier, too. We make a batch every year at our Family Chanukah Party. This year the party was Friday lunch before Chanukah, since we're such a busy family, we couldn't find any other time to meet.

The Sufganiyot are dairy, made with a plain yogurt, Eshel-which has 4.5% fat. Of course you can use a lower-fat yogurt, but make sure it's pure yogurt and not adulterated with fillers to make it creamy. I've discovered some awful things about the American yogurts, which rarely have more than a symbolic 1/2 % fat. Check ingredients. You may be eating extra sugars and starches. This container has 200ml, just under a cup.

My basic recipe is derived from  one what used to be -is it still?- on packages of Israeli self-rising (white) flour. I first started preparing these Sufganiyot in the early 1970's.

Ingredients for a family-sized batch when you really don't want everyone to "pig-out." Of course they can all be doubled, tripled etc:

• bottle of vegetable (soy or canola) oil
• 1 2/3 cups of fine whole-wheat flour or 2 cups of white
• or if you have self-rising flour, then don't use the baking powder
• packet of baking powder, or recommended quantity according to the baking powder you have
• 1 Eshel 200ml, or 2/3 of a cup of plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs or 3 small/medium eggs
• a spoon of sugar and a dash of vanilla
• powdered sugar for decoration

Instructions:

• pour the oil into a small deep pot and bring to a boil
• mix the dry ingredients
• add the eggs, yogurt and vanilla
• The batter should be thicker than for pancakes/waffles.
• Test if oil is ready, by "double-spoon*" dropping a bit into the oil. If it gets all bubbly and the dough rounds and rises to the top, you can begin the cooking/deep-frying.
• Use less than a teaspoon for each, so they won't be too large, which can make it hard to cook thoroughly. 
• Don't overfill the pot.
• Remove with a slotted spoon, or a tea "filter," like the one I found in my gadget drawer.
• Place them on a plate or large bowl covered with white napkins or paper towels to absorb the oil.
• Open up one from the first batch to make sure it's fully cooked. You may have to recook it, adjust the flame etc. until you get the cooked/ready color right. It always happens to me!
• And then sprinkle powdered sugar! We give that job to the kids, since deep-frying has its dangers.

ENJOY!!!

*Watch my instructional video, double-spoon drop. It's the same technique as used for Kneidlach, Gefilte Fish etc.

Super Easy and Tasty Homemade Applesauce

We had all of the Israeli based descendants over for Friday pre-Chanukah lunch, since there wasn't a single evening during Chanukah when everyone was free to get together. And since this was the family Chanukah party gifts and all, so too was the menu. I fried your classic potato latkes, and one of my daughters brought over a half a dozen other sorts of "latkes" of all different vegetables. And since there was a vegan in attendance, she used mashed potatoes as a binder instead of eggs.

I made applesauce for the latkes. Here are the instructions:

Peel and cut up apples in a pot. Then add lots of cinnamon and some sugar, preferably brown. But white is OK if that's what you're used to. Then add some water and cook until soft.

Let it cool a bit and then mash it.

And you have the most delicious applesauce. 

ENJOY!! It's good on latkes or all by itself.

Movie-Like Win for the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions

After trailing "Team Eastman*," which is what I call the Petah Tikva Troopers - פתח תקווה טרופרס, pretty much the entire game, the Jerusalem "Big Blue" Lions managed a movie-finish touchdown to win the game  22:20.

And in all honesty, if you'd seen it in the movies, you'd say that it doesn't happen in real life. Right?



But honestly, now that you've seen the pictures and the video, you know that it did and does happen. The team did not give up, even when it looked like the game had been lost, and in that very last second before the final whistle could be blown, they got that touchdown!

And as is the custom, the players thanked the fans, and we thanked them!



*The coach and top players are from the very football-talented Eastman family, formerly Judean Rebels.

Jerusalem Walk, Old Train Tracks

Yesterday was a very long and busy day for me. It started just after 4am, and I finally crawled into bed close to 1am. I got to Matan twice! 

For some strange reason, when I posted the pictures from my phone to Blogger their order was reversed. So my destination is above the path I took.

I took the 6am bus from my Shiloh neighborhood to Jerusalem, and there was no traffic at all. After taking the light-rail at Ammunition Hill to Safra Square, Jerusalem Municipality WC, it was only 7:15 which gave me a full hour to walk to Matan, which I did! It was one of those perfect for walking days, which are a special treat mid-winter. Also, I was trying out my third pedometer app. Now I'm using one that is simply called Pedometer. After a bit of tweaking and getting used to, like having to turn it off when in a slow-moving vehicle, it's doing its job better than the others I have tried. And yes, that is how much I walked yesterday!

When I got to the Emek Refaim-Pierre Koenig-Ben Zakkai junction, I realized that this was a perfect day to walk the "track park" to Matan. It's full of "fitness playgrounds" for people of all ages, toddlers to adults. But I didn't have time to stop.

And this photo, below, is what I used for yesterday's 365project!

Old Jerusalem Train Tracks
I took a walk there this morning.

If you don't have the opportunity to walk, cycle, run/jog or skate it, at least enjoy the pictures.

PS All of the photos of the walk were taken with my new smartphone, Samsung J7.

Now Two Photography Groups, 365Project and 52Frames

Almost two weeks ago I decided to take on a new photography challenge. I had been hearing of the 365Project. I do photograph every day permitted by Jewish Law. So, I'm now Shilohmom.

Here are a couple of the photos I've already posted:

Could There Ever be Too Many Vegetables? #6
Cooking for our Jewish Sabbath, and we do eat a lot of vegetables. This is now baking in the oven.

Winter Sky in Shiloh, 9
I couldn't resist the gorgeous sky this morning. I had to stop and photograph it. This is the picture without any editing or enhancement at all.

If you're a member of the group, then please look for me, so we can "follow" each other.

I've been in 52Frames for years already, never missing a week. This week's Challenge was to combine two different challenges from the past year. Here's the photo I took:

"Silhouettes From A Different Perspective"
I just looked up and shot. Winter can be more photogenic than summer here in Israel.

What do you think? Which do you like best?

Yet Again 4/6, Too Bad I Don't Get Paid

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UPDATED- Still Trying to Find the "Perfect" Pedometer App

I had been using "walklogger" for quite awhile, but it just didn't record all my steps. I'd walk all around the Israel Museum, and it would say I had only taken about sixty 60 steps. Also, sometimes it would keep going back to a lower number and refuse to give me my "gold," "silver" or "bronze" medal.

So when I got my new phone, I decided to try a different application. This one is called Google "Fit," and it's not perfect either, sigh... This morning I walked down the hill so quickly, it registered as if I had ridden a bicycle. I must get used to it, of course. We must get used to each other...

I played around with it and hope that it will forget about the bicycle. I also deleted running. All I do is walk.

If you have any suggestions of a better free app, please let me know, thanks. I'd appreciate it, really.

... my third pedometer app. Now I'm using one that is simply called Pedometer. After a bit of tweaking and getting used to, like having to turn it off when in a slow-moving vehicle, it's doing its job better than the others I have tried. And yes, that is how much I walked yesterday!

A New Veggie, Hail for Kale, Hale and Hearty!

Last week my husband suddenly announced:

"I bought kale, and if it's good I'll buy it again."

That was my challenge; make kale for the first time. I had a vague memory of it being extremely healthy.

What's New and Beneficial About Kale

• Kale can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fiber-related components in kale do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they've been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it's easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels. Raw kale still has cholesterol-lowering ability—just not as much.

• Kale's risk-lowering benefits for cancer have recently been extended to at least five different types of cancer. These types include cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates in kale play a primary role in achieving these risk-lowering benefits.

• Kale is now recognized as providing comprehensive support for the body's detoxification system. New research has shown that the ITCs made from kale's glucosinolates can help regulate detox at a genetic level.

• Researchers can now identify over 45 different flavonoids in kale. With kaempferol and quercetin heading the list, kale's flavonoids combine both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits in way that gives kale a leading dietary role with respect to avoidance of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

I guess it is.

Kale Nutrition Facts

In just one cup of chopped kale, you’ll find: (2)

• Vitamin K (684% recommended daily value)
• Vitamin A (206%)
• Vitamin C (134%)
• Manganese (26%)
• Copper (10%)
• Calcium (9%)
• Potassium (9%)
• Vitamin B6 (9%)
• Iron (6%)
• Magnesium (6%)
• Folate (5%)
• Riboflavin (5%)
• Thiamin (5%)
• Phosphorus (4%)
• Protein (4%)
• Niacin (3%)
• Zinc (2%)
• Pantothenic Acid (1%)
• Selenium (1%)
• Sodium (1%)
• Omega-3 fatty acids (121 mg)
• Omega-6 fatty acids (92.4 mg)

I decided to make the kale with the rest of the vegetables, though add them at the end, so they wouldn't overcook.

First I had to clean the leaves which were terribly dirty. I soaked them in salted water and then kept on rinsing and rinsing. All the while the vegetables, onions, garlic, zucchini and carrots were cooking away.  They were in a good quality covered pan with just a bit of oil. When the vegetables were ready, I added the cut and cleaned kale.

It was delicious, a nice rich taste. All the guests seemed to like it, too.

Another Night Funeral

The Jewish custom is to bury the dead as soon as possible, so the nishama soul can return as quickly as possible to Gd and not have to wait. Here in Shiloh we have adopted the Jerusalem custom on nighttime funerals, including after Shabbat.

The little girl, who had fought cancer for about a year, died just before Shabbat. We were notified right after Shabbat, and she was buried last night. At least a couple of hundred people of all ages attended to accompany her body to its grave. We grieve for the loss of life and the pain of the parents, grandparents, siblings, extended family and many friends.

המקום ינחם

HaMakom Yinachem

May Gd Comfort The Mourners...

A Lovely Meal at MODERN, Israel Museum

I love that Mondrian look in Modern, Israel Museum

MODERN, the Kosher meat restaurant in the Israel Museum, offers wonderful food and has recently revamped its menu, making it even better than before. It still has its favorites, like the "Kadif" with Chicken and Nuts a la Jackson Pollak, which I ordered the other evening.

My dining partner and I started the meal with a nice big salad, which we shared. It was absolutely perfect in flavor, freshness and size. We also drank some excellent red wine. My dining partner ordered the Asada Steak, which had recently been added to the menu. It was a feast as you can see here. When the food was finished, all that remained was an amazing big bone, which was taken home for the family dog.

Nothing remained on our plates, and we had no room for dessert.

The food was excellent value for the money. Since it's at the Israel Museum, parking is free, and there are quite a few buses, too. And they have an area for private parties.

Open Hours

Sunday

12:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Monday

12:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Tuesday

12:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Wednesday

12:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Thursday

12:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Friday

11:00 am - 2:30 pm

Location and Contact Information

• Address: 11 Derech Ruppin | Israel Museum, Jerusalem 
• Phone Number: +972 2-648-0862