Another Creative Easy-to-Make Salad

The only equipment you need for this salad is a food processor/grater/shredder.

Yes, those are the ingredient:
carrots, apples, raisins and celery root (celeriac)

• Shred everything but the raisins. 
• Add the raisins and shredded vegetables and fruit to a bowl.
• Pour some olive oil 
• mix and then add freshly squeezed lemon juice.

That's it! You can add seeds and/or nuts, too. Tell me how it comes out, OK! 

Prevent the Salmon from Drying Out

When I serve a fish meal to me and my husband on a Jewish Holiday, I usually run into a sticky situation. The salmon cooks more quickly than the vegetables. So this year I wrapped the fish in foil, adding lemon and garlic to it. And then I put it all in the oven, so we'd have a perfect "one pot meal" on Shavuot.

Getting all Modern

This was my computer. You can see the dirt on the mouse and the mess of the keyboard. You can also see that I still had the old boxy screen. Luckily you can't see all the dust and sand on the desk. And in this photo the screen isn't having one of its epileptic attacks.

And now for a drum-roll:

Sleek new screen and black keyboard and mouse. New tower, too with more memory, more powerful, quicker. My old one was very 20th century and now I've entered the 21st.

Just a Gazillion Years Ago...

I don't know why I'm being so coy all of a sudden about my age. I could say how many years ago these photos were taken, and if  you search through the blog or have been reading it for a long time, you can easily discover when I celebrated a very big significant birthday. But this morning, I feel like being discreet and rather secretive.

Yes, another drumroll...
Here I am with my mother and father. They must have had switched holding me and taking the pictures.

Considering that I look barely a month or two old in the photo, it was taken in Brooklyn, where I was born and lived until at the age of seven 7 months when we moved to Bell Park Gardens, Bayside, NY.

Abstractly 52Frames

This week's theme for 52 Frames is Abstract, and each year I have more fun with it. I took a number of shots which I didn't use:

And now for the drum roll....

Here's the one I chose.

"Up and Away"
I looked up and shot this at the Jerusalem Light Show. Although I had been taking lots of photos in all sorts of genres and locations for this week's challenge, Abstract, this very simple blue and white, slightly blurred photo stands out. At least, that's how I feel. Sometimes, simple is perfectly abstract.

Camera: Canon Canon IXUS 145
Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Did I make a mistake?

Jerusalem Light Show, 5776, 2016

As I had mentioned in yesterday's post about an absolutely delicious meal at Piccolino, last week my friend and I went to the annual Jerusalem Light Show.  Even though it started pretty late, once the sky was getting dark at 8pm, there were many families with young children traipsing through the alleyways of the Old City.

I don't know the official numbers, but it was obvious that thousands and thousands of people were there with us. Especially considering that it didn't cost any money to attend, it's one of the must-sees on the Jerusalem calendar. They give out free maps and explanations showing a variety of routes to follow. Above head there are strings of colored lights. Each color signifies a different route.

Here are some of the photos:

Delicious Dessert in Piccolino

During my most recent meal at Piccolino, 12 Yoel Solomon Street, Jerusalem, phone: 02-6244186, they recommended that my friend and I share this luscious dessert. I'm not sure what they call it, since one generally just chooses from a "dessert cart/tray."

My friend and I had just happily polished off/shared two delicious low calorie salads, the Seared Red Tuna and the Health Salad, with lots of black lentils and other healthy treats, so decided that we deserved dessert. We weren't sorry at all!  Afterwards we worked hard trying to burn off some of the calories by walking around Jerusalem's Old City at the Light Show.

Easy and Fun Home "Chocolate Workshop"

As I had quickly blogged last night, now you'll see and hear about the chocolate workshop I made for my older grandchildren. Last week, when I asked my daughter what to bring for Shabbat, she replied that I should get some treats-sweets for the kids. That's not my specialty at all, as most people may know. For me personally, fruits, nuts and dried fruit would be the perfect treat, but I know that younger generation. They would not appreciate that food genre at all. So, I asked my daughter for a more specific suggestion, and she said "chocolate." Now, that wasn't helpful enough for me. They have chocolate in the house all the time, and there isn't much in cute children's parve (non-dairy) to get as a treat.

So as I was trying to figure out what to do, I noticed something new at the entrance to Rami Levy on display with the silicone cupcake and muffin pans, silicone pans/molds with tiny shapes for making chocolates. I picked up two of different types of shapes and then in the supermarket I got some 60% chocolate bars (parve of course,) and in my local grocery store I bought colored sprinkles and white chocolate chips. I figured that the kids could first put the sprinkles or white chocolate chips in the molds and then pour the melted chocolate over it, and the resulting chocolates would have fillings and toppings and whatever.

To keep the kitchen table from getting dirty full of chocolate, my daughter covered it with clear plastic, which could be easily gathered and dumped afterwards.

There are two basic ways to melt the chocolate, and you're best with a plain bittersweet which will give a little contrast to the "trimmings," whether sprinkles, fruit or nuts.

1. We made a  double-boiler of sorts by putting two metal jar lids in a pan of boiling water and then on top of them a heat resistant bowl which had the chocolate to melt. I added a bit of oil to make it easier to pour and guarantee that it would easily fill the molds. As you stir, you'll get the feel for it. 
2. Melt in a microwave on a very low short setting, stopping periodically to stir and add the oil. My daughter felt that we'd have more control by using the stove, which we did.

The kids aged 13 down to 5 1/2 all had great fun. They took turns waiting until a batch was ready and the mold emptied. They even asked to melt some white chocolate chips to make a black/white chocolate. To speed up the hardening, we placed the molds in the freezer. When each batch hardened, we took out the fancy chocolates by turning over the molds and pushing the pretty candies onto a plate covered with "baking paper." Then each child put his/hers into a container and in the fridge.

For a more taste-sophisticated Home "Chocolate Workshop" you can add mint extract or liquor to the chocolate or even a bit of strong concentrated orange juice or coffee. And of course, instead of the sprinkles and white chips, you can use fruit, nuts and/or seeds.

Here are some photos from our workshop: 

If you try it, please tell me how it turns out, thanks.

Coming Attractions: The Chocolate Workshop

Gd willing the plan for tomorrow's post here is to tell you how I put together a "homemade" Chocolate Workshop for the grandkids, so stay tuned....

Sneaking into Shul

There's a synagogue in our Rami Levy supermarket, Sha'ar Binyamin. During afternoon and evening there are always calls on the loudspeaker inviting people aka men to doven (pray) Mincha and Ma'ariv, the afternoon and evening prayers. There's no women's section, no mechitza. But periodically, when I need a place to either say Tihillim, (Psalms) or Mincha I sneak in when it's empty.

And that's what I did yesterday. Before signing into work at Yafiz, I realized that, as I had gotten to work by tremp, hitchhiking, I hadn't said them.

Best Sandwich Deal in Jerusalem, NS10

I'm always looking for a good deal for quick and inexpensive lunches. Recently I saw that a new place at 42 Jaffa Street, Coney Island Bakery, the lightrail stop, sells their "ready-made" sandwiches for only ns10 and sandwiches to order for ns15. The roll is standard size, and there was enough filling (I had tuna) to eat and feel satisfied. There's lots more than double the amount of filling in the sandwiches as you get in those five shekel stores/kiosks, which are all over Jerusalem now. Yes, you really get much more food than you'd get buying two 5 shekel sandwiches. 

The only problem was that there are times when they're all out of readymades, and then you can design your own for ns15. Maybe next time I will design my own with more salad etc. When I got there, there was only one, which luckily for me was the tuna I had been craving. But fifteen shekel isn't much for a sandwich either. I'm pretty sure that they also have larger rolls for those who want a heartier sandwich, but I got there during the busy lunchtime when there wasn't the large display and choice I had seen out the week before.

Coney Island is more than just a sandwich place. The management has promised to invite me over sometime to sample the real food they offer, too. And they do catering and have yummy-looking New York style desserts. This visit was as a regular customer. I was in a rush between Matan and work.

Phone 02 940 0008 Avi@coneyisland.co.il 054-569-6135
Sun-Thurs 6:30AM-11:00PM Sat: 1 hour after Shabbat ends -11:00PM

"Deja Vu Doorways," 52Frames Architecture"Deja Vu Doorways"

I've been part of the 52Frames project for about three years already. It is pushing and encouraging me into new photographic challenges.

"Deja Vu Doorways"

This is an old stone building in Jerusalem's Nachalat Shiva neighborhood. It is now a health food vegan restaurant, but for a few years it was a popular kosher sports bar and grill, HaGov, The Lion's Den, which was owned by my son. That's why there's a "Deja Vu" there for me. These old Jerusalem buildings have fantastic niches and arches, which can be used very creatively, as you see here. In some cases the buildings we see today were added to a number of times over the century plus since they were first built. Turning these old buildings into modern businesses is quite a challenge, but the results can be very charming and beautiful, as you see here.

A new photo challenge in your inbox, each week. Begin your 52-week journey! Start here:http://bit.ly/52f-fbstart

Wandering Around the Neighborhood, New Haunts

Yesterday I called a neighbor in order to arrange to meet to give her something. I told her that I was about to take a short walk, so she asked if I was going to walk near her, in a spot that others say is gorgeous. I admitted that I wasn't familiar with that particular route. It's just a few minutes from my house, but I usually just do a simple circuit, so wasn't familiar with it at all. I'm glad I took her advice. It's near the Yeshivat Hesder Shiloh and incomplete Gutnick building, which was built about fifteen years ago.

Here are some pictures:

I'm glad I now have a new route for when I want to vary the views.