More Purim Ideas

Check out the Purim post on Real Food Kosher site.  The information on it keeps growing and growing as more posts are linked to it.

It's a different way to do a "blog carnival."  You can add your link, too.

Classic, Cookie-Style Hamentaschen

This has been my basic recipe for Hamentaschen for more than forty years.  It's easy to make and even easier to eat!

My daughter just asked me for the recipe.  I've been making them since before she was born, and I don't think she wants me to publicize her age.

The same basic simple recipe can be found in lots of cookbooks.  I double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients
2 cups flour, white, wholewheat or combined
baking powder, a teaspoon or two depending on if it's double-acting or not
1/2 cup sugar, white or brown or combined
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
grated rind of lemon, orange or squirt of vanilla

Filling
poppy seeds and jam
mix, so very thick

1. mix dry ingredients
2. add eggs, oil and flavor
3. mix
4. roll onto a clean, but floured surface.  I have used a glass rather than a rolling pin.
5. use either a large round cookie cutter or large mug to cut circles
6. put a spoon of the filling in the middle
7. fold the edges by thirds, so it'll look like a triangle
8. use parchment (baking) paper on baking pan
9. bake medium heat until it looks ready

Squatters!

Illegal occupation for sure!

This family doesn't belong here!!

Yes, this family of a mother cat and her kittens took up living among the colored tee shirts in the store where I work.  Part of the store isn't really indoors.  That's how the cat got in.  No doubt she felt very comfortable among the nice new clean shirts and she chose that location to drop her litter, as the saying goes.

Customers kept coming up to us saying:

"Have you noticed there's a mother cat and kittens on the shelf?"

Yes, we've noticed.  I hope that by the next time I have a work shift, they will have shifted out to another location...

An Excuse to Party

The Israeli and Jewish social media, blogging, facebook whatever scene actually loves an excuse to f2f party.  So when HaDassa Sabo Milner, In The Pink, announced that she'd be in Israel again, another f2f was planned.

Here are some scenes.  Can you label the pictures?  List the names and blogs and whatevers of the people?

 

Felafel, Classic or With New "Trimmings"

Sorry, that I didn't photograph it, but last night I needed a quick and low cost dinner, so I went felafel-hunting in Jerusalem.  I chose the shuk-Machaneh Yehuda as the best place to find a felafel of reasonable price in a stand that doesn't sell shwarma or any other meat product.

When it comes to felafel, I'm an old-fashioned purist. 

I like my felafel simple, just the freshly fried chickpea balls, salad, techina, some charif, hot stuff and that's about it in a pita.  I also don't like to spend a lot.  I found a small place on Rechov Agrippas (Street) that only charged ns12.  He also had a big sign claiming that his is the best in Jerusalem.  I haven't done a taste-test, so I can't verify that.  My true favorite used to be Moshe Siton's on Rechov Meyuchas, but he closed it years ago.

He offered all sorts of "extras" which I refused.  I didn't want the hummus, nor the chips nor the eggplant nor the pickles etc.  Yes, there was more.  I did accept the cabbage to be added to the simple classic tomato and cucumber salad cut up real tiny.

It was good.  The felafel balls were fresh and not too salty, and the salad tasted fresh, too. I had been afraid of the salad being too old, since it was already dark when I was there starving.

So, are you a felafel-classic eater, or do you add what I consider extras?

Not Elegant, But Warm and Waterproof!

I must admit that I'm not the most elegant of ladies.  I'll take comfort over style anytime, especially when we're talking about shoes.  I don't wear high or even slightly raised heels.  The soles of my shoes must be flexible, like walking barefoot but padded.  I'm also sensitive to cold, and it's getting worse with age.

So, now presenting my latest shoes, bought in a Timberland Outlet store during my recent travels. 

For me, these are dream shoes!

One More Week to Purim!

Here's my grandson trying on his Power Rangers costume:

In Shiloh we celebrate two days of Purim, so if you like Purim, Shiloh is the place for you!

Vicarious Aliyah, Moving The Family To Israel

My husband and I got on the boat to Israel just two months after our wedding.  That was the easy way.  And it was over forty years ago.  During those forty-two and a half years, I've seen other families and singles make the big move complicated by children and more deeply ingrained habits, customs etc than we took.

During my years of blogging I've gotten to know many other Jewish bloggers, of all ages and family situations.  Some live in Israel and others in Chutz L'Aretz, abroad.  Some of the bloggers davka use their aliyah as the ongoing theme of their blogs.

One blogger I've been in contact for years, who has also hosted the Kosher Cooking Carnival is Adventures in Mamaland, A New Adventure Everyday.  She's now in Israel with her husband, לתור את הארץ "latur et haAretz," to "stake out" the Land and is writing Adventures in AliyahLand.

We met up the other day f2f.

I anxiously await their arrival as עולים חדשים olim chadashim new ascendants/immigrants!

Finish That Matzah!

Matzah is one of those products that lasts forever; yes, in two ways.

1. It never spoils.  Properly sealed, it stays edible for years.
2. If you overbuy the amount of matzah you really need for Passover, something we frequently do, it's easy to forget to eat/cook/serve it. So you end up suddenly discovering that very expensive simple food when preparing  (cleaning) for the next Pesach.

I've discovered that I can give my husband perfectly good matzah brei during the year as his "lunch sandwich."  He generally gets two peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, plus a couple of fruit and yogurt for breakfast when he goes to work.  With this eating regime, he has lost, and kept off, even more weight than I've banished.

Last night, since I realized that we were out of bread, making him matzah brei was the perfect solution.

I wrap it in foil and keep a piece of matzah dry for him to use to make the bracha blessing on bread.

The recipe is very simple.
Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of matzah
• 2 eggs
• water (milk or both) to moisten the matzah
• oil for frying
• honey or jam optional to sweeten it

Instructions:

• break matzah in pieces and put in bowl
• add water or milk or combination, about 1/4 cup
• add the eggs
• mix and then leave for at least 10 minutes
• heat the oil in the frying pan
• add the mixture and cover
• start on high and quickly turn to low flame
• when you can see that the matzah brei is solid, turn over and cook another couple of minutes
• leave covered on flame for a bit
• then serve or pack, with optional honey or jam

This is very easy and wonderful for traveling.

Fantastic Idea, The "Family Restroom"

I spotted this during my visit to the states.  Finally a solution to the problem of a father taking his young daughter to a men's room with urinals, or little boys pishing up the seats of the ladies loo, or female caregivers helping elderly men to to the 00 etc.

New Coffee Treat, The French Press

Have you ever tried coffee made in a  French Press?

I had been hearing about them, but since I do love to perc my coffee on the stove in a percolator, I wasn't all that interested in changing the coffee I love so much.  Though I am flexible when a guest some place.

In perked coffee, the boiling water keeps getting pushed threw the little "container" that holds the actual ground coffee.  In Israel, I'm happy with the results I get using Elite Turkish Coffee.  But on my trip to Atlanta, GA, I didn't have my usual equipment. When my friend set up a "kosher corner" in here kitchen, knowing I'd need easily available coffee, she got me a French Press.

To use it:

• put a couple of spoons of your coffee,
• my daughter has hers specially ground in the shuk, requesting "for a French Press," in the glass jar. 
• Add boiling water,
• then put in the cover/filter
• slowly press it down so the filtered coffee will stay on top and the "mud" or grounds will stay safely underneath the filter

I drank the coffee with my usual milk and sugar, and it was fantastic.

Nu, does anyone know if it's considered halachikly (according to Torah-Orthodox Jewish Law) permissible on Shabbat?  Of course, the water would then come from a kli sheni.  It's the good coffee which is taken out for use, just like a water filter, right?

Double Rosh Chodesh Adar and 2 Jblog Carnivals, KCC and HH

Chodesh Tov Everyone!

It's Rosh Chodesh (beginning of the Jewish Month of) Adar.  Purim is just a couple of weeks away!  And Passover is a month later.  It's time to celebrate, and I have the two big Jewish blog carnivals, floating internet maagizines,  for you, Havel Havelim and the Kosher Cooking Carnival.

Havel Havelim is weekly and coordinated on our facebook page.  It includes all sorts of blog posts on Jewish and Israeli topics.  I'm hosting next week's edition, and you can mail your link to me.  If you'd like to host one, let us know on thefacebook page. 

The  Kosher Cooking Carnival is monthly, posted on Rosh Chodesh.  We, too have a facebook page.  In addition I do my best to keep our blog carnival page up to date, and you can send your links through them.  If you'd like to host an edition, contact me.

So, please visit both carnivals and the included posts.  And of course comment and share as much as you can.

Chodesh Tov, may the festivities begin...

Super Clean!

No, gang, this isn't a Passover cleaning post...

Please, it's only Rosh Chodesh, the bginning of the month of Adar.  First cook for Purim and then clean the kitchen.

One of the things I noticed during my recent visit to the states is...

Yes, it's now  very popular to keep putting chemicals on you hands to stay "sanitized."  I took this picture at a dentist's office when my sister and I took my father in for some treatment.  Chemicals bother me.  I'm a soap and water person who rinses well and looks for clean towels.

Am I nuts or just old-fashioned?

Eating Kosher in Atlanta, Georgia

I'm recovering I hope I'm fully recovered from my trip to Phoenix, Arizona and Atlanta, Georgia.  In Phoenix I ate home cooking, mostly my own in kosher pots I kept at my sister's and my parents' places.  On Shabbat I was hosted by a lovely family.  So I don't have anything new to write about eating kosher there.

But my hostess with the mostest  in Atlanta took me out to kosher restaurants every day I was with her.  We began and ended the visit at the same restaurant, the Pita Palace, (404) 781-7482 1658,  La Vista Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30329.

Their vegetable soup was totally delicious and hit the spot, soon after I landed.  I also had some chicken and lots of salads.  That day I was much too tired to photograph the food, but I was in better shape before leaving.  Their felafel was excellent, and I enjoyed adding as much salad as the pita could take.

My hostess, who is very fussy about her food, declared their felafel the best!  Here's some of their menu.

We met a facebook friend of mine at a/the kosher dairy restaurant, not sure of the name.  I had a vegetable dish, which must have had been cooked the week before, since it was cold, and we were their first customers on Sunday morning.  My friends couldn't stand their food and sent back their pitas which were stale.  I wasn't impressed by the menu either.  The original plan had been to go to the Pita Palace, but I wanted dairy, actually didn't want to find myself restricted to meat so early in the day, which I didn't even order in the end.

A third restaurant we tried was the Chinese one,  Chai Peking, 404-327-7810 2205 LaVista Road, Atlanta, GA 30329, Inside Kroger Toco Hills. Chinese take out (Seating available) Meat.  It took us a while and a phone call to find it, because we didn't know that it was in a sort of food court in the Kroger Supermarket. 

The food reminded me of "old time New York Chinese," but the ambiance was something totally different...  I did like the filling in the eggrolls and the main course, beef vegetable dish I ordered.  It was pretty obvious that most people use if as a "take-out" place and don't eat meals there.  There was just one small table.

The supermarket had a very large selection of kosher food.  You could already stock up for Passover if you're ready.

Yes, I must start preparing my own home for Passover...

Take The Train! First Time for Me on The Israeli Railways

I don't know how long Israel has had the train I took to the airport a few short weeks ago.  Decades and decades ago, there was a totally different train system.  I took it maybe a couple of times. For sure once my husband and I took it from Jerusalem to as far north as it went, and we went to Nahariya.  But I'm a total stranger to this new rail system.  At least I had been...

When I had been trying to figure out how I'd get to the airport, my husband discovered that one of the families he had tried to invite himself for a Shabbat meal could help in a different way.  The wife was going to the airport the same night, but would be detouring first.  So, instead of getting a ride directly to the airport, they dropped me off at the train Rosh Ha'ayin train station.

I was in phone contact with a daughter of mine who sort of coached me through the challenge of traveling on the train, especially since I had to change trains mid trip.  And of course I asked everyone sitting near me, by just saying outloud:

"Where do I transfer to the airport?"

People are so helpful in Israel.  And they even gave me the correct directions!

Now, I can't say that "I've never been on the trains here."

PS I wouldn't recommend it without help if you have a suitcase and not enough hands and strength to carry everything you need at the same time, but since I only had "carry-ons," I managed fine, B"H.

"Homemade" Kosher When Traveling

During this year's trip to Phoenix, AZ, I didn't eat out in any of their kosher restaurants, but I ate a lot of food.  It wasn't that my sister had turned her house kosher or my parents had moved to a kosher facility either. 

I just had my own cooking equipment, knife, cutting board and covered pot in both locations.  I did a lot of basic food shopping, lots of vegetables.

I also had basic cooking equipment at my friend's apartment in Atlanta, GA, though there we ate one meal out per day to sample the kosher restaurants to be blogged about later, G-d willing.

For protein I bought canned fish, canned beans, almonds and at my friends, I ate "frozen cheese," aka Häagen-Dazs^® ice cream, including a whole pint of my favorite Mint Chip!

Maybe it's just me, but I don't function if I don't eat proper meals.  I am much more pleasant to be around when I've been eating good healthy food.  If you're based in a hotel/motel, make sure it has a microwave, which can be "kashered" and then "cooked in" when double/triple/quadrupling the wrapping.  Check with your LOR, local Orthodox Rabbi.  Many canned foods are kosher, too, and can be eaten directly from the can besides fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were kosher foods at the motel breakfast, and there was  a complementary airport shuttle I took for the price of a tip.

It's not that you shouldn't "treat yourself" when away from home, but in the end I think we all feel better if most of our food is healthy.  My sister and my friend really made every effort to make sure I had food to good eat, and considering that I've been a housewife and mother for over forty years, it was no great effort for me to cook a bit for myself.

Rain in Phoenix and Cold in Atlanta

In Atlanta, GA, I walked around with a heavy "sweater coat" indoors and under my winter coat outdoors.  It's a good thing my hostess had bought it to give as a gift, actually to someone else whom she ended up not seeing.

But if you don't believe me that it had rained almost my entire visit to Phoenix, AZ, not the "no more than a few hours," which people had promised me, then look at this picture I took of a park near my sister in Tempe.

flooded park/playground in Tempe, AZ

There was lots more sun in Israel during the time I had been in Phoenix!

The wet lawn here isn't from the rain; it's from their special underground irrigation system using waste water or something like that.

The sun came out only the day I left.

Thank The Good Lord, Yes, I'm Home!

I passed though that, under that sign just a few hours ago, and now I'm in Holy Shiloh!

I'll be blogging more about the trip to Phoenix, AZ, to see my parents, sister and her family, and to Atalanta, GA, to see a friend in the near future, G-d willing, bli neder.

I'm no longer among the lucky travelers who don't have to get stressed over the panic in catching "connecting flights."  I took US Air, so the international connections were made in Philadelphia, PA.  It was horribly stressful for me. 

As much as I knew I needed the exercise, I had planned on taking a ride in one of those little carts when landing in Philly from Atlanta, especially since the first flight had been delayed, but there was no US Air customer agent/helper and no carts.  A and B are a far distance, especially since I had to get to the furthest end to catch my plane to Israel.  When I complained I was told that they no longer provide the service.  Someone less fit than me would have been stuck there unless they had flown as "handicapped" in a wheelchair.

Even though the seats in the US Air were very comfortable, the lack of service in the airports make it impossible for me to recommend them.

As usual I also panicked about whether or not I'd find my suitcase quickly, but the new one my friend got me and I decorated was one of the first  out.

The most important thing is that I'm home, safe and sound.  And the hardest thing will be the unpacking.

Rosh Chodesh Adar Reminder

cross-posted on Shiloh Musings

Even though I'm still far from home, the Jewish Calendar is still in force.  In another week it will be the Month of Adar, the month of joy, when we Jews celebrate that with G-d's Help we defy logic and can triumph over our enemies.  I'm looking forward to my return to routine, to my home in Shiloh, family and work.

Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh
Rosh Chodesh Adar
Monday, February 11, 2013
1 Adar 5773 8:30am
Tour of Tel & Dvar Torah, Short Torah Lesson

Please come and invite family, friends and neighbors

תפילת נשים
ראש חודש אדר בתל שילה
יום ב' 11-2 א' אדר תשע"ג 8:30
יהיה דבר תורה קצר וסיור בתל
נא לבוא, לפרסם ולהזמין חברות, משפחה ושכנות

And don't forget that the Tel Shiloh, aka Shiloh HaKedumah is open for visitors six days a week.  For information call 02-994-4019.

Traveling Kosher, and HH News

First of all, Marina has put together an excellent comprehensive Havel Havalim, the weekly Jewish blog carnival in A Letter From Israel.  Please check it out, thanks.

Now, as many of you know, I've been in the states for the past week and a half.  My hosts are not Orthodox, Torah observant Jews, but they are all wonderful supportive people.  I've been at two locations which, although have some kosher restaurants, they are not easily available to where I've stayed.  In both Phoenix-Tempe-Scottsdale, AZ, and Atlanta, GA, on Shabbat I was hosted by very generous welcoming strangers.  But I had to eat kosher the rest of the time and granola bars, pretzels, yogurt, fruit, nuts etc    just aren't enough day after day.  So both hosts got me covered pots, cutting boards and a sharp knife, plus disposable dishes and cutlery.  I shopped for the required veggies and have kept myself healthily and happily well-fed.  In AZ, I knew that the kosher restaurants would be too much of an inconvenience to get to, so I also got canned salmon and beans for protein.  Here in GA, my hostess loves to try out restaurants, so my cooking is only for lighter meals.  Sometimes I "stretched" things by making delicious sauteed veggies and eating Hagan Daz mint chip as the protein.  Yes, I'm on vacation and I only eat that ice cream when in the states.

Healthy and kosher, even low carbohydrate, when visiting people with traif kitchens, is very doable, Baruch Hashem!