Reality Bites

I used to define myself as agressively Jewish.  When I lived in New York I did everything I could to let everyone I know that my head and my heart lay in a cocoon of Jewish life.  I wore Hebrew t-shirts, was never without some kind of Jewish or Israeli jewelry, I joined Jewish and Zionist youth groups and was obnoxiously Zionist.  I was a second generation Holocaust survivor with a chip on my shoulder the size of Bergen Belsen.

 

Bus in Jerusalem wishing everyone a good year

All this agressive sentiment disappeared when I made aliya (immigrated to Israel).  I didn’t need to show the world how Jewish I was.  I was living the life I always wanted to live.  I was in a country that when the bus driver wished me a happy holiday he meant one with apples and honey, not eggnog and mistletoe.  I was in a country where the local convenience store was open 24/6.  I was in a country where I didn’t have to vote based on the American candidate’s foreign policy toward Israel, but on the political party’s internal policy toward the piece of land I called home.  I was home!

To define myself politically I could use one word:  right-wing.  Okay, two words, but they’re hyphenated.  I used to think of myself as rabid right-wing on the Israeli political spectrum (ironically, I think of myself as left-wing when it comes to American internal policy).  I even lived, by choice, over the Green Line.  I was a settler, from my head covering down to my Naot sandals.

Ju-Boy and I had been dating for about three months when we had our first political discussion.  Good thing I was wearing a seatbelt at the time, because I might have just jumped out of the car speeding through Jerusalem.  Ju-Boy, the man who was on the same page as I was in so many ways, turn out to be an evil left-winger who would sell the country down the Jordan River for peace on a piece of paper.  “Well, Sweet, ” I said, “it’s been fun, but I have to break up with you now.”

By the time he got me home (I at this point was surprised that he didn’t break out in hives as we crossed the Green Line) he had managed to calm me down, claiming we still were on the same page.  According to Ju-Boy, what sounded like left-wing garbage coming out of his mouth was more centrist than I thought.  And, according to Ju-Boy, what sounded like the patriotic Zionist truth coming out of my mouth was more centrist than I thought.  Couldn’t I see that my reality was skewed?  We were both Centrist Zionists with different leanings.  Yeah, right, he would give away my home right from under me for an about-to-be-broken promise.

As you all know, we didn’t break up.  But from that day forward, a new rule was forged — no politics.  Some rules are meant to be broken but we mostly keep to this one, especially at the Shabbat table.

Miriyummy and Ju-Boy -- still together in spite of the line that divides them

Hebrew Slang Lesson of the Day — חי בסרט — chai baseret — literally, to live in the movie, but colloquially it means not to live in reality.  I think that politically, my Ju-Boy lives in the movies.  I sure with him the feeling is mutual.

Am Yisra'el Chai Baseret!

So Ju-Boy and I are living happily ever after, ever politically opposed, yet in harmony amity, two opposites co-existing as one, which is the best way I could come up with to segue into this post’s recipe…

Black and Whites

Growing up in New York one of my most favorite bakery treats was when my mother bought me a huge black and white cookie.  They were huge back then, but I think they’ve stayed the same size, but my mouth has just gotten bigger…  I think the only place you can get them in Israel is at the Brooklyn Bakery in Jerusalem.  If you’re not headed that way, you probably have to make your own.

Cookie Bit:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (I use soy milk with a dash of vinegar)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 large egg

Black and White Icing Bit:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tablespoon clear corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon water (you may not need all of it)
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180° C).
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
3. In a small bowl or cup, mix together the buttermilk and vanilla.
4. Beat the butter and the white sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until evenly distributed.
5. Add the egg to butter and sugar mixture, and beat until blended.  You may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
6. Gradually beat in the flour mixture one cup at a time, and add in buttermilk mixture between each cup of flour, and mix until smooth. This time you really will have to scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing.
7. Spoon batter in 1/4 cup size servings onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake on the middle rack for about 15-17 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and spring back when touched.
9. Place on a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely before icing.
10. Stir together the confectioner’s sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1/2 teablespoon of water in bowl until smooth.
11. Place half of the mixture into separate bowl and add cocoa powder, and remaining water bit by bit until it is the same consistency as the white icing. If the icing is too runny, add more confectioner’s sugar until it is smooth and spreadable.
12. Turn cooled cookies flat side up, and spread icing with pastry spatula, or butter knife. The cookies are meant to be domed on the bottom, flat on the top.  Spread the white icing over one half, chocolate over the other. The icing does not set solid on these cookies, and does not harden.  I don’t know what they put into the icing in New York to harden it.  I’m not sure I want to know.

I haven't made these in a while. In fact, I prefer to actually deny myself the pleasure and only indulge when in New York. So we'll have to make do with a Googled graphic, sorry...

Thanksgiving

Every year Ju-Boy throws a little party, replete with charred meat and flowing single malts, to thank his tightly-knit group of friends for lending him their support while he made the transition from the smoking remains of Chapter One to the J-Date Twilight Zone.  I wasn’t there that first year, still trapped in the throes of Chapter One myself.  But I’ve heard the stories… Ju-Boy unkempt, Ju-Boy on his own, Ju-Boy on the loose.  Thankfully, he had his friends to be there for him, eat his culinary experiments and drink his whisky.  And thus was born the First Annual End-of-Summer Party.

Friends giving thanks...

By the time the Second Annual End-of-Summer Party rolled around I was already in the picture.  Ju-Boy and I had been dating for about two months and it was time to run the gauntlet of meeting his friends, his pack, what he likes to call his troupe.  I already knew some of them.  Karen and I were friends back and high school.  Miiiiiiiichael used to fall asleep at my Friday night table when he was single and in the army.  His wife, the Lovely Linder, was a familiar face from mutual friends’ weddings and Bar Mitzvah celebrations.  I had heard about Sweet Caroline from our mutual friend SW, back in the days when we actually wrote letters and didn’t text and chat on Facebook.

Chilling out at the end of summer

It was fun to meet the rest of the bunch.  Just to make sure they liked me, I brought some insurance in the form of sushi, Thai-ish pasta salad and profiteroles.  That evening was the first time I fed the troupe, but not the last.  Just a few weeks ago we served up the Eighth Annual End-of-Summer Party.  Over the years the menu has changed, returned to its roots, changed again, but some things remain the same.  Ju-Boy grills the meat, the whisky flows, and I go to town on the side dishes and desserts.  You could say this was the Ju-Boy/Miriyummy/Troupe version of Thanksgiving.

This year I served up a few new dishes, like the Spicy Carrot Sticks from the new KBD Teens and 20-Somethings cookbook I reviewed — those were a hit.  I doubled the recipe to serve 12 people and I think maybe I should have quadrupled it instead, they went THAT fast.  Another hit this year was the return of my Thai-ish Pasta Salad.  I first came across this recipe back when I lived on a hilltop overlooking Jerusalem.  We put together a community cookbook to raise money for our synagogue and this recipe is one of my favorites (thanks Sherri!).  I’ve changed it a little over the years, and it never fails to please.  I’ve seen dainty eaters inhale the stuff.  Do me a favor, when you make this, try to have your friends and family take human bites, it can get ugly…

Thai-ish Pasta Salad

• 1 pound (500 grams) pasta — thinnish noodles work best
• 1/2 cup sesame oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (corn, canola, etc.)
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon crushed dry red pepper
• 1 shelled peanuts, coarsely ground
• 1/2 cup chopped coriander (cilantro, cusbara)or parsley, optional
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds

1. Cook the pasta as per package instructions, breaking long pieces in half before cooking.  Drain.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat cook the oils, honey, soy sauce and dry pepper and let boil for 2 minutes.
3. In a large bowl pour the sauce over the pasta.  Cover and refrigerate overnight, letting the flavors seep into the pasta.
4. Before serving, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
5. Serve at room temperature.

 

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one." - C.S. Lewis

Miriyummy Photo-Op #2

Ju-Boy collected all my blog posts to date and printed them out, with all the photos, and had them bound into a cookbook.  Based on the title, I need to add a few more main courses and salads to my repetoire.

But life should be all about the sweet stuff, no?

 

It’s My Birthday And I’ll Bake If I Want To…

Today is my birthday, and I’m shlepping a cake into work.  Yes, I’m the one bringing in my own birthday cake.  Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?  While I never “officially” worked in the States (does camp counselor and JCC dance teacher count?), I do know (because I watch The Office), that you don’t throw your own birthday parties at work in the States.  You have the PPC, the Party Planning Committee do it for you.  There are balloons, cake and maybe even a speech by the boss.

Remember those dogs that you had everyone sign? I think I got 5 for my 10th birthday.

Not so in Israel.  The birthday girl or boy has to bring in the refreshments.  There’s always the cake, sometimes there’s ice cream, and if you’re lucky, you get a present.  Wait, there is a PPC.  I have always been the PPC, because I’ve always been the office manager.  When I wasn’t the office manager I was the only woman in the office, and the job fell to me then as well.  It’s a weird custom that always throws the Anglo immigrants for a loop, but they get into the swing of it quickly enough.  And when they have completely gone over to the Dark Side, and have gone totally Israeli, they do what a lot of Israelis do for their birthday, they take the day off.

Yeah, right, the Bar Mitzvah birthday boy gets the really BIG candles...

I’ve been here for almost 28 years, since I was 20 (now you know how old I am), and I’m Israeli enough to bring in my own cake, but not Israeli enough to take the day off.  And that’s why I’m shlepping the cake in to work today.  I baked it last night, and I really enjoyed myself.  I’m going to enjoy myself even more today when I treat myself to sushi for lunch.  And I wonder what Ju-Boy has up his sleeve as far as presents go.  I’ve already given him several hints, even suggesting that you, my dear readers, pass the hint on to him as well.  Some of you actually have.  This Shabbat we’re going away for the weekend with two other couples whose wives are also celebrating birthdays this week.  But tonight, what I really want, is just a quiet evening at home with my Ju-Boy, maybe watching one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride, which was another birthday present once upon a time.

I’m baking one of my favorite cakes, Orange Poppy Seed Cake, which is from Levana Kirschenbaum’s cookbook, Levana’s Table.  The first time I saw Levana Kirschenbaum was on some obscure cooking show where some huge woman with an almost incomprehensible Jamaican accent strolled the streets of New York extolling the joys of Jewish cooking.  She and Levana prepared latkes in the basement of Levana’s synagogue on the Upper West Side.  The second time I saw Levana Kirschenbaum was in Zabar’s in the cheese section.  I was in New York with my cousin Rivka and she introduced me.  As it turns out, Rivka and Levana go to the same shul, and Levana even catered a kiddush Rivka threw to celebrate her return to good health after an illness that had the whole family worried.  I mentioned the TV show to Levana and she told me she could barely understand that woman as well.

So it’s my birthday, and I’m in the office, and I’m heading in to the office with the cake.  I hope they like it, and if they don’t, I do.

Levana’s Orange Poppy Seed Cake

Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup poppy seeds

Syrup

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F.)
2. To make the cake: In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and orange zest.  Set aside.
3. In an electric mixer, combine the eggs and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat until just combined.
4. Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, add the flour mixture in thirds, alternating with the 3/4 cup orange juice.  Mix slightly after each addition, just to incorporate.
5. Add the poppy seeds and mix to incorporate the seeds into the batter.
6. Pour the batter into a greased 10-inch springform pan.
7. Bake for 1 hour, or until the point of a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. To make the syrup: While the cake is baking, place the syrup ingredients into a small saucepan and heat until thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
9. When the cake is done, immediately unmold it from the springform pan.  Prick it all over with a skewer and brush the syrup all over the top and sides of the cake while it is still hot. The cake will absorb all the syrup.
10. Let the cake cool completely before serving.

Do you think I'm going to cut up my cake before work just to get this shot? Think again. This was taken by Evie* of food.com

Come Home For Chanuka!

I’m stealing this idea from Batya of me-ander, but hey, it’s a great message!  Pass it along!

 

Kiddush Club

Food likes and dislikes are a very subjective subject.  My favorite food is sushi.  I love the stuff, extra wasabi and ginger please.  I would probably eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, except my budget won’t allow it and I’m in no mood for mercury poisoning a la Jeremy Piven.  Ju-Boy chides me that I can’t abide rare meat, yet will gleefully eat raw fish, and steal some off his plate as well.

But one man’s sushi is another man’s fish bait.  Take peanut butter and chocolate, for instance.  Did you think this was going to be a post about sushi?  Think again.

Peanut butter and chocolate is an American institution.  How many of us baby boomers grew up with the “hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!” commercial?  Raise your hands if you did, but wipe the Reese’s crumbs off first, okay?

I’ve discovered that Brits, who can’t abide the peanut butter and jelly combination, will quite happily devour what has become a kiddush club classic at shul — homemade Reese’s peanut butter bars.  But one man’s peanut butter bar is another man’s (or in this case, woman’s) unpalatable food combo.  Did you think this was going to be about peanut butter bars?  Think again.

Ever since I first brought a batch of the stuff to the shul kiddush club it’s been a hit.  Every Shabbat, after services, we would gather together and make kiddush.  It seems that the well-loved combo goes very nicely with single malt whisky.  Whisky purists may disagree, but our whisky snobbishness is entirely an affectation, so we get to make up our own rules.

But Dalia, who, like her father and so unlike her mother, isn’t partial to a dram and was not a fan of the peanut butter bars neither.  And I like Dalia.  We have the same taste in jewelry and Teva Naot sandals.  I felt bad that while we were all happy with the kiddush fare, dear darling Dalia, who always diligently collected the siddurs after davening, was relegrated to the dry, store-bought wafers.  I had to come up with a solution.

And thus was born the Dalia Bar!  White chocolate, yummy!  Buttery crumb crust, nummy!  Dalia Bars became a hit with Dalia and the rest of the kiddush club as well.

Dalia Bars are actually a combination and variation of two of my favorite recipes, my Miller Bars and another Recipezaar staple, Fudge Filled Bars, by the incomparable MizzNezz.  I “fudged” around with the ingredients and came up with this winner.

A year ago Ju-Boy and I left this particular synagogue and now daven in one that is closer to home in both distance and outlook.  The kiddush club soldiers on without us, I hear, although Dalia Bars are no longer on the menu.  Maybe I’ll send over a batch next week for old times’ sake.

Dalia Bars

• 2 1/3 cups flour
• 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 300 gram (1 1/2 cups) white chocolate or butterscotch chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C  (350 degrees F).  Grease a 9X13 inch (33 X 23 cm) baking pan (I always just line it with parchment paper).
2. Combine the flour and brown sugar.  Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Add the egg and mix well.
4. Take half the mixture and press it into the bottom of the lined pan.
5. Mix the chips with the sweetened condensed milk and melt.  I do this in the microwave on high for three minutes, you can use the double boiler method if you like.  Stir well to combine the two into a gooey, fudgey mass.  Pour this over the crumb layer in the pan.
6. Now cover the gooey, fudgey mass layer with the second half of the crumbs.  Press down a bit (with clean hands, of course).  Don’t be afraid, but be gentle.
7. Bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes until brown and bubbly.  Let cool, or even better, place in the fridge for an hour.  I then just lift the whole thing out by the parchment paper, place on a cutting board and cut into squares.

Freezes beautifully!

Nice with some single malt whisky, even better with a cup of English tea or a good, strong mug of coffee

Foodie Fridays #5

I spend a lot of time (some may say too much time) reading foodie blogs. They are always good for some entertainment, inspiration and it fills my need for food porn.

Here are some of the posts that have sparked my interest lately…

Risa over at Isramom is hosting the Kislev edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival.  I totally agree that it’s so weird that we’re now entering the month of Chanuka, with visions of latke parties while it snows outside, yet here in Israel we’re baking in the longest Indian summer on record.  Lots of great postings over at the Carnival, so check them out.

Hadassah of In the Pink is taking a school lunch poll.  In elementary and junior high we ate whatever the cafeteria served up that day, slowly dragging our feet when mystery noodle casserole was served, speeding up on Fridays when we had tuna sandwiches with potato chips, cutting the line for pizza and felafel day.  What did you take to school for lunch?

My favorite Cooking Manager, Hannah, regularly interviews bloggers on a Monday morning (I even got interviewed a few months ago).  This week she spoke with Sara Melamed who blogs Foodbridge.  Sarah actually made melouchia, and all I can say about that is better her than me!

The Nana10 webportal is always full of interesting recipes.  This week I found a recipe for Chicken Patties with Tehina in Silan Sauce.  Silan, for those of you who have yet to taste this ambrosia, is date honey.  I use it instead of bee honey many times, and it’s great with chicken.  This is going to be on my table this Friday night!  The recipe is in Hebrew, so for those of you that lo medabrim hasafa (don’t speak the language), if you really want the recipe, contact me and I’ll translate.

Image via CrunchBase

While not a foodie blog per se, Life in Israel has a very interesting post about someone who is trying to sell their leftover cholent on eBay!  Starting bid was $2 and someone eventually bought it for $4!  At the Miriyummy household we never have leftover cholent because we don’t eat cholent.  Or rather, Ju-Boy and progeny don’t eat cholent.  I love the stuff.   Maybe next time I should just buy a portion on eBay?

Baroness Tapuzina paid a visit to the Organic Farmers Market in Tel Aviv.  The market is situated down at Hatahana, the renovated Ottoman train station near Jaffa.  We’ve been going more and more organic at home, but for the time being have bought our produce and dairy products at the new “Green” section of our Supersol Deal.  But Michelle’s pictures are just so tempting, we just might give up a precious Friday morning and stop by.

And now for a subject close to my heart:  pizza, and New York pizza specifically.  Serious Eats takes their pizza, well, seriously.  I always enjoy their pizza articles, and was not disappointed with this one either.  I always try to make a good slice at home, but until I invest in a real pizza oven with a pizza stone, I’m going to have to try to settle for the Miriyummy version (coming soon to a blog near you).  But one very interesting thing I learned is that you get a much better dough if you make it up in the food processor.  I’ve been touting the wonders of my Kenwood Major, and what I really should be doing is bugging Ju-Boy and the kids for a really amazing food processor to replace the pitiful one I’ve been working with now.  Hey, it’s my birthday this Wednesday, help me nag Ju-boy!  Just comment on this blog and maybe it will sway the unswayable (he’s bought me perfume, again, I just know it…).

You know how you can tell Chanuka is on the way?  When the sufganiyot (jelly donuts) start showing up in the bakeries and supermarkets.  Just as the Christmas decorations start hitting the stores in the States sometime after Halloween, the jam-filled calorie bombs are showing up earlier and earlier.  I think I saw the first ones right after Rosh Hashana.  Now Roladin, that mmmmmmmmm bakery, has the 2010 parade of donuts up on their website.  Check them out, you can’t gain weight just by looking (or can you?).

Shabbat Shalom!

 

 

 

 

Miriyummy Photo-Op #1

 

Headless Chicken!

 

 

Win A Tallit Via A Mother In Israel

Another contest!  But this one isn’t mine, it’s being held over at A Mother in Israel.  The prize is a gorgeous tallit from Galillee Silks, a specialty silk designer located on Kibbutz Beit Haemek.

Embroidery pattern for Ju-Boy's tallit bag -- my wedding gift to him

When Ju-Boy and I got married I bought him a tallit.  He wore it first under the chuppah and has worn it every single Shabbat and chag since we’ve been married.  I gave this to him as a wedding gift, together with a tallit bag that I embroidered over the months of our engagement.  The bag has held up well, but the tallit, well… the tallit has seen better days.  There’s just so many times you can dry clean the thing.  Chanuka is coming up and I think a new tallit would be a wonderful gift, especially since Ju-Boy’s birthday also falls on the night of the second candle.

So this contest has my name all over it, but if you think you stand a chance against the fates and believe this was meant to be yours, just click on the link to A Mother in Israel and then this tallit is just a tweet or blog post away.

Good luck to all of us!

Foodie Fridays #4

I spend a lot of time (some may say too much time) reading foodie blogs. They are always good for some entertainment, inspiration and it fills my need for food porn.

Here are some of the posts that have sparked my interest lately…

Yosefa, of Cooking Outside the Box, is asking people to bake and take challah for Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana (Norma Kuras).  Proper instructions and the blessing can be found on her blog post.  She’s trying to get at least 40 women to help in this mitzvah.

Chaviva, of Just Call Me Chaviva, went to Kosherfest!  Lucky her!  I am so jealous!  Not jealous enough to make plans, get on a plane and attend, but still jealous!  A light lime green, not full blown green eyed monster.  What really got me going were the words, “Jamie Geller (of Quick & Kosher fame) tells me…”  She got to talk to Jamie Geller!  I’m in the middle of reviewing her latest cookbook, and Chaviva got to talk to Jamie Geller.  She got to shmooze with Susie Fishbein!  And she got to taste the the Heering Coffee Liqueur.  Okay, going full blown green now, maybe I will make plans and get on a plane next time…

It’s so nice to know that there are others out there in the big, wide world that feel your pain.  Jeff, from TC Jewfolk’s Noshin’, is just a Yid from New York living in Minneapolis and missing his deli food.  I know exactly how he feels.  No visit back to my hometown was complete without a trip to a deli to partake in an artery-clogging but oh so wonderful pastrami sandwich, lots of hot, brown mustard, a half-sour dill pickle on the side, all to be washed down with Dr. Brown’s cream soda.  And speaking of soda (soder?), Jeff gives a recipe for stuffed cabbage, with root beer in the sauce.  Root beer!  Everyone knows it’s either ginger ale or Dr Pepper!  Still, it’s almost comforting to know that New York Jews, no matter where they migrate, like salmon, must come back to their culinary birthplace to achieve pastrami heaven…

Those of you know me well know that in the past nine years I’ve been addicted to a certain recipe sharing site that used to go by the name of Recipezaar.  One of my veteran buddies from that site, Sharon123, just posted a recipe for Lemongrass Stock for Curries which made me wish it was something I had thought of.  How genius!  I make curries often, and having a stock of this in the freezer (pun intended) will be so helpful!

Photo by Lilmsbritches on recipezaar.com

Monday, November 1st, was World Vegan Day.  I spent about 5 years as a vegan, and it used to totally freak my friends out, when it’s actually a very simple diet once you get used to it.  I had one friend who was so scared to cook something vegan if I came over for a Shabbat meal that she told me she would wait to invite us when I stopped being vegan.  I went vegan for health reasons, but I do have to admit that I love a nice piece of dead cow or chicken, and am back to being carnivorous.  I still cook vegan now and again, especially for my veggie friends who come for Shabbat and don’t want some of the roast baby hen on offer.  Here’s one of my recipes that I posted to Zaar a few years ago.  Very yummy, and if you read the reviews, you can see that if you are a tofu-phobe you can sub chicken breast.  Happy Vegan Day!

If you’re a kosher foodie blog reader and have not yet won a copy of Kosher by Design — Teens and 20-Somethings, you still have a chance.  Midwest Mama (in Israel) is offering a copy with the contest deadline at midnight, Monday, November 8th.  Check out Katie’s review of the cookbook, and maybe win a copy.

Varda, one of my foodie friends from israelfood, whom I’ve had the pleasure to meet in real life, sent in a video to israelfood in reply to a question on how to braid challah.  It’s called Braiding Challah (duh!) and it’s on the Fine Cooking site, braiding done by Maggie Glezer.  And if that’s her kitchen in the video, I am so jealous!  I want a kitchen like that!

Have you heard that limes are now available in Israeli supermarkets?  Once upon a time they used to try to pass off green lemons as limes, but now the real thing is here, and not just in the boutique veggie stalls.  I found some in Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda this past summer, and now I see it every week in Supersol Deal.  This week my favorite Frenchy blogger, Ilana-Davita, posted a recipe for Vegetarian Curry.  You need the juice of one lime, so instead of the bottled gunk, try the real thing.

Shabbat Shalom!  !שבת שלום