And They Lived Happily Ever After

Once upon a time there was a young princess, Sassy.  One day, on the bus to Eilat, she met a fiery young man who turned out to be a superhero.  After a wonderful courtship he proposed on a mountaintop in the Galil.  They were married on a cold March evening near Jerusalem, and settled on a moshav near the airport, so near, in fact, that sometimes a landing plane would snag their laundry line.  But they didn’t care, because they had perfected the secret to living happily ever after.  Do you want to know what it is?

Expanding the Passover Table

When you have a blended family the holidays can either be full of happy noise as your ever-growing family fills the house, or it can be sadly quiet as it’s the other parents’ turn to surround themselves with the children.  Ju-Boy and I have experienced both situations, and we can assuredly say that it’s so much more enjoyable when the table expands to accommodate children, grandchildren and friends.

Purim Is Coming — 5772 (2012)

Happy Rosh Chodesh Adar (today is the first day of the Jewish month of Adar.  The first day of the month is considered a minor holiday, and there are special prayers, observances and traditions.  Adar is an especially happy month, since the holiday of Purim takes place in Adar, and Purim is one of my favorite holidays.  Think Halloween, Mardi Gras and spring break all rolled into one amazing holiday!

Chanuka, oh Hannukkah

Yes, it’s that time of year again — glowing lights, fried foods and sweet little presents.  To help us get in the mood here is the latest collection of Chanuka videos going viral this year.  Who’s your favorite?  Those sweet-toned YU boys in the Maccabeats, or the cool kids in the Fountainheads ?  Or maybe you have another favorite?  Check them out and let me know.

Like Talking To A Wall

If you have ever been to Israel, whether you are Jewish or not, you have most probably visited the Kotel, the Western Wall.  And whether it is your first time, or your 100th time, you probably every now and again leave a little note for God, stuffed in the cracks of the wall.

Honey Honey

It’s been a slow summer for me.  I don’t do well in the humid heat of Ra’anana.  I feel sluggish, ponderous, as sticky as thick honey.  All that, and a bout of pneumonia last week, has left me full of ennui and it hasn’t helped the blogging much either.  I haven’t been in much of a mood to cook, or to write about cooking.  Pity this hasn’t extended to my appetite, that’s been as healthy as ever, in the most unhealthy of ways.

It took my friend Abby to get me out of my funk.  Well, not totally out of it, just to nudge me a bit.  She’s been asking me about Rosh Hashana menus.  I haven’t really thought about the holiday yet, I mean, it’s not Rosh Hashana until next year…

Isn’t It Romantic?

This Friday Ju-Boy and I are celebrating having survived six years shackled to each other in matrimony. 

Fifteen!

Continuing in the vein of the Miriyummy tasting menu restaurant reviews, I’d like to tell you about the amazing meal Ju-Boy and I had at Jamie Oliver’s flagship Fifteen restaurant in London.  It was amazing!  Who knew unkosher food could be this delicious? 

A Little On The Cheesy Side — 5771

Black Forest Blintzes for Ifat — the quality control department (me) tested this sample and claims total success!

The wonderful holiday of Shavuot is coming up, it starts tomorrow night, culminating with cheesecake overload on Wednesday night.  And then you have just a mere 48 hours before you begin to stuff yourselves with the wonders of Shabbat.  Ju-Boy and I have been planning our menu for a while now…

A Cook Kosher Feature — A Little Of The Sweet Stuff

With Shavuot literally around the corner, my dulce de leche cheesecake, originally featured in Miriyummy last summer, is now being featured on Cook Kosher, a sweet little recipe-sharing website that’s up and coming.