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…

Knit One, “Pearl” Two

Summer.  Yes, it’s hot out there.  Summer in the Middle East, really hot out there.  Summer in Ra’anana, hot, muggy and uncomfortably hot out there.  So what are the two things that relax me the most in the summer?  I like to slave over a hot stove, I like to bake things in the oven, and I like to knit and crochet.  Granted, the AC needs to be working.  Without the AC my favorite thing to do in the summer is to lie supine in bed, in a coma.  Wake me in November.

Unique

Class of 1980 -- hanging out at the back of the class, as usual

 Last week was my high school reunion, the first time we all formally got together as a school unit in 31 years.  I was a bit cautious about seeing everyone again.  In my mind we were all still 17 years old.  Did I want to see my old friends as middle-aged women?  It turns out not a single one of us has aged a day since we all graduated back in January 1980 and set out to conquer the world.

Isn’t It Romantic?

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

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.

Jerusalem From Every Direction

You’ve heard of the phrase “Two Jews, three opinions?”  If there’s one thing that unites the Jewish people it’s dissention.

Blogs in the Attic

Every now and again you run across a blog or blog post and say, “I wish I’d done that!”  I muttered those words to myself just the other day when I saw that Pragmatic Attic ran her collection of (in her own words) Lots of Jewish/Kosher Food Blogs.

Yours truly was in there, as well as a bunch of blogs I read, but there are also a bunch of blogs I never saw before, and I had a fun afternoon at work checking them out.  And then I went strolling through the whole website and came across the Recipe Index.  I think I’m going to be spending a lot of time here, first reading, then cooking, then dieting…

I hope Pragmatic Attic keeps up her list.  If you know of any sites that don’t appear, why don’t you drop her a line?

 

Pragmatic Attic's Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Tart -- oh my!