Hits And Misses

sunday in zefat. i just got back from my yoga class and i'm feeling better than when i left. for those of you who don't do yoga yet, let me recommend it. each time i leave the class, i feel like i just left the spa. i just got a request from another cast member for a specific purim costume, i'm so excited!

the shabbaton was lovely. we were eight at the table plus sahar. this year the shuls put out beautiful tu b'shvat brochures so we had the printed seder at hand. my son read the text of the seder in hebrew for us and i read some comments in english. we had the kiddush, challah and ate 12 different fruits. we then ate another 18 variety of nuts and fruits within the shabbat meal itself. in between courses we drank another 3 cups of wine.

some of the dishes were a great hit and others were not. the half gallon bottle of kedem white grape juice was a hit. the $60 bottle of the 2005 cabernet sauvignon dry red wine, that zvi brought home from the winery, was an even bigger hit. zvi very willingly, drank 4 huge glasses of the wine. he was a very happy and gracious host for the rest of the seder. he also brought home a modest, blush dessert wine, which was very fruity and tasted like port. it was also a big hit. at one point, i dressed up baby sahar into a pineapple costume. it was a big hit with his young mom. the green tee shirt with the 'zelda's place' logo, that michal made, was a big hit.

the 'flopped' cranberry and blueberry muffins were surprisingly, a hit. the carob brownies were a definite hit. the orange cake was a near miss. the candied fruit and nut bars were a hit. the morracan tsimis was a miss. the mango and orange salsa was a miss. the small piece of hot pepper made it less than a hit. michal's cranberry relish was a huge hit. the fennel pistachio salad was a hit. the white cabbage slaw with dried cranberries and pecans was a hit. i didn't make a red cabbage slaw in the end. everyone was disappointed that i didn't make the orange and spinach salad. the waldorf salad with apples, grapes, celery and macadamia nuts and tahina dressing, was a near miss. the plain beets with lemon were virtually, untouched.

the star fruit was a big hit. it was actually, the first ripe one that i ever ate. the sabra fruit was a total miss. the 'pink lady' apple was a hit, as well as the red pears. the chestnut soup was a huge hit. it tasted like something you'd experience at the ritz carlton. we all had small amounts except for michal who doesn't eat mushrooms. the cherry salad was a hit. the humus with pine nuts was a near miss. the barley and fried onions was a big hit. the avocado was a hit. the carrot slaw with candied kumquats and hazel nuts was a hit. the lemon and garlic fish fillets were a hit. (the secret being lots of fresh cilantro and a good amount of turmeric). the main course, the coconut, cashew, lychee chicken was a huge hit.

the morning meal was a huge success. the usual shabbat plain, boiled mashed potatoes with hard cooked eggs, that i make all the time, for zvi and gal, was a big hit with this crowd. the chopped liver was a huge hit. my secret is white wine. the cherry chicken was also a huge hit,too. again, the secret is white wine. the white challah was a near miss and the mini whole wheat pitas and rolls were a definite hit, with this group of ladies. we made zvi bless on the whole wheat bread which was not his favorite thing to do. gal and zvi were the 'odd men' out here. this was a whole wheat kind of crowd.

we had tuna fish for the third meal. both the water and oily tuna were a hit. the potato salad, that i made in the morning, was a huge miss. no one touched it. mikimi brought a package of smoked turkey meat, which was a hit. most of the dried fruits were a hit except for the citron. i ate most of the carob by myself. the raw cashews were a hit as well as the macadamia nuts. the pine nuts were not a hit. the date honey in the plastic shot glass was a complete mystery and a total miss. i totally, overate the candied fruits and was afraid that i might go into binge mode. i kept eying the 'mike and ike' jelly bean like candies. in the end, i resisted.

later that evening, zvi ordered a pizza. at 11:00 p.m. before "american idol" began, i ate the cheese off of 4 slices of pizza. i gave some of the crust to the dogs. i had a coffee and ate a couple of figs. a little while later, i felt really nauseous and was afraid that i might be sick. i got up this morning and drank a cup of water and ran to my yoga class. when i got back, i had the rest of the chestnut soup. i forgot that it was on the stove, until i smelled something burning. the pot got burnt but i was able to salvage a nice sized bowl of soup. it tasted much richer today. i am trying very hard to stick to the diet plan this week. usually, i go on a 3 day 'bender' after all of the tu b'shvat goodies, but not this time! my weight loss is beginning to show.