What's For Breakfast?

it is 10:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed.  it is cold and raining outside.  it is pretty cold inside, too.  i suffered from a bad headache the morning after the seder.  it wasn't really a hangover from the four cups of wine.  it was a bad headache from poor quality wine.  we usually have boutique wine from a winery in Dalton.  this year i simply bought a bottle of wine in the supermarket.  i have had this wine before and liked it well enough. i was alone.  my son is the one who usually chooses the wine every year and i pay for it.  with the rona crisis, i didn't think too much about wine this year.  in hindsight, i could have called the winery and ordered a couple of bottles and had them send it over in a taxi.  in actuality, money is tight right now and i decided that wine wasn't a major priority.

i bought two bottles of grape juice for the kids.  i cannot drink it.  it nauseates me.  i can take a sip or two when i make Kiddush but i am sticking with wine. i made havdalah last night on a glass of wine.  i was fine this morning.  well, maybe fine, isn't exactly true.  my eyes are runny and burning and my head aches.  my throat is scratchy and i have a slight cough. my face and hands are swollen from the matzah and salt.  i am going through withdrawal from my beloved chai tea.  the regular lipton tea bag doesn't do it for me at all.  i miss my chai.  i don't feel much like moving today.  it is so dreary and grey. i did buy a couple of boxes of organic chai tea that were certified for pesach.  i noticed that they contained cardamom.  apparently, askanazi jews don't use cardamom and other seeds on pesach. 

i just made leftover charoset silver dollar pancakes. this is based on the 2 ingredient banana and eggs recipe. charoset is the ground mixture of apples, walnuts, ginger, dates and pear that we use for the seder.  i made a giant tub of this because my daughter-in-law and longtime gal pal and consummate  guest; love it.  they can never get enough.  i told myself to make just a little this year; being that i was here all alone. somehow, out of habit, i made too much.  i figured i would have a healthy dessert all week.  i am already sick of it.  i thought about bringing some over to my neighbor but i couldn't remember if i had touched it with my fingers or licked the spoon, etc.

 i decided to try and make non gluten pancakes with the charoest.  i had a small Teflon fry pan from the year one; but i didn't have a thin spatula.  the first few were perfect.  i turned them with a butter knife.  oh if i only had some butter this pesach!  anyway, they didn't seem sweet so i added a mashed banana.  big mistake!  it ruined the consistency and they stuck.  i scrambled them. i ate the scrambled mixture and it was tasty but i decided i could improve on this.  i added another couple of eggs and i was back on track. i made more to have for Saturday morning with my tea.

for those of you out there who use matzah meal or potato starch, this will adapt to make regular sized pancakes.  i like my little silver dollar ones.  i also like not using potato starch for these.  i do use potato starch to coat schnitzels on pesach.  the kids thought it was weird last year.  the sephardi grandma uses matzah meal and her schnitzels look normal.  years ago, when money was not an issue, i would use crushed almonds to coat the schnitzels.  i am now more frugal.  i only buy enough nuts for the week of pesach now.  i buy potato starch every year out of habit but i do use it during the summer to relieve heat rash.  it is better than talc and not toxic.  i think i actually bought two bags this year.  oh well..... some habits are harder to break than others.

i need to cook food for Shabbat.  i have soup left but we went through the chicken in it.  i think i'll pot some chicken and add onions and fresh tomatoes.  i use salt , ginger and peppercorns for pesach.  i thought i bought some fresh garlic but it never made its way to my fridge.  i have never used garlic on pesach.  the cult that i belong to, doesn't allow it.  actually, the authorities said that we may use garlic this year to boost our immune system.  how liberal of them!  i am seriously tired. i think i'll rest for a few hours.  i hope i don't fall asleep and wake on sunday this week.  Shabbat shalom.

5:30 P.M. update:   it is a half an hour to candle lighting.  it is indeed, Friday late afternoon and it is indeed, an hour before Shabbat begins.  i made chicken legs with fresh tomatoes, garlic, ginger, onions , celery and peppercorns.  i made a raw grated beet, carrot and ginger salad and salmon fillets and mashed potatoes.  i kind of burnt the fish a little and the mash is not my finest dish.  what can i say?  i lack inspiration.