Nothing New

 it is 10:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed.  i just finished my third bowl of oatmeal.  i added an apple, a banana, a hand full of walnuts and three chopped dates.  you would think that this should last me all day but it doesn't.  i eat this every morning.  today i actually, drank two glasses of water first.  i feel a bit dizzy.  the weather has been unseasonably warm.  i stayed in all week  and only went out to walk the dogs.  the weather doesn't agree with me.  i felt congested and headachy all week long.  i also overate every day.  i am still doing my intermittent fasting but i have slowed down.  i am already thinking about having some rice cakes with peanut butter and citron jelly.

perhaps; it is physical or perhaps it is a sign of resignation.  i haven't had a covid shot yet.  i am still holding out.  my friend says that i am a gambler.  she took me to the pharmacy yesterday and bought me an oil of olay face cream.  it is quite expensive in israel.  she always brings me one when she comes back from her trip to vegas.  i must look really dreadful if she bought me the cream.  another friend suggested that i wear lipstick.  she said that my lips were pasty white. i guess i am not aging so gracefully; afterall.

i just do not see the purpose of wearing makeup or dying my hair; anymore.  i no longer go out to restaurants or go to public gatherings.  i wear a mask every time i venture out.  i am naturally, aging.  i just do not care.  i shower every day and brush my teeth.  i even use a bit of fragrance.  i eat well and have given up sugar and junky food.  i haven't been walking lately.  i am always tired.  i think its the result of binge watching on netflix.  i seem to be in bed all day watching series that i never got to see.

my kids came in last week for shabbat .  they came to see the new baby who is currently staying here with her parents and three year old sister; downstairs.  i had to travel to the tel aviv area on thursday to do a CT.  it took me four hours and two busses to get to the hospital.  it was my first time in a year travelling log distance on a public bus.  it was not easy wearing my mask for nearly 9 hours.  i left at noon and was back in my house at 9:30 p.m.  i returned home and went downstairs to see the grandkids. i walked right into the entire sephardi clan; having a birthday party.  i was starving; having not eaten all day.  they only had cake and junk to eat.  i ended up having two slices of pizza very late that night.

i didn't have tons of gifts for the grandkids this time.  i am broke.  i got them each a couple of things and gave then some money.  they were pleased.  my granddaughter wanted to return the money.  i guess i shouldn't have explained that i was not rolling in the dough.  my grandson; who is about fourteen months; was very standoffish.  he doesn't really know me.  he does love to come upstairs and see my dogs.  he doesn't actually talk yet and doesn't really understand english.  it is frustrating to say the least.

i slept with the two older grandchildren on mattresses on the floor.  we didn't crash until about 4:00 a.m.  i was virtually, non functional the next day.  i had done a thorough house cleaning on wednesday and prepared the master bedroom.  my place was truly trashed.  i cleaned for about six hours.  i didn't need to cook a thing.  as soon as everyone woke up; they went downstairs.  i did make some oatmeal for the toddler.  i joined the sephardi family for all the shabbat meals. i had some real quality time with my granddaughter, who is now into charms.  we slept together on friday night.  the grandson hung with his male cousins.

there were relatively few meltdowns.  everyone seemed to get along.  we sat outside in the glorious sun for a few hours.  the kids dragged out all the different types of lego.  it was peaceful.  i tried to read psalms.  i kept on nodding off.  it took me two hours to finish my portion.  the kids left early on saturday night and i retreated to my bed and netflix.  i wasn't feeling well.  of course, i thought i had covid.  i had some rather bad dizziness and headaches.  i stayed in bed for days.  i am pretty sure it was the weird weather because i felt better when it turned a bit colder.

i have to return to the hospital in a couple of weeks to meet with the lung surgeon.  i will ask him if he thinks i should have a covid shot.  i don't look forward to travelling again.  i have a good chance of getting back before nightfall this time.  i think they are already predicting bad weather.  what can i do?  they are talking about no real purim this year.  some cities are planning on opening up the mauls.  i couldn't care less.  i do not have a vaccine passport and don't care to hang out in crowded mauls ever again.  i don't eat takeout and do not miss going to restaurants.  perhaps, i do miss it a bit.  my life is ridiculous.

it is another friday morning and shabbat tonight.  the week truly flew by.  i will make my own food.  i may go to friends who live nearby; for lunch.  i found kale yesterday at the local supermarket and had a blast.  i defrosted some chicken and i will stew it in a while.  i have been feasting on couscous and bulgur lately.  i have been hitting the carbs pretty hard.  i may have put on a bit of weight.  i am pretty inactive.  i never feel satiated.  thank goodness for my nightly fasting.  i have become a shut-in.  i did get out yesterday for a bit with a friend.  i plan to eat dinner and call it an early night later.  i have no desire to talk with anyone tonight. i don't really have any interesting reading for later. 

this little mountain town is full of covid.  very few are wearing masks anymore..  once the shots began, people got more careless.  i am maybe; leaning towards getting vaccinated.  i have never had a flu shot.  i will see what the lung surgeon has to say to me.  i don't really feel like cooking today.  i feel heady and congested.  it is supposed to get a bit colder.  i haven't used the heaters all week long.  i am in a real funk.

The New Year For Trees

 it is 9:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed.  they predicted a big rain storm last night.  it never happened.  we did get a bit of rain this morning but the sun is out now.  it is supposed to get really cold for shabbat. last night was the beginning of the holiday of Tu B'shvat.  it is the 15th day of the jewish month of shvat and we celebrate the new year of fruit trees.  by way of celebrating; we eat as many types of fruits that we can find.  it is our way to rectify the sin of adam and eve who ate from the forbidden tree of knowledge in gan eden.  since the rabbis couldn't agree on which tree it was that they ate from; we try to cover our tracks by eating as many fruits as possible.  traditionally, it was thought to have been an apple tree.  however, we jews can't agree on anything so we eat apples, pears, figs, dates, carobs, pomegranates, almonds, barley, walnuts, wheat products, grapes or raisins and we drink wine on this night.  

the more dedicated of us jews make a seder similar to the pesach seder and include 30 types of nuts and fruits and drink 4 cups of wine.  i hosted such a seder for dozens of years.  i used to buy 10 types of nuts, 10 types of fruits with large pits and 10 types of fruits with seeds.  one year, when the holiday fell out on shabbat; i cooked a meal incorporating all 30 items. i had a folder with the entire parts of the seder in english and dozens of special recipes.  a few weeks ago i threw the folder out.  i was not thinking clearly.  i figured that i would never host a seder again and especially; not during covid. this was years of compilation and hand written recipes.

last week i searched for my folder.  i wanted to do a seder alone like i did last pesach.  i picked roses and rosemary and lavender on my walks with the dogs.  yesterday i picked myrtle in front of y house.  i placed a huge candle in a fancy holder on the table.  i didn't buy 30 varieties of fruits and nuts this year.  i stuck to the7 biblical fruits of the land and added the apples, pears, carobs, walnuts and almonds, that are mentioned in the seder.  i did splurge on stewed citrons.  there were no candied citrons to be found.  and carobs, were almost nearly unavailable.  i called a spice and nut store in town to inquire if they had citrons and carobs and i hopped on a bus to town early the following morning.  the citrons were very expensive.  i paid nearly $15.  i didn't care.  i was obsessed.  i also wanted to buy a lot of carobs.  i actually adore them and eat them like i used to eat mini chocolate bars.  they gave me a gift of 3 carobs for buying the outrageously, overpriced citrons. 

i made parcels for a friend and the sephardi grandparents downstairs. i included a fair amount of stewed citrons and a whole carob.  they were recovering from covid and the young grandmother was in mourning for her father who had recently passed away.  i made chicken legs and barley with the juice of fresh lemons, tangerines. and oranges. i added a few dates, slivered almonds and a package of  precooked chestnuts.  i tried roasting some fresh ones but i managed to burn them.  i also cooked wheat berries with a splash of honey and a lot of cinnamon.  i will use the leftover wheat berries for my shabbat cholent tomorrow and i will cook some chicken wings later to eat with the leftover barley.

at 4:00 p.m. my friend; who lives on the next block ; decided to join me for the meal later that day. i raced around the house collecting shoes and socks and coats and various pieces of clothing strewn throughout the t.v. room and on the kitchen chairs.  i washed the dishes and pots and pans in the two sinks and i cleared the table.  i put on a clean tablecloth and damp mopped the floors.  i set up a platter of fruit and arranged the dried fruits and nuts in decorative glass dishes.  i opened a small bottle of red wine and of course, had a problem with the cork.  i put the cooked wheat berries and pot of chicken on the hot plate.  i hustled to take a shower and get dressed.  i had been lingering on the phone all afternoon with a friend.  i was still in my jammies and shabby woolen robe covered in dog hair. i let the dogs out by themselves because i had no time to walk them.

we sat for about half an hour trying to come up with a list of songs using fruits in their titles.  in past seders; after drinking 4 cups of wine we would all break out in a rendition of 'chiquita banana" and 'lemon tree'.  ah!, those were great times.  last night my friend; who is a true musicologist; came up with quite a lot of songs.  we then started our seder with a glass of wine.  i read one sentence about each of the 12 items we were going to eat. i had downloaded them on my cell.  it was a bit hard to read.  i had planned on duking it out with the torah passages in hebrew; on my own.  i was in no rush.

we did rush to get it over and have our dinner finished by 6:30 p.m. because we both are advocates of intermittent fasting and we both usually don't eat after 5:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.  at 6:30 p.m. i walked her home with my dogs. we were both cold and tired.  i washed all of the serving dishes and cleared the table.  the girls downstairs were doing a party.  they were blasting music on their amplifier.  i called to ask if they needed any fruit.  i gave them the rest of my grapes and stewed citron and fresh coconut.   i didn't really like the grapes this year.  i stayed away from the heavily candied dried fruits this year.  i ate only fresh fruits and unsalted nuts.  i did buy a few dried figs. i also do eat 3 dates every day.

well, it is no longer sunny and it is very cold now.  it does look like rain.  i have no desire to go outside now.  i have what i need for shabbat.  i would love to buy a lettuce but i am quite content to live without one.  i have some cooked beets in the fridge and plenty of walnuts and tangerines left to make a salad.  i bought a small piece of beef to make a cholent for myself for Shabbat lunch. i even bought a bag of mini potatoes. i have enough wine to make kiddush and a bag of spelt rolls in the freezer; so all is well in the middle east for now.

One More Lockdown

 it is 8:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed.  yes, folks; we are once again in lockdown.  we just got off a rather, bogus, two week lockdown; where nearly everything was open and now we are in a serious lockdown.  it is against the law to be in someone else's house and yet we are allowed to gather indoors in groups of 5 or outdoors in groups of 10.  we are allowed to go to demonstrations as long they are in within a kilometer from our homes.  i just cannot take this seriously.

i have stopped thinking about covid.  i am focusing upon the possibility that my lung tumor might be  cancer.  these stupid, ineffective lockdowns do not change my lifestyle one iota. i still walk the dogs and walk to the supermarket and pharmacy whenever i have the notion and the energy and of course; the money.  we are having a warm spell and it is absolutely glorious to be outside in the warmth and sun. who needs a bottle of vitamin D.  i have opened up all of the windows to air out the house a bit.

we have been in the midst of an overly zealous drive to inoculate the town for covid.  they have held huge rallies in a hall downtown to get the maximum of the elderly their covid shots.  my friends ran to get their shots.  many elders want to travel to see their grandkids abroad.  one friend wants to get back to vegas after pesach.  i for one, do not believe in shots.  i never get a flu shot and i refuse to have a pneumonia shot.  i am not rushing anywhere to get a covid shot, either.  there is a covid shot frenzy in israel.  we have to be the first country on the planet to be covid free. and yet, we have a reported 8000 cases a day here.  and now the threat of a worse strain of the dreaded covid from england is upon us.

the stress and the confusion is maddening and depressing.  i am trying very hard to keep my equilibrium.  i have stopped speaking out against the covid shots.  i have also stopped speaking out against the biden presidency.  i refrain from watching or listening to the news.  i live in my little bubble.  i have recently accessed free netflix ad i am binge watching series all day and night long.  i am still pretty much sugar free but i recently mistakenly; bought sweetened almond milk.  i have been grossly overeating lately.  i seem to not be able to get enough of my carbs.  it could be a lot worse.  except for the two slices of pizza that i wolfed down at the birthday party a few weeks ago; i  have managed to make and eat my own food.  no take out food for me.

i will join the sephardi family downstairs for shabbat meals.  the government is coming off very hard and threatening to crack down on everyone during this new lockdown.  i caught a glimpse of the israeli news at a friends' house last night.  they showed continuous footage of citizens getting covid shots and actually had a countdown to the lockdown like the new year's eve ball dropping.  i am absolutely uninterested.  i have two hospital appointments in february and march which will require extensive travelling on public busses.  whatever......

i am desperately short of funds at the moment.  i went to the local supermarket to look for discounted chicken wings and other goodies.  i came home with canned organic tomatoes, spicy chili beans, and sardines with peri peri.  they were all out of wings.  i bought a lettuce and a read cabbage to make a salad for shabbat lunch.  i spent about $12.  i made a salad with the sardines and ended up with the worst heartburn.  they were incredibly hot.  my chest throbbed for hours.  the Sephardi mom did my laundry this week.  my machine was uninstalled to allow for her machine and dryer.  i have been doing hand wash since april.  she washed all of my towels and a few sheets so i am set for the next visit from the kids.

life is swell.  life is good.  life is full of warm bowls of oatmeal and bananas and apples and dates and neflix shows and endless hours of the food network and walks with the dogs and countless hours on Facebook and what's app with friends.  the yeshiva that i worked for is looking for a cook.  i am so wanting to go back to work but i can't.  i absolutely cannot be in that environment during covid and in all honesty, i no longer have the strength.  i cook the bare essentials for myself.  wishing you all a good shabbat! and a happy weekend.

Another Lockdown

 it is 9:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed.  we start another lockdown today at 5:00 p.m.  we get recorded messages from our mayor a lot.  i have stopped listening.  i have stopped watching the news.  i  have become a true isolationist.  lockdown doesn't really change my lifestyle one bit.  i still go out with the dogs everyday and i still take walks when i have the energy and i still go to the supermarket, pharmacy and health food store when i have money.

i see the kids when they can make it in.  i video chat and send videos all the time.  i cherish seeing their replies.  i missed seeing my one year old grandson start to walk.  it is what it is.  i pray that i can make it to his other major milestones in the future.  life goes on in this new covid world. everyone over 60 is invited today to get a shot.  i will not be going.  i did make an appointment to do a lung CT next month in the tel aviv area.

they found blood in my stool so now they are coercing me to do a colonoscopy.  i find it very troubling.  i know it is probably a hemorrhoid but the doctors aren't convinced.  i am tired of being tested.  i am tired of being given another health issue.  i recently went in for a yearly blood exam.  i was curious to see how my intermittent fasting and weight loss effected my body.  i did lower my sugar and cholesterol; considerably.  i had been fasting and not drinking so my blood pressure went sky high.  another health issue?  not really.  

i went home and stopped off at a friend.  she gave me water and calmed me down and took my pressure.  it had already dropped down a lot.  i read that dehydration can raise one's blood pressure.  too bad the nurse didn't know that and offer me a glass of water.  she actually, let me leave with a high enough rate that i could have stroked out.  we must all do our part and take responsibility for our health.  the professionals are too busy with the covid to give us the time of day now.  yes; if we want a vaccine or have covid or need a covid hotel; they are interested.

i didn't get my annual brain MRI this year.  travelling was out of the question.  i still don't know how i will get to tel aviv for the CT.  i did go to my oncologist in june by taxi.  a dear friend sponsored the trip.  i recently applied for my social security benefits.  they are so backed up that i will be lucky if i hear from them by summer.  i am trying to stay calm.  i have always followed the path of the least resistance.  i am invisible now.  i accept it.  i feel very lucky to have recently gotten free Netflix. the young lady upstairs, my daughter-in-law's sister; is using my wifi and she has netflix.  i suddenly got it down here.

i am happy for the simple things.  if i find organic almond milk on sale i am elated.  if my dogs both poop at the same time it's a home run.  my standards are pretty low.  right now it is freezing outside.  it's pretty cold inside, too.  no problem.  i simply add on more layers.  one great benefit to weight loss is that you can add on more clothes and still breathe.  life is good.  i am used to being alone.  i actually prefer it.  people exhaust me.  

i had a pretty brutal tooth extraction last week.  it left me; pretty much a basket case for two days. i am pretty much healed now.  it reminded me of the dustin hoffman movie, the marathan man.  you may remember lawrence olivier as the nazi dentist who tortures hoffman.  it was pretty brutal, just like my extraction.  i am pretty much over it now.  i doubt that my dentist will be working during the lockdown.  so, i am pretty much safe for the next two weeks.

i am planning on heading over to the local supermarket to stock up on some essentials.  i need dog food and almond milk and grains and tuna fish and chicken wings.  what a life!  it's all about the food.  last night i was seriously considering eating 3 chocolate bars in my fridge.  that little binge food voice was egging me on.  i haven't indulged in a year.  i felt violated.  i  needed to get it out of my house.  at midnight i ran out of my house.  i was headed for the garbage bin when i spotted my daughter-in-law's brother putting away his motorcycle.  he has recently joined the army.  he was delighted to be handed 3 chocolate bars.  close call!

i actually read that binge eating is an official eating disorder.  i suffered with it for years.  i thought that it was over but it sneaked up on me last night.  i actually mentally, relived the experience of a chocolate binge.  it felt very soothing.  alas, i still can remember acquaintances passing me by because they didn't recognize me since i gained so much weight.  my good friend and intermittent fasting sponsor; had nightmares about gaining back the weight.  she has lost a lot more than me.  she is actually, thin now.  i am still carrying an extra ten pounds or more.  it doesn't bother me.

Back for more

 it's been a wile since i blogged.  i haven't been near my computer in a month.  it wasn't intentional to take a break.  i just was out of sorts and couldn't be bothered going to the computer room.  i have been plagued with toothaches and headaches and have been fatigued.  i just took a break rom life after thanksgiving.  i guess i overdid it and needed some time to relax.  i was into some sort of hibernation period too.  i hardly texted at all.  i didn't even check my facebook messages.

Chanukah came and went; just as quickly.  i was alone for the first night of lighting.  it was eerie.  i was a bit depressed.  i went to visit a friend and ate a fried donut.  it was not sugary so i didn't feel guilty.  it was greasy and didn't feel all that great afterwards.  i had the shabbat meals with the sephardi family downstairs.  i missed my grandchildren.  i went to town and blew my money on gifts for the kids.

my granddaughter turned nine and my grandson turned one.  i bought expensive birthday gifts and spent a lot on the chanukah gifts.  i only get to see them occasionally now.  i thought about visiting them in jerusalem on chanukah but i couldn't get it together to travel on a bus.  it was a very surreal chanukah.  covid has put a damper on all of our holidays and family get togethers. 

last sunday; i decided to invite a couple of gals over for a latke meal. i always forget how hard it is to make latkes.  last year i made hundreds at the yeshiva but i had help.  i also made applesauce, greek salad, greek mini donuts and tomato soup.  it took me about four hours.  i was a bit frantic at the end.  it was the 12th year of my mom's passing.  i didn't go to the cemetery because it is not really popular to go on chanukah. i didn't even get to read some torah passages in her name, either.  i was really overwhelmed.  i had wanted to shower before the guests arrived.  it didn't happen.

i used cornstarch instead of flour to bind the latkes and i used too much.  the consistency of the latkes was weird.  they were like puffed potato pancakes instead of the flat crispy latkes.  i made tons.  i ended up eating about 15.  they were kind of small.  i struggled with the applesauce, too.  i actually had a problem with every component of the meal.  i had wanted to postpone the meal to the middle of the week because i wasn't really up to it; but one of the ladies had already arranged for someone to pick her up; so i forged on.  it was a bust.

we all ate in a rush and the gals left a little more than an hour later.  we didn't play dreidel or chanukah trivia or even commemorate my mom's passing.  i had a rum breezer and i got inebriated.  i was pretty miserable.  i felt awful.  i quickly did the washing up and got into pajamas.  it was only 6:00 p.m.  i gave out doggy bags of latkes and greek donuts.  i did enjoy bowls of the rich tomato soup the next day and the leftover greek salad.  nevertheless; it was a non event, as they say.

the grandkids came on wednesday and the real fun began.  the sephardi grandma made her famous couscous and chicken and we were all fed really well.  on thursday, she made sephardi fried donuts.  i indulged in a couple; once again i didn't feel guilty.  i recently had my weight and blood pressure checked.  my weight was okay but my blood pressure was sky high.  i t hink i was dehydrated when i went because i was fasting for my blood workup.  i  haven't been back since.  they are smack, in the middle of a massive drive; to inoculate everyone for covid.  i don't do vaccines.

i babysat for the one year old grandson on thursday for 8 hours.  he was under the weather, teething and overtired and wanted to go to sleep.  i was instructed by the 'clan' downstairs to keep him up. the poor thing was super overtired and desperate for a bottle.  i was discouraged from giving him a bottle until it was nearly 9:30 p.m.  he gulped it down but couldn't fall asleep until an hour later.  i was finished by then and just wanted to go to bed.  the two other grandkids were downstairs with their family.  my granddaughter came upstairs to sleep with me about midnight.

she woke up in the middle of the night and she was burning up.  i was sure that it was covid and that i was a goner.  i ran to get the rubbing alcohol.  i know it is frowned upon these days but i am old fashioned.  her young mother woke up and checked her and said she didn't have a fever so i went back to sleep.  in the morning she was cool as a cucumber; as they used to say.  i was slightly dead.  i didn't sleep much since they arrived.  i didn't have a moment to myself to communicate with the outside world, either.

the entire clan came for shabbat.  we were eleven adults, 6 children, two babies and four dogs.  it was loud and quite active.  i stayed downstairs for the entire time.  i was in a trance.  i couldn't sleep. i was on headache tablets and antibiotics.  i was snacking on roasted nuts and drinking hot tea.  i didn't go down for the third meal.  i was stuffed.  i made my own havdalah to end the shabbat and then the real fun began.  the family belated birthday party for my two grandchildren was underway.

it was chaos glorified until 11:00 p.m. then everyone went home and the kids went back to jerusalem.  i woke up the next morning at 8:00 a.m.  i was in a fog.  i cancelled my dental appointment.  i need to have two teeth pulled.  i was really out of it.  i was informed that my freind's mom has passed away.  i had a problem grasping the news.  i spent the morning making hospital appointments and got ready to go to the funeral.  after the funeral i went to visit my parents' graves.  i cried my heart out.  i wanted to walk over to where my sister was recently buried but i resisted.  all in all it was a hard day.

s

Even More Thankful

it is 11:30 p.m.  i just took the dogs out for a stroll.  it stopped raining and it is actually pleasant outside.  it seems warmer. the air is fresh from all the rain.  it was pretty quiet.  my silver fox was sitting in front of a car near my driveway.  he stared at me from a distance.  he looked like a cat.  as i got closer i realized that it was the silver fox from the valley at the end of my street.  

he ran off but turned to give me a glance goodbye.  i guess he's hungry.  the dogs were already getting agitated or i might have looked for something to feed him.  i know that foxes can be rabid.  this one looks healthy; but then again, i am not an animal doctor.  let's just say he wasn't foaming at the mouth like cujo.  i wonder what foxes eat.  i bet turkey would have been to his liking.

i cooked and prepped for about seven hours yesterday and i put in another seven today.  i also cleaned the house.  i made the zucchini and string bean dishes and i made baked apples, a green salad and i made non dairy whipped cream.  i added almond milk to the soup before i heated it up.  i made the wild rice.  it was a first for me.  after it was cooked it was a bit hard.  i added more water and it didn't seem to help.  i wanted a pilaf so i sautéed some celery and scallions and added dried parsley.  i was out of shallots and onions. i should have added some turkey stock. it would have been so rich.  

 i set the table with an old linen tablecloth from the past with a pilgrim turkey motif.  it's funny but i don't remember this table cloth from my youth.  it has yellow stains.  i had a much better and newer, disposable thanksgiving turkey motif tablecloth in the pantry; but i decided to go retro.  i took out the old champagne glasses from the cabinet and used them for the rum breezes.  it was chic. the ladies came all dolled up.  i even put on some eye shadow and lipstick.  we were a legal party of 5.  we sat one seat apart from each other.  after a glass of rum breezes we were feeling no pain.  we were actually giddy and animated.  it was the first time that we all got together for a meal since the dreaded covid.  it was wonderful.  it was enchanting.  we kept on singing the old: "We gather together to ask the Lord's blessings".. traditional thanksgiving song.  we couldn't remember all of the words.

the food was so delicious.  the butternut, sweet potato and chestnut soup was to die for.  it was so hearty and smooth and healthy.  it was luxurious.  the corn muffins were fabulous. they were light with a taste of honey and made with whole wheat flour and organic rice milk.  the cranberry sauce was glorious.  it was so sweet and dark and rich.  i made it with dates and fresh orange juice and ginger and a splash of maple syrup.  i couldn't stop eating it.  it's better than store bought comfiture.  i can't wait to have some smeared on a corn muffin tomorrow morning.

the muffins are gone.  i gave the remainder to the ladies for a treat on shabbat.  i will gladly go back to my non sweetener regimen on shabbat morning with a bowl of ground oats, banana and dates.  i might just throw the rest of the cranberry sauce into the oats.  it's that good.  the teriyaki string beans was the hit of the meal.  i grated fresh garlic and ginger and added some honey to the store bought teriyaki sauce.  i reduced it somewhat and then added crushed peanuts.  it worked well.  i debated about using the traditional sesame seeds instead; but in the end i went with the peanuts.  good choice.

i loved the zucchini with canned organic tomatoes and basil but it was overlooked at the meal.  the turkey wings and drumsticks were scrumptious.  the gravy was heavenly.  the turkey meatballs were light as feathers.  i only added an egg and a bag of ground fresh parsley.  i only had one wing because i was busy eating all of the sides.  i didn't even try the salad.   i lost it on the wild rice.  it was addictive.  i couldn't stop eating it.  my friend, the picky eater, thought it was mushy.  i beg to disagree.  i thought it was just right and that it had the crunch of the al dente celery.  everyone else thought it was just delicious.

i made tahini sauce and a mustard, honey and garlic vinaigrette for the salad.  i served a brandy spiked coffee and a brandy spiked hot chocolate.  both were topped with non dairy whipped cream.  i then served the baked apples.  i didn't have room for one. i can have it for breakfast or i can add it to the oats for saturday morning.  i topped the apples with cinnamon and a splash of maple syrup and a drizzle of honey.  i also added a sugarless dried pineapple slice on each apple for texture.

we started eating after 4:00 p.m. and we were finished by 6:00 p.m.  we were all satiated and ready to get home and back into our jammies.  i am thankful that i have tasty leftovers for shabbat and that my house is clean and that i feel warm and cozy right now and that i don't have to do anything tomorrow morning and that i have been invited to eat downstairs tomorrow night.  i am even more thankful that i was able to host such a lovely meal for my friends.

Being Thankful

 it is 7:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed.  i started cooking this morning at 7:00 a.m. and pretty much finished by 3:00 p.m.  i decided this month that i wanted to do a thanksgiving 'like' dinner for a few ladies.  i have been shopping for weeks for the traditional items.  i managed to find turkey wings and drumsticks.  i bought a package of ground turkey to make a stuffing.  i have never seen whole turkeys here.  our ovens are smaller than american ones.  there is no roast turkey happening here in safed.

i found frozen, uncooked, whole cranberries in town.  there is no ocean spray cranberries in safed that i know of.  we do have the nectar and juice.  i was lucky also; to find cornmeal.  sometimes they are all out at the supermarket. i wonder what israelis and sephardim do with cornmeal.  i don't know anyone except for americans that know what cornbread is.

i bought a butternut squash to use as a pumpkin substitute.  i am so through with trying to make pumpkin pies, latkes and breads.  i decided to make soup.  i also found fresh chestnuts.  no more packaged prepared chestnuts for me.  i  even read how to boil them first before roasting.  in the end; i made pumpkin, sweet potato and chestnut soup.  i didn't roast the vegetables or the chestnuts. i wasn't really that invested, in the end. i added a splash of almond milk and fresh ginger.  it is quite tasty.  i had two bowls of it.

i also made a sugarless cranberry sauce.  being true to my new dietetic lifestyle; i used dates in place of sugar. i did succumb and i added 3spoons of pure maple syrup to the orange juice and date paste.  the color is off but the taste is great.  i couldn't stop eating it.  i haven't used any honey or maple syrup in a year.  i did dip my apple in a splash of honey on  rosh Hashanah.  i have been using a banana for my sugar substitute all along.  i thought about adding one in the cranberry sauce but i chickened out.

i ended up; after a long deliberation; making cornbread muffins.  i used three tablespoons of honey and one tablespoon of maple syrup.  i made a dozen muffins.  i used whole wheat flour for a change.  i have been baking with oats all year.  the muffin was lovely.  boy, that honey goes a long way.  i really was hyper.  i marinated my beets already.  i made a pot of braised turkey parts and threw in some turkey meatballs.  i added the remainder of a semi sweet bottle of white wine and added fresh rosemary that i bought at the supermarket up here.  i also scored some fresh dried sage in town.  i bought some dried thyme, too.  i added a bit of tumeric for color; otherwise, i stayed true to the traditional thanksgiving spices.

i bought a package of organic wild rice at the health food store.  i want to do a pilaf.  i can't use mushrooms because one of the gals doesn't eat them.  i still have celery left and some chives.  i used up my remaining large onion and the rest of the tiny shallots. i want to bake some small pink apples. i will just sprinkle some cinnamon and drizzle honey or maple syrup.  i have a large bag of frozen string beans.  i wanted to ad almonds but i realized today that i had only bought ground almonds.  that might be good with the cinnamon for the baked apples, actually. 

i am not going back to the supermarket tomorrow.  it is supposed to rain all day and i am already coughing and sneezing a bit.  i decided to use some store bought teriyaki sauce on the string beans.  i already cleared it with my lady friend who is the picky eater.  i will sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on the beans.  i know that she will be disappointed that i don't add the almonds.  i am not making one more supermarket run again until next week.  i did think about buying a non dairy coffee creamer for a friend who drinks endless amounts of coffee.  we will see how the weather is tomorrow.

i don't really have a dessert planned.  i thought about making a trifle out of the leftover store bought honey cake in my fridge.  i bought a package of vanilla pudding and thought about stewing apple slices and then layering the glass with the cake, fruit and pudding.  my picky eater friend said that it sounded weird.  she also went off on vanilla pudding.  she is definitely a chocolate pudding person.  i thought about making my own chocolate pudding; using almond milk and cocoa.  let's wait and see how i am tomorrow.  

i washed all of my training and fleece pajamas this morning in the bathtub.  it was a sunny day.  i never thought that it would storm tonight.  they have been predicting winter weather starting tomorrow.  i panicked.  i was suddenly cold and didn't have any winter weight jammies to get into.  suddenly i discovered a pair of clean training pants and an old fleece housecoat from once.  i didn't shower.  i just put them on really fast.  i washed one pair of slippers but luckily; i had another pair.  finally, something to be grateful for: warm jammies and slippers!