Happy New Year

it's 9:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat. we are closing in on the jewish new year. the holiday starts on wednesday night. it continues until after the shababt. that's seven festive meals we must create. afterwards, we fast on the following sunday.

i already cooked 3 of my main dishes. they are in the freezer in cooking bags. i find it much easier to defrost this way. you just pop a bag into boiling water and a short while later, voila!

i made a roast in a sweet red wine, meatballs in tomato sauce that will be topped over artichoke bottoms, and some spicy sephardi chicken bottoms. i baked 4 honey cake loaves this evening, an apple cake, one pan of honey bars and another pan of date bars. i still have a carrot cake loaf with cream cheese icing in the freezer from last shabbat. i'm pretty sure that i have over done it. i plan to give a way a few of the honey cakes to friends and family.

the apple cake is still in the oven. i used white sugar and flour for a change and i don't really know how to deal with it. i bought all of the veggies and fruits for the holiday. i only need to buy challahs on wednesday. i put in an order for my girl friend to make me some round whole wheat challahs. yummy!

i'm still debating on making a sweet noodle kugel. i am planning on doing the rest of my cooking tomorrow. i have to babysit sahar on wednesday and it will be too hectic to do anything else except perhaps, make a green salad. i want to make gefilte fish with a spicy tomato sauce. there is no way that gal or zvi will eat the ashkanazi sweet kind of fish. i am too afraid that the fish will fall apart in the tomato sauce so i'll make it the regular way, in water, and then bake it in the sauce. maybe i'll add a chili pepper. i have some niles perch slices to add to the pot, too.

i want to make a sephardi carrot and sweet potato tsimmis. the secret is fried onions and a touch of tumeric. i have raisins and prunes to add to the concoction.
i have to make a pot of brown rice for a friend who is vegetarian and celiac. she also doesn't do sugar. are we having fun yet? believe it or not, she can have pumpkin. i always cook the symbolic foods for new year's in soy sauce. zvi loves it. not this time. my friend cannot have soy sauce with wheat and i never made it over to the health food store to check out the wheat free kind.

zvi complains that he doesn't like my ashkanazi rosh hashana food. i have never used lemon, vinegar, or anything else that is sharp. i have always drizzled honey over every single dish. not this year. i will make every dish hot and spicy.

i have been surfing the internet for days looking up interesting recipes. i simply, have to put myself on auto pilot tomorrow and work hard. i will need to do the floors, too. i was thinking about visiting the seniors before the holiday. i haven't seen them in over a month. it will be hard to go tomorrow. i guess i'll see where i am holding.

i finally went to see the doctor last week. i felt sure that i had bronchitis. i have been feeling fluish for a month. i lost my voice several times. i coughed non stop and found it hard to swallow. the doctor didn't see anything. he said it could have been viral. he called it 'saftas' disease. always watching a kid and catching his runny nose. go know!

wishing you all a good, sweet, new year!!!!