Dairy extravaganza 2016

it is 11:30 p.m. in the holy city of zefat.  my son just told me that the kids will be here for Shavuot.  the holiday starts on Motsei Shabbat.  I was racking my brains about what to make because the kids told me on Shabbat that they were planning on going to the Sephardi family for Shavuot.  they also requested dairy food for Shabbat.

last week as I shopped for Shabbat food I realized that Shavuot was coming up very soon.  I guess the huge assortment of dairy items gave me a clue.  I bought all the ingredients to make a cheese lasagna, cheesecake, cheese platter, tiramisu dessert, and 3 types of prepared ravioli.  no one here wants to eat meat on Saturday night.  we discussed the Shavuot menu and we agreed that the entire Shavuot would be dairy this year.  I usually make meat in wine for one meal.

the next day the kids pulled a switcheroo on me and decided that they wanted a dairy Shabbat.  I felt strange about serving lasagna for Shabbat lunch.  let's just say that it isn't the most traditional food.  it looked like that I was going to be alone for Shavuot this year.  my friends on the next block pooped out and decided to stay home.  I didn't really want to make a lasagna for just me and a gal pal.  I invited a friend to join me for Shabbat and Shavuot.  she always comes with her old dog who spends the entire time scratching and ripping out it's fur.

I decided  to make a cheese and fruit platter for me and my friend for Saturday night.  I was all over doing lasagna at one point.  I jotted down recipes for cheese blintzes and cheese latkes.  in the old days I would also make a sweet dairy noodle kugel as well as savory spinach and broccoli kugels.  those days are gone.  we just don't have the numbers anymore.  I ran out today and bought cherries and grapes and more cheese.  it doesn't end.

now that I will have guests it's back to plan A.  I will bake a lasagna for Shavuot lunch.  I might make some tomato soup for Saturday night although it might be too hot for soup.  I think for Saturday Shabbat lunch I will keep it non dairy.  I have 2 types of fish to prepare and sweet potato ravioli.  I might also make a broccoli casserole.  I can serve left over chicken to whomever feels like having some.  I want to make honey mustard fillet of salmon this week.

I want to make a goat cheese salad with greens, craisins and walnuts for Saturday night.  I might make savory cheese latkes, too.  I'd rather serve the lasagna for the daytime meal.  I might still go out and buy some lox.  I will have both cheesecake and tiramisu for Shabbat and Shavuot desserts.  I think I might just have to make cheese blintzes for Saturday evening.   I need something that the little kids will eat.

I don't know how and when i'll be able to prepare all of this food.  I travel tomorrow to tel aviv to see the brain surgeon.  I don't look forward to the return trip.  I need to clean the entire house on Wednesday and do a lot of cooking on Thursday.  the tiramisu and cheesecake will have to be made on Friday.  i'll also make the chicken wings and schnitzel on Friday.  I think the fish should be made on Friday. the ravioli takes 3 minutes to cook up.  I thought about also making eggplant parmesan but I need to draw the line somewhere.

perhaps i'll find prepared blintzes in the large supermarket.  I need to sit down and really prioritize my holiday menu.  I need to get centered.  I'm rather scattered all over the place right now.  I gained a ton of weight and look immense.  I have a huge spare tire under my breasts and above my huge stomach.   I have been taking desperate measures to shed some of this weight fast.  I only ate watermelon and salad yesterday and today.  I was planning on doing a fruit fast this week but when push comes to shove I couldn't.

I spent all of last week in bed binge watching the entire 5 seasons of Breaking Bad and stuffing my face.  I haven't been this overweight in 50 years.  I hope that this veggie-fruit diet will help lower the belly by Shavuot.  if it doesn't it doesn't but i'll be truly embarrassed when I see my gyn oncologist  next week.  he told me to lose weight about 8 months ago.


I hope