it is 4:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed. a friend is coming for Shabbat. I already warned her that I am pretty tired and may not be able to schmooze all night. they bless the new month in synagogue tomorrow and I would like to be there. I turn 68 on Thursday. where did the time go? I made a pretty simple Shabbat dinner. I worked at the yeshiva yesterday for nearly 8 hours. the guys went on a hike and I had to prepare about 40 sandwiches. lucky for me, there were prepared soy schnitzels in the freezer. I baked them and covered each sandwich with ketchup. while the schnitzels were baking, I boiled about 30 eggs and cooked 3 pounds of pasta for their Friday lunch.
I had to prepare hamburgers for their evening barbecue and used about 5 pounds of ground beef. I made veggie kabobs and it took forever. I think I marinated the vegetables too long until they were soggy. if they were a total disaster, I wasn't informed. at around 4:00 p.m. I gave up. I had been working steadily and on my feet since 9:00 a.m. last year I made dozens of kabobs and it took hours. I had to cut up the herring into tiny pieces and add hot peppers and onions for their Kiddush on Shabbat. I also opened an industrial sized can of tuna and added a bunch of mayonnaise. I then cut up peppers and cucumbers and tomatoes for their breakfast this morning.
it took me about half an hour to clean the kitchen and pack up the food for the barbecue. it normally takes a full hour to do the washing up, mop the floor and clean the stovetop and counters. I didn't actually cook much yesterday. I wonder if I am a bit slow but I know that I can get a meal together in record time. I just keep the menus easy when I'm tired. my quick food items are baked potatoes, grains, pasta and lentils. I haven't been up for making kugels lately. it takes me almost an hour to get all the veggies ready when I make a soup for couscous. I'm chopping up potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers and tomatoes. and then there's all the peeling. the soup takes under an hour to cook and the couscous is pretty much instant. if I come in at 1:00 p.m. or later, it's pasta or rice and some kind of fried patties.
if I come in around 1:30 p.m. it's canned tuna and tabouli salad and scrambled eggs. if I want to make falafel I need to come in at 12:30 p.m. it takes an hour just to bake the frozen French fries. frying up about 160 falafel balls takes a good hour. I then have to cut up cucumbers, tomatoes, pickles and onions and make a large bowl of tahini. I often fry up eggplant slices. it's a cheap lunch for the yeshiva but it takes me hours. right now I am only cooking for 18 guys. I try to make a bit more. some times the rabbis eat something. there is always leftovers.
today, I made some chicken legs and meatballs in a red sauce. I had 5 legs in the freezer and a small package of ground beef. I didn't even add breadcrumbs to the beef. luckily, it held together. I bought precooked beets, the greatest invention to date. I made two salmon fillets. my friend doesn't eat fish. I made a small amount of chopped liver. I had a small package of broiled liver in the freezer. I had some leftover sweet noodle kugel in the freezer from last Shabbat. I bought chumus and made tahini. I baked spelt corn muffins with soy milk. I used a different recipe and they turned out brownish. I also made spelt chocolate brownies. the recipe called for milk. I made some 'tahini milk' and hopefully, they'll be edible.
aftermath: turns out that the brownies are just cake and not great cake, either and I forgot to add cornmeal to the corn muffins so I have vey bland small brownish muffins with raisins. oh well.......
Friday, June 28, 2019
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Travelling Man
it is 10:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. I am truly tired and resting before I go to work. I have already had a slice of salmon and a lot of fresh cherries. I have been travelling a lot lately. I hardly ever leave safed but I had to get to the hospital near tel Aviv for two very important appointments. last Tuesday, I went to Sheba hospital to do my brain MRI. my appointment was at 5:15 a.m. the last bus to bnei brak was at 10:00 p.m. which would have gotten me near the hospital at around 1:00 a.m.
I would have had a huge wait in the lobby and there is nothing open at the hospital at that time. I had gone to an end of school production that evening. the two young girls of my manager were in the production. they come to the yeshiva almost every day after school to schmooze and eat something. they are like surrogate grandkids. my friend was taking photos of the production and came to stay over to watch the pooch. we got back at 9:30 p.m. and I was wrecked. I was too tired to try to catch a bus. I found someone to drive me to the hospital and wait for me to finish. he turned out to be a kid and looked to young to be driving miss zelda.
however, the price was right. the taxi company wanted double what he asked for. I really didn't want to spend the $150 but I needed to. the kid ended up waiting for me for three hours. I finished at 8:00 a.m. and was back at home by 10:00 a.m. I crashed and slept most of the day. I wasn't able to sleep after the show nor did I snooze in the car on the way to the hospital. at one point he got lost and I was too nervous to relax. I cannot fall asleep in a waiting room, either. I am too distracted by the noises. the reception desk actually, closed until 7:30 a.m. and I thought that they had forgotten about me. I wanted to leave. I had no more patience. the ride home was quiet and hot. the kid's jalopy wasn't air conditioned. we were both too tired to speak.
I had wanted to give him a tip for waiting so long but the atm machines were all out of service. I think he made out okay without the tip. his young friend had driven the car to the hospital so he had just the 3 hour wait and the 2 hour ride back to safed. even though he had to pay for gas he still made out. I had to work and stand on my feet for 20 hours to pay for that trip. whatever.... sometimes we have to shell how money to survive. I had to stay at work to make extra meals for the day I missed. on Wednesday, the daughter-in-law came to safed with the kids. she had a bat mitzvah in a nearby town. the kids wanted to sleep here. they came over at around 9:30 p.m. they had been at their cousins' home nearby. we arranged the mattresses on the floor of the t.v. room and we all passed out around 11:00 p.m.
I took them to the pool which is about a 5 minute walk from my house. I thought that it was too chilly to swim but they wouldn't take no for an answer. my friend goes every day to do laps so I knew that it was relatively, empty in the morning. most kids are still in school here. the kids haven't been to a real pool in ages. my friend stayed in the water with them. I wasn't dressed for pool. I ran back to the bakery near my home to buy barekas for us to eat. the pool snack bar was closed. at 12:30 p.m. I taxied back with the kids to the yeshiva. I only stayed for about an hour and a half. I think I made franks and pasta for lunch. it was an out Shabbat so I didn't need to make supper. the kids wanted to go back to the pool. we stopped off in town to buy little toys and I became truly tired. I didn't realize how burnt I had gotten at the pool. we went home. I thought that the daughter-n-law wanted to leave early.
I was invited to go to Jerusalem for Shabbat. I cooked savory chicken bottoms and made a sweet noodle kugel with raisins and an eggless spelt chocolate cake for my friend. I bought prepared beets and made tahini. I used a recipe which called for mayonnaise for the cake. I decided to use up the pesach mayonnaise and forgot that it was made with olive oil. I tasted the cake and it was a bit bitter. I ended up melting in half of a very good chocolate bar.
I forgot how tiring it is to be with kids. their mother showed up at 9:00 p.m. she called to let me know that she was going food shopping. I showered the kids to get them ready. I was getting agitated. I am always afraid that she might fall asleep at the wheel. we left safed at 9:30 p.m. but made it back to Jerusalem in only two hours. the kids and I passed out immediately. we all overslept the next morning and the daughter-in-law quickly got us up and the kids dressed and to school in just moments. an hour later we went to my grandson's end of school party.
I was thinking how I probably won't be around for other major events in the kids' lives. I couldn't stop crying during the class song. cheery, I know. I asked my grandson why he was so quiet at school. he is usually very outgoing at home. he got upset with me and told me I had ruined his day. I never learn to keep my mouth closed.
I managed to visit with my friend and we had lunch with her son. my son took me to his work and we met there. her son drove us back but they couldn't visit because the daughter-in-law was resting. oh well..... I didn't move on Shabbat. it was warm but I was exhausted. the kids played outside for most of the day. I didn't even get dressed. I managed to pray. we tried to play monopoly but the kids had to leave. I took a long nap by myself. we had lunch and it was not serene. it was not a great morning. the evening was a bit better. we had a quick meal before Shabbat ended. the big kids thought about going to a movie. the little kids wanted to be alone with me. I also wanted a moment of quiet. we ended up going to sleep at 9:30 p.m. as soon as Shabbat ended and I showered the kids.
the next morning I caught an early bus to downtown Jerusalem. my friend met me there for lunch. while I waited for her, I went shoe shopping. I love buying shoes there. we had a simple breakfast because I got a bit ill after eating at a fancy restaurant on Friday morning. I caught the 1:00 p.m.bus back to safed and was at the yeshiva at 4:00 p.m. I quickly made supper and taxied home. I was tired. on Monday, I made two extra meals for Tuesday. each meal has three elements. for supper I made a meat loaf, mashed potatoes and spicy carrots. for lunch I made soy schnitzels, quinoa and a sweet noodle kugel.
I left the house at 7:30 a.m. on uesday morning to catch the bus to rosh pina in the neighborhood. I caught a taxi on it's way to tel aviv. they ended up leaving me off at the hospital for $50. I was trying to save money but it was really hot outside and it was a real pleasure to be driven directly there. I ate something at the food court and had a cup of tea. I was two hours early for my appointment. I spied out shoes and bathing suits at the mini maul. I ended up waiting an additional hour for the surgeon. he spent an entire five minutes with me. he told me that when I decide to do the brain surgery, I know where he is. apparently, there was no change in the tumor.
I caught the bus back to tel aviv right away at 1:45 p.m. and an hour later caught the bus to rosh pina. there was a bit of traffic and I got home via taxi at 6:00.p.m. hence, I am still sitting at my computer not ready to go to work.
I would have had a huge wait in the lobby and there is nothing open at the hospital at that time. I had gone to an end of school production that evening. the two young girls of my manager were in the production. they come to the yeshiva almost every day after school to schmooze and eat something. they are like surrogate grandkids. my friend was taking photos of the production and came to stay over to watch the pooch. we got back at 9:30 p.m. and I was wrecked. I was too tired to try to catch a bus. I found someone to drive me to the hospital and wait for me to finish. he turned out to be a kid and looked to young to be driving miss zelda.
however, the price was right. the taxi company wanted double what he asked for. I really didn't want to spend the $150 but I needed to. the kid ended up waiting for me for three hours. I finished at 8:00 a.m. and was back at home by 10:00 a.m. I crashed and slept most of the day. I wasn't able to sleep after the show nor did I snooze in the car on the way to the hospital. at one point he got lost and I was too nervous to relax. I cannot fall asleep in a waiting room, either. I am too distracted by the noises. the reception desk actually, closed until 7:30 a.m. and I thought that they had forgotten about me. I wanted to leave. I had no more patience. the ride home was quiet and hot. the kid's jalopy wasn't air conditioned. we were both too tired to speak.
I had wanted to give him a tip for waiting so long but the atm machines were all out of service. I think he made out okay without the tip. his young friend had driven the car to the hospital so he had just the 3 hour wait and the 2 hour ride back to safed. even though he had to pay for gas he still made out. I had to work and stand on my feet for 20 hours to pay for that trip. whatever.... sometimes we have to shell how money to survive. I had to stay at work to make extra meals for the day I missed. on Wednesday, the daughter-in-law came to safed with the kids. she had a bat mitzvah in a nearby town. the kids wanted to sleep here. they came over at around 9:30 p.m. they had been at their cousins' home nearby. we arranged the mattresses on the floor of the t.v. room and we all passed out around 11:00 p.m.
I took them to the pool which is about a 5 minute walk from my house. I thought that it was too chilly to swim but they wouldn't take no for an answer. my friend goes every day to do laps so I knew that it was relatively, empty in the morning. most kids are still in school here. the kids haven't been to a real pool in ages. my friend stayed in the water with them. I wasn't dressed for pool. I ran back to the bakery near my home to buy barekas for us to eat. the pool snack bar was closed. at 12:30 p.m. I taxied back with the kids to the yeshiva. I only stayed for about an hour and a half. I think I made franks and pasta for lunch. it was an out Shabbat so I didn't need to make supper. the kids wanted to go back to the pool. we stopped off in town to buy little toys and I became truly tired. I didn't realize how burnt I had gotten at the pool. we went home. I thought that the daughter-n-law wanted to leave early.
I was invited to go to Jerusalem for Shabbat. I cooked savory chicken bottoms and made a sweet noodle kugel with raisins and an eggless spelt chocolate cake for my friend. I bought prepared beets and made tahini. I used a recipe which called for mayonnaise for the cake. I decided to use up the pesach mayonnaise and forgot that it was made with olive oil. I tasted the cake and it was a bit bitter. I ended up melting in half of a very good chocolate bar.
I forgot how tiring it is to be with kids. their mother showed up at 9:00 p.m. she called to let me know that she was going food shopping. I showered the kids to get them ready. I was getting agitated. I am always afraid that she might fall asleep at the wheel. we left safed at 9:30 p.m. but made it back to Jerusalem in only two hours. the kids and I passed out immediately. we all overslept the next morning and the daughter-in-law quickly got us up and the kids dressed and to school in just moments. an hour later we went to my grandson's end of school party.
I was thinking how I probably won't be around for other major events in the kids' lives. I couldn't stop crying during the class song. cheery, I know. I asked my grandson why he was so quiet at school. he is usually very outgoing at home. he got upset with me and told me I had ruined his day. I never learn to keep my mouth closed.
I managed to visit with my friend and we had lunch with her son. my son took me to his work and we met there. her son drove us back but they couldn't visit because the daughter-in-law was resting. oh well..... I didn't move on Shabbat. it was warm but I was exhausted. the kids played outside for most of the day. I didn't even get dressed. I managed to pray. we tried to play monopoly but the kids had to leave. I took a long nap by myself. we had lunch and it was not serene. it was not a great morning. the evening was a bit better. we had a quick meal before Shabbat ended. the big kids thought about going to a movie. the little kids wanted to be alone with me. I also wanted a moment of quiet. we ended up going to sleep at 9:30 p.m. as soon as Shabbat ended and I showered the kids.
the next morning I caught an early bus to downtown Jerusalem. my friend met me there for lunch. while I waited for her, I went shoe shopping. I love buying shoes there. we had a simple breakfast because I got a bit ill after eating at a fancy restaurant on Friday morning. I caught the 1:00 p.m.bus back to safed and was at the yeshiva at 4:00 p.m. I quickly made supper and taxied home. I was tired. on Monday, I made two extra meals for Tuesday. each meal has three elements. for supper I made a meat loaf, mashed potatoes and spicy carrots. for lunch I made soy schnitzels, quinoa and a sweet noodle kugel.
I left the house at 7:30 a.m. on uesday morning to catch the bus to rosh pina in the neighborhood. I caught a taxi on it's way to tel aviv. they ended up leaving me off at the hospital for $50. I was trying to save money but it was really hot outside and it was a real pleasure to be driven directly there. I ate something at the food court and had a cup of tea. I was two hours early for my appointment. I spied out shoes and bathing suits at the mini maul. I ended up waiting an additional hour for the surgeon. he spent an entire five minutes with me. he told me that when I decide to do the brain surgery, I know where he is. apparently, there was no change in the tumor.
I caught the bus back to tel aviv right away at 1:45 p.m. and an hour later caught the bus to rosh pina. there was a bit of traffic and I got home via taxi at 6:00.p.m. hence, I am still sitting at my computer not ready to go to work.
Friday, June 14, 2019
Why I Love Fridays
it is 5:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed. Shabbat candle lighting is at 7: 20 p.m. I made a Shabbat meal for myself. I ate a bit of it already. I got up early but couldn't really do anything. my back and legs were pretty stiff. I have been walking a bit lately. nothing truly strenuous. ten-fifteen minutes here and there. it is a shame as I was an avid walker. I really let myself go this past year. my feet swelled up from the intense heat and my back has gone a bit sciatic. I am trying to lose the weight. I started eating more recently. I was doing the south beach for about three weeks and I kind of lost my appetite. well, it came back with a vengeance with my puffy stomach. I started eating bread and I guess, I don't do well with carbs.
I went down to the neighborhood supermarket to buy some fruit. I got hooked on eating frozen grapes. I bought cherries, honey dew melon and grapes. they were no near as tasty as what I bought for Shavuot. I only had a bit of fruit on Shavuot because I couldn't deal with the sugar content after doing the south beach. I must say that I got over that and ate a lot of grapes the other night. I think I will go back to the south beach on sunday for another two weeks. I also stopped drinking a lot of water. I am consuming way too many calories to lose weight. I am still doing the intermittent fasting at night and it has saved me from binging a few times already. by the time I return from work I hardly have much time to have a proper dinner. I have been stopping to eat by 9:00 p.m. I know that most people do not eat at that hour. I can go all night long and I usually go to bed around 2:00 a.m.
I made 2 chicken breasts with fresh mushrooms for Shabbat night. I used fresh lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. I already ate one of the breasts. I am actually stuffed. I also made a salmon fillet. I had one for lunch and I had a slice of whole wheat raisin challah with cream cheese for breakfast. I also ate a small box of cherries. I have beets for later. is there any wonder why I don't lose weight? I heard from a couple of people who got thin that they increased their fat intake and did away with the carbs. I need to lower my calorie intake, seriously. I will get back on the wagon next week. at least, I didn't indulge in any cheesecake or tiramisu over the holiday and I didn't eat any lasagna. I stuck to the cheeses and veggies and olives. I tried to stay away from salt because my ankles were so swollen but a girl has to eat. I still haven't had any butter on my bread. I have not had more than two slices of bread a day. I've had one slice in the morning and another slice for supper. next week there will be no bread.
I just did a couple of loads of laundry. I have a huge amount of bedding to do from pesach. I didn't feel like going outside to hang it as it was very hot. I am very tired today. I worked almost 7 ours yesterday. the heat is debilitating and the yeshiva kitchen is airless. I am thoroughly depleted. I must drink more fluids. I have been frying a lot of foods lately. I made nearly two hundred falafel balls and about 2 pounds of French fries the other afternoon. I made tons of corn fritters and hamburgers, too. my legs are caving in on me.
the daughter-in-law invited me to come for Shabbat next week. we spent a lot of time together talking on Shavuot. they are coming next week for a bat mitzvah in the next town and will spend the night. I went out to buy treats, chocolate milk, eggs, and more cheeses and fruit. I bought more gifts last week. I still have frozen waffles for the kids. I better buy a few veggies on sunday. the daughter-in-law likes her salad. and I guess, I need some bread. I bought apple juice concentrate for the kids. my friend comes to baby sit my dog and I have to keep the freezer full for her. I have frozen grapes and watermelon. she loves her shakes. I also have lots of chicken and hamburgers. I left a piece of lasagna and a piece of tiramisu, too.
this year my lasagna was stellar. I used mozzarella and ricotta for the first time here. it was so much better than cottage cheese. the sauce wasn't runny. I also used Italian tomatoes. the tiramisu also turned out great. I made it alcohol free and used all natural almond extract which tasted like marzipan. only one friend didn't like it because she is not a marzipan fan. I tempered the egg yokes over a double boiler this time. even the teriyaki salmon was a hit. the only thing not touched were the cheese blintzes. I put them back in the freezer. my grandson had one but then he ate anything in sight. all in all it was a lovely holiday. I forgot how exhausting watching kids is.
I went down to the neighborhood supermarket to buy some fruit. I got hooked on eating frozen grapes. I bought cherries, honey dew melon and grapes. they were no near as tasty as what I bought for Shavuot. I only had a bit of fruit on Shavuot because I couldn't deal with the sugar content after doing the south beach. I must say that I got over that and ate a lot of grapes the other night. I think I will go back to the south beach on sunday for another two weeks. I also stopped drinking a lot of water. I am consuming way too many calories to lose weight. I am still doing the intermittent fasting at night and it has saved me from binging a few times already. by the time I return from work I hardly have much time to have a proper dinner. I have been stopping to eat by 9:00 p.m. I know that most people do not eat at that hour. I can go all night long and I usually go to bed around 2:00 a.m.
I made 2 chicken breasts with fresh mushrooms for Shabbat night. I used fresh lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. I already ate one of the breasts. I am actually stuffed. I also made a salmon fillet. I had one for lunch and I had a slice of whole wheat raisin challah with cream cheese for breakfast. I also ate a small box of cherries. I have beets for later. is there any wonder why I don't lose weight? I heard from a couple of people who got thin that they increased their fat intake and did away with the carbs. I need to lower my calorie intake, seriously. I will get back on the wagon next week. at least, I didn't indulge in any cheesecake or tiramisu over the holiday and I didn't eat any lasagna. I stuck to the cheeses and veggies and olives. I tried to stay away from salt because my ankles were so swollen but a girl has to eat. I still haven't had any butter on my bread. I have not had more than two slices of bread a day. I've had one slice in the morning and another slice for supper. next week there will be no bread.
I just did a couple of loads of laundry. I have a huge amount of bedding to do from pesach. I didn't feel like going outside to hang it as it was very hot. I am very tired today. I worked almost 7 ours yesterday. the heat is debilitating and the yeshiva kitchen is airless. I am thoroughly depleted. I must drink more fluids. I have been frying a lot of foods lately. I made nearly two hundred falafel balls and about 2 pounds of French fries the other afternoon. I made tons of corn fritters and hamburgers, too. my legs are caving in on me.
the daughter-in-law invited me to come for Shabbat next week. we spent a lot of time together talking on Shavuot. they are coming next week for a bat mitzvah in the next town and will spend the night. I went out to buy treats, chocolate milk, eggs, and more cheeses and fruit. I bought more gifts last week. I still have frozen waffles for the kids. I better buy a few veggies on sunday. the daughter-in-law likes her salad. and I guess, I need some bread. I bought apple juice concentrate for the kids. my friend comes to baby sit my dog and I have to keep the freezer full for her. I have frozen grapes and watermelon. she loves her shakes. I also have lots of chicken and hamburgers. I left a piece of lasagna and a piece of tiramisu, too.
this year my lasagna was stellar. I used mozzarella and ricotta for the first time here. it was so much better than cottage cheese. the sauce wasn't runny. I also used Italian tomatoes. the tiramisu also turned out great. I made it alcohol free and used all natural almond extract which tasted like marzipan. only one friend didn't like it because she is not a marzipan fan. I tempered the egg yokes over a double boiler this time. even the teriyaki salmon was a hit. the only thing not touched were the cheese blintzes. I put them back in the freezer. my grandson had one but then he ate anything in sight. all in all it was a lovely holiday. I forgot how exhausting watching kids is.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Countdown To Shavuot 2
it is 11:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed. I just got back from the neighborhood supermarket. I made a marble brownie Tofutti cheesecake for my manager for Shavuot. his son is lactose intolerant. I wanted to make a non dairy cheesecake for awhile. after choosing several recipes, I decided to stick to brownie bars. I wasn't sure how the Tofutti cream cheese tasted. I had read several disappointing reviews online. I got up pretty early today to make the brownie bars and a small keto cheesecake for another coworker. I was project cheesecake this morning.
I was just about to put the pan of Tofutti brownies in the oven to bake and I tasted it. I was curious how it tasted. too my utter shock, I had used salt instead of the sugar. I threw the pan out and ran down the stairs to buy more Tofutti cream cheese, eggs, cocoa, chocolate bars, coconut margarine, and vanilla extract. Guess what? I found American natural almond extract there. I came home and hurriedly made a new batch. they are in the fridge cooling a bit. what a disaster it would have been had I not tasted it.
the keto cheesecake looks okay but I hope that the texture isn't gross. I added a tablespoon of potato starch and perhaps it was too much for a little cake. I also substituted mascarpone cheese for the cream cheese. I went to the large supermarket after work last night to buy cream cheese and to buy almond extract. I had walked in the direction of the health food store in town yesterday to buy the natural extract. it gives a strong liquor flavor and this guy doesn't use any sweeteners. I figured it would compensate for the lack of sweetness. I like it on my cottage cheese. I got distracted and forgot that I was on my way to the health food store and went on to the bus station to go home.
wen I reached the bus station I remembered that I needed to go to the health food store. I jumped on a bus that took me to the large supermarket which is across the way form the brand new large health food store, that i have been meaning to check out. I made a mistake by going to the supermarket first. I met someone I know and we schmoozed for quite awhile. I bought ground peanuts to make a tahini crust for the keto cheesecake and got distracted and checked out before I bought the cream cheese. by then the health food store was closed so I taxied home without the almond extract and cream cheese.
I didn't want to go back to the supermarket this morning so I used the mascarpone cheese that I had bought to make the tiramisu and added sour cream. i ended up adding a bit of lemon juice and the regular Israeli imitation vanilla extract. I also cut up half of a 72% dark chocolate bar into little pieces and added it to the mixture. are we having fun yet?
I just tasted the sides of the marble Tofutti cheesecake and the chocolate tasted bitter and unsweet. I panicked. I thought I had forgotten to add sugar to the brownie and I was just about to chuck it into the garbage bin when I remembered that I had dusted the baking tin with cocoa. go know? I am dressed and showered and ready to go to work. I will have a tea first and then call a cab. what a morning!
I was just about to put the pan of Tofutti brownies in the oven to bake and I tasted it. I was curious how it tasted. too my utter shock, I had used salt instead of the sugar. I threw the pan out and ran down the stairs to buy more Tofutti cream cheese, eggs, cocoa, chocolate bars, coconut margarine, and vanilla extract. Guess what? I found American natural almond extract there. I came home and hurriedly made a new batch. they are in the fridge cooling a bit. what a disaster it would have been had I not tasted it.
the keto cheesecake looks okay but I hope that the texture isn't gross. I added a tablespoon of potato starch and perhaps it was too much for a little cake. I also substituted mascarpone cheese for the cream cheese. I went to the large supermarket after work last night to buy cream cheese and to buy almond extract. I had walked in the direction of the health food store in town yesterday to buy the natural extract. it gives a strong liquor flavor and this guy doesn't use any sweeteners. I figured it would compensate for the lack of sweetness. I like it on my cottage cheese. I got distracted and forgot that I was on my way to the health food store and went on to the bus station to go home.
wen I reached the bus station I remembered that I needed to go to the health food store. I jumped on a bus that took me to the large supermarket which is across the way form the brand new large health food store, that i have been meaning to check out. I made a mistake by going to the supermarket first. I met someone I know and we schmoozed for quite awhile. I bought ground peanuts to make a tahini crust for the keto cheesecake and got distracted and checked out before I bought the cream cheese. by then the health food store was closed so I taxied home without the almond extract and cream cheese.
I didn't want to go back to the supermarket this morning so I used the mascarpone cheese that I had bought to make the tiramisu and added sour cream. i ended up adding a bit of lemon juice and the regular Israeli imitation vanilla extract. I also cut up half of a 72% dark chocolate bar into little pieces and added it to the mixture. are we having fun yet?
I just tasted the sides of the marble Tofutti cheesecake and the chocolate tasted bitter and unsweet. I panicked. I thought I had forgotten to add sugar to the brownie and I was just about to chuck it into the garbage bin when I remembered that I had dusted the baking tin with cocoa. go know? I am dressed and showered and ready to go to work. I will have a tea first and then call a cab. what a morning!
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Sleepless In Safed
it is 4:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. Shabbat ended at 8:30 p.m. I thought I had a good chance of going to bed at a decent hour because I only napped for about an hour or two. I have been popping antibiotics and pain pills all of Shabbat. my gum was so swollen that I couldn't open my mouth fully last night and eating a crusty piece of challah was nearly impossible. I am happy to say that the swelling has definitely gone down. I started to get my appetite back and intermittent fasting tonight was challenging. I had to eat a spoon of peanut butter to take my antibiotic. in fact, it is time for my next pill. So why am I still awake? I didn't drink any caffeinated drinks all Shabbat. it's been days since I had a tea. it's been just too hot for that.
I finally turned off the television at 2:00 a.m. that's after I read that Syria had fired two rockets into the hermon. I can see the hermon from my window. we are talking about half an hour away from safed. but that isn't what really kept me up. a couple of minutes ago I got out of bed to look up Shavuot trivia questions to grill the grandkids and give out prizes. I also started fretting about my menu and even venue for the holiday.
after checking out the weather forcast which predicts even hotter days for Shavuot I kind of lost my sleep and mind. should I set up the upstairs apartment for the kids to sleep? are mattresses sufficient or do I need to drag up the bed frames? should we have the meals upstairs? the apartment is air conditioned? should I move upstairs for the summer? should I tell the repairman that the new screen door is already riddled with small holes?? should I run out and buy a small air-conditioning unit for the kitchen? and how exactly could I pay for one?
is the gardener coming this morning? what can I make for the yeshiva's dinner today? what recipes do I have for eggless cakes? should I forget about the tiramisu and make one for my birthday, which is in a couple of weeks? should I ask my daughter-in-law's sister and family to join us on shavuot night? should I buy more ice cream or ice popsicles? should I eat the camembert cheese for breakfast? should I buy more prize gifts for the grandkids? and now the sun has appeared here in the middle east and I am still awake in the holy city of safed. I just remembered that I don't need to make lunch today so I will have the full day to recover and rest. Amen!
aftermath: it is 9:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed. the gardener just left. we had a schmooze and coffee a little while ago. it isn't broiling yet. there is still a slight breeze outside. i just spoke to my daughter-in-law. miraculously, I got her in a public place. they have no cellphone reception in their home. I gave her options. now I need to speak with the son. I found an antibiotic on my kitchen table. I think I didn't take it at 5:00 a.m. oh well.........
I finally turned off the television at 2:00 a.m. that's after I read that Syria had fired two rockets into the hermon. I can see the hermon from my window. we are talking about half an hour away from safed. but that isn't what really kept me up. a couple of minutes ago I got out of bed to look up Shavuot trivia questions to grill the grandkids and give out prizes. I also started fretting about my menu and even venue for the holiday.
after checking out the weather forcast which predicts even hotter days for Shavuot I kind of lost my sleep and mind. should I set up the upstairs apartment for the kids to sleep? are mattresses sufficient or do I need to drag up the bed frames? should we have the meals upstairs? the apartment is air conditioned? should I move upstairs for the summer? should I tell the repairman that the new screen door is already riddled with small holes?? should I run out and buy a small air-conditioning unit for the kitchen? and how exactly could I pay for one?
is the gardener coming this morning? what can I make for the yeshiva's dinner today? what recipes do I have for eggless cakes? should I forget about the tiramisu and make one for my birthday, which is in a couple of weeks? should I ask my daughter-in-law's sister and family to join us on shavuot night? should I buy more ice cream or ice popsicles? should I eat the camembert cheese for breakfast? should I buy more prize gifts for the grandkids? and now the sun has appeared here in the middle east and I am still awake in the holy city of safed. I just remembered that I don't need to make lunch today so I will have the full day to recover and rest. Amen!
aftermath: it is 9:30 a.m. in the holy city of safed. the gardener just left. we had a schmooze and coffee a little while ago. it isn't broiling yet. there is still a slight breeze outside. i just spoke to my daughter-in-law. miraculously, I got her in a public place. they have no cellphone reception in their home. I gave her options. now I need to speak with the son. I found an antibiotic on my kitchen table. I think I didn't take it at 5:00 a.m. oh well.........
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