it is 3:15 in the holy city of safed. candle lighting is in another hour. last night I showcased a suitcase of props and costumes at the play's rehearsal. luckily, it was in the neighborhood and my friend's husband brought my suitcase back to their home for me in his golf cart. it was a bit heavy for me. I have been hitting clothes shops and art crafts' stores for weeks. I had a bit of a miff with one of the young actresses but in the end she vowed to wear whatever I chose for her. it was not very pleasant. I usually fit one actor privately at a time. when they are all together they become a hostile mob. the miserable weather did not allow me to run around that much. in fact, they predicted a snow storm for Wednesday night and all we got were intense thunder and hail storms.
I stayed home from work yesterday because I was worn out. I have been going to work for weeks in the pouring rain. I made a festive feast for them on Wednesday. I gave them their regular lunch and made barley veggie soup, vegan corn bread, quinoa with craisins, tomato salad and chumus. for supper, the feast, I served: rice, carrot, sweet potato and pineapple tsimmes, mini Italian beef meatballs, sweet noodle kugel with craisins and pineapples, teriyaki string beans, cole slaw with craisins and mayo, and a white cake with genache and a vegan chocolate cake with genache. the genache was not great, I had some pretty cheap baking chocolate to melt. oh well... I'm sure the guys loved it.
I also made lunch for Thursday in case I got snowed in. I made tuna loaf, green lentils and teriyaki spaghetti. the entire menu took me nearly 8 hours to prepare, cook, bake and clean up. I could hardly use my right hand afterwards and my hip was acting up. I felt dizzy, too. I haven't been drinking lately. and getting into the men's bathroom at the yeshiva is not an easy task. on Thursday at noon time, I took a hot shower and got dressed and ran out to the bus stop. it was so sunny. I was thrilled that it wasn't still storming. Wednesday night had been pretty extreme. most of us lost the cable and computer access. I went to sleep at 10:00 p.m. I didn't feel like going online and I had had enough of the day and the hail storms. on Thursday it was quite freezing. I felt quite exhausted and with less than three minutes until the bus pulled up, I made the decision to go back home. I felt guilty but I couldn't push myself anymore. I stayed home and played around with the costumes.
I made a non gluten and vegan corn bread for my actress friend who has crohns and a container of chumus without tahini. I made my newest non gluten treat of fudgy brownies. you take a small avocado, a medium banana,1/2 cup of coconut flour (I used peanut flour) 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2cup of maple syrup (I used only 1/4) 3 eggs, 1 tsp. baking powder and 1/2cup of Dutch coca powder. you mix it all together and grease an 8x8 inch pan. you bake it for 25 minutes on 350 degrees. the recipe calls for topping the brownies with chocolate chips but I don't. this time I topped it with natural pecans. yummy!
I thought that I would continue to finish up some costumes today but instead, I made shabbat food. I really didn't want to go to the supermarket this morning. I was going to make turkey neck soup but I didn't have celery. I ended up making barbecued chicken wings, instead. I also made a cauliflower mash because I overcooked the cauliflower. who likes soggy cauliflower? I made a very thick split pea soup with carrots and an onion. I used a whole bag of peas. I froze most of it in case my friend with crohns can eat it. I bought precooked beets before the storm and a red cabbage salad. I managed to catch up on some laundry this morning. it's cold outside but still very sunny. I made the "just two ingredients' banana and egg silver dollar pancakes. this time I added about 1/2 cup of quick oats and some cinnamon. I used one medium banana and two large eggs. voila! I had 15 small pancakes.
last week I made oat and blueberry muffins. they were too good. I ate all 11 by myself. I need to lose some serious weight. I spent the morning watching the show about 600 pound people who undergo weight loss surgery. it is pretty alarming. I see how I could get there. heaven forbid! I still have to finish my 'bridal' dress for the show and the two robot costumes. it is taking forever. I still need to sew some tulle to the white dress that I am using. I needed a fireman's outfit and found a navy blue rain slicker with pants for $20 and added yellow duck tape everywhere. it works. I am finished for today. I wish you all a good Shabbat!
Friday, January 18, 2019
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Sunday Not So much A Fun Day
it is 7:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed. I just got home form work. I was very fortunate to catch a taxi across the street from my work. I was sitting at a bus shelter and it was hailing and pouring and the winds were unbearable. I was nearly drenched. I took a cab to work ,too. I cannot run around in this weather like I used to. I think it was 1 degree Celsius today. I do not know how to compute this into Fahrenheit. sorry. all I know is that I'm pretty cold. I'm sitting in front of a space heater. I need to buy triple a batteries for my remote control. I had to manually change the stations last night. I watched friends reruns until 4:00 a.m.
I had cooked some black beans for Shabbat and decided to take them to the yeshiva to make a soup. I didn't have much to work with. I added onions, and a few carrots and tomatoes. I also made a lot of corn fritters,baked potatoes and hard cooked eggs. I don't think I made enough food for their lunch. I made a lot more for supper. I fried up a lot of tiny turkey burgers. I made a vegan cornbread and a vegan chocolate cake. I made a sweet noodle kugel, a tray of spicy bulgur and a tray of green lentils. I had to walk though a torrent of rain to put the food on the electric platter in the dining room. it was not fun.
tonight is the new Hebrew month of shevat. it is the height of the water we receive in the winter. we officially start to plant trees on the 15th of this month. it was so warm and sunny on Shabbat. I can't believe it turned so drastically cold and wet overnight. most of my bath towels are on the porch in the rain. thank goodness, I dragged in my clothes rack this morning. I am in shortage of warm clothes. almost everything I own is damp.
my friend was supposed to move into my neighborhood with her two sons. I offered to make Shabbat food for her because she was busy unpacking. it was a true culinary challenge. my friend is a vegan by choice and she cannot eat any gluten. she also suffers with crohns. I made a red lentil soup with carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. she cannot tolerate any oil and she doesn't use gugar. I made a vegan, non gluten cornbread for her. I substituted avocado for the oil. I used a tbs of apple cider vinegar instead of the egg. I used cornmeal and almond milk. I had bought oat milk only to find out that it contained gluten.
I cooked chickpeas for her and processed it into a very thin paste and added salt and garlic powder. I added a tbs of tahini. it was smooth enough for a baby to eat it. for the boys, I made a chicken soup, potato kugel, egg salad, tuna salad, an Israeli salad, saucy chicken, and a pot of cholent with wheat, chickpeas, black beans and potatoes. I thought she lived a block away from me. it turned out that she moved to a neighborhood about 20 minutes away from me. I called a cab to deliver the food to her.
I hope the food wasn't too spicy for her. I tried my best.
I had cooked some black beans for Shabbat and decided to take them to the yeshiva to make a soup. I didn't have much to work with. I added onions, and a few carrots and tomatoes. I also made a lot of corn fritters,baked potatoes and hard cooked eggs. I don't think I made enough food for their lunch. I made a lot more for supper. I fried up a lot of tiny turkey burgers. I made a vegan cornbread and a vegan chocolate cake. I made a sweet noodle kugel, a tray of spicy bulgur and a tray of green lentils. I had to walk though a torrent of rain to put the food on the electric platter in the dining room. it was not fun.
tonight is the new Hebrew month of shevat. it is the height of the water we receive in the winter. we officially start to plant trees on the 15th of this month. it was so warm and sunny on Shabbat. I can't believe it turned so drastically cold and wet overnight. most of my bath towels are on the porch in the rain. thank goodness, I dragged in my clothes rack this morning. I am in shortage of warm clothes. almost everything I own is damp.
my friend was supposed to move into my neighborhood with her two sons. I offered to make Shabbat food for her because she was busy unpacking. it was a true culinary challenge. my friend is a vegan by choice and she cannot eat any gluten. she also suffers with crohns. I made a red lentil soup with carrots, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. she cannot tolerate any oil and she doesn't use gugar. I made a vegan, non gluten cornbread for her. I substituted avocado for the oil. I used a tbs of apple cider vinegar instead of the egg. I used cornmeal and almond milk. I had bought oat milk only to find out that it contained gluten.
I cooked chickpeas for her and processed it into a very thin paste and added salt and garlic powder. I added a tbs of tahini. it was smooth enough for a baby to eat it. for the boys, I made a chicken soup, potato kugel, egg salad, tuna salad, an Israeli salad, saucy chicken, and a pot of cholent with wheat, chickpeas, black beans and potatoes. I thought she lived a block away from me. it turned out that she moved to a neighborhood about 20 minutes away from me. I called a cab to deliver the food to her.
I hope the food wasn't too spicy for her. I tried my best.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Wednesday Evening
it is 6:00 p.m. in the holy city of safed. I just got home from work. I only worked for four hours. it is cold but semi dry. I left some laundry outside. I hope it isn't still wet. I stopped off at the pharmacy to get eye drops. my right eye is irritated and not fully open. it is a weakened muscle from when I had bells palsy about 10 years ago. I met with my former date this morning and spent two hours organizing his medical papers. basically, I was trying to sort them out by date. the rest is up to him.
I only had about 8 guys for lunch so I scrambled a bunch of eggs, cooked two bags of pasta and added tuna, made a corn salad with a bit of chili and put out the leftover cole slaw from last night's supper. voila! lunch was made. supper took a bit more effort. I had to make two batches of food because the rest of the yeshiva is retuning late tonight from a trip to Jerusalem. I made a huge turkey meatloaf and a small one for eight. I made two batches of white rice. I made a carrot and sweet potato tsimmes for the larger group and a pot of zucchini and tomato sauce for the eight. I had no patience to divide the tsimmes into two portions. I just wanted to get home. I am wiped.
I saw some yellow circles on the floor last night but I didn't see any strange things for most of the day. I may have seen some red water in the macaroni. can't believe tomorrow is already Thursday. I can't wait to finish out the work week. I am too tired to travel to Jerusalem and no one really is urging me to come. I think the recent fall has taken its toll on me. I am cooking a large steak that the dog brought into the house last night. he goes out every day and brings in bags of bread, and all kinds of meat. this steak is humongous. he is quite the scavenger!
I bought a jacket and jumper outside a fancy clothing store on the discount rack. I paid $20. it is for my friend's play. I need to dress a character as a wall street savvy lady. I actually went on line to see how they are dressing on wall street these days. I thought about going vintage pin striped suit but let's see how this works. I checked out a wedding dress for the character who is a bride, but she wanted 1000 skekels for this shmatta. there is a second hand clothes store not far from work. I hope to get out early enough to check it out. I also need to dress a character as a jap, aka, Jewish American princess. I am going with the jap character's look on the HBO show 'girls.' I am totally into color blocking for the stage. are we having fun yet?
I only had about 8 guys for lunch so I scrambled a bunch of eggs, cooked two bags of pasta and added tuna, made a corn salad with a bit of chili and put out the leftover cole slaw from last night's supper. voila! lunch was made. supper took a bit more effort. I had to make two batches of food because the rest of the yeshiva is retuning late tonight from a trip to Jerusalem. I made a huge turkey meatloaf and a small one for eight. I made two batches of white rice. I made a carrot and sweet potato tsimmes for the larger group and a pot of zucchini and tomato sauce for the eight. I had no patience to divide the tsimmes into two portions. I just wanted to get home. I am wiped.
I saw some yellow circles on the floor last night but I didn't see any strange things for most of the day. I may have seen some red water in the macaroni. can't believe tomorrow is already Thursday. I can't wait to finish out the work week. I am too tired to travel to Jerusalem and no one really is urging me to come. I think the recent fall has taken its toll on me. I am cooking a large steak that the dog brought into the house last night. he goes out every day and brings in bags of bread, and all kinds of meat. this steak is humongous. he is quite the scavenger!
I bought a jacket and jumper outside a fancy clothing store on the discount rack. I paid $20. it is for my friend's play. I need to dress a character as a wall street savvy lady. I actually went on line to see how they are dressing on wall street these days. I thought about going vintage pin striped suit but let's see how this works. I checked out a wedding dress for the character who is a bride, but she wanted 1000 skekels for this shmatta. there is a second hand clothes store not far from work. I hope to get out early enough to check it out. I also need to dress a character as a jap, aka, Jewish American princess. I am going with the jap character's look on the HBO show 'girls.' I am totally into color blocking for the stage. are we having fun yet?
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Tuesday, My Good News Day
it is 8:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed. we had a break from the rain today. we had a warm and sunny day. I think the rain will start up again on Thursday. I very much need to catch up on some laundry tomorrow morning. the head Rabbi of the Brezlov community in safed died yesterday. it was very sad. my son was in the brezlov day school for about five years. I always found the community to be steller. I walked down to the cemetery from work which was about a twenty minute hike. I missed the funeral because I had to prepare lunch for the yeshiva. I got to the cemetery moments after the Rabbi was buried. I decided to visit the graves of my parents. I climbed down several sets of steps and actually fell down one landing of about 5 metal steps. I rather, bounced down five steps, banging my shoulders, elbows and buttocks. I was quite stunned but I managed to get myself back up right away.
I am pretty sore today. I had a 'moment' today while I was cooking, which might have been the beginning of a seizure. it was an episode, for sure. I saw red fluids while I was stirring the kasha. it lasted for a few moments and was quite scary. I am very tired and worn out. I woke up as usual, at 7:00 a.m. to let the dog out. I decided to lie down for a bit. I woke up at 11:00 a.m. I was pretty surprised that it was so late.
I met a good friend who was visiting from New York after work. we went out to a restaurant to chat. I had some sort of a latte drink. it tasted like a glass of warm whipped cream. I had an awful tooth ache and couldn't really eat anything. it was wonderful to touch bases with my friend. I didn't get home until 10:00 p.m. I never go out at night. it was a nice finish to a very dismal and sad day. I had an emotional time at my parents' grave sites. I thought I would meet my sister there but our paths didn't cross. I did run into a couple of her friends.
I may not have to cook tomorrow. I welcome a day off. I was thinking about going to Jerusalem for Shabbat, but I think i'll just stay closer to home. that incident at work made be very nervous. I pretty much know that if I do the brain surgery, it will take me forever, to recover and I will probably not return to work. I will just wait and see what happens. I dread being alone again for Shabbat. perhaps. I will invite a friend to stay over. we will see.
I met someone, whom I dated a few years ago at the yeshiva. he seemed worse for the wear and tear. I promised to meet with him tomorrow to help sort out his medical papers. I have aged and I have put on a bunch of weight but I think I am in far better shape. oh well.....it's an act of charity.
I am pretty sore today. I had a 'moment' today while I was cooking, which might have been the beginning of a seizure. it was an episode, for sure. I saw red fluids while I was stirring the kasha. it lasted for a few moments and was quite scary. I am very tired and worn out. I woke up as usual, at 7:00 a.m. to let the dog out. I decided to lie down for a bit. I woke up at 11:00 a.m. I was pretty surprised that it was so late.
I met a good friend who was visiting from New York after work. we went out to a restaurant to chat. I had some sort of a latte drink. it tasted like a glass of warm whipped cream. I had an awful tooth ache and couldn't really eat anything. it was wonderful to touch bases with my friend. I didn't get home until 10:00 p.m. I never go out at night. it was a nice finish to a very dismal and sad day. I had an emotional time at my parents' grave sites. I thought I would meet my sister there but our paths didn't cross. I did run into a couple of her friends.
I may not have to cook tomorrow. I welcome a day off. I was thinking about going to Jerusalem for Shabbat, but I think i'll just stay closer to home. that incident at work made be very nervous. I pretty much know that if I do the brain surgery, it will take me forever, to recover and I will probably not return to work. I will just wait and see what happens. I dread being alone again for Shabbat. perhaps. I will invite a friend to stay over. we will see.
I met someone, whom I dated a few years ago at the yeshiva. he seemed worse for the wear and tear. I promised to meet with him tomorrow to help sort out his medical papers. I have aged and I have put on a bunch of weight but I think I am in far better shape. oh well.....it's an act of charity.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Tell Me Why I Don't Like Mondays
it is nearly noon time in the holy city of safed. I should be on my way to work but I am very tired. it has been raining non stop for a few weeks. it is a huge blessing for the land but a drag to navigate in. I went to Hadera on Thursday for the festive meal after the thirty day mourning period. my daughter-in-law's grandmother passed and I wasn't able to make it to the funeral. I was going to join my son and his wife for the meal after the official shiva ended but they ended up going the day earlier and I then went to Jerusalem for the rest of chanuka to take care of the grandkids. I felt very guilty that I hadn't consoled my in-law on his mother's passing. I didn't make a phone call because it was awkward talking on the phone in Hebrew.
on Thursday, we had monsoon like rainstorms. I rushed to finish my meals at the yeshiva in order to be able to travel. by car this trip is less than two hours but I wasn't going by car. I waited forty minutes for a bus that ended up not going to Hadera. I jumped on a bus to Carmiel to catch the train. I hate trains. I can't stomach the smell. I am a bus person. the trip to Carmiel took an hour. it travelled through every Arab village and neighborhood along the way. I felt a panic attack coming on.
I had a minute to climb the stairs to the platform to catch the train. it took an hour to reach Hadera. I called my daughter-in-law to ask her for directions to the meal. I thought it was close by. she informed me to go to Pardes Chana. I was in the wrong town. I was on an express train. I needed to go back a stop. the only problem was that I only had a minute to catch the next train. I told her that I would catch a taxi and meet her at Pardes Chana. it was pretty much a twenty minute ride. I never meant for her to have to pick me up. she had just driven from Jerusalem. I wasn't even sure that she had gone.
I couldn't reach her or her mother in the morning. my son made it seem like she wasn't sure about travelling in the rain storm and he told her that I wasn't coming. we relied on him and that was a huge mistake. she and her sister travelled to Hadera to pick me up. her mother and father were extremely grateful that I made the effort to come. I had to wait until after 9:00 p.m. to catch the bus back to safed. it arrived at 10:30 p.m. I was driven to another town to catch the bus. a man stopped to offer me a ride. he was going to Rosh Pina which is about ten minutes from safed. I felt very blessed. but then I felt very scared driving off with a male stranger at that hour. I was also afraid of being stranded at Rosh Pina without a cab.
I declined the ride and waited another half an hour for the bus to show up. I was afraid that the driver might not see me. I also assumed that it would be crowded. the bus was completely empty. I was relieved to get in and get a seat. he made a rest stop and I was able to get small bills for a taxi. he left me off at the taxi stand in safed at 12:30 a.m. and I got home safely. he was a very nice man and very good driver. I had planned to go back to Jerusalem with the kids after the meal but in the end, I didn't prepare an over night bag. I couldn't reach my friend to come over and watch the dog, either.
I thought about going out on Friday to buy underwear, a toothbrush and a change of clothes at the second hand store in Jerusalem. I just couldn't leave the dog alone overnight. the grandkids were very disappointed that I didn't go back with them. I felt really conflicted. I had an awful Shabbat alone. I ran to the local supermarket to buy challah. I ended up buying prepared gefilte fish and root vegetables to make a chicken soup. I didn't make it out for services. i slept most of the day. i was pretty miserable.
i should be at work already. i don't have time to shower. i will call a cab.
on Thursday, we had monsoon like rainstorms. I rushed to finish my meals at the yeshiva in order to be able to travel. by car this trip is less than two hours but I wasn't going by car. I waited forty minutes for a bus that ended up not going to Hadera. I jumped on a bus to Carmiel to catch the train. I hate trains. I can't stomach the smell. I am a bus person. the trip to Carmiel took an hour. it travelled through every Arab village and neighborhood along the way. I felt a panic attack coming on.
I had a minute to climb the stairs to the platform to catch the train. it took an hour to reach Hadera. I called my daughter-in-law to ask her for directions to the meal. I thought it was close by. she informed me to go to Pardes Chana. I was in the wrong town. I was on an express train. I needed to go back a stop. the only problem was that I only had a minute to catch the next train. I told her that I would catch a taxi and meet her at Pardes Chana. it was pretty much a twenty minute ride. I never meant for her to have to pick me up. she had just driven from Jerusalem. I wasn't even sure that she had gone.
I couldn't reach her or her mother in the morning. my son made it seem like she wasn't sure about travelling in the rain storm and he told her that I wasn't coming. we relied on him and that was a huge mistake. she and her sister travelled to Hadera to pick me up. her mother and father were extremely grateful that I made the effort to come. I had to wait until after 9:00 p.m. to catch the bus back to safed. it arrived at 10:30 p.m. I was driven to another town to catch the bus. a man stopped to offer me a ride. he was going to Rosh Pina which is about ten minutes from safed. I felt very blessed. but then I felt very scared driving off with a male stranger at that hour. I was also afraid of being stranded at Rosh Pina without a cab.
I declined the ride and waited another half an hour for the bus to show up. I was afraid that the driver might not see me. I also assumed that it would be crowded. the bus was completely empty. I was relieved to get in and get a seat. he made a rest stop and I was able to get small bills for a taxi. he left me off at the taxi stand in safed at 12:30 a.m. and I got home safely. he was a very nice man and very good driver. I had planned to go back to Jerusalem with the kids after the meal but in the end, I didn't prepare an over night bag. I couldn't reach my friend to come over and watch the dog, either.
I thought about going out on Friday to buy underwear, a toothbrush and a change of clothes at the second hand store in Jerusalem. I just couldn't leave the dog alone overnight. the grandkids were very disappointed that I didn't go back with them. I felt really conflicted. I had an awful Shabbat alone. I ran to the local supermarket to buy challah. I ended up buying prepared gefilte fish and root vegetables to make a chicken soup. I didn't make it out for services. i slept most of the day. i was pretty miserable.
i should be at work already. i don't have time to shower. i will call a cab.
Friday, December 21, 2018
Another Friday Afternoon
it is 11:00 a.m. in the holy city of safed. the sun came out for a bit. I have been thinking about getting to the local supermarket since 7:00 a.m. my dog wakes me up every morning at this time to go out. it has been raining for a couple of weeks. we are truly blessed to have the rain. I have been cabbing it home form work lately. I keep on missing the bus and have no strength to wait a half an hour for another. I have been getting home at 7:30 p.m. and I'm totally beat. by the end of a 6 hour day, my hip starts to hurt and it is difficult to walk.
I was told that I didn't prepare enough food to break the fast on Tuesday. I think they received another 3 students and of course, I wasn't notified. as a jewish mother and grandmother, and not professional chef; it hurts me very much to think that someone went hungry. I work in a small kitchen and it takes me 5-6 hours or more to make two meals for 25 guys. I only have a large built in oven to work with. it takes 2 hours or longer to make stuffed peppers and frozen French fries. I do cook on 4 burners but even soup takes about 2 hours.
the pantry at the yeshiva is depleted and I am at the mercy of the manager to provide me with enough legumes, grains and pasta on a daily basis. I really should come to work before 12:00 p.m. but I can't seem to get my act together in the morning. I linger on the net for hours while I sip my chai tea. one student complained about my serving beans all the time. I make a vegetarian chili every couple of weeks. it takes forever to cook beans from scratch. I have been serving lentils about three times a week to accommodate the two vegetarian students. I think i'll have to reevaluate my menus. how much pasta can I serve these guys?? I have limited oven space, to boot.
my rice is nothing to write home about. I use two cups of water to every cup of rice and it is pretty mushy. I try making bulgur and couscous but lately my couscous flops. yesterday, I made two pans of turkey meatloaf. I threw 5 pounds of minced turkey into a pot of leftover cooked oatmeal from breakfast. I added some spices and a lot of eggs and covered it in the leftover juice from the broiled tomatoes, I served at lunch. I figured it would be a disaster but it actually came out great. I was very tempted to taste it but I didn't want to have to wait 6 hours before I could eat dairy. I like my chai tea with milk.
I had to leave the guys some pasta for their lunch today and I made a sweet noodle kugel for their supper. I also made split pea soup. at the last moment, I cooked up a tray of rice so the vegan would have something besides soup. I hope it was enough food. one of the students asked me if I could make the buckwheat groats, aka, kasha, a bit wetter. the guys leave the food on the electric platter for hours, until everything is like shoe leather. I cannot live at the yeshiva and oversee everything. I would love to don a hairnet and spoon out the food, cafeteria style but alas, I need to get home to my empty house and dog, Tiny.
I do not feel like making food for Shabbat. I am having about 15 people sleep downstairs for Shabbat. an old family friend asked to rent the place for a shabbaton. her son got married this week. the Sephardim make a festive meal on Shabbat for the groom and family. askanazim do a Kiddush on the Shabbat before the weeding. anyway, I didn't accept any money. I once lived at her parents' home many years ago, when I first came to safed. I didn't have the strength to wash all of the apartment downstairs. I did manage to sweep and clean the bathroom. I think it is presentable. I put heaters in every bedroom and set up the electric water urn.
while I ran up and down the stairs, putting toilet paper in all of the bathrooms and turning on lights, I managed to do some plastering in the master bedroom on my floor and on the upstairs wall which supports the hand rail. it was quite loose and had a gaping hole the size of a tennis ball. I filled it in and now it doesn't move.
I am pretty tired. I keep on saying that I do not know how much longer I can keep working at the yeshiva. I do enjoy having some extra cash; especially when I visit Jerusalem. I really have to get down to the supermarket now. I don't feel like getting out of my warm pajamas but I must. I wish everyone a good Shabbos!
After thought: 2:00 p.m. I am having a snack before Shabbat. I bought some chicken bottoms, goat cheese, pitas, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, strawberries, bananas, and 4 cartons of tea. (earl grey and jasmin). the strawberries were on sale but still quite pricey. I paid $10. my bill was over $70. oh well.... I put up some fish and veggies, hard cooked eggs and chicken bottoms and string beans. I may be alone but why not eat well. in a little while I will go downstairs and put on heaters.
ran into my neighbor. tiny, may have knocked up her dog. I am expected to take the puppies and she actually asked if I wanted to take her 10 year old dog, too. really???
I was told that I didn't prepare enough food to break the fast on Tuesday. I think they received another 3 students and of course, I wasn't notified. as a jewish mother and grandmother, and not professional chef; it hurts me very much to think that someone went hungry. I work in a small kitchen and it takes me 5-6 hours or more to make two meals for 25 guys. I only have a large built in oven to work with. it takes 2 hours or longer to make stuffed peppers and frozen French fries. I do cook on 4 burners but even soup takes about 2 hours.
the pantry at the yeshiva is depleted and I am at the mercy of the manager to provide me with enough legumes, grains and pasta on a daily basis. I really should come to work before 12:00 p.m. but I can't seem to get my act together in the morning. I linger on the net for hours while I sip my chai tea. one student complained about my serving beans all the time. I make a vegetarian chili every couple of weeks. it takes forever to cook beans from scratch. I have been serving lentils about three times a week to accommodate the two vegetarian students. I think i'll have to reevaluate my menus. how much pasta can I serve these guys?? I have limited oven space, to boot.
my rice is nothing to write home about. I use two cups of water to every cup of rice and it is pretty mushy. I try making bulgur and couscous but lately my couscous flops. yesterday, I made two pans of turkey meatloaf. I threw 5 pounds of minced turkey into a pot of leftover cooked oatmeal from breakfast. I added some spices and a lot of eggs and covered it in the leftover juice from the broiled tomatoes, I served at lunch. I figured it would be a disaster but it actually came out great. I was very tempted to taste it but I didn't want to have to wait 6 hours before I could eat dairy. I like my chai tea with milk.
I had to leave the guys some pasta for their lunch today and I made a sweet noodle kugel for their supper. I also made split pea soup. at the last moment, I cooked up a tray of rice so the vegan would have something besides soup. I hope it was enough food. one of the students asked me if I could make the buckwheat groats, aka, kasha, a bit wetter. the guys leave the food on the electric platter for hours, until everything is like shoe leather. I cannot live at the yeshiva and oversee everything. I would love to don a hairnet and spoon out the food, cafeteria style but alas, I need to get home to my empty house and dog, Tiny.
I do not feel like making food for Shabbat. I am having about 15 people sleep downstairs for Shabbat. an old family friend asked to rent the place for a shabbaton. her son got married this week. the Sephardim make a festive meal on Shabbat for the groom and family. askanazim do a Kiddush on the Shabbat before the weeding. anyway, I didn't accept any money. I once lived at her parents' home many years ago, when I first came to safed. I didn't have the strength to wash all of the apartment downstairs. I did manage to sweep and clean the bathroom. I think it is presentable. I put heaters in every bedroom and set up the electric water urn.
while I ran up and down the stairs, putting toilet paper in all of the bathrooms and turning on lights, I managed to do some plastering in the master bedroom on my floor and on the upstairs wall which supports the hand rail. it was quite loose and had a gaping hole the size of a tennis ball. I filled it in and now it doesn't move.
I am pretty tired. I keep on saying that I do not know how much longer I can keep working at the yeshiva. I do enjoy having some extra cash; especially when I visit Jerusalem. I really have to get down to the supermarket now. I don't feel like getting out of my warm pajamas but I must. I wish everyone a good Shabbos!
After thought: 2:00 p.m. I am having a snack before Shabbat. I bought some chicken bottoms, goat cheese, pitas, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, strawberries, bananas, and 4 cartons of tea. (earl grey and jasmin). the strawberries were on sale but still quite pricey. I paid $10. my bill was over $70. oh well.... I put up some fish and veggies, hard cooked eggs and chicken bottoms and string beans. I may be alone but why not eat well. in a little while I will go downstairs and put on heaters.
ran into my neighbor. tiny, may have knocked up her dog. I am expected to take the puppies and she actually asked if I wanted to take her 10 year old dog, too. really???
Thursday, December 13, 2018
HomeAgain
it is 7:30 p.m. in the holy city of safed. I just got home from work. the yeshiva had another chabad holiday and I needed to make another holiday feast for 25. I didn't cook as much as I did the last time. I was pretty tired. I arrived back to safed on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. and went straight to work. I was in Jerusalem for 7 days. I worked very hard to leave meals for last Wednesday and Thursday and left on tuesday evening on the 6:00 p.m. bus to Jerusalem. I usually make three courses for each meal. it can be rice, lentils and meatloaf or carrot kugel, mashed potatoes and meat patties. I usually serve soup at lunch time. today, I made a very thick pea soup, baked potatoes, garlic bread with leftover rolls and an Israeli salad.
yesterday I made a sweet noodle kugel and a carrot kugel for tonight. it's pretty much a carrot cake only you mash cooked carrots instead of grating them. the consistency is different from cake. I never have noodles at the yeshiva so I use spaghetti and break it into small pieces. I made a zucchini kugel today and spent a lot of time squeezing the liquid out of the veggies. I also made rice, carrot and sweet potato tsimmes, coleslaw, Israeli salad, Chinese meatballs, oatmeal kugel and string beans in tomato sauce. we had a lot of oatmeal left over from breakfast so I added soy milk and a ton of eggs and some flour and made a kugel. I made a sweet and sour meat sauce using a lot of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and tomato paste and vinegar. I rolled small balls of chopped meat into the sauce. I didn't add any filler.
I was planning on making an eggless chocolate cake but I ran out of steam. It took so long to do the washing up and cleaning the counters and stove top. I sifted 2 kilos of flour and it took forever. the flour was embedded into the counter top. I was covered in flour, too. I forgot to put out the chumus. perhaps, someone will remember and get it. I was so tired and I just wanted to get home. I also had to cook up a ton of macaroni for tomorrow's lunch. if there isn't enough food, there is plenty of nosh and store bought cakes to eat. I did all I could.
I stopped off at the bank before I went to work. I went through all of my money in Jerusalem on the kids. I took cabs everywhere. I took them to the movies and the jamboree. I bought small toys everywhere we went and spent a fortune in a second hand clothes shop on chatchkas for them. I also spent a fortune at the local food shop. I couldn't make it to a supermarket. each trip cost me over $100 dollars. we bought pizza a couple of times and plenty of candy each day.
I also stopped off at the post office in town. before I left for Jerusalem, I mailed a hand made cruelled bedspread to my niece. my mother made it over 40 years ago. I bought the kit at the museum in new York. it was a bicentennial replica. well, it never made it to my niece. it cost about $50 to send it. I think it was sent back to Israel. my niece moved to a new house and it wasn't forwarded to her. I am planning on going to the post office up here tomorrow morning to see if it is there. I was heartbroken thinking it was lost forever. I really hate to spend the additional money to send it back again. what can I do?? the package included a prayer book from world war two that my mother used. she was a sergeant in the WACS.
the kids are coming to safed for Shabbat but will stay at the Sephardi family. I am totally beat. I was alone with the kids for a week and had to get them to Chanukah day camp and also take care of the new cat. I had to clean out the cat box which was simply awful as well as feed the creature. I had to get the kids showered and referee their fights. I had to cook and make Shabbat meals for us. it was not really a vacation for me. it was hard work. I also had to keep the house clean. I didn't do laundry because I don't know how to use their machine. I didn't have access to internet the entire time I was away. anyhow, I made it through and came back to work. and now I am free until Sunday. whoopee!
yesterday I made a sweet noodle kugel and a carrot kugel for tonight. it's pretty much a carrot cake only you mash cooked carrots instead of grating them. the consistency is different from cake. I never have noodles at the yeshiva so I use spaghetti and break it into small pieces. I made a zucchini kugel today and spent a lot of time squeezing the liquid out of the veggies. I also made rice, carrot and sweet potato tsimmes, coleslaw, Israeli salad, Chinese meatballs, oatmeal kugel and string beans in tomato sauce. we had a lot of oatmeal left over from breakfast so I added soy milk and a ton of eggs and some flour and made a kugel. I made a sweet and sour meat sauce using a lot of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and tomato paste and vinegar. I rolled small balls of chopped meat into the sauce. I didn't add any filler.
I was planning on making an eggless chocolate cake but I ran out of steam. It took so long to do the washing up and cleaning the counters and stove top. I sifted 2 kilos of flour and it took forever. the flour was embedded into the counter top. I was covered in flour, too. I forgot to put out the chumus. perhaps, someone will remember and get it. I was so tired and I just wanted to get home. I also had to cook up a ton of macaroni for tomorrow's lunch. if there isn't enough food, there is plenty of nosh and store bought cakes to eat. I did all I could.
I stopped off at the bank before I went to work. I went through all of my money in Jerusalem on the kids. I took cabs everywhere. I took them to the movies and the jamboree. I bought small toys everywhere we went and spent a fortune in a second hand clothes shop on chatchkas for them. I also spent a fortune at the local food shop. I couldn't make it to a supermarket. each trip cost me over $100 dollars. we bought pizza a couple of times and plenty of candy each day.
I also stopped off at the post office in town. before I left for Jerusalem, I mailed a hand made cruelled bedspread to my niece. my mother made it over 40 years ago. I bought the kit at the museum in new York. it was a bicentennial replica. well, it never made it to my niece. it cost about $50 to send it. I think it was sent back to Israel. my niece moved to a new house and it wasn't forwarded to her. I am planning on going to the post office up here tomorrow morning to see if it is there. I was heartbroken thinking it was lost forever. I really hate to spend the additional money to send it back again. what can I do?? the package included a prayer book from world war two that my mother used. she was a sergeant in the WACS.
the kids are coming to safed for Shabbat but will stay at the Sephardi family. I am totally beat. I was alone with the kids for a week and had to get them to Chanukah day camp and also take care of the new cat. I had to clean out the cat box which was simply awful as well as feed the creature. I had to get the kids showered and referee their fights. I had to cook and make Shabbat meals for us. it was not really a vacation for me. it was hard work. I also had to keep the house clean. I didn't do laundry because I don't know how to use their machine. I didn't have access to internet the entire time I was away. anyhow, I made it through and came back to work. and now I am free until Sunday. whoopee!
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