Thanksgiving Lunch on the Fly: Maple Syrup & Mustard Turkey Legs With Sweet Potatoes & Green Beans

Thanksgiving Lunch on the Fly: Maple Syrup and Mustard Turkey Legs with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans

I am still cooking and still writing, but, for various reasons, unfortunately, not for this wonderful blog. I have missed the comradery of the blogging community!

It can be sometimes be challenging to balance working, my children’s special needs and the dietary guidelines of the Jewish faith. In an age of instant gratification, teaching my children to say “No” to delicious non-kosher food is not simple.

I want my daughters to enjoy our faith and feel committed to following our culture, even though they are unable to attend a yeshiva and they are in an environment with very few other Jews.

They are teenagers, and at the age where they want to feel that they belong to a group of friends or peers. It is hard to be different and not do or eat what everyone else is doing or eating.

Raizel was talking about the Thanksgiving school menu for weeks.  Her teachers were concerned that she might feel left out or deprived that she could not eat what all the other children were eating. They are so kind, that they bought a microwave that would only be for kosher food!

I made this wonderful crockpot turkey with sweet potatoes for the first time in years. It is fast, easy, all natural and delicious.

Paired with a super simple frozen green beans, Raizel was able to have a delicious thanksgiving lunch on the fly.

It occurred to me that this is a perfect simple menu for anyone!

Maple Syrup and Mustard Turkey Legs with Sweet Potatoes

 Ingredients

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes

3 turkey legs, skinned

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup prepared mustard, of your choice

½ teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ginger

¼ teaspoon pepper, to taste

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt to taste.

Optional: Thicken broth with 1 tablespoons of tapioca.

 Directions 

Put sweet potatoes in the bottom of the pot. Add the turkey legs on top. Mix together the maple syrup, mustard and spices and then pour over turkey.

Stove top: bring to boil and let simmer until done. Adjust seasonings to taste, if necessary.

Crockpot. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for to 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

In pressure cooker: 12 minutes to pressure and then use the quick release method by running cold water over the lid when done.

Easy Garlic Green Beans

 Ingredients

1 lbs. frozen green beans

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste.

¼ cup water (approximately)

Optional: 1 tablespoon of olive oil or margarine.

 Directions 

Place frozen green beans in a skillet. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover the skillet, then steam the beans until tender. Add crushed garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. For an extra rich flavor, add oil or margarine and mix well.

Since I was not originally planning on posting these recipes, unfortunately, I only have 2 pictures:

 

The final product. Delicious!

Simple and easy green beans. Add extra oil for a richer taste. Raizel added toasted sesame oil. Yum!

I am happy to say that it was a success! Both girls, and even my husband liked it very much.

 

Enjoy!

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 

 

 

 

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DIY Deodorants and Magnesium Oil

Basic Formula for DIY Deodorants with and Without Baking Soda

I am time challenged person who seeks to live a balanced and sane life. My passion for fast and easy all natural healthy kosher cooking also includes a passion for DIY fast, easy and all natural beauty and cleaning products too. When I go on my periodic all-natural kicks, I am only willing to use DIY beauty products if they are easy, economical and effective.

In addition to my facial scrub and hair conditioner, I also make DIY deodorant.

Super-Fast and Easy DIY Deodorant

This is the recipe that I posted earlier. I call it my “In A Pinch Solution.”

Ingredients

1 part baking soda

1 part starch: corn, potato, tapioca, etc.

Instructions 

Blend together and store in glass jar. Apply with makeup brush or sponge while still slightly damp from bathing.

Make using equal parts of both.

 

Carol’s Basic DIY Deodorant Powder

When I first began using DIY deodorant, I used just plain baking soda. Unfortunately, I found it very abrasive for my skin. Over the years, I have developed this recipe which is practical, easy and works! Afterall, if it is not practical, then I can’t sweat it, if you will pardon the pun.

Ingredients 

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup starch

1 or 2 tablespoons clay powder

1-3 teaspoons activated charcoal

Optional: coconut oil to right consistency (about ½ cup)

Optional: 5-10 drops of essential oil of your choice, i.e., tea tree, peppermint, lavender, sandalwood

Instructions 

Blend together and store in glass jar. Apply with makeup brush or sponge while still slightly damp from bathing.

If you prefer to apply as a cream or a stick, slowly mix coconut oil into the powder until desired consistency. Personally, I find the powder faster and lower maintenance.  However, lots of people find a cream easier to apply. So, try it both ways and decide for yourself!

I have been using this for over a year and I can honestly say that it works!

My husband jokes — “if all else fails, you can eat it too!”

After I made my regular deodorant, one of my daughter’s therapists, Lynette, told me that she always wanted to use DIY deodorant, but, she is allergic to baking soda.

I figured that she could not be the only person who reacts to baking soda, so I went on line to try and find a DIY deodorant without baking soda that meets my criteria of easy, effective and economical. I am happy to say that I have created my first batch, and it really works too!

The downside is that it is slightly less effective than the one with baking soda. I found that it only works for 12 hours. After that, I found that I needed to reapply either the powder or the spray.

These deodorants are not antiperspirants. So, you will still sweat, but, you will not smell offensive. Sweating, however, it a good thing. It helps to release toxins and is necessary for proper temperature regulation.

Carol’s First Attempt at DIY Deodorant Powder without Baking Soda

Ingredients

1/2 cup starch

1/2 cup clay powder (you can use only 1 or 2 tablespoons clay powder, if you want)

1- 2 teaspoons finely ground natural salt (I used pink Himalayan salt)

2 -3 teaspoons finely ground Epsom salt or Magnesium oil (more on this later)

Optional: 1-3 teaspoons activated charcoal

Optional: 5-10 drops of essential oil of your choice, i.e., tea tree, peppermint, lavender, sandalwood, etc. The list is up to your creativity and personal preferences.

Instructions:

Blend together and store in glass jar. Apply with makeup brush or sponge while still slightly damp from bathing.

Carol’s First Attempt at DIY Deodorant Spray without Baking Soda

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Epsom salt or Magnesium oil (more on this later)

1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tablespoons Witch Hazel

2 tablespoons Vodka/alcohol spirits up to 120 proof (the higher the alcohol content, the stronger it works: 70-90 low; 90-120 medium; 120+ strong)

1/8 teaspoon (a “pinch”) natural salt (I used pink Himalayan salt)

Optional: 5-10 drops of essential oil of your choice, i.e., tea tree, peppermint, lavender, sandalwood, etc. The list is up to your creativity and personal preferences.

Instructions:

Mix together the ingredients and store in glass jar or spray bottle. Shake before using and apply using your fingers (assuming they are clean and you are not sharing the jar with anyone) or spray under arms while still slightly damp from bathing.

For some reason, I found it better to first apply the spray, and then apply the powder too. Then, in the morning, I would just apply the powder.

I am not including a picture, since it is a clear liquid.

Overall, I was very pleased with the outcome. I am going to share it with Lynette now too.

DIY Magnesium Oil

In the process of learning about no-baking soda deodorants, I learned about magnesium oil and its many health benefits. There is a ton of information available on line, so I am not going to repeat myself here.

I thought, however, that it might be helpful to include various infographics that I found on line to explain the benefits of the various ingredients. At the end of this post, I am also including various sites which include information about magnesium, and other sites to explore DIY beauty products.

Apparently, it is very difficult to get enough magnesium intracellularly through food, as the soil today is more depleted than in the past. And, one of the best ways to obtain magnesium is through the skin, or transdermally.

DIY Magnesium Oil

1/2 cup filtered water

1/2 cup magnesium chloride flakes

Basically, the ratio is 1:1 water to magnesium chloride flakes

Instructions:

Bring the water to a boil in a non-aluminum saucepan. Turn off the heat and stir in the magnesium flakes until dissolved. When cool, pour into a spray bottle or glass jar. No refrigeration is necessary.

Spray directly on the skin, and rotate the site to different parts of your body and rub lightly until it is absorbed.  Use anywhere from 10-30 sprays per day.

Results so far:

I wanted to share with everyone that using magnesium oil daily has so far changed our lives.

For over a year, Yaffa has unfortunately had a chronic staph and strep infection on her skin. She completed several rounds of antibiotics. Despite also washing her with betadine solution, nothing seemed to be helping.

 

So, I started to give her Epsom salt or magnesium chloride baths, and spraying magnesium oil on the lesion twice a day. It was miraculous! Her infection is finally better and starting to resolve!

Since Raizel became sick, she has been complaining of chronic fatigue.  We have gone to so many doctors and had so many blood tests. Nothing seemed to explain her symptoms. So, I started spraying magnesium oil on her twice a day too and another miracle occurred! Her fatigue is lifting, and every day she feels better and better. Raizel even notices how much better she feels. It has been quite dramatic.

Finally, I have developed psoriasis, probably due to all my stress. Despite all my efforts, nothing seemed to really help. I too have started using the magnesium oil twice a day, and no more itching! I am so happy!

So, I highly recommend using magnesium oil, assuming you are otherwise healthy. Any questions or concerns, please consult your health care provider.

References:

https://wellnessmama.com/3610/low-magnesium/

https://wellnessmama.com/22357/spray-deodorant-recipe/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium

http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/magnesium

These are 2 of my all-time favorite sites to explore DIY everything:

https://raising6kids.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/natural-diy-deodorant-ideas/

https://www.diynatural.com/natural-homemade-deodorant/

 

Happy Sukkot

The holiday of sukkot begins tonight. During this holiday, we eat in a sukkah, and my husband also sleeps in the sukkah.

I thought for fun I would post some pictures of my husband and our friends building it and of our decorations.

Buddy helping to put together the frame of the sukkah.

Putting up the straps.

Attaching the canvas.

Adding the sekhakh (literally, covering).

Voila! Our sukkah!

Raizel’s sukkah decoration.

A friend sent me this funny picture about how much food we eat on the holiday. It was so funny, I just had to post it.

 

The sukkah is a temporary dwelling in which we are physically enveloped by a mitzvah and surrounded by God’s presence. Everything we do in the sukkah becomes an opportunity to connect with the Infinite.

It is a time of great rejoicing. With minutes to go before candle lighting, we wish everyone a good and beautiful yom tov!

With blessings,

Carol and family

Yom Kippur Thoughts

The holiday of Yom Kippur starts tonight. For the past few years, I have participated in an “Elul Group” in which everyone says individually over the entire 40 days from the first of the Hebrew month of Elul until Yom Kippur the entire book of psalms, and daily as a group. Each person is assigned one particular day to write something on the themes of this time of year such as: forgiveness, repentance, or personal/spiritual growth.

This year, I became immersed in what I call “An Elul State of Mind.”

Below is the d’var Torah (words of Torah) that I sent out to the group. I thought I would take the opportunity to share it with everyone here.

Hi Everyone!

 

I would like to thank Caryn and Ruthie for creating this group and for their willingness to maintain it!

 

This group is a vital part of my avodas Hashem (spiritual work) during this auspicious time of year. I love the structure that it provides!

 

This year, I wanted to write about Sefer Yonah (the book of Yonah), which is read during mincha (afternoon prayers) on Yom Kippur.

I feel so grateful to this group for motivating me to learn more about this beautiful sefer (book) and its connection to Yom Kippur and teshuva (repentance).

 

So, thank you Ruthie and Caryn for all your efforts and to everyone in this group for your participation!

 

Most of us are familiar with the story of Yonah. It is such a visual story that reads like a fairy tale and makes terrific material for a Disney movie. In fact, as I was preparing this d’var Torah (DT), I thought I would look up if there was a movie made on this story.

 

If anyone is interested, it seems as though there are several!

 

I work as a nurse in psychiatry.

 

One time, I was on the in-patient unit and there was a young woman there, “Colleen.” This was the first time that Colleen had been hospitalized for a mental illness. Colleen came to the nurses’ station and said to me, “Carol, sometimes I feel like I am possessed by evil spirits. I feel like they are taking over me, and I cannot rip them out of me. I feel like I would be better off dead.”

 

As I sat there listening to her, another patient, “Aileen,” who has a history of paranoid schizophrenia said to her, “the soul never dies.”

 

I was struck by that comment. It reminded me of the Mishnah in Perkei Avot (4:22):

Let not your heart convince you that the grave is your escape; for against your will you are formed, against your will you are born, against your will you live, against your will you die, and against your will you are destined to give a judgement and accounting before the king, king of all kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. (Ethics of the Fathers)

 

In other words, we can be in so much pain and torment and think that we would be better off in the Olam HaEmes (the next world). However, it is not true. We are all born to fulfill our unique mission in this world. We may think that we can escape from Hashem’s plan for each of us, but we cannot.

 

Furthermore, on this day of judgement, how many of us are guilty of judging Hashem?

 

How often do we tell God about how we think the world should be run in general, and how our lives should unfold in particular?

 

How often do we think that we know better how events should transpire and judge the outcome or the other people involved?

 

These questions cut to the core of human existence and our dynamic relationship with Hashem.

 

Sefer Yonah embodies these themes and the struggle between our ratzon (will) and the Ratzon Elyone (The Divine Will).

Sefer Yonah begins with God asking Yonah HaNavi (the Prophet) to go to Ninveh and cry out to her to try to get the wicked people there to do teshuvah (repent).

 

Instead, Yonah went to the old port city of Yaffo and boarded a ship voyaging to Tarshish, where he thought he would find respite from Hashem’s will.

 

Why didn’t Yonah want to go to Ninveh?

 

According to Rashi, Yonah was motivated by loyalty to the Jewish people. Yonah did not want the people of Ninveh to do teshuvah as they were not Jewish and he was afraid that they would listen to him and repent while the Jewish people refused to listen to the prophets when they were told to repent. Yonah didn’t want to make the Jewish people look bad.

 

So, instead of trying to refuse God’s command to prophesize, Yonah sought to minimize his contact and distance himself from Hashem.

 

In Yonah 1:3 we read: “Yonah arose to flee to Tarshish from before God’s Presence. He went down to Yaffo and found a Tarshish-bound ship; he paid its fare and boarded it to travel with them to Tarshish from before God’s Presence.”

 

Yonah could not actually run away from God. However, Yehuda HaLevi taught in Sefer HaKuzari that Yonah was hoping to be able to run away from the Shechina (Divine Presence) and God’s prophecies. According to Yehuda HaLevi, all prophecy either takes place in the Land of Israel or is concerning the Land of Israel. As it says in Dvarim 11:12: “The eyes of God are always upon it (The Land of Israel).”

 

The Talmud, Nedarim 38a states that Yonah went down to Yaffo and found a ship going to Tarshish.  He paid its full cost of four thousand dinars of gold and went down into it. Normally a ship that had just arrived in port would not set sail again until a lapse of at least several days while it assembled a sufficient number of passengers to fill up all its berths. Yonah was so anxious to embark that he paid the fares for the entire passenger load.

 

We all know what happens next. A storm hits, Yonah tells the sailors to throw him overboard, Yonah is swallowed by a large fish and gets spit onto dry land (back in the Land of Israel) after praying in the fish for three days.

 

This time, when God commands Yonah to go to Ninveh, he goes!

 

True repentance according to the Rambam is when you are put in the same situation again and you do not repeat the same transgression a second time.

 

We see from the story of Yonah that no one can escape from Hashem who is omnipresent and omniscient. God was with Yonah on the boat, God was with him when he was thrown into the water and God was with him in the fish (it otherwise would have been impossible for him to live in the fish for three days without oxygen). There is no place where God is not present. God’s immanence is within each and every one of us wherever we may be, in the good times as well as in the bad times.

 

King David in tehillim perek 51: 18-19 says:

 

כִּ֤י ׀ לֹא־תַחְפֹּ֣ץ זֶ֣בַח וְאֶתֵּ֑נָה ע֝וֹלָ֗ה לֹ֣א תִרְצֶֽה׃

You do not want me to bring sacrifices; You do not desire burnt offerings;

 

19 זִֽבְחֵ֣י אֱלֹהִים֮ ר֪וּחַ נִשְׁבָּ֫רָ֥ה לֵב־נִשְׁבָּ֥ר וְנִדְכֶּ֑ה אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים לֹ֣א תִבְזֶֽה׃

True sacrifice to God is a contrite spirit; God, You will not despise a contrite and crushed heart.

 

What this means is that Hashem does not need our sacrificial offerings.

As human beings, we are fallible and we make mistakes. Hashem, in His wisdom gave us free will. What Hashem wants is for us to rise above our desires and choose to do His will — even when we are presented with situations or obstacles that we don’t like or feel uncomfortable.

The story of Yonah teaches us that we cannot run, hide, avoid, or escape from Hashem’s mission for each of us. Our actions reveal who we are and what we stand for.

 

How we respond to our challenges and to our triumphs in life defines how successfully we have embraced the will of Hashem.

 

The book of Yonah also illustrates Hashem’s qualities of not only judgement, but also of mercy and compassion. If the teshuvah of the people of Nineveh, who were completely evil, could be accepted, then there is hope for all of us if we are sincere in our attempts to change.

 

We need to ask ourselves: Are we behaving in a way that brings us closer to Hashem, or distances us from Hashem?

 

How do we conduct ourselves not only in the mitzvoth which govern our relationship with God, (bein adam l’Makom) but in our relationships with others (bein adam l’chavero)?

 

Teshuva is really a gift from Hashem — it enables us not only to repair our middot (character traits), but to become better than we were before. As our chachamim (Rabbis) teach, “A person who returns to G-d stands in a place even higher than that of a completely righteous and holy person.”

 

During this month of Elul, and these days of teshuva, may we all be blessed the strength and clarity to accept with simcha (happily) and achava (love) the tests that Hashem places before us. May we trust in Hashem’s ultimate goodness, knowing that He is lovingly guiding each us to reach our potential so that we can fulfill His mission for us in this world.

 

May we be privileged to bring Hashem tremendous nachas (joy) through our actions individually and collectively, so that we will see the fruits of our efforts in our lifetime with the coming of Mashiach (Messiah).

 

May this be a year of peace, happiness, blessings, prosperity, good health and redemption!

May we all be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life. Amen.

References:

Zlotowitz, Rabbi Meir (1978) The Twelve Prophets: Yonah, Mesorah Publications, Brooklyn, NY

https://www.midreshetmoriah.org/torah/view.asp?id=756

 

Other great sources:

 

Click to access YomKippur.pdf

Click to access YomKippur.pdf

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/you-cant-run-away-from-god/

https://www.sefaria.org/Nedarim.38a?lang=bi

 

There were other sources as well, which I will try to send out later.

 

For tedakah, I am donating on everyone’s behalf to Tomchai Shabbat.

Conscious Cooking With Gratitude

 

Conscious Cooking With Gratitude

There was something different about the chocolate chip dot cookies this past week.

My husband does not have much of a sweet tooth. And, in general, the girls are more enamored with candy, and ice cream than homemade treats.

But, this time, my husband ate 5 cookies! More than once he remarked how wonderful they were. Raizel is still gushing, several days later: “these cookies are soooooo good!”

It has made me think: What was different this time? Was there a special secret ingredient?

The answer that I came to was: “Yes. There was a secret ingredient.”

They were baked while making lots of blessings and focusing on everything that we have to be grateful for. The cookies became infused with our positive intentions, which then elevated them from the mundane to the sublime.

Here is what happened:

On Sunday, before we started baking, I asked my girls: “what is the first thing that we need to do before we start?” Both girls answered: “wash your hands!”

Then, after we washed our hands, I asked: “what is the second thing that we need to do?

I got a few blank stares, and so I answered: “make a blessing!”

Although I did not want to sound pedantic, we then had an impromptu lesson on “why do we need to make blessings?”

The girls and I discussed how making a blessing reminds us to be grateful to God. We are allowed to eat, but, when we make a blessing, we are saying “thank you” to Hashem (God) for giving us such delicious food, that makes us happy and keeps our bodies strong.

Then, I told the girls, “We should just list all the things that we have to be grateful for to Hashem.”

 

So, as we were making the cookies, we had what I call a “radical gratitude session.” We shared every single thing that we had to be grateful for: eyes that see, glasses to help us see, the ability to read, a computer to find our recipes, legs that walk, a mouth that talks, ears that hear, mouths that can chew……

The whole time that we were baking the cookies, we were sharing on all the numerous things that we had to be grateful for.

The outcome were the delicious cookies.

Another time, while I was cooking for Shabbat, I kept repeating the phase, “this is in the honor of the holiness of Shabbat.” (L’kavod shabbas kodesh)

That night, as we were enjoying our Shabbat meal, I asked my husband, “how did you like the food?”

My husband, not knowing my intentions while cooking that morning replied, “Everything tastes like the holiness of Shabbat.”

I couldn’t help smiling when he said that. How could he have known what I was saying the whole time I was cooking?

So, our thoughts are very powerful, even to the point that they transform our food from ordinary into other worldly.

May we all be blessed to focus on everything we have to be grateful for and transform everything we do to bring more blessings and good into the world.

Semi-Off Topic: Shared Joy – Happy Mother’s Day, Lag B’Omer & The Egg

Shared Joy: Happy Mother’s Day, Lag B’Omer & The Egg

Recently, in addition to being time challenged, I have been life challenged.

I am always dispensing advice and providing comfort to people in distress who are suffering.

Unlike many of my patients, who have mood disorders, I am not an emotionally volatile person. If I am in a bad mood, then chances are, there is a specific reason. But, I also practice rigorous self-care. All of the tools and techniques that I provide to my patients, I practice myself. Coping and maintaining a positive attitude is a daily mental discipline.

I am grateful for the disciplines that I practice. This past year has been particularly stressful, and these past few months have been even more so.

One unfortunate side effect is that I have been unable to blog recently. I find blogging creative and fun. It is so nice to finally have this opportunity to connect and share with everyone again. I have missed it!

 

There are too many wonderful celebrations today for me not to post. Today is Mother’s Day, as well as the holiday, Lag B’Omer.

Lag B’Omer is a festive day, which celebrates the passing of the great sage and mystic, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar. It also commemorates the end of a semi-mourning period. During the weeks between Passover (which just passed) and Shavuot (which will be occurring in about 2 weeks) there was a plague that occurred in which many of the students of Rabbi Akiva (teacher of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) passed away. The reason for the plague was because “the students did not act respectfully towards each other.”

On Lag B’Omer, the deaths ceased, and the period of mourning ended.

 

LOL! On Lag BaOmer, we also light bonfires.

The theme of this holiday is about loving and respecting people — even if you do not agree with them. It highlights the destructiveness of having one’s ego invested in being right, at the expense of the relationship or preserving the dignity and honor of another person.

Since the mourning practices are suspended, Lag B’Omer also happens to be a very popular day to get married.  Unbelievably, today would have been my parents’ 60^th wedding anniversary.

Today is Mother’s Day too. As I have shared in the past, my mother has always been very ambivalent about Mother’s Day.

This year, my mother called to thank us for the flowers we sent her. My mother yet again confirmed her ambivalence for what she calls a “Hallmark Holiday.” My mother said, “Everyday should be Mother’s Day. We should treat our loved ones nicely all of the time.”

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I thought her comments dovetailed nicely with the theme of Lag B’Omer.

 

Yaffa is a happy camper. The words mean “like 1 person with 1 heart.” Meaning, we are all united and share each other’s joys and sorrows.

 

In keeping with her iconoclastic ideas, my mother has also informed me that she no longer wants to receive flowers for Mother’s Day. Instead, she is requesting that the money spent on flowers should be donated to a charity of our choice. What a nice idea!  I just had to share it with everyone!

Yaffa ate a hard-boiled egg for the first time!

However, the coup de grace for today is that Yaffa ate a hard-boiled egg for the first time. It took a lot of cajoling and effort, but she did it!  We are so proud!

So, happy Mother’s Day to everyone, Happy Lag B’Omer, and congratulations Yaffa!

It is good to be back.

Off Topic: Snow In The City

Today was a snow day. We all stayed home and had a bonding experience.

My friend Mindy’s husband took this video of the streets of New York “aka the city” today. His commentary is hilarious. I just had to share it!

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I have never tried to post a video before, so I hope it works!

Spring is around the corner!

I am trying to think warm thoughts and visualize the positive.

Enjoy!

Off Topic: Snow Falling On Roses

Off Topic: Snow Falling On Roses

This blog is my creative outlet for what is otherwise a very hectic and intense life. I consider it to be an open miracle that I am able to juggle so many responsibilities and still maintain it.

To cope with my many challenges, I have been attempting to spend 1 hour a day thanking God for every difficulty that I have, rather than complaining and feeling sorry for myself.

 

 

My efforts have been bearing fruit. I find myself feeling more optimistic and better able to cope. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is really the most healing and healthy thing that one can do to cope when challenged.

As part of this effort, I try to spend time each day truly appreciating and being in the moment.

Yesterday was a wonderful opportunity to practice this habit.

It snowed throughout the day beautiful light and fluffy snowflakes.

The snow covered rose bushes in front of our house.

 

Growing up in Canada, we really enjoyed the snow. We always appreciated the wonder and purity of snow as it falls. I love when the ice and snow freeze over the branches of the trees and they make beautiful lacy patterns on the windows. Each snowflake is so unique and beautiful!

 

When I think about snowflakes, they remind me of life. I can try to reach out and touch a snowflake. But, when I do, it is lost. The snowflake melts and is gone.

A snow covered tree in front of our house.

My father was fond of saying, “In life, you need to stop and smell the roses.”

There are no roses blooming during the winter. However, I thought our bushes in front looked very pretty with the snow. I loved seeing how the snow gently piled up on their branches.

I think that my father would be happy to have me stop and notice the beautiful snow falling on the rosebushes, even without any roses blooming.

So, as Raizel and I were driving home at dusk, I took pictures of them and thought I would share them on the blog.

I never thought that blogging could be so much fun!

This was one of my father’s favorite poets.

 

 

 

Happy New Year & Happy Chanukah

Today is the first day of 2017 and the last day of Chanukah.

Best wishes to all for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

 

 

This year, my husband and I had a very funny experience with our candles for Chanukah. I am sure there is a hidden symbolism, but, as of yet, any possible deeper significance is eluding me.

For whatever reasons, we were gifted with several boxes of candles this year. However, when we really needed some to light the menorah last night, we had misplaced them all.

Scrounging around, we were blessed to find exactly nine candles to light — 8 for each day, and one for the “Shamash” (“attendant”) candle. Our own little Chanukah miracle!

In the Jewish tradition, the number 8 is seen as above nature. Therefore, the last day of Chanukah is a very auspicious time to pray for personal requests.

My prayer is for the supernal light of Chanukah to bless us with the clarity to see the miraculous within every aspect of our lives.

Many blessings to everyone!

Love,

 

Carol and family.

Fantastic Glazed Doughnuts

Fantastic Glazed Doughnuts

Every year we go to visit my sister for Chanukah. My sister, Raizel, is really a lot of fun. Aside from my mother, and my Aunt Perel (A”H), my sister is also one of the best cooks I know.

By training, Raizel is actually a chef. However, once she got married, she transferred her cooking skills to being a “Baal Chessed.” For those who may not already know, “chessed” translates as “loving kindness.” It is an action, as well as a character trait. So, if someone is a “Baal Chessed,” they are a charitable person who is constantly engaged in acts of kindness.  That is my sister, to a “T.”

In addition, my sister is also a “Baal Hachnasat Orchim.”  “Hachnasat Orchim,” is the Hebrew word for “hospitality” or “welcoming guests.”  This mitzvah, in its purest form, consists of hosting and serving the needs of those who are destitute and have no place to eat or sleep.

My sister and her husband used to host up to 20 people per meal for Shabbat and holiday meals. All of their guests were treated to homemade, all natural, healthy, kosher food. Many of them  were people who genuinely needed a place to eat.

It was a delicate balancing act. Yet, my sister and her husband excelled at this mitzvah of Hachnasat Orchim (welcoming guests), all while raising 6 beautiful children, 3 of whom are now married. One of my wonderful nieces, Eli, shared this recipe for doughnuts.

Fantastic Glazed Doughnuts

Ingredients

2 1/4 teaspoons dry yeast

2 tablespoons warm water

3/4 cup warm milk

Alternative: use water, coconut or nut milk instead

2 1/2 tablespoons butter

Alternative: use coconut oil or palm shortening instead

1 egg

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoons salt

2 3/4 cup flour

Instructions:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in a small amount of warm water. Add the milk (or substitute), butter, egg, sugar and salt. Blend this until its smooth.

Add the remaining flour and knead until the dough is smooth. Cover the dough with a plastic bag and leave the dough to rise, until the dough has doubled, about 1/2 – 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and roll out a half inch thick.

Using a cup or biscuit cutter (or even a dry empty can to cut out the doughnuts. If you want to make the doughnuts with the traditional hole in the middle, use a shot glass or similar sized object to cut out the holes. (The holes will later become doughnut holes)

Place these on cookie sheets and let them rise for about 30 to 60 minutes.

Heat oil in a pot, and then fry the doughnuts, approximately, 30 seconds on each side. Once the oil becomes hot, this process is very quick.

The trick is to have the oil hot, but not too hot. Our friend, Judith, said that in the days before there were thermometers, you knew the oil was hot enough when it would take 1 minute to cook a piece of bread. I thought that was a nice trick!

My sister simply put in one of the doughnut holes, and waited until it started to brown nicely.

Regulating the temperature correctly is critical to making doughnuts successfully. If the oil is too hot, the outside will burn but the inside will be too raw. If that happens, bake the doughnuts in the oven so that they will cook nicely.

Remove from oil and place in pot of sugar syrup and coat on each side.

Sugar Glaze

The trick to making doughnuts taste completely awesome is to dip the doughnuts into the glaze right after they have been fried. Unfortunately, my sister is an intuitive cook, and she does not need to follow recipes. So, this an approximation of what she did.

Ingredients

Equal amounts of water and sugar, i.e. ½ water and ½ cup sugar.

Instructions:

To make a glaze using granulated sugar, place equal amounts of sugar and water to a cooking pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook the sugar and water over high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.

If you want a thicker glaze, continue to cook the glaze and stir occasionally until it reduces to a thicker consistency, or add more sugar.

Once the doughnuts are cooked, quickly drop them into the simmering glaze, and turn to coat both sides and then remove and place on plate.

Decorate as desired.

Here are the pictures. My sister laughs at me that I need things explained so exactly. But, that is why I am writing this blog in the first place.  I am so grateful that I have her and my mother to learn from.

First step.

Kneaded into dough and read to rise.

Cut into doughnut shape. The secret is to roll thin and use a good cookie cutter shape.

First side cooking

Flipping them over.

Dipping into sugar glaze syrup.

Final product. A work of art!

The final outcome was a work of art. The downside of doughnuts is that they are only good fresh. So, make sure you invite lots of people over to share them with you! You can tell them it’s a mitzvah.

My sister tells me that the reason why she is able to make these so well is that she is not afraid of making a mistake, and every year she keeps on trying to improve. So, now you know why she is not only an awesome cook, but an awesome person as well. She is truly our family tzedakis (righteous soul).