Tikkun Olam

This is my first post back on Tikkun Olam since April 23rd, 2015. It does not feel real.

Why is it that we never think we will ever have a JOLT in our lives that will change the entire life course we have been traveling? We continue on, day by day, complacent, even in the face of serious illness--believing that what we are living is the only reality; that it is immutable, that it is PHYSICAL: you can touch it, feel it, and it will continue to be there for you tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...

But it isn't. And it won't.  Because the unthinkable can, and does, happen, in time. To everybody. As it happened to me, almost a year ago, on August 10, 2015, when my DH - Dear Husband, of 46 years, died.

I am living in an Alternate Universe. Because the universe in which I was living all my life until now, is gone. I still want to slap myself in the face and wake myself up. It's a dream. A terrible nightmare.  It's a horror movie with a frightening ending, but I will awake…

This week has been a bit difficult because I came down with a cold at the beginning of the week.  Not sick, mind you, but a cold: sniffling, runny nose, tired--you know the deal.  The last time I was sick, I was really sick, with head cold, fever of 101 degrees (F), aches.  Was in bed, and didn't work for about a week.  It happened during the chagim, so our school was closed for the Yom Tovim.  I missed the first two days of the week, Monday and Tuesday, and part of Wednesday (Wed. night was the chag).  My D. H. did all - and I mean all - of the work, including the cooking. Thank G-d his hobby is cooking, or we would have starved (or eaten tuna fish out of cans for the seudah).

What I have now is nothing compared to that, and I'm in a great mood throughout, because of my son and daughter-in-law's new baby, Yael.  So I'm going to work feeling sick, but high! 
Nevertheless, I am looking forward to Shabbat.  We are having an elderly friend stay over, and guests are comin…

The latest KCC (Kosher Cooking Carnival) is up and running, here.  I wish I could contribute to it, but I think I've forgotten how to cook!  That's what happens when you have a built-in chef in the house (my D. H.).

Boy,  I sure could use a bowl of chicken soup right now.  Guess it's going to have to be. . .


. . .the Instant variety!

I'm also on a diet. I am half-heartedly trying to lose x number of pounds (kilos, for my Israeli friends and family. Actually, my weight sounds a lot better in kilos. . . ).
I say "half-heartedly," not because my heart isn't in it--it is--but rather because (על חטא שחטאתי לפניך...) I enjoy food. And also eating it. I'm not a gourmet, but probably (alas) more of a. . . gourmand. I said it. And now the whole world knows (or, only that tiny little portion who reads this blog; not so bad, really. . . )

And to my utter dismay, just when I am finally back down to where I was just before Pesach, of all things--Shavuot has to come up. All of a sudden! You'd think that I'd be prepared, I've been counting the Omer so diligently since Pesach-yes, with a bracha (-eat yer hearts out) But I'm not.
I am not prepared to pass over (heh heh, 'pass over,' get it?) cheese cake and spinach cheese quiche and milchig noodle kugel and ice cream with fruit. N…

I am up close to 2:00 a.m. why? Mah nishtanah ha-lailah ha-zeh mikol ha-lelot? Because it is the eleventh hour, erev chag: the biggest, most awesome holiday in the universe: Pesach!

I have been checking and washing romaine lettuce for karpas (tons of it), boiling potatoes, checking the chicken soup, putting the tzimmes in the fridge...but of course I will give credit to hubby, without whom none of these delicious delicacies would be possible: he cooked 'em all (ok, I peeled, cored and cut the apples for the tzimmes. Really).

He also cooked the brisket yesterday, four huge trays of 'em; he made a cranberry-orange side dish; carrot, potatoe and apple tzimmes with pineapple, the aforementioned chicken soup in a huge stock pot (we're having lotsa guests the first night), and genuine shmurah matzah balls (doesn't baseball season start now?) that are our specialty for Pesach (yes, we eat gebrocht).

So I am not complaining about being up so late, although I have a dr.'s ap…

My younger son (Nathaniel Blumenstein), reminded me of Purim last week when I heard he was rummaging around in his Jerusalem kitchen for his Abba's star iron, in the hope that we left it there last Purim, when we traveled to Israel for his older brother's (Mister Arnold) wedding.

You see, we had taken it with us, knowing that since we were returning way too close to Purim (two days), we would never have the time to stand over a hot deep fryer, sweating away frying our Famous Purim Stars in boiling oil.

So, clever beings we, we took our Purim Star paraphernalia with us to the Holy Land, and actually made our Purim stars at yon younger son's postage-stamp-sized apartment, in his teeny weeny alcove- er-kitchen. Actually, he made them, and did a great job of it, too. These Purim stars, deliciously crispy, made from a yummy batter of milk, flour and eggs--were the delight of our family since our Texas days, almost thirty years ago.

Well, it was Toodles (Nathaniel's siste…

Haven't been posting frequently because of my new grandson(!) and resulting phone calls, emails, Google chats and Instant Messages with son back-and-forth from Israel regarding various things like names, their meanings and Gematria (Kabbalistic numerology value), etc. - so I think I forgot to tell you about the KCC (Kosher Cooking Carnival) #35 which has been up since October 27th.

KCC edition #35 is called the Post-Shmittah KCC, and you can find it here. Many good posts there on Kosher Cooking, Halachah (Jewish law), etc. (including yours truly's post on Kugel).
Read, and enjoy.

I love soup. I've always loved soup. It is a staple in the kitchen of my mind's eye.

Soup symbolizes for me, love, security, warmth and family. This is probably fairly universal, and soup is fairly old in the history of mankind:
Soup dates back to the beginning of cooking, when people noticed fat and other nutrients falling off meat being roasted over an open fire, Segan says. Archaeologists have discovered vessels dating back to prehistoric times, capable of holding water, meat and fibrous root vegetables that would soften during boilingWhenever I'm feeling low, or needy, or missing my kids & lonely, I think of making homemade vegetable soup. Notice I didn't say 'I make homemade vegetable soup,' but I do think about it (remember, my hubby's the Chef).

Like today. It's been a rough two weeks. . . which culminated in that election--and I'm feeling particularly miserable (I also am physically under the weather a little and have the chills and …

What does Haveil Havalim #186 (up and running at The Israel Situation) have to do with 'cooking up a storm?' NOTHING!

I was about to turn in at 2:00 a.m. after cooking (with my hubby the Chef) for hours, when I had this urge. . .a little voice (a bat kolfrom cyberspace) said to me mysteriously 'go thee to thy computer' . . . and so, because I have been absolutely out of the JBlogger-loop since Rosh Hashana, I did just that. Lo and Behold (I've always wanted to say "lo and behold."), two of my posts were linked; musta happened between baking the challot and mixing the Lokshen kugel, I guess.

So, you want to know what we are cooking for Sukkot (the first days, anyway)? I thought you'd never ask. Here is a preview of coming attractions:
Baked five beautiful (ptu ptu ptu) round honey-raisin challot; made fish (the loaf kind; hubby made his special poached trout for Rosh Hashana; I do the "loaf kind."), chicken soup, 48 matzah balls (we freeze the…