Shalach Manos & Fancy Seuda vs. Matanos L'evyonim

It's that time of year again ... Time to figure out a theme, get costumes, plan a gourmet meal, give out shalach manos to 500 of your nearest and dearest friends, and then complain you don't have money to give for tzedakah.

People have it so backwards.  Matanos l'evyonim needs to come first and foremost.  It's more important to give food or money to a needy person than it is to have the cutest themed shalach manos or the most unique costume ever.

IMHO, ok, cancel that, cuz my opinion is never humble, IN MY OPINION, figure out how the meal and shalach manos are costing you, and then double that. Give the same amount to matanos l'evyonim.

Sheindy, 8 years old, saw an Od Yosef Chai video today.  She was explaining to me how kids go to sleep hungry.  How they don't have bubble gum and other treats that we take for granted.  Today I got an email from Colel Chabad about giving to the needy in Eretz Yisroel.  Did you know that $54 will give a COMPLETE purim seuda to a large family in Eretz Yisroel???  FIFTY FOUR DOLLARS!  I spend more than that on Shabbos and I am not a large family.

Please. Please.  Give to our brethren in Eretz Yisroel this Purim.

Colel Chabad / Rabbi Meir Baal HaNais Tzedakah

OK, back to baking hamantaschen.

Where is Moshiach already???

Thirteen years and one week ago I began to dread this upcoming motzai Shabbos.  I am too lazy to do the actual math, but I do think it really came out about 6 weeks ago.

We have hit that magic number I never wanted to hit.  Yossi (a'h) has been dead longer than he was alive.  How could that be??  How could it be that Moshiach STILL hasn't come yet?  When I asked my friend who is bereaved over 30 years how she did it, she told me that she thought Moshiach would be here by now.

There is still time.  We can still do it.

So what does this Jew with a HUGE attitude feel right now?  Immense pain and sorrow.  That weighs on me very heavily, because I made a decision that I was NOT going to get this sad.  It isn't working.  I got gypped out of a bar mitzvah for him.  I got gypped out of seeing who he would have grown into, the man he would have become.  I got gypped of getting to know him on a different level as an adult.

I don't know.  Maybe I didn't get gypped.  We all know and believe that everything Hashem does is for our good, even if we don't see the good.  I actually have seen so much good come from Yossi's illness and death.

I'm rambling.  Sorry.  Can I ask anyone who reads this a favor, please?  Can you please commit to one mitzvah to do l'iluey nishmas Yosef Chaim ben Michoel Dovid haLevi?  At least that way, I will feel that something good is still coming along.

I believe I have shared this before.  Yossi used to kiss the mezuzahs as he walked around the house.  I sorta thought it was weird ... who actually does that?  Sruli does it too.  L'iluey nishmas, I am going to try and do it as well, b'n.

I used to be a lot better at this part ... I do always try to kiss the mezuzah when I leave the house.  I used to try and think of one good thing in my life that I am thankful for.  Yossi was ALWAYS thankful for everything.  B'n, I am also going to try to start doing this again.

I don't know who the rebbe is in the picture.  I don't even remember who sent this to me.  Someone saw it in someone else's house, and was surprised to see it there.  

I have the matching pictures.

I love you Yossi.

Whose money is it anyway?

I HAVE THE MOST AMAZING STORY TO SHARE!

A few weeks ago, we had a bill to a local hospital for $480.  I really didn't think we owed the money, and I was on hold with the insurance.  I was thinking about it, and I decided I would much rather give it to my son's memorial library than the hospital.

(I firmly believe money really isn't ours.  G-d decides at the beginning of the year how much money we are going to earn.  So if I was supposed to get $X amount of dollars, and I got $XY, then I have to "give" $Y back, right?  How does G-d "take back" money?  Those are the not so fun things in life, like when your oven breaks the day before a 3 day yom tov.  Or your washer breaks right before the 9 days.  [BTDT on the last one!]  People get sick, have medical bills, car accidents, even straight out lose money.  That money isn't yours.  G-d is just collecting what you weren't supposed to have.  So back to the story ... )

So while I on hold, I thought in my head, "If she comes back and says I don't own the money, I'll give $480 to Yossi's (a'h) Memorial Library."  Never mind that I no long work, and have no way to get that money!  It was just a nice thought that popped into my head.  Right then she comes back and says, "You don't owe the money."  My jaw dropped.  Where in the world was I going to get $480???? We aren't talking a little sum here.  We are talking big bucks for someone who doesn't work.

YIKES!

So I figured I would sell some stuff on Ebay, and then use the money to pay off my pledge.  The first thing to go was a pair of John Harding earrings.  That pulled in a profit of $179.95.

Next to go was a 14K gold chain.  Three local stores offered me around $220 for it.  So that went up on Ebay as well.  It sold for a whooping $361.50!!!!!!  I did the math, and once you take away Ebay fees and PayPal fees, my gross profit on that one was .... drum roll here ....
$301.23.  Now you don't need to pull out your calculators; I already pulled up mine.  Add those two together, and what do you get?  Sit down folks.  Cuz here it is ...
ta da -- $481.18 !!!!!!!!!!

Do you get it?  G-d gave me the means to pay off the pledge because, IMHO, I was meant to have that money.  When I pledged it away, He had to "give it back" to me.  It's late; I'm rambling, and I really wanted to watch the last episode and a half of Project Runway that I have waiting for me.  I am just so excited about this.  I love when things work out and you can see the hand of Hashem, literally!

Stay warm friends!

Crackers for crackers

A little behind here, but I finally have a few minutes to put up the pictures for y'all (which Shauly doesn't like me saying, but hey, I'm in the South!).

FOR COLLEEN: Chicken Crackers/ Savory
3 c flour;
1 tsp salt;
1/4-1/2 tsp pepper;
1 tsp baking powder;
1 TBSP sugar (I've been leaving it out and the crackers are fine)
1 tsp sage;
1/2 tsp thyme;
1 1/2 TBSP onion powder;
1 TBSP garlic powder;
 4-6 TBSP nutrional yeast, depending on how much you like/ I use about 8!;
3-6 TBSP oil;
water or almond milk with a drop of vinegar added -- Note, this is not set in stone.  You can alter any amounts, except for the sage and thyme.  I also throw in a dash of paprika when I remember.
I use 2/3 white whole wheat flour and 1/3 white flour.)

MIX dry ingredients.

ADD oil, use a pastry blender to mush into fine balls.

ADD water or milk and form into a nice dough.

Adapted from Real Snacks

I'll add pictures next week if you bug me.  I took them last time I made them.

No one bugged me, but here are the pictures:

 

 


I used to be very anal about trying to get every cracker to be the same shape and size.  Then I realized that everyone just grabs them out of the jar and it doesn't matter what shape or size they are, as long as they taste good.

Happy snacking!

I love nutritional yeast. Yum!!

Stop looking at me like I'm a lunatic.  Nutritional yeast.  Yup.  It's this "new" stuff that most of my friends have never heard of.  It is so yummy, and incredibly versatile.  So what is it?  Wikipedia, which I trust a drop more than I trust this current administration, says this about it:

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, often a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment. 

(I was gonna make it yellow, but then I was worried you would either cart me away to the loony bin, or just not be able to read it.  Which is of more concern to me?  I guess the second.)

This is the brand we use the most, although I don't notice a difference between this one and Red Yeast, which is the other one we can get locally.   I don't think it makes a difference, by girls complain that the flakes on the other one is too big.  I haven't tried the powder yet, just because I can't find it.  I do need to look for it in bulk, because I go through a LOT of this.

So what does it do?  Well, it depends.  You can make something taste like chicken.  You can make it taste like cheese.  For real!  I make these "chicken" crackers, which are really savory crackers.  These are the all time, hands down, winner of crackers in the house.  I can make double or triple the recipe, and it is still gone within a day.  I make a pareve cheddar cheese cracker with it   I use it to make my own bouillon mix.  (Take THAT Goodman's and their MSG!)

But, here is where I love it the most .. ON POPCORN!  Yup.  It is delicious!  It is high in vitamin B.  And it's pretty low calorie.  I put anywhere from 1/4 c to 1/2 cup popcorn kernels in a bag.  My microwave has this cool little feature in that I just push the popcorn button, and a little while later it beeps to tell me my popcorn is done popping.  Remember that mister I use for my oil?  Well pump that little baby up a few times, squirt a tiny bit of olive oil on it, and shake some nutritional yeast on.  I am OCD about it, and I spray and shake and spray and shake and spray and shake.  I don't get that much oil, because I checked in the can how much I've used, and it isn't really that much.  I sometimes add the tiniest dash of salt.  Now comes the fun.  Eat and Enjoy!  Your fingers will turn all yellow and you can lick them too. When you get to the bottom of the bag, you will find a bunch of nurtitional yeast just waiting for you to lick your finger, touch it to catch it, and lick your finger again.  yum, yum, yum.  (I guess it would be sorta gross to watch me do this. Guess why this is best done in the dark with your lap top on your chest while watching Project Runway.  Oh, and make sure you look the other way when your husband vacuums the family room on eruv Shabbos and mutters about the popcorn that is found in the couch.  AND, make sure you have a teenage available eruv pesach to clean the couch.  Unless you are sefardi, in which case, I guess you can enjoy your popcorn on pesach, but the nutritional yeast would be a problem.)

[off topic -- Did you notice that I tend to write these huge, run on sentences.  Does it bother you?  Or are you just following my train of thought and thinking I am insane?  Cuz I am.]

Another (cheap) product that is often overlooked

I finally attacked the milchig (dairy) dishes.  For some reason, it is assumed that I am the maid the house.  Take a dish, use it, toss it in the sink, and voila, it magically gets washed for the next use.  (If you have any tips on by-passing that, please, PLEASE share!  I can't tell you how many times I have asked/told/begged/pleaded for this not to happen.  I have a better chance of Obama admitting he lies than of that happening.)

So I start to pile up the dirty plates.  You have to also understand that the number one lunch and snack around here is melted cheese sandwiches.  The are made on bagels (which is the worst!) and wraps.  The bagels, as you know, have a hole in the middle.  So the cheese melts down the center and side.  Now I have no idea what in the world is in this cheese, but once it gets onto the plate it is stuck like glue.  I kid you not.  NASA could use this to fix their shuttles (oh wait ... we don't have a space program anymore!).  Even soaking them won't help.  (Which is not something people here are inclined to do anyway.)

So what's a mom to do when she wants to get her plates cleaned of baked on cheese?  Are you ready for this?  Take a guess?  No, not my magic citrus enzyme cleaner which can be used for so many things.  (I didn't try it; maybe it would work.)  It's a cheap product that you often buy to toss into your fridge and forget about it until you clean your fridge for Pesach (Passover).  (Side fact -- Did you know that you are supposed to change it every three months?  Really.)  Yay!  You guessed it, baking soda!  That simple little yellow box is AWESOME!  Today I ran some water on the plate, sprinkled some baking soda on it, added a piece of silverware (so the plates don't stick together; we are talking about corelle here), and then do the next plate.  I had a nice huge stack today, probably every milchig plate.  I washed all the other dishes, and then went to the plates.  I tell you, there was not a single piece of cheese on any plates.  Wait, not true.  There was one plate with cheese on the back.  I have no idea why it works, but it does.  I haven't yet tried it baked on grease.  I can share with you some other uses for baking soda.

Deodorant It is great for deodorizing, which is why you are supposed to put it in your fridge.  You can put it in your microwave if it is smells (from cheese).  You can sprinkle it on the carpet or bed if a kid or pet pees.  It can even be used on your person if you can't take a full shower (like on a 3 day yom tov).  Just rub a little on, and you are good to go until you can hit the shower.  It can also be mixed with coconut oil to make an actual deodorant!

Room fresher Put some in a mason jar with some essential oil of your choice.  I put lace on top with the outside part of the lid.  The oil needs to be added again after about two weeks.  Our bathroom has a nice orangey smell to it.

Shampoo I put some in an old shampoo bottle that had water in it. You can actually wash your hair with it.  It is a softener, so your hair will feel soft while it is on, and when you rinse it, it will feel squeaky clean.  (You can use vinegar for a rinse, and no, you won't smell like a salad when your hair dries.)  Just warn people before they shower, because the water is cold if you leave it sitting in the shower.  I just tilt my head back so if it runs off, it is going into the running water rather than down my back.

House hold cleaner It can be used in the dishwasher for detergent (but I haven't perfected that yet), and in the laundry.

I gotta make dinner and I can't really think of any other uses.

TTFN!  Go open that box of baking soda and find a new use and make sure you tell me.

Revisiting Celebrating without fattening foods

I am a liar.  I decided to make baked donuts.  (You knew I was going to do that, didn't you?)  I did it last year, and if I remember correctly, I was not 100% thrilled with it.  So what did I do?  What I always do when I have a question.  I went to Google University.  There seems to be a basic "vegan healthy doughnut recipe" (uh, is that an oxymoron to say doughnut and healthy in the same title?).  I don't know why I do this.  I find several recipes that have slight variations, and I print them all out.  To make sure that I don't have the same one as last year, I look it up in my cookbook.  Ha!  The note on that recipe says they are awesome! yay!  Oops.  Going to try a new one anyway.  So I compared them all and narrowed it down to this one, Better For You Baked Donuts.  I did make some changes.  Stop laughing!  I can't try a new recipe exactly the way it is written!

Here is my version of it:

• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tsp vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp flour
• 1/3 c warm water

• 1/4 c Xylitol *
• 2 tsp salt
• (The recipe called for 2 tsp nutmeg.  I don't like nutmeg; I left it out.)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 1/2 c white whole wheat flour, divided (I ended up using more.  I added about another cup of white flour)

• 1/3 c coconut oil, melted
• 1 1/2 c warm almond milk (or whatever you want to use instead)

• whatever topping you want or filling (find your own recipe; I don't measure when I make icing)

1. Proof the yeast (That means you need to put the yeast, sugar, and flour into a bowl. add very warm water, around 105-115 degrees; use a thermometer if you can't tell by touch.  Let it sit for a few minutes, about five, while you are busy with the next step.)
2. Combine 2 c flour with the other dry ingredients, set aside.
3. Melt coconut oil in microwave.  Warm the almond milk also.  (You can try to do both at the same time, but I didn't want the milk hot enough to melt the coconut oil, which is why I did it like that.)
4. Add the melted coconut oil and almond milk to the yeast.  Add the flour and dry ingredients.  Mix this up real well.  (I used a bowl and a fork; not a mixer like the original recipe called for.)  Slowly add the remaining 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups flour.  You want a smooth dough that has no lumps.  If you add the extra flour, and it is still sticky, pour a little oil on the counter, and rub the dough in it on all sides.  Viola!  You should be able to knead it nicely for a minute or two until smooth.
5. Put into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel (I soak mine in hot water and wring it real well), and put in a nice, warm spot.  Mine sat right next to the stove while I was cooking dinner.  Let rise until double in size, about an hour.  (If your kitchen is really warm, it may take less time.)
6. Punch it down, and divide it into a few workable pieces.  I divided mine into four parts.  Dust your counter really well with flour.  I love this doo-hicky for that.
7. Flatten your piece of dough until it is smooth and about a half inch thick.  I keep flipping it to cover it with flour, but you don't want too much, or you will get dry donuts.  Use whatever shape you want and cut out your donuts.  I used a few chanukah cookie cutters.
8. Put your donuts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Let rise about 20 minutes.  They don't spread, so you can put them sorta close together.  They rise up, so don't put them so they touch.
   
    
   
   
9. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.  You want them to be slightly golden brown at the edges.  The original recipe called for 450, but those donuts cooked in like 4 minutes and didn't have time to rise too much.  Your own oven temperature may vary, so play with it a little.  You want them to rise and not burn at the same time.  

Remove them from the cookie sheet.  If you are using icing, you can ice them while they are hot. You can dip them in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar.
You can ice them and add sprinkles, like Sheindy did.

If you are making jelly donuts, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PUT THE JELLY IN WHILE THE DONUTS ARE HOT!  Trust me.  The jelly melts and you end up with a huge mess.  Ask me how I know, I dare you!  I use seedless raspberry preserves.  Shoshana likes grape jelly.

And there you have it.  These tasted really good.  They are not high in sugar or fat.  They are not deep fried.  IMHO, these are not the worst donuts you can eat.  They were actually really, really good, considering the amount of sweetness (not a lot) and that I used white whole wheat flour.  Sruli, my kid who is diametrically opposed to anything healthy, ate three of them.

You also need to listen to Benny Friedman while making these donuts.  It adds to the ambiance.  Sruli was the one who requested this song.  It got stuck in our heads, and we ended up replaying it a bunch of times.  "Don't let the light go out ... "

"The 8th day of Chanukah is known as "Zos Chanukah" (in earlier times it was called "Chanukas Hamiz'beach") named for the Torah portion we read. The day is mesugal for one to daven for; barren women to have children, for a Refuah Sheleimah, and for one to be blessed with increased Parnassah.
It is brought in the name of the Arizal, that the last day of Chanukah “Zos Chanukah” is the day of the "Gmar Hadin” the day when the verdict of Yom Kippur is finalized and signed off."  

(I told the kids tonight, Rosh Hoshana is when Hashem opens the book; Yom Kippur is when He makes the decree, Hoshana Rabba is when he closes the book, and Zos Chanukah is when he puts the book away until next Rosh Hoshana.  Shoshana said that it sure does take Hashem a long time to finish up.  I told her that this is because Hashem is giving us so many chances to do teshuva and change any decree.)

So eat up!  Last day for donuts and latkes until next Chanukah!

*I know that there is a lot of controversy around xylitol.  Here is my take on it.  Sugar is bad.  Bad, bad, bad.  It is addictive, it rots your teeth and makes you fat.  Xylitol is getting a bad rap because it is refined, like stevia.  However, it is not addictive, it is low in the glycemic index, and it won't make you fat.  You do have to be careful not to eat a lot, because it will upset your stomach.  this recipe calls for a 1/4 cup, and you get something like 36-40 donuts out of this recipe.  Meaning you will get such a little amount that it isn't worth getting worried over.  Unless you are eating the entire batch.  Even that much xylitol won't hurt you, but that many donuts is going to get you one humongous stomach ache!