She Eats

Cannery Row Brewing Company

2012-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

I don't like beer but I've found that fresh brewed brewery beer can sometimes be pretty darn good. This awesome little place in Monterey offered a beer flight that sounded fantastic to me because I just wanted the cider (middle left) and then there was one called double chocolate (bottom right).

As it turns out, I loved both of those. The Tipsy Seagull Signature didn't do anything for me, I don't remember what else was ok, but how much fun is a flight of interesting beer?!

For some reason I thought the Monterey aquarium was going to be a whole lot more fantastic than it was. Maybe because sometimes they have a great white shark there. That would be something to see. I did enjoy seeing el pulpo and a ton of jellyfish and frankly, I'd pretty much like to live in an aquarium so I guess any time I have a chance, I go to them.

Frittata at Highlands Inn

2012-01-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

Some people are planners and some fly by the seat of their pants. I am a planner who can fly by the seat of her pants. I like to plan and I'm good at it. I can plan something many years ahead of time. But I'm ready when opportunities arise to do that which I never dreamed I would do. Part of the reason why is because I learned a long time ago that we regret what we didn't do. We rarely regret what we did.

This was a lovely zucchini frittata topped with some kind of delicious cheese that I ate at the beautiful Carmel Highlands resort.

Carmel is a wonderful town on a dramatic coast where you can watch whales all afternoon in the winter. There is very good food in Carmel and many jewelry stores.

I hope to go back there once a year in January.

100 Foods to Try for Real Foodies

2012-01-18T20:38:00.000-08:00

Recently I took a Facebook quiz: 100 foods to try before you die. It inspired me to compile a proper list of worldwide dishes, not a deranged semi-worldwide/semi-totally-American list of foods.

The idea is quite beautiful. There is a great deal I could say about foods from a religious point of view that would help shape a really great list, but my personal list will include only foods that I think are universally delicious and interesting.

Granted I have my American favorites. While I pull chicken and waffles from the list I also don't add a McDonald's hamburger. Maybe I'll give America a few slots for cheeseburger, BBQ, and green bean casserole. We'll see. I doubt it.

This is going to take a little while.

I also have some interesting pictures from my recent vacation. Please excuse my lapses in blogging. I have been incredibly preoccupied. I'll get back into the routine now.

My Favorite Breakfast

2012-01-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

There are moments in life that a person never forgets. Some of them are wonderful and some not so much. I'll never forget the first Japanese breakfast I had when I lived in Japan. It must have been the first morning on my island. I was staying at a Ryokan. I don't remember much about it but I remember the bento box that was presented to me for my breakfast.

I remember the disgust I felt when I looked at the piece of fish, which still had its head on it. I remember being thankful for the delicious soup and being shocked that the egg was not hard-boiled as I had imagined, but raw. What was I supposed to do with a raw egg?

I am not a creature of habit, but I might be if I lived in Japan. I would do a lot to have that very breakfast every day. Some delicious miso soup, broiled fish, and a raw egg over steaming white rice.

I often eat a raw egg over rice for breakfast. Yesterday I changed it up and sauteed some shallots before cracking an egg over them and immediately dumping the mixture over some hot rice.

Lately I have been thinking about the concept of innocence and the end of innocence. We all cherish innocence. This is evidenced in the ways that we protect children and in the success of Disney.

But we also accept its end. Not all of us, for certain but in general adults embrace cynicism and cast aside innocence. Yet, like every other part of life, what we get out is exactly what we put in. It seems to me that we would do better to make the decision to maintain our innocence.

Why would you want to do this? There is a sense that knowledge equals reality equals goodness so why would we hope to maintain innocence? We would never want to unknow.

What am I talking about? Take snow for example. Let's say we get a nice snowstorm this week. It will be beautiful and maybe the kids will stay home from school. In their innocence they will put on their boots and snowpants and play in the snow feeling delight at the miracle of a pile of the soft white stuff. They will make snow forts and snowmen.

What makes children delight in snow? They see the beauty in it, they see the fun in it. The appreciate it for the joy it can bring them. Is there any reason at all that adults don't make the choice to see snow the same way?

Perhaps an adult sees missed work and a project that needs to be completed or a driveway they need to shovel and an old injury they are worried about disturbing. Perhaps they imagine the mess of snow brought into the house that was clean. This is knowledge, but it does not have to negate innocence.

This is the choice that we can make to maintain our innocence. We can choose to see the miraculous and the beautiful, to focus on what we know is good and joyous.

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T17:20:00.001-08:00

One of my bad habits that I have been trying to get rid of is thinking that my life will follow in the path of one of my elders. My Mom, my Grandma, my Auntie. It's like I can't just have my own life. So, when I was younger, tales of my parents getting engaged on New Year's Eve led me to believe that this should happen to me as well.

As far as I know, this is not going to happen to me. But I was raised with a love of the holiday. I always thought of New Year's Eve as a time to dress up as fancy as possible, go out with lots of other people dressed up fancy, drink a lot, eat a lot and be sure that balloons or confetti are dropped on your head at midnight where you stand kissing someone.

This year I decided to do something different. I decided to go to bed early. I also ate this.

In this bowl there is pistachio almond ice cream, caramel, sunflower butter, bananas, brownie and whipped cream. I should have added salt, but it was pretty good.

I don't mind that I went to bed early because that's just my style, but next NYE I'm going to dress up fancy, go out and celebrate!

Cheeburger Cheeburger

2011-12-31T12:13:00.002-08:00

Can you see what is written on this menu? It says that this restaurant wins Best Burger of Kansas Award!

This is an ok place to eat if you are in Topeka. But let's talk about Best Burger of Kansas Awards. Blanc? BRGR? Heck, 5 Guys Burger and Fries is in Kansas.

Truth be told, I make the best burgers in Kansas.

I want to open a restaurant like Molly Murphy's House of Fine Repute in Oklahoma City. Just one more reason I think Oklahoma is awesome. Except that it went out of business. I want a place that is always full of smiling, laughing families where crazy people like to work and where yelling at customers is "part of the ambiance." The tables/booths were all some kind of theme. Like a car or Cinderella's carriage. Every person there was dressed up in some kind of costume and they were constantly yelling at the customers about something. I only went there once as child but I'll never forget it. My kind of place.

I'm sorry if you never experienced it. Ed Debevic's in Chicago is like the more refined, educated distant relative of Molly Murphy's.

La Bodega for Lunch

2011-12-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

Did you know that La Bodega has a lunch option that is basically a tapas buffet? I think it was $12 for the tapas plus a drink.

I ordered decaf and enjoyed a long leisurely lunch with my sister. La Bodega is one of my Kansas City favorites.

I hear there is an amazing tapas-style restaurant next to the ice-skating rink across from Aloft. I will go there next week and report back.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes From King Arthur Flour

2011-12-31T12:10:00.000-08:00

Thank you so much to the MacLeays who sent us this wonderful Christmas present. I have never tasted more delicious cupcakes. For me, the real heavenly part of these delightful cakes was the butter cream frosting. I made the cupcakes and the frosting and assembled the treats with the help of the three sweetest little girls I know. I'm sure it was their little hands that helped make these taste so good.

I think I enjoyed the cupcakes more than anyone.

Thank you Auntie!!

Disney Part 2

2011-12-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Just go read my sister's blog. http://dinnersbyjodi.blogspot.com My favorite parts are where she says, "Everything looks dark next to Cinderella's Castle. Everything in the whole world." And, when she says in her first tip on going to Disney, "Bring all of your money and plan on leaving it there." 'Tis the truth.

On another note. Lots of people are calling me from India these days so I don't always answer my phone. Especially when I'm driving children around. Today on the ride home from school I saw a number come up on the caller ID in my car that said 2503 and I knew it was India so I didn't answer. Noah asked me why. I said, "I don't know who it is so I'm not answering it." After the person called back three times Noah said, "Mom, answer it. They might be selling popcorn."

I love that kid.

Disney

2011-12-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

I took pictures. I really did. But I think I did this with someone else's phone. So, Mom, could you send me those pictures?

Where to start? Let's start with comedy. Comedy is flying Southwest airlines. I really love this airline. Because as I go through life in general I want to hear jokes all the time and most of all I want to hear jokes when I'm traveling with little kids. Because I can't drink tequila.

Our flight to Orlando was delayed by 3 hours because of a certain "very important person" visiting Kansas and also because the plane broke.

So our head flight person made jokes non-stop from the moment we stepped on the aircraft until the moment we landed. It was fantastic. Unless you are really serious about K-State. Then you might have been offended. But I liked it.

The way home was not as funny. But I did like how they said, "if you are traveling with small children today, what were you thinking? " And then they said, "please secure your oxygen mask first and then help your husband."

They also said, "thank you for choosing Southwest today. We know you have many options available and we are glad you can only afford us."

I like this. It's a lot more fun to fly when the person over the intercom is making silly jokes. And I discovered that most people don't listen or can't hear anyway so it doesn't matter.

On to the painful subject of Disney. This is a point in time when I would like to be candid. I would like to tell you what I really think about Disney and my food experiences there but I fear backlash.

So instead I will focus on Todd English's BlueZoo in the Dolphin resort which is one of the hands down best restaurants I have ever dined in. This was very interesting because there were ten of us which doesn't usually make for a good dining experience. Additionally, five of us were very small people. The other five were drinking. I can't say enough about how good this restaurant is. If you go to Orlando and don't eat there then you are ridiculous.

I will find pictures and share them. In the past five years or so there has been a trend in fine dining to use science and it has resulted in a lot of nonsense like flavored air.

But Todd English has this art mastered. I want to send every chef and wanna be chef I know to this restaurant so they can learn what real gourmet dining is and how you properly use all that science stuff to create unbelievably delicious meals that are like nothing you have ever experienced.

Next time I go to Orlando, if possible I will have no small people with me and I will spend my park time at Universal studios only. I will also go back to BlueZoo.

I guess since I'm not going to say what I really think about Disney I will just point you to the brilliant film Wall-E. I now know where they got the idea for this movie and that this is probably one of the most accurate depictions of the future of humans that has ever been created.

NoRTH

2011-12-01T23:17:00.000-08:00

I love NoRTH. It's my favorite. After going to Story I thought I had a new favorite but Story is so fancy you can't go there for lunch or just for a solid dinner. It kind of has to be an occasion. At least on my current budget. I love NoRTH because it can be fancy but it can also be a place you go to grab a pizza.

And my son ate zucchini.

Story, Part 3

2011-11-27T11:03:00.000-08:00

Recently my children went to New Orleans where they experienced fine-dining, which they really loved. They asked if we had any restaurants like that in Kansas City.

These are kids who have been to Skies for dinner. They have eaten at the Bristol more times than I can count. Instead of pointing any of that out to them I said that we do have such restaurants in Kansas City and that I would take them to one.

We started with brunch at Story. We got all dressed up and drove to Prairie Village. All in all it was a wild success and I have decided to make this a monthly exercise in teaching my children manners and to love food as much as I do.

Normally I don't push my kids to be quiet and sit still during meals or at any other time. I like people with loud personalities so I encourage that in my children. Luckily, they can control themselves for short periods of time.

It was great to get complimented on how well-behaved my children are in a very fancy restaurant.

I was hoping for a brunch buffet but it was fine to order from the menu. My daughter had a decaf latte which I immediately decided must have been caffeinated.

The bread was delicious as usual. During the first part of the meal I found out that my children don't know what sugar cubes are.

Noah ordered the carbs with a side of carbs and a glass of protein. So that his kidneys and pancreas may live as long as the rest of him I am thinking about working on Noah's diet.

My carnivore zeroed in immediately on the steak. With a backup plan of the cheeseburger hold everything. Yes, my 7 year-old ordered the flank steak with chanterelles. And she ate it.

Really just to amuse myself more than anything else I ordered the duck empanadas with poached eggs. They were so good.

During this meal I discovered that my son can't use a fork and knife to cut up french toast. We will work on this.

After brunch we went to the Better Cheddar where I have never been more proud. Well, that's not true at all but when I had the kids smell the stinkiest cheese in the store, which I bought, they didn't vomit. And that made me proud. In fact, when Noah smelled the Tallegio he thought, as I do, that it smelled good.

I have the most fun children in all of the world. No, they are not perfect but the one who forgets things a lot, which can be really annoying, is also really funny and routinely cracks me up. The one who never forgets anything but is too bossy for my liking is also really sweet and adoring.

When will I get to go back to Story....

All I want for Chanukah

2011-11-26T16:14:00.000-08:00

Look at this bucket of food supply. For $85 at Costco you can buy a bucket of 55 Vegetarian meals like cheesy rice with broccoli and pasta in sauce.

The food packets come in this weatherproof bucket. Why does this product fill me with delight?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-25T07:16:00.000-08:00

Here are all the reasons I hate Thanksgiving:

1. Turkey. It's gross.

2. Turkey is really gross.

3. My ex-husband did not let my kids spend any part of Thanksgiving day with their mother, grandparents, aunt, uncle or cousins even though he was invited to join our dinner, had his Thanksgiving dinner at lunchtime and was asked by his children if they could have dinner with the other side of their family.

4. The fact that I have an ex-husband, which makes me hate most holidays intrinsically.

5. American food. It's gross.

The most important thing in the picture above is the wine glass, which is full of tequila. Note the limes.

My eldest nephew said I had too much of it just because I pointed out that some guy on the commercial who was seeing a miniature Santa that no one else could see was tripping on acid. I just don't watch TV very often. It seemed like that to me. Nothing to do with tequila.

The middle nephew asked me what tequila was to which I replied that this was how I knew he wasn't my child.

Don't get me wrong. I am a very thankful person. Most of my prayers go like this: Thank you G-d for my health, Thank you G-d for my parents, Thank you G-d for my children, Thank you G-d for today, Thank you G-d for my friends, Thank you G-d that I can breathe, Thank you G-d that I can walk, Thank you G-d for too many blessings to count.... This is pretty much how I fall asleep every night so a holiday where we eat too much and kill millions of turkeys in honor of being thankful seems kind of superfluous to me.

For the past couple of years I have spent most of my self-improvement type efforts trying to stop thinking. It's amazing how much you can change what you think when you make any effort at all. You can decide to be nice to yourself and only think positive things. You can decide to only think about things that make you feel good. You can catch yourself when you are thinking things that make you unhappy and stop it.

I recently learned a great technique for dealing with your thoughts and emotions. I love it. It's so simple. Whenever you think or feel something you just sort of say the word describing it to yourself. This is actually a meditation technique so if you are sitting quietly and you want to observe your inner landscape you can say to yourself, "sad, sad, sad" or "angry, angry, angry" or whatever is apropos but I don't generally sit still so I find myself using this technique to control my thoughts when I don't want to think anything but I can't stop the inner dialogue. I just start telling myself, "thinking, thinking, thinking" and suddenly I'm not anymore.

I'm getting really good at it.

Bluestem

2011-11-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

You know those writers who decide to do something for a year and then publish a book about it? I figured out that I could probably have a date every night for a year but I would die within the first month so I decided not to do that.

Last night I went to Bluestem, arguably one of the finest dining establishments in K.C. But last night confirmed for me that it's just not a place I can bear to go.

They have delicious food there but we had the five course meal and I had to stop after course three because I was about to be sick. That's just wrong. They said they make the courses smaller the more you order but that was a BIG FAT LIE.

They started with a truly lovely amuse bouche. It was perch sashimi but they called it some other craziness so that I had to ask, "what is this?" I don't like that. But I did love the taste of it. Delicious.

Next was a fantastic salad. I don't do salad pictures because salad is not picture-worthy. This one had some fabulous goat cheese, some kind of sunflower seed "granola" and a really nice vinaigrette. It was wonderful. But four sizes too big.

After that I had the chestnut soup. I do like it when my soup is brought out like this. Here is the stuff at the bottom of your soup. And now here is your soup! But do you see that they gave me a cup of soup? It should have been a tablespoon of soup. FIVE COURSES PEOPLE!

My first main course was the perch. It was so much better raw. But it was pretty good. The black truffle "bread pudding" was yummy but it was also really just toast.

By the time I finished half of this plate of food which should have been 1/4 in size I could not eat one more bite. I still had some really good steak coming and a cheese plate. I took them both to go, hung my head in shame and walked out cursing Bluestem.

Also, our waiter was ridiculous. He walked up to us and interrupted our conversation ten times during the meal. We were not having constant conversation. He was very careless. And that's fine under normal circumstances but not acceptable at Bluestem.

In all other regards he was fine. He cared how we liked our food and that we were enjoying ourselves and he was very pleasant but you don't walk up and interrupt conversations when people are paying that much to sit in your restaurant. Especially when I was describing the scene in Twilight where Edward rips the baby out of Bella with his teeth.

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I have to decide if I am going to drink tequila until I pass out. I think so, but maybe not. I will be making a video with my sister so stay tuned for that!

The Brown Habits of My Weekly Cooking

2011-11-21T14:12:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more attractive in a man than his love for his mother. And when a guy talks about his Mom's cooking I just melt. So don't worry ladies, I have set Noah's standards really low for you!

Well, that's not really true, but I will teach you how to make matzah ball soup and gnocchi and you'll be fine.

Both of my kids love to eat latkes. I don't know how other people get away with only making them on Chanukah and maybe Pesach but I make them just about every other week. And apparently my latkes are THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

The only thing I really have to say about my matzah ball soup is that I know how to make perfect matzah balls. Jews ask each other, do you like sinkers or floaters meaning the hard matzah balls that are dense or the big giant fluffy ones. I don't get it. Make the matzah balls right and they are the perfect size and consistency.

I know it sounds like I'm bragging. I'm really not. It's actually embarrassing when my son won't eat matzah ball soup out. It's probably also because I make parve soup and my Noah is not down with eating meat.

Story

2011-11-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend I got to go to my favorite restaurant in Kansas City. The kind of people I love to dine with are those who want to get lots of stuff on the menu - that we share. But I had the supreme treat of dining with someone who literally told me to order whatever I wanted for both of us. I asked if there were any restrictions and the answer was no. Could I have been happier?

I ordered the cheese plate, which is on the dessert menu. It was good but not spectacular.

Next was the mushroom ravioli which was sublime. Even the bread and butter is sublime at Story.

I went out on a limb with the tuna tartare because I don't like caviar but this was amazing of course, as I knew it would be.

Next I went for the smoked duck empanadas. Without question, I'm always going to have to order these and the yellow tail ceviche as long as they are on the menu.

The best part of the night was when they asked if we wanted dessert. I would have said no thanks but my companion said sure and after I mentioned that the German chocolate cake was good, that's what got ordered without a glance at the dessert menu. Nice.

I made a reservation for Sunday there so I can take my kids to brunch at my favorite Kansas City restaurant. I am so excited. Is it Thanksgiving this week? Who cares!

Where You Don't Want to Bother Eating in Kansas City

2011-11-13T19:04:00.001-08:00

As a rule I don't complain on here about bad meals. I would blog so much more often and have so many more pictures if I put up all the mediocre meals I have eaten.

You can ask me and I will tell you about the latest place in KC I advise you not to bother trying. But I won't even put up a picture of the breakfast sandwich I ordered because a.) you might know which place I'm talking about and b.) I'm too ashamed of how completely, six-times-over not kosher it was.

And that's the thing about not kosher food. If it's going to be that not kosher it should at least be equally that delicious. Maybe I've been too spoiled lately by eating at wonderful places far away from Kansas City.

Abraham

2011-11-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

This week's parsha is about how Abraham emulates G-d. I love it, I really do. Abraham is this amazing guy and he is beloved by everyone, most especially G-d but how did Abraham come to be?

G-d's first child, Adam couldn't have screwed up more by hiding when there was no possible way he could have convinced himself that G-d didn't know where he was and generations on and on continued to not know G-d.

This week's parsha says that Abraham knew G-d was one with him at all times without a doubt and like G-d, he loved to give. I'm just curious how someone like that came to be? But I guess you could ask the same thing about Jesus.

I suppose someone has an answer for that. Tell me.

Shiitake Mushroom Pizza

2011-11-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

Staple foods in my house include...

1. Packets of pizza dough like this:

2. Jars of spaghetti sauce like this:

3. Cheese

4. Olive Oil

5. Dried shiitake mushrooms

And in this way I can always feed people something hot and delicious within a half hour.

I heat my oven to 550, mix up the dough which needs to sit for about 5 minutes. I roll it out and brush it with olive oil then bake it for a few minutes on my pizza stone. Then I pull it out, top it and throw it back in for about 6 minutes.

The shiitakes reconstitute quickly in hot water while you are getting everything else ready.

This was my latest creation:

Last night my son was in quite an entrepreneurial mood. He was telling me how much he wants to have a book store, or sell something and at the very least own a company.

I spoke to him about it for a while, explaining that there are a lot of legalities to consider. His entire goal is to make enough money and "have a career" so that he doesn't have to go to school as soon as that is allowed legally, which I think is 16. And this is a kid who excels at school. This is a kid who I'm pretty sure is going to be a Lawyer.

Pierre Simon Laplace

2011-10-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

He said, "An intellect which at a given instant knew all the forces acting in nature, and the position of all things of which the world consists - supposing the said intellect were vast enough to subject these data to analysis - would embrace in the same formula the motions of the greatest bodies in the universe and those of the slightest atoms; nothing would be uncertain for it, and the future, like the past, would be present to its eyes."

Big AZ Vending Machine Food

2011-10-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I have been golfing. Just a few years ago I made a decision to play more golf and I did for a little while but it has now been a year since I've played any golf.

Spring 2012 - I will be making time for golf.

There is a golf course in Kansas that has a vending machine in it that sells Big AZ Burgers and I doubt I actually tried one but I remember that I was intrigued by everything about them. The idea that you could buy a burger or chicken sandwich from a vending machine and that they would be called Big AZ food.

But the most important point I have to make here is about Search Engine Optimization. Do you know what SEO is? Let me explain it simply.

People, like yourself, search the internet to find information.

Companies that are selling something want to come up naturally in your search results because you are more likely to click on the search results that are not paid for.

That is organic search and sites that are well optimized for this do better than their competitors.

Anyone who claims to be an SEO expert knows there is some mystery to this but I am here to tell you something today that has been baffling me for a while now.

One of the biggest ways my blog gets traffic is searches on big az burger.

1. Who is searching about big az burgers?

2. Why does my blog come up in the top spot on this?

3. Why doesn't the Big AZ company have their own website?

I'll make it for them and believe me, I'll make it so that it knocks my blog right out of the top spot in Google search.

Let's get started with www.bigazburgers.com and I'll have a great cartoon done by Mike Wartella of a fantastically large woman whose behind is a delicious looking burger - that she is pulling out of a vending machine.

You will know exactly how to order the product in bulk, and a vending machine to go with it.

Anyone want to make some money here?

I haven't seen a Big AZ burger or chicken sandwich lately. Have you? Have you ever eaten one?

I have one word for you: not kosher.

By the way, I went back and looked at my original post about this: http://amyeats.blogspot.com/2008/08/big-az-vending-machines.html
and it turns out that I need a Food Court Express vending machine in my house.

Interview Questions

2011-10-27T07:26:00.000-07:00

Here are a list of questions I wish I could ask when I'm being interviewed for a job.

1. How many piercings and tattoos does your office have, collectively?
2. Has anyone ever come to work naked? Would that be frowned upon?
3. How often does your office do team building? And by team building I mean karaoke.
4. Have you heard this one? (Insert filthy joke here)
5. Do you like frogs?
6. How often do people sleep there including naps during the day?
7. When you think about this company 5 years out is it more likely that people will be able to bring dogs to work or bring their kids to work?
8. What would you think of a co-worker who ate pizza for breakfast every day?
9. Do you have a sense of humor? Prove it.
10. Will I have to work with anyone who has a list of things they don't like to eat?

I'm realizing it might be worth not getting a job just to ask those questions in an interview.

Trezo Vino

2011-10-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had dinner with my kids and my parents at Carmen's cafe. My daughter leaned over to me and said, "remember that bar around here where you took me to happy hour and I had a really good drink?"

So my daughter was talking about Trezo Vino and she was maybe in Kindergarten when that happened. I didn't even remember when or why I took her there but I do remember the drink was really good.

All throughout dinner she pestered me to take her to the bar down the street and get her a drink so I did.

We sat outside and I got to watch the kids dance while we waited for the bartender to make magic. They really do make the best drinks at Trezo Vino.

Story

2011-10-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

Last night I had one of the best meals I have ever eaten in Kansas City. The food at Story is so good I actually asked to meet the chef, which I never do because I'm almost never impressed with my meal to that degree.

The chef's name is Carl Thorne-Thomsen. His wife greeted us when we arrived looking lovely and smiling warmly. We chatted with her about their history as we left. You can read about Story here.

We started our meal with delicious fresh bread and ceviche made from yellowtail. I love ceviche but I almost never order it because it is so completely not kosher. This was hands down the best ceviche I have ever had and it had no shellfish in it. I even forced my Mom to try it and she liked it against her will.

yellowtail snapper, cameo apple, tomatillo, jalapeno,
finger lime caviar

In keeping with the kosher theme, we ordered the risotto which, I also found to be the best I have ever tasted. This featured some wonderfully flavorful and before unknown to me mushrooms with extremely fine cheese.

Of course I will argue that the key to over-the-top amazing food is fine ingredients, good combinations and then raw talent on the part of the chef. I don't know that I very often find myself face to face with all three of these blessings during a meal.

chanterelles, lobster mushrooms,
pecorino romano

We departed from all semblances of kashrut by ordering the smoked duck empanadas. I don't really like duck and can you guess how much I loved this dish? Chef Karl likes flavors that pop and fresh ingredients. By this dish I was realizing that everything coming out of his kitchen would be delicious.

black beans, avocado purée, jicama

The two entrees we tried were the beef braised short-ribs over gnocchi and the chicken with cinnamon spaetzle. One thing I never order in a restaurant is chicken. Who makes chicken worth buying in a restaurant? I didn't even want to try this because I'm not fond of cinnamon and it sounded sweet with the pear and the grapes. Let me tell you. Delicious. I mean, amazing. My mouth is watering remembering the tastes of these dishes.

potato gnocchi, broccoli,
onion rings

Desert was this lovely German chocolate cake. It was really amazing as well although we were too stuffed but I had to see if he could keep it up with dessert. There was a cheese plate offered as a dessert choice so next time I may get that as an appetizer. I only eat cheese for dessert on cruise ships.

I can't wait to go back to Story and try something new every time. Next time I go, I'll probably just ask the chef to pick what I'm eating and I highly recommend you do the same.

North has been my favorite restaurant in KC for a long time and although I have tried almost everything on the menu I always order the same thing there. But I don't ever take my kids to North.

Story is different. It is so good that I am planning when I'm going to take my kids because I believe this could lead to their discovery of food at another level. I've made it there with my son and cheese. And my daughter with meat. But this could open them up to the wide world of really fine cuisine.

Evolutionary Enlightenment

2011-10-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

Some people believe that their perception of reality is relatively sound. I find this hilarious. Every time.

In fact, I was just discussing with one of my friends how limited a human's perception of reality is. For example, a human could never perceive reality the way a bird does. He was arguing it is possible but I claim that the physical reality of being a bird, or an elephant for that matter is so different than the physical reality of being a human that we can never achieve that kind of perception. Although, certainly what else is our imagination for?

But then there is the guy who wrote Evolutionary Enlightenment. He believes that he can meditate to the point of getting in touch with before the universe existed.

Can anyone do that?

I am frustrated. Why am I so interested in the concept of enlightenment when I am so rooted in my physical self? I only like the idea of having the ability to be one with the universe, I don't actually think I could ever, ever do this.

But I will try if someone tells me they have experienced it. And if they let me watch them do it.

iPhone 5+

2011-10-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about the iPhone 5. Well, not really. I was just thinking about what would be really cool to have with the next extra-fantastic phone that comes out. And, yes, an Apple product comes to mind.

When I think disruptive innovation I think Apple and so I'm placing my order. Apple, make the iPhone 5 like this please.

I want a device that looks a lot like the current iPhone but when you turn it on it displays a holograph. Yeah, that's what I said. And it has a scanner on it so you can play with that holograph. You can't do that? Buy Microsoft's kinect technology, and improve it. I don't care. Do what you have to do.

And I don't like the on screen keyboard so I want a laser to create a keyboard at the bottom of my device that I can type onto (using that eye/scanner technology again).

I know Siri is really fantastic but I don't like to talk to inanimate objects so I can't use her.

I was thinking I might show a picture of what I'm talking about so I googled "phone with laser keyboard" and it looks like I'm WAY behind the times.

http://www.mightygeek.com/toys/iphone-5-features-sleek-design-laser-keyboard-hologram-display/

Obviously I have just tapped into the collective conscience and this is actually what we can expect from the iPhone 5 and not just total nonsense.

I'm so excited!!!

Still - keep your eyes on the prize, Apple: the implantable chip.

Actually, some of this technology reminds me of a movie I just saw that I'm going to go ahead and not write about on here but if you want to know something REALLY CRAZY that you can do through the internet in Japan, email me and I'll direct you to this film for more information.

Birthday Dinner

2011-10-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

We have a tradition of cooking in our family that is wonderful. We make and eat good, healthy food that comes from the old country.

Last night started with three fantastic cheeses. My favorite was the really stinky one on the upper left.

We had a wonderful salad. My Mom made her dressing. It's my favorite. I've never tasted a better salad dressing anywhere. On the other hand, when I make my own salad dressing it consists of gorgonzola cheese and vinegar so I may not be the best judge of salad dressing.

This is our family sauce. It is the best sauce you will ever have anywhere. There is no chef that can make a better sauce than this - unless they are using our exact recipe.

For my sister's birthday, my Mom made chicken parmigiana. It was so amazingly good.

If the sky dropped 100 million dollars on my head I would buy one of those big mansions on ward parkway and hire a couple of chefs to cook with me every day and my door would be open all the time and we would just cook meals and have people come in and eat as much as they needed.

I'm serious. No one in KC would miss a good meal if they didn't want to ever again.

Of course they would have to talk to me. Not a small price to pay at times.

Honey Cake

2011-10-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

I was asked to make a honey cake this year for Rosh Hashanah. I did it and it sure looked delicious. In fact, I think it was the best honey cake I tasted this year.

The recipe is found here:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/highholydays/honey-cake

As usual I didn't really follow the directions...

But looking at this picture, all I can think of is a rum cake. I'll have to make one this weekend.

What would Steve Jobs invent next?

2011-10-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

A healthy Steve Jobs would be working on the implantable microchip.

This chip will hold a microprocessor that will transmit data to and receive data from your brain and your optic nerve. It will run on electricity from your brain and be connected to the Internet via wi-fi which will be as ubiquitous as radio waves are today.

You will be able to communicate with others as you wish allowing them to see what you see and seeing what they see. You can mind-talk or mind-text to people at will. When we want information we may Google it in our minds. We can use our microprocessors to translate anything we see or hear.

Imagine the usability implications of the chip which augments our brain power. What will the internet look like when sites are built to be accessed directly in a person's mind instead of a browser? Imagine the security implications.

We can share experiences with people all over the world. Perhaps we can taste food without ever putting it in our mouths. Write music without knowing any instrument?

Forget the current debate over cursive versus typing. Will we ever need paper or any kind of handheld device again? No. We will stare into space to read books or watch shows.

We will finally know how long our brain requires to ingest information and understand it, keep it even when we can dump it in at a frightening rate.

We will know exactly what the potential of each human really is, physically and intellectually as well as in character because it will all be accessible as data.

I imagine nothing short of world peace and immortality to come from this invention.

And if you think it is far-fetched then read this:

http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/15336347

And this:

http://neurogadget.com/2011/05/06/show-your-mood-with-brain-controlled-necomimi-cat-ears/2100

Those who are close to me know I have been talking about the implantable chip for years but since Steve Jobs passed away I feel compelled to start writing about it. If only I were a neurosurgeon. Someone else will have to build this chip. Someone else will have to implant it. I'm happy to help predict how it will change us.Hmmm. Maybe the military are already doing this?

Guilt and Repentence

2011-10-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year!

Time to say you are sorry to people and ask them to forgive you for past wrongs.

I've noticed a couple of things about this. People don't really forgive in general.

Also, it's awful to go around asking people to forgive you.

I am personally a huge believer in forgiveness. I willingly don't hold grudges. Ever.

But this time of year is brutal. Because the person I least willingly forgive is myself.

Here is what I will say on Saturday:

For the sin which we have committed before You under duress or willingly.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by hard-heartedness.
For the sin which we have committed before You inadvertently.
And for the sin which we have committed before You with an utterance of the lips.
For the sin which we have committed before You with immorality.
And for the sin which we have committed before You openly or secretly.
For the sin which we have committed before You with knowledge and with deceit.
And for the sin which we have committed before You through speech.
For the sin which we have committed before You by deceiving a fellowman.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by improper thoughts.
For the sin which we have committed before You by a gathering of lewdness.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by verbal [insincere] confession.
For the sin which we have committed before You by disrespect for parents and teachers.
And for the sin which we have committed before You intentionally or unintentionally.
For the sin which we have committed before You by using coercion.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by desecrating the Divine Name.
For the sin which we have committed before You by impurity of speech.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by foolish talk.
For the sin which we have committed before You with the evil inclination.
And for the sin which we have committed before You knowingly or unknowingly.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
For the sin which we have committed before You by false denial and lying.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a bribe-taking or a bribe-giving hand.
For the sin which we have committed before You by scoffing.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by evil talk [about another].
For the sin which we have committed before You in business dealings.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by eating and drinking.
For the sin which we have committed before You by [taking or giving] interest and by usury.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a haughty demeanor.
For the sin which we have committed before You by the prattle of our lips.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a glance of the eye.
For the sin which we have committed before You with proud looks.
And for the sin which we have committed before You with impudence.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
For the sin which we have committed before You by casting off the yoke [of Heaven].
And for the sin which we have committed before You in passing judgment.
For the sin which we have committed before You by scheming against a fellowman.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a begrudging eye.
For the sin which we have committed before You by frivolity.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by obduracy.
For the sin which we have committed before You by running to do evil.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by tale-bearing.
For the sin which we have committed before You by swearing in vain.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by causeless hatred.
For the sin which we have committed before You by embezzlement.
And for the sin which we have committed before You by a confused heart.
For all these, God of pardon, pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a burnt-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a sin-offering.
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a varying offering [according to one's means].
And for the sins for which we are obligated to bring a guilt-offering for a certain or doubtful trespass.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of lashing for rebelliousness.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of forty lashes.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of death by the hand of Heaven.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of excision and childlessness.
And for the sins for which we incur the penalty of the four forms of capital punishment executed by the Court: stoning, burning, decapitation and strangulation.
For [transgressing] positive and prohibitory mitzvot, whether [the prohibitions] can be rectified by a specifically prescribed act or not, those of which we are aware and those of which we are not aware; those of which we are aware, we have already declared them before You and confessed them to You, and those of which we are not aware --- before You they are revealed and known, as it is stated:The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things are for us and for our children forever, that we may carry out all the words of this Torah. For You are the Pardoner of Israel and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation, and aside from You we have no King who forgives and pardons.

But I promise you that G-d doesn't care about any of that. G-d loves us perfectly and he forgives us before we do something wrong. It's all up to us to forgive ourselves. The hell we experience in this life comes from our own unwillingness to forgive others and ourselves.

And I do hope that the people I have hurt this year will sincerely forgive me but what's more important is that the people who know me should know that I always forgive - without being asked - no matter what.

I think a great song for Yom Kippur is Bob Mould's Sinners and Their Repentences
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75VNKc8Aduk

All those things I've done before
It doesn't matter anymore
I see the errors of my oh-so-humble ways
Better run before
There's no way that I can cover for
All these things catch up to me
We've all sinned before
I have sinned before

These sins, they seem to fit you well
Since I have known these sins so well

All these sins I've known before
They just don't concern me anymore
A secret voice in my sleep
Better speak before
Know there's someone right behind the door
I don't seem to speak with ease
Falling
Falling down

I see these words don't work so well
I say these words so well
See me saying "Oh, well"
It's easy to save face in this world

How can you qualify
Difference between a sin and a lie
I see my silver lining in the sky
But now I can't decide
If you told the truth or you lied
You seem to sin so well
This light's so bright
It seems to hurt my eyes
You seem to sin so well

If the crush of your emotions
Leave you lying in the dust
Then take it all right out on me
And leave me in the rain to rust

Also, this time of year you are supposed to decide what you are going to do better. There is a lot I can do better and we all know that resolving to do too much results in doing nothing.

Last year I was focused on not saying bad things about other people. I failed miserably but I am back again with renewed fervor.

I know I will fail but I'm going to try even harder. This means I will try not to say bad things about people or even talk about other people and even more importantly try to stop people who are talking to me from doing either.

I also resolve not to yell. This is a huge one. I am deadly serious about this. There is no reason to raise your voice ever (unless you are saving someone from injury). So I know I am going to succeed at this one. It's too important.

Happy New Year!!!

Asparagus Quiche

2011-10-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

I served my kids the most delicious homemade aspagargus quiche tonight. It was so good I can't even believe that I made it.

They are learning because they only protested gently and very quietly got themselves other things to eat, like fruit.

But they could not eat the quiche. They each tried a little bit. But when I gave my daughter a small bite with actual asparagus on it she promptly spit it into her plate which made her brother gag and decide he was done with dinner entirely.

After they cleared their places they both assured me that I am a very good cook and they both apologized profusely.

So this was a happy meal for me actually. Delight might have come if the kids had eaten and enjoyed the quiche but the fact that they didn't hurl it against the wall or curse me for serving it to them was something to write about.

I see respect and understanding developing in these young people. And besides, they eat brussel sprouts!

Kosher Burgers

2011-10-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

Twice when I was in Israel I had burgers. I still claim to make the best kosher hamburgers around but I sure did have fun at this burger joint.

I vaguely remember helping to polish a bottle of wine before we arrived there and taking a lot of video of the chefs. I even remember one of the chefs offering to take us next door for tequila shots but I think I was more in the mood for an early night.

My idea of night life in Israel was going to the Kotel at 2 a.m. and praying.The next time I had a burger was in the airport on the way home and I did it for two reasons. One was slight homesickness and the other was an experiment.

15 years ago when I visited Israel as a 21 year-old recent college graduate I took a one hour walk across Tel Aviv by myself and had the dumb idea to pop in to McDonald's for a burger. It was not kosher.

And I got the worst food poisoning I've ever had in my life. I was sick for four or five days. And I couldn't even stand the thought of eating at McDonald's for years. One of my favorite guilty pleasures! And I couldn't eat it for years! Not sure when I got over that but I did.

So imagine how excited I was to have a kosher burger, which in my mind reduces my chances of getting food poisoning greatly.

But sadly, a kosher burger tastes more like something you would get at a bbq than a real McDonald's experience. Yes, it tasted like 100% Kosher beef and that just isn't McDonald's.a

The Shuk

2011-09-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

On Shabbos afternoon in Jerusalem we made our way to the shuk which is an open air market in Machane Yehuda.

There is nothing like this. I enjoyed meeting some Israeli soldiers, having an amazing felafel and talking to one of the most unusually striking people I have ever met.

As I was looking in one of the shops a riot started so I walked back to the soldiers and asked what it was about. A young man talking to them stepped in to answer me. He had just-past-shoulder-length, straight, jet-black hair. It was all one length, thick and he played with it while he explained to me about the housing crisis. His skin was pale white, which is rare in the summer in Israel. He had huge eyes which were the color of crystal - like a husky's. He may have worn just a slight amount of make-up. When he spoke, it was with great femininity which fit his looks exactly but startled me nevertheless. I was mesmerized.

But soon I was swept into the crowd and pushed forward into the shuk with the other women from my trip and I was fighting the feeling of claustrophobia and managing to snap a few pictures.

I popped into a candy store and bought one of everything for my children. The vendor was so annoyed with my giant selection that he kept shaking his fist at me.

It is one of my favorite pieces of Israeli culture - the hand held up shoulder level, fingers touching the thumb - in America it might look a sign of great frustration but in Israel it simply means, "wait" - the same as when we hold up one finger indicating we need one moment.

Just outside of the shuk is this felafel stand which is owned by the father of one of my friends here in Kansas City. It was so nice to see her family and the food was amazing.

This is a glimpse at the sea of people. Surely all tourists.

Of course looking at all the fruit, I would have been in heaven if not for the crowds and the noise. I'd love to go back on a quiet empty day and try all the fruits I didn't recognize.

One quickly gets used to seeing guns everywhere and the sense of danger, especially in Machane Yehuda and other places that have been the targets of terrorist attacks.

Even the night on Ben Yehuda street when bomb squads came and pushed us back so they could investigate something, I don't remember thinking for a moment that I was in any danger.

I'm still processing this trip. Most of all it seems to me I was lifted out of the world and given a glimpse of some priceless, timeless knowledge. I even feel as if I've been infused with a small slice of it to carry with me. Thankfully, it's not in my memory but somewhere else, where I can't lose it!

Free Will

2011-09-19T21:01:00.001-07:00

I am reading Letters to a Buddhist Jew and I keep rolling one concept around in my mind, savoring it. The idea, put simply is that G-d runs the show 100% and that our free will is given to us so we will use it to choose stillness and faith. 'He who makes himself as if he is not, through him the world exists...'This is so Taoist I am beyond delighted. So for food. Tonight I made my latkes as requested by my princess who said they were special because ... I always make them special. My prince has requested gnocchi for tomorrow night so our all potato and flour diet continues. I think we'll try a new vegetable tomorrow! Or maybe brussel sprouts. Yum!

Chapter 56

2011-09-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

Those who know don't talk.Those who talk don't know.Close your mouth,block off your senses,blunt your sharpness,untie your knots,soften your glare,settle your dust.This is the primal identity.Be like the Tao.It can't be approached or withdrawn from,benefited or harmed,honored or brought into disgrace.It gives itself up continually.That is why it endures.

8

2011-09-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

I have eight posts from Israel that I have not posted. It's been two months and every few days I stop to ask myself why I don't take the 3 minutes to write something about the pictures I have sitting here in draft form ready to be posted.

It's hard for me to post about anything right now. I want to talk about what matters, not what tastes amazing. I want to talk about a question. What would be the one trait that everyone in the world would have if you could decide? It would be kindness.

What matters other than being kind, compassionate and loving? What else is there to keep in mind other than softness and understanding?

Sea of Galilee

2011-09-02T09:55:00.001-07:00

The first night I spent in Israel this summer was in Tiberius. We ate at Decks, an open-air restaurant on a dock where you can arrive by boat if you'd like. The food was amazing, typical Israeli fare. I don't know how many courses they brought us but there was too much of everything and we left stuffed with 5 different kinds of grilled meats after dancing and singing together.

My Israel trip had a soundtrack. There were songs that played in my head as I traveled there and while I moved across the holy land. Diddy's, "I'm Coming Home" will always make me think about going to Israel. As will Wycleaf Jean's, "Fast Car."

This alone is proof that I don't listen carefully to the lyrics of the songs I like.

La Bodega

2011-09-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I went to La Bodega and ordered this delicious crepe tapas dish. Whatever else I get when I go there, this is one I don't pass up.

But this picture reminds me that the joy of a meal is in the company you share while eating.

Bouchon doughnut holes

2011-08-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that if I don't end my week with Shabbos, which means I don't start my new week having just had Shabbos, it really doesn't work well for me.

Having said that, making bouchon doughnuts from a mix last weekend at the lake worked out just fine.

I really have no sweet tooth and I especially don't like doughnuts but these turned out so amazingly delicious. And it was great to cook up fresh breakfast for 5 little kids.

Warning - not about food ....

Lately I have been thinking about being a monk. I don't think I want to become a monk but I am really curious to sit and talk to one for a while. I'm not sure where you meet a monk so maybe if you are one you could let me know your email address and we can just talk that way.

As far as I can tell a monk sits on the floor and meditates most of the day, maybe eats a little bit and sleeps a little bit and probably cleans a little bit and probably goes to the bathroom a little bit. But I'm guessing that's about it.

Oh, monks probably teach classes and give lectures sometimes. I need to get in touch with a monk.

Freshness

2011-08-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Some countries eat right. Israel is certainly one of them. Let's say you pretty much live in the desert so you need lots of water and nothing that requires too much refrigeration. You could eat dirt, I guess.

In Israel there are endless salads. Mostly you find cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, beans and cheeses that don't need to be refrigerated so much.

I loved eating breakfast in Israel because of all the beautiful, healthy options. It was only my very last day there that I sought out a bowl of cornflakes and ate it out of homesickness.

Vending Machines

2011-08-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

A little known fact about me is that I am obsessed with vending machines. After the pictures of the food on the plane, which I have decided not to share with you, although it was really good kosher food, this picture was one of my first taken after arriving in the Holy land.

If I had my way there would be a lot more vending machines everywhere and they would have all kinds of stuff in them. The truth is, I will have my way but it's hard to tell exactly when. Maybe not for a good many years.

That's really off topic. The point is that there are lots of fun, delicious Israeli snack foods to be had. I don't know what most of them are but trust me on this one - they are good!

A word about food. I'm still making it and still eating it. In fact, now that we have a Trader Joe's here I am having a lot more fun doing that plus the buying of it as well. But I gained a few beliefs in Israel that have made it difficult for me to write about food.

For now, I can't seem to write about anything without talking about religion. So, I'll go ahead.

The most amazing idea about G-d I have ever heard is so simple and obvious that I can't believe I never thought of it before. What does it mean that there is only one G-d? It means that our one G-d lacks nothing. Has no limitations. Our one G-d is perfection.

And what does that mean? It means that there is absolutely nothing we can give G-d. Can you imagine this? All we can do is take from G-d. And all G-d does is give to us. What is the most amazing gift that G-d gave us? Life. And what does G-d want for us? Life.

What does that mean? It means living aware. Living. Not sleepwalking. Being awake and aware of being alive. Every moment.

Can you see why I'm having food issues? Well, it's not just food. Everything seems different. Blogging my thoughts for the sole purpose of writing practice now seems bizarre. I write a private journal, why should I publish anything? That's not modest.

But I enjoy sharing my thoughts so here I am. And at this rate I'll have shown you all of my food pictures from Israel by the end of 2012...

Glida

2011-08-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

For some reason the chocolate is much better in Israel and the ice cream is pretty fine as well. I was sent with a mission to try all the different wonderous ice cream treats available everywhere we went but I just don't like ice cream that much so I only tried it a couple of times.

I have a lot of blog catching up to do which is nice because I can leave out the regular Kansas City fare for a while in lieu of my time in Israel.

It was an amazing trip. More than anything else it was inspiring. It would not have been as wonderful with other people though. I was incredibly lucky to be on this trip with 10 other women from Kansas City who were all wonderful to get to know. I enjoyed being with them every day - they made the trip endless fun.

And I started drinking red wine. This is a very big deal for me because I really liked to say I don't like wine. I enjoyed this as a defining factor but I can see I have started down the road to being a wino and like everything else food related it won't be long until I'm the biggest snob of all.

Well, maybe not. But drinking wine is really Jew-y and I'm very into being an even bigger Jew than ever before. That's what inspiration does.

I struggled with the knowledge I was gaining over the past two years because it was all about duty. G-d told us what to do so how on earth could we decide not to do it? I got that. I didn't know if it was true but somehow it seemed right - but the meaning behind it was hidden to me.

I heard responsibility. I heard commandment and I even heard that G-d gave us the Torah because he loves us and he wanted us to be happy but there is a huge disconnect between that thought and following the commandments. This trip made that connection.

The Torah is G-d giving us an opportunity to be holy. Every commandment is an opportunity to rise above the mundane. I still believe that pure and total innocence is the ultimate enlightened state but until I am enlightened, following the Torah is a way to create holiness.

What does it mean to create holiness? With your words, thoughts and actions - in other words your choices - you can either make the world better or make it worse. A tiny bit better or a tiny bit worse. If you make it a tiny bit better, that's creating holiness.

For some reason we all carelessly fly through our days taking every single tiny opportunity we have and much of the time we make the world worse. With sarcasm, unkindness, carelessness, cruelty - but why do we do this? I don't know.

I left Israel with some incredible knowledge - the most important being that I can create holiness. I don't have to be anywhere in particular to create holiness - my thoughts, actions and words can create it and I intend to do so. Trust me, I fail. Ask my kids and ask my ex-husband but I will never give up trying to make choices that improve the world and remembering that each time I succeed that spark of holiness will exist forever.

Holla!!

2011-07-15T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last night I could have gone to sleep at 8 but instead Gevura and I made challah, talked about Israel and discussed the book of Genesis.

I loved the joy on my son's face when he came down this morning and excitedly noted that I had made challah. He said, "challah!!" and I responded, "holla!!" But I guess you have to know what kind of music we listen to all the time to get why that is funny.

I am simply overwhelmed with emotion this Shabbat contemplating where I will be next Shabbat. Last time I was there I was as ignorant as a person can be regarding my religion and yet I knew I was in a holy place.

This time I know what to say at the kotel and I know how to bow my head low.

You are what you eat

2011-07-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know I haven't been good about blogging lately. But I am about to make up for it. Coming soon will be almost daily blogging with exciting pictures and stories that you won't believe!

I expect this to rival anything I have done before. And, I will tie in my love of religion with my love of food this time so it will be especially satisfying for me.

I still have a few days until that starts so today I will discuss destiny. What is it really? Here are two competing ideas.

1. We have free will
2. Everything happens as it was set to happen

I actually believe in both of these completely. I don't know how to explain that any other way than to say that number 2 trumps number 1 but that we can shift number two with number 1. The 12 year-old boy in me is giggling right now because I keep talking about number 1 and number 2.

What brings these things to mind is that recently I was given a gift from the universe. I can't see it any other way. People can't hope for things like this or expect them. Recently I was grabbed by the shoulders and shaken and slapped across the face by some invisible power that turned me inside out and said, "Look!" and now everything has changed. So that is number 2. But it's my turn now to either nod my head and integrate what I have been shown or ignore it. So you see that number 1 matters just as much.

The roundabout point I'm trying to make is that for the next couple of weeks I am going to try hard to be very conscious about what I eat and I will share the outcome with you. It should be delightful!

Drink and Eat

2011-07-04T12:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I enjoyed many of my Kansas City favorites including La Bodega, Lidia's, Tassos, Yia Yia's and Trezo Vino. Didn't hit Bluestem, North or Ra but did hit Christopher Elbow chocolates and Glace. What a happy weekend!

That is called being spoiled rotten. Big smile.

The most amazing post that's been sitting on the back burner is about Tequila. A couple of weeks ago I stumbled upon a little Mexican place out in the middle of absolutely nowhere and upon walking into the place my jaw dropped to the floor.

I've never seen so many different types of tequila - even in Mexico. I stared at the bar and all thoughts of being hungry and eating food left me as I had an out-of-body experience. My limit is 4 shots. There is no way around that one. So which 4 to try?

And do I really want to do 4 shots of tequila? No, certainly not. So which 3?

The food was great, the tequila tasting was amazing...

Fresh Mozzarella

2011-07-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, loyal fans, you will be happy to hear that I not only attempted fresh mozzarella again but I made something soft and delicious.

The secret seems to be not letting the curds get too firm. See below.

Then I microwaved the ball of curds, letting the whey run off until the ball of cheese started to stretch and although I did stretch it I didn't stretch it too much.

It tasted perfect and was the perfect texture when I plunged my ball of fresh mozzarella into ice-cold salt water but soon enough it was a bit ruined.

Once I stored it in plastic wrap it became sticky. So, my question is - how do I develop the proper skin so that I can store it and how do I store it properly? I realize the proper answer is to make it at a dinner party and eat every bite of it immediately...

Swedish (International) Dinner Party

2011-06-12T08:35:00.000-07:00

There is probably nothing more fun for me than to have a dinner party with unusual and international food. Last night it was Swedish and Russian fare with a little Italian thrown in.

We started with a cold cucumber soup which I highly recommend for summer - it is perfectly delicious and extremely easy to make.

Take a stick of butter, a chopped onion and four medium peeled and sliced cucumbers.

Sautee the cucumbers and onion in the butter for a while - throw some flour on that and cook for another 10 minutes. Then pour that into 6 cups of boiling stock - can be chicken - I use vegetarian.

Add pepper.

Then you need a hand mixer.

In another bowl or measuring cup have a cup of cream and add two egg yolks and some dry sherry. Mix that well.

Then turn the heat off on your soup and when it is cool use the hand mixer until it is smooth, add the cream and mix it again. Add some fresh or dried parsley to finish it and then chill it.

It's really good with some quality ciabatta bread.

We also made these meat dumplings that were amazing called kropkakker. Then we sampled Russian bread and poppy seed cake and I also made a mozzarella tomato salad with mozzarella I made fresh - which I still haven't told you about. But this time I got it right....

When you come to my house for a dinner party you are going to be guaranteed a few unusual things. Live frogs staring at you. Food you have probably never tried or heard of and if you are really lucky you might even have a visit from the police and a live chipmunk brought in by the cat.

Death Star Popcorn Balls

2011-06-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky that my son loves Star Wars and that David Diamond is willing to hang out with us and share his StarWars cookbook.

I don't know what you did on Memorial Day but I made these.

It took a while to bring the sugar mixture up to hard crack which is around 220 degrees Fahrenheit but they really did turn out delicious.

It's not that I haven't been eating in fact - look at what I've been eating for breakfast:

Well, I had it for breakfast once. The thing is, I saw this in the grocery store and started laughing out loud so I had to buy it. It tastes EXACTLY like cocoa puffs. Thank goodness.

Angry Birds Cake

2011-05-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine being a lawyer? How about one who teaches law at a University? Now do that plus raise three BOYS.

Can you imagine having the energy and creativity to make an Angry Birds cake whilst grading final papers?

Neither can I. I'm sure that could never actually happen.

But I did run into this cake recently - which I personally think is one of the coolest cakes I have ever seen.

It was made with fondant from JoAn's, Dunkin Hines cake or some such, candy bars and a huge amount of creativity!

Luckily my own children literally do not like cake. They want popsicles and cookies for their birthdays. HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Quick Dinner for Noah

2011-05-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

In addition to using puff pastry for desserts - you can make great dinners with them. All I did was roll out two pieces and put some nice cheddar slices in there. I baked it up and he chowed down on it.

I especially like this because it's high in calories. Maybe I'll try to make some kind of kosher chicken pot pie out of it this weekend.

Also, I have to brag because tonight I made my kids lots of vegetables for dinner and they loved them! And they are even excited about having brussel sprouts tomorrow.

Healthy week. :)

(p.s. from Chaya: i loved eating the potatoes from healthy week)

The More You Give The More You Love

2011-05-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

This is not about food. Ha, who am I kidding? This is at the heart of why I love food and feeding people. How better to show your love than to feed a person? Prepare something for them, give of yourself and make yourself literally a part of the other person with the nourishment you are providing them.

I recently heard a Rabbi's wife explain that our babies are born helpless and are dependent on us for so many years in order that in the course of doing everything for them we will therefore grow to love them.

Do you understand this? The more you give to someone and the more you do for them, the more you love them.

The more you invest yourself in another person, the more you love them.

Give more = love more.

Blanc

2011-05-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

I used to go to Blanc for the kobe burger but since I decided to keep kosher - meaning I don't eat non-kosher meat - I have avoided Blanc. There was no reason to though. Their black bean vegan burger is delicious.

It gave me wicked gas though.

Kosher un-bacon and Eggs

2011-05-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

It's called beef fry and it tastes like bacon. So much so that I felt really guilty eating it and couldn't enjoy it. But it's kosher meat and it is really good with eggs.

Chocolate Hazelnut Diamonds

2011-05-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

You know I don't follow recipes and this time was no real exception but I have to give credit to the source of inspiration: http://lacucinaitalianamagazine.com/recipe/chocolate-hazelnut-diamonds.

I'm the anti-dessert person without a doubt but I had to try this recipe because it looked so easy and I can't explain how thrilled I am that I went for it because now I know how to make the absolutely most delicious chocolate croissants!

The recipe calls for putting chocolate inside of carefully cut diamonds of puff pastry. I may be missing something, but there is no reason on earth to cut these things into diamond shapes. Cut them into rectangles and don't waste any of your dough.

Are you with me so far? Buy some puff pastry dough, lay the two sheets out and cut them into 10 rectangles per sheet.

Put nutella on each rectangle and put a rectangle on top of it. Pinch up the edges and throw them into a 400 degree oven until they look done.

Take them out and eat dipped in whipped cream. The recipe called for egg wash and powdered sugar. Someone please tell me why anyone on earth likes powdered sugar? Whenever I try to eat something with powder on it I start choking. Am I the only one?

I prefer to dip anything dessertish into whipped cream. This was so good and so fast and easy to make that I threw it together after dinner and even had the kids help me make it.

I told Noah: come help me make dessert.

He said: no, I don't want to help you.

I said: you have to.

He said: listen, I have my own life and I want to do what I want to do and this is not it.

I said: when you are a grow-up you can do what you want but for now you are my slave. Come help me.

So he pinched the diamonds shut and said: hey this smells good.

He loved this dessert!

Which brings me to my main point - these are chocolate croissants! Delicious!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day to me means hanging out with my Mom and sister drinking bloody marys - this year with my sister's homemade pickles which are so amazing.

This means that the kids go and hide and hope they don't get drawn on. Also, there was fish from Zabar's. Heaven!

San Antonio Delights

2011-05-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

One of my co-workers was awesome enough to give me some food pictures from a trip to San Antonio. Check this stuff out!

Las Canarias lemon cake

Boudros Prickly pear margarita

La Fogata Chile relleno

I want to go!!

Pesach 2011

2011-04-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

This year was a particularly special and trying Passover. Keeping kosher for Passover for the first time ever was quite an experience. As usual, the seder was a joint effort that came together beautifully.

This year there was kosher meat at the table - which is really amazing to me and was a gift from my very supportive Mother.

Many years ago I learned how to make Israeli charoset which resembles mortar much more than what I grew up with and I would totally abandon the chopped apples with walnuts and wine if it were not for people who really want to have that at the table.

I am now comfortable enough with how to make the new charoset to not look at a recipe when I am cooking. I just throw almonds, dates and figs in with an apple and wine into my food processor and hope it doesn't break in the process of making a delicious edible concrete.

This is me making the traditional family recipe - which is also good but doesn't hold together.

So I always thought I kept Passover in the past but I really never did I guess because this year I readily appreciated the fact that in a few days I would be free again to eat what I wanted and the holiday meant a lot more to me.

This is a holiday when we say out loud - next year in Jerusalem and we don't mean next year we hope we are sitting around in Israel - we mean that we want Elijah to come for real (and by the way I forgot to put out his cup during my seder).

Speaking of seders - I loved having my projector display the hagaddah up on the wall and using a cute cartoon video during the seder. Next year I will be ready with the 10 Commandments movie to play while we eat.

Maybe.

Back to Elijah. We say we want Elijah to come but I wonder how many people really, desperately hope for this. I mean, how many people really pray for this every day with all their heart and think about it happening and visualize it and believe it is possible?

Just a thought.

Book of Love

2011-04-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's not food and I am as single as I've ever been. But I just adore this song so much. I have to share it...

Is that the most romantic, truest song about love you have ever heard?

Oklahoma Joe's

2011-04-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have clearly passed over to some level of deep observance. That probably seems laughable to those who are much more observant than I am. But I went to OK Joe's yesterday - my favorite bbq place in the city where I normally order this:

That is the Z man. It's beef brisket smothered in provolone, bbq sauce and topped with an onion ring. Instead, I bought some fresh salmon from Hen House and cooked in OK Joe's sauce - which I'm guessing isn't kosher.

Anyway, if ever there was temptation that was overcome, that was it.

I think the wagyu beef tartare at bluestem is what may get me eventually. But I continue to pray.

Kashrut has taken over my life

2011-04-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well, of course it has. It's only been week and I'm seeing menu items at Panera and almost crying.

Why am I doing this? I don't think I should post that here but since I haven't been writing about what I've been eating for some reason, I will write about what I see as the spectrum of keeping kosher.

On one side is not keeping kosher at all.
On the other side is not eating anywhere but your own home where you know for sure the food is Kosher including any dairy products - marked chalav yisrael.

The fascinating thing is that there are levels in between.

The closest to not keeping kosher is "kosher style" which means that you don't eat pork or shellfish and maybe you don't eat cheeseburgers. Some people who keep kosher style really make a point of not eating meat at the same time as they eat dairy.

But most of those people eat non-kosher meat. So then the next notch up is where I'm hanging out these days. Start with kosher-style and add that I will only eat kosher meat.

Seems fairly strict but it isn't at all because the next step up is that you will not eat at restaurants unless they are Kosher. At this level you have separate plates, silverware and cookware for milk meals and meat meals. So you can't go to a restaurant because even if you don't eat meat - your plate has probably touched meat. This is hardcore. And remember - it's not even the end of the spectrum.

You see where I am in all this and you can imagine that it's not that bad - fish and eggs don't count as meat so that helps.

But really - this is hard.

Kosher Stylz

2011-04-07T12:04:00.001-07:00

When did I decide to keep kosher? Has it been months? No. It hasn't even been four days.

Do you know how hard this is for me?

And that is the point.

Pesach

2011-04-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

No more plagues please. After last night's hail storm I'm not making any more jokes about the frogs, lice and boils...

I'm getting ready for Passover - which happens in 2 weeks - and I have been doing some very serious spring cleaning. I think I'll use my projector this year during the seder to get really interactive. I'm not sure though. What would I project up there? Would it be too distracting? Can I really get a powerpoint ready that includes the entire Hagaddah? That would be so cool.

The main thing is it's time to figure out the menu. And it may be time to go Kosher. I've been thinking about this for two years at least and I have gone back and forth about it. I feel like it's time.

How will I do it? Howwill I take on the restrictions of Kashrut?

Something happened to me this weekend. Or rather, nothing happened to me. I just seem to have come to understand something that I sincerely do not expect any one else to understand.

G-d help me.

Cara Cara Navel - Pink is the New Orange

2011-03-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

To know me is to ..... know I love fruit. There is no food that I want and cherish more than fruit. I believe with all my heart that fruit is G-d's candy.

And I am fully ready to eat juicy nectarine after juicy nectarine as they come into season. Peaches, plums, berries, oh my!

This here is the new Cara Cara Navel orange. It is sweet and delicious and it is very pretty and pink inside.

Spring fever is upon me, whether or not the rain and clouds and 40 degree weather hang about.

And strangest of all, yesterday I got braces. A Foodie is not wont to do such things and it pains me not only in my mouth but in my heart how food seems to go in differently now.

I'm hoping this experiment will not last long.

Choga

2011-03-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Probably the best place in town to get dolsat bibimbap. This is the perfect lunch. Rice, vegetables, beef and a raw egg. If I were a queen I'm thinking this would be my breakfast most days.

Auntie Jo's Banana Bread (Cake)

2011-03-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

This is not bread. It is cake. But if you want to call it bread I have no beef with you. It is totally delicious and is the best thing you can do with mushy bananas.

Here is the recipe I used - it's a little different from my sister's. Mainly because I'm not much for measuring.

Mash up a couple of bananas with some milk, 2 eggs, some vanilla, and a stick of butter. Dump in 2 cups of flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, some baking powder and a little salt. Stir it up and put it in a greased loaf pan. Cook it at 350 for an hour. Serve it warmed up with butter on it. Like it's bread. Ha!

So I have lost my loaf pan. This meant that I sent Noah running around to all the neighbors asking if we could borrow one of theirs. In the end I'm not the only one who has lost their loaf pan! There are loaf pan elves in my cul-de-sac!

So I made two small loaves. My son picked one up and took a bite out of it as if that was his whole piece. I laughed, took it away and cut him a slice because hey - he doesn't really need 3000 calories for breakfast. Or maybe he does.

The secret to this being the best banana bread (cake!) ever is that the "dough" is totally wet. The cake is beyond moist - it is almost the consistency of a pudding type item. I mean, it holds together but it is soft and squishy.

Best banana loaf EVER!

Fancy Pants Pizza

2011-03-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

My kids love potatoes and we eat pizza a lot but I somehow would not have considered combining the two. Much thanks to Brad for giving me this idea and this recipe!!

This pizza is just as easy as any of the others I have made but it is perhaps a little bit healthier and a lot more gourmet.

You take yukon gold potatoes for their nice flavor and slice them paper thin. I have a special little Japanese slicer that I used. You can get them at an Asian food store for a couple of dollars.

I make my own crust - made it as usual but I didn't pre-bake it this time.

I put on lots of olive oil and then a layer of potatoes and some kosher salt and pepper.

I baked it at 550 until the potatoes looked done and then I covered it with gruyere and baked for another 3 minutes.

I took it out and drizzled it with white truffle oil.

My kids FREAKED out. They whined and complained that I was torturing them and that it was unacceptable to put potatoes on pizza but in the end they ate it and they loved it.

My kids will NEVER admit to liking something they have already said they are going to hate but they ate it up.

I loved it.

Durian Fruit

2011-03-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

The Durian fruit is mostly interesting. It reminds me of the island in Life of Pi that was paradise until the foliage became man-eating at night.

How anyone ever figured out to open the thing, get past it's smell and then eat it is far beyond my comprehension.

But to say it smells like something vomit-inducing goes too far. And the taste grows on you quickly. My biggest problem with the fruit is its texture. But I keep thinking it would make a great frozen drink like a virgin pina colada.

Durian Fruit

2011-03-09T19:33:00.000-08:00

It is thawing out - I will make the video tomorrow. I will open it with the kids. Should be good times!

Durian Fruit

2011-03-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

I didn't think I'd be heading back to 888 so soon but a friend of mine pointed out to me that one of the fruits I may be able to get there smells like rotting dead flesh.

So Wednesday I'll go check it out. Video coming soon!

888

2011-03-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

There is a great little Korean fast food place in the giant Asian 888 market off of 69 and 119th. I had dolsot bibimbap there and it was great.

Shopping there is another story. There are all kinds of AMAZING fruits and vegetables there. Dragon fruit, fruits I've never heard of and can't remember what they are called. Vegetables that look fresh and wonderful - again that I have never heard of or tasted.

And then there is the raw chicken and duck feet.

And the sting rays on ice. I thought about taking home one of those suckers and serving it up bbq style but I knew Noah would cry so I skipped that.

This intrigued me. Look closely at what the package says. There is a SMALL CHICKEN in each of these eggs.

I don't even want to talk about this last one. But if you are in China, apparently they put this in sweet and sour soup instead of tofu!!!

I can't wait to take my kids here!!!

Book Club, how do I love thee

2011-03-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

Appetizers before the Oscars - so delicious!

Last month we read Monsters of Templeton, which I enjoyed - especially the sea monster who was one cool Mama.

This month we are supposed to be reading True Grit - can't wait to see what grub we end up eating when we get together at the end of the month!

Sukiyaki

2011-02-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

This is one of the comfort foods that I cook. I learned to make it when I was 22 living in Japan and it always makes me feel cozy.

When I said I was making sukiyaki, my daughter squealed with delight and my son groaned, "I'm not eating that."

I soldiered on.

Although he said he wasn't eating anything in the skillet I gave him some of the beef and he ate it, because he really likes it and then he asked me for some mushrooms.

I initially thought he said he wouldn't try the mushrooms and I answered, "you know, you might like them actually because you love truffle salt and it is made of mushrooms."

He replied, "I know, I said I want to try the mushrooms."

He actually asked me to give him mushrooms. And he knows they are fungus.

Amazingly, Noah really likes mushrooms, just like he likes onions and garlic cloves but he doesn't always want to admit these things. In fact, the kid has a lot of grown-up tastes but he prefers to pretend that all food is disgusting.

He ate quite a good dinner last night, as did she and as did I.

Yay Japan!

Star Wars Cooking

2011-02-24T06:53:00.000-08:00

How to make cooking fun?

I have made Wookie Cookies and Darth Malts and this isn't even my cookbook!

Thanks to a shared love of Star Wars, my dear David Diamond and my dear son Noah enjoy whipping up recipes from this book.

Monday we cranked out the Bosc brownies. I've never made brownies from scratch and I was shocked at how delicious these were. The white chocolate chips really made this recipe.

We also made this Pit Droid pizza - cooked in the fires of Mustafar.

Remember, to cook well all you need is the force. May it be with you always.

Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T19:52:00.000-08:00

On Monday we celebrated by eating beets with feta cheese. Beets are so good!

Yes, of course we had other foods but they weren't red or white or both so who cares?

The real question is why haven't I eaten any Christopher Elbow this week? Eegads - going to Dean and Deluca tomorrow.

Comfort Food A La Fernie

2011-02-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

It may not look great, but that is because I didn't get my camera out before everything got chopped up and doled out. This meal of corn-flake crumb chicken, yorkshire puddding and broccoli casserole are my Mom's Amy comfort foods.

I don't know if they are my Mom's comfort foods or anyone else's in the family - but those are certainly mine!

Thank you and hooray Mom!

Latke Muffins

2011-02-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

By now you get the idea that either I only know how to cook a few things or my kids will only eat a few things, both or that I just love potatoes or... you fill in the blank.

I'm quite happy with this experiment. I couldn't face frying up latkes one night last week so I made the batter as usual - I threw a potato and some onion in my cuisinart and added some flour and eggs to the mixture.

But then I took a muffin pan, put a little oil in the bottom of each space and poured some batter in. I baked the "muffins" in the oven at 450 degrees until they looked really brown on top.

They were not as crunchy as my latkes but the kids wolfed down every single one - Noah with truffle salt - her without.

I know it has been a long time since I have written on here and there have been so many pictures and things I've wanted to write about but I can barely look at a computer lately (outside of my computer-type obligations) so that's my excuse.

But I went to a dessert party the weekend before last and that was something else! It was more decadent than any other kind of party I have ever been to - I think that is saying a lot! But then again you know how I feel about dessert.

I also had the best chili in my life at Ann Pai's house and she gave me the recipe - which I would never dare even attempt.

And then of course there was the Superbowl. Which is, if you haven't heard a fun excuse to eat lots of yummy food and watch commercials!

I do miss writing all the wacky things I'm thinking about that have nothing to do with food - but I'm keeping it PG for the moment.

Korma Sutra

2011-01-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

My daughter's favorite restaurant is Korma Sutra, an Indian restaurant in Overland Park where Mr. Singh, the owner greets you merrily and talks to you, teases you and gives you excellent service the entire meal.

I know it is mainly the food that she loves. The extra mild chicken tikka masala with rice and naan. The mango juice. The mango ice cream. But she must enjoy the attention even though she never understands what Mr. Singh is saying.

He has taught my kids to place their hands together, bow and say, "namaste" when they come in the door and when they leave, which really is one of the nicest things you can ever say to anyone.

He gives them balloons even though we all know what happens to balloons that enter my house.

No matter how much my kids might complain about something I want to cook that they are unfamiliar with - they will happily eat veggie pakoras dipped in mango chutney and taste the gulab jamun and sweet rice dessert. I think they will eat anything if they believe it is Indian food.

I feel a special connection with India that I don't understand. I wonder what it means.

For now it means we frequent Korma Sutra and are so thankful for the wonderful Mr. Singh.

Snow

2011-01-19T17:35:00.001-08:00

We are just going to eat snow for a few days.

Pizza

2011-01-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

No pictures today, but you've seen them all before. Last night I made pizza for the kiddos and I think it is safe to say that pizza is officially a staple food in their diets. In fact, last week I am fairly certain that from Friday to Sunday they had pizza every evening for dinner. And they didn't mind.

I recall one summer when I was 23 eating pizza every single day twice a day. I'm not exactly sure why I did that but I think it worked out just fine for me back then.

Isn't pizza the perfect food after all if made with good ingredients? I daresay it is.

If anyone can tell me how I can get Ray's pizza (in Chelsea) flown in from NYC I will be your friend for life.

I love how today, at 26 degrees, I feel that it is warm out. When it gets back up in the 40s I will feel winter has positively ended.

I'm a Big Jew

2011-01-13T12:15:00.000-08:00

It's not my term but I do love it so.

And when my children get to eat matzah ball soup and fresh homemade latkes on a regular basis I think the term applies.

I would say that my latkes are the thing I make that my kids like the best. My secret ingredient is truffle salt, which I add at the end - my daughter requests that I don't add any to hers so I guess that is not really much of a secret ingredient.

Of course the real secret ingredient in any good cooking is love. Everyone knows that.

Cows

2011-01-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

Last week at some point my daughter was eating some roast beef and walked away from her plate only to have the cat steal a big chunk off her plate.

My son asked if it was something that would make Jack sick and I offhandedly replied that I don't think cats are meant to eat cows.

He replied in horror, "what? roast beef is cow?"

I stopped and stared at him, the boy who until recently ate steak on a regular basis.

"Noah, what do you think steak is?"

"I thought it was chicken or fish. Why do people eat cows, Mom? I thought people almost never ate cows. Why would people do that? They give us milk! It's so mean!"

What am I going to do with this kid? I mentioned that he might like to live in India.

Massacre in my kitchen - but still not as bad as various scenes in Black Swan

2011-01-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

I asked my kids this weekend what the menu of the week might look like if they were to choose dinner every night.

To my surprise, my daughter requested a roast chicken for dinner on Monday night. Since my son is now a vegetarian I am even less inclined than before to make such things but I said yes because I felt it was a reasonable request.

I didn't get home until almost 6 though so I had to cut the chicken in half and it still took over an hour to cook at 400 degrees.

I can barely look at this picture. Handling that poor dead chicken made me feel like a barbarian and as I dutifully washed, severed and seasoned it I told myself that this is just what people do.

Of course it was a delicious dinner but I think I'm seeing my son's point of view more and more.

My First Baked Brie....heaven!!!

2011-01-02T10:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!! It's 2011. Yesterday I made baked brie which is decidedly one of the most delicious things available to eat in this world.

It is so easy to make. I bought Peppridge Farm puff pastry from the freezer section and a big round of brie. I used Polaner dark cherry all fruit, chopped walnuts, brown sugar and maple syrup.

I rolled out the dough, which I had defrosted and placed the brie on top of it.

On top of the brie I spread out a thick layer of cherry jam and sprinkled the walnuts on top and then wrapped up the brie.

I put a handful of brown sugar on top of that and started to put it in a 350 degree oven.

My Mom was there and advised me to smooth out the lumps first so I did that but after about 20 minutes in the oven we saw the brown sugar was not melting so I took out the brie and poured a little maple syrup on top of the sugar.

I put it back in for 5 minutes and everything melted nicely.

If I make this again I will use sweeter nuts, like pecans although the walnuts worked great. Or I will use no nuts and instead place pomegranate seeds on the jam for crunch. This was suggested to me by the biggest Foodie I know who doesn't realize he is a Foodie.

Food is Love

2010-12-28T19:55:00.000-08:00

Food is love, people. I have so many stories about cooking that revolve around showing people you love them and just how much you do by making their favorite foods.

My sister is very good at this. You can read about it here: Dinnertime. Tonight I had the serious treat of my Mom's Italian food. I love my Mom's sauce and how much it makes my whole family happy. My Mom takes care of all of us - she is excellent at this. It is impossible to worry when my Mom is there.

Tonight I was snuggling my son and telling him, like I do every night, how much I love him. He was angry with me tonight, as he often is and he asked me if I loved him even if he is mad at me. I told him he could be mad at me as much as he wanted, and in fact whatever he did, I would always love him completely. He asked me if I would help him if he got sad. I said I would try. I don't know why he asked me this but I hope I can.

Have I mentioned lately that you should not get divorced?

Shakshuka

2010-12-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

Gooooood morning!

Here is one recipe for Shakshuka:

1/4 cup olive oil
5 Anaheim chiles or 3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (I was nervous and only used 2 Anaheims; I would go for 3 or 4 next time for a more moderate but still gentle kick)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

It's from Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/04/shakshuka/

Please recall that I don't follow recipes - and I didn't make this anyway. It was so good.

No One Threw Up But Everyone Cried

2010-12-21T06:47:00.000-08:00

And what more needs to be said about a dinner really?

Brussel sprouts were good.

Have I told you how to make these? Really simple and very good. Cut brussel sprouts in half and place them in a bowl with craisins. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper then roast until they start to turn a bit brown.

Pull them out of the oven and coat with maple syrup. Put them back in for 5 minutes. I promise you even your kids will eat these.

See that mac and cheese? I did not follow any recipe and it showed!

Let me share with you a really good recipe for homemade mac and cheese:

IRISH MAC N CHEESE
16 ounces rustic shaped pasta (Ziti)
2 cups whole milk
12 ounces evaporated milk
5 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/3 cup stout beer
4 ounces shredded smoked Gruyere & Gouda (vary ratio based on desired smokiness)
8 ounces shredded Irish Cheddar
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
In a large pot, begin water boiling for the pasta.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, melt 2 tbsp. butter. Brown bread crumbs in the butter then set aside.
Boil pasta and cook until just al dente. Drain and keep warm.
In a medium bowl, stir together milks and microwave to warm.
In a 4 quart saucepan, over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and stir in flour until it begins to color slightly, whisk in hot milk, mustard, salt, cayenne, and stout, and bring to a strong simmer. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheeses until melted. Place pasta into serving dish and pour the cheese sauce over the pasta.

Candy Chaya and I made

2010-12-12T20:14:00.000-08:00

Always fun to make this when it really gets to be winter. I am not into baking sweets but for some reason I love to make candy!

Blue Nile

2010-12-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

If you like Ethiopian food I think you will like this place.

I don't like Ethiopian food but I do love having lunch with my beautiful, brilliant sister.

Day Three

2010-12-03T21:34:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Shabbat and Chanukah celebration with wonderful friends and delicious food. Thank you everyone!

I don't want to make latkes again until 2011. And I can't believe I will be eating them again ... tomorrow? Ow, ow, ow.

Day Two

2010-12-03T21:23:00.000-08:00

Korma Sutra. Then ice-skating.

Happy Chanukah!

2010-12-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

I recently learned a few things about "Reform Judaism" and the "Real Chanukah Story" so I'll share them here.

But before I do that, this is what we ate the first night of Chanukah - from scratch latkes and asian beef slow-cooked ribs. That's how we roll.

So I learned that Reform Jews believe that human ethics come directly from G-d but that our holy book is divinely inspired. Which is why the degree of observance by Reform Jews depends on each Jew whereas the focus on repairing the world - or being a good person and doing good in the world - is the constant aim of the religious Reform Jew.

The idea that human ethics comes from G-d is really interesting to me but this blog is not supposed to be where I write about that stuff anymore. Let me just say one thing. I believe that G-d made the world and everything in it. Much follows from that belief but I'll leave it out for now.

So Chanukah -- I was going to explain this but I just looked up a few sources and now my head hurts. History. 164 BCE some stuff happened and an 8 day re-dedication like sukkot or a delayed sukkot took place once we could rededicate the Temple although how that came about is not clear. Did the Syrians just move along after a couple of years?

By the way, I noticed that my kids are having a tough time this year missing out on Christmas and are having a kind of anti-Christmas attitude so I have done my best to counteract this by saying that many people love Christmas who are not exactly Christian persay, driving around looking at lights and telling my kids it is really ok to enjoy Christmas and the fun parts of it while not being Christian.

So then my son says, "yeah, that's how I feel about Chanukah." Awesome.
Sigh.

Denny's

2010-11-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't eat this but I went into a Denny's and saw this thing on the menu. Can you see what this is?

This is a grilled cheese sandwich with fried mozzarella sticks in it. Doesn't it kind of make you want to throw up just thinking about it?

The Row House

2010-11-28T18:21:00.000-08:00

This place is just one of my all time favorite restaurants. Yes, it's in Topeka but maybe that's part of what makes it so special.

I just have a thing for a place that doesn't have a big menu - in fact - they don't give you options. This is what you are getting for dinner for $36.

You probably can't read that menu and I don't exactly remember all the details of what we had. Some kind of great salad, an incredibly good soup. A vegetarian option. The pictures below show the amuse-bouche which was a hummus-like bruschetta and the fish and beef entrees.

The cool thing about the Row House is that you don't have to take everything on the menu and they will alter stuff for you if necessary. They are a real gourmet restaurant. They care about giving you a perfect dining experience.

I feel really lucky that there are places like the Row House and Justus Drugstore and a few others where there is a chef who really cares about giving people an amazing experience. I guess people who live in Chicago and New York, San Francisco etc. take that kind of thing for granted but living in the middle of the States I realize how amazing it is to be able to go to places like this.

Rum Cake (Rum/Kalhua/Bailey's cake)

2010-11-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

I burned my rum cake tonight, and my hand. But I did not set the oven on fire!

Also, I think this rum cake is going to be the best one I've ever made.

And on top of all of that I made a video for you! It seems like I always make Thanksgiving videos.

I will report after Thursday regarding how this sucker was received.

Two great quotes from my kids tonight - Noah watching me make this and asking if he could have it even though it has alcohol in it to which he said, "awww" as in, "why are you ruining it?"

And my daughter, who has to have some blood tests tomorrow: "why do they have to take my blood out?"

Me: because they have to test it.

She: Will they put it back after?

At every age I think that my kids are so sweet and I don't want them to change but they just keep getting more and more adorable and fun!

The Restaurant at Olathe North High School

2010-11-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

Guys, listen. I don't know how old you are, or where you live, but they have just opened a gourmet restaurant inside one of the HIGH SCHOOLS in Olathe, KS. And I got to eat there. And it was pretty darn fun.

When I went to HS we had home economics which I remember getting a C in. Actually that must have been Jr. High. But it was 20 years ago when I went to HS so I guess these things change.

For example I don't recall having computers when I went to HS.

But still, how cool is it that you can go on the gourmet food service track at Olathe North?

Below is some kind of cedar plank salmon I think. It was really good.

The bread was really good and the butter was flavored with something - this was a month ago so I don't remember what.

The funny thing there was the service. You have to pick what you want from each course but the young waitress didn't want to know about what we wanted at the beginning - she wanted to come back after each course to ask. The service was very slow and nervous!
The funniest part was my companions. Two couples in their thirties who can drink you under the table. They didn't have the sense to get wasted before dinner and were a bit bored/grouchy throughout the meal.
They didn't think any of my jokes were funny but I was cracking myself up big time!

This soup was good but the wrong temperature by the time I got it. Still, it was good.

The tenderloin was great!

As usual I don't even know what dessert was. Wasted on me as always.

I'd definitely go back there and definitely recommend it - but they only take cash or check so be prepared. I think they are only open once a month and by reservation only and all that.

Still, you should go. Although they are literally booked solid until March - so you might want to get on the stick.

From India, to Brussels to Amsterdam and some other places

2010-11-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

Clearly we are starting in Belgium.

I just had to share all these wonderful food pictures from my friend who just came back from a fabulous trip. There are even more pictures but these are a few that caught my eye in particular. YUM!

What is Fun

2010-11-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

Office chili party/contest. It was boisterous and fun but my head hurts.

I am so impressed that there were 14 chilis to choose from and they were so good. I'm even further impressed with all the dips and other things that people brought. The BEST cornbread I have ever had. Some awesome brownies.

What if we were like Hallmark and we had a big dining room and we all brought lunch every day and sat down and ate together. Oh, wait, I don't live on a kibbutz.

Did I mention my head hurts?

2010-11-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

I am so far behind on my blog posts it is ridiculous. I haven't even written all about Mexico yet or my crazy meal at the restaurant in Olathe North High School or anything else!!!

So I'll just write real quick about potato week at my house. Tonight I made latkes per the instistence of my children. Cause you know, I just whip up latkes all the time...

And yesterday was so awesome because I made potato bourakas for the first time ever and my kids ate them. This was HUGE in my house. I made something new and we all ate it. I got the recipe from Kosher by Design for kids.

I just feel that we have turned a corner in my house. I am making one meal for dinner every night and somehow everyone is eating it. Thank G-d Almighty!

Fish Tacos - Fail

2010-11-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

1. Jodi - San Diego for fish tacos? Yes please.

2. Let's talk about what happened last night because I need a little therapy right now.

So I made this beer batter. Beer battered food is good, right? I don't like beer, I don't drink beer (unless it's Superior and I'm in Mexico) but I figured this would be good. I added salt and pepper and onion powder and mixed it up.

I took tilapia and dipped it in the batter and fried it.

Then I discovered that I don't know how to make fried fish. I know how to make fried chicken so I guess I figured this would be the same. Anyone know how to make fried fish? Want to explain it to me?

So then I got the fixin's out. This yummy slaw I made with mayo and cider vinegar so it would be the perfect topping for my fish taco. Got out the fabulous Victoria kosher salsa. Some gauc. Some sharp cheddar and feta cheese.

I toasted the tortillas so they would be warm and a little crisp and built myself the model fish taco as my kids sat at the table next to me nibbling their tortillas and calling my fried fish names I won't repeat here.

So, I ate my fish taco. I would say it was all right. Each of the kids cried and whined and even wished that they lived in an alternate universe. Eventually they tried the fish and said it had no flavor. Then I promised to never try to make this again.

I have to say this is sort of a typical cooking experience for me. I get really excited about making something new and think I can do it without really knowing how and it turns out really bad.

My ex-husband probably earned sainthood just by eating everything I ever cooked. He only threw up from my cooking a couple of times. Noah, on the other hand would be throwing up every night if he had that same will to choke down whatever I put on the table.

It's not that I'm a bad cook. It's just that sometimes I am.