What It's All About....

I'm not quite sure why this story moved me so much more than the myriad of other touchingly beautiful videos shared on YouTube and the like.
Maybe it's because I work with seniors.
Maybe it's because I value the family unit so much.
Or maybe just because this is what it's all about......

Sergey Kadinsky is a "good boy". He could be spending every Shabbos doing what is fun and convenient for him. Instead he's doing what is right.

I hope you find this as touching as I did.
I hope it inspires all of us to go out and do something meaningful.

The Nine Days Cooking Conundrum

My family doesn't eat a lot of meat as a rule, so our dinner menus this week look much like they do every week.

Yet, all over the world, Jewish cooks are scouring recipe websites and consulting their friends for 9 Days Ideas. What I find puzzling, is that many people are going out of their way to prepare elaborate and sumptuous dairy treats - many people even borrowing from their Shavuos menus.

I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But doesn't this sort of contrary to the POINT?

Thoughts?

All Ready For That Special Feeling That Only Shabbos Brings...

Food Photo Friday - Sweet & Tart Summer Refresher

Hot summer Friday nights simply beg for cool, refreshing desserts.

I love the look of this one:

Trader Joe's Vanilla Soy Cream (I have no stock in the company, but on this product alone, I should! You'll never TOUCH Toffuti ever again....) topped with fresh blueberries. On the side is my quick and easy Strawberry Rhubarb dessert - crisp and tart, which a few diced peaches for color.

So save room for dessert! Or better yet - eat if first!!!

Scene Around Town - Subway on the Street

I love photos of the unexpected.

I've seen these subway cars being hauled down the street at night, but the photos I managed were never quite good enough.

Now, I'm not quite sure why they couldn't transport these trains on the existing underground rails that they ride on, but I thank the MTA for a wonderful and interesting photo op ;)

Scene Around Town - Manhattanhenge by the GW Bridge

As opposed to popular belief, the New York street grid is not on the North-South axis. It is actually 30 degrees off. But twice a year the sun's axis is parallel to the street grid. On those days, the sun sets straight down the street so if you go to the far east end of a street that goes all the way across the island (like 34th or 42nd Streets) you can watch it sink straight down across the whole city.

I thought it might be fun to see how it looks in my neighborhood.

I hope you like the results.

Scene Around Town - July 4th Edition

I've been neglecting you.

I've been meaning to post about events and activities going on around town this summer.

I have been taking photos so I may still post them in the future, but last night's fireworks display must jump to the top of the line.

I made a new discovery (after last years discovery how to avoid the long wait in Manhattan).

This year I wanted to view fireworks from closer up.

I wanted to "feel the boom", not just see the show (... fun science experiment though. Since light travels faster than sound, there is a noticeable delay between each flash and that heart thumping "boom").

So we went out to Hudson Park, on Echo Bay in New Rochelle.

We were right under the explosions.

One of the most amazing moments though was watching an airplane cross our field of vision just as a particularly full round of fireworks were launched. What it must have looked like to those passengers!

See the video below. The plane crosses the screen at the very beginning about 3/4 of the way down the frame.

It sure beats this year's San Francisco Display......

We Have A Winner!

Please check the comments section of the myheadcoverings.com giveaway post for details. The winner has one week to contact me, at which point if I have not heard back, I will choose another winner.

MyHeadcoverings - A Three Generation Review & Giveaway

You might remember a while back I did a review for myheadcoverings.com
The kind folks over there have offered me the opportunity to do so again - with a twist.

I present to you all a three generation review and giveaway - proving that myheadcoverings.com truly does have something for everyone.

Since the product that I still wear the most from my last review is the pre-tied, I decided to try two of those again. This time I tried a sparkle swirl one, similar to the appliqued one that I own, and an Israeli pre-tied as well. Israeli tichels are all the rage now but tying them can take a small amount of skill and time. I like to be able to "grab and dump" so the idea of an Israeli pre-tied sounded intriguing.

I chose the purple sparkle swirl because the black one was too.... well.... black. And the silver and blue seemed a bit too flashy to me. I think this snood will become my new favorite. It fit snugly and looks so pretty.

Now the Israeli pre-tied will take a bit more finesse... The fabric is INCREDIBLY light, making it a wonderful choice for summer, but figuring out how to create some of those fancier buns and wraps may take me a bit of practice. Good thing it's a pre-tied. Because it looks lovely just as it is, with the tails hanging long. That also fits well with my aforementioned "grab and dump" styling ;) .

My daughter Erica chose the studded beret/short snood in navy which she plans on wearing as a snood. She reports that it’s a very comfortable and light weight knit which should be great for the summer. The studs on the snood give it just the right amount of sparkle - noticeable but not overly flashy. This is definitely a snood that she will wear on a regular basis and she's even considering buying it in another color.

Now little granddaughter Kayla has been wishing for a pretty white headband to go with her summer dresses, and myheadcoverings.com has a lovely assortment of jewelry and hair accessories for the little ones. She settled on the flower headband with sequins and gem and when prompted, said the following about it:
“It’s so pretty and I want to keep it. It’s so sparkly and so shiny. It’s so comfortable and I want to wear it.”

Now once again, what would a review be without a giveaway? We will be giving away a $20 credit towards any item on the site. Many items are less, so you can get them free. If you'd like a more expensive item, simply pay the balance. If you'd like a chance to win, simply visit MyHeadcoverings.com and leave a comment here telling me what your favorite product is, with a link. I will choose one winner at random on Monday June 25th, after 9 pm.

In addition, as an extra gift to all my blog readers, My Headcoverings has set up a coupon code just for the readers of this blog. Simply enter the code "dinner10" at checkout, for 10% off your entire purchase. This code will be valid for the next 14 days.

So go forth and shop! :)

And be sure to share this giveaway with your friends.

Food Photo Friday - Deli Wraps

The Shabbos table in the summer time can get pretty warm.
Especially if you are like us, and serve hot soup 52 weeks a year.
That's why I like to make these appetizers on occasion on Friday nights. They usually make enough for leftovers to double as additions to the main dish of a cold Shabbos lunch meal.
Deli wraps are very versatile with regard to ingredients.
I like to buy two different flavor combinations, more for color than for taste. Pictured here are Sundried Tomato and Spinach Wraps.
I lightly spread a layer of Hellman's Sandwich Spread onto 2/3 of the wrap, then add a mixture consisting of bagged salad mix, slivered sundried tomatoes and smoked turkey slices pulled apart into pieces.
I then roll them tightly and wrap in foil for several hours.
Each full sized wrap is then cut into 4 segments.
As you can see they make a very pretty plated presentation... doggie knife rests are optional ;)

Breuer's In Bloom - An Article In Mishpacha Magazine

I waited the full week, as per Mishpacha Magazine's request and for all those who commented, emailed, Facebooked, what have you - thank you for your patience.
I have embedded the article about Avram's work on the Shavuos flowers at KAJ.
In the lower right of the embed boxes is a small icon that when clicked, will open the document in full screen so that you don't have to scroll around. (You can "right click" and select "open in new tab" if you want to keep this blog post open.)
Enjoy.





... and in this week's issue, this letter to the editor:

Erev Shavuos - In Shul and At Home

Chag Sameach to one and all!

Shavuos Flowers Go Up At KAJ - Repost

Some things bear reposting year after year.
This video is one of them...

Thanks to all the blog readers (and others, of course) who have donated so generously to make this happen. Even those of you who live more than TEN THOUSAND miles away... (you know who you are)

The work commenced last night and will continue until shortly before Yom Tov begins.

{If you happen to be readers of a certain Jewish magazine, you may find an article published there this week about my husband and what he does in this regard for Yom Tov}

Food Photo Friday - Early Edition - Cranberry Cheesecake

I'll do a lot of things for you, my readers.

Cutting into a freshly made cheesecake before Shavuos isn't one of them, so you'll pardon the less than stellar photos.

I will, however, post Food Photo Friday on a Wednesday, to give you all a chance to share the yum.

For many years I made two cheesecakes: the classic fluffy cheesecake with the world's best graham crust that my mother always made, and one "experimental" cheesecake. Chocolate. Peanut Butter. And others (leave it at that, OK....). But once I perfected my Cranberry Cheesecake, there would be no more experimentation. In my opinion, the tangy "bite" of the fresh cranberries, lends the perfect balance to the sweet, dense creaminess of this (2 lbs. [!!!] of cream cheese) cake.

So off I go each year and purchase more cream cheese than should be allowable by law.

This is not even ALL of it - since aside from 2 cheesecakes, I make a sweet dairy noodle kugel.

Then there's the hunt for the ever elusive Cholov Yisroel sweetened condensed milk.... (they call it "cream" here.... just to be "heimishe chic")

What emerges after a fair amount of whipping and folding is my most delicious cranberry cheesecake. (recipe follows)

For The Crust:
1 1/2 cups cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (about 24 squares)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

For The Filling:
4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk or one jar of the "fancy heimishe stuff" shown above
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 large eggs (since the heimishe stuff is 4 oz. smaller, I compensated with extra large eggs)

1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

Sugared cranberries and orange peel strips, optional

Instructions:
In a bowl, combine cinnamon graham cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and slightly up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Beat in lemon juice until smooth. Add eggs and sugar; beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in cranberries. Pour over the crust.

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F (160 C) for 60-70 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with sugared cranberries and orange peel if desired.

My (Grand)Father's Clock.....

"Is your father still alive?", I hear the clock maker say as I stare into the empty cherry wood shell of my father's grandfather clock. I shake my head sadly and he replies, pointing to the casing, "Oh yes, he is!" I smile, because he's right.

Few household purchases are as unusual, and as emotional, as a grandfather clock. Jim Pearl, president of Pearl Grandfather Clocks was quoted as saying, "People don`t buy one because it's a decorative accessory. They buy it because of what it represents--a very strong tie to the past. It is roots... heritage."

My father's grandfather clock commemorated his 60th birthday. He enjoyed it immensely for the next 13 years. It's sonorous chimes marked moments and memories both good and bad over the years, silenced (unlike the song below) only when my dear aunt slept over (or couldn't sleep, as the case turned out....).

Several years following my father's death, the clock was generously gifted to our family and my husband has become a most worthy caretaker of this stately timepiece.

As we have since learned, these clocks, not unlike pianos, require regular professional maintenance for peak performance. Following our recent stint with the painters (shudder), the clock has been losing time at an unacceptable rate (that is to say - as I lie in bed at night with my eyes closed, suffering from insomnia, I'm never quite sure how badly I'm going to feel in the morning.....).

Russell Andrews to the rescue. Russell's family is now THIRD generation clock repair. Russell understands the nostalgic tug elicited by this cherished timepiece. He cradled the inner mechanism that he removed for service as a parent holds a newborn, resting each piece lovingly on a cushioned bed for transport. Russell encouraged me to write down the story of the clock and offered to put it inside when he returns on Erev Yom Tov to restore the mechanism into its housing. I think I may just do that......

.... but for the next few days, the house will be eerily silent.... missing my father's "voice".