Reading the ingredients on purchased food spoils my appetite. Even canned tomato paste now contains fructose, making it taste like catsup. (Luckily I can still find the "pure" variety.) And I don't like to think about what's in food from restaurants, bakeries, and caterers. When I see borekas I just … [Read more...]
Microwave Apple-Pear Sauce
December 5, 2007 by
My son called from yeshiva to make sure I would be serving latkes and applesauce when he comes home tomorrow. Homemade applesauce is easy to make, especially if you can find someone to peel the apples. My husband bought apples with brown spots in the shuk just for that purpose, and they waited in … [Read more...]
A cure for insomnia?
December 3, 2007 by
This morning she explained, "That way is a faster way to close my eyes." … [Read more...]
Two children go missing from gan; found safely three hours later
November 28, 2007 by
According to the local paper, two children aged 3.5 and 4 disappeared from gan (preschool) without anyone realizing. At around 11 AM, the ganenet noticed that they didn't return to the gan after playtime in the fenced area outside. After a thorough search of the premises failed to locate the … [Read more...]
A Creative Solution for Unruly Teenagers
November 24, 2007 by
In the excellent book On Writing Well by William Zinsser, the author suggests improving your writing by imitating other writers you admire. My most recent post on cooking is modeled on Frugal Journey, Raanana Ramblings inspired my post on Efi, and the following is the kind of story that Rafi would … [Read more...]
What’s There to Eat? Saving Time in the Kitchen
November 23, 2007 by
I recently gave a talk to young mothers entitled, "Is there anything to eat in this house?" We all want to open our refrigerators and find delicious healthy food, but it won't get there by itself. I spoke generally, trying to break down the different cooking tasks — those things that experienced … [Read more...]
A Reward for Efi
November 20, 2007 by
One of our favorite alonim, called Mibereshit, comes in a gan or an elementary school edition. The gan version has a regular feature about a boy named Efi and his family. Efi has lots of problems but his wise parents help him resolve them through a discussion about the weekly Torah portion.Last week … [Read more...]
The Rada"K on Feminine Beauty
November 17, 2007 by
Rabbi David Kimchi, known as RaDaK for short, was a medieval biblical commentator. Most people are unfamiliar with his Torah commentary, because it is not included the classic Mikraot Gedolot volume of commentaries. Mikraot Gedolot on Navi (Prophets) does include his commentary, for which he is … [Read more...]
Mothering and the Teaching Profession
November 15, 2007 by
I recently met a lawyer who quit her job after the birth of her third baby. If she had to do it again she told me she would become a teacher, despite the low salary and status. She wants a profession that allows her to spend time with her children. There is a lot of talk of making teachers more … [Read more...]
Is the teacher’s strike kosher?
November 12, 2007 by
I promised to write about the high school teacher's strike, which has been going on now for a month. We're lucky; my eleventh-grader is in a private school, and my eighth-grader has only one striking teacher (but it's her best teacher). Her large school has enough substitutes and non-striking … [Read more...]
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