I Know We'll Meet Again

I may not have access to the internet for the next week, but feel free to leave comments and I'll respond when I can. I love that I can schedule posts for months in advance. 

Ergo, while the cookbook giveaway posted on Monday officially ends on tonight, I won't be able to add any latecomers anymore. 

To sign off on the last day of Chanuka, here is a funny story I read in the NY Times Metropolitan Diary: 

Around this time of year, many Jewish parents of young children find themselves saying something like: “We do not celebrate Christmas! We are Jewish. We celebrate Hanukkah. And, no, you cannot have a Christmas tree.”

So it tickled my New York soul to hear the following as I entered the subway station at West 86th Street and Broadway: “We do not celebrate Hanukkah. We are Christian. We celebrate Christmas. And, no, you cannot have a dreidel." — Submitted by Aaron Shelden

Check out the new contraband!

Faux Cils

When it comes to face paint, I don't dig the subtle. There is one line, however, that I don't foresee crossing soon, and that is false lashes. 

They are gorgeous, yes, but not worth the price.

Unless they are really, truly, expertly applied, they can look disconcertingly freakish. Additionally, there is a possibility of damaging the real lashes. 

I opt for dramatic mascaras instead, and simply apply as many coats that give me the volume I desire. Before yontif I actually look like I have false lashes on, without the glue.

My drugstore-issue like is L'Oreal Paris Voluminous False Lashes. Clump-free? Not quite. The formula is not as smooth as the false-lash mascara offerings from Sephora, and the brush is larger than I would like, but for $8.99 (or less with a coupon) it does the job very well, especially with some primer beneath.

I find false-lash mascaras are ideal for Shabbos Face since they stay on very well without flaking, nor are they difficult to remove.

Battle of the Bulge: "Cook Yourself Thin"

Since most weight-awareness on television manifests itself mostly through aggressive and irritating trainers, I paused one day (I'll be honest, nothing else was on) to watch Cook Yourself Thin. 

What they do is take a woman who has been making bad eating choices, and show her alternate recipes that, often, halve the calories of her favorite dishes. While I avail myself of whole wheat flour, chia seeds, and organic cornmeal, they keep their meals with more relatable and easily obtained ingredients.

They then challenge her, now equipped with their cookbook, to lose a dress size in six weeks.  

Their recipe list is quite fun to sift through. 

What I found interesting was how the gal that was featured, Katy, was moaning with ecstasy as she tried the reinvented version of meatballs, unbelieving that with 50% less calories the food actually tasted better.

Would anyone believe me that usually lick my plate every dinner? It's not like I subsist on rabbit food.   

One doesn't even have to go as health food-crazy as I am to significantly improve their cooking skills, medical needs, and waistline.    

Guest List

Gals like me, meaning well into their twenties, often do not have a plethora of single friends, but I never considered that to be a negative thing. Often weddings of those who married straight out of high school are tedious because there are, like, fifty girls who are contractually obligated to shriek shrilly and hog the dance floor even if they have two left feet. Ow! That was my toe!  

But sometimes an "older" bride will feel this loss keenly, and try every which way to boost their numbers. 

It may be scandalous, but I really don't keep up with any classmates from high school. None were my close friends, and even before I relocated I never came across them much. But I have noticed a trend, that despite how the years and distance have separated us, they always manage to flush me out with an wedding invitation. 

It's very possible I never exchanged a word with them ever but after this non-relationship I will still receive a request to attend their chassanah. 

One girl was much craftier. She and I talked a lot in school, but we never graduated to full-on "besties." After years of silence she pops out of the blue, emailing me regarding a difference of opinion left as a comment on a website; we launched into a fierce debate. She meekly waved the white flag after a few missives, then switched to cheerful chit-chat; after a month or so, she says she's engaged, then my mailing address is asked for. 

Since I did chew her ear off a lot in school, I felt obligated to attend. I actually had a fun time, even though it felt odd to be wildly dancing at an event where the hostess and I haven't spoken in over five years. I never heard from her again afterward.  

Could she have . . . ? No! Did she strike up an email dialogue when she began to date seriously to ensure another "friend" guest? Hm! That took strategic planning! 

One invitation came from a gal I saw maybe once since ELEMENTARY school, and even then we never talked. I didn't even know what her voice sounded like.

Why would a happy bride want an entourage of strangers on her wedding day? 

Is it so terrible if the dance floor has only those who are close to you, kallahs? Five women to boogy with is enough, believe me. And it's even more memorable to share your joy with the ones of the day-to-day, rather than ancient history. 

Dance with your relatives! Dance with your one close friend! Dance with that lady from shul that likes you! Hold your head high on your wedding day, even if there isn't any shtick!

I can afford to be smug since I do have a large extended family with many female relatives. But if one has a cheerleader section of three, that is more than enough.

Guy Love

I think it is perhaps safe to say that today's society is a tad homophobic. Do one thing slightly not "manly," and bam—one is considered gay. 

Historically, that was not quite the case. Gender roles were vastly different in various cultures and times, so what was considered "manly" in 1612 differs from what "manly" is in 2012. 

Take close male friendships. This is depicted perfectly on Scrubs, where the main character, J.D., dearly loves his longtime compadre, Turk. Yes, "loves." For the entire series Turk has a girlfriend, then wife, in Carla, and J.D. has a steady on again/off again relationship in Elliot (a girl! She's a girl!) 

 

But the love of Turk and J.D. supersedes nearly all. Nothing will ever come between them. There's even this scene: 

Carla: Tell me my husband loves me more than he loves you. 

JD: It's about the same.

True guy love is rarity nowadays. Any other references I have are biblical, like Dovid and Yehonasan. They always had each other's back.

And what happens when guy love turns tepid? Our culture would not permit a passionate wooing to reinstate it, as Ben Schrank observes.

He continues that the reason for this is because men won't sit down and hash out their feelings. As I continued to read, I realized—hey, my friendships aren't remotely girly. To quote a friend of mine, "I don't do moments." Meaning, if I would ever have a misunderstanding with a friend, there would be no screaming out of frustrations, ending in a sobbing, hugging reunion. I would quietly pull the plug and move on.

Me no like drama. 

My wife and her friend hurt each other’s feelings at dinners with other friends. Then they stew and obsess and vent to other friends. Next, they engage in a difficult phone call. A few days later they meet and drink wine and work on gently knitting their bond back together. And their friendship not only survives, it is also strengthened.  

Huh? Chicks do that?

No wonder Leia is the only girl in Star Wars.     

Chanukah Blog Party: Túrógombóc

I was very happy to be included in this Hanukkah Blog Party, hosted by Leah of Cook Kosher and Miriam of Overtime Cook. More information about this blog party is below, after the post itself.    

I've become annoyingly obsessed with all things culinarily Hungarian. There has to be more in the Magyar holster than paprikás and kakaós, right? 

Browsing a bit around, I came upon túrógombóc (pronounced "too-row-gum-bow-tz"), "cheese dumplings" (túró is dry curd cheese). Like nukedlach or kneidlach, they are boiled in water, not fried. They were incredibly simple to make, as well as very pretty to look at. It would also seem cheese dumplings aren't strictly Hungarian fare; many cultures, European and Asian, have their own version of them.

The recipes that I came across called for farina, or grits (which is something different to Hungarians than it is to Americans). I decided to use oat bran instead, and see what happens. For the coating, instead of bread crumbs, I used cornmeal. 

Túró has large curds and require a food processor to make the smoothest consistency; farmer cheese is a perfect stand in, being dry and rather smooth, meaning no need for a food processor.

Very few recipes I came across mentioned adding sugar, but seriously, what sort of cheese ball is it if it won't be sweet? The first time I made these I hadn't added enough sugar, so the kids didn't bite, but my sister-in-law, who lacks a sweet tooth, loved them.

My family has gotten into the recent habit of making a milchig Chanukah luncheon, and these are certainly on the menu. 

This video shows it being done authentically Hungarian: 

Here's my modified (nutritious and delicious!) version of this recipe by Eszter Hargittai.

Túrógombóc

7.5 oz farmer cheese 

1/4 cup oat bran 

1 egg

optional: sugar and vanilla sugar

cornmeal 

confectionery sugar

1) Mix the cheese and bran very well with a fork and place in the fridge for an hour or two, or even overnight. This will soften the bran. (I got this tip from A Sprinkle of Hungary).

2) Put up a large pot of water to boil.

3) Add egg and sugar(s) together with the cheese and bran. Mix together well.

4) Coat a frying pan with a little oil and/or butter, warm it up, add cornmeal (fine ground if one likes less crunch than medium ground) and toast for a few minutes. Stir constantly, since it can burn very quickly (learned that the hard way). 

5) When the water is hot enough, form balls out of the cheese mixture and plunk into the water. When they rise to the top, they are ready. I prefer to make the balls small, making them ideal finger food. 

6) Remove onto a paper towel, then place them into the coating. Roll 'em around in it. 

7) Dust with confectionery sugar, if so inclined (I like the one from Trader Joe's since it's made from evaporated cane juice and tapioca starch instead of mystery filler.)

They are like yummy cheesecake bites. Because these are made from farmer's cheese, instead of túró, they come out gorgeous, without anything detaching like the video above. A wonderful addition to a milchig meal. 

***

Welcome to our first ever Hanukkah Blog Party, hosted by Leah of Cook Kosher and Miriam of Overtime Cook. 

To help get everyone into party mode, we have a bunch of fabulous new cookbooks to giveaway! Leave a comment on this post for your chance to win one of:

2 copies of Susie Fishbein's new Kosher By Design Cooking Coach (sponsored by Artscroll)

2 copies of Leah Schapira's  Fresh and Easy Kosher Cooking (sponsored by Artscroll) 

2 copies of Esther Deutch's CHIC Made Simple (sponsored by the author)

Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM on Sunday, December 16th. Limit one entry per person per blog, so visit the other blogs for extra chances to win! Prizes can only be shipped within the US. Entries must be accompanied by a valid email address in order to qualify.

How to enter: Leave a comment on this post of your favorite Chanukah fare. 

This is the second of many fabulous Holiday Blog Parties. If you would like to be added to the mailing list to participate in future parties, please email holidayblogparties@gmail.com

Stop by the other blogs and check out these Chanukah Themed Recipes:

Latkes:

Jamie from Joy of Kosher made Zucchini Latkes with Tzatziki

Daniel from Peikes Cookbook made Potato and Fennel Latkes Fried in Duck Fat With Chinese Five Spice Apple Sauce

Susan from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen made Squash and Potato Latkes

Samantha from The Little Ferraro Kitchen made Ruby Red Beet Latkes with Cumin

Nechamah from TIforOA Food Ideas made Healthy Oatmeal Latkes

Liz from The Lemon Bowl made Traditional Potato Latkes

Yosef from This American Bite made Latkes & Brisket on Rye

Melanie from From Fast Food to Fresh Food made (I Can't Believe They're Crispy!) Baked Latkes

Laura from Mother Would Know made Three Variations of Sweet and Savory Latkes

Sarah from Crispy Bits and Burnt Ends made Kimchee Latkes

Shulie from Food Wanderings made Baked Panko Sweet Potato Leek Latkes

Donuts and Desserts: 

Miriam from Overtime Cook made Shortcut Cannoli with Chocolate Mousse Filling

Leah from Cook Kosher made 5 Minute Donuts

Estee from The Kosher Scoop made Tropical Fruit Fritters

Melinda from Kitchen-Tested made Sweet Steamed Buns

Amy from What Jew Wanna Eat made Homemade Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Gelt

Avidan from Baking It Up As I Go Along made Orange Olive Oil Cake

Tali from More Quiche Please made Glazed Chocolate Donut Holes

Amital from Organized Jewish Home made Mom's Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Princess Lea from The Frumanista made Túrógombóc

Stephanie and Jessica from The Kosher Foodies made Beignets

Gigi from Gigi's Kitchen made Bunuelos: Mini Powdered Cheese Donuts 

Esther from Esther O Designs made Edible Menorahs

Patti from No Bacon Here made Hanukkah Oreo Balls

Shoshana from Couldn't Be Parve made Churros con Chocolate

Shaindy from My Happily Hectic Life made Inside Out Apple Crisp

Eve from Gluten Free Nosh made Gluten-Free Hanukkah Sugar Cookies

The Gluten Free maven made Gluten Free Vegan Cake Donuts

Amy from Baking and Mistaking made Mini Cream-Filled French Beignets

Sarah from Food, Words, Photos made Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

Victoria from Itsy Bitsy Balebusta made Pure Vanilla Donuts

Vicky and Ruth from May I Have That Recipe made Dulce de Leche and Eggnog cream filled mini sufganiot

Dena from Oh You Cook made Poached Pears in Pomegranate Sauce

Michele from Kosher Treif Cooking made Tiramisu Cheessecake

Sharon from FashionIsha made Sparkly Chanukah Cookies

Appetizers, Soups, Sauces, Drinks and other Hanukkah Food:

Laura from Pragmatic Attic made Caramel Spice Applesauce

Jessie from Bread and Butter made Honey Spiced Hanukkah Martini

G6 from Guess Who's Coming 2 Dinner made Sweet Potato Leek Soup

Claire from I Love Soup made Sweet Potato, Coconut & Lemongrass Soup

Jennifer from Juanita's Cocina made Kugel

Liz from Kosher Like Me made Ready, Stuff Roll!

Shelley from The Kosher Home made Hanukkah Crafts and Printables

Peaceful Travels

A blood-curdling shriek tore through the train. 

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Followed by a familiar high-pitched

Eeee!—eeee!—eeee!—eeee!

Some exhibitionist programmed his phone to ring the iconic scene from Psycho.  

 

Mannerly Cleaning

I like my cleaners. The husband and wife team are a competent, cheerful Korean couple. They always remember my phone number. They do a good job. They give out complimentary Twizzlers.

It was Erev Nine Days, and I was dropping off some clothing that I didn't need desperately. Anything I did need was certainly taken care of already. 

A frum man in his late thirties was in front of me on line, with piles and piles of shirts. "I need these TODAY," he boomed repeatedly. Bless my Korean, for she has a full-proof way of dealing with unreasonable customers: She now doesn't understand English. 

"Tuesday?" she chirped. 

"TODAY," he roared. 

"Tuesday!" she sang. 

"No, TODAY!" he hollered. 

She won that round, and he left, bull-like, fuming, and quite red in the face. 

Seriously, man. You couldn't have taken your twenty shirts to the cleaners last week? Or at least a couple of days ago? And you blame your lack of planning on the poor dry-cleaner owners? For shame.

Thanks for wearing your kapul while you harassed another human being. You made us look real good. 

(For those who need clarification, the above sentences are meant to be read with a sarcastic inflection).