Weekend Hospitality

The family is each doing their own thing this weekend.  There is a bar-mitzva in Jerusalem for the youngest and an event that the wife is running with the help of a few of the other boys. I'm off to visit an old college buddy (that's old college, not old, college) in Bet Shemesh. Have a great shabbat! I'm bringing along one of my favorite noodle dishes. Sesame Ginger Noodles Makes a lot of noodle Cook two pounds of spaghetti noodles, drain and set aside. Mix together the following ingredients: 3 Tbsp canola oil 3 Tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp crushed red pepper 2 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped or minced 3-4 scallions, chopped, whites and greens 1/2 cup soy sauce 3 Tbsp vinegar 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 3 Tbsp sugar Mix the ingredients until the sugar dissolves and pour over the cooked noodles.  Mix well to spread the sauce and chill the noodles for 4-5 hours.

Nice week.  I hit the triple 16 birthday.  Now I feel older.  Hard to believe I've been around this long, but I am reminded of it at work every day.  I'm definitely the grampa of the group. The other new of the week is that the Hebrew University finally agreed that I had fulfilled all of the requirements for a Phd.  It took them more than 10 months to review my thesis, which would have been painful if I hadn't been working already.  So with that past me, I am now recognized as a Doctor of Philosophy.  Of course, my diploma will not arrive until the graduation ceremony next May! I had fun in the kitchen today.  We are trying our one course meals for Friday night.  We usually have a smaller number of guests for dinner, so its nicer to have a simple meal.  I started out thinking about a soup and ended up making Yellow Curry Chicken (see recipe below).  Then a friend brought over some mushroom barley soup, so we'll use a s...

For one of my readers who requested this recipe.  I left the zucchini in the marinade overnight and it developed a strong flavor.  It was unusual, but my guests at it up. Zucchini Salad (AKA Marinated Vegetable Noodles) 3-4 zucchini, trimmed 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 tbsp kosher salt 2 cups hot salsa Slice the zucchini (I used a mandolin) into thin pieces and then cut the pieces into strands the size of thick noodles.  Put the strands in a container with the vinegar and salt.  Let sit for up to 24 hours.  Strain and rinse.   Put the now soft strands in a bowl and mix in the salsa. Serve cold.

This was it, the last quiet before the wedding storm.  Guests begin to arrive this week.  Next shabbat is the groom's weekend.  My wife is running away from home for the weekend and we will be invaded by 20 something men.  Then the wedding and the follow-on parties, culminating in Purim and our traditional pizza and sushi feast.  10 days of pure excitement. I need a break already. This weekend, we hosted my sister's niece and my sister's sister-in-law.  They experienced the full jaffe shabbat, complete with food, games and a bleeding child from the park next door.  Never a dull moment.  A friend of mine took me for a two hour walk shabbat morning to a near-by forest.  It was quiet and peaceful.  Now if only my legs can recover from the hike. Food was good this weekend.  We ate out at a friend Friday night.  It was so nice to be able to enjoy being a guest.  The company was great and we caught up on current events. ...

Our house is very quiet this weekend.  We were invited out for dinner, and we have no guests for lunch!  Oh the travesty!  We will just have to make do with our own company.  Its clear and bright outside with highs in the mid eighties (around 30 for the metric crowd). In the west (Cleveland to be exact), my brother's son is celebrating his bar-mitzvah this weekend.  Great excitement, many guests and highs in the low 60's (low teens).  Most of the US family will be there to cheer him on as he reads from the torah, gives a short speech and eats tons of good food.   I'm sorry to miss it. On the cooking front, I went out to see Julie and Julia with my wife and our friends this week.  I really enjoyed the movie.  Julia Child was a larger than life person and the movie captures that quality.  The food scenes were great and I even learned something (mushrooms brown better when you don't crowd them). So, this weekend, I only made one meal....

Ah, another week gone, and along with it, some stress.  My oldest son is engaged to be married in a few months.  All was under control except for the hall.  In Israel, it is very common to have weddings with 500 to 650 people in attendance.  My son and his fiancee would like a "small" wedding of only 300.  Some hall will not handle an event will less than 500 people.  Most of those that will, charge a different per-head fee based on the total.  Up until this week, we didn't know how many people would be invited, so we were stuck. With the holiday season over, it was time to start moving, so a friend made calls to a list of halls and collected general prices and terms.  On Tuesday, my wife and the mother of the bride went to a hall, discussed terms and agreed on the date.  By Wednesday morning, the deal was signed.  We now have a date and location for the wedding! With that challenge completed, the rest is smooth as silk.  The ba...

I'm better. Last week, I had the flu (or a cold) and this week, I recovered from the flu. While I was sick, I felt down and depressed. As I recovered, I felt my spirits soaring. Its good to be healthy. My wife suggested that I take a yoga class. I enjoy yoga, particularly the stretches and the slow, steady pace. I've tried Hatha Yoga, but my new class is based on Ashtanga Yoga. Its different, but still fun. I have learned that I am not very flexible. Yoga helps me to stretch and its really good for finding your center and relaxing. I am hoping to be able to continue on a weekly basis. Exercise is good for you. I found a very interesting online comic today. Its called Hereville: How Mirka got her sword . The subtitle is: Yet another Troll-fighting 11 year old orthodox jewish girl comic. I purchased the paper book, because I think it would be very cool to have on our coffee table. Have a great shabbat! Shabbat Nitzavim - VaYelech Dinner - 7 Soup Beef Taco 's and Green Sal...

I came down with something this week. Don't know if its the flu, or just a cold. Started with a sore throat and low fever. Now its coughing, headache and still a low fever. Tylenol and Robitusin makes it almost better. So, I'm home today and I'm hungry (which is a good sign). I had leftover noodles in the fridge, and this recipe caught me eye: Pasta with tuna and capers I don't have capers, so I just skipped that part, but the rest is simple and easy. Its a nice way to eat pasta for a quick lunch. Total time to eat is probably ten minutes. Nice and simple. Have a great day, Elliot

Its a quiet summer weekend here in Israel. Many of our friends are on vacation to parts previously inhabited. Others are just staying indoors because of the heat. We do have my army son visiting us again. Two weeks in a row is some kind of record. He tells us that its going to be a number of weeks before he gets back home again. Oh well. We also have one of his old friends, Nechemia. It will be nice to reconnect. Sergio and family is coming for lunch. His wife and daughter are still away on vacation. Meals are small this weekend, 10 and 12 respectively. My wife really wanted beef, so I made a lot of Beef Burgudy. The chicken is for me. I made a nice chicken and rice casserole for lunch. Saute garlic and onions, add diced raw chicken and cook until they are no longer pink. Add rice, salt and pepper along with water. Bring to a boil and set in a 325 oven until the water is gone. It smells wonderful, but next time I'm going to add peppers. Its too white. I also made ric...

This is a Shabbat of transition. An old friend passed away. I'm going on a trip to Europe. Many of our friends are leaving for the summer. My army son finishes his first six months as a soldier. Our transplant recipient has passed the initial rejection risk phase. My high school children being summer vacation, and we prepare for the Summer Book project! There is change in the air, and we hope that the changes are for the best. This Shabbat, we will be hosting Asaf's donor and her family for lunch. We began this journey as neighbors. Not close, but familiar, as part of the large extended Hashmonaem anglo community. Together over the past 9 months, we have experienced many ups and downs. From the initial testing to the long drawn out detailed testing and finally to the transplant itself. The path was long and the results are absolutely amazing! Now that the excitement has passed, we hope to build on our shared experiences to maintain and enhance the relationship. She ...

I love Kimchi. For those as yet unfamiliar with this korean staple, it is spicy fermented vegetables. I have been told that in Korea, kimchi comes in many many types. I learned to love it as fermented cabbage. I should note that I have an addiction to pickles. From a young age, I could eat a full jar of pickles at one sitting. I'm not too particular, any pickle will do, but I really enjoy sour garlic dills and pickled green tomatoes. A few years ago, I came across a recipe for Kimchi in Mark Bittman's book, How to Cook Everything. It was very good, but I still wanted more. Mark's original recipe is for quick pickled Kimchi. This means that it does not ferment, so it has much of the flavor, but not the pickle-ness. I co-worker recently gave me a recipe from a book on fermentation. Since then, I've make it twice and I love it! Be prepared to either love it hate it. There is no in-between. Kimchi has a very potent smell and taste. You have to love garlic, g...

Thank god the holidays are over and we can get back to some sort of regularity (take that as you will). The seminary students are back in Israel and looking for places to stay for Shabbat. This Shabbat, we have three young ladies staying with us, two boys for dinner and two different boys for Seudat Shlishit. For lunch, we are going out! The girls already had a place for lunch. From a food perspective, I'm trying out a few new things this weekend. I roasted chickens in a drip pan. I put carrots and garlic in the bottom of the pan and they roasted in the chicken drippings. Very rich and tasty! My son suggested that we recycle the chicken drippings (full of shmaltz and other good stuff), so we used them to make rice. I usually saute rice in oil before adding water. This time, I used the fat from the dripping for the saute and then added everything else along with the water. It sure looks good, but I bet its rather oily (and tasty!). I also made an oriental soup with left-o...

Winter weather is supposed to visit us this weekend. Chilly (single digits celsius, high 30's fahrenheit)., with rain, sleet, thunder and lightning. I love "big" weather, and this weekend should be lots of fun. There are few things better than sitting in a warm house, watching the rain fall in sheets, lit by lightning bolts and reverberating with thunder! BTW: an equivalent experience is watching a major snow storm. Nature (God's Angel) is powerful and great! We have a mixed house this weekend, with three young ladies from MMY (via our calling cards) and two yeshiva boys that we got from Anywhere in Israel. To make things even more interesting, we got invited out for dinner! What wonderful friends. We told then that our crowd would be 12 people and they didn't blink! I offered to bring something, but they turned me down! I love our community and our friends. I have never lived or heard about a place that has this kind of compassion and support. Through g...

Three of my boys are away for Shabbat.  We are down to a small family of 5.  I'm not sure I can handle the quiet.  Fortunately, my parents are visiting and we have two guests from Midreshet HaRovah.   Many of the people who would normally show up at our house this weekend are away in the army.  We will miss then and hope they return soon. Tomorrow lunch is going to be a bigger affair.   On of our friends had minor surgery a few weeks back and she has been stuck in the house recuperating.  She and her family (plus a few others) will be coming for lunch.  We have great conversations.  Her husband is a straight thinker and really knows his material.  I usually take the unconventional approach and together, the fur flies.  It should be pretty fun. I am getting tired of making the same dishes.  It happens mostly during the winter, and it is something that bothers me.  My wife has no such concerns.  She would be happy if I made the same thing every weekend (as long as it included some fo...

As the run-up to the holiday heated up, I could not find any time to post.  The good news is that this years event was very good.  We learn from each year and tune our efforts.  This year, we have about 350 people.  The event ran from 6pm to 9:30pm and was by invitation only. This Thanksgiving marks 22 years of marriage for me and my (first and only) wife.  We were married at Taylor Road Synagogue in Cleveland, OH on Thanksgiving Day, Nov 27th, 1986.  Since then, we have hosted a Thanksgiving day dinner each year.  Not only do we give general thanks to God for what we have, but we also take a moment to give thanks for our marriage and our six wonderful boys. In the past years, we have always run out of what we call "Sweet Chili".  It a recipe that my wife brought from the old country (USA), and that we have adjusted and made our own.  Usually, we eyeball the recipe until its "right".  This year, we turned it into an industrial effort with more than 20 Kg of ground b...

Its been one year since the last Alyn ride.   Here is last years post .   Three of our close friends make the ride this year.  They have been preparing for the past three months, riding between 50 and 75 kilometers each friday and smaller rides during the week.   The ride begins on Sunday and ends on Thursday, covering more than 400 kilometers.  All of our friends finished the ride, but they are totally wiped out!  So, they invited themselves over for lunch!  In addition, we have two young ladies from Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim (MMY).  They heard about us from one of their friends who stayed with us earlier this year. We were invited out for Friday night dinner, so my only responsibility is cook for Shabbat lunch.  Looks like an easy shabbat with our friends.    As you can guess from the menu, zucchini is in season.    Shabbat Parshat Vayeira Lunch - 18 Meat Roll - with beef Corned Beef Crock Pot Chicken and Rice Pakistani Zucchini - parve Zucchini Salad - with cabbage and hot pe...

As I mentioned in my previous post, Asaf is in Poland.  When I cook for Shabbat, I try to minimize foods that are not on his diet.  Since he is not here, we are eating all the foods that he cannot eat; Potatoes, Barley, Mushrooms and Chocolate! We have two sets of three young ladies coming to stay with us for Shabbat.  Both heard about us from our business cards.  It seems that our marketing campaign is working!  For the first time this year, one of the guests is a vegetarian.  Oh well, just another cooking challenge. I've been paging through cookbooks and many of the "winter" recipes are for stuffed vegetables.  This week, I tried two recipes for Stuffed Tomatoes; one meat and one vegetarian.  The meat recipe calls for beef, rice, onions and crushed tomatoes in a sweet tomato sauce.  The vegetarian version uses corn, white kidney beans, dill and eggs.  The meat version looks marvelous.  The tomatoes held together and the rice cooked up nicely. Unfortunately, the vegetari...

One of our "standards" is a beef and rice dish called Tas Kebab.  I've been asked for the recipe many times.   This is comfort food that anyone can love.   Its great right out of the oven, but its also good reheated the next day (on a hotplate for Shabbat Lunch!).  There are no liquids, so its good for anyone who reheats. 1 Kg beef, cut into bite size pieces Oil for frying 1 to 2 large onions, chopped 3 red bell peppers, chopped 1 large can crushed tomatoes 1.5 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup water or bullion 1 cup rice chopped parsley (optional) The quantities can be adjusted.  Sometimes I make it with 3 onions and no peppers, or with one onion and three peppers.   A lot depends on how coarsely you chop the onions.  The intention is to make them visible and not just a seasoning. In a large covered pot, add the oil and saute the onions and peppers until they are soft.  Add the tomatoes and spices...

Its yet another Friday (actually, its Monday), and we are preparing for Shabbat (actually, the first day of Sukkot). �Let's try that again. Its Monday and we are preparing for the first day of Sukkot. �As I mentioned in a previous post, we have no company staying with us. �That's probably a good thing this time, because we are dealing with our house. �We built our house 10 years ago, and its furnishings are almost all from that time. �Did you know that most household appliances have a 10 year lifetime! �So, that means that a lot of our stuff is falling apart. �The plastic parts of our refrigerator are breaking or broken. � Our standalone freezer stopped freezing Erev Shabbat. �Our washing machine broke. �Our dryer has been broken for almost two years. �My wife refuses to use it,�preferring�to rely on the Sun. Although we know its broken, she will not make the effort to fix it. � Its just that time of year and we need to either get things fixed or replace them. I have been pleas...

We enter this Shabbat saddened by the death of my Aunt Rivka.  Yet, life goes on and God seems determined to remind us of this fact.  As I was leaving the funeral yesterday, I received a phone call from a woman named Karen.  Karen's mother saw our post about Asaf's kidney problems and replied to tell us about her daughter.  Karen received a kidney transplant 6 years ago at the age of 16.  She, like Asaf was just a teenager with failing kidneys.  Karen called to ask if she could talk to Asaf about her experiences.  I was so pleased that all I could say was thank you, over and over again.   Asaf is a quiet, reserved young man.  He does not open up to strangers and rarely discussed his illness or any other aspect of his life.  We joke that one year in the future, we will open the paper to discover that Asaf received the nobel prize and forgot to tell us about it.  I am hoping that by hearing of Karen's experiences, Asaf will be better able to handle his illness. Now, back to w...