Challah Baking

My mom was a superwoman. After my dad passed away, leaving my mom to raise 4 children, ranging from 6-19 years in age, she did everything from helping us with our homework, to helping us deal with the grief of losing our dad (while dealing with her own), to working to put food on the table, to putting our clothes on the radiator at night, so they would be nice and toasty for us in the morning.  She was amazing.  I was 12 when my dad died, but was old enough to help with some things.  Cooking was one of those things I learned early on - and probably where my love affair with cooking and food began.  Lots of food memories from my childhood to share, but I'll save those for future posts.

We had Shabbat dinner at our house every week. Since Shabbat starts each week at sundown, it was often the case that my mom would not get home early enough on Friday afternoons to cook. That's where I came in (with help from my siblings - we were each assigned dishes to prepare).  Dinner was always tasty, and very traditional.  But, one thing my mom never did was bake challah, so it's not something I ever learned. 

I'm a cook - not a baker. However, I've started baking challah.  What a time suck.  BUT, I love it!  Aside from the aroma of a fresh pot of chicken soup, nothing screams Shabbat more than the scent of challah baking in the oven.

It has become traditional to bake shlissel challah for the Shabbat following Passover. There are many reasons cited for this, and some controversy surrounding it. One either bakes a key inside a challah, or bakes a challah in the shape of a key.  I started my challah baking journey a couple of years ago, on this very Shabbat, when I participated in a group baking effort to pray for the healing of a little girl named Ayelet Galena, the daughter of a young couple in my community.  Unfortunately, Ayelet passed away. But I was hooked on baking challah.  I think of Ayelet each week that I bake, but particularly on this week each year.

If you have any interest in baking challah, my favorite recipe comes from Jamie Geller.  The recipe can be found here. My hope is that you find your own food traditions, either that have been passed on to you, or that you have created on your own.

 

Yearning for Spring

Officially, today is the 37th day of Spring. While less than 2 weeks ago, it was a glorious 80 degress outside, this morning is was 45 degrees when I woke up. Some Spring so far!  Though today's weather is far from ideal (for me, that is), I can't help but yearn for the warmer weather which is sure to come any day now. It is sure to come, isn't it?  I try to will Spring into being with my wardrobe (i.e. no more boots, refusing to wear my heavier coats despite the cold temps outside, etc.).  When all else fails, there's always ice cream!  Nothing like eating ice cream to make it feel like Summer is just around the corner, right?

New York City apartments are notorious for being really hot during the winter since the heat tends to be regulated by the building, instead of each individual apartment. So, I eat ice cream year round. This video below shows how easy it is to make your own ice cream at home - even without an ice cream maker. Who knew? Mind you, I found this video while reading a fascinating article about ice cream made with breast milk. That's right - I said breast milk. This novel product is currently being sold by an ice cream shop in London. Well, it was being sold until it was confiscated by the Westminster Council due to concerns over potential transmittable diseases an is undergoing testing (shocker). In case anyone is interested, you can read the full article here. Oh, and for those interested, fear not - there's breast milk cheese as well.

On that enticing note, for your viewing (and hopefully eating) pleasure, below is the video on how to make your own ice cream at home. And, in preparation for Summer, it will also serve as a great addition to your workout routine.  Happy "Spring", everyone!

How To Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Plastic Bag on Howcast

Where to begin?

I'm going to assume that, when someone like me starts to write a blog, they have no idea where to begin. Why do I assume this? Well, because I'm as 'like me' as it gets (usually) and I have no idea where to begin :).

Most of you reading this will know a lot about my background. For those of you who don't know me, I won't start at the beginning, but I will say that I'm a 38 year old, single, Jewish female living (usually life) in NYC. It has been mentioned to me, more than once, that I should write a book about my life. And, while I won't bore you with all the gory details (well, not yet, and certainly not all at once), I figured I'd test the waters.

Life du Jour - a fancy way of referring to taking life one day at a time, or a reference to a daily option on a food menu? In trying to figure out exactly what to write about here, I thought I would start with the stuff I love the most - family, friends, food, wine, travel, etc. I go back and forth in my head about writing a blog about my life, or just stick to the lighter topics. So, maybe I'll start with a little bit of both and see what happens.

When it comes to talking about my life, clearly I don't need anyone's permission to share information. As Bon Jovi once said "It's My Life". At 38, one would think I wouldn't be such a rookie at life. However, I've discovered that I will probably be a rookie at life no matter how long I live, and just hope that it will continue to fascinate me for as long as I'm living it.

Regarding food - posting recipes, wine reviews, etc., things become a bit trickier when blogging with regard to giving proper credit to the information I share which comes from other places. So, as a disclaimer, I will say here that I will try my best to make sure that any recipes I copy word for word, or even adapt, I will do my best to give proper credit. If I don't, please send me a message and I will gladly fix my mistakes.

So, now that I've rambled on and on in my first post, I hope you'll join me on this journey (which, in all honesty, may not last very long). I am sure, however, that it will be long enough for you to grab a glass of wine (or Whiskey, soda, or water) and make yourself comfortable. Then again, I'm just a rookie, so what do I know?