Of Love, Life and Good Cooking!

Canada in Afghanistan

2006-02-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

I'm against the war in Iraq. I'm against Canada being part of the missile defense program. I don't like most of what the Bush administration has done. But I am for what Canada is doing in Afghanistan. The liberation of Afghanistan is backed by the UN and for good reason. The Taliban infiltrated that country imposing its morality on the people against their will. The Taliban was an oppressive regime which marginalized women, not allowing them an education or the right to work. Since the UN along with Canada has been in Afghanistan, the country has changed, its been slow and painful and not without costs but it is changing. There is an elected government. Girls are now getting an education. Our soldiers are doing an exemplary job and they deserve our support. Just because the US is there and backs it doesn't mean we should be against it. If we pulled out of Afghanistan we would be sending the world the wrong message that we don't support the UN that we don't care about freedom. Canada can and should be a force for good and freedom around the world. Afghanistan is part of that.

Klass act! A Klass of her own.

2006-02-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

Sorry couldn't resist. Cindy Klassan won five Olympic medals in two weeks! Real proud right now.

And I don't give a *%^&^%$^%#$ for the men's hockey team.

The Winter Olympics

2006-02-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

I've been nursing a cold and watching the Olympics. I've always prefered the Winter ones to the Summer ones. The summer ones are just too large. Canada is doing well at these ones. Been some great stuff happening.

In women's hockey - Swedens surprise upset against the US could be good for the sport.

The first black man to win a winter gold medal - Shani Davis in speed skating but what impressed me most was how gracious he was afterwards, a true gentleman.

And I always love it when someone over 30 wins a medal like - Duff Gibson aged 39 winning in men's skeloten for Canada.

And figure skating - so much better now that they've changed the judging less emphesis on jumps more on everything else.

But my favorite winter sport - curling - it uses brain power, I can sit and figure out the next moves - its chess on ice.

Hunting

2006-02-19T14:35:00.000-08:00

I've got nothing against real hunting. There are people who live so far north and in isolation or are so poor they have to hunt. And I'm not against sport hunting per se. Going out into the wilderness and tracking an animal that you eat. After all I do eat meat.

But getting out of your car, and shooting at birds on a ranch - that's just not my idea of hunting. Its target practise using live creatures.

Trying different things

2006-02-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

I tried Choyote, did what it said on the wrapper and it was less than stellar, rather bland. Won't recommend it.

My son has been preparing meals and its been wonderful. Last night was leg of lamb, with mint sauce. Yummy!

Also hubby and I have been doing Latin dancing, lots of fun, energetic stuff would really recommend that.

Durian or Jack fruit

2006-02-10T15:57:00.000-08:00

My mother who was born in India told me about Jack fruit. A large fruit that they cut open and had enough inside to feed a dozen people.

We could never get it, in Vancouver despite all are connections to a Chinese grocer who got us just about everything else we asked for. Over the years I saw it on tv shows and heard about its earthy jungle smell but its delightful taste.

Today we found it, in Fisgard Market in Tan Fan Alley - a huge prickly fruit we had to cut open, outside using a cleaver and gloves. It like a porcupine coconut but the meat inside tastes like something of a cross between bananas and mango. Definately worth a try.

Kiwi

2006-02-10T15:52:00.000-08:00

Kiwi were the most of exotic of fruit. I remember when they first hit the grocery stores, they cost $2 each and had to come all the way from New Zealand. Despite that kwiwi was replacing strawberries in many desserts.

In the mid 80's - I was pregnant with my second child and developed a powerful kwiwi craving - I could eat six at a time in those days an incredibly expensive craving!

Last week I bought a whole bag of a dozen for $2! We had kwiwi with crepes for breakfast.

Rambutan

2006-02-09T22:09:00.000-08:00

I was in Chinatown and I picked up something called a 'rambutan' - it has a red furry exteror hard shell - its like a leche nut except milder in flavor. I quiet liked it.

Il Terrazzo

2006-02-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.ilterrazzo.com

We got married on Groundhog day so every year we go out to a great restuarant. If Terrazzo was one restuarant I've always to go to, it was voted best restuarant in Victoria several years in a row and I understand why.

Great atmosphere: We always want to believe it doesn't matter but it does, its not just the decor which exudes warmth with fireplaces and red bricks and just enough lighting but also the upbeat friendly staff.

The Waiter: Its always a good idea to talk to the waiter they know what's up. Ours was a friendly chatty man who has been working at there for 13 years - though he has taken classes in computer science and stock brokering and briefly worked as both he always comes back. We discussed the weather (lots of rain and wind) the anniversaries, and the wood burning pizza oven.

The food: This is what makes a restuarant. Staff no matter how wonderful and decor no matter how gentile can't make up for the food. And we got real food, no fancy all shaped in a cylinder stuff, this was full plate food! We started on the bread with finely diced and spiced olives. Perfect. I had Minestone soup, the real stuff, with beans rather than pasta. He had the salad. I decided to try the salmon pizza wondering if a wood burning stove really does make a difference - it does, thin but substantial crispy crust with thin smoked salmon and baby spinach. He had a chicken with tomato sauce and pasta. I've tried making chicken with tomato sauce myself but its never worked. They have a light but flavorful sauce and it works. We asked the waiter for the right kind of wines to go with our meals (the wine list is as thick as Gone with the Wind!) and his choices were spot on, he had red and I had a not too dry but fruity white. Then came desert, we got the sampler - best bet.

They are open for lunch on weekdays - so if you are even in Victoria....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2006-01-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

Its the lunar or what used to be known as the Chinese New Year. And tonight I'm making Chinese food, nothing really exotic just the usual stir fry with some Chinese veggies and meat.

I grew up on the west coast so the Chinese culture was all around us. China town was an escape into another world and I sill love going there.

When I was growing up we would travel through the interior and wherever we went there were Chinese restuarants. That's where we always ate, always ordering the same meal, chicken fried rice, beef chop suey and mushroom chow mein. We never looked at the menu and we always got the same thing, even though they were all independently owned establishments. Father insisted we learn to eat with chop sticks.

Since that time I've experimented with all kinds of Chinese food but I always come back to the comfort food I knew as a child.

left over creations

2006-01-26T22:22:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like left over food for coming up with new inspiration in the kitchen. I had a left over lamb chop (very unusual in my house) so I chopped in finely fried it up with ground beef, grated zucchini, diced mushrooms, chopped spring onions and added raisins. I also had left over mashed potatoes. So I made a Shephard's pie.

Today I had left over rice, great for fried rice with meat and whatever vegetables you have on hand.

The election

2006-01-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

Conservative Minority Government

Which isn't a surprise really. There were surprises the Liberals despite scandal and a lackluster campaigne did better than expected. The NDP while not doing as well as some had hoped still managed to double their seats. Paul Martin is quitting as leader of the Liberals.

The real good news of the evening is that voter turnout was up and the Bloc didn't do as well as expected - they didn't get %50 of the Quebec vote. The Conservatives made gains in Quebec - 10 seats. They however preformed poorly in virtually all cities. BC was a surprise - just about all the Liberals held their seats - the Conservatives actually lost some (went from 22 seats to 17) and the NDP did well except in my riding where they lost to the Conservative incumbent.

Which means that I still have in every Federal election (and all but one Provincial election) voted for someone who didn't get in - in my riding!

My fourteen year old son, helped out the local NDP candidate - folded and delivered panphetes, made phone calls, emailed, worked as a scrutineer. Real proud of him! He isn't too upset though - the NDP candidate did increase her vote and came in a respectable second and will be back and the NDP did do well over all.

I was particularily glad that Jack Layton's wife - Olivia Chow won her seat.

Ok that's it for politics - after this I go back to food and fun stuff!

Latin Dancing

2006-01-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

Last night, Terry and I took a Latin Dancing class. It was great! There were only 5 guys and 13 gals so I had to share my husband. We did the Merenga - lots of counting by eights and started the Mumba which we all found a bit harder. It was so much fun! The best part was coming home and practising!

The Election

2006-01-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Yes, its time for me to say something about the Canadian election.

Its been a down and dirty and at times possitively disgusting excersize.

Since this blog is about food and since food is important - none of the leaders as far as I can tell have said anything about food - food inspection, proventing mad cows disease, obsiesity, help for farmers, the continued concentration of farms in fewer and fewer hands etc.

As for the environment which certainly effects amongst other things food - the Conservatives want out of the Kyotto accord and while the Liberals are staying in they haven't done much to live up to their pledge.

If anyone is looking for fiscal responsibility forget it - the Greens (who don't have a chance at one seat) are spending the most followed by the Conservatives who by keeping most of the Liberal programs and adding more of their own will spend more than the NDP or the Liberals.

If you are looking to who understands and will protect Canadian institutions and values then neither the Conservatives or the Liberals have the moral high ground. Stephen Harper doesn't seem to understand how Canada works or the role of the courts and Paul Martin wants to get rid of the Notwithstanding clause.

So who am I voting for? I'm holding my nose and voting for the NDP - yes I have qualms about them - they started this election and they have some pretty dodging people running (most notably Sven Robinson) but I just don't see any other real choice out there. The NDP keeps other parties in line - focused and makes them do things. We need as many NDP members as possible.

The Mocca House

2006-01-14T16:29:00.000-08:00

Every Saturday I go to the Mocca House - a cafe with food and an impressive tea list. Terry reads the newspaper and I get out my pad and sure enough a poem is born. Not really sure why this meeting place of just about everyone in Victoria from students to bikers, senoir citizens, artists, young families, single moms, and well you get the idea - should inspire poems. It just does. Perhaps it is the wonderful artwork that decorates its walls - bright imaginative work? Or it could be its great vegetarian samosa? Or their teas with such exotic names as Monkey King and Green Bamboo? But it works.

Brunch at Adeles

2006-01-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

It was supposed to be breakfast but it never is at Adele's its brunch. Real homemade tomato soup, she claims its easy just use canned tomatoes and tomato sauce add a few spices and voila - the real thing. So much better than canned. We thought this would be it, after all it was so filling and nutritious but it wasn't. We got Cornish pasteries except Adele doesn't eat meat so they were filled instead with chick peas and begetables wrapped in a pastry and salad. For desert we had chocolate cup cakes.

After that it was down to work. I had poetry. Its wonderful being able to write poetry - I go to the Mocca house and for some reason poems just flow out of me there. Have no idea why there and no where else except the Ferry. Also started writing about my family. Nicole is writing an engaging
Young Adult Fantasy. For a more urban touch - Gillean writes about the nitty gritty of modern day life. Adele didn't have any offerings this time but promises something for our next meeting.

Food and writing what could be better?

Soup

2006-01-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

The ultimate comfort food. Nothing like it on a cold Winter's day. Right after all the hoopla of the holidays is anything better than warming yourself up with soup. The best soup in the world - besides my mothers and Adeles is found at Pure Vanilla - I don't know how they do it but their soup is always good. Today I had real tomato soup, we're so used to the stuff that comes out of a can that we forget it has texture and varience in taste.

Soup has never been my personal forte but this winter I'm giving it a try. I'm going to make great soups. My own soups.

The incredibly shrinking man

2006-01-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

My husband has lost 75 pounds in two years. How did he do it? Real simple, he did more and ate less. The doing more came first - he joined the gym and went, he bought a bike and used it and now he's doing yoga and soon he'll be taking Latin dancing lessons (with me!). The eating less followed, I started packing his lunches, no more fast foods (except the deli and sandwich places) he now starts dinner with salad and half his plate is salad, he's eating less everything else. He's cut his food intake. Its that simple and difficult. Really proud of him.

As for myself, well, I'm certainly doing more and thinking about eating less.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2006-01-01T09:37:00.000-08:00

We had a quiet New Year which is also the seventh night of Hanukkah. We made rissoto balls. Aruba flat rice in a ball coated with flour and corn meal - deep fried. An elegent way to bring in the new year and something a bit different for Hanukkah.

We watched the Space Needle fire works. Then went to bed.

This morning I was up early only to discover the Rose Bowl Parade isn't on till Monday - oh well.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Shabbat with the Family

2005-12-31T17:41:00.000-08:00

Ended my stay in Vancouver at my mom and dad and various relatives and friends. Since it was shabbat we didn't light the menorah together but we did sing Maotz Zo'or and right after the Adam Shandler original Hanukkah is Funakah song!

After my mother's signiture dish - Chicken soup. Mom as usual puts out a great spread of two kinds of curries with three kinds of rice and three kinds of roasted chicken and two kinds of potatoes and countless varieties of cakes including chocolate mousse! What could be better!

The Producers - the movie

2005-12-31T17:35:00.000-08:00

After a mall crawl in Richmond hunting down the perfect black coat with hood but unable alas and alack to find this years penguin calander - we went to see The Producers.

It was a bit slow at the beginning the first couple of numbers just didn't engage me dispute great singing and dancing by the leads but once Will Farrell and then the gay romp and Village People like number was on it was hitting its stride - great stuff! Uma Thermon made the perfect Swedish bimbo who isn't. Great singing and dancing lots of great laughs. The original is still the funniest movie of all times but this is probably the funniest most energetic musical since Singing in the Rain! If you want a good laugh this is the film!

Our family Hanukkah

2005-12-31T17:22:00.000-08:00

I went over to my daughters in Richmond for Hanukkah.

Together we made dinner - three kinds of salads - baby spinach (I'm putting this one on my kitchen essentials list) with manderine oranges, mushrooms and almonds - Penne pasta with sour cream, spices and sun dried tomatoes - Greek salad lots of olives, lots of feta cheese and of course since its Hanukkah lots and lots of latkes - plain white potato kind and my signiture dish yam latkes. Lots and lots of applesauce and sourcream.

We lit the menorah and sang M'otz Zo'or (Rock of Ages)

Later we sat down to my family play. Ever since they were young I've written a family play we all sit and down and read out loud every year. Its based on what's new and in vogue that year. This year - The Vinyl Cafe! My own creation (if your reading this Stuart Maclean its all right if you use my idea so long as you credit me!) Dave lights a Menorah--- anyone who is familiar with Dave and Morely can imagine what a disaster that turned out to be!

Anyway my family liked the play and we had a wonderful time reading it out.

Latkes: Side Dish or Main Course?

2005-12-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

Its a question as old as latkes themselves.

One school of thought sees them as a replacement for baked or mashed potatoes and therefore they are a side dish accompanying brisket or chicken or turkey.

But those who truely love latkes say they are the main event! Salads and perhaps a small light cheese pasta dish accompany latkes. If you're worried about everyone eating something nutrious start with borsht or lentil soup.

As you might have guessed I'm with the latter. Latkes have so much in them they easily replace any kind of meat besides if you keep kosher you'll want to eat them with sourcream.

Cake tips

2005-12-28T22:02:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of quick cake tips.

Cut a cake with a wet knife it cuts it better.

Cup cakes are great because no one will complain and there's no cutting. They're even good for adults. I went to a party that had cupcakes that said Happy Birthday.

At a kids party the kids can decorate their own cupcake.

Tips for perfect latkes

2005-12-26T22:15:00.000-08:00

We made latkes today just the ordinary potato kind nothing fancy.

And they were perfect! Crispy.

We used bisset thick skinned potatoes. We hand grate them. We squeezed by hand the moisture out of them and used a towel to do the rest. Draining the potatoes is essential the less moisture the crispier they'll be.

We also grate the onions which is an awful task so we use the machine for that.

A good one inch at least of oil and wait for it to get hot. Drain on paper towels.

To me latkes are all about Hanukkah - simple, cheap real easy nothing fancy. Latkes are about oil but more importantly about taking a simple every day food and making it into something bigger and grander. Like Hanukkah itself - just a bit of oil lasted and did so much more than was thought possible so a lowly potato can be something greater than it is.

Chronicals of Narnia

2005-12-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

Just saw it. What a beautiful powerful movie. Loved it. Lucy was perfect as the brave, kind but never beautiful on the outside girl. Edmund the perfect prat. And Aslam was truly real as the kind and strong but never fully tame lion. And Narnia was a real as anyplace.

There are three kinds of fantasy - the all encompassing fantasy of Lord of the Rings and the Earth Sea Trilogy - the side by side fantasy like Harry Potter where magic exists along side the everyday world - and falling down a rabbit hole as in Alice and Wonderland or walking into a wardrobe as in Narnia. In the later everyday people find adventure in fantasy worlds we can relate to the outsider Alice or Lucy because that's us.

Butchard Gardens

2005-12-25T22:40:00.000-08:00

We went to the Butchard Gardens tonight. Its spectacular! We ate at the Blue Poppy Room, tasty entrees, traditional turkey.

Then it was off on a hunt to find the 12 days Christmas, singing all the way through a lighted wonderland of the sunkan gardens, rose and Italian gardens we spotted all 12. Starting with the Partridge in a Pear tree and ending with the 12 drummers drumming on top of arches right at the driving exit. Inbetween are 3 very French hens eating bagets, 5 golden rings floating in a pond, nine maids awaiting were women from fairytales, the nine lords aleaping were were frogs who did leap but only one at a time! It was an enchanting evening.

Tonight was also the first night of Hanukkah and we lit one candle, tomorrow I'm making latkes!

More Turkey tips and Persimon

2005-12-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

Hubby is home so he made dinner, turkey. He bought turkey breast and dark meat, put them in the pan ontop of white onions with potatoes and sealed the pan with alunimum foil. Excellent flavor. Its wonderful having him and my son home and they can both cook, it would of course be better if they would clean up after themselves....

Persimion (sp?) its an orange fruit I saw at grocer and thought I'd give it whirl. It has a refreshing rich if not bland flavor and its filling.

Tomorrow night is the first night of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights and small miracles. My daughters coming over, I'll keep you posted.

Biscottie

2005-12-22T14:36:00.000-08:00

I made biscottie for my friends birthday party. I made four kinds - dried fruit with almond flavour and orange zest - M&M's and vanilla - chocolate chips, orange flavour - raisins and vanilla.

Its easy enough just flour, baking powder, eggs, flavoring, sugar, butter and whatever you want to add. If you double bake them they last forever.

Our Winter Solstice Party

2005-12-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

In ancient times, men would go out at night and find the biggest log and bring it home, drying it for days until the longest night of the year. While the yule tide log burned, everyone sat around it feasting and drinking and telling ghost stories.

We lit our own Yule Tide log and listened to Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

At our Writer's Group Winter Solstice Party - we ate latkes (potato and yam kind) with sour cream and apple sauce with raisins , snow flake salad - cauliflower and chick peas with dressing, and Greek salad. While we munched on chocolate truffels , Christmas cake and roll out cookies we told ghost stories and drank apple cider. We told of ghostly interventions, intutitive predictions, spirit warnings, seances, mostly stories from our mothers and grandmothers. The stories were in England, Italy, India, Iraq and many points in N. America. Stories of haunted houses and schools during the blitz in London and Poltergiests in modern new middle class neighborhoods. We told the stories some written down others just from memory by candle light.

All of us had ghosts in our background, ghosts watching over us or tormenting us or just playing harmless tricks. Then there were the predictions just knowing when someone will die, give birth or when to leave before the place went up in flames the strange premonitions. We all agreed seance are not good, they may start off harmless enough but they drain whoever is conducting them.

It was a night of revising ancient traditions and starting new ones.

Kitchen Essentials

2005-12-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

There are some things no kitchen should be without.

1. Couscous, is just in case you don't have time to cook, there's always couscous. I've talked about it before. But if the rice doesn't cook, and you don't have time for pasta there's couscous.

2. Small oranges. Valencia types. You can find them all year around, they're cheap and they're wonderful for baking and for chicken. I use the zest in my baking as well as the juice. Anywhere it says to use water or flavoring you can use freshly squeezed orange juice. My mom takes the peals and dries them for candy.

3. Ginger. I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and then use it meat and chicken and lentil curries. I just grate it in.

4. Orzo. Its small rice shapped pasta. I fry it up first and then boil it. It makes a nice change from rice or potatoes.

5. Cumin. Its the spice you can use with anything.

6. Green onions. If you don't have time to saute the onions just chop up green onions - I use scissors.

7. Parmeason Cheese - great with just about everything.

8. Soya Sauce. Again its wonderful with everything. Makes almost any sauce better.

9. Basil - fresh or dried perfect with almost anything.

10. Lemons same as with oranges great for so much baking and with chicken.

11. Pizza sauce in a plastic bottle - great quick stuff wonderful for sauces or sweet and sour or just on top of pizza or pita bread with cheese.

That's all I can think of for now!

That time of year

2005-12-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Its that time of year again. I'm all ready sick of - Its a White Christmas, really sick of Jingle Bell Rock, and Winter Wonderland. I really don't like Jingle Bell Rock at all, and never met anyone who did. The other two songs are ok for the first ten times I hear them, its the repitition.

I guess its the fact that two major holiday events happened so early for me - the office party and Vinyl Cafe show that I feel its kind over now and everything else is an anti - climax. But it isn't. I've got the writer's group Winter Solstice Party at my own. I'm making the latkes - potato and yam and everyone is bringing salads and desert. We're also telling ghost stories - yep ghost stories, they are traditional this time of year - hence A Christmas Carol was in this tradition. I wrote mine.
We will be lighting 21 candles and exchanging gifts.

Then on Dec. 25 the first night of Hanukkah my daughter from Vancouver is coming over. Weather permitting we hope to go the Butchard Gardens and then to a movie, light the first candle and perhaps make donuts. The next day its more latkes!

On the 28th my friend is having a big birthday bash at the synagogue and I'm making the cookies.

Then on the 29th and 30th I'm seeing my other daughter. More latkes and donuts!

So I'll keep you posted about everything!

Finding Italy in Victoria - New Canadian Magazine

2005-12-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

Finally the article I completed in July is out! Its the last article in The New Canadian Magazine a supplement in some Globe and Mail newspapers and sold at Chapters. Its always a thrill to see my byline. I still haven't gotten paid and they don't have it up on their website yet.

The Rebar Restaurant

2005-12-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

I remember the first vegetarian restuarant I ever ate in. They had a chalk board as their menu and simply ordered from that. The problem was every time I ordered someone would come along and wipe the item off so it was simply a matter of eating whatever it was they actually had. Not that it mattered because the food was uniformaly bad.

Well the Rebar is the complete antithesis of that. The Rebar is an upscale but decidedly unstuffy vegetarian restuarant with a great menu, wide selection, everything fresh! Its vegetarian but with fish. I had the curry, the best curry I've had in Victoria, I ordered the small plate but it really filled me up. There was so much variety just in that dish with rice, deep fried tofu, vegetables and long yummy potato bits. Definately Thai and yet somewhat different from anything in a Thai restuarant. I always ask the waitress to decide what tea I should have with it, she suggested green tea, an excellent choice. Terry had the pasta. We shared a creme pie which cooled off my mouth!

Stuart Maclean and The Vinyl Cafe!

2005-12-04T22:38:00.000-08:00

I saw it live!

Stuart Maclean and his extremely talented group of musicians, an artist and even a mime. It was so much more than I had ever imagined. The Vinyl Cafe is a radio show on Saturday on CBC 2 at 10:00 and Sundays on CBC 1 at noon. Its also on the Internet. He has also written books and has cds. He tells stories. Stories about himself, reads stories other people send in, and is especially known for the stories he tells about Dave, Morely, Stephanie and Sam.

My expectations were high coming in and they were exceeded. There was so much more to his live show than the one on the radio. There was a mime, a funny guy with a large name Ted on him who came in and started mopping the floor. Behind the scenes, a woman painted three panels while the show was going on.

The man who won the best pet contest flew in from a small island in China. He entered his pet Gerko, a small reptile - unfortunately Canada Customs wouldn't let him bring his pet. So there was some adlibbing there, as it didn't go as planned.

The musicians were suberb, they did unusual Christmas songs as well as the standards and many others. He also introduced young artists a blues singer and a young man who played the violin to a background of his own electronic music = we liked it so much we bought the cd.

Stuart did two standard Dave and Morley stories and read a wonderful short story a woman sent in. But he also did two new stories one supposedly about himself and the other one a brand new Dave and Morely story about Christmas parades past. It was hilarious. Way up to his standards, brilliant vintage Vinyl Cafe.

If you're in Canada listen to his show, if not you can listen to him on the Internet (as the man who now lives in China does). But if you can, see his show, its even better!

Collage

2005-12-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

I went to a collage party - what fun! Definately a low cost way for adults to have a great time! There was all kinds of materials so we could make are own compositions. There were lots of magazines, colored paper, shinning stuff, ribbons, tissue, old calendars, books, wrapping paper etc. Everyone there really enjoyed themselves. I made five little collages with a color theme. I actually have a degree in visual art but haven't been doing any in years so doing this reawakened something inside of me. Collage is a wonderful way to get into art or to get back into it or to just have fun!

The Office Party

2005-12-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

It was last night on Friday. So I spent from 2:30 to 5:10 in the hair salon getting my hair dyed, cut and my face done. I like hair dressers its always been the one luxury I've always allowed myself. I love being pampered, I love being fussed over, I love having someone else wash my hair, I love listening to all the gosip and hair dressers are the nicest people to talk to they are so understanding! No matter what I've always gotten my hair cut and recently I let them color it. The transition from Raven hair to sizzling red is now almost complete and I love it! Red hair just makes me look so much younger and sophisticated. I don't like applying make up, I never got the nack for it so once a year I just pay someone else to do it. Its easy and not all that expensive. The effect was amazing. I walked out looking 10 years younger and at least 10 pounds thinner!

As for the actual office party? We all crowded into the Empress, I had my little secret Santa gift which I traded with others until I thought I had traded up. But alas what I got was this incredibly tacky stupid Santa Clause music box. I'm going to regift it for next year!

But it was fun opening it at our table. We also got crackers with funny hats (though I didn't want to ruin my hair do!) and I got marbles.

Dinner was soup, followed by what everyone thought was a smiley face salad with seared tuna. The main course was turkey - good but fairly plain. I much prefer buffets but apparently for a group our size its easier to do sit down.

Its only Dec. 2 and allready I'm sick of Christmas songs, Christmas songs at the hair dresser and while we were eating.

Ok you're probably thinking the evening was a bust! Well no it wasn't! What made the evening was all the good people around all the wonderful people my husband works with! I loved meeting them all. I love chatting with them. And when they finally switched to dancing music we got up and danced.

Secret Santa

2005-12-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

Its secret Santa time again. A secret Santa gift should never be more than $20 tops! Secret Santa gifts show your resourcefulness - regifting is fine, found gifts can be fine depending, mostly its just buying something fun. I got mine today at Curves - a woman was selling crafts. Its always wonderful when I don't have to do the mall crawl!

The Canadian Election

2005-11-29T10:46:00.000-08:00

I'll make two predictions:

Fewer people will vote than last time.

They'll be another minority government.

Cookies!

2005-11-27T15:21:00.000-08:00

It doesn't matter what you celebrate, cookies are right for all occasions. Cookies are great for guests, great as gifts, great just to have around. Here are some of my cookie recipes. http://sheknows.com/about/look/2975.htm

I love collecting cookie cutters - I go into all the cooking shops and second hand shops and everywhere looking for the right cookie cutter. I have so many now. But each one means something.

I have:

2 cats
1 fish
3 moons - 2 crescent and one full
1 bat
1 butterfly
1 frog
5 hearts
2 stars
2 draydels
1 teddy bear
1 rhino
1 sun
2 birds - 1 flying bird and an owl
1 lamb with Mary
1 musical note
1 frog
1 teacup
1 elephant
1 rabbit
2 menorahs
1 spade
1 - 4 leaf clover
1 maple leaf

So everytime I make roll out cookies I have to decide which cutters I will use. But since Hanukkah is coming up - (this year falling on Christmas) its easy all the draydels, stars, menorahs with the sun, teddy bear and a frog for fun!

Helping out - on eggs, cutting vegetables and doing it right.

2005-11-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

The synagogue was making a surprise kiddush for one of the Hebrew teachers. So I helped out in the kitchen. I had worked in the kitchen before when I made my son's Bar Mitzvah kiddush so I knew it pretty well. Its a professional kitchen complete with all kinds of gizmos, a walk in fridge and a sanitizer.

Charlotte who brags she grew up in a restuarant, and knows the biz inside and out was in charge. She set me to work on chopping everything. There is nothing in a kitchen more important than knives, a sharp knife causes fewer injuries than a dull one. Lots of bagels needed cutting and luckily they had a bagel cutter, a wonderful machine, just put the bagel in and press down on the cutter.

I thought I knew how to boil an egg but like everything else there's a technique to it. Start with cold water, put the eggs in, boil it and then let it stand in the water for 20 minutes. That way the eggs are easy to peal and no according to Charlotte there just isn't any machine for pealing eggs. So I did them, using a spoon. Tedious. After that I put each egg in the egg slicer twice, length wise and the other way so it was all bite size.

She also taught me to properly cut a pineapple, cut both sides, cut it lenght and width, cut off skin the tough center part and the skin.

Was it all worth it? Yes, the teacher was certainly surprised, she cried all the way through the service. There wasn't a dry eye in the house and everyone loved the kiddush.

Couscous

2005-11-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

Every kitchen should have couscous its a lifesaver. Its the one instant food that's good. Its awesome in stuffings, perfect in salads, with ground lamb or as a side dish. Its the easiest thing in the world to make you just add enough hot water to cover it, stir and in no time its done!

Stuffing:

Just add a bit of water and green onions, diced celery and bit of spice to it and put it in the cavity of the chicken and cook. That's it.

Salad:

Put couscous on the bottom, add one tablespoon lemon juice, on top of that put diced tomatoes, on top of that, diced cucumbers, then top off with parsley and more lemon juice and salt. Put in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then stir it up!

Ground Lamb:

Here's the fastest meal ever.

Cover coucous with hot water. Fry up ground lamb with rosemary and green onions. Add green peas.

Menopause

2005-11-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

Haven't been around in a while I'm suffering from Menopause. Hot flashes all the time. Tired. Anyway you don't want to know. Neither do I.

Pasteria

2005-11-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

Its no wonder Italian food is so popular, it is deceptively simple, seems so easy to whip up on your own and yet in the hands of a master it sings.

Last night we tried the Pasteria - a real sit down, wait to be served restaurant. And that's not all that was real. Yes, the food is a bit pricier than the ever popular Pagliacci but its better. Don't get me wrong I love Pagliacci and love going there, mostly I love reading their menus (it serves Dish with No Name, A Year of Living Dangerously and Last Chicken in Paris) but every so once in a while I want a relaxed quiet atmosphere no gimmicks and most of all food that has layers, textures, and depth of flavor. That's what the Pasteria has - depth.

We had three types of pastas all so different in taste but all excellent. Its something about the way they make the sauce or perhaps the way they roast their peppers, I'm not sure.

We actually splurged and had dessert a multi flavored gelata with dried fruit.

There is nothing like the feeling you get when you eat surprisingly good food when you discover a great restuarant.

Food Scams

2005-10-26T08:31:00.000-07:00

There are many good scams. So be careful out there often food that is fat free has added sugar and visa versa. Food that's fast to make are often lower in nutrients or/and are just a couple of minutes faster than the real thing. They are almost always heavy on salt.

Decaffinated Coffee: is probably the biggest scam going. There is no evidence that drinking one or two cups of coffee a day is bad for you. None. If you don't like cafine drink tea, herbal tea or water. Never order decaffinated coffee from a restuarant - often its the same coffee at a higher price or its been on the burner so long its dreck.

Instant Coffee: Pure dreck and with French presses, real coffee is almost instant.

Minute Rice: Fewer nutrients for 5 minutes less time and tastes like dreck. Buy a rice maker and make real rice or if you're really in hurry make couscous which is almost instant.

Stove Top Stuffing: I'm not sure if they still sell this crap but that's what it is. Ditto for boil in the bag or side kicks.

Margerine: There is no evidence that margerine is better for you than butter. It often has the same amount of fat and calories. If you are a vegetarian, kosher or lacto intolerent use olive oil which can be substituted in most recipes or use zero trans fat shortening.

One Day at the Surrey Writers Conference

2005-10-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

One Day at the Surrey Writers Conference (Regarding my Fiction)

I was confident I would get the agent and published author I picked, after all I signed up early in June. I read up on both. Knew both, had the interviews all rehearsed in my head from ‘please allow me to represent you’ to ‘this is complete and utter *^*&%’ I had figured out witty and intelligent responses to either possibility.

I was there at the Sheraton Gilford Hotel at 9:15 making my way through a predominately-female mature crowd. I fit right in. There was an easy camaraderie amongst writers, we understand each other, we share the same pain and frustrations. They gave us nametags that also included where we were from and I surprised to see so many people from the states, Ohio, New York and even the south. I didn’t get my first choice for either the writer or agent. I got Jo Beverly, I hadn’t read any of her books. When I told the woman next to me I got Don Mass who was my third choice, she just couldn’t believe it. “But he’s the best!” “I’d kill for an interview with Don Mass!” said another.

Jean Auel of the Caveman Series gave a funny, entertaining keynote address. As she spoke I couldn’t help thinking what I would be like up there doing the same. I was especially interested in what she had to say about saving the brains of a beast because they can soften hides. I made a mental note to put that into my novel.

Then she came and sat down right at our table as though she was a mere mortal and not a lofty bestselling author.

My first workshop was with my first choice for an agent Irene Goodman she talked about why Anne Boleyn was such a popular choice for any historical novel book. It became rapidly apparent why I didn’t get her as an agent. While my novel is set in the nineteenth century, from what she said, it couldn’t be packaged as HF. Mostly she talked of strong female POV often involving real people from the past. She even said, “The slutier the better.” While she did say if it’s good, it could break out but most of the books she talked about were about famous women or the wives and especially mistresses of famous men. Some topics are just more saleable than others. Its her job to package the novel.

Then came lunch where we sat with writers of the same genre. The woman next to me was writing a book about gypsies, another worried that her book about a famous actress in the 18^th century had too much graphic sex, we assured her it didn’t. The lady beside me who was writing about Scottish clans, told me that my book plot sounded like the recent movie ‘The Villagers.”

I got my first interview with Jo Beverly. She quickly read my blurb and my first two chapters. She said I was “an excellent writer. Its certainly publishable.” She did make a few suggestions. She said the prologue should be a complete story in itself, rather than another chapter. I floated out of there on air.

I dashed off to see a panel discussion with Jean Auel, Diane Gabolan (my first choice for the author interview) and Terry Brooks. All talked about the nature of research although Terry Brooks called it ‘enjoyable reading.” Terry Brooks got a laugh when he said he was “the foremost expert on elves.” Diane talked about what 17^th century hospitals were like. Jean Auel told us about how a hunch that Africans could have been in Paleolithic Russia was right.

I dashed over to Don Mass’s lecture on pacing. How we can add more tension to our writing, he gave us examples of good tension and improved on random parts of the audiences manuscripts.

Then I had my interview with him.

He read my blurb.

“Wow this is original! This is so different. Fantasy publishers are always looking for something different.”

Then he asked me the one question I never anticipated.

“What fantasy do you read?”

The trouble was I hadn’t read fantasy for a long time, I had been concentrating on historical fiction. So I just blabbered about the great standards in fantasy and other writers who bordered on the genre.

“Where did you get your idea from?”

I didn’t think at that time that telling him my story was inspired by Winnie the Pooh and the 100 Acres Woods would be appropriate so instead I blabbered on about World Mythology and Anthropology.

Then he read my first two chapters and shook his head.

He looked disappointed.

“The first part is weak; you shouldn’t start with a dream and waking up. The end of the first chapter is strong but the next chapter is too pedestrian. It needs work.”

He offered some suggestions and then said, “I’ll have to pass.”

“If I do what you say should I send it to you then?”

“Yes, please do.”

It was difficult sitting in the next two lectures – one about your character in the community. I wondered about my place in the community of writers and if it would change.

My last lecture was on endings. Unhappy, Happy, Thoughtful, Bitter Sweet , Open Ended, Circular or Hopeful? I decided the ending of my day was hopeful.

Yom Kippur

2005-10-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

It seems strange that there is much interest in work going into food for Yom Kippur when it is a fast day, but there's the meal before and after. Our meal before this year will be real Shephards pie with ground lamb. Fairly easy and filling. Just before Yom Kippur meals are big on carbs, need lots of them to fill you up for the next day. Food shouldn't be salty. Elijah who is home because of a teachers strike is going to make apple pie.

For after the fast I'm going to my friends house she always has a crowd. She keeps it all simple, make ahead salads and dips and bread. Nothing fancy. Food for after the fast should be light, easy on the stomach.

Thanksgiving - turkey

2005-10-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Terry did make it. He took the breast and braised it first. We had a plain meal, just potatoes and salad. Just the two of us and some wine. Nice.

Turkey talk

2005-10-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Its Canadian Thanksgiving and that brings us to the turkey. Though John Frobisher had the first thanksgiving dinner in North America didn't eat turkey he ate salted meat with peas, its still customary to eat turkey. And turkey has problems. They are mostly frozen and big. And people try all kinds of unhealthy ways to defrost them. The only way to defrost a turkey safely is in the fridge. And yes, that takes a couple of days. Other solutions - if possible buy the turkey fresh from a butcher and order in advance, or get turkey breast- this is what we're planning this year. I like turkey and it is healthy - it has the least amount of fat for the most amount of protien for any readily available meat at the supermarket. Its also the cheapest way to feed lots of people with meat. So yes, by all means have turkey for thanksgiving who would want to eat salted meat!

And how are we having our turkey? I don't know because this year hubby is doing it!

Rosh Hashana

2005-10-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Rosh Hashana isn't just about food, though that's certainly a big part of it.

I got to the shul at 10:00 though the service had started one hour earlier. We were on the balcony right over the beema. A good position to be in. I love looking at the stain glass windows. The singing mostly done by the many knowledgable women in the shul with beautiful but powerful voices. I especially love - Avenu Malkanu, my favorite prayer. One person says it and then the synagogue goes quiet. But then the whole congregation bursts out in song with great emotion.

The Rabbi's speach started with news from his old congregation in New Orleans. He told of a neo natal nurse who had to stay behind during the Hurricane but luckily with the help of her husband they managed to evacute in time. He told us that there will be a minyan at the Conservative synagogue in New Orleans but when the synagogue and Hebrew school will resume no one knows.

He went on to tell us, we are all so anxious too anxious - watch too much CNN - feel too much hurt and pain. Still haven't gotten over 9/11 and now Katrina. Infact the world still hasn't gotten over the Holocaust, the Jewish people still have this hole we can't get over.

He said the reason so many people want to believe so absolutely in something tangible something absolute is because they are in pain. They can't handle paradox and nuances. So instead many of them, become increasily anxious about following the letter of the law, keeping all the religious laws, scared one infraction will lead to more pain and doubt. This leads to fundamentalism rising in all religions and that leads to intolerance.

I'm refrasing here. It was a longer than usual speech but powerful.

A man blew the sofar- a ram's horn.

After that, my son, lead the congregation in Ashrai.

Later on in the afternoon - we went to the beach and we cast all our bad energy - karma and sins to the sea. We threw stones or bread crumbs. We sang songs, danced, held hands and listened the shofar.

Rosh Hashana is the new year - the new year starts - the year 5766!

Happy New Year!

CHISHWAT - And my Rosh Hashanah

2005-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

After routing around the Internet - and contacting a man who has a cookbook in Hebrew about Iraqi Jewish cooking. The dish I was interested in which my grandmother called Hashweh was in fact Chishwat.

I made a variation of it. I didn't sow a chicken skin pouch but I did put chicken pieces including skins with my grandmother's spice mix (cardomon, cloves and cinnamon), cooked rice and a tomato sauce together on a low temperature in the oven. While it didn't taste exactly like my grandmothers but it was good. The guests didn't complain.

I put a bit of the liquid from the apple and marmalade tzimmis in the lentile, dried fruit curry.

I'll never understand the point of having desert on Rosh Hashana since the entire meal is dessert!

In the Kitchen

2005-10-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

Not pregnant but barefoot and in the kitchen all day!

Decided I would create a dish inspired by my Grandmother recipe. The recipe itself is just too challenging and long for me - that would take at least another day in the kitchen!

So today I made - my grandmothers spiced rice, the tomato base- apple and orange marmalade tzimmis- dried fruit, cauliflower and lentil curry and challah!

As for the Hashweh recipe I've made some progress tracking it down - a man in Winnipeg of all places says he has it in a Hebrew Cookbook that he's going to translate for me. I think its called something else.

It's just six people but still alot of work. My mother was fond of saying that if you're going to have two people over you might as well have twenty - same amount of work - well not exactly but I think I know what she means - I could have two more people and it would be the same amount of work.

A treasure!

2005-10-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

I was in Aubergines, a specialty store today. I bought pommegranates, beautiful big ones just perfect for Rosh Hashanah. I was pleasently suprised to see they had regular kosher chickens so I bought one.

The man asked, "Anything else you need for Rosh Hashanah? We have challah?"

"I make my own."

"What about honey cake."

"All ready made."

"Really? You're a treasure!"

"Wish you'd tell my husband that. I guess I'm a dying breed."

I bought everything I need, I think. I still haven't found out about guests. And it all happens on Tuesday (I'm doing second night.)

Tomorrow I'm baking challah, the rice (my grandmothers recipe) , preparing the curry, apple and orange tzimmis and whatever else I can think of.

Have a happy new year!

Honey Cake

2005-09-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

With Rosh Hashanah I always start with the honey cake. I'm not normally all that good at cakes. I usually do what everyone else does, use the packaged mix but for Rosh Hashanah every year, I make the honey cake, at least one week before the event. Its a bit tricky, separating eggs, but dispite having an egg separator, I prefer to do it in the shell, I almost never miss. This year, they've really turned out. The egg whites were fluffy and the I gently folded them into the mix. The recipe says to use instant coffee but I don't believe in that, instead I use French Press grind coffee. Seems silly to buy instant coffee when I'm only going to use it for making honey cake.

Rosh Hashana is coming!

2005-09-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Rosh Hashana is Jewish New Years or literarly translated, the head of the year.

I need to get started on cooking and figure out what I'm going to have. I'm of two minds about the hashwa, the hand me down recipe is so difficult to decifer and there are few other recipes around even on the net. It's also from a different time when women didn't go to shul or do anything except cook, light candles and wait for everyone to come for the meal. I'm planning on going to shul and for tashlick which is a beautiful ceremony in which we throw our sins to the sea.

I also need to make vegetarian food since some of my guests are. I'm planning on a dried fruit curry. Also I'll have one fish dish, and my mom's pasta, artichoke and cranberry or/& sun dried tomatoes. The Sephardic blessing salad with beats, zuchini, leaks, dates and pommegranates. And two kinds of soup! So I'd better get started soon.

I'm also planning on making honey cake as I do every year. What could be better than that?

How many people am I having? Well my daughter is coming over and so is my friend Adele. I've told the shul I'll take others so we'll see. Often I don't know till it happens, so I'll either have lots left over for the next day or I'll have more guests than I planned on! I'll keep you posted.

When is it worth it?

2005-09-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

When is it worth it to make it from scratch? Often making it from scratch doesn't safe you money or very much money. I could make Foccacio bread from scratch but it would take a long time and I'm not sure it would be that much better than buying it and would probably only cost a dollar less. I have made pizza dough from scratch its a simple and very forgiving recipe compared to other bread doughs. I like making challah from scratch for special occasions. Its fun to make dough for other people.

Is it worth it to make lets say Greek salad from scratch? For large groups it is. I like my Greek salad with lots more cheese and olives than the ones they have in the deli.

Also I like to try and make everything once. Once I made lasange completely from scratch, with a machine. It was time consuming but it did taste better than the store bought kind even though it wasn't any cheaper. I'm glad I did it and for special occasions I'd do it again but not for an everyday meal.

Also it depends on the ingredients. Its not worth making tomato sauce with real tomatoes if they aren't fresh or local you are better off using the canned ones.

The Eating Out Alternative

2005-09-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

I love eating in restaurants but they are expensive. While I love cooking there are days, I just don't want to. Is there are middle way, a way to give cooking a rest and not pay the bills for restuarants? Yep, its called the deli. Nothing better than a deli counter. Get some good bread like a foccacio slice it and fry it up in olive oil and stuff it with harvati cheese and lettuce and tomatoes and you have a great sandwich. Buy some penne and Greek salad, and its just like a restuarant meal for about half the price. Real simple.

I got a basket for the front of my bike so now I can combine bicycling with produce and deli shopping. Its amazing how much I can put in that basket and just ride back. I go down Lockside which a bicycle path in Victoria to Mattock's Farm where I can buy all kinds of fresh produce and deli. Then just either have picnic or ride home. Its the good life!

Family heirloom recipes

2005-09-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

I finally found my grandmother's Hashwah - a middle eastern Jewish rice stuffed in chicken skins recipe. My aunt had it. She had the foresight to spend a day with my grandmother and write down all the steps. And it takes all day to make. It's four steps - there is the spice mixture, the soup, the rice, the chicken. It involves sewing up chicken skins. Its complicated, time consuming and a far cry from the fast food -just-get-it-on-the -table -approach. Its not diet food. It involves lots of cook time and relies on "Many hands make light work" rather than too many "too many cooks spoil the broth". The idea was that the women of the family and servants would all do this together and there would always be someone home in the kitchen. Just about all families had a recipe like this at one time, and so many families lost them.

Many of the family thought Hashwah wasn't unique to our family the recipe is in cookbooks its the same one. But it wasn't the spicing was different. And the recipe changed in purpose. I remember it as a Friday night meal, magical in how just a few chickens could feed so many and how good it all was but looking at it and other recipes like it I realize it was a Saturday recipe. The idea was to leave the stuffed chicken skins in the oven on a low heat over night so in the morning on Shabbat you wouldn't have to cook and you would have something hot to eat. In an age of hot pots this is no longer needed even by those who strickly observe the no cooking no working rules of Shabbat.

But hashwah like so many other recipes is an important part of history, we can't easily discard.

Disasters

2005-09-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

Watching the aftermath of hurricane Katrina - made me wonder. No place is safe, if you don't get hurricanes chances are you get earthquakes, twisters, flooding, ice storms, avalanches, mud slides etc. And I wonder how safe any of us are and how prepared our governments or any governments are? I live in an earthquake zone on an island. If the big one came and unlike hurricanes there is no forewarning -- what would we do? Who would come to rescue us? Would we end up looting? Stealing because there's nothing else we could do? Where would we go? Its all scary.

The Potluck

2005-08-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

I was at a wonderful potluck yesterday in Vancouver. It worked. Everyone brought salads and side dishes the host supplied chicken which guests barbacued with cookies and fruit for dessert. A wonderful simple summer meal.

There are three main ways to have a potluck:

(a) real potluck people bring what they want. So if there are five different Greek salads that's ok.
Except it isn't. This is a fun way of doing it but it often doesn't work.

(b) Catagories - A to G bring salads, H to J bring side dishes etc. Everyone is assigned a type of dish to bring thus ensuring that there are different types of meals. Yes, but I hate bossing around my guests and telling people what to do and what to bring.

(c) People bring salads and deserts and the host supplies the main meal. This works, everytime I've seen it. This way it doesn't matter if you get 3 Greek salads so long as you have a main course everyone is happy.

Letter to the Globe and Mail- Re: CBC lockout.

2005-08-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

I thought Canada was now I sovereign nation? I thought we had repatriated the constitution and established our own. I thought we had our own flag and anthem. Alas, I was wrong! I turn on our national taxpayer supported television station CBC and all there is, is the English Antique Road Show and the BBC news. Anyone would think we were still a colony without home rule or responsible government.

While Britannia rules the CBC television waves, Zombies are running CBC radio with soulless dull repetitive music and an announcer who keeps on reminding us every fifteen minutes that their staff is all out to lunch, indefinitely.

Perhaps this is all part of a plan to lull the Canadian populace into a semi comatose state so the Danes can secretly take over the Eastern Arctic.

Pizza BBQ!

2005-08-17T13:42:00.000-07:00

I had the writer's group over and we had barbacued pizza! I just made the usual pizza crust. Its just flour, yeast, oil, pinch of salt, a bit of sugar and water. Its one of the easiest bread doughs to make, not as fussy as others, and if its not perfect it doesn't matter. I roll out the dough one hour before and pinch the sides. Heat the Barbie up to 300 and put them in the pinched side down. Then my guests make their own pizza, putting on their own toppings - pizza sauce (just tomato paste with olive oil, and basil), soya veggie pepperoni and salami, chopped red bell peppers, mushrooms, black olives and various grated cheeses. So everyone has the pizza they like. The guests brought the salad, dessert and drinks. Lots of fun and easy. And the best way to make pizza has that smocky taste to it.

Movies

2005-08-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

I used to like going to movies. But now its a chore. Here's why fewer people are going to movies:

1. Lousy popcorn that tastes like greased syrofoam.

2. No attendent around so if someone is talking all the way through or singing or just being obnoxious there is nothing you can do about it.

3. Commercials. I don't mind movie preview but I hate having to pay to see a commercial.

4. The price, no discounts anymore for anything.

5. Lousy retred, sequel and prequel movies that I and apparently lots of other people don't want to see.

6. It doesn't take all that long for most films to get into DVD where I can watch them in the confort of my own home.

Why I still like to go to the movies, sometime.

1. It gets me out of the house and somewhere else.

2. See the movie with other like minded people who enjoy the same entertainment I do.

3. I don't have to wait.

New and old produce I like at the Green Grocer

2005-08-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

Shanghai Bok Choy - a bit more flavor, texture and color than the other bok choy.

Pink Lady Apples - just perfect for eating and baking. Good overall apple.

English peas - classic. Yes, it takes time to shell them but you can do that in front of the tv.

Peaches - nothing else to say.

Corn on the cob - I zap them 4 minutes husk and all in the microwaves and eat them with butter or olive oil.

Simple Summer Treats

2005-08-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

Here are the simple summer treats:

Gelato - so much sweeter and lighter than ice cream. My favorite - mango.

Ice cream - still love it. Especially Bryers Strawberry ice cream.

Ice Tea - The best summer drink around - just a twist of lemon. Houltan Fish and Chips makes the best Ice Tea in Victoria.

Salads - so many shapes and forms and variety. They're great year round but this time of year they're special. My favorite - strawberry!

Berries - My favorite blue berries just with whipped cream.

Chicken and picnics

2005-08-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

Its back to chicken for our weekly Wednesday picnic on top of Beacon Hill Park.

Cheese, bread and antipesto are fine for lunches but for dinner, we like chicken. Chicken is amazingly versitle, you can do anything with it! Today I put in Chinese noodles, bean sprouts and cashew nuts with lots of Teriyaki and Soya sauce and a pinch of hot sauce and ginger.

For dessert there's nothing like a crisp - or a bunty - so easy to make. One layer rolled oats, flour and shortening, the filling is apples and blue berries (though the possibilities are endless with anything in season) and top it with rolled oats, flour, shortening and crushed walnuts.

Every Wednesday night I do a class in Jewish Yoga, no I'm not making this up its real. Its based on the Jewish alphabet and its relaxing and even fun. I always feel refreshed afterwards.

5 Kilometers

2005-08-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

I was never athletic. I was active and strong. I always helped dad move furniture since my brother had asthma and was according my parents, destined to be a world famous classic guitar player (never happened) . But I was a klutz, walking into wall kind of klutz, last person picked for any team. Just barely getting by in phsy-ed. That was me. I was a ballet klutz. I was so bad my parents didn't see any point in getting me a bike. I got more dance lessons instead, I was somewhat better at modern interpretive dance and even better at folk dance. So walking which I did alot of, became by excersize. I just walked everywhere.

Until ----

One winter morning at 4:oo I woke up to let the cat in. I fell down the stairs and dislocated my ankle.

Ok you're probably wondering how could this make anyone more athletic, especailly since I was just starting menopause.

Its because of the physio therapy. These guys didn't listen to me when I told them all I wanted to do was walk again. I wasn't athletic I couldn't go on any kind of program, what were they kidding? I can't stand on one leg or tip toe or balance anything! I was put in a room with athletic type people and discovered they weren't all that different from me. When he told me I needed to be on a fitness program and get into some kind of sport, I couldn't believe he was talking to me.

Later I decided to join Curves, a non judgemental, you only compete against yourself. I got better coordinated. I could see I was getting less klutzy. Having less accidents.

After a year and half, I decided that I needed more. So I got a bike. And I rode it.

Yesterday after only 2 weeks Terry took me down to a place where I could ride for miles without any traffic, a place for bikes, joggers, and pedestrians, Lockside. I biked for 5 kilometers! Hey, if I can do this anyone can!

Picnic on top of the World - well Vancouver Island ;-0

2005-08-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

We did A for antipesto but that was it. We bought the antipesto from Thrifties Supermarket along with cream cheese, and Brie and we bought Focochia bread at Pure Vanilla Bakery and Restaurant. I made a simple lettuce and sprout salad and a variation on my mothers cranberry and artichoke salad except I used Thousand island salad dressing instead of miracle spread and sun dried tomatoes instead of cranberry. It worked.

We drove to the Observatory overlooking Saanich, Victoria, various lakes and mountains. What in the world could be better than that. No restuarant in the world could duplicate that. It was so simple and easy.

Picnic Alphabet

2005-08-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday evening we go to Beacon Hill park, I pack a picnic - chicken and salad of some sort.

I got bored with the same thing every week and thought I'd ask the Jewish food list serve (Jewishfood-list.com) for any suggestions for something different. Well much to my suprise they came up with 26 suggestions in alphabetical order! One person did A to C and the rest followed.

Here they are:

A - anti pasta
B- bourekas
C- chips and salsa
D - dolmates
E- eggs devilled
F- French green beans marinated
G- Grilled chicken bits
H- Hummus
I- Israeli salad
J- Jicama
K- Ketchup
L- Lemonaide
M- Manderin Oranges
N-Necturines
O- Olives
P- Pita
Q- Quinoa Pilaf
R- Roasted red peppers
S- skirt steak for fajita wraps
T- Tropical chicken salad
U- Umbrella in case of rain
W- Watermelon
X - X-lax for those who ate too much
Y- Yams
Z- Zuchini

I'll keep you posted if we add any of these to our picnic basket!

Rejection

2005-07-31T15:26:00.000-07:00

Its a fact that if you send out a lot of queries for a novel, chances are you'll get a lot of rejections. There are way many more writers than there are markets, just the way it is. They don't need you, you need them. Its tough. I've just completed a novel, the synopsis, cover letter etc and I've been sending it out so I've been getting lots of rejections. One day I got two rejections neither of them signed both form letters in one day! I like sending out queries by email because it saves on stamps. Sending it out by mail means I have to have Self Addressed Stamped Envelope something I hate especially since I send it out to a lot of US markets and so I need US stamps. Its a total hassle and it adds up. So why do I send out queries by snail mail? Well, I ran out of places that just accept electronic submissions and there is the hope that fewer people will go through the hassle of sending out through the mail and my query will therefore get noticed. Which hasn't worked at all, because there are just too many people out there who are desparate to get published. So what am I doing about it? I signed up for the Surrey Writer's Conference where I can actually see an agent in the flesh, I'm hoping that this will make a difference. The Conference is in Oct.

How do I cope with rejection? Well failure makes one philosophical. Nothing sparks soul searching or having a new outlook on life like failure. Also by getting rejections I have tangible evidence I did something, I tried.

Ironically my novel - Crow Tree (A mysterious force lures certain people to Crow Tree, once there, they cannot leave.) was inspired by failure. Its about being stuck, in a rut and not being able to get out. We were stuck for a long time in a rut, unable to get good jobs, living on little money with children, renting, unable to get anything published, just stuck... It was like when Pooh Bear got lost in the 100 Acre Woods and kept on bumping into the same hole in the ground, unable to find his way home. See, what I mean, failure does make you philosophical, if nothing else. So being in this state I wrote a novel. Now I have to let my stomach to talk to my honey pots and get home!

I'll keep you updated, still a few more queries out there!

BBQ and Picnics

2005-07-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Its summer time and the cooking is so easy! Its all barbecues and picnics and the great thing about bbq is that the menfolk take over! Its just a salad, or potatoes on the grill, pepper, corn on the cob, zucchini, on the bbq or potatoe salad and throw the marinated meat (always marinate meat in the refrigerator) on the grill. For the veggitarians its a bit more --- I'm planning bbq pizza for my writer's group. If you haven't tried bbq pizza well they're so good and fairly easy. Just make or buy a thick pizza base, brown on both sides, put a sauce and topping over it and then the cheese and grill. Simple. Tastes great.

Potatoe salad is a true staple this time of year --- great for picnics. I like it with sour cream hubby prefers mayo or mix the two together. The little thin skinned potatoes are best for salad.

Berries are also wonderful. Blueberry season what could simplier than blueberries with whipped cream!

Lots of fruit and veggies, meat on the grill --- life is easy.

Input/Output

2005-07-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

I love food and eating as anyone reading this blog will know. So I have to excersize to maintain what I have and I was never well coordinated or athletic. Finding the right regimen for me isn't easy. I started Curves a year and half ago and its just right for me. I walk there carrying my runners, once there I do the circuit. I get out of the house, meet people and participate in the all activities. I'm now two dress sizes smaller than when I started, and well I don't diet ;-)

In the last two months I've reached a plateau and needed something else. So I took up bicycling. It seemed like a natural thing to do, since both my husband and son are avid cyclists and its a way of getting around. I haven't done it in a long time and I was suprised by how much I enjoyed it, how much better coordinated I am, and how much bicycles had changed. They say you never forget how to ride a bicycle but what they don't tell you is that bicycles have changed. I keep on peddling backwards to stop instead of using the breaks. They also say you can't teach old dogs new tricks. This is why writers should never use cliches because very often they are wrong. This old menopausal dog is learning new tricks!

Penguins!

2005-07-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

I don't know when exactly I became enamored by penguins, but every year I buy the penguin calendar and at the end of every year I cut out the pictures I like and hang them around my office. They are a symbol of endurance, survival, and making the best of a situation.

So when I found out there was a full length documentary just on penguins called March of the Penguins I just had to see it. So since my hubby doesn't share my love of this flightless bird I went to Vancouver and saw it with my good friend Wendy and my daughter Ariella. Ariella reluctantly went with me, she told me we'd be the only three people in the movie theatre on the early Thursday night show. She was wrong it was 3/4 full of confirmed penguin lovers! All oohing and ahhing all the way through!

The March of the Penguins is a beautiful but honest protrayal of life in the harshest land in the world. There is tears, laughter and so much beauty and love in this movie. Its a cliche, I know but I really did laugh and cry. The gruelling march across the vast ice by creatures more adapt to the sea, is maginificant. The finding a mate and the actual mating practice is beautiful and touching and also funny in parts. Watching the eggs appear, the males guarding the eggs while the females goes back to the water for food and seeing the miracle of the eggs hatching is both heart rendering and warming.

There is so much crap on, so few good movies this summer but this movie shines, it has a narrative arc its poignent and most of all - it has penguins!

What I like about the US

2005-07-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

What I like about the US

Yes, I know it seems to be an almost Universal game to knock the US but here are some things I like about American culture:

Movies – yes, I know Americans didn’t invent movies but it seems so American – I love Casablanca, Shawshank Redemption, Harry Meets Sally, Groundhog Day, and about hundred more! I love Speilburg films – Encounters of the Third Kind, ET, The Color Purple.

TV – MASH – Barney Miller my favorite sitcoms!

Jazz – This is probably America’s greatest cultural gift to the world and to civilization! Love the Marseiles, Philonious Monk, Louis Armstrong, Swing, Old Blue Eyes, Nat King Cole, Ella Fritzgerald. I just love it all.

Art – I actually like Warhole’s soup cans and Jackson Polack’s huge canvases (have to see them in the flesh) but I love Georgia O’Keefe’s flowers.

Literature – Scot Fritzgerald, Hemmingway, UK Le Guine, Little Women, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café (I think that’s the name) , all the Magody books by Joan Hess, To Kill a Mockingbird, Hillerman’s Navajo mysteries and a lot more.

US Spelling - Its easier than Canadian and Brit spelling and who needs all those 'u' s ?

Food – Is there anything better than an apple pie with vanilla ice cream on top, yes, I know Americans didn’t invent either but they are so good together! And is there anything better than a grilled hamburger or a hot dog at a game?

There’s a lot more beside. So to all my American Friends – Happy Holiday!

Canadian Food

2005-07-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should say something about food.

Is there such a thing as a Canadian cuisine?

Well yes, and no.

Yes, there are dishes which are considered to be Canadian like butter tarts, beaver tails, buffalo burgers, thousand island salad dressing, fiddle heads, Naniamo bars and poutine but if you haven't heard of most of these you're not alone. Not too many people eat Canadian cuisine or know much about it. Few know what Arctic Char is (its a fish and I've never had it). And I've never actually had poutine - fries with gravy and cheese curd or beaver tails - deep fried pasty in a beaver tail shape.

The first identifiable Canadian dish was butter tarts but sadly the donut has replaced that. Fiddle heads can be bought in early summer sometimes. I've had them. Buffalo burgers aren't mainly Canadian we share that with the Americans.

I have written articles on Canadian cooking and included Naniamo bars, rhubarb crisp, buffalo burgers, bannock (a bread you can make on the bbq or the camp fire) salmon and red and white stir fry and salad.

There's also the problem that so much Canadian cooking isn't allowed anymore. Muskox has long been tabooed along with real seal flipper pie and bbq whale bladder. Buffalo meat is controversial.

Tonight we're just throwing steaks on the barbie.

Canada Day

2005-07-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

It's Canada Day formally (and in my opinion should be still called) Dominian Day. We're not doing much, just driving around Victoria, having fish and chips at Barb's by the sea, saw an otter and watched a heron fish. We also listened to CBC.

Possibily the best thing about Canada is CBC and if they took away CBC I don't know what I'd do. I don't think I could write anything, I certainly would never know what the real time is or what to do in case of an emmergency. So much of my life is bound up in CBC - all that wonderful music, knowledge of all things Canadian and of course the Vinyl Cafe.

Here's a list of other great Canadian things:

Hockey - love it! Ties with soccer as the greatest team sport in the world!

TV shows - Corner Gas, D'Vinci's Inquest (now going to be D'Vinci's Mayor's Office) The National, The News Room, The Rick Mercer Report (formally the Monday Report)

Canlit - The Stone Angel by Magerate Lawrence, The Piano Man's Daughter by Tim0thy Findley, The Under Painter by Jane Urquhart, Life of Pi by Mantel.

Musicians - Stan Rogers, Joni Mitchell, Gorden Lightfoot, Oscar Peterson, Glenn Gould, The Bare Naked Ladies, Lenard Cohen

Artists - Emily Carr, Laureen Harris, A Y Jackson, Milne, Joyce Wayland

But the best thing about Canada is that it is the freest country in the world! You can do anything here! ANYTHING!!

Me and the sea

2005-06-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Having lived on the West Coast almost all my life, and on a island for a good part of it, you'd think that me and sea have come to some kind of an agreement. I'd have my sea legs by now. Love every oppotunity to be out there on the sea. Well its yes and no. I love kayaking in calm waters. Just going out and paddling. Love that. Never have attempted nor do I wish to go white water rafting. Just simple straightforward out in the water, calm sea, paddling.

I've had two experiences with sailing, both at my husband's pre annual BBQ office party. Last year it was glorious, sailing out, being in the water, except the wind could have been better. This year the wind was better BUT - we got a pig. The pig that couldn't swim. We should have known when we got in that it was a pig from the four inches of water but we just bailed it out and once we were in it was fine, for the first half hour. Terry was the skipper and I handled the mast and jib. A bit challenging since I couldn't wear my hearing aids and I have no sense of direction but once we got that going, we went fast. Then the water came back. I tried bailing but Terry couldn't see what was in front of us and it was difficult doing that handling the ropes. Then when it was time for us to get back, we were stranded. Couldn't move. The kelp got in the rudder. After that it got worse, more water, we had to paddle in, Terry paddling, me with the rudder. By the time we got it to the dock, we were soaked, and aching. It took the three of us to get it onto the dock and even then we didn't get it right.

After we got home showered and changed it was back to the office BBQ - alot more casual than the office Christmas party but suprisingly better food, a buffet with BBQ chicken, salmon and kabobs. Good stuff.

Its also interesting to meet all the people Terry works with. One fellow, was a enthusiatic passionate boater, he took us down to the docks and showed us the boats. Told us all about his sailing with his son, and how much he loved it. He talked of going over and the thrill of racing. He explained the techniques of various boats. It all sounds so wonderful. But despite all that, I'll still to kayaking.

Aftermath

2005-06-19T18:33:00.000-07:00

I thought I could just lay low for a while and chill out but no. I've got a deadline. The NewCanadian has accepted my query so now I'm writing a 2,000 word article with the working Title - Italy in Victoria. Its been fun going around the town looking for anything Italian and there's a lot of coffee, panini sanwiches, antipasta, Italian bakeries etc. Its about Victoria and its about food, love both them! I love Medditarian food, the breads, olive oil, olives, tomato sauces and pasta! Great stuff!

Elijah isn't taking it easy either, he just came back from a school trip to Seattle to see the zoo, music museam and a Mariners game against Philly and the home team won! Now he has exams and all those thank you notes.

This weekend we didn't have anything but next we have an office party and then a whole string of Bar Mitzvah parties to go to.

In the meantime - I finally came up with a name for my cook book - They're All Coming! Jewish Holiday Cookbook.

I'm also editing my novel.

So its no rest for the wicked;-)

And then a wedding....

2005-06-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

It was weeks back that I got a call from my brother in law (my husband's brother) , Christopher in Alberta saying that not only was he and Sherril and their two daughters are coming to the bar mitzvah but that after 15 years of living together they decided they would get married in Victoria. Wow!

I got a list of Justice of the Peace together. Found out the rules, get a license at city hall, and present ID. That's it.

So on Monday, in the afternoon, we went to the Government House gardens and there with the roses as a back ground, they were married. She wore a lovely Saffron colored gown. Her daughters aged 13 and 10 were there. There was one other couple. They exchanged vows, instead of a ring for Christopher she presented him with a necklace. She cried all the way through, he couldn't stop looking at her.

Despite incremental weather all week, the sun broke through right during the ceremony.

After we went to Milos and had a wonderful meal. I believe everyone there liked what they got even the 13 year old vegetarian!

The Bar Mitzvah

2005-06-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

I had told everyone to come at 10:00 not at 9:00 when officially the service starts. Standing in the synagogue looking up at the stainglass windows, and ahead at the beema I wished I told everyone to come at 9:00 then I would know everyone was there. My uncle Moshe was there so was my father, my friend Nicole from our writer's group. Mother isn't there yet, nor is my aunt Hazel or my daughters, and many more from Vancouver. Once Charlotte, the woman who does the kitchen came in, I could relax a bit. I half listened to the opening prayers, I don't believe I'd ever been at the synagogue so early. Its so peaceful with only a handfull of people, but everyone there is so focused. Slowly others trickle in, a couple I don't know visiting from Florida, other regulars. Now we have a minyan and we can begin the real praying. My daughters come in and sit just behind us, Elijah's friends from school go to the balcony. All the prayers now are in Hebrew and I wonder how those who aren't Jewish are enjoying them. I don't hold the prayer book, I'm too nervous but at the same time serene, engulfed in the experience.

They open the Torah, the first alyia (coming up to read the Torah) is Jacob Glanzer, a Cohen (from the Priestly family), our friend and Elijah's God Father. He says the prayers with flourish. Then Tamar Levy, who tutored Elijah and whoes family was the first Jewish family we met when we came to Victoria read for the Levy. She's young but old enough for the honour.

Then came aunt Hazel Hebrew name Esther daughter of Gershom - my mother's grandfather and Sarah my grandmother. Looking every bit like a Queen, as beautiful as Queen Esther herself. I looked at her, radiant smile and saw right behind her my grandmother, great grand mother and all the women of our family going back to Eve.

My daughters, Ria - hebrew name Miriam and Ariella came to the beema. So proud of my daughters, radiant and beautiful and harmonizing their prayer, in a sweet but powerful voice.

Then my father, Dov Ari with the names of my grandmother and the grandfather I'd never known. He said his.

I took a deep breath and Terry (my husband, Elijah's father) walked up to the Beema. It was our time. We said our prayer together. We had raised our son together and here we were together offering him prayers.

Then, it happens the other part, the part we had rehearsed two days ago, the important part. Our son, in white shirt and tie with black pants and the all purpose black runners leads came to the beema.

Now as a man, he stood front and center facing the congregation said his prayer, read the Torah.
We say another prayer, symbolizing our acceptance of his manhood, his ascent in the community. We pass the Torah from my father, to me, to Terry to Elijah. He leads up around the synagogue, we wave, we hold hands, everyone is there, every one smiles, and congradualates us.

Adele my good friend reads the prayer for the congregation. Greg, Ria's life partner reads the prayer for Canada. Wendy a friend from my old writers group in Richmond reads the prayer for peace.

Elijah goes up again and this time reads the whole haft Torah of Samuel. He reads his speach, it is about dreams, it is about how his grandfather, his father's father came to me in a dream and I knew I would have a son, as an angel came to Samuel's mother and told her.

We said a prayer releasing ourselves from responsibility of his sins and now they were his. Terry made a speech in which he quoted Bobby McFerrine and Hillel. It was short and funny.

They go around again. Moshe sings. Elijah now leads the congregation in prayer. We all sing.

I breath, it is over, its all over, except for the luncheon.

As for the food, everyone loved it! Everything turned out the sauce, the polenta all cut in star of Davids, the tuna salad made by my friend Lisa, regular salad, my mother's artichoke, cranberry pasta salad, and the pizzas. It all goes in no time, but everyone got something.

After that, the out of the town guests come to our house. That night, the kids have a party at Peacock Billards, it was a hit, apparently, I didn't go I was in bed.

Universal Theme in Literature - Coming of Age

2005-06-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

Coming of Age

In many cultures there are rituals and ceremonies marking the coming of age of a child into adulthood. Even where there is no obvious marker there is always a transition. In literature this transition is often marked with a dramatic event or turnaround.

In the bible, David a boy kills a giant with a slingshot and by doing so becomes a man, a hero and eventually King.

Arthur pulls the sword from the stone, thereby fulfilling his destiny and becoming king.

In Dickens - Nicolas Nicolby, Oliver Twist, David Cooperfield and Pip of Great Expectations, all go out into the world, meet others, have adventures and grow (if not prosper) from the experience. Starting off as an innocent they meet both the good and the bad, get tricked, but get back up and in the end they all are wiser more mature than they were before.

Frodo leaves his shire, carries a ring to the end of the world and destroys it, thus saving his world but through the journey discovers his remarkable potential.

Luke Skywalker, discovers a recording of a beautiful princess in distress, the journey that leads to turns him from a farm boy into a man, and a Jedi.

In the movie Stand By Me, a group of young boys spend a summer looking for a dead body, in doing so they wrestle their own demons and move into manhood.

Yes, there are girl coming of age stories to-

Fanny in Jane Austin’s Mansfield Park, comes to her rich relatives home as a shy awkward girl no better than a servant, but through her stay transforms into a lady of the manor.

Alice, in Wonderland, starts off as an obedient proper English girl but through her adventures grows in confidence and finally finds her own way back by realizing these crazy overbearing ‘adults’ are just a pack of cards.

Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz realizes she has the means to realize her potential through helping others realize theirs.

Gigi’s grandmother and grandaunt force her to become what they were, kept women, she rebels and questions her families station in life but then relents in order to be with the man she loves. Eventually it does work out and she transforms into a respectable married woman. (It was a novel but I’m using the example of the movie musical.)

In Spirited Away (A Japanese Animation) a schoolgirl visits a magical spirit land becomes a servant and eventually goes on a quest to save her parents, thus realizing her true potential.

Its obvious why this is an enduring and universal theme, because its about a shared experience we all grow from childhood to an adult and almost all of us can point to a turning point a defining momment where we felt we finally got closer to the person we are now.

Second day

2005-06-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

It went easier, I now know where everything is. This time I used the stove, its gass so every time I lit it I worried that I'd blow the synagogue up, but I didn't and I got used to it after a short while. It did take some gettting used to, especially adjusting the flame.

So with help today I made bean salad, real easy, just opened up cans. All I'm adding is limed red onions, I lime them so they're not as sharp tasting, and pealed bell orange and red peppers. On Friday I'll add parsley That's simple, I put a skillet on the stove and moved the peppers around till their skins are loose. Then I peal them. I personally prefer orange to red bell peppers can't really say why. My friend who came to help chopped them. I don't like them finely chopped, I like people to see what they're eating. I used some for the bean salad and others for the beanless sauce which I'm making with diced tomatoes and paste and of course onions with various spices. On Friday I'll add ground soya.

Then we made the polenta, its Italian corn bread it goes with the sauce. I made it with eggs. Because its a kosher kitchen we have to check every egg for blood, luckily there weren't any. First I boil water, then slowly add the corn meal once it thicken, we added the eggs, one at a time.

Then I boiled up pasta, bow tie and shells for an artichoke and cranberry pasta salad.

I won't be in the synagogue tomorrow, got to have one day to prepare my house for all the guests but I'll be back Friday. Friday night, mom's bringing a shabbat dinner. So I've got to get the house cleaned up and buy a few more things and attend to all those last minute details! I don't know when I'll blog again.

First Day in the Kitchen

2005-06-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Getting to know another kitchen is never easy. I keep on looking for things and can't find them. Are shul's kitchen is as kosher kitchen go, fairly easy, its all diary no meat allowed, which makes everything easier not just keeping kosher but food safety. Today I made pizzas. Pizza dough is one of the easiest doughs to make. Its simple, yeast, flour, oil, water, sugar, and a pinch of salt. I use the fast rising yeast and put in it with the dry ingredients, then I add the water. After that I add flour. I found a high spot away from drafts put a clean wet towel over it for 45 minutes. Then I rolled it out and put on the toppings. My friend who was helping me suggested I put the toppings over the cheese, I prefer cheese ontop of toppings, just a preference but since we're doing this for lots of people I did it both ways. My toppings include: Yves Soya Veggie Pepperoni and their salami, black olives (a pizza isn't a pizza without olives) and pineapple. Interesting cultural difference between Americans and Canadians - Americans don't like pineapple in their pizza, Canadians do. Apparently according to the Americans who were passing by the kitchen, pineapples are an abboration! Oh well, we made all kinds of different combinations which is why pizzas are a must at just about any large gathering, you can do them so many ways.

Then we made the hummus. I remember the days before kitchen aids - grinding the chick peas, I really like just putting them in a machine, then just by taste and feel add tehina, fresh lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of baking soda. Hummus lasts and tastes better after a couple of days and its perfect with pita and of course olives.

Bar Mitzvah update

2005-06-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

Its all coming together. I've bought most of the food. We got Elijah's shirt, pants and his very first tie at where else Walmarts, along with all purpose black runners. Hey he only has to look presentable for one day. I'm crossing off items on my to do list. I have to figure out what the kids will eat for the kids only billard's party. I've figured out where everyone will sleep.

The weather doesn't look good for that day but then its all in doors.

Checked back with the Rabbi and organic is kosher as far as he's concerned. A good thing.

I've changed the menu around - its just fruit and ice cream for dessert. I've got a beanless soya chilli with egg polenta, no potato salad but I have tuna, bean, plain and pasta with artichokes and cranberries. No bagels but I have pita with hummus. I also have pizza with soya veggie pepperoni, pineapple and olives.

I've got people sleeping over on the couch in sleeping bags! Other people billeted with friends. And still others in a hotel!

I've also got a freezer full of biscotti!

There are so many details, Tallit, hats, grape juice, candy, serviettes, linnens, challah.......

But I know it will all work out.

Adventures at the mall

2005-06-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have to look good after all I am the mother of the Bar Mitzvah boy. So it was off to the mall, right after it opened, to my favorite clothing store. I"m a size 16, so in the plus size stores I'm their smallest size and in the regular stores I'm the biggest. Trying on clothes after clothes trying to keep in mind all the rules, structured clothes, V neck lines, color but not too much, clothes that have a waist line, unfortunately whoever designs these clothes don't know the rules. There's one red dress with a black mesh top that might do but with a whole mall of options, I'd better hunt some more. Off I go from store to story, picking through capris, short-short skirts, and sacks, rows of sacks in every color.

"Do you have any dresses that aren't sacks." I ask

The women shake their heads, "No, its just mostly capris and tops."

"Like everyone else here."

It's time for my hair appointment. I love going to the hairdressers and even when I didn't have much money I still went as often as I could. Its a cheap form of therapy. I love someone else washing my hair. I love talking to the stylist. Is anything better. Now I am even closer to my life long dream of being a red head.

She gives sage advice, go to the department store, they could have something.

I take her advice and enter the store in the cosmetic section. Usually I walk as briskly as I can past the make up boothes but this time, I look. I might, actually buy make up and actually wear it. I might just do that. But when the women with impossibly long fingernails accoust me, I flee before I bump into a lady selling scents, new fresh scents for today!

I flee to the dress section, inspecting rows and rows of shapeless sacks in every color. A male voice comes on, "Ladies do you know the importance of finding the right bra? Allow our team to fit you properly."

I leave, go back to my favorite store try on the red dress and black mesh, again and this time decide I like it.

Writing and food - what else?

2005-05-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

When I first came to Victoria, I left two writer's groups in Richmond and if there's one thing I can't live without its a writers group. I knew from online and my association with the writersbbs.com one writer living in Victoria, so we decided to start a group. She knew one writer and then we were three. Nicole writes YA fantasy and poetry, Adele writes about the people in her life and poetry, and then there's me, at the time I wrote everything except poetry. Nicole is a grammatarian, while Adele is more likely to look for inconsistancies. We met at each others houses. Serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea or dessert depending on which time we could all make it, since Nicole is a nurse. We try to meet at least twice a month. We have copies of what we want to present for that session and we read them out loud as well. Reading outloud is so important in writing anything because you catch mistakes. Its a mostly pleasent but intense way to pass a morning, afternoon or evening. We did this for a year and then a member of my Richmond group decided to move to Victoria and now we are four with Gillean. She writes novels and poetry. And now amazingly I write poetry as well. Now that we are four, we decided we needed a name - The Writer's Caldron! It mixed food with writing - a most pleasent mix.

Bar Mitzvah Update:

I have to make everything in the shul's kitchen and go by the conservative rules. Its an all diary kitchen which is good since meat not only complicates kosher rules but also food safety is harder. I love cheese and diary food of all kinds. Still I need to stay kosher, make sure all prepared foods are kosher, and that's a challenge at times. Still haven't food a tin of black olives that are kosher. I'm asking the Rabbi is organic is the same as kosher, we'll see. Lettuce has to be soaked to make sure there are no bugs in it, and eggs all have to be checked separately to make sure there isn't any blood in it. Cheese has to be renetless.

Then there's the challenge of cooking for that many people and coming up with expandable food. Sauces can work but it means they have to heated up. All recipes have to trippled. I do have helpers. There's the fear there won't be enough food. I am hiring someone on Saturday because I just can't be in two places at the same time.

Then there's the kitchen, working in another kitchen is a challenge. Every kitchen has its own quirks and personality. It takes a bit of time to find out how to work best in a new kitchen. Where is everything, where is the best place to chop, and prepare. Get used to the knives. Get a system going.

I start cooking next week. I'll update here.

More Universal Themes:

Good vs. Evil

It seems corny and incredibly simplistic. There’s the good guy – Moses, Hercules, God (as in Milton’s Paradise Lost), Cinderella, Sherlock Holmes, Frodo, Superman and Luke Skywalker etc.

Then there’s the bad guy – Pharaoh, Herah, The Devil, Evil Step- sisters, Moriarty, Saraman, Lex Luther (I think) and Darth Vader etc.

We know the good guys help out others and the bad guys are just in it for themselves. That’s how you can tell them apart. Despite its simplicity, we like revisiting this theme and given the popularity of Star Wars and Lord of the Ring, it doesn’t seem to dying out. There’s something inside of us that keeps believing that good will triumph over evil, that there is a hero out there who is on our side, the side for good.

There also seem to be a connection between the good guys and the bad ones, almost intimate at times. Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s house, was adopted by his sister. Hercules has the name Hera in his and was her husbands illegitimate (one of many) son. God created the Devil. Cinderella lives in the same house as her step sisters. And Luke is Darth Vader’s son. Evil is clever and as strong as good in many cases. Moriarty is a professor and just as smart as Holmes. But good triumphs ( in fiction) because it is persistent, has unselfish motivations and because we want to triumph, we want the good guys to win.

The Trickster Prevails

This could be the oldest universal theme. In almost every society there is an imp, or a creature that first brings chaos but then turns it around for human’s benefit. The Trickster rarely wants to help anyone though he (I can’t think of a female trickster, although sometimes the trickster can change into a female) also doesn’t set out to do harm. The Trickster is merely interested in doing what’s best for himself or just having a good time and poking fun and playing tricks on the Shaman or the more conventional authorities in the world. The trickster is found in hunting and gathering societies in North America as the coyotes on the plains and the raven in the North West Coast. The Raven steals the sun merely because he wants to play with it by doing so he brings light to the world. He wants a place to sit down and fish, therefore he brings dry land. In Africa and amongst slaves in the south it was Rabbit as in the Uncle Remus Brer Rabbit stories and there are also English rabbit/trickster stories like Peter Rabbit.

In Shakespeare’s A Mid Summer’s Night Dream – Puck creates havoc with spells but in the end it all works out.

In children stories like Curious George and the Cat in the Hat, the tricksters first create havoc simply out of boredom or something to do but in the end it somehow turns out to be all right and the children enjoy it.

On the Road to Tofino

2005-05-22T12:02:00.000-07:00

ON THE ROAD TO TOFINO

It poured almost all the way there; it stopped only for a couple of hours and rained virtually all the way back. Still we had a wonderful time.

The road from Victoria to Tofino passes through great vistas, mountains, lakes and many small towns. Just about every small town on the way there is the capital of something or has a theme.

Duncan, the city of Totem poles, though we only saw three pint sized ones on the main road.

Nanaimo is the Harbor City and home to the Nanaimo bar (a delicious bar of layered delights with chocolate on top) and the annual bathtub race.

Parkville is the blossom capital of the island.

The one town that didn’t have a theme was Port Alberni and no restaurants for lunch except McDonalds. It did have a large greeting native pole in the middle of town but little else.

However, Chemainus, the little town that did, is the home of murals. Everywhere we looked, there were murals http://www.northcowichan.bc.ca/mural_1.htm, boasting with civic pride and true understanding of its native, English and Chinese heritage. So much artistic expression in one place and I was at times bowled over by the size and scope of them. It felt as though no one ever left that small town and they were all there in the loving artwork. Besides the murals, there are sculptures of wild life and the town’s folklore. There are also many beautifully restored buildings and homes.

It was a long and winding road to Tofino; I wouldn’t recommend going there as we did in one day from Victoria. If we ever go there, again I think we’ll either fly or stay over in Chemainus.

The Inn at Tough City in Tofino,

Once we finally arrived in Tofino the whale watching capital of the world, we met Ron the owner of the Tough City Inn. Ron used to own a fish store and he and his store were so well liked, people wanted to stay with him. That’s what he told us and we believed him, as he is an engaging character. He always wanted an Inn and a Sushi Bar and now he has both. He decorated his Inn with the early twentieth century advertisements and native art. He made his Inn out of recycled brick and material from old buildings. Our room sported a stain glass window in the bathroom and native carvings on the wall in the bedroom. We also had our own balcony. The beds were comfortable. Unfortunately, while we were there, the boiler wasn’t working so there wasn’t any hot water, so we couldn’t have a bath in the large soaker tub. Ron was visibly upset, he apologized profusely, and without either of us saying anything, he gave us a generous refund. We had a great pleasant conversation with him. He gave us real insights into living in Tofino and running an Inn. We soon realized why he called it Tough City. However, if you’re ever in Tofino look up Ron and stay at Tough City http://www.toughcity.com/ its right smack in the middle of town, easy walking distance to the harbor, boat tours, stores, art galleries and restaurants.

We went to two restaurants in Tofino, the Schooner, and the Loft. As we weren’t very hungry, we had ‘small plates’ for dinner. I can’t imagine what their big plates must be like. I had a large apple potato latke; they grated the apple right into the latke, instead of just a plain latke with applesauce. On top was fresh smoked salmon and garnished with fresh and dried capers. Terry and Elijah had pepper steaks with balsamic vinegar, the loved it. Then came dessert, Terry had crème bruela, Elijah had cheesecake and I had frozen orange champagne. All exquisite, the cheesecake was the soft almost like ice cream, the crème brule was multi flavored and there is nothing like the sensation of eating champagne.

In the morning, we went to the Loft for breakfast. All portions were huge, a real get you started breakfast.

Long Beach.

In Tofino, we noticed all the Australian accents; we discovered the Aussies were there because of body surfing at Long Beach.

For two glorious hours, it stopped raining! The sky opened up for about a half hour. That was all we needed. At Long Beach is right on the Pacific Ocean, it’s not a bay and there is nothing between it and China. That thought alone is awe-inspiring. At Long Beach, the unbridled power of nature is omnipresent. The whole experience was so overwhelming that I wrote a poem, right there. At one point looking out, I could believe I was the only human in the world looking at the earth’s first ocean. It was worth the long drive there just to be on the edge of the world, contemplating, infinity.

As for the body surfers, so many had come half way around the world just to be ants in the water.

The next day it poured and alas, I never did go whale watching or ride in a native canoe, we just drove home down those twisted winding roads.

Getting ready for the Bar Mitzvah

2005-05-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Its slowly coming together. People are responding to my invitations and figuring out whose coming, when, if they can help, for what event, and where they are staying etc. There's also who will have an alyia and say what prayers. And then there's the food. Today I tested the soya ground no beans mild chilli sauce - since the synagogue doesn't allow meat and no one seems to like the beans and I'm all ready having a bean salad. It worked! It was so good my son didn't realize it wasn't beef!

But alas, the polenta didn't work. I'm not sure what I did wrong but I just can't seem to make it. Perhaps I didn't put it in the fridge long enough. I'm not sure. I'll have to try it again. Oh well.

People are coming. Alot of out of town guests I didn't think would come are. Its a bit scary! Alot of Elijah's friends from school are coming. Its all getting busy.

The Writer's Life

2005-05-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Monday Morning Rejection:

I spent a good part of Thursday till Sunday night, sending out emails to various agencies for my novel Crow Tree. (A mysterious force lures certain people to Crow Tree. One there, they cannot leave.) And when I checked my email this morning I got two rejections, all ready. Its so fast and easy. Fast to query and fast to be rejected. Such is the writer's life.

Becoming a Writer:

My first piece of advice on becoming a writer is - don't.

Just don't.

Its a lonely difficult painful life. Fill with endless frustration.

If you still insist on it then:

Write what you feel. If you feel it and you do the research you will know it. But you can know something but if you don't feel any passion or love for it, there is no point in writing it. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction - feel it, be professional but be passionate.

There's only one rule in writing - if it works do it - if it doesn't - don't.

Another Universal Theme:

Obstacles to Love

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – He’s most popular play is the best example of this Universal Theme. They are from warring families and therefore attracted to each other.

West Side Story – is about warring gangs and two people who come together.

Beauty and the Beast – well he’s a beast – physical looks although in almost every adaptation he’s still a hunk.

In Pride and Prejudice the obstacle is less obvious, its Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s own prejudices and misconceptions. They were truly meant for each other but due to a series of circumstances mostly involving Elizabeth’s unfortunate birth family and a cad bent on revenge they almost miss out.

Tom Jones is unsuitable for the girl next door, Sophie because he is believed to be a foundling.

Guinevere can’t marry Lancelot because she’s married to the King, also Lancelot’s best friend.

Fiddler on the Roof – The first was social custom, second – financial and political realities and the third religion.

Sally Meets Harry – Possibly the best Romantic Comedy – Its their own neurosis that doesn’t allow them to be a true romantic couple.

Driving Miss Daisy – Never becomes the Romance it should be there are too many obstacles – race, religion, class, and just the “don’t make waves” nature of both characters.

This is probably the most enduring of all Universal themes.

Universal Themes in Literature

2005-05-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

Universal Themes

I'm compling these Universal Themes in Great Literature. Please feel to add any or discuss any of them.

Paradise Lost

The Garden of Eden
Utopia
Camelot
Milton's Paradise
Middle Earth
Shangra La
Pern

Paradise Lost. We all want to believe in a perfect peaceful happy world and yet - we all know deep down that we can't sustain it. It keeps on cropping up in our literature but at the same time we know that it’s impossible.

It starts of as perfect nature and humans in balance but then she eats the apple or opens the box or decides that handsome young knight is more fun than her stodgy king husband. And yes, it seems the end of Paradise is a woman's undoing. Or it could be the forces of evil gathering as in Middle Earth. Or the society is perfect and yet there are those who aren't happy - they just aren't because they want more, see the rest of the world, escape as in Shangri La. Or there is something wicked coming from the skies of an otherwise peaceful planet like Pern. Paradise never lasts yet we keep on dreaming of it and writing about it. It could happen if only....

Often people think of their own early childhood as idyllic even if they weren't. I thought mine was Eden and yet none of the adults at the time thought so. Its strange. I think the idea of Paradise comes from our own nostalgic imaginings of childhood. There is of course the great Good Old Days Myth that is persistent despite abundant evidence that it never happened. We look upon certain times as Golden - Ancient Athens those few times it wasn't at war despite its treatment of slaves and the fact the women weren't treated like slaves, that mystical time after the Roman's left Briton and before it was conquered by the Normans, the time of the Plains North American Natives when they had rifles and horses but still lots of Buffalo, Edwardian England, the Roaring Twenties and of course our own childhood.

How the Mighty Have Fallen

Greek Mythology - Iliad - Paris a Prince of Troy brought low through choosing beauty over wisdom.

Shakespeare’s tragedies are the best examples of this.

Hamlet - Intellectual Philosophical Prince brought down by treachery in the Royal Court but also by his own procrastination.

Othello - Great General and natural born leader brought low by jealously.

King Leer - Brought low by misjudging his own daughters.

Anna Karenina - Well off respectable married woman brought low by an illicit affair.

The Great Gatsby - brought low by the love of a woman and his own naivety and misjudgement.

Citizen Cain - Brought low by his own insecurities and a woman.

Its appeal is obvious- we all like to believe that moral lapses can bring down the mighty - that our higher ups, can become just like us if not lower.

The Little Guy

This is a story played out over and over again and yet, we never tire of hearing of it. The little guy triumphs.

From the bible the story of Joseph the youngest son, sold into slavery by his brothers who become viceroy of Egypt.

From fairy tales - Puss and Boots - the Miller's youngest son gets only a cat as his inheritance and yet marries the princess. The Fool of the World, the backward unloved youngest son of peasants - marries the Tsar’s daughter.

Cinderella treated like a servant in her own house, yet she marries the Prince.

Mansfield Park - a poor relation becomes mistress of the manor.

Oliver Twist - an orphan boy inherits a fortune after ongoing a lot of misfortunes.

The Count of Monte Cristo - a man is unfairly accused and thrown into prison, escapes and finds riches.

Babe - the runt of a sow's litter becomes the first pig to win a sheep herding competition.

And then (also contemporary) there's Harry Potter - an unloved orphaned boy who becomes a great magician.

Its all the same story, someone through no fault of their own, an accident of birth or unfortunate circumstances has little hope of changing their situation but through, kindness, hardwork, and/or brains suceeds. The popularity of this theme is obvious- if Cinderella could find her Prince so can we- if Oliver Twist can find love, acceptance and way out of his circumstance so can we- if Babe... You get the idea.

The Quest

The Quest is one of the most popular themes especially for Fantasy.

The hero goes out into the world to seek something, or destroy something or by no fault of his/her own is lost and must get home.

Jason and Argonauts find the Gold Fleece from Greek Mythology.

Ulysses must get home after the war in Troy in the Iliad.

The Lord of the Rings - Frodo must destroy the ring.

Dorothy must find the Wizard of Oz in order to get home.

Alice in Alice and Wonderland wants to get home.

Its the standard adventure, there is a clear visible goal but many strange and important things happen along the way. Other people or elves or scarecrows etc join up. Sometimes what they find isn't right - like the Wizard in Oz. In all cases the hero grows in stature and learns about his/her inner strengths.

A Stranger Puts it Right

A small sleepy town tranquil life is shattered by murder, corruption, passion etc. But fear not - a stranger comes and puts it right.

Biblical example: The story of Jonah coming to Nineveh and everyone repents.

The Classic Cozy Murder Mystery - Murder reveals the evil underneath the ordinary life of an English village then Miss Marple just happens to be in town visiting one of her nieces or godchild or someone she claims to have known as a baby and she puts it right, ending with a wedding or an impending pregnancy or family reconciliation.

The Western - Murder, corruption and evil stalk and otherwise upright town - but fear not because the Lone Ranger and Tonto come and put things right and then leave.

There is some measure of truth to this theme - a stranger can see what's wrong and get to the cause easier than the people who live there. The people are used to the way things are - used to the people and their ways so that can't see the evil inside their closed world.

City Vs Town

Big City - bad decadent. Country - good and healthy.

This is a theme that is replayed over and over again.

You can find it in Sodom and Gomorrah in the bible, Dickens’s Great Expectations or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and all those Tammy stories. Country folk are good and honest - city folk are slickers and cunning. The young man or woman goes to the city and is corrupted or losses out through fowl play. It takes all their smarts to set things right. In the case of Pip in Great Expectations - he never really gets it. Tammy seems more successful.

There are other country vs city stories that aren't so biased. City Mouse and Country Mouse - show the advantages and disadvantages of both places. Dick Wellington's Cat - shows how a smart country lad can make his way in the big city. And the Queen is actually nice.

Daughters

Letter to the Editor, - The Canadian Budget

2005-04-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

I sent this letter to both the Vancouver Sun and the Globe and Mail.

More money for affordable housing so more people will have a roof over their heads. Tuition reducttion and more and better training for the unemployed and workers will also have their pensions protected. The Governing Liberals made a commitment to Kyoto and with this budget they are closer to fulfilling it, they also made a commitment to spend %.07 on foriegn aid. Jack Layton of the NDP is simply doing his job, that the Liberals keep their campaign promises and that life is better for the average Canadian. Yet Harper (leader of the Conservatives) thinks helping the poor, the homeless, workers, students and poor countries is disgraceful; he would rather see our surplus go to large multi national corporations in the form of tax cuts. Well I think Harper is a disgrace.

Passover

2005-04-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

I love Passover despite all the work. Or maybe its because its so much work that its so meaningful. Perhaps if it were easy, I wouldn't appreciate as much.

Passover forces me to think about Freedom and Spring about liberation about life. By eating differently I start thinking about things I don't normally think about. Spring is a metaphore for freedom, the earth is set free from the bondage of winter. Passover reminds me that I can never take freedom for granted, somewhere in this world there are people who aren't free. There is still slavery in the world. There are still people who are oppressed. And I am also a slave to many instincts and desires and bad habits and thoughts. Total freedom is still something I need to strive for.

Though, I'm not as religious as some people its still a lot of work. I do make an effort to clean as much as possible, which isn't in my nature. Then there's all the special food. No leven bread, no pasta or Soya Sauce. Its hard. But Passover is a real culinary challenge.

My first seder I had at home my two girls came over. Which is always a treat, so we had a seder for five. Small but wonderful. Now that the children are all older, its not the same as used to be. I miss many of the customs we used to have, especially hiding the matzo. Its kind of sad. Still this year, our son, Elijah could conduct the seder and he did a good job of it. Being the youngest he still sang Ma Nishtanah - Why is this night different from all other nights.

One custom we have is to take the egg shells and spilt wine and put them outside to ward off any evil spirits. Its just something our family does, my grandmother did it.

We also every year argue about how often we will sing the diyanu - Enough chorus, for how long and how hard and often we should bang on the table. Its a tradition! ;-)

Here's our menu:

Chasorot - combined chopped dates, grated apples and shreded coconuts.

Chicken Soup with matzo balls.

Stuffed whole chicken with pine nuts and farfel

Fried Quinoa with mushrooms

Spighetti Squash with red peppers

Portebella mushrooms, marinated in wine and grilled.

For desert - fruit salad in wine. (No one had to drive anywhere that night. And Passover is about remembrance not about denial)

A matzo and nut apple and rhubarb crisp.

And all chocolate seder plate!

Then for second night we went over to Vancouver to my mother's. My mother is a fabulous cook. Her matzo balls float on air! But she's Sephardic so we can eat rice!

My brother in law conducted the seder and there were 15 people at the table. We sang the songs both in the Ashkenzi and Sephardic way. And we did bang on the table for Diyanu! We asked questions and argued. We talked about Passovers of the past.

We got to eat rice and beans, curries and jaffa chickens, sweet and sour meat.

And now I'm back home and the house is still clean and since the restriction on leven bread is a week long - I'm figuring out what to eat tonight.

Invitations

2005-04-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

I'm getting to be an expert on Bar/Bat mitzvah invitations since this is my third one. Here are some of my tips and suggestions for sending invitations.

1. Keep them simple. We just bought them from Staples and ran them off on our computer.
2. Don't bother with the reply card, just about no one will use them and they are expensive. Instead ask everyone to either phone or email you. Most will email.
3. Check to make sure who is still together and if the woman uses her maiden name or not. (Personally I think all married or even common law couples should have one last name for social purposes - the shorter and easier to spell one;-)
4. Its alot easier to say so and so family rather than listing all the names of all the children.
5. Give people at least three weeks in which to reply especially if they are out of town.
6. And no emailing them instead of using snail mail just doesn't work. People - alas- ignore emails.

The Calendar

2005-04-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

The dreaded calendar was invented probably by the ancient Eygptians although vertially all agrian societies have them. They are dreadful things and have cause humanity great pain.

I'm looking at the calendar now with dread. Passover is coming up soon and unless you're Jewish you have no idea what that means. Its means - depending on how observent or guilt ridden you are - days of cleaning the house and ridding it of any bread crumbs or pasta or anything carb like except matzo. It means the Passover seder and figuring out what food you will serve without bread or pasta or soya sauce or corn etc. And in my case what to serve my oldest daughter who is a vegetarian. How much work do I put into it? Which recipes do I use? This year I'm planning on making a quinoa pilaf - and do something with Spighetti Squash and I'm also making frog shaped jello. I have to order my Passover food from the synagogue - and I've got the chicken, matzo, matzo meal, grape juice, one cake mix, gefilta fish and of course chocolate - an absolute essential ingredient. I know it will go well it always does but still...

After that is my son's bar mitzvah - and proudly today I sent off the invitations. I've all ready figured out the menu - polenta, red pepper sauce, couscous salad, artichoke pasta salad, salmon, pizzas and ice cream!

It will happen. Every day I tick off the days - waiting just waiting. Once people just celebrated when they killed something big and then they feasted. But now we have calendars to tell us when the next occasion is and be ready and prepare for it. I'm prepared ---- I hope!

Marriage

2005-03-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a great deal of confusion as to what marriage is. I've been married 26 years and have three children so I believe I am knowledgeable on the subject.

1 - When you marry your spouse becomes your next of kin. He or she can therefore make decisions for you if you are unable to do so. That's what marriage is in its essense. You go from your parents home where your parents have the right to decide your fate if you are unable to do so to your spouse. Everyone who gets married should understand this. Ask yourself if this is the person you want making decisions for you if you can't make them.

2. - Children. Over and over again I hear marriage is about children. Nonsense. Yes, children can be an addition to your life but many people are happily married and don't have them. They aren't vital to a marriage. Also children do eventually grow up and leave you and there you are just with your spouse. It happens. If you have a successful marriage and good long life you will live many years together without children.

I believe its a good idea to be married first before you have children however I do know many exemplary single parents. In an ideal world every child would have two loving parents. But lets face it - this isn't an ideal world.

While I believe strongly parents should make every effort to stay together I don't believe anyone should put up with abuse ever - if your spouse is abusive even if he/she isn't abusive to the children leave him/her.

If you are getting married and you want to have children - ask yourself if your intended would make a good parent. Make sure you both want or don't want children before you marry. You can comprimise on many things but not this.

3. Values. You can be from different backgrounds, social classes and faiths but you must have the same values. If one of you values just having a good time and you want to settle down and build a family - it won't work. Work this out first.

4. How your intended gets along with his/her birth family is a good indication of how he/she will get along with others, including yourself.

5. All those cliches you've heard about marriage - most of them are true - its like stepping into reality, it is give and take, you have to work at it everyday. Is it worth it? I believe it is.

Bride and Prejudice - Movie review

2005-03-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

From Lot's daughters in the bible to Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Shakespear's King Lear, Austin's Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility (and numerous adaptations) to Little Women to Teveye and his daughters (Otherwise known as Fiddler on the roof) - the daughter dominated family is celebrated in popular culture and literature - its an ageless universal theme. The first Cinderella come from either Egypt or China we don't know but the idea of a younger beautiful daughter and jealous sisters seems to be universal. Why are daughter dominated themes so enduring more so then sons? I'm not sure but I like them, I enjoy reading them and seeing them. I think its because of the family dynamics, the father/daughter relationship and the urgency in traditional societies for daughters to get married.

Pride and Prejudice endures and reinvents itself over and over again. There is something about a rich man coming to a small town and meeting with daughters of a middle class family that has a universal ring. Austin knew this when she wrote her masterpiece - its in her famous first line. "It is a truth universally awknowledged that a man with a good fortune must be in want of a wife." In the Bollywood remake Bride and Prejudice the first line is "Everybody thinks if a man is loaded he must be shopping for a wife!" Of course he is - after all he has everything else. I was amazed at how well Austins book about a few families in a small town in England adapted so well to India. India is the small town and Los Angelos the big city with London as London still seemy and immoral after all those years! The rich man with an even richer best friend attend a wedding in a small town in India and meet Benguish family so much in almost every detail like the Bennets. Except in this version there is singing and dancing Bollywood style even when the movie moves to Los Angeles. There's no sex and almost except for one fist fight and a couple of slaps no violence. Highly recommend it!

Bits and Pieces

2005-03-17T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Air India Trial -
When I heard the verdict I was shocked most of the nation was.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/airindia/ After 20 years - 16 years to get to trial and a trial lasting 4 years - and they're not guilty. I wonder what's going on.

Finding a Market -

I've been looking at markets for both my Historical novel and my cookbook. Its a long difficult process and it takes a lot of thinking. What is my novel about? Who will buy it? What genre is it. I finally boiled it down to one sentence : "A mysterious force draws people in the mid 19th century to Crow Tree in Upper Canada but once there, they cannot leave." So who is this novel for? Its for anyone who was ever stuck, unable to move out from where they are. Except of course I can't actually write that, that doesn't say which gender would read my novel or what the genre is or if its literary. I'm not sure if its Historical Fantasy, Magic Realism, Alternative History or a Literary novel. Just don't know.

The cookbook is somewhat easier to put in a catagory but its not without pratfalls. I don't have enough Passover recipes. And I don't have enough people still to test my recipes. Oh yes, many will test my chicken recipes but I still don't have anyone who will make my mother biriyani - eggplant and rice curri dish. If anyone out there wants to test that please leave a message.

I'm off to Vancouver to see Bride and Prejudice and spend Friday night at my mothers. As soon as I come back - I'll blog it.

Myths about Jews in North America

2005-03-10T10:16:00.001-08:00

Myth 1 – The Jewish People who came to North America mostly from Europe before they had to (before Hitler) weren’t good Jews. They came in order to get away from being Jewish.

Yes, some people did that, but there were many Jewish immigrants who wanted greater freedom for themselves and still stay Jewish something they often couldn’t do in Europe. Studying the history of Jews in North America I’m astonished how soon Jewish communities all over North America formed minyans (groups of ten for prayers), bought land for cemeteries, benevolent societies and built synagogues. Too often those who talk about North American Jews just mention those who assimilated not the ones who built Jewish institutions and communities. Many Jewish immigrants who came to North America wanted to balance being their Jewish identity with greater freedom and their new identity in a new land. The Harts were the first Jewish family in Canada, they quickly set up Jewish societies, and a synagogue. Ezekiel Hart ran for parliament but was refused to sit as a member because he refused to swear on the Christian bible, he fought that. He and many other Jewish people fought for rights. During the American civil war Jewish battalions, held Passover Seders. We should remember that.

Myth Number 2 –Real Jewish people live in large urban centers or in Israel.

I was astonished to discover there were Jewish Fur traders in Canada and in Russian Alaska. Jews went out into the bush for years trading with native people. There were Jewish members of the North West Company. There were also many Jewish farmers living on the Canadian Plains. Where I live on Vancouver Island BC there are still many Jewish organic farmers. Jews lived in many small towns right across the continent.

Party Appetizers Class

2005-03-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning instead of being sprawled on the couch reading the Globe and Mail book review and listening to the Vinyl cafe on CBC 2, I was in Camosun college watching a demonstration on party appetizer.

Most party appetizer I have eaten were tiny unimaginative morsels either over spiced or bland. But the ones Terry Seed prepared were actually substantial and spiced just right. I took the Food Safety Course from him and he managed to make that interesting so seeing him actually prepare food and eating his offerings was a gastronomic experiences;

Gougere - a pastry with Gruyere cheese, Dijon mustard and grated Parmesan. While he prepared the dish he told us all about the various Swiss cheeses. Why wooden spoons were superior to a whisk - stronger and sturdier, the importance of incoporating one egg at a time and how you can use a ice cream scoop to form the pastries. It's a light pastry with a center you can stuff a lot easier and faster to make than corsients or pita bread.

Sausage Ragu - or what we call spaghetti sauce but different. Spaghetti is something I make on thursdays and use whatever is leftover, I make the sauce in the winter from 1 can stewed tomatoes and 1 small can tomato paste, in the summer I like to use fresh tomatoes but still add tomato paste. Its a fast meal I can make in my sleep and probably have ;-) but I keep on making it because my family never tires of it. His was totally different. He used diced tomatoes. No tomato paste. He told us, in Italy they have just a bit of sauce never overpowering the pasta and its never the main course, its a side dish. He didn't use basil or thyme instead he added salt, garlic, black pepper, dried chilies, and fennel. He extolled the virtues of sage the perfect compliment for cheese or chicken. He also used Italian Sausage rather than ground beef. He told us about the importance of managing heat and to never put hot food in a blender. Instead of serving it on pasta we had it on Polenta.

I have tried making Polenta without any success. Now I know why. I added the cornmeal to the liquid to fast. He makes his with pumpkin, milk and water. He showed us how to stir a pot, starting in the middle and working our way out but always feeling the bottom. I'd like to use this recipe because for one thing I can use my cookie cutters on it. To cut out shapes. Its also makes a nice break from bread or pasta or rice.

Speaking of rice - I liked his Risotto Fritters the best. He used Arborio Rice which I never heard of before. Again he used the scope to form the balls which dipped in flour and deep fried. Definitely making this. Nice and crisp on the outside, tender and savoury with a surprise of Fontina cheese inside. I think this was everyone's favorite. Certainly was my family's when I brought it home.

Tartare on Buckwheat Blinis. It was good but I really can't see myself making rare salmon. I do eat it, especially since I'm sure he knows what he's doing. But I don't' feel safe with it. I think I'd use his recipe but with canned or smoked salmon. It won't taste as good, I'm sure but...

OK, ok I just couldn't bring myself to eat his last dish - I'm sure it was good, everyone in the class loved it but I passed. As you know from reading other posts I have ventured out and even broken a couple of kosher laws more than once but this was too much. Shrimp and Pork Pot stickers. Yes, I suppose I could at home substitute ground pork with turkey and use white fish or imitation crab meat instead of shrimp but not only wouldn't it taste the same but it just all looked too finicky. Too much rolling and of all he's dishes this was too much work.

This class was certainly worth it. I got a meal that was probably worth at least close to the price of the class and got the recipes to boot. Which I'm not going to share with you, sorry. They're his recipes there's a cooking school in your town find out if they give continuing classes - they're well worth it.

Congregation Emanu-el

2005-02-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

I live in Victoria Canada, and belong to the only synagogue Congregation Emanu-el there. (There are other groups but as of yet this is the only building that is a full time synagogue.) The building has a unique history. It's the oldest continuous house of worship in Canada and the oldest synagogue. It was built in 1863. And at the time was the third synagogue in Canada. During that time there was gold in the Carriboo in the interior of what is now British Columbia, and before the railway Victoria was the closest port. The first Jews in Western Canada were fur traders but they were few and didn't stay long. It wasn't until the discovery of gold that Jews from San Francisco and a few from England came. They bought land and amazingly three months later built a beautiful revival Romanesque synagogue.

Because of this wonderful history and beautiful feeling I get being there, I volunteered for the docent program so I could be tour guide. I also wanted to learn more about its unique history.

The synagogue went through a long period of decline. After the railway was built and the population shifted to Vancouver the synagogues population declined so there were only 15 families in 1949, unable to keep up the repairs and maintenance on the building they stuccoed it over. In the eighties the community expanded and the congregates renovated and restored the building to its original grandeur with blue stainglass windows, revealing and restoring the original brick, heavy wooden doors and banisters.

Over time a great deal of information about the synagogue along with many artifacts were lost.

We don't know if the synagogue started off as Orthodox or Reform. It does have a balcony but many Reform synagogues of that time had them. Most the congregates were from San Francisco and its first synagogue was Orthodox in 1849 So when I read that I thought that clinched it BUT - that synagogue had a pipe organ. And I don't believe ours ever did.

The information is here - http://www.jewish-history.com/WildWest/san_francisco.html

Anyway - What I think happened was there were both Orthodox and Reform elements in the early congregates they tried Orthodox for a while but given the practicalities they switched to Reform. There was probably was a bit of schism between the more traditional English and the more liberal German factions and they didn't have the luxury of a second synagogue. So they had to make do. No pipe organ but women and men sat together.

That's what I think happened but we don't know.