Have A Nice Day!

My trip to the grocery store this morning got me thinking. I ran in in giant hurry, with 20 people coming for the Seudah HaMafseket (meal before Yom Kippur) and not having shopped for food - I was in a time crunch. When I arrived at the checkout to pay for my items I was already in a tizzy. I was rushing (which isn't helpful), had to rearrange my menu due to a produce department that was missing all sorts of things (thanks Hurricane Matthew) and had even managed to drop my keys in my cart - which the cashier found and kindly handed to me. While waiting to pay, the fellow who was bagging groceries asked me if I wanted paper or plastic. I replied that I would like plastic - and then he proceeded to use paper while asking me again. I quickly realized from his demeanor  that this nice young man was dealing with some cognitive difficulties. I smiled and said plastic again. When I finished paying the young man looked at me with a giant smile and said, "thank you, have a nice day, come see us again soon". 

As I headed to my car I realized that the cheerful have a nice day and come see us again soon left me in a better mood than I had been when I arrived at the checkout counter. With Yom Kippur just hours away this wasn't lost on me. It occurred to me that in life we many times walk around rushed, harried and frazzled - and as such, we can find ourselves interacting with others in a hurried, unkind and possibly rough around the edges type of fashion. This young fellow taught me the importance of kindness. 

In just a few hours we will begin Yom Kippur. We will spend 25 hours praying to Hashem. Telling Him we are sorry for what we have done, we will resolve to do better in the future. We will also cry out to Hashem and ask Him to treat all of us with love and kindess and grant each of us a year filled with only sweetness. 

In that moment at the grocery store, I was reminded of the importance of kindness. Just one tiny act of kindness can really go a long way. Let us all resolve (and act upon!!) to be more kind in this shiny, brand new year. When G-d looks at His people, and sees our kindness towards one another, He will know that we are truly deserving of the wonderful year we will surely be sealed for! 

G'mar Chatima Tova! May each and every one of us be sealed in the book of life - for a good year filled only with good and joyous days! 

Here is a recipe for the sweet potato soup we had for our first pre Yom Kippur meal today. 

Sweet Potato Soup

Olive oil

3 onions

1 container cubed sweet potatoes

Water

Salt

Pepper

Garlic

Oregano

Sage

Fresh dill 

Chop 3 onions and sautee in some olive oil. When they start to get soft, add in the sweet potatoes and continue to stir until they get a little soft. Cover with water and sprinkle in salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and the sage. Bring to a boil and then lower. Cook until sweet potatoes are soft. Sprinkle a handful of fresh dill and then puree the soup using an immersion blender. 

Waffles & Ice Cream For Dinner

Today we had waffles for dinner. Waffles and ice cream.

In December I learned that a friend of Shaya's was diagnosed with brain cancer. Little Caleb was a fighter and his story taught me so much through the duration of his six month battle. Sadly, Caleb was called back to his maker yesterday afternoon. 

I followed Caleb's journey closely. I cried on the bad days, smiled when I saw his radiant smile on my computer screen and marveled at the incredible strength his family has displayed through it all. 

Amidst my tears this morning I decided we would have waffles for dinner- with ice cream, and syrup. It occurred to me that life needs to be filled with fun, happy moments. We need to fill our days with happy, loving times with our families. It's ok to eat dessert for dinner- my kids loved this idea :-) It is time to embrace the messy playroom, it's a sign of life, fun and laughter. It is time to take spontaneous trips to do fun things, for one never knows for how long the opportunity will be there.

Hug the ones you love, and let them know you love them. Be kind and soften the edges that sometimes cause us to be aggravated with the ones we love. And eat waffles for dinner. With ice cream. 

Waffle Recipe

2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 3/4 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 tablespoon sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Ladle the batter into your waffle iron and proceed to follow your waffle iron instructions. Enjoy with ice cream and syrup. 

Shakshuka

Israel is my favorite place on earth! Which means I was double (triple?) excited when my brother (who lives in Israel) announced his engagement to a wonderful girl from Jerusalem! We are SO excited to go celebrate their wedding in the beautiful land of Israel - and my kids are over the top excited for their very first visit!

A few weeks back, my brother Levi and his bride Aidel came for a visit! We enjoyed spending time with them - and then we were in for a treat when Levi created an Israeli breakfast for all of us. We arrived at my parents' house and watched as Levi created "shakshuka". He dropped some of this and some of that in the pan and a short time later presented us with a beautiful and super tasty dish.

Mushky loved the shakshuka so much that she asked me to make it for her just as soon as I got my new kitchen loaded with pots and pans from our old house - so today (with some help from my brothers Levi and Yossi)  I made her shakshuka for dinner and it was delicious!

(Note - This is not an exact recipe - and you can put whatever you want in yours. I made it based on what i had in my house today.)


Shakshuka

Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
5 small mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 red baby peppers, diced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
4 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped
Scallions, sliced

In a large skillet, heat some olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and peppers (and any other veggies you want to throw in). When the veggies are soft, add in the crushed tomatoes and let it cook together with the vegetables. Then gently pour in each egg one at a time so it has its own space to cook. Sprinkle with salt and pepper - and any other spices such as cumin or turmeric. I cooked it uncovered on medium-high for a few minutes and then covered it and cooked it on low. Cook until the eggs have reached the desired level of doneness. Remove from the pan and sprinkle with parsley and scallions.