Like French fries?

Vote for this invention (not mine but a great idea): http://www.quirky.com/invent/789937/action/vote/query/sort=ending_soon&categories=all It's an all-in-one French fry machine! :)

"Slumber Party" with Hubby! :)

Cross posted in The Daily Yay!

To celebrate my new job, hubby and I decided to have a special chicken dinner. I gave Rena an early, simple dinner of crepes (I make them with coconut oil instead of butter or margarine to cut down on my dairy intake, as I might be slightly lactose intolerant, and to avoid using a product with soy) with some raw tomato and some raw avocado on the the side (she loves them; I don't always have to cook side dishes for her) and then put her to bed. I headed to QFC at the University Village Shopping Center to get kosher chicken, as Whole Foods around here doesn't carry it.

I decided to call my parents on the way. They're three hours earlier, as they live in Cincinnati, but it's ok for me to call them late. They had actually just walked in the door: They'd been out late at the wedding of a local Chabad rabbi's daughter. They reported that there must have been 600 people there and that a bunch of them asked about me. It made me happy to know that so many people in my hometown still think and care about me. Even someone who wasn't at the wedding asked my mom about me recently when she ran into her at a grocery store.

At QFC, I headed to the kosher poultry section. I hadn't seen Empire Organic chicken in ages, but lo and behold, it was there last night! I bought all the drumsticks and left the whole chickens and boneless skinless breasts for others.

Back at home, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees and made a one-dish dinner out of a dozen drumsticks, a couple big bagsful of cremini mushrooms, and a pile of raw cashews; seasoned with salt, red pepper flakes, and a little turmeric; with coconut oil mixed in. Forty minutes later.... Yum! :) Hubby and I ate up all the drumsticks -- we each ate half a dozen and saved some of the other stuff for today.

Then we had fun singing, dancing, joking, and playing around. We do that part of a slumber party most nights, really, but this was special because we were celebrating my new job! :)

Dancing: Great Fun and Great Exercise! :)

Cross posted on The Daily Yay!

I recently saw this video of the staff of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the world's largest nutrition school, taking a dance break in the middle of their work day:





Today, while home with Rena and doing some work for my online shop, I felt really energized after eating some quinoa and mushroom skillet for lunch. I decided to take a half hour to turn on some music and dance while playing around with Rena. Sorry, there's no video of us because I can't really video while dancing and hubby is away at work during the day.

What fun I had! It made me really happy; in fact, I could pinpoint the exact moment the endorphins started to kick in. I think I'll be incorporating a half-hour dance break into my regular routine, at least on days I don't walk anywhere; i.e. days I neither go grocery shopping at QFC or Whole Foods, nor to synagogue for Shabbat services. It's much more enjoyable, and I get the chance to express myself freely and work my whole body. You can try it now, if you're alone or at least at home or another place where people won't be bothered: Press play on the above video or your favorite dance music, then get up and DANCE! :)

Surprise On-the-Job Lunch

I'm loving my new job! It's my second day doing door-to-door sales for Culligan drinking water systems ( http://www.culligan.com/ ) in my own territory -- I was training in other peoples' territories last week -- and while I haven't made any sales yet in Teaneck or elsewhere, I've sure learned a lot! The more "doors" (businesses such as stores, salons, or doctors' offices) I see, the more confident I become. I think I'll do just another block or two of Cedar Lane and then stop to eat my usual Luna nutrition bar ( http://www.lunabar.com/ ) and drink my Naked juice ( http://nakedjuice.com/ ) for lunch.

Yay, that business there, near Grange Road, has the word Shalom in it! I'll for sure get them to sign up, if not now then next time around. I take a closer look at the sign that says Shalom Bombay, wondering what kind of business it is.... What?! A kosher Indian restaurant?! ( http://www.shalombombay.com/ ) I debate with myself: Sarah, you just rejoined Weight Watchers ( http://www.weightwatchers.com/ ), and besides, you don't want to spend that much money for a fancy lunch. But I've never been to an Indian restaurant and I want to try it!

I step inside and am greeted by Refael at the front, who has me choose one of the four tasting menus. I select:

Non-Veg.Thali

$ 16.00

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

LAMB OR BEEF CURRY

TOFU SPINACH

YELLOW DAAL

RICE

NAAN

DESSERT

because it is the least expensive selection that includes meat.

I sit down at the nearest table and gaze around at the magenta walls, shiny cat figures, and other Indian decor. Since it is lunchtime, I have the place to myself except for a couple by the opposite wall. "Is that Indian music?" I ask Refael as I wait for the waitress to bring me something from the menu. "Yes," he says, "do you like it?" The relaxing, rhythmic music is very beautiful background music for my upcoming meal.

Kalyani the waitress (her name is the name of a rhythm and a goddess) appears bearing a basket of soft, thin naan bread and three small bowls of sauces in which to dip it. I get up to wash and return quickly to enjoy that first delicious bite of naan by itself. Then...boy, are those sauces spicy! I eat up all the naan, but just a tiny bit of each sauce is enough to provide an ample burst of flavor for all the bread in the basket!

Kalyani then brings me a single, large, round, silver tray with a mound of rice on one side and five tiny, colorful bowls curved against the opposite side, across from the rice. "This one is the dessert," she says, pointing to one bowl that looked like it should be sweet rather than spicy.

I begin with the bowl containing a few pieces of chicken and sauce, bracing myself for the burn....I have to take a few gulps of water, it's so spicy! Kalyani is concerned that I don't like it, but I assure her that I like the flavor; it's just really spicy. I put rice in it to try to take the edge off, while she disappears in the back and returns with a couple of lemon slices. "Lemon juice takes away some of the spiciness," she tells me. I try it, and sure enough, the taste is a bit milder! The flavor is still very strong, but not so spicy that it burns my mouth. Kalyani informs me that I could have asked for my food to be mild. I didn't know it would be quite so spicy, but I'm glad to experience the real thing the first time. Next time I will request a milder meal.

I continue on to the bowl with lamb and sauce. Same deal: I put rice and lemon juice inside before I continue eating. And again with the tofu and sauce. In the meantime, Kalyani has brought me a small bowl of some white stuff that she says will help with the spiciness, and indeed it does. The daal is different, though. It reminds me of a thick version of pureed soup that I'm able to eat with a fork. I eat it without rice and lemon juice, as it's not as spicy as the other three, in my opinion. The whole while, I am absolutely enjoying the incredible sensations in my mouth. Finally I get to the dessert, which appears to be some kind of rice pudding. I take the first bite, and... wow! Its sweetness is unique and perfectly complements the spiciness of the rest of the meal. This final delight is the perfect ending to a most incredible eating experience that has left both my belly and my tastebuds more satisfied than any other meal I have had in my life! Refael tells me this is the only kosher Indian meat restaurant in the USA!

As if that's not enough, Kalyani tells me to wait a moment. She gives me a container of orange candy which she says is fried and dipped in syrup. I cannot wait to eat it, but I put it in my bag for now. I know I will enjoy it more later when my stomach is not as stuffed. For now, I must again brave the cold as I continue along Cedar Lane. Maybe I'll even make my first sale, which would be the sweetest thing of all....

Our Quest Begins...

…at my late-childhood home in Cincinnati, Ohio.


December 2002.

I’m in 12th grade this year. Sometimes I can’t wait to get out of here, but now is one time I love being at home with my parents and five cats. The Jewish holiday Chanukah starts this evening. Festive music emanates from the living room as I dash up and down the basement stares to gather decorations that are stored there. While helping my parents put them up, I sing and dance joyously with the music. I search through drawers to find the dreidles, special spinning tops that are used for a game that is customarily played on Chanukah. I look forward to playing it again with my parents this year. Even the cats are excited, what with all the new toys for them that have appeared.

My mom brings the tape player into the kitchen. Out come the grater, potatoes, matzah meal, eggs, and salt. It’s time to make latkes, potato pancakes fried in oil that are traditionally eaten on Chanukah. Our family tradition has been to make loads of latkes every year with my mom, enough to last the whole eight-day holiday. We eagerly get busy grating the potatoes, mixing the ingredients, and frying them up. We wait impatiently for some to cool off so we can each have our first taste, and when we do…mmm, sooo good!

Later in the afternoon, when the sun goes down, my parents and I rummage through the box of colorful candles and pick the candles we want to light for the first night of Chanukah. We sing the blessings for the candles in unison, along with some traditional songs. I can’t wait for dinner, which I know will include those delicious latkes. Together as a family, the three of us sit down to dinner and begin enjoying our special holiday treat.

Fast-forward to December 2003. I’m in Israel for the school year, in a post-high-school Jewish studies program. My friends and I light Chanukah candles together and look forward to a special trip and a holiday party. As much fun as I’m having, though, this is the first time I haven’t been home at all for Chanukah, and I’m a little sad about that. I get an email from my mom during the holiday; she says she’s also a little sad that I’m not home. What is it we both miss the most? Not enjoying the music together. Not putting up the decorations. Not lighting candles and singing together. Not even the dreidle game. The most poignant Chanukah tradition for both my mom and me is making latkes together. In fact, my mom says she couldn’t bring herself to make latkes at all this year, without me there.

I’m glad we had such a special time making latkes last year, because I don’t know when I’ll next be home for Chanukah, now that I’m an adult. I’ll hopefully continue the tradition with my own children and thus create meaningful moments with them, like my mom did with me.