why are chocolate chips such a big deal?

In case you haven’t heard, there’s been a huge hullabaloo here in the states about Trader Joe’s trading in their status of favorite store of many observant Jews due to the change in the status of their chocolate chips. They used to be certified kosher pareve, which meant that they could be used for either meat or dairy dishes, but due to stringency on the part of the kosher supervising company, they’ve now been certified dairy, even though they still don’t have dairy in them. It’s a bottom line bottom-line thing. Cost. They can’t wipe down the equipment between runs anymore like they used to. Well, they CAN, but…

So now we have to see if they can because the cri de coeur is so deafening.  After all, not only was there a petition sent all around through change.org, but it made the Wall Street Journal today. As always, the comments were telling. One person pointed out the value of the pareve status for those with dairy allergies. Their lives literally depend on that. Of course, I know that those who are in that position also find out when dairy is really not dairy at all, such as Oreos. So who’s willing to be the guinea pig on this one? I guess someone with a lesser reaction, but I wouldn’t want to play that part. I like playing it safe.

Some complained about religious nonsense and much ado about nothing. And that’s perhaps true, except that, after all, this is a business paper addressing a business issue.  So whether there’s a value or not to the issue, it makes sense for them to investigate.  And after all, if we wouldn’t dare object to the restrictions of Halal for the Moslems (as much as it’s become politically correct to make fun of the Mormons and their food restrictions–see this article, if you’d like, about their issue with coffee), then we should be honestly accepting of all faiths’ food taboos and limitations.

And yet…

Why is it such a big deal?

Yes, they’re tastier and less expensive than other brands. That’s not a little thing. But it’s only chocolate chips, after all.

So why?

I think it’s because we like to be normal. All we’s. We who keep kosher, we who have allergies, we minorities of unseen things. We like to be able to go to a regular store and buy our things and pretend, for a moment, that we are all the same.

Of course we are. Really.

One of my favorite things that happened a few years back was going into a Trader Joe’s when travelling through the middle of California and finding kosher wine. We had to take the main highway while travelling from San Francisco to LA due to the wild fires along the coast. Really–the middle of nowhere!

And not the not-so-good-though-kosher wine that they sell now, but Herzog wine! Now that’s convenient luxury! We bought a whole bunch of bottles, for sure, just to show our appreciation.

Is it the luxury of convenience or the convenience of luxury?

But being able to buy our little luxuries makes us all on the same level. And that’s a good thing. We need to be able to know that capitalism is the great equalizer.

Or it could be, all things being equal.

But they’re not. And so those in charge are making us understand our limits.

So what am I going to do?

Make brownies instead of blondies.

And hope that I can keep things in perspective.

forget about who moved the cheese*

I want to know was it worth it?

I shop at a few different supermarkets, depending on time and direction and weather. So this one market has been out of my loop for about a month, I guess since they started their redecorating process.

The good news is that this obviously is a sign of good economic times for them, that they thought to expand. The bad news is that it makes things very difficult for us consumers.

I realize that my post yesterday means that it is good to mix things up. I know that it’s good for the brain. But I just didn’t want that exercise today, thank you. A very nice (older) woman offered me her list of aisles and items.

“Thank you, but that would mean that I would have to look at the list and where I’m going. And that would also mean I should know what I wanted. That’s really okay. You can keep it.”

You see, I know what I came to get, but I didn’t know what else I might find. Eyes open and all that.

I really didn’t need any cheese, so that wasn’t a problem.

They didn’t have soy flour. I didn’t find any organic potatoes. They only had blueberry kefir, not plain.

I’m not sure what else I didn’t get.

But I’ve already found I’ve got what I need.

* I just saw that they actually made a version of that silly book for kids.

Maybe that’s the target audience for the original. Sorry if I offended anyone who liked it.

Or at least maybe I should be. Convince me , if you want.

layers

I don’t understand some trends.

I like being able to layer clothing. It gives me a feeling that I can manage the weather.

Not control it.

But why do we look to make things complicated?

Like this food layering business. Maybe it’s good to help people lose weight.

Layering flavors involves cooking techniques that add depth of flavor. Each step of the cooking process is important — skip a crucial step and you can’t add back the missed flavor.

Crucial step?

It’s food.

The only thing crucial about food is to have it and not in a way that’s dangerous to your health.

I look at my old cutting board. That’s simple and direct. Beat-up, uneven, worn. Like me.

Dependable.

Useful.

Real.

Now, wine, on the other hand, deserves to be layered and complicated.

Like me.

people are starving so eat your vegetables

today. On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day.

Yes, when I was young, people used to say this. Not my parents, mind you, but it was a well-known and used phrase.

People are starving in “fill in the blank place”, so eat your “fill in the blank”.

Europe                                         vegetables

That’s what it was when I was really young. And although the logic is quite suspect, it was true that there was a limit of food in certain places.

I never got told to eat my veggies; I just never did. How ironic, of course, is it that I am indeed a vegetarian, ovo-lacto-pesca variety…

But why is my attention drawn to food today?

We are so rich. We have so much, really. We cannot complain. We should be grateful for all that we have, even the problems.

So it is so obscene that I read this article today:

Pro-anorexia ‘thinspiration’ photos shouldn’t be banned from social media

We’re afraid of what’s known as “thinspiration,” it seems, because glamorous photos of very skinny women, together with admiring captions, might arouse self-loathing in women, and thereby inspire self-mortification, and in particular anorexia.

The fact that thinspo, as it’s sometimes called, is sassily named and designed to encourage beholders to reduce their weight—”thin” + “inspiration”—doesn’t help anyone looking to defend it as morally or clinically neutral.  There is no “tasteful pictorial” when it comes to thinspiration. It’s all hard-core.

Yes, sick sick sick. The article is not necessarily about the phenomenon, but about the futility of stopping such behavior since it will just boomerang somewhere and somehow else.

But still today, of all days, when reminded of the horrors of the Holocaust, when Jews and yes many many others, were subjected to inhuman unhumane torture, when dogs were treated better than they were, can we not see the decadence of our society?

No photos today, folks.

odd or inspiring; you take your pick

Here’s a collection of photos from last week. Perhaps I should change my title to “Look UP! No, look DOWN!”

Or perhaps not.

You can, as always, click on each photo to open them up wide.

And here’s the bizarre shot. Have you ever seen this in a public bathroom, not at a hospital?

Here’s our picnic lunch on Wednesday. The matzah was for the kids. We had matzah rolls, the ones that weren’t burnt. Tuna tuna tuna, plus almond butter, by Gefen. That was a treat not to have to make it, even though most said they like mine better. Even so. My favorite was sun-dried tomatoes that I ordered from Oh Nuts. And most of all, it was so wonderful to be outside.

And now look up again,please!

That little black speck? Some kind of raptor. I like the clouds the best. They amaze me constantly.

why it’s very important to have a metal spatula for Pesach

and the rest of the year, of course.

Well, 8 loads of laundry later, and still counting, we’re on the other side.

and

1. 22 boxes machine shmurah, including 5 for matzah meal
2. 6 boxes hand shmura
3. 13 dozen eggs
4. At least 15 lbs white potatoes
5. 5 lbs purple
6. 10 lbs. sweet potatoes
7. Fish: 10 lbs salmon
8. 5 lbs tilapia
9. 3 lbs red snapper
10. 3 lbs. pollock
11. A million cans tuna
12. Lots of nuts!

not to mention a million heads of romaine lettuce, celery, bok choy (my favorite), about 5 lbs of mushrooms, 10 lbs of carrots…

I went shopping for 2 things just now. Kefir and tofu. I also bought bread because I just don’t want to bake again.

At least for a few days.

And it doesn’t help that we’re having a heat wave.

But when I was in baking frenzy, going from one day of non-stop cooking and baking to another, we had one day of trouble. All of a sudden, the oven started letting us know it was not to be taken for granted.

On Thursday, as we started up the marathon again of getting ready for more Yom Tov meals, smoke started spewing forth from the aforementioned oven. We were baking cakes or something non-toxic of that sort; nothing that should have called for that reaction. Nothing had dripped, nothing had dropped. So what was going on?

Fans were brought out; windows were opened; the smell and the smoke began to dissipate and the baking continued.

But after an operation was performed…

Upon some inspection of the floor of the oven, I realized that there was something very suspicious probably causing the problem.

So I took the aforementioned spatula and started carefully scooping.

That was definitely the source. But what was it?

I took photos, of course.

.

No, I added the plate.

Can you identify it? We were having problems. Potatoes, of course, were the most likely culprit. But they did not really appear like potatoes.

What could they be?

Here’s another photo, from another angle. Perhaps this will help.

Okay, now it’s clear.

It’s not potatoes.

It was haste.

In my haste to make matzah rolls, I shoved 3 trays of dough into the oven at once.

Only 2 fit at a time, but what could go wrong?

I didn’t count how many rolls I made before I baked them, so I didn’t notice a few had dropped off the other side.

At least that’s what I’m guessing now.

The good news is that the rolls that I had made didn’t taste burned, the ones that D#1 made the next night when we went to see “Footnotes” didn’t burn, and all was cleared up in time to get the rest of the baking/cooking done, with no need for a fire extinguisher or anything else like that.

And I’ll share my very happy recipe find for the year, even.

Passover Chocolate Chip Miracle Bars    

2 cups ground almonds

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375; Grease a 9×13 pan.

Mix ingredients together and spread in pan with spatula.  Just mix it well.

Bake for 23 minutes. (or until done:) )

Really easy. Really good.

Oh, you don’t have to use a metal spatula for this one, though.

because i love to share

and I’m avoiding all the work…

I’ll just post a favorite amazing recipe. I got it here from Epicurious here, but I of course have adapted it. I’ll put in my version, just for you:). I leave out the margarine. Bad stuff. Not necessary. If you use oil and you’re making cookies, let’s say, just put the dough in the fridge for a bit to set and then they’ll bake up fine. Okay I’m not a foodie. But believe me, health-wise, much better.

MOCK CHESTNUT TORTE

Torte

1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 large eggs, separated
1 ½ cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (put them in the microwave–soooo easy!)
1 teaspoon Passover rum extract (optional)
10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I use chocolate chips)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with baking parchment.

Torte:
In a mixing bowl, cream the oil with the 1/3 cup sugar. Blend in the egg yolks, then the mashed sweet potatoes, rum extract (if using), and cooled chocolate.

In another bowl, with clean beaters, whip the egg whites gently until they are a bit foamy. Then add in the salt and whip on a higher speed, slowly dusting in the two tablespoons of sugar to form stiff, glossy (but not dry) peaks. Fold one third of the egg whites into the sweet potato/chocolate mixture and work them in well to loosen the batter. Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites, blending well but taking care not to deflate the mixture. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes. The cake rises and looks dry, and slightly cracked on top when done. The middle should be soft but firm. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. At this point, the cake can be frozen for up to a month. Even if serving it the same day, chill the cake for an hour or two before finishing it with the ganache glaze.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze
1/2 cup water
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
In a double boiler, bring the water to a gentle boil and add the chopped chocolate all at once. Remove from the heat and stir briskly with a wire whisk until all the chocolate melts and you have a thick glaze or sauce-like topping. Refrigerate for an hour or so. (You can also make this ahead and refrigerate it for up to a week or two. Simply warm it to the right temperature for glazing the cake.)

Invert the cake onto a cardboard circle or cake board so that the smooth, flat bottom faces up. Do not be dismayed if this is not a high cake — it is a torte and is meant to be a little less than statuesque. Pour the glaze over the cake and, using a metal spatula, even out the glaze and spread it along the sides.

Instead of the glaze, you can also simply sift some cocoa over the top of the cake or decorate it with curls of chocolate (using a vegetable peeler and a warmish chocolate bar). The cake can also be offered with a pureed raspberry or strawberry sauce, garnished with chocolate shavings, or left as is, with a citrus leaf, a sweetheart rose, or several berries in the center.  (I have NEVER managed to make the glaze. It’s really good enough without. And who needs one more thing to potchky with?)

Makes 14 to 18 servings.

Enjoy.

Seriously.

yay–i’m kosher for pesach!

No, I’m not ready yet.

But my new fragrance is.

I never followed up on my hunt for a replacement smell. But it becomes more important because the other fragrances that I wear are not kosher for Pesach.

Yeah, I might want to swill them, shades of Kitty Dukakis from a while ago, for those of you OACA*.

So I did have very good luck and actually, it was another illustration of wisdom of our sages,

**אתה לא תמיד יכול לקבל מה שאתה רוצה

So I went to a discount perfume store in the outlet stores nearby.

And I asked them if they had something

with lemon tones, light for every day.

And they offered so many choices

but I realized I had to change my ways.

‘Cause you can’t always get what you want…x2

But I found this time,

I got what I need!

da da da da ba da da da

Okay, I’m done.

Burberry.

Vanilla.

Very nice.

And kosher for Passover.

What could be better?

Oh yeah, back to the kitchen.

* Of a certain age:)

**You’ve probably figured out by now what this means…if not, let me know.

questions posed last night to me at the mikveh

Being the shomeret at the mikveh gave me a chance to finish reading The Brain in Love and re-set my Omer calendar. And it gave a bunch of women a chance to ask me a few interesting questions:

1. Who’s joining you this year?
2. Can you house everyone?
3. Do you mind if I just toivel a few dishes? I’ll be very quick.
4. Will your husband be around tomorrow to ask a few questions?
5. When can I sell my chametz?
6. Are you finished cleaning for Pesach?
7. Do you have help?
8. Is it easier to do without children?
9. Are paper plates kosher for Passover?
10. Can you give me a good pareve kosher for Passover soup recipe?
11. When should I start talking to my daughter about mikveh?

Answers?

Sure.

1. Everyone in the northern hemisphere.
2. No, we have to branch out to a neighbor’s. Thankfully, we have very nice neighbors who will be away.
3. No problem…You should have let me know in advance so I would have known what room to put you in, but go ahead.
4. Of course. Actually, he’ll be in and out. Try and if he’s not home, leave a message. And if he doesn’t get back to you, try try again.
5. The sooner the better, please. See #4′s answer.
6. No, but almost! Really!
7. Do you consider my husband help? Sometimes I do.
8. Yes. No question about that. Still finding those Cheerios. Although sometimes, I have to look very carefully to figure out if it’s a Cheerio/Kix or a Lego head.
9. Yes. That seems to be the most common question this year. I guess people are going rogue. Just don’t use the really cheap stuff.
10. Sure. No problem. Just saute onions, add carrots, celery, then add some water. Then add whatever other kinds of veggies you want. Then add spices. Always add garlic. Sure, you can use an immersion blender. Add sweet potatoes. That gives it body and they’re so delicious! Enjoy!
11. Oh. Wow. She’s already 11? Yes, the sooner the better. That way it becomes a natural part of her expectation of life, without going into details about what happens afterwards. It’s just what Jewish women do.

Good luck with that, by the way…

this isn’t the promised land, is it?

It’s a global village we live in.

Or is it?

Isn’t the whole Pesach story about not being where we need to be? Even if you’re in Israel, I guess the point is that we’re not. We use the term “redeemed”, but we also use the word “rebuilt.”

It’s so comfortable here in America. I know, there’s a lot of tension around. But really, how could it not be comfortable when your local supermarket is wishing you a very sincere happy holiday?

After all, they’re marketing their market in a big way. I don’t remember such a production in the past. Yes, there was always the Maxwell House Haggadah.

But this year is different.

I was in Shaw’s the other day, picking up some of my kosher-for-Passover fish and looking to buy some Israeli products. There was a woman raving about a cake mix. She told her (presumed) husband that a lady came from 3 towns over just to get that cake mix. It was such a metziah.

No, she didn’t use that word. Just me. If she knew what a metziah was, she’d be making her own.

Presumably.

No, seriously, was it worth the time shlepping over from that town to buy that cake mix? Really?

On the other hand, have you seen Stop & Shop’s Passover circular? It’s actually quite inspiring. Seriously, great things for the kids to do!

Or their commercial? I’ve figured it would be on line already, but I can’t find it.

I did find this, though.

Stop & Shop Donates 1,000 Pounds Of Food To QJCC For Passover

Queens Jewish Community Council food pantry in crisis as holiday approaches.

And they have a video clip there, (which for whatever reason I can’t seem to embed here. No biggie).

Pretty impressive.

And yet…