We have too much cauliflower. Can anyone point me to a good recipe, preferably for a salad type thing? If not, I might have to make another cauliflower cheese pie which is way too much work! Help!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Material for Drash - Parshat Tazria - Postpartum depression
This spring I read the book Down Came the Rain by Brooke Shields. Although I did not suffer from post-partum depression, I could relate to a lot of what she wrote in the book about being a first time mom. That and the high profile case of a new mother age 45 who jumped to her death 8 stories in March (with her baby, who survived) led me to devote this Shabbat to gathering information about post-partum depression in the context of Parshat Tazria. Please use the material below and speak about this important topic!!!!
The material below is from the websites cited and from “The Maternity Offering,” Nechama Leibowitz, New Studies in Vayikra, pp. 181-182.
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders Overview
Previous personal or family history of postpartum depression, other clinical depression, anxiety or panic disorder, bipolar illness, eating disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
On the Parsha (try to read this for what it says, rather than reactively):
The material below is from the websites cited and from “The Maternity Offering,” Nechama Leibowitz, New Studies in Vayikra, pp. 181-182.
Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders Overview
While many women experience some mild mood changes during or
after the birth of a child, 15 to 20% of women experience more significant
symptoms of depression or anxiety. Please know that with informed care you can
prevent a worsening of these symptoms and can fully recover. There is no reason
to continue to suffer.
Women of every culture, age, income level and race can develop
perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Symptoms can appear any time during
pregnancy and the first 12 months after childbirth. There are effective and
well-researched treatment options to help you recover. Although the term
“postpartum depression” is most often used, there are actually several forms of
illness that women may experience, including:
Pregnancy (also called antepartum) or Postpartum Depression. A woman with PPD might experience
feelings of anger, sadness, irritability, guilt, lack of interest in the baby,
changes in eating and sleeping habits, trouble concentrating, thoughts of
hopelessness and sometimes even thoughts of harming the baby or herself. Learn more about PPD,
including risk factors, symptoms and treatment options.
Pregnancy (also called antepartum) or Postpartum Anxiety. A woman with PPA may experience
extreme worries and fears, often over the health and safety of the baby. Some
women have panic attacks and might feel shortness of breath, chest pain,
dizziness, a feeling of losing control, and numbness and tingling. Learn more about PPA,
including risk factors, symptoms and treatment options.
Pregnancy or Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Women with PPOCD
can have repetitive, upsetting and unwanted thoughts or mental images
(obsessions), and sometimes they need to do certain things over and over
(compulsions) to reduce the anxiety caused by those thoughts. These moms find
these thoughts very scary and unusual and are very unlikely to ever act on
them. Learn more about PPOCD,
including risk factors, symptoms and treatment options.
Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PPTSD is often
caused by a traumatic or frightening childbirth, and symptoms may include
flashbacks of the trauma with feelings of anxiety and the need to avoid things
related to that event. Learn more about PPTSD,
including risk factors, symptoms and treatment options.
Postpartum Psychosis. PPP sufferers sometimes see and
hear voices or images that others can’t, called hallucinations. They may
believe things that aren’t true and distrust those around them. They may also
have periods of confusion and memory loss, and seem manic. This severe
condition is dangerous so it is important to seek help immediately. Learn more about PPP, including
risk factors, symptoms and treatment options.
A new mother might not recognize
depression or anxiety because she is tired, overwhelmed, or simply adjusting to
life with a baby.
Depression During Pregnancy; Postpartum
Depression
during and after pregnancy occur more often than most people
realize.
Approximately 15% of women experience significant depression following childbirth. The percentages are even higher for women who are also dealing with poverty, and can be twice as high for teen parents. Ten percent of women experience depression in pregnancy. In fact, perinatal depression is the most common complication of childbirth.
Approximately 15% of women experience significant depression following childbirth. The percentages are even higher for women who are also dealing with poverty, and can be twice as high for teen parents. Ten percent of women experience depression in pregnancy. In fact, perinatal depression is the most common complication of childbirth.
Symptoms
can start anytime during pregnancy
or the first year postpartum. They differ for everyone, and might include the
following: Feelings of anger or irritability; Lack of interest in the baby; Appetite and sleep disturbance; Crying and sadness; Feelings of guilt, shame or
hopelessness; Loss of interest, joy or pleasure in
things you used to enjoy; Possible thoughts of harming the
baby or yourself
It
is important to know the risk factors for antepartum and postpartum depression. Research shows
that all of the things listed below put you at a higher risk for developing
these illnesses. If you have any of these factors, you should discuss them with
your medical provider so that you can plan ahead for care should you need it.
From www.postpartum.net
From http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/isnt-what-i-expected/201201/can-we-prevent-postpartum-depressionFrom www.postpartum.net
You can see by this wide-ranging list how easy it is to be at
risk for PPD!
Previous personal or family history of postpartum depression, other clinical depression, anxiety or panic disorder, bipolar illness, eating disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- A
mother who had PPD
- History
of severe PMS
- Infertility
- Thyroid
problems or family history of thyroid problems.
- Depression
during pregnancy
- Unplanned
or unwanted pregnancy
- Complicated
pregnancy and/or delivery
- Extreme
weight gain during pregnancy and/or difficulty losing weight after
pregnancy.
- Traumatic
birth experience
- Chronic
sleep deprivation
- Premature
baby
- High-needs
or colicky baby
- Difficulty
or perceived difficulty with breastfeeding
- Abrupt
discontinuation of breastfeeding
- Social isolation
- Marital
instability
- Unsupportive
partner
- Pre-existing
and unresolved issues with partner
- Impaired
family relationships, especially mother.
- Lack
of or distance from extended family
- Adverse
life events, such as difficulty at work, a recent move, a new job or other
major change, the death of a loved one, financial problems
- History
of childhood violence or
abuse, emotional, physical or sexual
- History
of early major loss, especially parent
- History
of drug or alcohol abuse
- Birth
control use
- Impaired
self-esteem
- Tendency
toward perfectionism
- Desire
for control
“When a
woman has matured a human germ…” Germ,
basically the seed of plants and hence herb-yielding seed (Gen. 1:11), the
seed-forming activity of plants for the continuation of their species, when
applied to human beings is the usual term for the offspring by which Man
continues his generation. By the use of
the expression תזריע here, which occurs only
elsewhere in Gen. 1:11 and 12, referring to the activity of plants for the
continuation of their species, the mother’s role in producing progeny is looked
at in the purely material physical character of its physiological process, and
with that one word the whole idea of the טומאה
(ritual impurity) spoken of here, is shown.
The highest
and noblest occupation, on which the whole future of the human race is built,
in which the whole constitution of womanhood finds its purpose and goal, the
whole process in the body of a mother for the production of a new human being –
is of purely physical nature. Man
originates, grows and exists like a plant and the noblest and most glorious
name that the human tongue can utter, the name “Mother,” reminds one at the
same time of the purely physical unfree process of human origin. If anywhere, it is surely here that the fact
must be established, that in spite of this, once he is born, Man is a morally
free agent. Above all, the Mother
herself, under the fresh impression of her physical, passive and painful
submission to the forces of Nature at the most sublime moment of her earthly
calling, has to re-establish the principle of her own spiritual station; and
only after this impression of lack of freedom of will has completely passed
away has she, by an offering, to undertake to allow herself of her own free
will, to give herself up to the whole spiritual height of her calling of Woman
and Mother which is now restarting with all its momentous and often painful
moments; and to allow herself to re-enter the Sanctuary of holy, happy
faithfulness to duty.
S.R. Hirsch,
quoted in “The Maternity Offering,” Nechama Leibowitz, New Studies in
Vayikra, pp. 181-182.
How Other Cultures
Prevent Postpartum Depression
What makes the difference?
Stern and Kruckman noted that cultures who had low incidence of postpartum mood disorders all had rituals that provided support and care for new mothers. These cultures, although quite different from each other, all shared five protective social structures:
Stern and Kruckman noted that cultures who had low incidence of postpartum mood disorders all had rituals that provided support and care for new mothers. These cultures, although quite different from each other, all shared five protective social structures:
- A distinct
postpartum period. In these other cultures, the
postpartum period is recognized as a time that is distinct from normal
life. It is a time when the mother is supposed to recuperate, her
activities are limited, and her female relatives take care of her. This
type of care was also common in colonial America, when postpartum was
referred to as the “lying-in” period. This period also functioned as a
time of “apprenticeship,” when more experienced mothers mentored the new
mother.
- Protective
measures reflecting the new mother’s vulnerability. During the
postpartum period, new mothers are recognized as being especially
vulnerable. Ritual bathing, washing of hair, massage, binding of the
abdomen, and other types of personal care are prominent in the postpartum
rituals of rural Guatemala, Mayan women in the Yucatan, and Latina women
both in the United States and Mexico. These rituals also mark the
postpartum period as distinct from other times in women’s lives.
- Social
seclusion and mandated rest. Postpartum is a time for the mother
to rest, regain strength, and care for the baby. Related to the concept of
vulnerability is the widespread practice of social seclusion for new
mothers. For example, in the Punjab, women and their babies are secluded
from everyone but female relatives and their midwives for five days.
Seclusion is said to promote breastfeeding and it limits a woman’s normal
activities. In contrast, many American mothers are expected to entertain
others—even during their hospital stay. Once they get home, this practice
continues as they are often expected to entertain family and friends who
come to see the baby.
- Functional
assistance.
In order for seclusion and mandated rest to occur, mothers must be
relieved of their normal workload. In these cultures, women are provided
with someone to take care of older children and perform their household
duties. As in the colonial period in the United States, women often return
to the homes of their family of origin to ensure that this type of
assistance is available.
- Social
recognition of her new role and status. In the
cultures Stern and Kruckman studied, there was a great deal of personal
attention given to the mother. In China and Nepal, very little attention
is paid to the pregnancy; much more attention is focused on the mother after the baby is
born. This has been described as “mothering the mother.” For example, the
status of the new mother is recognized through social rituals and gifts.
In Punjabi culture, there is the “stepping-out ceremony,” which includes
ritual bathing and hair washing performed by the midwife, and a ceremonial
meal prepared by a Brahmin. When the mother returns to her husband’s
family, she returns with many gifts she has been given for herself and the
baby. The following is a description of a postpartum ritual
performed by the Chagga of Uganda. It differs quite a bit from what
mothers in industrialized countries may experience.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Remembering
A man came to see me and said, "I was born in 1938 in Romania." Or maybe it was '39. It wasn't later.
That was a kind of miracle. How many Jewish children born in Romania that year lived?
He was very small. That was because he was hiding with his mother and never had much to eat. He did not speak until he was six years old. He always had to be quiet.
After the war he traveled in a boat from Europe. He arrived in Trinidad and young boys with black skin threw oranges at the boat. He had never seen a Black person. He had never seen an orange.
His parents had more children in their new life in South America. He felt he reminded his parents of the war, that they wanted him to disappear. He wore his childhood in his size.
When he grew up, he moved to the US. He avoided synagogues, Judaism, G-d. Then many years later his daughter got involved. One day she had a baby boy, and she wanted him to read the priestly blessing at the bris.
So he came to shul to learn to read it. And he told me his story. And he stayed in shul and "took a chance on G-d". He raked the leaves. He joined the board.
He died but his story did not die. Today, on Yom Hashoah, I remember him.
Yehi zichro baruch.
That was a kind of miracle. How many Jewish children born in Romania that year lived?
He was very small. That was because he was hiding with his mother and never had much to eat. He did not speak until he was six years old. He always had to be quiet.
After the war he traveled in a boat from Europe. He arrived in Trinidad and young boys with black skin threw oranges at the boat. He had never seen a Black person. He had never seen an orange.
His parents had more children in their new life in South America. He felt he reminded his parents of the war, that they wanted him to disappear. He wore his childhood in his size.
When he grew up, he moved to the US. He avoided synagogues, Judaism, G-d. Then many years later his daughter got involved. One day she had a baby boy, and she wanted him to read the priestly blessing at the bris.
So he came to shul to learn to read it. And he told me his story. And he stayed in shul and "took a chance on G-d". He raked the leaves. He joined the board.
He died but his story did not die. Today, on Yom Hashoah, I remember him.
Yehi zichro baruch.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Words of Comfort
Five years ago, eight young men left this world in a tragic shooting at the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva. They were shot as they studied in the library/Beit Midrash. One of these boys was the son of a friend.
Two years ago, I joined my friend and her family at the gravesite to commemorate his yahrzeit. It was a Sunday afternoon. Two nights later, we received the call that our four and a half year old nephew Lucas had been killed in a car accident.
Last night, I went to be with my friend at the memorial for the boys who died on Rosh Hodesh Adar at Merkaz HaRav. I want to share some of what I heard there in hopes that it will bring comfort at this season to Eddie and Sophie and all who loved Lucas, to Mimi and Paul whose son Ben died last week, and to anyone reading it.
My apologies in advance for any lapses in my memory or misunderstandings. The hour was late, the Hebrew was rapid and often accented.
Two speakers last night impressed me deeply. One was an elderly great man, I do not know his name, he is a Rosh Yeshiva, not from Merkaz Harav. He spoke in accented Hebrew, clearly Yiddish was his first language. He was the only speaker who brought books with him to read from and he read from the Gemara with Yiddish accented Aramaic, translating some parts into less accented Hebrew. American English was also in the background of his accent. He got my attention when he mentioned, in an aside, that he was born in Shanghai.
From Wikipedia:
Another wave of 18,000 Jews from Germany, Austria, and Poland immigrated to Shanghai in the late 1930s and the early 1940s.[30] Shanghai at the time was an open city and did not have restrictions on immigration, and some Chinese diplomats such as Ho Feng Shan issued "protective" passports. In 1943, the occupying Japanese army required these 18,000 Jews, formally known as "stateless refugees," to relocate to an area of 0.75 square miles (1.9 km2) in Shanghai's Hongkew district (today known as Hongkou District) where many lived in group homes called "Heime".[31] The total number of Jews entering Shanghai during this period equaled the number of Jews fleeing to Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa combined. Many of the Jews in China later moved to found modern Israel.
Shanghai was an important safe-haven for Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, since it was one of the few places in the world where one didn't need a visa. However, it was not easy to get there. The Japanese, who controlled the city, preferred in effect to look the other way. Some corrupt officials however, also exploited the plight of the Jews. By 1941 nearly 20,000 European Jews had found shelter there.
This rabbi seemed to me as if he carried the history of the Jewish people in the 20th century in his body. He spoke of Rav Kook. He told stories that I did not understand.
And he taught a Gemara from Yevamot, the point of which was to say that a yahrzeit, the anniversary of a death, is considered like one of the shalosh regalim (three pilgrimage festivals). He went on to talk about the importance of walking at the regalim, how even one who arrived in a cart had to get down the last way to the Temple. How walking allows us to slowly come in to something. And how for anniversaries, Yahrzeits, as my friend calls them "angelversaries", we need to enter slowly, we are entering a holy time.
I regret that because of my difficulties in understanding, I did not retain more of what this great man said. He did speak several times about why he was there, and how important it is to bear the burdens of others and to be with those who are in sorrow.
The other speaker who impressed me greatly was the Be'er Sheva Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri (Aryeh Deri's brother). He had an amazing presence, when he spoke I saw lots of energy and light around him, and I was quite a distance away. (Davka, the shul, Beit Knesset Yeshurun, felt very hamish, close and accessible and though we were of course on the balcony, I did not feel distant from the speakers or musicians.)
He started out by speaking about Nadav and Avihu, the two sons of Aaron who were killed suddenly on the day the Mishkan (tabernacle) was dedicated. He talked about the contrast - the happy celebration and the deaths, of course referring to the fact that the terror attack at Merkaz HaRav happened on the day that we were celebrating Rosh Hodesh Adar, when we increase joy. (And Lucas died on carnival.) He said that everyone cries when the portion of Aharei Mot (After the deaths - Leviticus 16) is read on Yom Kippur and quoted a commentary saying that is why we read it on Yom Kippur, because tears open the gates of heaven.
The middle of his talk was about Tzedakah (giving charity) and Gemilut Hasadim (acts of kindness). He quoted a teaching that when the merit of our fathers and the merit of our mothers fails us, doing acts of kindness will never fail us, interpreting a beautiful verse from Isaiah:
Isaiah 54:10: For the mountains (the merit of the fathers) may move, and the hills (the merit of the mothers) be shaken, my lovingkindness/loyalty (hasdi) will never move from you....
He had two other messages. One was based on a verse, all Israel wept after them. He said that the loss was not the loss of the families alone, but the loss of all Israel and that each of us there had to feel the loss. I think this is a teaching for whenever a child dies.
His last message he explicitly said was a message of comfort. It was based on a Talmud passage in Taanit 9 where it is written that Israel had three great parnasim (caretakers of the community in the broadest sense) - Moses, Aaron and Miriam - and that each brought a gift - by the merit of Moses, Manna, by the merit of Aaron, the clouds of glory, by the merit of Miriam, the well. He then said that the Gemara (?) says that these gifts all left Israel in one month, but that this is a problem because we know that Moses died on the 7th of Adar, Miriam in Nisan, and Aaron on Rosh Hodesh Av. Then he went on to say that what it means is that after Miriam and Aaron died, the well and the clouds did not depart, because Moses, their brother, carried on their work in the world. I took him to mean that as long as ones family are alive, as long as a sibling is alive, a child is not gone from this world. He also explicitly said that as long as the Yeshiva studies Torah and carries on the work of these boys, they have not departed.
May these words be of comfort to all who mourn this month and at all times, and may we find away to "hafach mispedi lemachol li" to turn weeping into dancing. At the end of the memorial, there was beautiful music and dancing.
Avraham David Moses, ztz"l
Two years ago, I joined my friend and her family at the gravesite to commemorate his yahrzeit. It was a Sunday afternoon. Two nights later, we received the call that our four and a half year old nephew Lucas had been killed in a car accident.
Last night, I went to be with my friend at the memorial for the boys who died on Rosh Hodesh Adar at Merkaz HaRav. I want to share some of what I heard there in hopes that it will bring comfort at this season to Eddie and Sophie and all who loved Lucas, to Mimi and Paul whose son Ben died last week, and to anyone reading it.
My apologies in advance for any lapses in my memory or misunderstandings. The hour was late, the Hebrew was rapid and often accented.
Two speakers last night impressed me deeply. One was an elderly great man, I do not know his name, he is a Rosh Yeshiva, not from Merkaz Harav. He spoke in accented Hebrew, clearly Yiddish was his first language. He was the only speaker who brought books with him to read from and he read from the Gemara with Yiddish accented Aramaic, translating some parts into less accented Hebrew. American English was also in the background of his accent. He got my attention when he mentioned, in an aside, that he was born in Shanghai.
From Wikipedia:
Another wave of 18,000 Jews from Germany, Austria, and Poland immigrated to Shanghai in the late 1930s and the early 1940s.[30] Shanghai at the time was an open city and did not have restrictions on immigration, and some Chinese diplomats such as Ho Feng Shan issued "protective" passports. In 1943, the occupying Japanese army required these 18,000 Jews, formally known as "stateless refugees," to relocate to an area of 0.75 square miles (1.9 km2) in Shanghai's Hongkew district (today known as Hongkou District) where many lived in group homes called "Heime".[31] The total number of Jews entering Shanghai during this period equaled the number of Jews fleeing to Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa combined. Many of the Jews in China later moved to found modern Israel.
Shanghai was an important safe-haven for Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, since it was one of the few places in the world where one didn't need a visa. However, it was not easy to get there. The Japanese, who controlled the city, preferred in effect to look the other way. Some corrupt officials however, also exploited the plight of the Jews. By 1941 nearly 20,000 European Jews had found shelter there.
This rabbi seemed to me as if he carried the history of the Jewish people in the 20th century in his body. He spoke of Rav Kook. He told stories that I did not understand.
And he taught a Gemara from Yevamot, the point of which was to say that a yahrzeit, the anniversary of a death, is considered like one of the shalosh regalim (three pilgrimage festivals). He went on to talk about the importance of walking at the regalim, how even one who arrived in a cart had to get down the last way to the Temple. How walking allows us to slowly come in to something. And how for anniversaries, Yahrzeits, as my friend calls them "angelversaries", we need to enter slowly, we are entering a holy time.
I regret that because of my difficulties in understanding, I did not retain more of what this great man said. He did speak several times about why he was there, and how important it is to bear the burdens of others and to be with those who are in sorrow.
The other speaker who impressed me greatly was the Be'er Sheva Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri (Aryeh Deri's brother). He had an amazing presence, when he spoke I saw lots of energy and light around him, and I was quite a distance away. (Davka, the shul, Beit Knesset Yeshurun, felt very hamish, close and accessible and though we were of course on the balcony, I did not feel distant from the speakers or musicians.)
He started out by speaking about Nadav and Avihu, the two sons of Aaron who were killed suddenly on the day the Mishkan (tabernacle) was dedicated. He talked about the contrast - the happy celebration and the deaths, of course referring to the fact that the terror attack at Merkaz HaRav happened on the day that we were celebrating Rosh Hodesh Adar, when we increase joy. (And Lucas died on carnival.) He said that everyone cries when the portion of Aharei Mot (After the deaths - Leviticus 16) is read on Yom Kippur and quoted a commentary saying that is why we read it on Yom Kippur, because tears open the gates of heaven.
The middle of his talk was about Tzedakah (giving charity) and Gemilut Hasadim (acts of kindness). He quoted a teaching that when the merit of our fathers and the merit of our mothers fails us, doing acts of kindness will never fail us, interpreting a beautiful verse from Isaiah:
Isaiah 54:10: For the mountains (the merit of the fathers) may move, and the hills (the merit of the mothers) be shaken, my lovingkindness/loyalty (hasdi) will never move from you....
He had two other messages. One was based on a verse, all Israel wept after them. He said that the loss was not the loss of the families alone, but the loss of all Israel and that each of us there had to feel the loss. I think this is a teaching for whenever a child dies.
His last message he explicitly said was a message of comfort. It was based on a Talmud passage in Taanit 9 where it is written that Israel had three great parnasim (caretakers of the community in the broadest sense) - Moses, Aaron and Miriam - and that each brought a gift - by the merit of Moses, Manna, by the merit of Aaron, the clouds of glory, by the merit of Miriam, the well. He then said that the Gemara (?) says that these gifts all left Israel in one month, but that this is a problem because we know that Moses died on the 7th of Adar, Miriam in Nisan, and Aaron on Rosh Hodesh Av. Then he went on to say that what it means is that after Miriam and Aaron died, the well and the clouds did not depart, because Moses, their brother, carried on their work in the world. I took him to mean that as long as ones family are alive, as long as a sibling is alive, a child is not gone from this world. He also explicitly said that as long as the Yeshiva studies Torah and carries on the work of these boys, they have not departed.
May these words be of comfort to all who mourn this month and at all times, and may we find away to "hafach mispedi lemachol li" to turn weeping into dancing. At the end of the memorial, there was beautiful music and dancing.
Avraham David Moses, ztz"l
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Sorry, another recipe - Stuffed Cabbage for Dummies!
I must have written at least 5 blog posts in my head the past month - about our trip, about the Israeli elections, about place, about Obama's inauguration and gay marriage. I even sat down to write at least one but got sidetracked.
So here is nothing profound - just another recipe. It's my adaptation of Madhur Jaffrey's "Tembel Dolma" from World Vegetarian. The title means:
Stuffed Cabbage for Dummies!
It's not stuffed. The recipe might seem daunting but it's actually really easy and after you do it a few times it gets easier.
1 small cabbage, cored and shredded
1 1/2 cups rice (I use basmati)
1 onion, thin sliced
2 tablespoons chopped almonds (buy them chopped already)
2 tablespoons craisins (that's hamutziyot)
1/2 cup fresh dill (or less - I don't measure nor do I "finely chop")
oil for frying onions
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
Boil a big pot of water, add the cabbage, and blanch it. She says boil 1 minute but every time I make this I say "I could have boiled the cabbage less". It just needs to wilt a little. Drain the cabbage and save 3 cups of the liquid.
Fry the onion till it just starts to brown. Turn down the heat and add the rice and almonds. Stir that for a minute or two, then add the dill, cranberries, salt and pepper.
Now you layer the stuff - 3 layers of cabbage, 2 layers of rice mix. In the big pot, put a layer of the wilted cabbage, then half the rice mixture, then another layer of cabbage, then the rest of the rice, then the last layer of the cabbage. On top sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar.
Now you put a plate on top of it - I never have the right size plate so I use 2 small plates. Use corelle ware, because the plate is going to boil. Now add the 3 cups of liquid. And put a lid on the pot.
Boil and then turn down the heat and cook 20-25 minutes (or longer if your rice takes longer). Turn off the heat and leave the pot for 30 minutes.
You are supposed to be able to turn this dish out in one piece, but I have never succeeded.
Did I mention this is a vegan (parve) dish???
Take it to a pot luck!
So here is nothing profound - just another recipe. It's my adaptation of Madhur Jaffrey's "Tembel Dolma" from World Vegetarian. The title means:
Stuffed Cabbage for Dummies!
It's not stuffed. The recipe might seem daunting but it's actually really easy and after you do it a few times it gets easier.
1 small cabbage, cored and shredded
1 1/2 cups rice (I use basmati)
1 onion, thin sliced
2 tablespoons chopped almonds (buy them chopped already)
2 tablespoons craisins (that's hamutziyot)
1/2 cup fresh dill (or less - I don't measure nor do I "finely chop")
oil for frying onions
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
Boil a big pot of water, add the cabbage, and blanch it. She says boil 1 minute but every time I make this I say "I could have boiled the cabbage less". It just needs to wilt a little. Drain the cabbage and save 3 cups of the liquid.
Fry the onion till it just starts to brown. Turn down the heat and add the rice and almonds. Stir that for a minute or two, then add the dill, cranberries, salt and pepper.
Now you layer the stuff - 3 layers of cabbage, 2 layers of rice mix. In the big pot, put a layer of the wilted cabbage, then half the rice mixture, then another layer of cabbage, then the rest of the rice, then the last layer of the cabbage. On top sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar.
Now you put a plate on top of it - I never have the right size plate so I use 2 small plates. Use corelle ware, because the plate is going to boil. Now add the 3 cups of liquid. And put a lid on the pot.
Boil and then turn down the heat and cook 20-25 minutes (or longer if your rice takes longer). Turn off the heat and leave the pot for 30 minutes.
You are supposed to be able to turn this dish out in one piece, but I have never succeeded.
Did I mention this is a vegan (parve) dish???
Take it to a pot luck!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
A great oatmeal molasses cookie
I played around with a couple of recipes and made them like this:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda (maybe 3/4 would be better)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
I would have loved some cloves
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses (aka the universal mineral healing potion)
3/4 cup sugar
Sift dry ingredients, mix up wet ingredients well, mix the two together
Add 1/4 cup chopped almonds, 1 1/2 cups oatmeal, 1/4 cup raisins or craisins or if you don't have raisins and want the cookies to be really good like mine were - chopped prunes!!!
Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes - they will be golden or darker. Don't overcook.
Let me know if you try it, ok????
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda (maybe 3/4 would be better)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
I would have loved some cloves
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses (aka the universal mineral healing potion)
3/4 cup sugar
Sift dry ingredients, mix up wet ingredients well, mix the two together
Add 1/4 cup chopped almonds, 1 1/2 cups oatmeal, 1/4 cup raisins or craisins or if you don't have raisins and want the cookies to be really good like mine were - chopped prunes!!!
Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes - they will be golden or darker. Don't overcook.
Let me know if you try it, ok????
Sunday, December 2, 2012
A story about Ron Thiemann my teacher
One of my favorite memories about Ron Thiemann goes like this:
I think I was in my senior year, maybe even my last semester of college. I was a TA in Ron's Religion 102 class, the class where I had met him my freshman year.
He was looking for someone to drive him to the airport early one morning and was offering to pay. I was happy to volunteer.
I think he picked me up at my house, in a white sports car. I don't know what it was - probably not a Mazda Miata (remember them?) but maybe an old Triumph or something, stick shift. We drove (he drove) to the airport on Cobbs Creek Parkway. Maybe it was even a Saturday, or else it was just very early in the morning. There was no traffic at all.
Then the best part - I got to drive this sports car back to his house!
And for this he paid me $10!!!
And then, because this was the kind of guy he was, I think he even wrote about it on a recommendation for me, about how helpful I was, or else he took the trouble to write me a note of thanks.
So let's see - I got like 30 minutes alone with my advisor, whom I greatly admired. I got $10. And I got to drive a cool white sports car. And then I got an additional thank you!
What I love about this memory is how different things seem when you are 20 and when you are 36 or so (that was his age then) and when you are 50. Those little joys like driving a car that mean so much when you don't own one. What $10 meant to me then and what it means to me now. And the joy of driving down an empty, beautiful road, where I had never been before.
I think I was in my senior year, maybe even my last semester of college. I was a TA in Ron's Religion 102 class, the class where I had met him my freshman year.
He was looking for someone to drive him to the airport early one morning and was offering to pay. I was happy to volunteer.
I think he picked me up at my house, in a white sports car. I don't know what it was - probably not a Mazda Miata (remember them?) but maybe an old Triumph or something, stick shift. We drove (he drove) to the airport on Cobbs Creek Parkway. Maybe it was even a Saturday, or else it was just very early in the morning. There was no traffic at all.
Then the best part - I got to drive this sports car back to his house!
And for this he paid me $10!!!
And then, because this was the kind of guy he was, I think he even wrote about it on a recommendation for me, about how helpful I was, or else he took the trouble to write me a note of thanks.
So let's see - I got like 30 minutes alone with my advisor, whom I greatly admired. I got $10. And I got to drive a cool white sports car. And then I got an additional thank you!
What I love about this memory is how different things seem when you are 20 and when you are 36 or so (that was his age then) and when you are 50. Those little joys like driving a car that mean so much when you don't own one. What $10 meant to me then and what it means to me now. And the joy of driving down an empty, beautiful road, where I had never been before.
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