If you are looking for an apple dish for yom tov that is a little bit different the following apple kugel recipe might do the trick for you.
Apple Kugel Recipe
Ingredients:
One box unflavored couscous, whole grain preferable
5 large apples
scant ½ cup splenda, or equivalent in sugar or honey
cinnamon
apple pie spice
Vanilla extract
One cup of egg whites
Method:
Prepare couscous according to package directions, omitting oil and salt.
Peel and core the apples.
Place four apples in chunks in the bowl of a food processor. Process until coarsely chopped.
Into bowl of processor add Splenda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon apple pie spice. Add in one tablespoon of vanilla extract. Pulse a few times to mix spices into apples.
Add half the prepared couscous mixture to the processor bowl.
Pour in half the egg whites into the processor bowl.
Process until fairly smooth. Place in a mixing bowl.
Place the remaining egg whites and couscous into the food processor. Process until smooth. Add to the mixture in the mixing bowl.
Take the remaining apple and process only into large chunks. Add to the mixture in the bowl.
Mix the mixture in the bowl so that both batches are completely incorporated. If mixture should be too stiff, add ¼ cup egg whites.
Spray a baking pan—two 8x8x2 square pans or one 8-16x1 pan or one 9x13x2 pan.
Place the kugel mixture into the pan making sure the mixture is evenly distributed and that the top is smoothed out.
Lightly oil spray the top of the kugel.
Place in an oven at 350 for one hour, until lightly browned on top and firm to the touch.
Note: This can be served hot or cold. It also freezes well.
Note: You can add a handful of golden raisins along with the large chunks of apple if your family likes them.
Note: You may need to adjust the Splenda according to your taste and also on whether you are using sweet or sour apples.
Note: If you don’t want to use Splenda, sugar or honey may be substituted
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Haveil Havalim #184
If you need a break to just sit and have a coffee during the preparations for yom tov, reading matter is at hand. An interesting mix of articles from the J-blogosphere.
http://ozymandias.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/haveil-havalim-184-a-barbarian-roars-again/
http://ozymandias.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/haveil-havalim-184-a-barbarian-roars-again/
Not Pretending to be Superwoman
Because of the schedule of the yomim tovim I'm not going to be posting with anything near the frequency I usually do. You can't serve a blog posting for dinner. Having said that, the itchy compulsion to be at my keyboard is sure to strike at least a few times. Just being polite and letting you know that it will be hit or miss over the next few weeks.
Shana Tovah
May we all be zocheh,
In the year that starts tomorrow,
To see much of simcha,
And none at all of sorrow.
May our health be excellent,
Our troubles none or few,
May our footsteps follow confidently,
On the derech of the Jew.
May sinah find itself unused--
Please let it slink away.
Let achdus be our tool instead
For each and every day.
May seichel be our companion
To guide us on our way.
Let not evil inclinations
Hold us in their sway.
May the blessings of Hashem rain down upon us
For ourselves and our families too.
These are only the tip of the iceberg
Of the good that I wish for you.
So, to all my readers, a Shana Tovah U'mesukah
In the year that starts tomorrow,
To see much of simcha,
And none at all of sorrow.
May our health be excellent,
Our troubles none or few,
May our footsteps follow confidently,
On the derech of the Jew.
May sinah find itself unused--
Please let it slink away.
Let achdus be our tool instead
For each and every day.
May seichel be our companion
To guide us on our way.
Let not evil inclinations
Hold us in their sway.
May the blessings of Hashem rain down upon us
For ourselves and our families too.
These are only the tip of the iceberg
Of the good that I wish for you.
So, to all my readers, a Shana Tovah U'mesukah
Friday, September 26, 2008
As They Say
It's apparently my morning to be living by old sayings.
Keyspan finally arrived way late last night and, thankfully, passed our plumber's repairs. So now it's time for me to be "cooking with gas," "getting myself into gear," and "making hay while the sun shines," although the skies are grey and it's "pouring cats and dogs" in NY. So I'm off to shop (having been stuck in the house all day yesterday) or I'll be "behind the eight ball" which will get me "called on the carpet" and having to "face the music."
A shabbat shalom to all.
Keyspan finally arrived way late last night and, thankfully, passed our plumber's repairs. So now it's time for me to be "cooking with gas," "getting myself into gear," and "making hay while the sun shines," although the skies are grey and it's "pouring cats and dogs" in NY. So I'm off to shop (having been stuck in the house all day yesterday) or I'll be "behind the eight ball" which will get me "called on the carpet" and having to "face the music."
A shabbat shalom to all.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Inanimate Objects Strike Again
Clearly my mind must have been preoccupied with a lot this week because not even once did it entertain a single thought about what could go wrong before yom tov. My lists were all prepared, I had my schedule of what to do drawn up, and I was even going to have time for a leisurely bath at some point. Sigh.
A few weeks ago National Grid (the new name for Keyspan) called to schedule a regular inspection visit. Apparently they are required by law to inspect the boxes and plumbing connections and heating connections every 20 years or so. Of course they have never done so up to now. So the inspector was here this morning. And he found a small gas leak. And he locked the meter and turned off the gas. So now I have no gas, no hot water and, of course, no stove, no dryer and no heating system. The plumber is here even as I am typing this replacing the pipes. [Note to yeshiva bochrim looking to make a lot of money: become a plumber. Said plumber was here for all of 15 minutes at a charge of $280.] If only that were the end of it. National Grid has to come back and do the inspection again and relight all the pilots on all the gas appliances.. And that is where the problem starts. As the inspector put it "we are really busy right now. Maybe we can get there on Monday."
As soon as the plumber is finished I'll be on the phone with the National Grid office attempting to beg for rachmonos and trying to explain shabbos and yom tov to them. If talking doesn't help then I hope they are susceptible to hysterically crying women. Because if they don't get here today then I'm going to find out if it is possible to cook Shabbos and yom tov using only a microwave oven.
I've said it before and I'll repeat it again now: inanimate objects are not all that inanimate and they most certainly and definitely know when a yom tov is coming. Couldn't they just give me a little break and let ME decide which of them is going to go on the blink?
Update: In the serve and volley with National Grid they are so far up to getting here sometime tomorrow maybe. And I have now been 17 minutes and 43 seconds on hold waiting to speak to a supervisor. News flash: the supervisor is not picking up her line. They are now passing me up the line to her supervisor. Second news flash: The second supervisor, a clear spawn of satan, started to give me all kinds of grief. No time for tears and more than time for a bit of nastiness. In the end he puts through an order for a technician to come out today. But here is the real kicker: there is no guarantee that the techie will actually come today. And if he doesn't then I have to call back tomorrow morning to put in another order for a techie to come out, and there is no guarantee that he will come tomorrow either. I thought the gas company was a public service utility. I really wish they would remember that "service" part.
A few weeks ago National Grid (the new name for Keyspan) called to schedule a regular inspection visit. Apparently they are required by law to inspect the boxes and plumbing connections and heating connections every 20 years or so. Of course they have never done so up to now. So the inspector was here this morning. And he found a small gas leak. And he locked the meter and turned off the gas. So now I have no gas, no hot water and, of course, no stove, no dryer and no heating system. The plumber is here even as I am typing this replacing the pipes. [Note to yeshiva bochrim looking to make a lot of money: become a plumber. Said plumber was here for all of 15 minutes at a charge of $280.] If only that were the end of it. National Grid has to come back and do the inspection again and relight all the pilots on all the gas appliances.. And that is where the problem starts. As the inspector put it "we are really busy right now. Maybe we can get there on Monday."
As soon as the plumber is finished I'll be on the phone with the National Grid office attempting to beg for rachmonos and trying to explain shabbos and yom tov to them. If talking doesn't help then I hope they are susceptible to hysterically crying women. Because if they don't get here today then I'm going to find out if it is possible to cook Shabbos and yom tov using only a microwave oven.
I've said it before and I'll repeat it again now: inanimate objects are not all that inanimate and they most certainly and definitely know when a yom tov is coming. Couldn't they just give me a little break and let ME decide which of them is going to go on the blink?
Update: In the serve and volley with National Grid they are so far up to getting here sometime tomorrow maybe. And I have now been 17 minutes and 43 seconds on hold waiting to speak to a supervisor. News flash: the supervisor is not picking up her line. They are now passing me up the line to her supervisor. Second news flash: The second supervisor, a clear spawn of satan, started to give me all kinds of grief. No time for tears and more than time for a bit of nastiness. In the end he puts through an order for a technician to come out today. But here is the real kicker: there is no guarantee that the techie will actually come today. And if he doesn't then I have to call back tomorrow morning to put in another order for a techie to come out, and there is no guarantee that he will come tomorrow either. I thought the gas company was a public service utility. I really wish they would remember that "service" part.
Tashlich--Tailor Made for a Consumer Society
Thanks to one of my offspiring for sending this to me. It lends new meaning to having a choice. (And thanks to the unknown author)
Taking a few crumbs to Tashlich from whatever old bread is in the house lacks subtlety, nuance and religious sensitivity. I would suggest that we can do better.
For ordinary sins - White Bread
For exotic sins - French Bread
For particularly dark sins - Pumpernickel
For complex sins - Multi-grain
For twisted sins - Pretzels
For tasteless sins - Rice Cakes
For sins of indecision - Waffles
For sins committed in haste - Matzah
For sins committed in less than eighteen minutes - Shmurah Matzah
For sins of chutzpah - Fresh Bread
For substance abuse/marijuana - Stoned Wheat
For substance abuse/heavy drugs - Poppy Seed
For arson - Toast
For timidity - Milk Toast
For high-handedness - Napoleons
For being sulky - Sourdough
For silliness - Nut Bread
For not giving full value - Short bread
For jingoism - Yankee Doodles
For telling bad jokes - Corn Bread
For being money-hungry - Enriched Bread or Raw Dough
For telling small lies - Fudge
For war-mongering - Kaiser Rolls
For racism - Crackers
For sophisticated racism - Ritz Crackers
For being holier-than-thou - Bagels
For unfairly up-braiding others - Challah
For provocative dressing - Wonton Wrappers
For snobbery - Upper Crusts
For indecent photography - Cheese Cake
For trashing the environment - Dumplings
For the sin of laziness - Any Very Long Loaf
For being hyper-critical - Pan Cakes
For political skullduggery - Bismarcks
For over-eating - Stuffing Bread or Bulkie Rolls
For gambling - Fortune Cookies
For pride - Puff Pastry
For cheating - Bread made with Nutrasweet and Olestra
For being snappish - Ginger Bread
For dropping in without calling beforehand - Popovers
For trying to improve everyone within sight -Angel Food Cake
For being up-tight and irritable - High Fiber or Bran Muffins
For sycophancy - Brownies
For rearing children incompetently - Raisin Bread
For causing injury or damage to others - Tortes
For hardening our hearts - Jelly doughnuts
For abrasiveness - Grits
For recurring slip ups - Banana Bread
For davening off tune - Flat Bread
For impetuosity - Quick Bread
For silliness - Nut Bread
For risking one's life unnecessarily - Hero Bread
For auto theft - Caraway
For excessive use of irony - Rye Bread
For larceny (especially of copyright material) - Stollenetc.,etc.
(I was inspired to add two of my own)
For those who were tough on their neighbors/family/friends--hard rolls
For those who are always asking others for money--Raisin bread.
Remember, you don't have to show your crumbs to anyone. For those who require a wide selection of crumbs, an attempt will be made to have pre-packaged Tashlich Mix available in three grades (Tashlich Lite, Medium and Industrial Strength) at your local Jewish bookstore.
Taking a few crumbs to Tashlich from whatever old bread is in the house lacks subtlety, nuance and religious sensitivity. I would suggest that we can do better.
For ordinary sins - White Bread
For exotic sins - French Bread
For particularly dark sins - Pumpernickel
For complex sins - Multi-grain
For twisted sins - Pretzels
For tasteless sins - Rice Cakes
For sins of indecision - Waffles
For sins committed in haste - Matzah
For sins committed in less than eighteen minutes - Shmurah Matzah
For sins of chutzpah - Fresh Bread
For substance abuse/marijuana - Stoned Wheat
For substance abuse/heavy drugs - Poppy Seed
For arson - Toast
For timidity - Milk Toast
For high-handedness - Napoleons
For being sulky - Sourdough
For silliness - Nut Bread
For not giving full value - Short bread
For jingoism - Yankee Doodles
For telling bad jokes - Corn Bread
For being money-hungry - Enriched Bread or Raw Dough
For telling small lies - Fudge
For war-mongering - Kaiser Rolls
For racism - Crackers
For sophisticated racism - Ritz Crackers
For being holier-than-thou - Bagels
For unfairly up-braiding others - Challah
For provocative dressing - Wonton Wrappers
For snobbery - Upper Crusts
For indecent photography - Cheese Cake
For trashing the environment - Dumplings
For the sin of laziness - Any Very Long Loaf
For being hyper-critical - Pan Cakes
For political skullduggery - Bismarcks
For over-eating - Stuffing Bread or Bulkie Rolls
For gambling - Fortune Cookies
For pride - Puff Pastry
For cheating - Bread made with Nutrasweet and Olestra
For being snappish - Ginger Bread
For dropping in without calling beforehand - Popovers
For trying to improve everyone within sight -Angel Food Cake
For being up-tight and irritable - High Fiber or Bran Muffins
For sycophancy - Brownies
For rearing children incompetently - Raisin Bread
For causing injury or damage to others - Tortes
For hardening our hearts - Jelly doughnuts
For abrasiveness - Grits
For recurring slip ups - Banana Bread
For davening off tune - Flat Bread
For impetuosity - Quick Bread
For silliness - Nut Bread
For risking one's life unnecessarily - Hero Bread
For auto theft - Caraway
For excessive use of irony - Rye Bread
For larceny (especially of copyright material) - Stollenetc.,etc.
(I was inspired to add two of my own)
For those who were tough on their neighbors/family/friends--hard rolls
For those who are always asking others for money--Raisin bread.
Remember, you don't have to show your crumbs to anyone. For those who require a wide selection of crumbs, an attempt will be made to have pre-packaged Tashlich Mix available in three grades (Tashlich Lite, Medium and Industrial Strength) at your local Jewish bookstore.
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