How to Cook
I never know when to expect it or what it will be but every now and then I am possessed in the kitchen. I’ve learned to just go with it and it’s a lot of weird fun. In Print.
Eat It!
Eat It!
Read this post here.
What Is Chanukah All About?
Happy Chanukah everybody! For those of you who think Chanukah is just an excuse for Jewish kids to get presents–well, not really, although presents are nice. Chanukah celebrates an interesting bit of history and of course, celebrates winter light–always precious.
I took a little journey through the Chanukahs of my childhood. First we’d light the candles and sing songs in a mixture of English, Yiddish, and German. We had a good meal–brisket and latkes. We opened presents (mostly socks and pajamas.) Then we’d have the fiercely competitive dreidel game (for poker chips or nuts-in-the-shell.) When my Mother got bored, she would start to eat her reserve, which was the beginning of the end.
For all of you who need a little course in dreidel, there is a Hebrew letter on each side of the dreidel (a top made of wood or plastic. I never made the ubliquitous clay dreidel.) The player spins the dreidel and if it falls with the Gimmel up, the player wins the whole pot. If the Hay is up, player takes half the pot. If the Nun is up, player takes nothing and if the Shin is up, player puts 2 in. Everyone antes up again and another player has a turn. The letters stand for the phrase nes gadol hayah sham, a great miracle happened there. The miracle was that the small amount of oil found for the eternal light in the temple lasted eight days until more could be refined. Religiously sanctioned gambling–how fun is that.
Allspice
Allspice. All the time.
The slick magazine-version of my life longs for it.
Or is that just the surface,
hiding long restless hours in torpid poses
on white silk, perfect boredom pouting my lips,
airy laughter and animated wineglass-clink?
My bones long for earth, mattresses, floors,
something solid to hold them up.
They never wanted to get up this morning
but my good-for-me brain said “must.”
Now, sodden mind craves newsprint in rebellion.
Distraction it’s middle name.
The clash of fantasy and comfort’s cling ebbs and flows.
Sometimes I’m content—done ok haven’t I?
Allspice? or all plain? More fear? Or more folly?
I made conservative choices, chalking them up.
And what did I conserve? May as well have danced wildly.
At least a little bit.
I’ve found my fancy for the plain.
Is that self-knowledge and acceptance?
Or atrophy and small living?
That “other hand” stirs so many colors it can’t remember what to paint.
But the splash of pumpkin orange is perfect in itself.
Allspice? A quandary, isn’t it?
Sugar and Spice
This is my holiday greeting this year–a celebration of the sweet spices that find their way into so many winter treats. Happy nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, clove and anise. These spices go so well with sugar, chocolate, red wine, conversation and coffee. Stay sweet.
What an Appliance
Well coming into the Holiday buying season I always remember the appliance years–first apartments and all– and my tribute to the last appliance-gift I received. It’s a beauty–and it’s season is coming so I thought I’d revisit it.
Second Chance
I went to dry plains of West Texas to see if I could find stories about my Grandmother who married and settled there after she endured the second World War in Europe. I found myself wondering about coming to this dry, yet welcoming place.
Ice Cream Musings
Did you know it’s National Ice Cream Month? And what a month! What a substance! So I’m sharing my ice-cream recollections with you. (In Print has the text version of this piece.) You can hear more about my adventures with fresh peach ice cream at Vacation.