Eating Israeli Food

Hi Dear Folk,

It’s freezing over here 15 Fahrenheit, cold and with a wind. I’m wearing a Peruvian jumper I bought at the thrift, just to keep warm.  Crazy with the train this morning almost missed it because first they weren’t running because of over head wire problems and then they decided to run it.  So because I was a bit later this morning I made it on the train, all the ones who arrived earlier had left thinking the train was not running.

I parked the car and then a guy walking past said the train is not running, so I thought let me drive up to the platform area and see what’s going on, did not park the car properly or pay for my parking space, then the train conductor says we are going to run the train then they shut the door, where I am standing and I said hold on, which he did, he's standing further down the platform. I had to run down get my bag out of the car and then phone Bob to come and park it properly and pay for parking, totally crazy.  Fortunately I made the train. You feel like you’ve done a days work before you even get to work.

Tierney, Rob's GF, is down for the week as she has this week off work, and is flying back on first of January.  Yesterday we cooked some Israeli recipes out of my cook book.  A meat pie and a variation on a tabbouleh salad, both good.  Also some rugula small pastries, which have sour cream, butter and cream cheese in the dough and the filling is hazelnut and date.  I could not find any hazelnuts, only ones with powdered cocoa on so I bought those and we used them.  The meat pie was very good with cinnamon and parsley in.  We went for the easy way out using ready made puff pastry and I had to substitute flax seeds for sesame seeds on top, was delicious.  In the salad we were able to use fresh parsley cut out of the garden that day, unbelievable that it is OK, after all these freezing temperatures, unfortunately no mint, it’s all dead for the season.  Was fun cooking together in my small kitchen.

Tomorrow we plan to go to New Hope and across the river into NJ, Lambertville and eat out at a Middle Eastern Restaurant.  At least that's the plan but can always change.

I have a silver plated Victorian pickle stand, tongs and lid, but no cranberry glass insert, so I am going to look for one in some of the antique shops in Lambertville, or maybe thrifts.  I originally bought it in a thrift for $1.00 and with the glass is worth well over $100.  If I found a painted cranberry glass even more.  It took me a while to figure out what it was used for, is quite ornate.  It actually came with two matching tongs, so there must have been another one, but the tongs landed up in this package at the thrift.

I am so getting used to short work weeks and will be hard put to go back to a four day week.

Two more shops have bit the dust in my area, they moved my small Aldi's one of the original ones to the USA down the road to what I would call a yuppy location, and a much larger store so now it's a bit of a trek for the little goodies I liked to pick up.  Also my local family owned produce and plant store closed, I will certainly miss them come springtime.  Now where to go for garden plants?

Bye for now.  Hope you are keeping warm up north.

Christine