Cook with Me -- Baked Spaghetti

Join me as I cook baked spaghetti as part of a two-part series.  I also make extra to go in the freezer.
Next week I'll share how I canned the extra sauce.

Happy Easter and some Easter Reading

Hello Dear Reader,

And Happy Easter, I hope you are safe where ever you are and are with your loved ones over the Easter break.

As I have mentioned before, I read recipe books like novels, from cover to cover, bookmarking and making notes as I go, I am just obsessed with recipes! I guess it could be worse, I could be obsessed with something that is entirely a waste of time and money. To me recipe books are pure gold.

I thought I would compile a few of my favourite recipes that are suitable for Easter feasting, I know Easter means something different to everyone and it is a very personal point of view, but growing up with a Catholic faith, Easter was all about going to church and eating no meat. Funnily enough, even though I am no longer a practicing Catholic, we still abstain from meat until Easter Sunday. Traditions are bone deep, they are what shape you and your personality and quietly live inside you, until they are needed.

Here are a few recipes I think would be wonderful for your Easter long weekend or just to save in the memory bank for future use.

Breakfast

Smoked Salmon Baked Eggs

Lightest Fluffiest Pancakes-we are having these this morning with bacon and maple syrup

Overnight Creme Brûlée French Toast

Divine Silky Scrambled Eggs

Mains

Fab Fish Pie, in Four Easy Steps-I made a double quantity of this for Good Friday with the addition of 300 grams of prawns

The Best Salmon Quiche

Salmon and Brie Pot Pies

Spinach and Feta Parcels

Melanzane Pasta Bake

Salmon, Potato and Green Pea Frittata

Rosemary and Lemon, Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb-I am making this for dinner tonight along with roast veggies

Honey, Balsamic and Hoi Sin Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Veggie Shepherds Pie

Sides and Salads

Just a bit different, Quinoa Tabbouleh-I made this one and the one following for Good Friday

Spinach and Roast Pumpkin Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing

Potato and Watercress (or Rocket) with Avocado Salad'

The Best Roast Potatoes

Sweets and Breads

The Only Chocolate Brownie Recipe You'll Ever Need

Fruit and Spice Loaf-easily made into "Hot Cross Buns" plus or minus the crosses-I made these yesterday afternoon in Thelma the Thermi. I divided the dough into 85 grams portions for the buns and finished them off with a sugar glaze.

Banoffee Pie

Special Occasion Espresso Creme Brûlée 

Easy Peppermint and Dark Chocolate Cake

No Mixing Bowl, Chocolate Cake

Blondies with Choc Chips and Walnuts

Pavlova-I am making one of these today for dessert tonight, I will make it in the traditional round shape not the wreath shape I make for Christmas. I have some passionfruit in the freezer that I defrost for it plus some whipped cream and raspberries.

So, there you have it, a bit of everything for everyone. What does Easter mean to you? How do you celebrate it? Any special family Easter Traditions?

Have a really lovely Easter Sunday
💗Fi

One Year Ago-Rain, at Last
Two Years Ago-This Weeks 5 Frugal Things on a Friday

One Second Every Day-March 2018

Hello Dear Reader,

I just love this app-1SE, so easy to use and so wonderful to look back over your month. You add a snippet of your life to the app everyday, living your everyday, or not so everyday, life. Enjoy March 2018.


Have a lovely afternoon
💗Fi

Last month-February 2018 1SE

What we bought, spent and ate this week

Hello Dear Reader,

I had high hopes of a cooler change coming through this week, sadly it is still quite hot and humid with unusual light, rain here and there, which makes it even stickier. I went ahead though and made another soup, a superb Pea and Ham this week, and it was just delicious, albeit not as enjoyable if my toes were cold. It made a truck load so we dined off it for 3 dinners, love it, cook once and dine thrice!

My menu runs from Friday to Thursday of the next week, with Friday being both the grocery shopping day (thank you lovely hubby) and the evening where we choose to have leftovers or an "on toast" night. I look forward to Fridays so much, it's the end of the working week AND I don't need to cook-double happiness!

One of the planned meals didn't happen this week, it was Wednesday and we were to have Honey Prawns with basmati rice and the Pak Choy you see below, lovely hubby had forgotten a planned evening out with his Aquarium meeting, they put on pizzas for their patrons so it was just me for dinner, I happily had another bowl of Pea and Ham soup with some amazing homemade Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia, little work for an amazing bread. So the Pak Choy will be used up this coming week.  If you wrap asian greens tightly or store them in a sealed container, last really well for a couple of weeks, this variety is especially hardy.

What we bought

Shopping from Northside Discount Fruit Barn 

Meat (and the pumpkin from the fruit barn, photo bombing??) from Marjax Meats, and yes hubby did forget the containers, so the meat came home in plastic bags-BOO! The bags were rinsed out and taken to the drop off bins at Coles for recycling with Redcycle at least I really, really hope that is what happens

Shopping from Aldi and Coles

What we spent

Northside Discount Fruit Barn-$43.35

Marjax meats-$19.30

Aldi-$36.30

Coles-$18.85

TOTAL-$117.80=😊

What we ate

Friday-left over Spicy Thai Soup

Saturday-Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

Sunday-Pea and Ham Soup with toasted Chads Bread with a Twist

Monday-Tempura Whiting with steamed basmati rice and Bok Choy

Tuesday-Chicken Marylands with Sage and Bacon Stuffing, Mexican Potatoes and Nigella's Upmarket Mushy Peas. The chicken is slightly (cough) over done, it does have a honey and smokey paprika glaze, which makes it darker, but the reason it is so dark is that I thought it would be okay to leave them in the oven while I took the dogs for a walk, big whoops! It still tasted wonderful but it was rather dark!

Wednesday and Thursday-Pea and Ham Soup with a wonderful homemade Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia (recipe for both coming soon)

So, a soup that just kept giving and a rather overdone chicken dish that still tasted wonderful, was the highlights of this weeks meals, what was on your family table this week? I would love to know.

Have a lovely day

💗Fi

One Year Ago-A New Beginning

Two Years Ago-What's growing in the garden

Simple Easter Table DIY: Bunny Ear Napkins

If you're looking to do something a little extra this Easter but don't have much time - these bunny ear napkins are so easy to make and look super cute on the table!

THE KIT

- Square napkin (any material - even paper works!)
- An egg (you may like to opt for different colours for each place setting). 
- String or ribbon
- Scissors (for cutting string)
- Baby's breath or other pretty flowers (optional!)

THE KNOW-HOW:

And that's it! Five minutes and you'll have an entire table of bunnies!

Here are mine in action on our Easter table.

Wishing you a lovely Easter break!


PS I'll be back here early next week. 

PS Don't forget to enter the spring give-away to win a TRIWA watch!

Five Frugal Things

First I need to apologize that y'all got the weekend book reviews on a Wednesday.  For some reason my laptop likes to adjust the date when I schedule a post.  I was in a rush and did not notice before I clicked "publish".  Now on to the frugal doings for this past week....


1.  I discovered that I can pay our electric bill online.  This saves a stamp and nets me a few reward points on the credit card. 


2.  I made a stack of notecards and colorful envelopes using supplies I already had on hand. 


3.  I found milk marked down to $1.25 per gallon.  I got four gallons to put in the freezer.  This particular brand of milk freezes well so I am stocked up for the next month.


4.  I am co-hosting the church Easter egg hunt this coming weekend with my mom.  She does the food, and I do the eggs.  I used eggs bought on clearance last year as well as some that were gifted to us.  I had bought some fillers from Oriental Trading and used some candy from my own pantry. 


5.  The rabbits continue to eat greens from the garden.  I have been feeding the chickens the clover and other weeds I pull from the garden. 

Pesach – Chag Kasher v'Sameach

OVERTURNING HOMES AND HEARTS

By Roy S. Neuberger

A grandson of Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l said, “When I served [my grandfather] food, he would … ask if I wanted to eat…. I often told him that I am a baal taavah and the food he ate would not be sufficient for me…. He would sigh and comment, ‘Eating is for me like fasting for you.’” (Quoted in Yated Ne’eman, 29 Adar) 

I remember reading that Rabbi Shteinman’s minhag was to soak two pieces of bread in milk, one of which he would eat for breakfast and one for dinner. A Rosh Yeshiva once said that Rabbi Aharon Leib ate the same in two weeks as other people ate in one day, and that he learned more Torah in one day than other people would learn in two weeks. Very few people attain this madreiga, but nevertheless we can learn from him a great principle relevant to Pesach. 

I have often wondered: what does eliminating chometz have to do with Yetzias Mitzraim?

On the level of droshe, chometz is understood to represent the Yetzer Hara, but I want to ask a basic question: what does cleaning the house have to do with liberation from Golus? In Mitzraim we had no time to bake bread, but this became an eternal principle. Can’t we leave Golus without eliminating chometz? 

Apparently not!

I believe it is correct to say that leaving Mitzraim is the most central element of Pesach. This dramatic event is basic to our history. All of Sefer Beraishis leads up to this moment. The beginning of Sefer Shemos is focused on the journey from Mitzraim to Har Sinai, and the entire remaining Chumash is concerned with what we learned at Har Sinai and its effect on the rest of Jewish and world history. Our liberation from Mitzraim is the fulcrum upon which swings the history of the world. All future events, especially the Geula Shelemah – may we see it soon in our days! – will reflect its details and implications. 

The weeks before Pesach are spent on an exhaustive cleansing of our homes. The object is to remove every crumb of chometz. In Europe one would see furniture on the street as the interior of the house was turned upside down. What does this have to do with leaving Mitzraim?

A further question: why do we nullify the chometz after we have already eliminated it? Apparently, the physical cleaning of the house is not sufficient; we must also accept mentally that we do not own chometz. (See Mishna Berurah 431:2) 

Why both? 

There is a fascinating commentary in the Rav Pam Haggadah (English translation, Feldheim Publishers) concerning the obligation to mention Yetzias Mitzraim (in the Shema) during the night as well the day. Rav Pam explains, in the name of the Shaagas Aryeh as well as Rav Eizel Charif, that these are two separate mitzvos, reflecting two types of miracle, “nes niglah” (a revealed miracle) and “nes nistar” (a hidden miracle).

Rav Pam quotes Chazal, who say that “there were two distinct parts of Yetzias Mitzraim.” At night the geulah was not yet evident, because Am Yisroel had not actually left Mitzraim. The nes was thus evident only to those with emunah. This was a nes nistar, a hidden miracle. But during the day, the Geulah was evident to all; this was the “nes niglah.” The dual nature of Yetzias Mitzraim is reflected in the way we end Krias Shemah. At night we end with the words “emes v’emunah,” because the Geula was hidden, while, during the day, we end with “emes v’yatziv,” because the Geulah was “certain” and clear to the entire world at that time. (Berachos 9a)

My friends, we have to clean the chometz from our homes because the very nature of Golus is slavery to crumbs, to leaven, to food that expands in our minds as well as our stomach, and becomes the entire focus of our existence. The nations that surround us are enslaved within the borders of chometz. Their entire knowledge is bounded by this world. All their desire is directed toward enjoying the fruits of this world. They do not comprehend that the True World has no corporeal aspect whatsoever. 

In order for us to be liberated from Mitzraim and all the other idol-worshipping nations, we have to know that we are trapped by chometz. It is not enough to clear the physical chometz out of our home; we have to clear the desire for chometz out of our heart. 

It is hard work! There is no substitute for all the physical and spiritual labor which preceded Yetzias Mitzraimand which will precede the Geulah Shelemah. But just the way Pesach came to our ancestors in Mitzraimso the Geulah Shelemah will come to us. 

I am going to mention once again a beautiful moshul. The few drops of wine we remove from the kos when we mention the Esser Makkos at the Seder are keneged Yetzias Mitzraim. But the entire contents of the koswhich remain after we have removed the drops is keneged the Geulah Shelemah! (See Be’er Miriam; Artscroll Interlinear Haggadah)

Can you imagine this! Can one comprehend the magnitude of what is about to happen soon, b’ezras Hashem! No wonder the Geulah Shelemah is taking so long! It is so massive that the entire world will be overturned just the way our homes are overturned before Pesach!

This is the physical elimination of chometz. The nullification must take place in our hearts and minds. We have to be prepared to give up our attachment to Golus. If the desire to serve Hashem fills our hearts, then we will not fear anything, and we will hasten the day on which the world will be “filled with the knowledge of G-d as the sea fills the ocean bed.” (Yeshiah 11:9)

This year in Yerushalayim! 

*          *          *          *

Roy Neuberger, author and public speaker, can be reached at roy@2020vision.co.il.

© Copyright 2018 by Roy S. Neuberger

This Weeks 5 Frugal Things on a Friday

Hello Dear Reader,

Firstly, lets unpack what I said last week about my life being mundane, I never meant it in a bad way, I love my simple life and wouldn't have it any other way. A while ago, on another blog, I read a comment about frugal living being boring and a lot of sameness and that people often lose interest in blogs that continually post about frugality. I just didn't want to lose readers who were here for another reason. I didn't mean to insult anyone or indeed upset any readers. I am frugal and love a simple day at home, above all else. I hope that clears things up.

Right, now that that is over with, let me tell you about my week. Work=holy-cow-it-was-busy! And I got a virus-y thing with a sore throat, runny nose and body aches + yesterday morning I got one of my classic migraines which always messes me up for the day. I am truly lucky that I don't get much of a headache but I do get blurred vision and feel wonky and unco-ordinated for the rest of the day. I knew I couldn't take a sick day as it was just so busy, I really don't think I am super woman and I know that they would cope without me, but as we are coming into the Easter break AND I have Tuesday off as an ADO, I don't think any one would have believed me if I rang in sick. So off to work I went, I struggled through and now I can relax for the next few day. Love a long, long weekend!

Now on with the frugal stuff-

1. Packed my lunch for work every day, it may not be gourmet but it is always kinda healthy and filling.

Chads Bread with a Twist with egg, lettuce and cucumber, peppermint tea plus my one piece of dark chocolate and a great book

2. Wrote up a list every day of jobs to get done around the house, how is that frugal? Being aware of my limited time and using it well, I believe, is also a fundamental part of being frugal.

3. Did some more de-cluttering and tidying next door (my late MIL's home) I am now doing about 3 x 30 minutes a week. Whats that saying "You can eat an elephant, just one mouthful at a time". Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I set a timer for 30 minutes, pick an area (I am now up to the kitchen) and methodically work away at sorting and cleaning for the whole 30 minutes. It's quite amazing how much you can get done in that time.

4. Menu planned and shopped only to the grocery list. My most favourite and ingrained frugal thing to do. It is a great place to start if you want to save money and prevent food waste in your home.

5. Bought some beautiful big bunches of parsley that were marked down to 50 cents a bunch from Coles on Tuesday arvo, I had run out of onions and garlic (for the Mexican Potatoes) whoops, so I went to Coles on the way home from work, to buy just those two items. I always have a look to see if any fresh produce is marked down, if I swing by and that day I was lucky. I will use the parsley in this recipe for Easter.

5 a. Made a fabulous Pea and Ham soup using the ham bone from Christmas (frozen for just this purpose) plus a small ham hock. I will post this, new to me, recipe soon, it is a corker.

Your turn, how did you save money this week?

Have a lovely day

💗Fi

One Year Ago-No Blog Post

Two Years Ago-What we ate this week

Frugal And Fun Happenings Last Week of March

I always start with the frugal, but how about the not so frugal first this time.  Just to change things up — Haha!

1.  I ran the dryer.  I’m on a time crunch with work and needs must kind of thing.
2.  I ordered a few scrapbooking supplies....low cost as I could, but still an expense.
3.  We had to replace a scanner — never inexpensive.
4.  The coffee pot died.  As in smoking!!!!  We had to replace it.  (I did use some rewards to help with part of the cost.  Then the carafe was broken.  They sent me back more than double what it cost to replace the carafe, which reduced the cost even further.)


On the frugal front:

1.  I have been using Dollar Tree supplies in my planner.  Nice since I am still learning how I want to set it up.
2.  I canned 8 pints of spaghetti sauce.
3.  We did a reasonable job of sticking to our menu.  Not perfect, but not too bad.
4.  I made a clean out the fridge salad to make sure we had zero waste on our veggies.
5.  For Easter dinner, we decided to cook ham steak instead of a ham.  We just don’t need a whole ham.
6.  We packed my daughter’s lunch for the two days she is on campus full time.


On the fun front:  (I feel like fun should be included because life is short!)
1.  We had guests over and spent a fun night just talking.
2.  We caught up on some Murdoch Mysteries.
3.   I worked on a sweater I am knitting for myself.
4. I made great progress on an afghan I am crocheting.

My Easter Table with Apple Blossom and Bunny Ears!

There are so many lovely Easter traditions in Sweden - from attaching feathers and eggs to branches to påskkärring (children dressing as bright coloured witches and knocking on the doors in the neighbourhood for treats) and rolling dyed eggs down hills to see who's is the last to break. Sadly we'll miss these this year as we're in London (great to be here all the same!). So before we left we had an impromtu Easter lunch and I couldn't help going that egg-stra (sorry) mile. I hope you like it! 

 I kept it simple in a palette of white and beige and then added a hint of colour with branches of apple blossom and baby's breath. 

These pretty glass eggs also helped to bring a little colour to the table. They are quite a lot heavier than I thought (the clue was in the 'glass'! bah!) so if you're looking to get some for your Easter table - make sure you source sturdy branches first.

These bunny ear napkins are so incredibly easy to make (trust me, I'm not a DIY person at all, just ask my family, and they took me all of 60 seconds to hop to it - (err...) - the girls loved them! In case you'd like to make the same, I created my very first DIY know-how film (told you I'd gone that extra mile!) which I'll share later today.

I hope you like the results! If you're wondering where the items are from - here's a get the look from wonderful Danish homeware brand Nordal*.

Get The Look

1. Glass bottle 2. Stoneware dinner plate and Stoneware cake plate 3. BLACK cutlery 4. Pitcher vase
5. Hanging glass egg 6. T-light holder 7. RETRO redwine glass and RETRO whitewine glass
8. White cotton table cloth

* Nordal ships throughout Europe (sorry friends from further afield). There's a complete list to online stores and retailers here. 


If you've got any questions, just give me a shout in the comment section below and I'll do my best to help!

Have a lovely day!



This post is in collaboration with Nordal, however all words are my own and I only ever work with brands I love and think you will too.

Yetzias Mitzrayim

Yetzias Mitzrayim

EVERY YEAR WHEN we celebrate Pesach and follow the Haggadah, we arrive at the part of the story where we are reminded once again that “every Jew has to regard himself as if he TOO left Egypt.” AS IF, and only AS IF, because clearly we have all been born thousands of years AFTER it has occurred. 

Why the need? It’s obvious. Yetzias Mitzrayim happened long ago. Intellectually we know it is why we are here as a people. Had we NOT left Egypt, we would have probably been Egyptians instead. We would have either died out from slavery or assimilated completely into our host culture. When Moshe Rabbeinu showed up to save the day, we were at the 49th level of spiritual impurity, teetering at the edge of spiritual oblivion. 

But who can now relate to that? How many heartstrings does the story of leaving Egypt pull, and in how many people? There are Americans who can trace their family lines back to the pilgrims who first settled America. Do they even know? Do they even care? The Thanksgiving Day celebration today is a LOT different than it once was. It is the same for the Jews who recall the exodus from Egypt.

The Haggadah says no. The Haggadah says, not only does it not have to be, but it SHOULD not be. “Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim” has to be an EMOTIONAL experience as well as an INTELLECTUAL one. If the Seder is only a mind experience, it will remain only on the level of commemoration of events passed. If it becomes an emotional one, then it becomes a celebration of events currently taking place.

We have help. The Jewish year is cyclical. We may move forward in time, but we also revisit experiences and energies that run all through time and which tie us to events in the past and those which have yet to occur. It’s a timeless spiritual pipeline, and if we tap into it, then we can transcend the moment and literally make ourselves feel as if we too are leaving Egypt.

We do it all the time, usually unwittingly. Someone will say something or something will happen that will trigger a memory of ours. Next thing we know, without going anywhere physically we find that we have left the moment mentally, emotionally. We start to see people from a past moment and even begin to feel what we felt back then. It will become our reality until something snaps us out of our trance and we return once again to the here-and-now.

But that’s only true when we already had the experience once before. It only happens when we have a memory to trigger. None of us actually left Egypt with Moshe Rabbeinu. None of us have an ACTUAL memory of Yetzias Mitzrayim to recall. If we regress our memories, we can’t go back THAT far. That leaves us, once again, at “as if,” but not actually.

Yes, and no. We are making an assumption that though it is logical, it is not actually correct. We are assuming that history has moved on since we first left Egypt. Yes, all that has happened since then is built upon Yetzias Mitzrayim, but not actually a part of it. That is not true. 

The navi, when talking about a future redemption made the following connection to the first one:

“As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders.” (Michah 7:15)

The Ramchal and GR”A explained as follows:

Both the redemption from Egypt and the future redemption come from the same source, as it says, “As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders” (Michah 7:15). (Ramchal, Otzros Ramchal, p. 45)

Yetzias Mitzrayim was the beginning of all redemptions, and it will be likewise in the future. (GR”A, Shir HaShirim 2:8)

Though at first this just sounds like a simple comparison to what once happened, it is not. The first thing to recall is that we were supposed to have remained in Egypt for 400 years. That was the prophecy of the “Bris Bein HaBesarim” given Avraham Avinu. Even though it did not mention Egypt specifically, historically that is what it was and, Kabbalistically, that is what it had to be.

Therefore, we left 190 years early. And, we left with UNFINISHED business. We also left behind four-fifths of our nation, losing them in the Plague of Darkness. And we took the Erev Rav with us. That alone has plagued us until this very day. The battle against the Erev Rav, the GR”A warned, will be the last and worst of all.

We seem quite prepared to let bygones be bygones. As far as we’re concerned, Yetzias Mitzrayim was a chapter in our history that was closed once the Jewish people left Egypt. We assume that anything that was supposed to happen within 400 years happened instead within the 210 years. After all, God DID increase the slavery before the first plague began, seemingly rectifying in six months what was supposed to have been fixed over the next 190 years.

Wishful thinking. It turns out that all was NOT forgiven.Whatever was accomplished over the 18 months since Moshe Rabbeinu first demanded the release of the Jewish people only made it possible for them to leave Egypt at that time. It did not complete the entire mission described to Avraham Avinu during the prophecy of the Bris Ben HaBesarim. The Jewish people had just not been spiritually up to the task. THAT would take the REST of Jewish history to accomplish.

Here’s the point. Yetzias Mitzrayim did not end back in 2448, or 1313 BCE. It only began then. It is a work that has been in progress ever since then, and one that won’t finish until the Final Redemption. Purim, Chanukah, and any other redemption the Jewish people have experienced since the first one from Egypt just added to what had been thus far accomplished.

This is why the other name for the Final Redemption is “Keitz HaYomim,” the “End-of-Days.” Literally, it is the end of THOSE days. THOSE days? Which days? The one’s left uncompleted back in Egypt? How many of THOSE days are left to complete? “Keitz,” which has the gematria of 190. Then the Jewish people will finally go out “as in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt.” 

After all, more than “Mitzrayim” is a place, it is a concept. The name “Mitzrayim” is comprised of two parts: Mem-Tzaddi-Raish, which spells “meitzer,” or “boundary.” The last two letters, Yud-Mem, have the gematria of 50, alluding to the “Nun Sha’arei Binah,” the “Fifty Gates of Understanding” through which Divine light flows unto the world. 

Though “Mitzrayim” the place was Egypt, “Mitzrayim” the concept is ANY place that spiritually restricts the “Nun Sha’arei Binah.” It is any place in the world that is not conducive to building a relationship with God, and the revealing His light to the world. 

Today, “Mitzrayim” could even be the FIFTY—Yud-Mem—bordered—meitzer—states of America. It could be the entire Western world, which also includes secular Israel, which is becoming LESS spiritually conducive with each passing day. Leaving THIS “Mitzrayim” may be the biggest “Yetzias Mitzrayim” of ALL history.

It goes even deeper, AND more literal. The Arizal revealed the true nature of the souls of the Jewish people at the end of history, just in advance of Keitz HaYomim:

There is not a single generation in which Moshe Rabbeinu, is not found, b'sod, “The sun rises and the sun sets” (Koheles 1:5), [and] “One generation goes and another comes” (Koheles 1:4), in order to rectify [each] generation. The Generation of the Desert itself with the Mixed Multitude will also reincarnate in the final generation, “like in the days of leaving Egypt” (Michah 7:15). (Sha'ar HaGilgulim, Ch. 20)

We don’t think about reincarnation too often. Why should we? We really have no way of knowing with any certainty who we were in previous lifetimes. It’s a fascinating topic, for some, able to provide insight into parts of Jewish history, thanks to the Arizal. But, without a prophet, how can we know when and how we previously lived?

That is true on a personal level. However, the Arizal is saying that it is possible to know something about the “nature” of the souls of the final generation of the Jewish people. That may not have interested previous generations, but it should catch OUR attention since, by now, it should be clear that there is a VERY good chance that we ARE that “Final Generation.” After thousands of years of history, this probably applies SPECIFICALLY to us.

The question is, what does it mean to have the souls of the Jews who left Egypt? One thing is for certain, when the Haggadah tells us to look at ourselves as if we too left Egypt, it is not only talking about role playing. It is saying to us, “Even though your bodies have been towards the end of history, your souls are from the beginning of Jewish history.” And ultimately, it is the SOUL that drives the person, not the body.

Ultimately it means that we are here, not to complete what THEY left unfinished, but what WE left unfinished. The separation we feel from our ancestors doesn’t really exist. It is between our CURRENT selves and our EARLIER selves. It is our SECRET identity, so secret that most of us aren’t even aware of it, maintaining a mental distance from the past that is real only in time, but not in mission.

The Seder becomes the opportunity to literally break through the barrier of time. History moves linearly forward but the Jewish people move cyclically, allowing us to revisit the PAST again in the FUTURE. We return to ourselves each time in order to pick up where we left off and complete both our personal tikunim and national tikun. 

We’re still in exile, after all this time because we have not taken the words of the Haggadah seriously enough. So close to the end of history and part of the “Final Generation,” it is high time that we did. Because, whether we’re ready or not, “Exodus, Phase 2,” is   upon us.

Happy and kosher Pesach

Rabbi Pinchas Winston Shlit”a

www.Thirtysix.org

Review of March and April's Goals

I can't believe another month has flown by, and it is already time to review March.

My goals were:

1. Finish the skull shawl.
2. Film one of my grandmama's recipes.
3. Spend a week with my grandson.
4. Rotate spring clothes out and update.  I got rid of a lot in a major purge last fall.
5. Plant flowers to go by the front entrance.
6. Clean out and organize my coat closet.
7. Read one good book that isn't associated with school work -- a pleasure read.
8. Work on a give away.
9. Have a girls' night
10. Catch up on all my correspondence.

I was pleasantly surprised to find I had accomplished most of them.  I'm glad I didn't plant the flowers given our weather.  The book reading -- I feel slack about, but I just had other things I wanted to do.  

Now for April's Goals:

1. Eating down the freezer to empty to clean it out and organize.
2. finish a summer sweater top for myself
3. work on my quilt
4. work on my afghan
5. finish out tax season work without losing my patience
6. try at least one new recipe
7. finally plant those flowers
8. sew myself a summer nightgown
9. make pinto bean burgers
10. make some brownie mixes

It's not a bad list.  I'm not sure if it is too ambitious given that tax season goes until the 17th, but who knows -- maybe I can do it all.

Weekend Book Reviews

Love Welcome Serve by Amy Nelson Hannon is subtitled Recipes that Gather and Give.  The focus of the book is easy Southern recipes that allow you to minister to others through food.  Be warned that this is a serious Southern cookbook meaning it is not a health food book.  When people are hurting or need a pick me up, they do not want diet food though.  I found several Southern favorites (broccoli salad) as well as some new recipes (fajita guacamole burgers).  I also appreciate that the author encourages readers to simply cook for others rather than focus on making everything Pinterest/Instagram perfect.   

Vicki Delany's third book in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series is The Cat of the Baskervilles.  I have read the previous books.  While it is not necessary to enjoy this book, I highly recommend it.  Gemma is the owner of a Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and co-owner of Mrs. Hudson's Tea Room with her friend Jayne.  The town of West London is preparing for the theater festival and the arrival of Sir Nigel who will star in The Hound of the Baskervilles.  Unfortunately Sir Nigel's best years are behind him both in his acting and his people skills.  Sir Nigel goes missing following a tea fundraiser and is later found dead at the bottom of a cliff.  Is is suicide or murder?  Gemma intends to find out.  I absolutely adore this series and am happy with how the character of Gemma is evolving.  This series gets better and better with each installment!

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Mexican Potatoes

Hello Dear Reader,

This recipe came about as I had some sweet potato to use up last week along with a few potatoes, I wanted something quick and delicious, but wanted to make something a little more adventurous than mashed potato (even though I do love mash, sometimes I want something more). Enter this great little recipe, I made it again this week as an accompaniment for roast chicken Marylands with Sage and Bacon stuffing and it was truly delicious.

I love the combination of sweet potato and everyday white potato, the textures, colours and flavours work so well with the Mexican vibe of the herbs and spices and the method is so simple. Peel, cut, boil and finally sauté. A great side dish that would lend itself to so many mains.

Ingredients for Mexican Potatoes, clockwise from top right-1&1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes (or to your liking) 1 teaspoon smoked Paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons ground cumin (not pictured) 3 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane, 1 onion, diced and 600 grams of potatoes and 400 grams of sweet potatoes (approximately), peeled and cubed to similar size chunks

In a large non stick, heavy based frypan add a good glug of oil and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion is just turning transparent

Now add the herbs and spices

And sauté until fragrant and remove from heat

Once potatoes are done (just soft enough, not falling apart) drain off the water and pop the saucepan back on medium heat to dry off the potatoes

Pop the frypan back on medium-low heat, add dried off potatoes to the onion mixture and gently continue to fry off for about 5 minutes or until just starting to "catch" on the bottom of the frypan, giving it a gentle but good stir every minute or so

Ready to devour

These potatoes are sensational, just so delicious, I could easily just have these by themselves, they are that good.

What is your favourite way of eating the humble spud?

Have a lovely day,

💗Fi

One Year Ago-No Blog Post

Two Years Ago-The Best Roast Potatoes (how appropriate)