It’s been a couple weeks since my last posting. So much has been happening just within our own household. We came back from ‘vacation’ to a dust covered home but no real work done. After vacuuming as much as possible, we were able to sort through all my son’s effects…. Accumulation of years of army, university, and life. We packed him up into two huge suitcases and sent him off to England.

The next day the shiputznikim’ returned to begin the process of mold removal from the walls and ceilings and of re-painting. John and I moved all the smaller furniture and items and boxed up all the items from desks, tables, counters….we covered everything in layers of plastic. The Israelis do nothing of the kind, and when the workers walked in they were absolutely dumbfounded. They just had never seen and could not believe. I know they think we Americans are most definitely mishuggah. But these guys don’t even wear protective masks.

The construction work was done in three whole days. Despite insurances of complete cleanliness, there was shmutz all over the house. We even took down curtains to wash, so cleanup could be streamlined. Then came the intense cleaning, dusting and mopping room by room (I still have two rooms to go), which began in earnest. Yesterday, our friend from Virginia, who is an ice hockey and other sport coach, came to live with us through the end of December. He stays in Max’s bedroom, so that whole floor with Marc’sbedroom and bathroom were all ready. Our bedroom and the kitchen is sparkling now. Almost ready for the holiday season-

In more exciting things to report, we had three separate Iron Dome interceptions in our immediate area last week. Hizbulla in Lebanon has been sending over scores of rockets and katbam, suicide drones laden with explosives into the North. Mostly they have fallen in fields, causing brushfires. Any that are destined for army bases or civilian populations are taken out by Iron Dome. Last Tuesday, we heard the loud boom! and rushed outside to see the contrails. Right over our house. Praises be to G-d for His protection. It was not scary. Just a little bit of excitement for the afternoon. We are safe and not afraid in the least. It made for a pretty cool video:

John’s father, Poppa, has been moved to hospital hospice in Florida. He is resting comfortably, but it’s a very volatile situation. Every day we wait for the news. He will be flown from Florida to Northern Virginia, where the family lived for over 30 years. poppa will have a full military burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Funeral will be in N.VA. I am finding hotel for us all and John is looking into airlines.

We are in quite an interesting position. ElAl is the only airline that currently flies in and out of the country due to the ‘war’ – but I suspect much of this is contrived nonsense that amounts to BDS (Boycotting, Sanctioning and Divesting) from Israel. Either way, finding a flight out is nearly impossible. All flights everywhere are booked for the next two weeks. Even going to Europe first and taking a connecting flight seems impossible. We are believing G-d will sort out all the details for His perfect timing and for all the loose pieces to come together.

What else is news here in Israel? Would it shock you to know that Palestine (the PA) has been officially admitted to the UN? Would it be a surprise that 29 more members of UNRWA were just discovered to be Hamas terrorists, having taken part in keeping hostages or training young children to be fighters? Or that the Brits have halted the military shipments Israel contracted with and bought from them? They include spare parts for helicopters and jets as well as smaller ordinance? Sinwar, head of Hamas, has said he will release all terrorists if the IDF will let him go free and promise not to target him in the future.

In the meantime, both John and I have a serious case of brain mush. I sent him to the store yesterday with short list of needed ingredients. It included a small head of cabbage for a salad I wanted to make. He came back with 4 large cabbages. What to do? I spent the day preparing for holiday season early… it should take us from Rosh HaShannah through Sukkot. I got out my crockpot and made the most delicious deconstructed stuffed cabbage. It cooked all night on low, and this afternoon I have 6 tubs filled to go into the freezer.

Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage (meat)

I made enough for an army and it freezes beautifully. Will keep for up to 6 month, so I’ll have enough for company and for a couple winter meals too. This is my mom’s old recipe but without all the work of boiling cabbage leaves and stuffing them and all the fancy. It’s mouthwateringly delicious. A little sweet, a little tangy, meaty, with just the right amount of heat, it fires on all engines.

• Ingredients:
• 1 kg (2.2lbs) lean ground beef
• 2 heads of cabbage, core removed and shredded
• 2 brown onions, chopped
• 6 cloves minced or crushed garlic
• 1 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 1/4 cup brown raisins
• 1/3 cup yellow raisins
• 1 medium knob of fresh ginger
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes with juice
• 2 TBSP sweet paprika
• 2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/4 cup silan (date honey)/ or regulate honey
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the onions and ground beef. Transfer to large crock pot. Add shredded cabbage, raisins, rice, and can of tomatoes. Mix thoroughly. Incorporate all spices. Mix in silan or honey and water. It will all cook down. Turn crockpot to low heat and let cook for 6-8 hours. Remove lid and stir, adding more water if needed. Let cool and transfer into freezer safe boxes. Serve with green beans or peas and applesauce.

What else have I been making? We are eating a vey Mediterranean diet after splurging on all that food during our trip to the States last month. I am also using what we have seasonally. My husband’s favorite of all favorites is an appetizer I served two Shabbats ago. He wants me to make it regularly now. It’s extremely luxurious, yet deceptively easy to make. It’s a whipped feta that uses only a few ingredients….and oven roasted olives. Oh my goodness, oven roasting your olives takes them to an altogether new level! I was lucky to get a photo after we polished off half the dish. Once you start, you can’t stop eating it. Serious crack, this is. And an amazing way to make a delicious first impression when entertaining or for a pot-luck.

Oven Roasted Olives on a Bed of Whipped Feta (dairy)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups olives…a mix of black, green, kalamata (try not to used canned olives)
• 1 lemon
• 4 cloves garlic
• Handful of fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 4 ounces of softened cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp honey
• Zataar (Middle Eastern spice),optional
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup extra Virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 200*C/400*F. On a large parchment lined baking tray, scatter olives with 2 cloves sliced garlic, and a few sprigs of thyme. Cut the lemon into slices. Lay half over the olives. Sprinkle with the olive oil and bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes until the olives release their flavor.

In the meantime, in a medium bowl, whip the feta and cream cheese, and the honey. Add in some grated lemon rind and the 2 remaining garlic cloves, crushed. Incorporate well. It should be very smooth and glossy. it will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days.

When ready to serve, spread the cheese mixture into an oven proof dish. Scatter olives and lemons on top. Microwave for 45-60 seconds until melts and fragrant or place in 170*C/350*F oven for 10-15 minutes. Scatter toasted sesame seeds, thyme sprigs and/or zata’ar on top. Serve with challah, crusty bread, pita or crackers.

Last week I found some Belgian Endive at the market, so I used what I had at home to create a yummy, no-fuss, elegant Shabbat appetizer. it’s crunchy, cheesy, slightly salty, a wee bit sharp, and a tad sweet. So easy to throw together, room for creativity (add some chili flakes, drizzle some honey) and a nice presentation.

Stuffed Endive Boats (dairy)

Ingredients:

• 1 head Belgian Endive
• 1/4 cup blue, Gorgonzola, goat or feta cheese… I used blue
• 3 very small scallions, minced
• 1/4 cup dried, unsweetened cranberries
• 1/4 cup roasted (smoked) almonds, chopped
• Balsamic vinegar
• Honey
• (Chopped apple or pear would also make a great addition to this for your Rosh HaShannah table)

In a medium bowl, mix the cheese crumbles, nuts, scallions, and cranberries (also fruit if you wish). Arrange 2-3 leaves of endive on plate to form a boat. Stuff the endive boats with cheese mixture. Drizzle Balsamic vinegar and honey lightly overtop. Serve immediately.

In other parts of the world,our son called last night to say he had unpacked his things in his dorm in London. It’s an ultra modern building and he’s on the 13th floor. No superstitions there. Max had just come from the widely advertised Orientation and Get Togerher BBQ. BBQ. Like we’re from the US. That means Brisket. Burgers. Dogs. Ribs. We’re also Israeli. BBQ. Asado. Kabobim. Shishlik on giant skewers. Marinated pargiot/chicken thighs.

Welcome to UK wokeness. It was a smorgasbord of plant based vegan material. No meat. Some grilled tofu. Undistinguishable planks of plant based 3-D generated stuff. Soylent green???? No. The WEF has designated this year a year of high protein manufactured chemicals and plant stem cells. All cafeteria foods will be vegan by design. Welcome to 2024-2025. I’ve no doubt Max will be doing quite a bit of pub and such.

So, until next time. Settling into autumn….

Blessings and prayers for deliverance for the 100 hostages still captive.