Monday, December 31, 2012

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

WINTER TIME AND HOME REMEDIES FOR COLDS, FLU AND FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER.

    We all have days in winter when we feel down and under the weather.  First thing is stop and think  what you have been doing, eating, how is your sleep and exercise.  If you feel stuffy, full of mucous  blocked and choking early in the morning with blocked passages, stop dairy foods for a day or two.  Drink more water.  You forget in winter that the body still needs water.  Have teas like Chamomile  Sunrider Fortune Delight, the cinnamon  flavor or lemon, drink  Green Tea, boiling water with a few slices of lemon, mint leaves and honey.
For sore throats and bronchial passages that hurt, have grated ginger, or two ginger cubes in boiling water . You buy these ginger'candies' sugared or unsugared at the health stores. Just  drop two into a cup of boiling water at night, cover with  a saucer. Drink this is the morning, as you begin the day You will be amazed that after a few days the mouth and throat feel clean and fresh.  For prevention of flu have a basket on onions in the kitchen area the whole winter. They send colds out the window. Old wives tale?   It works.

Make light meals in the evening, steamed vegetables, a light omelette  a salad and natural dressing of lemon and olive oil.  Skip  fancy sauces and rich foods. You can have a bowl of oatmeal cooked in water or milk, with cinnamon and a few raisins,   flax seeds and bran. Excellent for the system
Soup is a good evening meal with wholewheat toast, or  brown rice in it.
Eat slowly and with a sense of mindfulness   If you eat at the table, sitting in a comfortable position, the food tastes good and you feel like you have had a meal. TV eating does not give meal satisfaction.. It only lasts until the next food advertisement and then you eat more..
Eat an orange and another citrus fruit daily in winter. Eating the fruit is important  Drinking orange juice is good, but drink it slowly. Let it start 'digestion' in the mouth.

Have bedtime drinks that are caffeine free. Skip the coffee and strong  tannin in teas. Have hot milk, or soy milk  and water, with a dash of cinnamon., Delicious and good. Have the juice of  half a grapefruit in a glass of boiling water wit a dash of honey  Great TV time drink in a tall glass.   Make a treat  Boil water in a pot, about two cups per person, add a few slices of Oranges , grated apple and the peels, two cloves, cinnamon
and honey.  Strain  Drink hot, lovely apple cider. If you wish you can add a tea bag when it is  ready..

Make sure kids drink water when they brush their  teeth in the morning and evening. It does not have to be a large quantity, but it is healthy for the bowels and general well being.

Make sure sleep areas are well ventilated during the day and keep the kiddies in a bed that the sheets are tucked in., When the duvet slips off, they are often uncovered....

Be happy, be well and have a cosy winter Love and light Rona..

Thursday, December 6, 2012

……………………FESTIVAL OF LIGHT

We all love light and candles, a flame with a flicker of all the colors of warmth, candles to light up the dark, the soft glow of a few candles, a memorial candle….and of course the joy of candles on a Birthday cake. Chanukah, the Festival of Dedication, is the time when we light candles nightly and celebrate with songs, stories and eating foods made in oil. The symbolic part of the Chanukah is the history of a people, the challenges they faced and the dedication they had . to overcome all obstacles and believe in themselves.. 

In Israel we eat Doughnuts for the week. There are of course rehearsals as the bakers make them ahead of time……it is amazing how many doughnuts they sell before the Chanukah week. And then when all the calories, sugar and jam has been devoured, we vow no more until next year. They are so yummy….


SAFETY RULES WHEN YOU MAKE DOUGHNUTS…..PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY.

Working with hot oil can be dangerous, so be careful;.
Prepare all the mixtures before you heat the oil.
2.HAVE A LID LARGE ENOUGH TO COVER THE OIL. 
3. Fill the saucepan , only half way. Test heat of oil. Drop a square of bread into it. If it browns quickly, it is hot enough. 
4. Lower the food SLOWLY into the pot. 
5.Only do a few at a time . It makes turning easier.
6. Do not have kiddies near the stove.
7.In event of a fire, turn flame off. Cover with lid. Do not pour water on the flames. You can smother the flames with a damp towel. I do not like to be negative, but one needs to be careful.
8. Finally, focus on what you are making, not the phone and the doorbell. If you do have to turn away, switch off the heat and remove the pot to the back of the stove out of danger to kiddies. 

CHANUKAH DOUGHNUTS. 

These are so easy and take ten minutes to make. 
350grams of Self raising flour.
2eggs.
2cups of yogurt. 
2 dessertspoons of sugar. I use brown sugar.
1 teaspoon vanilla essence.
A dash of salt.
Mix all well . Use a deep saucepan and let the oil fill it half way. Deep enough for the doughnuts to be submerged. Use a spoon to drop them carefully into the hot oil. Deep fry and have a strainer lined with absorbent paper. The doughnuts can be spooned onto this carefully.. This gets rid of excess oil. Have a teaspoon of jam ready .to inject into the doughnut and roll them into a bowl of sugar powder. Drain again on paper. …You can drizzle chocolate or carob sauce on the doughnut.

APPLE FRITTERS. 

These are a change from doughnuts.
Use 2eggs, 2 Tablespoons milk, and a cup of water. Beat all together 
Add the following: 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, half a cup of brown sugar, 2 cups flour, pinch of salt and half a teaspoon of vanilla essence. 

.Slice 3 peeled Granny Smith apples. Slice thinly and add raisins and pecan nuts. Mix well. Heat the oil and fry the fritter. Simply use a large soup size spoon and drop carefully into the oil. Drain. These take a few minutes. Serve with pureed cooked applesauce, honey and cinnamon sugar. Leave all in little bowls and people can choose their favorite. Some people like it with ice cream or custard.

RAW POTATO LATKES.

4 Potatoes
1 tsp baking powder.
Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
2 chopped medium size onions. 
3.eggs
Half a cup of flour
Pinch of ginger or nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste and oil for frying.

Peel and grate the potatoes. Sprinkle with the soda and squeeze out the excess liquid. To avoid discoloring you can add a teaspoon of vinegar. Mix with the other ingredients.
Drop the batter by spoonfuls into deep oil and fry until the pancakes are crisp on the outside. Drain on paper and serve hot with apple sauce . These can also be part of a main meal. 

CORN LATKES. 

These are fun and easy to serve as a cocktail snack. 
3/4 cup corn. 1/4 cup cornmeal. 1/2 cup flour. 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt.' 1/2 teaspoon curry powder.
1 beaten egg. 1/2 cup chopped onions.
1/2 cup milk. (soya milk for parave)
Mix all the ingredients well and drop by teaspoonfuls into a frying pan of hot oil. Turn once and drain. Serve with a cocktail stick, sliced cucumbers and olives.

If you make ready packaged latkes, drain them well and keep ready to reheat in the oven.
, I often use use the Gremslach mixture , that we use at Passover and serve these with a pineapple sauce or fried mushrooms and onions. 

GREMSLACH.
2 eggs.
2 cups water.
2 tablespoon of oil.
Salt to taste.
Matzo meal.
Meat the eggs, add oil and beat well.
Pour in the water and seasoning. Add the matzo meal slowly. It needs to be a loose mixture. Let it stand for two hours. Mix in three tablespoons of crushed walnuts or pecan 
nuts. Make balls and press them flat. Fry in hot oil. Drain. Serve with a cocktail stick.

Finally, have a theme for the evening. Let the Menorah be the focus of the table. Use blue, silver and gold for serviettes and yellow flowers. Let the wrappings and cards reflect the theme of Chanukah, candles and lit flames. Kids love chocolates and chocolate sauce to add to the doughnuts. Have a choice of fun edibles for them to enjoy. The money coins made for the festival are a great decoration all over the table. Print the prayer and a few songs for each person. That way everyone feels good to participate. Take photos of each family next to the candles and you can use them next year for an email card. If you look at the photos over the years, they are a great memory of a joyous occasion. 

Wishing you fun, light and meaningful togetherness. 
Love and lots of light 
Rona