"floo·zie \ˈflü-zē\: a usually young woman of loose morals." Thus a Food Floozie is not a woman who can be seduced by virtually any man, but rather a woman who can be seduced by virtually any food (other than sushi).
My friend Debbie Vanni at The Culinary Cellar very graciously invited me to write a guest post for Rosh Hashanah. Thank you, Debbie, for the fabulous honor!
So go visit her fabulous site devoted to recipes and cookbooks, and you'll find us celebrating the new year and reviewing the past one while sharing a sweet treat: Apple Almond Kugel. 'Cause it's not a Jewish party without kugel, after all - a traditional creamy noodle pudding with a crunchy, cinnamony topping.
I've baked a lot of kugels over the years, but Jeremy told me that this is "the best one you've ever made!" Pretty high praise ... :)
Shana Tovah!!! [shah-NAH toh-VAH]
May you have a sweet new year!
Note: Debbie plans to post the recipe tomorrow, for the first full day of Rosh Hashanah. If you must see it now, check it out on AnnArbor.com ... but still be sure to visit Debbie and say "hi!"
The holiday of Shavuot [shah-voo-OHT], which celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, begins at sundown tonight and continues through Thursday evening. It is a major holiday, though one that isn't as well known as some (i.e.: Passover, Chanukkah).
Jeremy can never remember Shavuot by its proper name, and likely couldn't tell you what its signifcance is; but he does know it as the "Cheesecake at Midnight" holiday.
Yup - you read that correctly! According to About.com:
"Tikun Leyl Shavuot is a kabbalistic (mystical) custom that is relatively new to Jewish tradition. It is increasingly popular among modern Jews and is meant to help us rededicate ourselves to studying Torah. Kabbalists taught that at midnight on Shavuot the skies open for a brief moment and God favorably hears all prayers."
A tikkun leil shavuot (the spelling I'm accustomed to, pronounced [tee-KOON lay-EEL shah-voo-OHT]) is an evening of communal study which generally ends at midnight with a sweet treat featuring the holiday's traditional dairy products; and cheesecake - which is so luscious! - is often the preferred indulgence.
Many people eat blintzes at Shavuot, since the folded and stuffed crepes resemble Torah scrolls and the tablets containing the Ten Commandments.
But I have my own traditional dairy dessert for Shavuot: "fried" ice cream. Blintzes require making the crepes, filling the crepes, folding the crepes, frying the crepes ... a lot of bother, even if the end result is utterly fabulous.
So I just make these easy "fried" ice cream cylinders, shaping softened ice cream and then letting it set before rolling the "scrolls" in sweetened cookie crumbs and drizzling them with chocolate sauce. This still honors the dairy tradition whose origins are unknown, though it is thought to be a reference to Israel being the "land of milk and honey"; and it still offers something sweet and celebratory, but without a lot of effort.
Shavuot is a holiday, after all!
"Fried" Ice Cream Torah Scrolls
1-1/3 cups ice cream, any flavor, softened a bit
8 vanilla wafers, finely crushed
generous sprinkle of cinnamon
3 tablespoons sugar
chocolate sauce
Place a square of plastic wrap onto the countertop. Place 1/3 cup ice cream in the center.
Shape into a 3" long cylinder, then wrap it up in the plastic wrap, twisting the ends, and place into the freezer to set. Repeat with remaining ice cream until you have 4 cylinders.
When the ice cream is set, combine the wafer crumbs, cinnamon and sugar on a plate. One by one, unwrap the ice cream cylinders and roll them in the crumb mixture until they are very well coated.
Place the coated ice cream onto a freezer-safe plate that has been covered with plastic wrap, then repeat with the remaining ice cream. Freeze until set.
Place 2 ice cream cylinders onto a dessert plate. Place froofy toothpicks into the tops and bottoms of the "scrolls" (to represent decorative crowns). Drizzle chocolate sauce over the ice cream. Repeat with remaining cylinders.
Yom Kippur, the holiest and most solemn day on the Jewish calendar, was Saturday. In English it's the "Day of Atonement," at the end of which the Book of Life is sealed; those who have taken care to make amends -- to the universe, to other individuals, to God and even, I think, to themselves -- are said to have their names inscribed for another year.
Jews are noted for their symbolic foods and for generally over-feeding people ... of course I was drawn to this group! But Yom Kippur is a fast day, with no food or water permitted (except for reasons of health or age) for 25 hours from sundown to sundown. Secular girl that I am, though, I didn't fast; I think it's medically unsound, especially the lack of hydration. But I did eat simply and refrained from snacks and sweets ... the best I can do.
So, since I didn't fast on Saturday, let me sorta do so here today and write a post without any references to food or restaurants or recipes. I've been told that my more personal posts are meaningful to readers, so I'm offering extra helpings of that today: some readings from the Tashlich [tahsh-LEEK] service -- a symbolic casting off of sins by tossing bread crumbs into the river to be washed away -- and from the Conservative Movement's beautiful new High Holiday prayer book, Machzor Lev Shalem [MAHK-sore layv shah-LEM].
These spoke proverbial volumes to me, reaching into my heart and my soul and nearly bringing me to tears as I assessed my character, my accomplishments, my failings and my blessings over the course of the past year ....
No one sees, no one knows, how often I take the easy way, I let myself off the hook, give myself the benefit of the doubt -- every day, every day.
On this day, this one day, I stand before You naked, without disguise, without embellishment, naked, shivering, ridiculous.
I implore You -- let me try again.
by Merle Field Machzor Lev Shalem - page 204
Let us cast away the sin of deception, so that we will mislead no one in word or deed, nor pretend to be what we are not.
Let us cast away the sin of vain ambition which prompts us to strive for goals which bring neither true fulfillment nor genuine contentment.
Let us cast away the sin of stubbornness, so that we will neither persist in foolish habits nor fail to acknowledge our will to change.
Let us cast away the sin of envy, so that we will neither be consumed by desire for what we lack nor grow unmindful of the blessings which are already ours.
Let us cast away the sin of selfishness, which keeps us from enriching our lives through wider concerns, and greater sharing, and from reaching out in love to other human beings.
Let us cast away the sin of indifference, so that we may be sensitive to the sufferings of others and responsive to the needs of our people everywhere.
Let us cast away the sin of pride and arrogance, so that we can worship God and serve God's purposes in humility and truth.
from the Tashlich service
We abuse, we betray, we are cruel, we destroy, we embitter, we falsify, we gossip, we hate, we insult, we jeer, we kill, we lie, we mock, we neglect, we oppress, we pervert, we quarrel, we rebel, we steal, we transgress, we are unkind, we are violent, we are wicked, we are extremists, we yearn to do evil, we arezealous for bad causes.
Ashamnu, The Shorter Confession Machzor Lev Shalem - page 404
And, because it's Music Monday, I'll also toss a song into the mix. This was played at the Selichot [slee-KOTE] service 2 weeks ago, at the beginning of the High Holiday season. Penitential prayers are recited at this time, as individuals begin preparing for Yom Kippur and atoning for any transgressions they may have committed in the past year.
I'm not a huge fan of the Goo Goo Dolls, but the lyrics to this song (once you get past the drivel someone added at the beginning) have great significance at this time ....
Now, of course, the challenge for this frail, fragile and fallible human is to remember these lessons and to act upon them daily. As the angel said, to try ....
