Performing Mitzvot

Mitzvot [meets-VOTE] = commandments, generally defined as "good deeds;" the plural of mitzvah [MITS-vuh]. We are commanded to help others and to engage in service work, therefore performing good deeds is honoring the commandments ... and in Judaism there are 613 of 'em. (FYI: A boy who becomes a Bar Mitzvah or a girl who becomes a Bat [baht] Mitzvah, therefore, is someone who has reached the age -- 13 -- at which one is bound by the commandments.)




I had started this post with the intention of publicizing a very quick and easy way to help fight hunger. MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger is one of my very favorite charities; it is "a national nonprofit organization that allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds."

And you -- yes, you! -- can have $1 donated to this good cause simply by going to joyofkosher, becoming a member, and signing up to receive its free weekly e-letter. That's it! Get information and recipes and all sorts of other goodies while also helping to feed the hungry. You can sit in your jammies giving yourself a facial (one more way to use up all those cucumbers my garden is spitting out???) and read about food, while knowing that you're helping to provide sustenance to those who might not get sufficient quantities to eat otherwise.

And then, as I trolled through my favorite blogs, I read about another great cause via All Home Cooking. All Year Long. Michelle -- one of my favorites, whose posts I always read -- had suggested that folks check out A Foodie Fairytale ... well, I took her recommendation and followed the link -- I respect her opinion!

And there, I found that Amy is sending out a "call for recipes" to put together a cookbook to benefit the March of Dimes. Both of her children were born prematurely and received state-of-the-art healthcare; Amy is clearly and understandably devoted to the charity that helped to save her babies' lives.

So here's what she's seeking:

We are needing a total of 200-300 recipes in the following categories:

Appetizers & Beverages
Soups & Salads
Vegetables & Side Dishes
Main Dishes
Breads & Rolls
Desserts
Cookies & Candy
Miscellaneous (This & That)

Recipes should be submitted by email to foodiefairytale(at)gmail(dot)com. Then leave a comment under the post I linked to above, telling Amy that you've sent something ... that way, you'll get entered into a giveaway for kitchen goodies featuring some homemade treats. The deadline for entering the contest is July 31, so hurry up! Check out Amy's post for more details ....

So, there you have it: I may not have killed two birds with one proverbial stone -- which I wouldn't be cruel enough to do anyway! -- but I have promoted two mitzvot in one blog post ... :)

A Magical Mystery Tour

Anyone who's been paying attention has likely noticed that my blog is still very pink -- 'cause that's just the way I am! -- but it's also been spiffied up and happified. Lots of cyber-tzotchkes (the kind ya don't have to dust, whew!) and other accoutrements have been added to make the place look a little more lived in. So let me give you a tour:

Look to your left and to your right; notice the beautiful pink flowers to either side of you. These were a gift from ShabbyBlogs.com, which offers free -- yes, free! -- backgrounds and buttons and other little decorative doo-dads. See the "Glad You're Here" welcome mat and those cute little pictures at the end of my most recent posts, the ones begging for comments? Yup -- ShabbyBlogs, again ....

A bit further down along the left-hand sidebar, you'll notice the "Real Women Eat Food" badge. I've told Jeremy for years never to bring home any girl who picks at her food and talks about needing to lose weight -- they just suck up attention and are never happy. Bring home a girl who asks for seconds!

I'm on Facebook and on Twitter, and offer a hearty "welcome!" to some fabulous cyber-friends who are following along as I meander down the food-strewn path.

Next comes an assortment of amusements pour moi: the Indian Cooking Challenge, which presents a different recipe each month and asks that participants all prepare the same dish and write about their experiences ... the Side Dish Showdown, which brings attention to the complementary dishes rather than letting only the entrees and desserts shine in the spotlight ... the Souper Sunday encouragement to prepare soups, sandwiches and salads (and even on non-Sundays, if that works best for you) ... and the 7th Mediterranean Cooking Event, which this month is asking participants to prepare Algerian dishes in hopes of winning a fabulous North African cookbook.

Below the amusements are some games that serve a greater good: feeding the hungry, whether human or animal. Test your vocabulary, answer some trivia, perform the mitzvah of providing food to those in need.

I've joined the Restaurant Reviewers BlogRoll -- "a great way for us to create a community of foodies who want to share their experiences, opinions and suggestions on restaurants where we dine." Considering that most of this blog seems to be devoted to eating out, despite my love of cooking, this seemed a perfect group to be welcomed into! I'm looking forward to contributing my own two-cents' worth on Ann Arbor/Ypsi/Washtenaw County restaurants (not to mention those Tom and I will encounter through Ohio and Pennsylvania during our trip to his daughter's grad school graduation).

The next 6 widgets publicize groups I belong to: fellow Mom and Lady Bloggers, Food Bloggers, and others who a) possess children, and/or b) possess two X-chromosomes, and/or c) possess an avid devotion to food.

There's a little badge promoting my support of local farms, farmers and food; as a devotee of the Ann Arbor Farmers Market -- which is open for its first Wednesday of the season tomorrow!!! -- how could I not display this proudly??? Then there is the amusing tidbit about my blog fighting climate change. It's a very serious subject, and I'm proud to say that joining the 350 Challenge has led to 350 pounds of carbon being off-set in my name. But it's ironic that I sport a badge so antithetical to my beloved Suburban ... :)

I've added a video of me -- yes, lil' ol' me! -- on CBS' "The Early Show." It's not so much because I'm the next Food Network star, but rather because I had a fabulous time and am mighty proud of those chocolate cupcakes that won me $500 as well as two trips to NYC!

And finally, I thought I'd show off some of my favorite cookbooks, thanks to Shelfari; there's an amusing tidbit that speaks volumes about my cyber-life and dusty shelves; and you can gawk at some of my pictures from Flickr (which can't compare to Tom's artwork, but which still serve my own purposes).

I do hope that you've enjoyed your tour! No gratuities or tips can be accepted; however, following this blog and/or friending me on Facebook would be nice perks ...:)