Standing at attention, eyes front, my elementary school days began with a resounding rendition of G’d save the Queen, the British national anthem. Canada is a commonwealth country and the Queen is its constitutional monarch. On the 6th of February this year, Her Majesty The Queen became the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee, marking seventy years of service. The Queen has reigned longer than anyone in modern…
It seems quite miraculous to me that at the coldest, darkest point of the winter, the supermarkets magically fill with gem-like clementines, ruby-fleshed blood oranges, tangy, pink Cara oranges and more-sweet-than-tart Meyer lemons. Most citrus fruits ripen to their sweetest and juiciest during the North American winter and happily we can enjoy a taste of sunshine at a relatively low price from locales as far flung as Spain and Morocco…
Early Monday morning I swung open the front door and gazed out at a gusting winter blizzard. By 9:00 a.m. school children who were eagerly anticipating their first day back at school after an extended winter break thanks to Omicron, headed out with their toboggans for a day of sledding instead. Over five hundred TTC buses were stranded in thick snow piles and transport trucks were snowed in on the…
The debut of the Batman television series in January 1966 was ground breaking on many levels. The show starred two crime-fighting heroes, Bruce Wayne/Batman and Dick Grayson/Robin, who defended Gotham City from a variety of arch villains. Broadcast on two consecutive nights, it was the highlight of my week for more than one reason. After watching the latest episode at a classmate’s house, as the closing credits filled the screen,…
One late Friday afternoon, visiting with my daughter and her family, I looked on in speechless wonder as my eight year-old granddaughter and her friend hovered in front of the pan of freshly roasted green beans and picked them off, munching on them happily, as if they were candy. As each member of the clan passed through the kitchen, they made strategic detours in front of the baking sheet and…
According to the New York Times, more than 750 flights with at least one stop in the United States were canceled this past holiday weekend as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus sidelined crews during one of the year’s busiest times for travel. In New Jersey, lines at Covid testing centers are hours long putting a further crimp in the plans of travelers (sigh). It’s time for a getaway to…
I scanned the kosher Chinese food menu that appeared in my inbox. Sweet and sour flavor combinations with just-cooked stir fried vegetables added to the mix were all very tempting but when I saw the listed price for Asian fried rice, I pressed delete. Chinese fried rice is the ultimate comfort food. A bowl of steaming white rice cooked to just the right consistency, filled with bits of meat and…
I first read about Lotus Biscoff cookie butter back in 2010 when cookbook author David Lebovitz raved about it on his blog. Biscoff cookies are Belgian spice cookies, similar to gingersnaps. They have more than a hint of cinnamon and ginger and deep caramel bass notes. Biscoff cookie butter is a smooth spread made of blended Biscoff cookies. Imagine being able to lick a not too sweet caramelized gingersnap right…
“My trip’s been cancelled”, I reported dejectedly to my son. Israel has extended its closure to all foreign travelers for another ten days and my greatly anticipated plans for reunions with friends, exploring the country from north to south, and visiting holy sites, evaporated with the disappointing news. “Mom, I think it’s time for some caramel corn”, Sonny opined. Smart boy. Caramel corn can assuage many of life’s small disappointments,…
After a two year Covid hiatus, we were privileged to join our children and their families for the last four days of Chanukah. Candle lighting was beautiful as each family member lit their own menorah. The flames danced and flickered in the darkness while we joined in singing Ma’oz Tzur, the Jewish liturgical poem or piyyut, celebrating our spiritual deliverance from our enemies. On Sunday we celebrated with a family…