Voted Off the Island

All I Want for Hanukkah Is...

Eight nifty wish-list items for eight nights of Hanukkah.  Honestly, I'm not truly asking for any of these, just day-dreaming and doing my part to stimulate the economy. :-)

1.    A Kindle...though deep in my heart, I know I should be patient and see what Apple comes out with.  The real problem is I have no room in my house for more books.

2.  One of these.

3.      A nice red pair of sh-tkickers.

4.    
       Dinner at Floataway Cafe or The Inn at Serenbe

5.     Massage with hot stones.

6.    Subscription to The New Yorker Magazine...but please don't anybody really get this for me.  They will just pile up and make me feel guilty for not reading them.

7. Contour pillow cuz my neck and shoulders are killing me.

8.  

  AccuSharp Knife sharpener, as recommended by the always delightful Adam Roberts, a.k.a. the Amateur Gourmet.

Orrin Hatch's Hanukkah Ditty

Eight Days of Hanukkah from Tablet Magazine on Vimeo.

I don't have any BIG thoughts on Orrin Hatch's Hanukkah song.  It's pretty banal and doesn't deepen anybody's appreciation of the holiday.  In my opinion, Hanukkah still desperately needs a great song.

The back story on how the song came to be written is kinda fun, but what I'm loving the most is reading the comments. 

Some great ones here, here and here.

Butterfly Your Turkey?

One of the most frequently read and Googled posts on this blog is my ode to butterflying a chicken, "What Alton Brown Taught Me," which also includes a cool You Tube video on how to do it.  I can't say enough good things about the benefits of butterflying (a.k.a. "spatchcocking") the bird.  It cooks faster whether on the grill or in the oven, it produces more even browning, moister meat, and more flavor with extra surface area for your spice rub and seasoning. I do it all the time. 

Why then, do I hesitate to endorse butterflying your turkey, as this post from Serious Eats urges you to do?

No good reason. This spatchcocked turkey is a gorgeous bird -- brined, lovingly seasoned and classically roasted, just flattened! It's turkey without a backbone. I guess it offends our iconic Norman Rockwell sensibilities about turkey presentation and carving -- the bird on the platter, the knife and fork in the hands of the host, the grateful guests gathered around the table. 

Though of course Rockwell's image has also been the butt of parody:

 

So spatchcock and butterfly away! Poultry shears or Fiskars will definitely help you remove the backbone if you aren't a whiz with a boning knife. Your flattened turkey will be easy to carve and absolutely delish. Have a happy Thanksgiving and if you do butterfly your Butterball, tell me how it turns out.

Limmud Atlanta Chanukah Party

Wesleyan's Sukkah . . . WOW!

From Tablet Magazine: 

A group of undergraduate architecture students at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, rebuilt the WesSukkah this week. (The sukkah was originally erected in the spring, when it won Faith and Form Magazine’s prestigious Sacred Landscape Award.) The sukkah was envisioned as something that could operate on both interpretive and physical levels. It had to satisfy a set of halakhic requirements, but it also had to interest and excite a young audience. The result is an undulating structure of five archways of skeletal-steel framing covered in bamboo mats, through which light penetrates to provide the needed view of the sky and stars—just one of several stipulations laid down in the Mishna and Talmud regarding the building of a sukkah.

CREDIT: Gideon Finck

Frugalista Friday: A Frugalista Passover

   
Fru-ga-LEE-sta. noun.  “A person who lives a frugal lifestyle but stays fashionable and healthy by swapping clothes, buying secondhand, growing own produce, etc.”

It's just me at home this year for Passover.  No seders to make.  No kids to feed.  No matzah pizza for breakfast lunch and dinner. I gave my Passover dishes, and Passover pots and pans away last year.  Pathetic, I know.

But the truth is, over the years I've gotten my Passover shopping down to a frugalista level, not just because Passover foods are an outrageous rip-off, but because eating fresh, real, unprocessed, whole food is truly the best way to celebrate this challenging and beautiful holiday, and also the best antidote to matzah tummy.

Which is not to say that I didn't spend an insane amount of money on Passover food. I will be bringing things to other people's seders and baking chocolate macaroons.  This year's bare bones shopping expedition still weighed in at $60+. What'd I buy?

• 5 lbs. of potatoes
• 2 dozen eggs
• 3 boxes of matzah
• 1 frozen salmon gefilte fish roll
• 1 jar of horseradish
• 1 canister of matzah meal
• 2 packages of KLP chocolate chips
• 3 bags of KLP flaked coconut
• 1 package KLP margarine
• soft, spreadable butter
• 1 canister of matzah farfel

That's it folks.  No KLP candy, no spices, no duck sauce, no KLP ketchup, none of that junk.  The rest of the week's vittles will be cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken, fish, fresh salads and veggies, whatever leftovers I am sent home with from my seder hosts, and at least one helping of my lox,scallions and cream cheese matzah brei that is to die for.  Recipe upon request. 

A zissen (sweet) one, y'all.

Menorah Du Jour -- 8th Night

 

Birds on Tree Menorah, by Shraga Landesman, available at Ahuva.com

Menorah Du Jour -- 5th Night

Seven Species Fan Fold Menorah.  Available at Ahuva.com

Menorah Du Jour -- Third Night

Last Match Menorah, by Kathleen Walsh, Available at Unica Rewards