In honor of Good Friday, this is a post all about being Jewish.
It’s pretty obvious that I have some Scotch-Irishness in me, but there’s also the Jewish part that comes out to play every so often, especially when Passover is involved. I went to the grocery store yesterday to pick up some potato starch for the sponge cake my mom asked me to make. I ended up going absoutely wild on the Jewish shelf:
I spent $21, more than I’ve spent on real groceries in ages!! But I’m hoping my mom will kick in a little financial support since I think this qualifies as cultural exploration?
I was ridiculously excited to find the whole wheat matzo meal, as I’ve searched high and low for it in the past — and even tried to order it online — to no avail. I’m thinking I need to go back to the grocery store later today to get two more boxes! And that muesli looked too fun — it’s made with whole wheat matzo, raisins, almonds, apples, brown sugar, and honey. I don’t practice the religion or keep kosher or follow any sort of Passover dietary guidelines, but I still couldn’t help buying this! And, would I ever buy those “fruit slices” at any other time? No! But they were on the Jewish shelf and I couldn’t help myself. I also got a bag of Californian blood oranges, because what’s more Jewish than that?
The potato starch and the eggs were for the sponge cake I mentioned yesterday via the batter and crumbs I ate. I used the recipe on the starch canister, but I replaced the lemon juice and zest with blood orange juice and zest because I like to be classy. Here’s how it came out:
I did not make any sort of glaze for the cake because we’re actually going to cut it into cubes and use it to accompany chocolate fondue at our seder tomorrow. That’s how we roll in my fam.
Even when it’s not Passover, my Jewish still comes out from time to time. Like when I’m offered an all-expenses-paid 10-day trip to Israel, as happened in March 2007. My Jewishness propelled me through pregnancy-inducing dessert buffets and pregnancy-ending desert donkey rides:
OK, OK, the Jewishness also propelled me through real, live camel rides:
And Dead Sea floating:
But I’m getting ahead of (behind?) myself.
This morning, my sister — who is NOT Jewish, btw — arrived on a 7am red-eye flight from San Francisco. She wanted to nap when she got to my apartment, but I hadn’t seen her in nearly a year and a half, so I made her sit with me and eat some matzo muesli. I had just gotten back from the gym, and I was hungry. Emily acquiesed.
Here’s my bowl with 1/2 cup matzo muesli, 1/3 cup unsweetened soymilk, 1/4 cup plain Oikos, strawberries, pineapple, and tangerine:
It was tasty but just a little bit cardboardy due the the matzo.
I asked Emily if it tasted like cardboard to her. She said:
Yes, but I like cardboard, so it’s ok.
We each had seconds.
She’s taking a nap now, and I might do the same soon.
Which holiday/season do you think comes with the best food items?
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Great photos!!
I think that Christmastime and Thanksgiving come with the best food items.
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Passover is a good one for food…but Easter comes with chocolate, and Chistmas comes with cookies! What’s a good Jewish girl to do 🙂 Best of all worlds, I guess.
Oh and I had to throw out some Birthright love. I did a trip back in 2006 (sounds so long ago) and it was an AMAZING experience. And now for the rest of our lives, we can say we rode a camel in the desert. BEAT THAT, folks.
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I went on birthright too!! I went in June 2006, it was awesome! (I have some Jewish roots somewhere…ahem)
Best holiday in my house is New Year’s. It’s celebrated like American Christmas and the food is to die for!
have fun with the fam!
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Hmmm. I think I like Thanksgiving – well the pumpkin stuff and Christmas – cookies!
I like that you got your Jewish side going this week.
Are you going home this weekend? We should carpool up 95 one day. And when I say carpool, I mean ask Mark to drive us. 😀
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fun pics!! 😀
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I don’t think I knew you went on birthright! That is where Missy and I met 🙂
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Thanksgiving has the best food! Yummy roasted veggies, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie… Love Thanksgiving!!!
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I’m half-jewish, so I have had my fair share of matzo over the years!
Christmas always has the best food, just because during winter time all the yummy starbucks drinks are available, silk has their “eggnog” and “pumpkin spice” soy milk out, and yummy desserts and home made meals are always around!
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I think Christmas and Thanksgiving are the best for food – especially Christmas. Nothing like an overabundance of baked goods.
Although Valentine’s Day is fun for the strong prominence of chocolate.
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I love the foods of Fall!
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im not jewish, but I still love eating Matzo!
wow I can’t believe you went to Israel!
great eats 😀
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aww love the exchange between you and your sis…”yes, but i like cardboard!” haha, it reminds me of something my own sis would say! hope you had a great day with her! enjoy your weekend!
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Lol! You cracked me up!
I’ve never tried Jewish food before. Perhaps I should go on a Jewish food shopping spree as well. Hmmm….
fav festival for food? none. I’m Asian and every thanksgiving, christmas, easter, and what not, we have steamboat. every single time. urgh.
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That is so cool that you went to Israel. I recently read about that on another blogger’s site as well. She said there was fabulous food!
For my family, we get the best food at Christmas. It seriously gets out of control, but in a good way 😀
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I think Christmas has the best food!
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Those pictures are the best! I’m not Jewish, and I only knew one Jewish person while growing up in Arkansas. She was a little old lady friend of my grandmother’s and I would help my grandmother pick out a Hannukah card for her each year. I thought she was the coolest!
My grocery store at home never stocked Jewish foods, but I have tried a few since moving to the East coast. Given that I love jam on almost anything, you might guess that I’m a fan of matzo with jam. 🙂
Christmas was always the best food holiday in my family. Thanksgiving was definitely a close second, but we only had Blackberry Jam Cake, Fudge and a ton of other little candies and cookies at Christmas. Given that my priority is typically the foods in the sweet category, Christmas was the winner, hands down!
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