Upper West Side Mom

Restaurant Review: Noi Due Carne

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 21:43:00 +0000

We are big fans of Noi Due. You will almost always find some of their pizza in our freezer since I often pick up a couple of pies from there on Thursday evenings for dinner. It’s one of the kosher restaurant we enjoy eating at in NYC. Ok, the fish is a little expensive and the salads are too but I’m just happy there’s a kosher restaurant I can actually eat in in my neighborhood that doesn’t bum me out due to its mediocre food.

Imagine our excitement when we heard a Noi Due Carne was opening next door. We were initially hopeful but the first warning sign that there could be a problem was the menu posted in the window without prices. Was there a reason there were no prices? Was that reason that they were going to be high?

At the end of last summer before my son went back to school we decided to try Noi Due Carne for dinner. My first impression of the restaurant was that it was nicely designed but did have a touch ungapatch. We were seated, given a menu and sure enough we were were surprised by the prices. The prices were actually shocking, especially the prices of the steaks. A 14 ounce USDA Prime Rib eye was $69, a 21 ounce Rib Steak Florentine was $63, a 10 ounce Skillet Roasted Fillet was $49 and a 26 ounce USDA prime Rib eye for two was $129. Since they were not served with sides those prices included an additional $11 for each side dish ordered. Our kids did not want too order the steak for dinner because they though it was too expensive!

Lest you think the kid’s sticker shock was because we never eat out with them I can assure you that that is not the case. They have been going out to dinner with us from the very beginning. Les Marais opened just after Zev was born and the manager used to call him the official baby of Les Marais because we were there so often with him. We used to bring crayons there for the kids to draw on the paper tablecloths there when they were toddlers. We loved Mike's Bistro when it was uptown and one of the reasons we love Israel so much is because we love that there are so many excellent high end kosher restaurants. My kids have eaten in Lumina, Malka, Angelica and 1865 to name a few of the restaurants we have taken them over the years.

This dinner took place over a year ago and I don't remember everything we ordered. I know that some appetizers were ordered and I know that some of the kids reluctantly ordered the steak. I ordered the chicken piccata that was good but ordinary. Over all it was a nice dinner and we would have come back again if not for the sticker shock.

In February it was our anniversary so we decided to try Noi Due Carne again and once again we felt like it was overpriced, merely good and not very exciting. In addition the waitress brought us a bottle of wine with a younger vintage than the one printed on the menu and she was unaware of that when she brought it to the table. I understand that at a certain point the vintage printed on the menu is no longer available but there is a simple fix to that. Change the year on the menu or at the very least have the waitress let your customers know before they order that bottle.

During a conversation my husband recently had with a friend he mentioned that he and his wife enjoyed eating at Noi Due Carne but they had a trick. They ordered mostly appetizers because that was were where the food shined. I filed that away and about a month ago I suggested to my husband that we try the appetizer approach and go Noi Due Carne for dinner.

I met Josh at the restaurant and we decided that we would eat at the bar. We took a look at the menu and decided to order the Spiced Lamb Flatbread $24, the 10 ounce Burger Short-Rib Brisket blend $34, and the Tomato Fennel Soup $14. All of it was really very good. The hamburger was one of the best burgers you can get outside of Israel (thought you can get a better one there for less than half the price) and the Spiced Lambflat bread is actually a good deal relative to the rest of the menu since the portion is so big. In addition to the food we ordered some very good cocktails for $15. These included the West Side a scotch, elderberry, blackberry and lemon cocktail, an Apple Spice Old Fashioned made from spiced whiskey, apple cinnamon and bitters and a Bourbon Coolatta made with coconut milk, pineapple juice, orgeot and house made grenadine. The Bartender John served us our meal and he was friendly and helpful.

It was definitely an enjoyable meal so we came back 2 more times. We sat at the bar both times and were once again served graciously by John. The second time we visited we once again ordered the Spiced Lamb Flatbread (I can’t resist a good deal!) and the delicious Sliced Skirt Salad $42. Drinks were once again the West Side and the Apple Spice Old Fashioned.

For our third meal we ordered the Gazpacho soup special $15 which was very fresh, very good and made with mint, delicious Brisket BBQ sliders on sesame-challah rolls with zucchini pickles $22, tasty Crispy Roman Style Baby Artichokes with a caper aioli $18 and the decent Lamb Ragu Pasta $29 We decided to try a few more of the cocktails and ordered the unique and very flavorful Carried Away cocktail made with Aquavit, red bell, pepper, basil and pineapple juice and and the cocktail special which was a Gin Garden made with gin and a sage and rosemary simple sugar which was excellent.

Discovering the appetizers and the cocktails at Noi Due carne has been a net plus for my husband and I. It’s really nice to be able to sit at a bar and order good food and drinks. It's especially nice to have the opportunity to order cocktails without having to google every ingredient to try and figure out if it is kosher.

We visited the restaurant on two Thursdays and one Wednesday at around 9 PM on all three evenings and all three times the restaurant relatively full. I attribute this to the fact that over all the food and drinks are very good. However A $69 dollar lamb chop special is way to high and the price the steaks without sides are actually ridiculous. There is no way that these high prices don’t ultimately affect their bottom line.

Summer Phone Use

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 00:56:00 +0000

I am on a constant quest to improve my parenting skills and find ways to make my kids lies more meaningful. Like many parents I have been concerned about the amount of time my teen agers spend on their phones. This summer Temima did not go back to sleepaway camp and I was in more aware of her iPhone usage than usual since she was not in camp where for a whole month she would be phone free. This fact that kids are electronics free for 28 whole days is one of my favorite things about sleep away camp.

A few weeks ago when Denni, Temima and I went to the orthodontist I decided that we would all leave our phones at home and it was amazing. I will tell you that the girls were louder and a bit more unruly then they would have been had we had our iphones/ipods with us. There were a few rubber glove used while we were waiting in the examination room and a few rides up and down in the chair but there was lots of laughter and we were all paying attention to each other.

The next week Temima, one of Temima's friends, Denni and I went out to lunch and again I told everyone that we were leaving the phones at home. A greta time was had by all. Laughter abounded.

Mini Carrot Oat Flour Muffins (Gluten Free)

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

I seem to always be suffering from an upset stomach. A few years ago my doctor tested me for Celiac disease. It came back negative so I kept eating food with gluten in it, though I tried to keep it to a minimum. It was very clear to me when I ate food that had gluten in it the worse I felt. Needless to say I felt pretty bad by the 3rd day of Passover even though I had eaten only spelt matzoh.

With the exception of a hamburger bun that I had with dinner the day after Passover ended I have been gluten free since Passover and I really feel great. Of course there are many reasons why this might be. I definitely am limited as to what I can eat but interestingly I am just not getting out of control hungry anymore. It's like gluten containing foods just set me off into a state where I can't stop eating until I am literally sick.

So far I have been doing a lot of experiments with almond flour but last week I decided to make carrot cake for dessert on Shabbat with gluten free oat flour and it was a big hit. I knew that if I made them into mini muffins they would make a good snack for school. If you store the muffins in the freezer they are good for a few weeks. You can just throw them into a bag in the morning and they will be defrosted by snack time.

If you double the recipe you will have enough to make a cake in a 9" or 10" Bundt pan. You will need to bake the cake for 45 to 50 minutes.

2 mini muffin pans

1 and 1/2 cup of gluten free oat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cups of sucanat

3 eggs

1/2 cup coconut oil or walnut oil (if you use extra virgin it will give the muffins a coconutty taste)

1 cup finely grated carrots

1/2 cup of crushed pineapple

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line or grease muffin pan

2. Combine the oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and place aside

3. Combine the oil and sugar and then mix in the eggs.

4. Add the dry ingredient and mix till they are fully combined.

5. Add the pineapple and carrots and mix till they are fully combined.

6. Put the batter in the pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Shabbat

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:44:00 +0000

In a world dominated by computers, smart phones, tablets and all sorts of other kinds of media Shabbat is truley a G-d send. For 25 hours each week we can unplug from the crazyness and celebrate a more simple kind of life. Some of the amazing things that happen on Shabbat are families sit down and enjoy a lesiurly dinner together and actually talk to each other undistracted by emails and text. Teenagers willingly and happily spending time with their families. Kids magically spend 25 hours happily playing with out the aid of electricity and they are not bored! Husbands and wives find time to be together uninterrupted by the demands of work and their kids normally busy extra curricular activities. J and I actually take a nap together almost every Shabbat afternoon. Honestly it seems like a modern day miracle to me.

I know that many people can clearly see the wisdom of Shabbat but they also think that it would be impossible for them to actually observe Shabbat. I am here to say that anyone can observe all of Shabbat. J is an investment banker and he manages to as do all 25 hours of it as do many, many others who also have demanding careers.

I think what stops people from observing what is to many is an obviously brilliant way to spend their time is that they feel like they just don't know where to start. I think that the best place to start is by starting with just one part of it. Maybe it's Friday night dinner or maybe your family is Media free all day on Saturday. Below are some ideas of how to start and how to add on. This can be done in the order that works best for you and your family.

The easiest place for many to start is by having a family and/or friends dinner. Yes I know that even this can seem overwhelming but I have a few tips for beginers. You should invite friends over and if you have teens or kids invite your friends who have kids the same age as yours. Make sure that you serve a meal that your family will find special. This means that you might make your spouse/special someone a dish that they really like or that you serve your kids a special dessert. Last but not least try your best to ban cell phones at the Shabbat table. It is not an unreasonable request to ask your family to spend an hour or two with their cell phones off. Though I am one who is loath to bribe children you might want to consider letting the kids know that their having dessert is contingent on them not using their electronica at the table (make sure that it is a crazy good dessert!).

There is a possibility that your first dinner may not be as succesful as you want but keep trying. You know your family best and you are the one who is best equipped to figure out what you need to tweek to get it right. Before J and I became observant we used to listen to music when we ate. For us our first step was only listening to Jewish composers while we ate Shabbat dinner.

The next step would be to begin to incorporate Shabbat into Saturday. One way to do this is to find a Synagogue that you like and attend Shabbat Morning services. I know that for many people it seems like Friday night is the best time to attend services but when you are trying to incorperate Shabbat into your life it is really important to go on Shabbat morning. If you have kids find a Synogougue that has a good kids program. If you are interested in trying a more traditional Synogougue many of those have special services called begginer minyans. A lot of it is in English with lots of explanations to boot. Most importantly everyone is new at the service so they tend to be super friendly and super supportive.

Even if you are checking out a synogouge that everyone walks to please don't worry about how you get there. We took the subway up to the Upper West side for almost a year before we moved there. There were just no Synogogues in our neighborhood that we connected to and the most important thing to do when you are trying to incorporate Shabbat into your life is to find a community that you feel connected to. By the way you might want to check out a few Synogougues alone until you find one that you think will work best for you and your family.

It is quite possible that you will have some resistance from you older kids and spouses when it comes to Saturday observnces. This is normal. You might find that your husband is fine with Friday night dinner but uts his foot down on Saturday morning services. Even in the observant community spouces are not alway at the same level when it comes to different obsevances. There were a few years when I was completely Sabath observant and my husband was not. He began Shabbat when ever he came home and if something urgent was going on at work he dealt with it. Though I would have obviously preffered to have him on the same page as I was at the time we made it work with out too much effort.

For some families after synogouge it's time to get back to their regular programing but for others services morf into Shabbat lunch

When I was growing up we often went to Synogogue on Shabbat and holidays but then we went to the pool club or went shopping in the afternnon. I consder this all part of my religious continum and a legitimate way to celebrate Shabbat.

Happy Passover!

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:25:00 +0000

It's been a long few weeks and I am definitely beat. The last week before Passover always seem so tough and there is still one day left of preparations As usual this week has been filled with those pre-passover snafus that seem to happen every year. This year they included an accident that involved a coconut, my finger, a peeler and lots of blood and an Ikea cabinet in my kitchen (where I keep all of my Passover things) that suddenly started to recline to the left and is now being kept upright by a variety of heavy objects.

Its all good though. Much easier than having to pack up your family and having to leave home with out even having enough time for your bread to rise.

I wanted to leave you with a quick thought that I heard this Shabbat from the assistant Rabbi of my Synagogue. The first 9 plagues the Hebrews witnessed passively Be it blood, frogs or locusts, G-d made them happen. The 10th plague was different though. In order to escape the death of the first born the Hebrews were told to mark their doors with the blood of the pascal lamb so the angel of death would pass over their homes. For the 10th pague the Hebrews had to actively participate. They had to opt in.

That is what the Seder is all about. It's about actively making a decision to be part of the Jewish people. It's about us opting in today. May everyone who is celebrating have a joyous Passover. Next year in Jerusalem!

Grain Free Apple Kugel (Kosher For Passover)

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 03:42:00 +0000

This is an easy apple kugel recipe that I make all year round. It can be served for either works for breakfast, a snack, a side dish or even dessert.

3 to 4 macintosh apples sliced.
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup of any kind of sugar (When it's passover I use turbinado or demarara and when it's not Passover I use sucanat or palm sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Peel and slice apple and put them in a bowl of cold water.

3. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

4. Beat the egg and add to the dry ingredients.

5. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.

6. Drain the apple and pat dry. Mix them into the batter.

7. Pour into an 8x8 pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden.

Passover Crafts: Locusts (Schistocerca gregaria)

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:33:00 +0000

Crafted Shcistocerca Gregaria

The real thing!

A few weeks ago there was a locust swarm in Egypt that spread to Israel. The swarm was made up of the common Egyptian Desert Locust scientifically known as Schistocerca gregoria. According to Jewish bugs are generally not kosher except for certain species of locusts. According to Jewish tradition this is one of the varieties that are kosher.

When I read about the swarm I knew I had to make some locusts this year. We have made a bunch of different ones in all sorts of different color combos using the same technique. My favorites, though, are our interpretation of Schistocerca gregaria.

Supplies:

Newspaper to paint on

Wine corks

Scissors

Acrylic paint in the colors you want to make your locust in

Paint brushes

Pipe cleaners

Tissue paper

Glue gun or Tacky Glue

Wiggly eyes

Tulip Puffy Fabric paint or a black Sharpy for the mouth.

1. Paint the cork. Leave the bottom of the cork unpainted so the cork will not stick to the paper when drying. When the cork is dry flip it over and paint the bottom.

2. Cut two 3 inch pieces of pipe cleaner for the front legs, one 7 inch piece of pipe cleaner for the back legs and one 5 inch piece for the antennas.

3. Mold the middle of the pieces around the cork so that they fit properly when they are glued down. Then finish molding the different parts into their final shapes.

4. Cut out two 4 by 4 inch squares of tissue paper. If you are making the Schistoceria gregoria paint the wing makings on the tissue paper.

5. If you are not adding markings or when the paint is dry hold the tissue paper square at one corner and pinch the paper toward the opposite corner to form the wings.

6. When the painted cork is dry assemble the locust starting with the legs and antena. Using either the glue gun or the Tacky Glue place a thin line of glue about 1 inch long where you wants the pipe cleaners placed. FYI the front two legs are close together on the front and the long third pair of legs is placed towards the back.

7. When the pipe cleaners are dry add the wiggly eyes, mouth and wings.

Note: The tissue paper is delicate so you may want to eliminate the wings for younger kids.

Pecan and Coconut Crusted Chicken (Kosher for Passover)

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:32:00 +0000

This is another schnitzel like option for Passover. The combination of pecan, coconut and cinnamon is just delicious and will definitely be a staple of this household for the whole year.

8 ounces raw pecans
1 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
2 eggs
About 8 boneless chicken breast
Extra virgin coconut oil to grease the pans with

1. Ground the pecans in the food processor medium to fine

2. Combine the pecans, coconut, cinnamon, salt and pepper on a plate

3. Beat eggs in a bowl.

4. Dip the chicken in the eggs let the extra run off for a few seconds and the coat in the pecan mixture.

5. Bake in the oven at 375 for about 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the breasts.

5 Ways to Eat Healthy During Passover

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:05:00 +0000

It's so easy to just throw your hands up and say that for the 8 days of Passover you are just going to eat unhealthy food. For me that creates 3 problem. 1. you just don't feel very good for those 8 days, you need to withdraw from all the sugar and carbs you have consumed and youv'e gained 5 pounds. Below are 5 easy steps to prevent taht post passover fall out.

1. Try to avoid Matza as much as possible. I know how tough that can be. Nothing is easier than taking out a box of Matza and spreading some butter or cream cheese on it. It's also super easy to make matza brei, matza pizza and matza meal pan cakes but there are options. Cooking and baking with almond meal is a great option. You can make cakes, quick breads and even pancakes with it. It is also super healthy and even more important for Passover since it is protein it will keep you full. Some of my favorite Passover foods with almond flour are banana bread, pancakes and

Passover Crafts: Frog Finger Puppets

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:50:00 +0000

The 10 Plagues are a big part of Passover for kids. They are absolutely fascinated by them and they really help them to connect to the holiday. I clearly remember my kids coming home from school when they were little and singing a song about the Frogs that went like this:

One morning when Pharoah woke in his bed
There were frogs in his bed and frogs on his head
Frogs on his nose and frogs on his toes
Frogs here, frogs there, frogs were jumping everywhere
Even in his underwear (This line is not actually taught in school but passed down though the generation by older siblings)

Having a few physical examples of the 10 Plagues at your seder is a great way to keep the kids engaged. These frogs are easy to make and I think they are also very cute. T10 made the one on the left all by herself. I know that D7 could make this with a little bit of supervision and I'm sure that even younger kids would be capable of doing this with some help from a grown up!

Green felt
Black embroidery thread
Needles
Googaly eyes
Tacky glue or a hot glue gun
Scissors
Pattern for the frog
Pins

1. Print out this pattern and cut it out

2. Cut out 2 pieces of felt and lay them on top of each other. Pin the pattern to the felt and cut out the frog

3. Sew around the out side of the frogs leaving the bottom un-sewed.

4. Glue on the eyes

Grain Free Banana Bread (Kosher for Passover)

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:15:00 +0000

There is a wonderful gluten free blog called Elana's Pantry. Elana does amazing things with almond flour. She uses a food processor to mix her ingredients and that obviously has something to do with her success with almond flour. This is her recipe for Paleo Banana Bread and it is delicious. It's so good that the loaf I made for this picture this afternoon is almost gone and Passover is two weeks away.

I did make one change. Since I have not been able to find Spectrum palm shortening that is kosher for Passover I substituted it with extra virgin coconut oil. Like Elana I used a slim loaf pan since this bread won't rise quite as much as a bread made with flour. Elana recommends The Magic Line 3.5 x 7.5 inch pan. If you can't get one before Passover you can always use an If You Care makes unbleached paper loaf pan available at Whole Foods and Fairway. I like to double them up so that they retain there shape with the heavy banana bread batter in it. You can then reuse the pan on the bottom the next time you bake.

2 cups blanched almonds flour (Digestive Wellness has the best almond flour out there and it's kosher for Passover!)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt.
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 medium ripe bananas
3 eggs (room temperature so they don't solidify the coconut oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

3. Pulse the bananas in the food processor till smooth (it should only take a few pulses).

4. Add the eggs, vanilla, honey and oil to the food processor and pulse to combine.

5. Holding on to the top of the blade pour the batter in to a greased and floured with tapioca or potato starch.

6. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until it is firm in the middle of the pan. The bread will be darker than banana bread made with wheat flour so don't be put off by the darker color.

Easy Pistachio Crusted Chicken (Kosher for Passover)

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:35:00 +0000

When we were at the Santa Monica Farmers market last February we were overwhelmed by the site of beautiful produce in the middle of the winter. It really raised our spirits. One of our favorite things we found there were pistachios from the Santa Barbara Pistachio Company. They had a flavor called Onion Garlic Roast and we all loved them. This is a Passover friendly dish that was inspired by them

8 ounces of raw pistachios ground to medium in a food processeors (this should make about 2 cups of ground nuts)
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon fine salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 eggs
6 boneless chicken breasts all about the same size.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Grind the pistachios to a medium grind. Put the ground nuts on a plate and add granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

3. Dip the chicken breast in egg and then in the ground pistachios and coat both sides of the chicken.

4. Oil the bottom of a large pan or 2 depending on their size. Put the chicken in the pan(s).

5. Bake at 375 for about 1/2 hour until the chicken is cooked through

Grain Free Raspberry Bars (Kosher for Passover)

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:03:00 +0000

It's that time of year again and I am busy organizing my home and getting ready to clean for Passover. As we all know trying to eat healthy food on Passover is hard. There just seems to be so much junk food out there. While this does have some sugar in it, these raspberry bars are full of nuts and coconut and are very filling. My husband and son love these for a snack but you can also serve them for dessert or even for breakfast.

1 and 3/4 cups fine almond flour
1/4 tapioca starch/flour (or potato starch)
1 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup demerara or regular sugar
1/3 cup raspberry or apricot jam
8x8 pan
Oil to grease pan
Tapioca or potato starch to dust pan

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil and dust with tapioca or potato starch the 8x8 pan.

2. Combine almond flour, coconut and salt in a bowl. In separate bowl combine eggs and sugar. Add the sugar and eggs to the dry ingredients and combine.

5. Cover the bottom of the pan with half of the dough.

6. Spread the jam over the dough in the pan.

7. Using a teaspoon make small irregular balls of the dough on the tip of the spoon and put in on top of the jam.

8. Cover the jam with the balls leaving some small spaces. Then wet a tablespoon and shake off the excess water. Pat down the top of the small ball so there are no peaks that might burn. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until the top is golden.

How Much Help Do you Need?

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:50:00 +0000

In Manhattan, the land of Cadillac Escaldes complete with drivers and families with multiple nannies this is a complex question. IMHO I think that too much help is detremental to kids developing independence. I for one do not have a car with a driver or a Babysitter anymore. I do have help though. I have a cleaning lady 2 times a week and my old Babysitter does sometimes come in to help me cook and clean up for and on Shabbat particulary if we are having more than a few guests.

Last fall I made a few changes in my life. After 11 years of putting my kids on the bus I now carpool. This means that one morning a week I drive and that I pick up 4 afternoons a week. It takes about 9 hours a week in total. I have really been enjoying driving carpool. I end up spending an hour or so each afternoon alone with D, really focusing on her and I get to see my older girls 45 minutes sooner that I would had they been on the bus in the afternoon. I also started taking a class for about 4 hours each week.

The time out of the house each day was making an impact at home. I was feeling rushed each day and my first thought was that I need more help at home. Though my cleaning lady does the bulk of my housework and laundry I still handle the laundy that needs to be hung dry (and since I am a little anal about my laundry that is a fair amount!) and of course there is the day to day mess that comes from living in an 1800 square foot apartment with 4 kids and a dog who I have to walk each week day afternoon.

If I had my cleaning lady in a 3rd day each week I would pretty much be done with most housework including almost all of my laundry that I hang dry and it would have also kept my house in better order.
That sounded pretty good to me but I realized that my kids would not see me doing much housework and that was a problem. We think as parents one must practice what they preach. My husbands cleans the kitchen each night and takes care of the dishes after Shabbat (perhaps the worst chore aorund here). We expect the kids to help us run this household so that means that they are responsible for certain chores.

As you know Z has been doing his laundry since he was 14. He also takes Molly out each night and takes her on her long walks on Saturday and Sunday. R takes the dog out on Saturday and Sunday mornings. All of the kids wash our dinner dishes when we eat meat (we only have a dairy dishwasher), help take out the garbage and recycling, help with the groceries, and clear the table on Shabbat.

Tu B'Shvat: Dates and Marscapone Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 14:50:00 +0000

Tu B'shvat, which falls on January 26th this year, is the Jewish New Year for the trees. One might ask why would a tree need a new year? They need one because of the many Halachot (Jewish laws) pertaining to agriculture in the land of Israel such as tithing produce. In many ways it is like an agricultural fiscal new year. Fruit that has already blossomed by Tu B'Shvat belongs to the previous year and anything that blossoms after Tu' B' Shvat belongs to the new year.

First mentioned in the Mishna (the Jewish Oral Law) Tu B'Shvat has a long history. In the times of the Gaonim (500 to 1038 CE) Tu' B'Shvat was a day of particular importance for the Jews in the land of Israel. In fact there was a special Shemoneh Esrei (the central prayer of any Jewish religious service) for Tu B'Shvat!

Today Tu B'Shvat has become a sort of Jewish Earth Day. It's a day to reflect on our relationship to the environment. One of the ways that we celebrate is by eating the 7 agricultural products that are singled out in the Torah: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.

If you are interested in learning more about the relationship that we have with the environment you can listen to Rabbi Daniel Fridman's class To Cultivate and Preserve: Man's Relationship with his Environment.

Warning: This combination is addictive!

Madjool Dates
Marscapone Cheese

1. Split open and pit the dates.
2. Spread Marscapone cheese on top of the open dates.
3. Eat!

Tu B'Shvat

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:41:00 +0000

Tu B'shvat is the Jewish new year for the trees. This may lead someone to ask why would a tree need a new year? You need one becuase of the many laws pertaining to agriculture in the land of Israel such as tithing produce. In many ways it is like an arboreal fiscal new year. Fruit that has already blossomed on Tu B'Shvat belongs to the previous year and anything that blossoms after Tu' B' Shvat belongs to the new year.

Tu' Bshvat has a particular importance to Israel but it has also become a kind of Jewish Earth Day. It's a day to remember how important our enviornment is and what exactly is our relationship as Jew to the enviornment.

Potato Kugel (Kosher for Passover)

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 02:28:00 +0000

Kugel is the ultimate Shabbat food. It's delicious hot from the oven on Friday night or heated up on top of your cholent pot for lunch. Though I have loved potato kugel since I first tasted it I never made it until recently. It's really hard to get the right consistency and the thought of hand grating 5 lb. of potatoes was not appealing to me. Then it occurred to me that if I cut the potatoes into chunks before I put them in the food processor with the small grating blade that I might actually get the consistency that I was looking for. It ended up working and I have been making lots of potato kugel recently.

5lbs of Russet potatoes
1 1/2 lbs yellow onions
1/2 cup of potato flour or potato starch
1/2 cup of refined coconut oil (do not use extra virgin!) plus oil for the pan
9 eggs
2 teaspoons of salt
lots of fresh pepper
9x13 pan

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Generously grease the pan with coconut oil.

Beat the eggs and put them into the large bowl you will be mixing your kugel in.

Cut the onions into large chunks and grate them using the large grating blade.When you are done grating the onions squeeze out the extra liquid and mix them into the eggs.

Peel half of the potatoes and cut into chunks. Grate them in the food processor using the SMALL grating blade. Squeeze out as much of the water as you can with you hands. Combine the grated potatoes with the egg and onion mixture. Repeat with the other half of the potatoes.

Add 1/2 cup of coconut oil, the flour or potato starch, salt and pepper and combine.

Bake in the oven at 300 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours or until the kugel is golden

NYC Staycation

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:45:00 +0000

The last time we went away for December break was 7 years ago. J's parents took all their children and grandchildren to Disney world we had a really nice time but Disney World was very crowded and we ended up spending 7 hours on the plane ride home. As far as I was concerned that was the last time I was going away the last week of December. Since that last winter vacation in Florida we have been spending our winterbreak in Manhattan and we always have a great time.

Since J was taking Z to London for a mancation (they had an amazing time even though the Arsenal game was cancelled due to a tube strike!) it was going to be just me and my ladies. Before vacation started I planned out a few easy projects for the girls to do. I bought an origami kit and kite paper for Waldorf stars from Bella Luna Toys. We also did some sewing with wool felt I ordered from Weir Dolls and Crafts. This helped keep everyone busy through out the week and a half that we were home.

It took us a day to figure out how to make those little boxes.

I love how they look so happy together. FYI 10 minutes before this photo was taken all hell was breaking loose!

T's handy work

In Manhattan many of the best after school programs run vacation camps that generally run from 10 to 3. This year R did 3 days of crafts camp at Jem Fabric Warehouse in Tribeca. T did 3 days of Writopia and spent much of the rest of her time at home working on her writing. D was happy just being home, though, on the one day that the girls' camps overlapped I did take her to the New York Historical Society where they have a great basement space for kids, an kid friendly movie about the history of New York City and of course the historical toys exhibit on the 4th floor.

Other activities we did were ice skating in Da Bronx at the new Van Cortland Park ice skating rink, a Saturday night staycation swim and pizza party at friends who have a pool in their building, going to the movies to see Life of Pi and of course 2 trip to D's beloved Little Shop of Crafts

Western "urban view" at Van Cortland rink

Eastern "park view" of Van Cortland rink

Little Shop of Crafts

It was not just a staycation for the kids! Mommy was happy as could be waking up at 9 instead of 7. We also ordered in dinner way more than we usually do. On New Years Eve J and I actually went out and saw the Fab Faux, a amazing Beatles tribute band with friends. On New Years day we had friends over for brunch.

I loved being with the kids for 12 days just doing our thing and not being at the mercy of anyone else's schedule. When it was all over Wednesday morning I was sad. I really wished that they had given us the full 2 weeks off!

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:45:00 +0000

Where is Area E1?

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:47:00 +0000

There has been a lot of talk recently about area E1. A few days ago Israel announced plans to develop it. The word is that the development of this area will "destroy the territorial contiguity between the northern and southern West Bank" I think that it is really important that people are aware of the fact that this is not the case. Please check out the above map. Even if area E1 is developed there can still be a viable (and contiguous) Palestinian State.

Homemade Hanukkah Candles

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 15:50:00 +0000

Last year when I saw this blog post on Flowing with My Ducklings on making Shabbat candles I thought that it would be fun for us to make our own Hanukkah candles. I ordered two 10 packs of 8" x 16" sheets of beeswax and wicks but I never got around to making the candles. While I was cleaning out my cabinets a few weeks ago I came across the wax so I decided that the girls and I would make some Hanukkah candles this year. You can buy individual sheets and 12 packs of beeswax sheets and wicks from this page at candlemakingsupplies.net (scroll down for the wicks).

FYI according to Jewish law candles must burn for 30 minutes. The 4 inch candles I made burned for 45 minutes. I also made candles that were a little bit thinner (4" by 1 1/2"candles) that also burned for 45 minutes and taller ones (5" by 2") that burned for an hour.

Supplies

8" by 16" sheets of beeswax

Wicks cut to 4 3/4"

Sharp knife/craft knife

A surface to cut the wax on that won't be ruined by the knife

Scissors to cut the wicks

Ruler

1. First cut each sheet into half length wise but do not separate the 2 pieces.

2. Cut the two halves into eight pieces that are 2" wide each. You will end up with sixteen 2" by 4" rectangles

Place a wick at the very bottom of the the 2" by 4"piece of wax and push it into the wax.

Tightly roll the candle up.

Voila!

One of The Reasons Why I Really Like R's Friends.

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 02:05:00 +0000

Because they decieded that they needed to make Thanksgiving hats to wear when they went to watch the floats being blown up for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

Holiday Gifts for Kids 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:32:00 +0000

Now that I am carpooling I find myself at the kid's school with D 3 days a week for about an hour before the big kids get out. We have been spending time in the school library playing games and reading books. Recently we came across a cute book The Scrambled States of America. This book awakened a love of geography in D so of course I had to order it. When I was searching for the book I discovered that there was a Scrambled States of America game based on the book so I ordered it. It turned out to be a great game and and D7 and T10 have been having fun playing it.

I found the game Money Bags at The Fun Way to Learn a great website full of non electronic, educational games! It teaches the kids how to count change. T10 enjoys playing it and D7 now knows how to count and identify change. It has also been great for her math skills.

Can you tell I'm really in to games right now? I also found Chocolate Fix a deductive reasoning game at The Fun Way to Learn and even I like playing it. It says it's for 8 and up but even D7 has been playing it and having a blast. She get so excited each time she solves one of the puzzles.

The Little House box set is one of my all time favorites! I have just started reading these to D7. I read them to T10 and R13 when they were younger and they really enjoyed them. Even Z16 would listen in when I read these books. I mean what could be more manly than Pa felling his own lumber.

D7 got the Baggy Bunch Gals for her birthday last year from a friend and she still enjoys taking it out and making a puppet. It has a great selection of things that you can put on your bag to make and decorate your puppet with.

Now that R is turning 13 toys are no longer a gift option for her. Morgan Prather is one of my favorite jewelry designer on Etsy and she makes tiny versions of many of her earring designs. Don't forget to look at the regular sized versions for yourself!

It's tough trying to figure out what to give a teenager for a gift but I think that American Express Gift Cards are a win win choice. You get to pick out exactly how much you want to spend and they get to pick exactly what they want. They even get to use it like a real credit card at the store!

The Real Bears

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:22:00 +0000

Check out The Real Bears a video produced by The Center for Science in Public Interest to counter the commercials produced by Big Soda. Since I have shown it to my kids Z16, R13 and T10 they have totally changed their attitude about things with sugar in them. They have not been asking for sugary drinks and are much more likely to take no for an answer the first time they ask me for something with sugar in it.

Please make sure to watch this video before you show it to your children to make sure you are comfortable showing it to them. There is one scene that some might find scary and there is one"intimate" scene between 2 bears which was fine with me since the bears are married : )

Tiger Lilly

noreply@blogger.com (Upper West Side Mom) — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:15:00 +0000

We are having a great time in Jerusalem and I plan to write about my trip at some point but I have an urgent matter that I want to let all of you know about. There is this amazing kitten that has been hanging around our apartment. She is so sweet and playful and she loves kids. As many of you know I am a dog person and generally I don't fall in love with cats. She is so sociable and seems to prefer human company to cat company. She is a very doggy cat.

It is actually fairly easy to adopt a cat from Israel to the US. I would be happy to defray some or all of the costs of getting her to you. We have strongly considered taking her but I am worried that Tiger Lilly and Molly won't get along. If this was a US rescue I could see how it went and if they did not get along I could bring Tiger Lilly back to the rescue.

Please email me if you are interested in her.