FAL-AWESOME Israeli Food Recipes

A few of my friends from Israel have been looking for the recipes that the BYU Jerusalem center uses for the students. I happened to have saved the recipe sheet from the Enrichment class where they taught us what they did. So, to the benefit of all, I am adding the recipes to this blog. If you ever had the opportunity to attend a semester abroad there, you'll know that these are great recipes. If you haven't, then you should just know and trust that these are great recipes.

Yasser's AMAZING Donuts

1 ½ c milk (scalded)

½ c. sugar

½ c. butter or margarine

2 tsp. salt

½ c. lukewarm water with 2 Tbs. dry yeast dissolved in it

2 eggs, beaten

6 ½ c flour

Directions:

Add the sugar, butter/margarine, and salt to the milk. Then add the ingredients in the following order to a mixing bowl: the water/yeast combo, eggs, milk mixture, and HALF of the flour. Mix on low speed, and then put in the rest of the flour until it’s not too sticky. Grease a pan and let the dough raise until it doubles in size. Roll out the dough to 1/3 inch and cut into circles, allowing them to then raise again. Deep fry at 190 F, and then sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, or icing. If you do this right, then you'll find everyone sneaking into the kitchen for seconds like we did for Yasser's doughnuts. Of course, he was always yelling at us when we did so, but if you got out with a second one it was worth it...

Falafel

2 lbs. Chickpea (garbanzo beans) which should be soaked for 24 hours, drained, and then ground up

1 bunch parsley

2-3 green chilies (hot)

4 heads onion

1 clove garlic

1 Tbs. Cumin

1 Tbs. Falafel spice (try searching on-line for this. I haven't figured out exactly what spices they used in Israel, but you should probably know that most of the online recipes don't call for "falafel spice" and instead use only just the remaining recipes listed here.)

1 Tbs. Baking soda

Notes: the first time the chickpeas are ground, you grind just the chickpeas. The second time, you grind it you should add in the parsley, onion, garlic, and chili. After this, you mix in the cumin, falafel spice, and baking soda. Fry at 190 F. Serve with Pita, cut up cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, French fries, pickles, and (if desired) hot sauce.

Humus

Soak chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for 24 hours, drain, and then boil.

Add 1 tsp. Baking soda to shorten the boiling time. Mash, and add sesame sauce.

Sesame Sauce

½ C. sesame oil

½ C. lemon juice

3 cloves garlic-crushed

Sale and cumin to taste

Serve with parsley, paprika, and pita

Eggplant salad

Wash eggplant, poke holes with fork, and broil in oven until soft. Remove skin, cut up and add sesame sauce.

Cucumber with Lebon (Yogurt)

3 Med cucumbers peeled and finely chopped

2 C. Yogurt

2 tsp. salt

2 clove garlic

1 tsp dry mint0crushed

Add all ingredients to cucumbers. (Note: the instructions I received don’t suggest that the garlic is crushed, but I would assume this is the case)

Bakdonsia

1 c. parsley finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

Add sesame sauce

Tabouleh-Lebanon, Syria, Jordan Favorite

1 c crushed wheat (wash, soak till soft, drain, squeeze out water)

1 ½ c parsley finely chopped

½ c mint finely chopped (must be fresh)

2 med tomatoes finely chopped

½ c lemon juice

1//2 c olive oil

Add all together, salt and pepper to taste.

NieNie

One of the first stories that inspired this blog is about a woman who, having survived a near fatal plane crash, was supported in the most inspirational ways about the women who read her blog. (You can read more about the story here.) Today's blog post is inspired by her, as she posted a picture of herself for the first time in a year, along with this quote:

There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire,which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. -Washington Irving

This woman has struggled in accepting her body image, and I'm amazed at this bold step in accepting her past, present, and future.

Phoenix Treasure #3: Building Mural and Lorax Tree

You might recall from this post and this post that I love finding querky things in Phoenix. Here's another one site I frequently pass (located at 19th St and Indian School Rd).

Thanks, B, for turning around so we could take a picture of the mural. The lighting at night makes it look especially cool.

I LOVE this mural for a few reasons:

1. The mural/painting itself is AWESOME. (And so is the building, which you can inspect in greater detail by checking out this picture from google maps (you may have to move around to find the building, but you can get a pretty great view of the front of the building, too...)
2. I LOVE the color choice, which looks especially cool at night. The colors are so summery and refreshing, and seeing this makes me want to escape to a beach when it's so hot (115 degrees) outside.
3. You can tell the landscape was selected to match the mural itself.
4. Don't you agree that the tree in front look like a Dr. Seuss tree? (In case you're questioning my judgement, check out this blog entry (go down to the second picture and read the line below it) from someone else commenting on similar landscaping and the book cover for Dr. Seuss's book "The Lorax".)

Unfortunately for you, what you're NOT seeing in the picture is the wall along the side of this building which is also decorated like a seascape until you hit a really random set of bald eagles and a woman driving a Cadillac...

Liquid Force Synergy 133

Last weekend, I went enjoyed a day on the lake with several fine folks (not all pictured)...

...so I could do some of this:

and a heck of a lot of THIS:

and this:

I went down again and again in the morning, hardly doing anything one would describe as wake boarding. However, I had a set of really great runs later in the day where I crossed the wake (both sides) for the first time and finally got the maneuvering down a bit more. Amy didn't have her camera out for those runs as we'd been out for several hours already and tons of pictures had already been taken. Sad, but I have witnesses to prove that it actually happened.

My friend's runs were a lot more successful. It's always fun to watch them out on the lake, so here's a few pics of them out on the water:

Amy (who gets a big THANK YOU for taking all of these pictures! Her best runs also happened later in the day when the camera was put away.)

Judy (who just finished an ironman and is AWESOME at all she does!)

Jeff (who finally got the life jacket on correctly after putting his head through the armhole first, and who obviously makes me laugh!)

Brian (clearly better at this than anyone else. He had a jump that I think went eight feet up in the air. It was so fun to watch! Also, he's the driver and owner of the boat, and deserves a huge THANK YOU for taking us all out!)

Brooke--who held up the flag for much of the day and just came out to enjoy the lake. We're so glad she was there, too!

So, I clearly love the lake. Which is why I walked out of a store yesterday with one of these:

(Yes, that's the actual board. It's about 133 cm, and it's supposed to be a great board. It was also a GREAT deal. I confess there are other boards that had a better design, and specifically one that was pink and came with bindings that had pink rhinestones on it, so you know I loved that one!) However, I saved about $120 going with this one instead of the pink one. (I have two weeks to decide if I want to go back for the other one instead, though, so you may find that I end up posting another set of pictures...) I only paid about $100 for it, which is actually a great price for the board even though it's a 2006 design (which is, I'm sure, the reason the store was selling it at such a low price). I also got awesome bindings (also Liquid Force, which is not the BEST company but rated pretty well) at a really great price as well. All said and done, I walked out with a board, bindings, and a bag for about a third of the full price. Considering how much I enjoy the lake, I felt like this was a worthwhile purchase and think you'd be hard pressed to find a comparable deal for a brand new board and bindings. I'm really satisfied and excited to get out on the water to try it out!

If I ever got a tattoo...

...I'd put it here.

*The images and names of the other two individuals in this picture have been removed (or will not be named) to protect their identity. But I will say that one of them MIGHT be about my age and has the initials CCL. The other woman MIGHT be related to me as well, and her initials just MIGHT be KRC. This is what happens when you put these three characters together. Dangerous business, I tell you. Dangerous business.

PJ Chipman, 1921 - 2009

You might think the trip from the last post was as busy as it could get. However, our family had another very significant experience we were working through at the time. This was an emotional time for all of us, as we waited and prepared the week before my parents left for my grandmother's passing. I love my grandmother, and had a great friendship with her. She is such a wonderful woman, and I'm grateful that I have had the honor and opportunity to be her granddaughter. This post is in honor of Phyllis Jensen Chipman.


Phyllis Jensen Chipman passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2009 from natural causes associated with aging. She was born in Springville (January 14, 1921 to Franklin M. and Ovanda Miner Jensen), grew up in Mapleton, and raised her family in Bountiful, Utah. After serving in the Great Lakes Mission (1942-3) and graduating in accounting from BYU, she worked for IBM in Oakland, California, Endicott, New York and Salt Lake City, Utah. She married Dean Whitaker Chipman in the Salt Lake Temple and together they raised the nine surviving of their 10 children. They made a great team as they worked together with family, church, and his business of tax and estate planning. She loved her family, gardening, family vacations, teaching children and adults in her church, and continuous learning.She lived long, learned much, and taught many lessons to her family by example.

A few great stories about grandma:

• Grandma grew up in a time when ladies wore silk stockings. During the depression, when there was no money for stockings, she'd draw a line up the back of her leg for the same effect. The line had to be STRAIGHT.
• Grandma had a great job at IBM, but it took some politics to get her a job in the state where she and grandpa lived just after marrying. The gentleman she was working for in Salt Lake didn't like Mormons, so she went to her old boss in California. This boss went above her current boss's head and got the transfer for her.
• Grandpa proposed to Grandma in ten days. Sometimes love's just like that, and what a love story they had. When grandpa died of cancer 17 years ago, he wrote out TEN years of cards for Valentine's Day, her Birthday, Christmas, etc. so she would have something from him.
• Grandma typed family letters for YEARS on a type writter. The envelopes always said that they were coming from "PJ Chipman". She worked hard to keep her family connected, even though the nine kids were spread out all over the US.
• I loved the blanket Grandma brought me when she came to see me just after I was born.
• Grandma had an INCREDIBLE garden. I loved the raspberries, as well as the grape juice that came out of it. I especially liked the grape juice when it got mixed with 7-up.
• Grandma made sure that all of her daughters took sewing lessons. I took my first formal sewing lessons from the same teacher--Margaret Farmer--when I visited her during the summer before sixth grade. I made a purple and blue plaid jumper--and matched the lines. I've been sewing ever since.
• The summer before David went to BYU we went on a family trip to Seattle and took grandma with us. I loved walking around escorting her. I felt so lucky to be in her presence.
• Some of my sweetest memories with her included visiting her while I attended BYU. I'd bring my sewing projects up to show her and she would tell me such marvelous stories. We'd come home from church and she'd direct me around the kitchen to make the most delicious dinners. Sometimes I would read stories to her as well from the books she was reading.
• How many women do YOU know who went back to school when they were past 70 to go to masters level classes so that they can take over the family TAX business? I wouldn't even do that at 30!
• Grandma was (is) such a lady, and not one to complain. I don't know how she lived with arthritis for so long, but I am so thankful for her example. Some of you may know that this has great significance to me personally. She is such a champ! She was very crippled towards the end of life, and I am so happy at the thought that she is no longer burdened by the difficulties of the disease and the pain that she was in towards the end of her life.

These are, of course, just a few of the many wonderful memories that I have of this wonderful woman. Most of all, I am thankful for the testimony that I have that families can be together forever. I have so much respect and admiration and love for this woman. I love you, Grandma. And, I miss you.