Actually this short story is about being blessed with the opportunity to do acts of kindness! Yesterday we went to a new store in town to do our weekly shopping, and I thought I was buying enough food for two shabboses......double chicken, double fish etc. When we were unpacking the groceries the phone started to ring.
Ring Ring Ring....."Hi Sara, I know it's a little late to be asking, but could you make salads for Limor again this Shabbos?" Limor just gave birth to baby number 10 or so, and we the community cook meals for two weeks following birth. Last Shabbos I give them a nice spread of salads and they even sent a rose and a note as a thank you! So who can say no, knowing how much pleasure I was able to give them, plus I had purchased more than enough vegetables.
And then the phone rang again. Ring, Ring Ring....."Hi Sara, Smadar isn't feeling well and hasn't even been able to enter her kitchen. (Neither have I, I'm thinking!) I'm trying to find meals for them (a small family of five), could you possibly host them? These are newish neighbors that I've been wanting to invite, so here was my chance! So, yes of course, we'd love to have them Friday night. And of course I did have more than enough fish and chicken on hand, having bought what I thought was enough for next week as well!
So here's the menu:
- White challah (I have two loaves in the freezer, that will have to be enough white bread)
- Spelt oatmeal rolls Ended up making a double batch of rolls below....added too much water!
- Spelt yeast free rolls
- Moroccan Fish
- Moroccan Hummous
- Moroccan Beet Salad
- Moroccan Carrot Salad
- Egg Salad with carmelized onions
- Kohlrhabi, carrot and red pepper salad, with fennel and celery
- Moroccan Roasted Pepper salad, with mostly green peppers
- Moroccan Roasted Eggplant salad
- Techina
- Moroccan cabbage salad Mixed salad with baby greens, yellow peppers and sprouts
- Raddishes marinated in salt water
- Roasted hot peppers
- Sprouts with olive oil and lemon juice vinaigrette Used sprouts above
- Moroccan Yellow Chicken with Fennel and Garlic
- Yellow Basmati Rice whole wheat couscous
- Cholent/Hamin, for lunch tomorrow, without guests
- Spiced Apple Cake (served with a little store bought ice cream) Forgot take ice cream out of deep freezer, whoops but below was a great accompaniement
- Baked Apples and Pears (maybe, if there's time!) Yes, baked sliced pears in maple syrup, yumm
Fortunately, all of these recipes are tried and true, and found on this blog! When I have a moment I'll post the links to them all, or you can do a search for them in the upper right corner of this blog.
Ring, Ring Ring....."Hi Sara, I'm hosting a meal for Esther, the bride, do you have some centerpieces or decorating ideas for the table? You have those vases of flowers you did for party earlier in the week right?" Of course, come on over!
Being busy helping others is the very best kind of busy one could wish for! Gotta run!
PS: I just added some comments regarding what the final results were, and fortunately I received rave reviews on the salads that the neighbors enjoyed, and on the meal that we hosted Friday night. Phew! Oh, and I even had some left overs which I took to a women's gathering at a neighbor's for the third meal on Shabbat to celebrate with a kallah (bride) who will be getting married on Wednesday, mazel tov!
And I got a few more ideas for some delicious salads from my a friend, that I can't wait to try, maybe next week! Until then, back to crafting....one can dream right?