Strawberry- Banana Smoothie
makes 2 servings
1 ripe banana
6 strawberries
1 cup milk
Blend together til smooth!
~Marina
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Strawberry- Banana smoothie breakfast
Plain and simple but delicious.
Strawberry- Banana Smoothie
makes 2 servings
1 ripe banana
6 strawberries
1 cup milk
Blend together til smooth!
~Marina
Strawberry- Banana Smoothie
makes 2 servings
1 ripe banana
6 strawberries
1 cup milk
Blend together til smooth!
~Marina
Monday, January 14, 2013
Roast chicken over Pita bread
Tonight I made dinner following a recipe that Evan sent me from HAARETZ.com. It was so good!
Roasted Chicken over Pita Bread-
A Middle Eastern-style recipe adapted from the Slim Peace website.
Serves 3
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large onions, chopped
Pepper, turmeric, salt, cumin and cinnamon, to taste
2 chicken breasts (about 10 oz.) chopped very thin
3 whole wheat pita breads
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom pan and cook onions until they are golden. Add the salt, spices and chicken breasts, and cook while stirring until the chicken is fully cooked.
3. Spread the chicken and onions evenly on the pita breads and transfer to the oven for a few minutes.
We paired it with buckwheat kasha and had a nice dinner watching Cheers!
~Marina
A Middle Eastern-style recipe adapted from the Slim Peace website.
Serves 3
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large onions, chopped
Pepper, turmeric, salt, cumin and cinnamon, to taste
2 chicken breasts (about 10 oz.) chopped very thin
3 whole wheat pita breads
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom pan and cook onions until they are golden. Add the salt, spices and chicken breasts, and cook while stirring until the chicken is fully cooked.
3. Spread the chicken and onions evenly on the pita breads and transfer to the oven for a few minutes.
We paired it with buckwheat kasha and had a nice dinner watching Cheers!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Jerusalem by Snow
As the city awakens, cries of joy are heard throughout the streets. Yesterday it rained and hailed all day and it was pretty nasty out (yay for no work and cancelled classes!) and overnight the entire city was blanketed in 5 inches of snow!!
This morning Evan and I woke up at 7:30 and went out to play before everything melted! More than 2 hours later it is still coming down hard! Here are a few pics and more are up on Facebook!
^ From Tsahal Square, the Old City, a view in the direction on Jaffa gate.
Date palm trees covered in snow.
Our street, Agripas.
~Marina
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
**Holiday Greetings** Part 2- New Year 2013
Hello folks
We sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas
I wanted to conclude this seasons posts with one on how people celebrate the New Year here in Jerusalem
well...they really don't. Since most of Israel follows the Jewish Calender, we celebrated the New Year during Rosh Hashanah in September. Happy 5773!!
Most restaurants and bars will be open with special deals and whatnot so is another reason to go out and party. Tel Aviv is one place that is serving up some fun. Read about it here: Celebrate Silvester.
My cousin Roman is here in Israel leading a RAJE trip and I'm really happy to see him. He brought us lots of presents from Mom and Dad (like warm Patagonia sweaters, slippers and warm long underwear, very important to have in an apartment with no heat). Thanks Mom and Dad!
Also, wanted to thank Mark and Cindy for all the goodies they "got" us! Sweaters for Evan, pea coat for me, hoodie jacket for Evan, etc.
Also, wanted to thank Mark and Cindy for all the goodies they "got" us! Sweaters for Evan, pea coat for me, hoodie jacket for Evan, etc.
I decided to make a veggie stir-fry for lunch. Here is my recipe:
End of the Year Sweet Paprika Stir-Fry
1 yellow pepper (thin slices)
2 baby eggplants (thin circle slices)
2 long carrots (thin circles slices)
1 small head of broccoli (and some of the stem)
1/2 can of sweet corn
1.5 tbsp EVOO
2 tsp sweet Moroccan paprika
drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette
1/2 tsp of Kirkland kosher salt
1/4 tsp of Italian seasonings
Really easy from here on. Toss all the veggies and seasonings together. Heat and add a little EVOO to the wok and then saute all the veggies, covering them from time to time to steam the broccoli. That's it! and it turned out great and I had leftovers! =)
NYE dinner was great at Sushi Rehavia
(Thanks Mark and Cindy)
(Thanks Mark and Cindy)
(Salmon Tempura, Sunshine Roll, Avocado Roll and one other one, I don't remember)
Then we went to Abraham Hostel for their New Years Eve Celebration and then out with Roman and his RAJE group! The evening was a success and we'll post pictures some pictures on Facebook soon.
Hopefully it won't be 5 months until the next blog, so as we say here, see you later, Lehitraot!
Happy New Year 2013
~Marina
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
**Holiday Greetings** Part 1- Christmas
We know we've been MIA for months, but this year has been amazing and as it comes to an end we'd like to say Shalom to everyone we haven't spoken to in a while.
We wanted to wish everyone Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaaa and Happy Holidays and thought we'd make a post on what it's like here during the holiday season in Jerusalem.
I was going to send out email Holiday cards but then I figured, since I know everyone enjoys reading our blog, to make this a Holiday Greetings post.
Here are few Fun Fact articles:
To continue the holiday tradition, Evan has prepared his delicious spicy, garlic chicken and broccoli.
Then we decided to go take a walk to the Old City.
These lights were taken at 9pm. They are as exciting as it got. (The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed!)
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^We discovered a cool Greek church hideout.
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^Stole a kiss in front of Jaffa Gate.
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^ and walked through Mamilla Mall Promenade.
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^ and met up with a few friends along the way!
....stayed tuned for Part 2!- New Year 2013
~Marina
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Chicken Noodle Soup for Sick Hubby
My hubby is sick and really wanted some soup.
I found this delicious and easy recipe at smittenkitchen. It that was a hit!
My husband (and I) inhaled it! Couldn't stop saying "yummy!" and that made me feel really good! 
Here is her recipe:
Serves 4
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3-pound chicken, in parts or 3 pounds chicken pieces of your choice
8 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot, diced (1/3-inch)
1 medium parsnip, diced (1/3-inch) (optional)
1 large celery stalk, diced (1/3-inch)
3 ounces dried egg noodles, I prefer wide ones
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley
Prepare broth: In a large (5-quart) heavy pot over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion and saute it for 3 to 4 minutes, until beginning to take on color at edges. Add the chicken pieces (if too crowded, can do this in two batches), making little wells in the onions so that the parts can touch the bottom of the pan directly. Cook chicken parts until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add water, bay leaf, table salt and some freshly ground black pepper and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim any (sorry for lack of better term) scum that appears at the surface of the pot. Simmer pot gently, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
Transfer chicken parts to a plate to cool a bit before handling. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl (ideally, with a spout) and pour soup through it.
Bring the broth back to a simmer.
You may be tempted at this point to taste it and add more salt.
To finish and serve: Add diced vegetables and simmer them until they’re firm-tender, about 5 minutes. Add dried noodles and cook them according to package directions, usually 6 to 9 minutes. While these simmer, remove the skin and chop the flesh from a couple pieces of chicken, only what you’re going to use. You won’t need all of it in the soup. The remaining parts can be slipped into an airtight bag in the fridge (I recommend leaving the skin on for retained moisture until needed) and used for chicken salad or the like over the next few days.
Once noodles have cooked, add chicken pieces just until they have rewarmed through (30 seconds) and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with dill or parsley.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3-pound chicken, in parts or 3 pounds chicken pieces of your choice
8 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot, diced (1/3-inch)
1 medium parsnip, diced (1/3-inch) (optional)
1 large celery stalk, diced (1/3-inch)
3 ounces dried egg noodles, I prefer wide ones
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley
Prepare broth: In a large (5-quart) heavy pot over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion and saute it for 3 to 4 minutes, until beginning to take on color at edges. Add the chicken pieces (if too crowded, can do this in two batches), making little wells in the onions so that the parts can touch the bottom of the pan directly. Cook chicken parts until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add water, bay leaf, table salt and some freshly ground black pepper and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim any (sorry for lack of better term) scum that appears at the surface of the pot. Simmer pot gently, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
Transfer chicken parts to a plate to cool a bit before handling. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl (ideally, with a spout) and pour soup through it.
Bring the broth back to a simmer.
You may be tempted at this point to taste it and add more salt.
To finish and serve: Add diced vegetables and simmer them until they’re firm-tender, about 5 minutes. Add dried noodles and cook them according to package directions, usually 6 to 9 minutes. While these simmer, remove the skin and chop the flesh from a couple pieces of chicken, only what you’re going to use. You won’t need all of it in the soup. The remaining parts can be slipped into an airtight bag in the fridge (I recommend leaving the skin on for retained moisture until needed) and used for chicken salad or the like over the next few days.
Once noodles have cooked, add chicken pieces just until they have rewarmed through (30 seconds) and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with dill or parsley.
Enjoy!
~Marina
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Trip to Poland and Pesach Vacation (Part 1)
As Marina mentioned in the most recent post, the last month here in Israel has been pretty busy, both scholastically and socially. This post will be about two things - my recent trip to Poland and our Pesach vacation up north, broken up into two parts.
When I first came to Israel, a friend of mine from school sent me an email about an educational trip to Poland for students studying abroad. The program was a partnership effort by the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC and the Auschwitz Jewish Center (AJC) in Poland. At first I wasn’t sure if I qualified since it seemed like the program was geared for undergraduates studying abroad, but I applied nevertheless. Fortunately for me, I was accepted. The trip consisted of ten students (2 guys + 8 girls = Good Ratio) plus our guide who was an American student living in Poland on a Fulbright Scholarship. For many of you who know my background, I love learning about Jewish history, specifically World War II/Holocaust history so this trip was geared to be right up my alley!!!
I flew into Crakow (or Krakow depending on how you spell it) - P.S. in Polish, the “w” is pronounced like a “v” - to meet the other students who had come from all over Europe; France, Italy, Scotland, Austria, and Germany. Our group had a great dynamic and with just 10 people we all go the chance to know each other over the course or the 4 day trip. For anyone who has not been to Poland before, please do not miss out on going to Crakow. The city is unbelievably beautiful. When the Nazi’s invaded and occupied Poland, they turned the country into what was termed the Generalgouvernement (General Government) a semi-rump state of the Third Reich which controlled the area. For some reason, the Germans loved the city and decided to leave most of the buildings intact, including many of the buildings in the former Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz.
The city has a distinctly old world European feel that I can only compare to cities like Amsterdam or those that survived the ravages of world wars. Almost all of the original 15th, 16th, and 17th century architecture is still in place - this includes churches, synagogues, castles, etc. The old city, which in the middle ages was surrounded by a moat and drawbridge (the drawbridge building still exists!), is now surrounded by a park that goes in a circle all the way to the Wistula River. Great restaurants and pubs liter the city center and with the Polish złoty being extremely undervalued compared to the US dollar, it almost felt like spending monopoly money on food and drinks. P.S. in Polish the “ł” with a slash through it is pronounced like a “w” so złoty should sound like zwoty but really sounds like zvoty. Confusing I know.
We had a great tour through the cities former Jewish district which has survived although there are almost no Jews living there. There are currently only around 30,000 registered Jews living in all Poland, whereas over 3,000,000 lived there before the war. In Crakow itself, there are around 150 registered Jews, but there may be more people with Jewish descent who aren't registered or are simply hiding their identity out of fear. Surprisingly, there is a JCC, several synagogues, and several “Jewish” themed restaurants for tourists. On the course of the tour, we saw several areas where Schindler’s List was filmed and learned some surprising facts about the production of the movie.
After walking through Kazimierz, we went to the neighborhood which housed the Crakow Ghetto were Jews were housed during the Nazi occupation. We were able to walk on the umschlagplatz where Jews were herded together before being sent off to the camps, many for immediate gassing. We saw the remaining part of the original ghetto wall (which if you look at my pictures on facebook are actually constructed much like Jewish tombstones) and then we went to Schindler’s factory where many Jews were saved by his noble motives. Following the factory museum tour, we met with a Polish woman whose family saved a young Jewish girl during the war. She has since been recognized as a Righteous Gentile by Yad Vashem and it was an honor and great experience to hear her testimony. We finished off the long day with a nice dinner out followed by ice cold shots of Polish vodka and great beer!!!
The next day, our group woke up bright and early to get on the bus for Oswiecim, the town occupied by the Nazis and known to most as Auschwitz. Not many people are aware that there are actually two separate camps at Auschwitz, first the smaller camp named Auschwitz and then the much larger camp named Birkenau. Together they combine to form the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex that housed around 100,000 prisoners at any time. I’ve loaded a lot of pictures from the trip online so I’ll keep it brief by saying that the two camps are very different. The Auschwitz camp eerily resembles a quaint university campus setting with its two story brick buildings and wide street that runs down the middle. When you add the guard towers, barbed-wire fence, and the knowledge of what took place there, it definitely doesn’t feel like a campus anymore. It is a strange feeling to be inside a Nazi concentration-camp. Having been to Dachau before (Nazi camp outside of Munich), I knew what to expect but the rest of my group had never been to a camp before. We all basically felt emotional, not happy or sad, really without emotion. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge and I think the thing that hit me the most was seeing the pictures of the first Polish prisoners faces with the dates of their arrival and departure, departure most likely meaning death. Most lasted just a few weeks, some just a few days.
That night, we went back to Oswiecim and had a night cap at the local watering hole which was an interested experience considering what we had just seen earlier. We drank some nice Polish vodka, had a few beers and danced with all the local Poles. The next morning, we headed to the Birkenau camp which is the complete polar opposite of the Auschwitz camp. Birkenau is what you would imagine when you think of a concentration-camp. A vast expanse, 20 times larger than the Auschwitz camp, with the remnants of wooden barracks and the train tracks running through the infamous gate. We spent almost 4 hours walking around the camp, seeing the different sections where prisoners lived and died. There were many groups of Israelis with flags walking around the camp, testament to the Jewish perseverance and spirit. We saw the demolished gas chambers and crematoria, two destroyed by an inmate revolt close to the end of the war, the other two destroyed by the Germans, proof that what they were doing was wrong, something they wanted to cover up by any means possible.
We finished up the trip by returning to Crakow and having an afternoon tour of the old city. As I mentioned earlier, Crakow has a beautiful old city that was spared from the destruction of both world wars and we got to see almost everything there is to see of historical importance. I would without a doubt recommend a trip to Crakow for anyone thinking about visiting Poland. I don’t have as many good things to say about Warsaw. I took a train there to see the Polish countryside (which was beautiful) and on the train I had a verbal fight with the ticket collector who couldn’t count and told me I was already 27 even though my birthday is not until May. I was forced to pay the extra amount since I was no longer a “student” and I promptly told the imbecile that he should learn how to count. I arrived in Warsaw, a huge city compared to Crakow, and walked all the way to my hostel from the central train station since I didn't feel like trying to navigate public transportation in a completely foreign language. Warsaw is very modern compared to Crakow since 90% of the city was destroyed during the 2nd World War. Nevertheless, I got to see Warsaw’s old city, have dinner and drinks with a friend from school, and walk all over the city on the last day of the trip. I saw remnants of the Warsaw ghetto wall, the umschlagplatz where Jews were deported and the only remaining synagogue to survive the war in Warsaw. I flew back to Israel that evening feeling content and happy with the results of the trip, and ready to see Marina!
Part 2 of this blog will follow in the next few days.
~Evan
When I first came to Israel, a friend of mine from school sent me an email about an educational trip to Poland for students studying abroad. The program was a partnership effort by the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC and the Auschwitz Jewish Center (AJC) in Poland. At first I wasn’t sure if I qualified since it seemed like the program was geared for undergraduates studying abroad, but I applied nevertheless. Fortunately for me, I was accepted. The trip consisted of ten students (2 guys + 8 girls = Good Ratio) plus our guide who was an American student living in Poland on a Fulbright Scholarship. For many of you who know my background, I love learning about Jewish history, specifically World War II/Holocaust history so this trip was geared to be right up my alley!!!
I flew into Crakow (or Krakow depending on how you spell it) - P.S. in Polish, the “w” is pronounced like a “v” - to meet the other students who had come from all over Europe; France, Italy, Scotland, Austria, and Germany. Our group had a great dynamic and with just 10 people we all go the chance to know each other over the course or the 4 day trip. For anyone who has not been to Poland before, please do not miss out on going to Crakow. The city is unbelievably beautiful. When the Nazi’s invaded and occupied Poland, they turned the country into what was termed the Generalgouvernement (General Government) a semi-rump state of the Third Reich which controlled the area. For some reason, the Germans loved the city and decided to leave most of the buildings intact, including many of the buildings in the former Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz.
The city has a distinctly old world European feel that I can only compare to cities like Amsterdam or those that survived the ravages of world wars. Almost all of the original 15th, 16th, and 17th century architecture is still in place - this includes churches, synagogues, castles, etc. The old city, which in the middle ages was surrounded by a moat and drawbridge (the drawbridge building still exists!), is now surrounded by a park that goes in a circle all the way to the Wistula River. Great restaurants and pubs liter the city center and with the Polish złoty being extremely undervalued compared to the US dollar, it almost felt like spending monopoly money on food and drinks. P.S. in Polish the “ł” with a slash through it is pronounced like a “w” so złoty should sound like zwoty but really sounds like zvoty. Confusing I know.
We had a great tour through the cities former Jewish district which has survived although there are almost no Jews living there. There are currently only around 30,000 registered Jews living in all Poland, whereas over 3,000,000 lived there before the war. In Crakow itself, there are around 150 registered Jews, but there may be more people with Jewish descent who aren't registered or are simply hiding their identity out of fear. Surprisingly, there is a JCC, several synagogues, and several “Jewish” themed restaurants for tourists. On the course of the tour, we saw several areas where Schindler’s List was filmed and learned some surprising facts about the production of the movie.
After walking through Kazimierz, we went to the neighborhood which housed the Crakow Ghetto were Jews were housed during the Nazi occupation. We were able to walk on the umschlagplatz where Jews were herded together before being sent off to the camps, many for immediate gassing. We saw the remaining part of the original ghetto wall (which if you look at my pictures on facebook are actually constructed much like Jewish tombstones) and then we went to Schindler’s factory where many Jews were saved by his noble motives. Following the factory museum tour, we met with a Polish woman whose family saved a young Jewish girl during the war. She has since been recognized as a Righteous Gentile by Yad Vashem and it was an honor and great experience to hear her testimony. We finished off the long day with a nice dinner out followed by ice cold shots of Polish vodka and great beer!!!
The next day, our group woke up bright and early to get on the bus for Oswiecim, the town occupied by the Nazis and known to most as Auschwitz. Not many people are aware that there are actually two separate camps at Auschwitz, first the smaller camp named Auschwitz and then the much larger camp named Birkenau. Together they combine to form the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex that housed around 100,000 prisoners at any time. I’ve loaded a lot of pictures from the trip online so I’ll keep it brief by saying that the two camps are very different. The Auschwitz camp eerily resembles a quaint university campus setting with its two story brick buildings and wide street that runs down the middle. When you add the guard towers, barbed-wire fence, and the knowledge of what took place there, it definitely doesn’t feel like a campus anymore. It is a strange feeling to be inside a Nazi concentration-camp. Having been to Dachau before (Nazi camp outside of Munich), I knew what to expect but the rest of my group had never been to a camp before. We all basically felt emotional, not happy or sad, really without emotion. Our tour guide was a wealth of knowledge and I think the thing that hit me the most was seeing the pictures of the first Polish prisoners faces with the dates of their arrival and departure, departure most likely meaning death. Most lasted just a few weeks, some just a few days.
That night, we went back to Oswiecim and had a night cap at the local watering hole which was an interested experience considering what we had just seen earlier. We drank some nice Polish vodka, had a few beers and danced with all the local Poles. The next morning, we headed to the Birkenau camp which is the complete polar opposite of the Auschwitz camp. Birkenau is what you would imagine when you think of a concentration-camp. A vast expanse, 20 times larger than the Auschwitz camp, with the remnants of wooden barracks and the train tracks running through the infamous gate. We spent almost 4 hours walking around the camp, seeing the different sections where prisoners lived and died. There were many groups of Israelis with flags walking around the camp, testament to the Jewish perseverance and spirit. We saw the demolished gas chambers and crematoria, two destroyed by an inmate revolt close to the end of the war, the other two destroyed by the Germans, proof that what they were doing was wrong, something they wanted to cover up by any means possible.
We finished up the trip by returning to Crakow and having an afternoon tour of the old city. As I mentioned earlier, Crakow has a beautiful old city that was spared from the destruction of both world wars and we got to see almost everything there is to see of historical importance. I would without a doubt recommend a trip to Crakow for anyone thinking about visiting Poland. I don’t have as many good things to say about Warsaw. I took a train there to see the Polish countryside (which was beautiful) and on the train I had a verbal fight with the ticket collector who couldn’t count and told me I was already 27 even though my birthday is not until May. I was forced to pay the extra amount since I was no longer a “student” and I promptly told the imbecile that he should learn how to count. I arrived in Warsaw, a huge city compared to Crakow, and walked all the way to my hostel from the central train station since I didn't feel like trying to navigate public transportation in a completely foreign language. Warsaw is very modern compared to Crakow since 90% of the city was destroyed during the 2nd World War. Nevertheless, I got to see Warsaw’s old city, have dinner and drinks with a friend from school, and walk all over the city on the last day of the trip. I saw remnants of the Warsaw ghetto wall, the umschlagplatz where Jews were deported and the only remaining synagogue to survive the war in Warsaw. I flew back to Israel that evening feeling content and happy with the results of the trip, and ready to see Marina!
Part 2 of this blog will follow in the next few days.
~Evan
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