בס״ד

Kavanot: Simanim 5785

Thoughts on Tanach and the Davening

סימנא מילתא היא

ת׳היה ש׳נת ”פָּנ“ים ה׳רבה

Kiddush

Trader Joe’s Sara Bee Moscato

this is the year we all “moscato”-long with each other.

And bees & honey are a cute Rosh Hashana theme

And may Savti Sara appreciate my hard work mangling the English language

And may this year be the year that Trader Joe’s brings back the soy vanilla ice cream and mango sorbet!

apples in honey
dates
pomegranate

because Rosh Hashana

gummy fish heads

because real fish heads are gross

Raisins and celery

Rav Noach Weinberg’s siman. May we have a raisin celery

whirled peas

May this be a year of “world peace”. My contribution to כלל ישראל

Sun-dried tomatoes

May the troubles in our lives not seem “tomato” so much

Seaweed sheets

May we have “nori”son to stress

Drinks

Coca Cola

may this year be קולה“ טוב”

Lime Seltzer, well shaken before opening

May our enemies continue to experience unexpected explosions

And may this year be a year of sub“lime” pleasures

Heavens Chocolate Liqueur

for the adults who want to get to heaven early

Roast vegetables

carrot
golden beets

traditional simanim

golden potatoes

We are the commen“taters” on our own lives. May we always tell our stories for the good: גם זו לטובה!

And “0range” we glad it is a new year!

This year I burned the roast vegetables. But Davita tells me that this is a good סימן: may our enemies be burned up

Simanim soup

Zucchini and Leek soup

with fenugreek. Traditional simanim

Corned Beef

בשר

May this year be a year of בשורות טובות. Thanks to Phyllis Shapiro for teaching me this one.

And corn-y puns are always appropriate!

שנה טובה ומתוקה!

Recipes

Whirled Peas

Take a bag of sugar snap peas. Whirl them around your head (it’s practice for kapparot). You were expecting some fancy recipe?

Zucchini and Leek soup

Roast Garlic

Preheat oven to 400

Cut the tops off two heads of garlic

Brush with oil and wrap in foil

Roast in oven for 40 minutes.

Fenugreek

Cover 2 tablespoons fenugreek seeds with water

Soak overnight

Drain and rinse

Toast in a medium saucepan, over medium heat, until dry

Crush with a mortar and pestle

Soup

In a 4-quart pot, heat on high:

3 tablespoons oil

Sauté until translucent:

3 leeks, sliced (not the very tough dark green parts of the leaves or the root, but the rest is fine)

Deglaze pan with

2 cups water

Add

6 pounds (about 9 medium) zucchini
Crushed fenugreek
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon consommé powder (the instant chicken soup)

Squeeze the roast garlic cloves into the pot

Stir. Cover and simmer over low heat until very soft (at least an hour; I leave this on the stove and get back to it whenever I get a chance)

Puree with hand blender.

Add:

2 cups almond milk

Puree with hand blender at high speed.

If rewarming, stir constantly to make sure it doesn’t scorch.

Roast vegetables (from Fresh and Easy)

Preheat oven to 475

Cube vegetables

Toss with

3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Spread on a baking sheet

Bake for 1 hour