Birdy

Yesterday Asher came pounding on the backdoor window shouting, "Mommy, mommy there's a birdy!" I was thinking it was probably dead and praying he hadn't touched it. But there she was sitting on the ladder of his play set. I think she may have hurt a wing otherwise she would have taken off. I was so impressed at how gentle Asher was. He would get up close without touching her, saying, "Birdy, you're going to be okay. You're such a pretty birdy! You like to fly?"

New Set of Wheels!

For Asher's birthday this year, Babi and Zeide got Asher a shiny, new red bike. He's been doing great learning the pedaling and steering. Before we know he'll be turning corners like it's on rails!

Whole Wheat Tortillas with "Spanikopita" Filling

This is healthy take on spanikopita which is traditionally made with phyllo dough. You can lighten it up even more by cutting back on the feta by half. Both Asher and Elie loved it; it's a great way to get your kids to eat spinach.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 (4 ounce) packages feta cheese, crumbled
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large whole wheat tortillas
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly cook and stir onions until softened. Mix in spinach, dill and flour. Cook approximately 10 minutes, or until most of the moisture has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Mix in feta cheese, eggs, salt and pepper.
3. Place a tortilla on the bottom of a lightly greased pie plate. Spread mixture evenly over tortilla and place the second tortilla on top.
   
4. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Happy Father's Day!

For father's day, the boys and I got Moises a little toy airplane with tickets to the airshow attached. The airshow was actually on Father's Day so we all went to that. We watched some crazy acrobatic aviation stuff and climbed into some serious helicopters. Afterwards for dinner we had a babysitter watch the boys and put them to bed while Moises and I enjoyed a nice, quiet dinner out!

Gigantic Strawberries

Asher was very impressed by the gigantic strawberries we've been bringing home from the market. Take a look! (One of the many reasons I, myself love summer)

What planet are you from?

If Elie could talk he'd say, "What planet are you from?"

The Best in the world Babaganoush!

If you've never had babaganoush, it's got a very similar flavor profile to hummus, but it is a lot lighter in calories. Serve it the same way you would hummus, with crackers, sandwich spread, vegetable dip or even thin it out with oil, vinegar and water for a salad dressing.

• 1 large eggplant
• 1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons honey (optional: I feel like the honey helps round out the bitterness)
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup brine-cured black olives, such as kalamata

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill.

• Preheat an oven to 375°F.

• Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire.

• Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

• Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. (I cut my eggplant into quarters to cook more evenly)
  

• Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.

• Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.

• Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste.

• Add the 1/4 cup tahini, the garlic, the 1/4 cup lemon juice, the cumin , the optional honey and mix well.

• Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.

• Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.

• Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley.

• Place the olives around the sides.

• Serve at room temperature.

Ummm, wait a second I'm talking!

Crazy Horse

As soon as Elie gets on his horse he can't help but smile. Sometimes I'll put him on it when he's upset because I know it will do the trick to make him happy. It has four different song buttons you can push. His favorite is "The Colors of the Rainbow" song. If you push any of the other songs, he'll immediately stop, switch the tune, and then carry on rocking away.

Swim Class

Asher has been taking a swim class this summer twice a week and absolutely loves it. Everyday he asks, "Are we going to swim class today?" Here is a little clip...

Quotes from Asher

To teach Asher about the dangers of cars, I tell him we need to make sure there are no cars in the street before crossing. I tell him bikes go on the sidewalk, people go on the sidewalk, cars go in the street etc. While we were out on our run last week he asks me, "Cars go in the street but in the meantime, do people go in the street?"

Asher likes Elie's nap time because that's when we can bring out certain projects like play dough and puzzles that Elie would otherwise eat or take apart while Asher was in the midst of building. So he said to me as we were coming home from our errands, "Can I ride my bike and you can put Elie to bed?"

ISRAEL 2011: Part II

Finally, I have gotten around to posting part II of our Israel trip. It has taken me a while because we have had a really busy summer AND we have been without internet for about a week. I am so behind on blogging and everything else around me... I haven't had time to put these pictures in a very good chronological order or give better explanations. So please forgive me!

At the port in Tel Aviv (Namal). I found a blog that has some great pictures posted here.



above and below: at the Sea of Galilee. We ate at an amazing dive restaurant called Decks. I am standing on the back patio of the restaurant and the pic below is some of the food served. AMAZING!


above: at a little Yemenite flatbread stand in Zfat.


above and below: the caverns in Rosh Hanikra, right up against the border with Lebanon. These are absolutely gorgeous tunnels and caves caused by rain and waves crashing into the rock. It looks like something out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Go here to see more.


Rosh Hanikra




above: Akko- we ate at a great restaurant in this town called Uri Buri -also amazing! The chef and owner was a fisherman and later opened his own restaurant. He now has his own cookbook which I bought and got him to sign it for me! go here to see more
below: Moises talking to Asher over the phone while we were in Haifa

above and below: the beaches of Cesaria



above: this is the grave site of Moises' great-grandfather



below: the Arab market in Jerusalem

above: I love Middle Eastern spices. Whenever I travel I like to buy their typical spices to take home with me.

below: my mom in the streets of Jerusalem
below: Moises wandering through the markets of Jerusalem

above: my mom looking at the Kotel Wall
below: I took this picture of the Kotel from the women's section

above: two little boys playing in their neighborhood streets of the old city in Jerusalem
below: my mom and I in Jerusalem
below: the Arab market in Jerusalem, on the way up to the Holy Sepulchre