This is a very busy time of the year for Jews. First we had Rosh Hashonna last week, and then Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, starts tonight. Then Wednesday night starts Succos, which lasts for a whole week. This was the first Rosh Hashonna I’ve ever spent away from my younger daughter, […]

Last week, I finally tried the experiment I’d been thinking about doing for a few months. Quark cheese is the only “beneficial” cheese on my SWAMI, but I really don’t do well on any cow’s milk products other than butter or ghee. So I figured I should use goat milk to make more quark, instead […]

Overall, I’ve been doing a good job of avoiding the “avoids.” I have some nut bars that I keep in my purse that are mostly compliant, but not 100%. They do contain sugar, honey, sunflower seeds, and cashews, along with almonds, chocolate, and other things that are fine for me. Somehow they’re more satisfying than […]

I’m still struggling with the cheese issue. I thought I’d solved it on the first night of Shavuos, when I’d had fish, rice pasta, and vegetables, plus a tiny sliver of cheesecake, and about a teaspoonful of the cream sauce I’d made for Jack. I got this sudden feeling of “ugh! no more dairy!” and […]

I’ve been acquiring free food in a variety of ways. A couple of years ago, I blogged about Food Not Bombs, which has since been renamed “Community Solidarity.” Most of the food they distribute is donated from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s- things like dented boxes of cereal, slightly over-ripe produce, and dairy products close […]

Leah and Hannah have moved out, and Jack is away for Shabbos, so this leaves me free to cook what I want for Shabbos, without having to take anybody else’s dietary restrictions or food preferences into account. Before Hannah moved out, she often went away for Shabbos, but I still wasn’t free of cooking for […]

Hannah just moved out about a week ago, and I’m developing new routines in the kitchen. There are some foods that Hannah enjoys eating that I don’t care for, or that contain ingredient I shouldn’t eat. Already I’m noticing that the fridge is less cluttered, without the “Hannah foods” that Jack and I are unlikely […]

I’ve been a member of the forums here at dadamo.com since February of 2009. That’s nearly 8 years. At the time, my oldest child was 14, and now, my youngest is 15. My sweet little 7 year old boy now towers over me! He’s still sweet, but he’s no longer little. So much has changed […]