Those celebrities

have so many things handed to them on a plate. Often success and a wealth of opportunities to do interesting things just drop at their feet. Normally this doesn't particularly bother me, as I have never hankered after fame or notoriety, and I value my privacy more than I could value millions of dollars. It's the opportunities that get me. One such opportunity is that to publish a cookery book.

Many of us could conjure up some tried and tested recipes to put in a cookery book, but most of us will never get the opportunity to do so. And yet all variety of people are doing just that: beauty editors, style section divas and, most recently, the once plus sized model Sophie Dahl.

And I have to admit, I thought: 'what's she going to know about cookery?'. Already I think that cookery books by the likes of Nigella Lawson contain too many photos of the author. So I expected a self indulgent and rather average book when I ordered it from Amazon (only because it was 60% off and could go back if I didn't like it). But, as is often the case, I was proven wrong.

You see, on Sunday I had a conversation with my friend Miriam. 'Miri, I need a quick easy cake to make because I'm lazy and late'.

'Well, I made this great recipe, and it's from a cut-out from the paper, because I would neeeeveeeer actually buy this book'... and Miri proceeds to tell me about Dahl's book and the banana loaf recipe that she loved. I exclaim that I have it, and try the recipe.

It is the EASIEST recipe in the world. And the best. And it used up my nearly-stale bananas. Seriously, this is a beautiful book, well written, with plenty of recipes that you actually want to make. On the whole healthy, but yummy food, like mushroom risotto and saffron fish.

Here's the recipe for banana loaf. You're supposed to toast it but I haven't. You can bet I'll be having some for breakfast! I have made two loaves in 3 days. Unprecedented success. Mmmm!

Recipe

1 1/2 cups flour

4 ripe mashed bananas

1 tbs baking powder/bicarb

1 egg, beaten

1 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C/Gas4. Grease a 30x23c,/12x1 inch loaf tin

Pour mashed bananas into a big mixing bowl. Mix in butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Add bicarb/baking soda and salt and mix in flour last. Pour into prepared tin bake for one hour, remove and cool. Toast slices and spread a little butter... mmm. I think chocolate chips would be a great addition, too!

Frugal?

Frugal is certainly something I am not. In fact, I am the opposite. I find it hard to resist the temptation of clothing and bags and shoes and and and....

I am not interested in designer merchandise, but I love pretty, girlie things - too many of them. I think this means that sometimes I don't appreciate what I have. I don't even always remember what I have. Disturbingly, the thrill of something new is a pick-me-up of the professional woman of my generation, and fills the void or dissatisfaction of various aspects of life - I see it every day. This can be analysed ad infinitum, but that's not what this blog entry is about.

I want to change. I want to manage my spending better. I don't want to be a slave to the material. I want to be responsible. What has brought on this desire to improve? Not one thing, I suppose, just moving on in my life. Let me tell you about my friend Sarah who has inspired me.

Sarah is great. She is 25 and got married to David at 24. She knows what it takes to make a marriage work. She knows how to compromise, give in, adapt. She is very mature. And I have seen her change in front of my very eyes. She used to love shopping, buying things, treating herself and now she is as careful with money as can be. What happened?

When David wanted to propose to Sarah, he was a graduate student at Yale and she was a law student in London. He didn't have savings with which to buy her a ring, and his accommodation charge included some compulsory meal tickets. He literally didn't eat beyond what was mandatory for him to pay for, so that he could save up to buy Sarah's ring.

He bought her a beautiful engagement ring from Tiffany's. It is dainty and perfect and beautiful, and a lasting and meaningful symbol of his love for his girl. He suffered for that ring. And his gesture made an impression on Sarah and has changed her. It has changed her for good. If he could sacrifice so much, who is she to spend frivolously?

She now sees everything she spends as taking away from their future. She thinks twice. She takes things back if she doesn't really need them. She has grown up and is able to look beyond her immediate desires and impulses and I want to learn to do the same.

So here is my pledge:

1. I will write down what I spend;

2. I will stop wasting money on lunch out and will make my own at home;

3. I will stop wandering into shops 'for the fun of it';

4. I will organise my clothes so I can see them and use them;

5. I will constantly ask myself if I need this - really - and what really matters to me.

Are you frugal? What are your tips for me? Please let me know! I need your help and would love to hear your thoughts!

PS: Has anyone read/seen 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'? I thought the book was fun and that the movie was awful!

Heartfelt award and so much to say

I have the best readers and blogger friends ever. I say it once in a while, certainly not often enough, but it is unquestionably true.

I have lapsed with my blogging not because there haven't been things to tell you about but rather because there has been too much stuff. Have you ever been stifled and mummed by how much you want to convey? Where to begin? I think the pragmatic response is to say things more often! There has been challah baking - and learning why baking challah is such a divinely special mitzvah for Jewish women to perform - I have been learning to sew with the girls, there are holiday photos from Florida, cake adventures galore.... and then there have been some musings about life.

Why haven't I posted them? A lack of time I suppose. And a desire to do more than post a recipe or snapshot but to analyse and share. And that takes time and energy, both of which have been somewhat rare commodities lately.

But you have lured me back with your support and wonderful comments and for that, and the inspiration with which you nourish my days, I am grateful. I want to invest more in this blog. A huge shout out and thank you to Esme, whose blog I adore and who has bestowed on me the honour of the 'Heartfelt Award'.

If there is something I would like my blog to be then it is that! Esme describes it best: those blogs that give you a warm and comforting feeling, that remind you of what matters in life, that are poignant with their honesty and graceful in their celebration of all that is warm and comforting and, in the case of the blogs that I enjoy, womanly.

I would like to give the award to a few blogs that give me that feeling, too, but each in different ways. Comfort brings with it connotations of beauty and the idyllic, but the blogs that I have chosen mix that with a dose of reality. I love these blogs for their honesty, for the different manifestations of comfort, such as humour, creativity, resourcefulness. In no particular order:

Party of six - Amy's beautiful family, stunning writing and gorgeous photography. A real treasure.

Heather Drive - a wonderful blog about married life and adventures.

Overdue - Emily's witty, clever blog that you must read. I am mortified that I have completely forgotten about the bookclub. Please forgive me Emily!

In other news:

I am leaving my job (as a corporate trainee lawyer) for good next Friday. I haven't got another job in the pipeline and that scares me. Normally I am the 'sorted' one, the one who has everything together. As you all know, life on a conveyor belt was wearing me down. So now I will have plenty of time to think. Am I scared? Yes. Instability and judgement await me. This is the first time ever that I have been directionless. There are no legal jobs on the market, and as I qualify as a solicitor I wonder whether I will ever practice. And somehow, staying in this, one of the world's largest law firms, wasn't an option.

My father and Marc are on my side and understand my need to lead a more balanced life than corporate law can offer, but my mother sees things rather differently and I know she feels that I have thrown away an amazing opportunity. If I am honest I do feel I have failed. Yet if that is the case then I have failed in something that doesn't matter to me. Failure isn't a nice feeling but it can be contextualised and viewed with perspective when you realise that most people are running around after something they don't even want. So perhaps with time I will feel a release.

On Friday Marc is taking me to Israel for a celebration of my qualifying as a lawyer (a jobless lawyer, but a lawyer all the same). I have a lot to be grateful for. And the 'heartful' quality of your blogs and comments is just what I need.

The joys of summer no. 2: flowers

Who doesn't love flowers and seeing life in bloom over summer?

We have been spending time doing up the garden (more shots of that coming) in my family home, and Marc wanted to buy his parents a plant,  so off we went to my favourite garden centre. It's in a stunning London area called Little Venice (ever been there?) and it's like stepping into heaven. Just look at the pics and see. I was lucky to receive some gorgeous sunflowers and a stunning vase from Marc - love 'em. There's even a little cafe at this nursery, with homemade cakes and organic soups. 

I bought Lauren some lavender for her new home (Lauren used to live in the South of France, where lavender is abundant and smells beautiful) when she invited Kate and me for lunch, and I bought myself an interesting basil plant and  a mint plant. I can't emphasise enough how much I love mint. I love it in everything: in salads, smoothies, tea... the list goes on...

I dream one day of having a vegetable patch and a herb garden. The only problem? Love plants, hate gardening with a vengeance. Anyone got tips for me?

The joys of summer no. 1: food

Oh, the photos I want to share with you all from Florida! I can hardly wait. But first I want to post some of the food that keeps me so happy during the summer months. I love bbqs, guacamole, fresh salad, quiche: good simple food. Here are some of the things that have made it onto my table and that have made me smile.

Lots of salads! Don't you just love the crisp taste, not to mention the colours?
Summer just makes me want to be healthy, to eat well... let's just sat that that's a relative rarity!

I've been doing easy entertaining and have brought cake along to a number of bbqs. Sadly, the two cakes below, though somewhat pretty, were disappointing in taste. The lemon cake (with berries) I think is a good idea in theory but it didn't pan out for me. It uses shortening and, try though I might, and even if the recipe comes from the most stupendously scrumptious food blog ever, I hate the taste of shortening and it is never masked by the other flavours for me. I also like my lemon cake without rind... so no recipe here. The second recipe was a Betty Crocker - again, disappointing. I'm going back to the old greats for a while now I think.

This Sunday I am entertaining and hosting a Moroccan themed dinner! Stay around for some fragrant delicacies. A part of my heart (the foodie part) stayed in Marrakech!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tomato, mozzarella and basil with virgin olive oil and balsamic.

This is my foolproof, last-minute favourite lifesaver recipe. Couscous, peppers, tomatoes, sweetcorn, mint (oh, how I love mint!), salt, pepper and lots of lemon juice and virgin olive oil

Mt guacamole: avocado, chopped red onion, tomatoes, crushed garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.

And last but not least: Israeli salad. This delicious crispy salad makes its way into pretty much every family meal at my house. Easy, simple. Diced sweet cherry tomatoes and sweet cucumber, olive oil, lots of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Oh, and we dip toasted bread into the juice at the bottom. Mmmmmmmm!

Florida!

Wooohooo! Marc and I are finally on vacation in Florida! We are having a fabulous time and we were so pleased to spent the 4th in this country that we both love so much (though, being British, we got quite a bit of slack yesterday!). Our resort is great, but the area is, well, disappointing. We're in Clearwater, and let's just say it's not quite what we were expecting or are used to. But you know what? Neither of us cares, because we're having so much fun and are just enjoying being together. We're staying at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort, which is fun, and on Tuesday we leave to Orlando, to visit Disney! 'Excited' is an understatement. At Disney we'll be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge... can't wait!

Today I set out on my own, in search of a place that so many fellow bloggers have mentioned: Michaels. We don't have a rental car, so this involved two long bus rides, but I got there in the end and what can I say? I'm totally in love. I really didn't want to leave. If I had that in England I'd spend my whole paychyeck in there. I loved the Martha Stewart collection in particular. Oh, and that Wilton aisle! Heavenly.

Tomorrow we'll head to the acquarium I think... if any of you have tips for me please let me know!

Florida happiness to all xxxx

Amazing concert: Avraham Fried and Dudu Fisher

When was the last time you went to a really good concert? A concert that simply blew you away?
I go to concerts all too rarely. I am just not interested enough most of the time to go to the effort of buying tickets to see acts that I am not passionate about. But on Sunday Dad, Marc and I attended a charity concert with Dudu Fisher and Avraham Fried, two renouned Jewish performers.

Dudu Fisher has a distinguished singingbackground, having trained classically. In addition to his traditional Jewish singing, he was also asked to come from Israel to play Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on the London stage and on Broadway. He was delighted but stated that he would be unable to perform on theatre's busiest nights: Saturday and Friday nights. This is because he observes the Jewish Sabbath, during which there is a prohibition on work (amongst many other things). It is so noble to my mind to potentially jeopardise such an astounding career for one's religious conviction: that is the sort of person I would like to be. Believe it or not, he was offered the part irrespective. He has a deep beautiful voice and sings traditional religious music, sometimes in Yiddish.

Avraham Fried is a Chabad Chassid, part of a chassidic orthodox Jewish movement that was led by the great Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He is a singer of great repute, a cantor who sings chazzanut (synagogue music, which is very emotional and makes even secular Jews cry sometimes). In addition, he sings Jewish orthodox pop - a style of music influenced by pop, rock and jazz, with lyrics that reflect the Jewish faith. He is SUCH an energetic performer, and true love of his faith emanates from his face. He has an indescribable joie de vivre, a glowing smile. He truly believes that his mission in life, his schlichus, is to bring people closer to their faith and to bring them joy through music. He is very famous and successful yet absolutely humble - I would go so far as to say sweet.

What can I say? This performance blew me away with its energy and intensity. I left the theatre so happy. Jewish music, klezmer, the violet and clarinet, the dancing of the rabbis - it just speaks to my soul, to something deep within me that, wherever I am in the world and whoever I am with, in whatever circustance I find myself, reminds me of who I am and of my place in the world. I feel so blessed to be a Jewish woman.


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Not sure how to to post a clip but here's a YouTube link for anyone interested in hearing a bit of Avraham Fried. I'm not sure how much of it will 'translate' but we'll see!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPOanT3rbNE