Depleting the Larder

Throwing good food away goes against the grain, such a waste. How many people go without enough in their larder.  Our upcoming travel however, means leaving the RV on its own for a couple of weeks while we take the clan to Israel for a long dreamed-of family reunion.  Necessity means use it or loose it; the perishables in the rig refrigerator or fruit and veggies in the drawer.  Creative juices must be called upon to blend what is left together to avoid any waste.

I love a challenge and like most of us "cooks" never follow a recipe anyway.  Paul prepares his non-veggie part of any meal on his own. So I will deal with the rest of the menu. Our latke intake suffered this Chanukah, because I did not care to purchase anything so close to our departure. Therefore, the first night of Chanukah, I made delicious lentil/spinach veggie burgers that Paul grilled along with small peppers and onion and tomato slices.  This year, we chose to deprive ourselves of latkes or Sufganiyot (Israeli jelly donuts), but made sure the oil of the Maccabees still played a role in our celebration in preparing the burgers for sauteeing the spinach, onion and garlic. They were delicious and satisfied our needs.

So far, we have feasted upon buttercup squash filled with a kale, mushroom, bean saute and baked, omelets filled with veggies and cheese, a Tamali casserole topped with corn bread that bake gloriously together, Southern Tomato Pie, Tortilla and veggie Jambalaya soup, roasted sweet potato, onion and carrots, the lentil burgers and gorgeous salads chock full of avocado, jicama, fennel, more kale, edamame and nuts along with the usual suspects. The final contenders as we approach our departure date include onion, garlic, mushrooms, pinto beans, eggs, carrots, celery that could be paired with pasta, couscous or a lovely brown pecan rice grown and purchased in Louisiana. What fun, and nothing to throw away.

Off we go to delight in seeing our beloved Israel through our grandson's eyes, to catch up with family and friends, to refresh our sense of history, of belonging and of returning "home" and to feast on Israeli and Mediterranean meals and the renowned milk and honey of the land of Israel. This is just a small way of getting to repeat again to all of you, wishes for a happy and special holiday season and a healthy, wish fulfilling new year.

Last year's Latkes

Southern Tomato Pie