Feeling Shoddy on Shabbat

I was going to use a different word, but it didn’t feel quite right to toss that up there with a word that means my favourite day of the week.

It’s a combination of things I guess – federal election being called in Canada, and knowing that with all the hate on for our PM that he is very unlikely to hold onto his seat. (yay, time for homophobia, racism, antisemitism and whatever other goodies the cons have up their sleeves), the fact that now grocery shopping induces claustrophobia and anxiety because I feel like we are almost the only masked people in the grocery store and we get looked at like aliens.

Anyhow, for whatever reason, unlike other Fridays, I woke up feeling all doom and gloom. Didn’t get outside by 7am as usual to do my outside yard stuff, just took the dogs into the yard to do their business while i stood out there barefoot in my nightgown. Then I came back in to go back to sleep. (5am is an early time to awaken when you’ve tossed and turned all night. I really shouldn’t skip the melatonin.)

After the morning nap I called the local bakery that I had my challah order with. I ordered two, and was going to go pick them up this afternoon but the dread, grumpiness and now also a headache, caused me to change my mind. So I asked them if they could do a delivery. “Yes of course, no problem” Said the owner. I’m the regular Shabbat customer — sometimes feel like the only Jew in my small town. It’s the only place that makes challah and when they don’t make it for whatever reason that week it means the boyfriend goes to a Cobs bakery near whatever site he’s working at, and picks it up. The Cobs in my town doesn’t make it though, only this little independent bakery does. Sometimes.

I get the feeling my post is rambly an incoherent – I may edit it, I may not. Anyhoooooo

So, I brush off my shitty attitude, plug my little bluetooth speaker in because its almost dead, and put on my play list of some ‘Upbeat Jewish Tunez’ I have on my playlist.

This one – I really love, and as I listened I could feel the darkest parts being lifted

Then after it was Lcha Dodi as sung by Cantor Aaron Bensoussan & Cantor Netanel Herstik and the Hampton Synagogue choir led by Maestro Izchak Haimov – always inspiring.

Bit by bit it improved. Topped it off with a few other favourites:

Although other days of the week I have Solid Stone, or Deadmau5 or Armin blasting in the kitchen, Fridays feel different and I like to play music that helps me feel connected to the Judaism I never really got to know before abandoning it as a kid.

So – after getting myself at least SLIGHTLY pumped up I got the lentil stew started ❤

Peppers and tomatoes from the garden. SO many this year.

Chopping some of the ends bits and getting stuff in the processor. Not shown here as ingredients that I added are the Organic vegetable broth and the onion that’s already sauteing in the pot. Oh and the zucchini is hiding at the bottom left.

the onion with the spices and some cilantro (of which i added more later but don’t tell the boyfriend 😀 )

Choppity, choppity!

Blam – stuff is all chopped into oblivion and now poured directly onto the onions and spices. I leave it to cook for a while.

Then, I rinse a cup of organic red lentils and add them. To that I add about half the 1 litre of organic vegetable broth and a pinch or two of kosher salt.

And now that the lentils have softened and fallen apart, I’ve added the coconut milk and will toss the lid back on to let it simmer slowly til we light the Shabbat candles.

The challot are a wee bit odd looking this week. It has been so many weeks since our favourite place has had any challah that I’m a bit disappointed. Oh well – I guess I should really learn to bake it.

Well that’s all for now. Time to decompress for a while. I’ll probably update with a Shabbat table pic later

Shabbat Shalom!