Adventures in Low-Carbing

Ugh. What a title. I sicken myself.

But seriously, I've been trying to maintain a low-ish carb diet for several months and I can tell you that I wouldn't do it if I didn't feel so damn good! The trade-off that I have settled on is that I will reduce my carb and sugar intake, but drastically increase my protein and fat intake. I feel fuller, more energetic, and generally better.

The most difficult thing is dessert. There have been some awful ones - a miserable almond and chocolate cake that closely resembled asphalt in both flavor and density. And I am cursed to forever remember the pancakes with the same appetizing texture as wet flannel.

As such I have devised this recipe for little almond flour spice cookies. I cheated a little bit with the whole wheat flour, but I am convinced that they would be fine without it.

Please bear in mind that the measurements are all rather approximate. I hope I documented it all accurately.

Almond Flour Low-Carb Spice Cookies

1¼ cup almond flour

½ cup unsweetened finely flaked or powdered coconut

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (you might need more if you are using ground nutmeg)

1½ teaspoon (though feel free to add more) cinnamon

3 packets of sucralose sweetener(splenda)

About 50 grams melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

About a teaspoon of liquid sucralose sweetener

Two or three drops (LITERALLY) of liquid Stevia sweetener

1 egg

¼ cup whole wheat flour/rice flour/another flour

Mix the almond flour, powdered coconut, baking powder,spices and dry sweetener in a bowl.

Pour in the melted butter and vanilla and mix.

Add liquid sweeteners and stir until combined.

Add the egg and mix until combined.

Add flour as needed to make dough that is easy to roll into balls.

Roll balls that are about ¾ of an inch in diameter and flatten lightly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes.

DO NOT TRY TO REPLACE THE SUCRALOSE SWEETENERS WITH STEVIA.
BAD THINGS HAPPEN.

Good Fences and Terrible Neighbors

Pfft. My neighbor is obnoxious.

Once again, clad in his underclothes, he scolded me for not managing my air conditioning correctly. I told him that if he has a problem, he should speak to me rather than shout at me.

To which he replied "I didn't shout at you! Last time I was speaking to you, and you started to walk off and THEN I started shouting."

His high-decibel "not-shouting" had included mentioning that he is capable of coming to my apartment to bother me in the middle of the night. Next time he says that, I shall inform the police that the barely dressed old man is threatening to come into my apartment in the middle of the night.

Hello!

Hello dear blog!

I have begun to miss you once more!

Here I am in Israel, with all these thoughts, and a terribly neglected blog!

Shame.

I will be better. I hope.

I found that the blog was motivation to do interesting things and improve my time management. And there are so many things to do!

Though I have a day job now, I will do my very best to post new and interesting things.

Things to look forward to:

Embroidery projects! Watch as YGirl learns new things, becomes fixated on the linen wonders of linen, and tries to sew things by hand that haven't been sewn by hand since the invention of the sewing machine!

http://www.the-red-kitchen.com/2011/11/color-wonder-and-some-embroidery-floss.html

The annual Counter-Terrorism Conference! And related worrying about resume and business card design (seriously people, give me advice about business cards!) How stylish can I go before I look like a Helvetica-obsessed madwoman? How serious can I go without looking like a self-important pompous ass? Serif or Sans-serif? Black and white or should there be some grey in there? Or perhaps, God forbid, a color?!?

http://cardobserver.com/gallery/quae-media-business-card

Musing about Israeli apartments! Fixing air conditioning units, learning how to wash tile floors without breaking one's back, water conservation, YGirl's failed attempts at growing things!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:We_Can_Do_It!.jpg

Occasional outbursts about life in Israel! If you are lucky I will re-tell the great story of my altercation in a gelato shop. Bragging about Israeli healthcare. etc.

England - Cousin's Wedding

My second day in the UK was my cousin's wedding. The event took place in Surrey so we piled into the car to schlep out of London.

The wedding was in a beautiful lavender garden.

Parents and aunts and uncles.

Dear cousin playing the guitar before the bride and groom entered.

My lovely mother and aunt.

The huppah.

Following the ceremony my cousin R and I enjoyed (many) cocktails and appetizers.

The band was epic. Truly epic.

More cousins.

Posing with the table sign and cousin M.

Good times with lovely family!

Some lovely flowers from Israel:

Golden Hibiscus 

Ruffled Pink Hibiscus

Pale Yellow Iris

Wild Flowers near Bet Shemesh

Lots of Nasturtium Plants

England - Exploring London

In late September I went to the UK for my cousin's wedding. My parents arrived only about 12 hours before me from Seattle. I took EasyJet from Ben Gurion Airport to London Luton. It was a traumatic experience because the Israeli mentality doesn't really match up with the EasyJet system (no seat numbers and first-come first-served EVERYTHING). In any case, after a sweet goodbye from D, I set off on my adventure.

I landed at Luton in the evening and had to find my way through the airport to the strangely unmarked bus that took me to the Luton Airport Train Station. It was an awful train station with no schedules, announcements or staff. However, I met a helpful couple that let me use their phone to call my father. We arranged to meet at St. Pancras Station.

After a slow train ride and some very assertive crowd management maneuvers I was in the cold London air, searching for my father. Upon meeting up, we frantically moved the car to avoid a parking ticket and were on our way to the Dunstans' home in Acton.

They fed me and I collapsed into bed.

The next day we explored London.

My lovely mother in the London sunshine.

Ema and Abba navigating and driving in London.

You see this face? This is why it happened:

I never thought that chai lattes would be such a big deal to me.
I was also shocked by the kind, polite, swift and efficient service.

Really English buildings.

The Thames!

Quaint buildings!

Only in Israel - Winter 2011-2012

This Winter I found some very uniquely Israeli things to photograph. Here they are, for your enjoyment.

Giant Soufganiot (Doughnut) Banners



Heaters with Nearly Bare Coils Advertized by Nearly Naked Babies on the Telephone?

Genuine Lime. Not Fake. Not Imitation. The Real Deal.

Man Socks and Woman Socks.

Oh, and Some Kids Socks. 

Cereal with Halva (sweet sesame seed paste) Cream. 

Only in Israel.