A delicious latke recipe

...in case your bored with the usual latkes, and looking for something to spice up your holiday.

Curried Sweet Potato Latkes


You'll need:

2 lbs. sweet potatoes or yams
1 apple
1/4 cup milk or milk substitute (i use almond milk)
1/3 cup matzoh meal or flour
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. curry
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic
canola oil

How to do it:
1: Grate sweet potatoes and apple. Remove any excess moisture (can put in dish towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out moisture) but LEAVE THE STARCH from the potatoes! It's the white stuff left over when you drain it this is neccesary to help everything stick together.
2. Beat eggs and add one at a time, mixing well.
3. Add milk.
4. Add matzoh meal or flour and baking powder.
5. Add spices and mix well.
6. Heat oil until hot and put large spoonful for each latke. Cook until brown and flip. For those unfamiliar with the dish, it kind of looks like a pancake shaped hashbrown.

Makes about 18 - 20 latkes/"pancakes".

Rosh Hashanah

A NEW YEAR FOR KNITTERS (courtesy of Linda)

As Rosh HaShana approaches, you may still find me knitting
I should be baking honey cakes, instead here I am sitting
With my needles and yarn- finishing my log cabin afghan
Although, I did say that I would work on my menu plan!
Surely others can tell you how addictions tend to be
For some chocolate “calls” them (especially a “she”)
But I could be in the middle of cooking dinner for eight
When suddenly I hear my yarn singing – no, he won’t wait
And my needles stroll along, (with its cable) into my kitchen
Declaring, “Why are you cooking - when you could be stitchin?”
And who is that following him, rolling along at a quick pace
I would spot that one anywhere, that’s not just a “plain face!”
I chose him myself - a perfect accent for the jumper with the belt
That’s my soft 100% wool (magenta) making his presence “felt”
Just when I thought I could win this battle, set my goals straight
Books flutter in on the tips of their pages; is it too late?
“Take a look at this idea, a simple pattern, fast and upbeat
With your jumbo needles, (in garter), 1-2-3 it’s complete!”
It’s obvious, this is war - and although I’m not one to fight
This time of year, especially… I want to fight for what’s right!
I pick up my skillet, and threaten to strike anything on my trail
I yearn for victory, with optimism; I won’t fail
The needles, the yarn and their friends – those ideas galore
Lined up, neat as a stockinette row, and head for the door
We know that this time of year, they don’t stand a chance
They exited it quickly, barely giving me a glance
Feeling victorious, I peek at the full basket apples, shiny & red
Are they beaming with joy, or are those thoughts in my head?
I sit in my favorite chair, ignoring the “other” basket at my side
And realize that, with effort, I can succeed if I really tried
I add a prayer to H-Shem, “Please help me set priorities right”
I’ll find time to learn about improving myself, even if time is tight

So to all you knitters out there, I give my blessings:

May your joy increase.
May your sorrow and worry decrease.
May H-Shem make one great year for you and yours.
May the pattern of your days be filled with beautiful, bright colors.
May you feel H-Shem’s goodness and love wrap around you like a warm (hand-knit!) shawl.

There has to be a key somewhere

I havent posted in a few months, because a lot has happened and ive been trying to process everything that has gone on.

I didn't get into the coast guard. I received the 'we're sorry to inform you letter' in, I guess it was May, and in June found out why. My eyesight, apparently, was disqualifying. They would not issue a waiver and I am not eligible for service at all with the US Coast Guard. This hurt on a number of levels, mostly because I feel as if they wasted a lot of peoples time - including mine. MEPS should have caught this as a problem back in December and told me right then and there, instead of wasting 6 months for a lot of people when I never should have been allowed past that point to begin with. The other thing is that I know they took one look at my physical, ignored my correctable vision and my really stellar qualifications and tossed my packet into the 'no' pile. That hurts too. When I first got the no go, I was hopeful because I knew how to proceed and that I could better myself to the point where I would be a better candidate. Now? I'm examining options and licking my wounds.

On a personal level, my sister and her roommate moved back home with their dog and cat, adopted out the dog to another family, and have decided to move back to Tucson. I don't know if them moving back is the best decision for my sister, who I feel would live a healthier lifestyle here with the family in California. But, its not my life or my decision, and not my place to give her orders.

Work is going okay; i've hit the one year mark at the old BN and am still looking for the 'real job' but who knows? The economy has not got me optimistic about being able to make a living on my own.

On the bright side, i've been knitting up a storm - I finished my chunky lion-brand version of OWLS, the back of my Central Park Hoodie, and am kicking butt on my Cloud Sweater. I'll probably be spliting for the sleeves this weekend! Very exciting. I'll be teaching a yoked sweater class (the OWLS sweater) starting Aug 19 at Clever Knits in Vista so SIGN UP :) its a great price and a fun sweater.

well thats done.

A shitty end to a shitty season.

Bruins sweep the Habs and we're out of the playoffs, a glorious end to our centennial. Way to go, guys. There were a couple of you that carried the team as far as you could, but the rest? Damn, did you disappoint.

I am going to have to put up with SO MUCH smack-talk at work this week. Please, lord, let the Bruins be defeated quickly!

Thank goodness for baseball season otherwise i'd be miserable until october.

Soldier questions Obama's eligibility as president and commander and chief

This guy should be court-martialed for mutiny as of fucking yesterday. This is so against the UCMJ on a whole number of levels not to mention totally offensive. Its one thing to disagree politically, it's a whole other to reject your commander-in-chief out of hand. It is easily mutiny and possibly could be qualified as an attempted coup. Not to mention breaking a whole pile of laws regarding conduct of an officer.

This shit makes me so mad - nothing to do with my opinions of Obama, mind you. It's this guys conduct. Seeing people who are supposedly so patriotic and 'doing their duty' completely break ranks and violate every standard of conduct they are supposedly trying to uphold. It's disgusting and this guy should be thrown in the brig.

Just in case you guys are unfamiliar with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, this gentleman is in clear violation of Article 88:

Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.

He's also most likely in violation of Article 94 (Mutiny and sedition), Article 133 (Conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman), AND Article 134 (Disloyal statements). And for the record, I am not an expert in the UCMJ (although I did study it quite a bit in school while working towards a minor in law), and I am NOT at present a member of the military and as such can spout my opinion all over the damn place.

I'd like to hear what you guys think (even if you disagree with me) because the subject of whether this guy's argument is legit or not is interesting, but how do you feel about the conduct of officers in the political arena?

You Were Born of a Jackal

If you don't know about Kevin Rudolf, you should really take a listen. The man is brilliant; poignant lyrics and musical skill that captures your attention and attaches on to it like a pit bull.

Now that thats out of the way, I wanted to let you know I have two sock patterns in the works which will be available soon. Written toe up for two circs or magic loop! One is a bit more ambitious than the other, but both are fun and a little bit whimsical without loosing their practicality, and have a ribbing you probably wont find elsewhere on the internet.

MEPS, part 2

I went back to MEPS today; not for a physical but for a consult. So i dragged my ass out of bed at 3:30 in the morning, was out of the house by a quarter past 4, and an hour later i began the whole horrible process. I wore my lucky Habs socks, and I didnt think they were working at first, because true to form, I went in and got yelled at to sit and wait, since they were only processing people who were shipping out first. No problem - i expected it and had brought a book. Then I got yelled at for not joining the other girls (who were shipping) in the inspection room, which apparently I was supposed to get in on despite not shipping out today. Got my happy butt inspected (got naked, showed my hands and feet, got my height and weight taken, got dressed again) and then waited for an hour while they figured out where their own asses were. I got taken down to the Naval Hospital by the duty driver, where I had my endocrinology appointment. Doc was cool, i felt very comfortable with him and he was able to be straight with me and didn't seem to think what he's thinking I have (Late onset nonclassical CAH) is going to prevent me from going in, so there's no issue, they just have to make sure thats what it is. So to blood-sucking I went.

Naturally I got the phlebotomy intern, who, while very cute and sweet, managed to miss my veins twice (once in each arm), and then called for back-up and apologized to me for all the stabbing and kept asking me if i was feeling alright. Back up, a very serious filipina phlebotomist, showed up, stabbed me unceremoniously (and unlike cute guys stabbings, hers hurt), and filled my vials with no problem.

I tried to make the guy feel better by telling him my veins were shy, but he was just a little horrified that my vein was just a little lower than he'd stabbed. Poor kid.

At any rate, I was in and out of MEPS by 11, and everyone was nice to me over the course of the day, and there were no major complications (with the exception of the stabbings and getting a bit lost at the hospital on my way to the appointment) so im blaming the socks and a good attitude.

now i am having a cup of coffee, y'all.