Israel: My New Home Away From Home

I know, I know, it has been forever since I last posted...but life has taken me all over the place these last few months and there just hasn't been a chance for me to to write about it (at least not in this space). I feel that my most recent experience has to be shared, however, which is why I am starting the new year with this particular post.

Many of you may already know that I am half-Jewish (on my dad's side), but never really identified with the religion that strongly growing up. I enjoyed celebrating some holidays with extended family, eating Jewish food, and learning about Jewish culture, but had never really seen myself as Jewish. I kind of assumed it was an all-or-nothing kind of thing; you either convert entirely to a religion and participate in most or all of the practices as well as believe in the same higher power, or you don't qualify.

Just a few days ago, I returned from a birthright trip to Israel (because how can you say no to a FREE trip to anywhere?) and my perspective has changed completely. Not only did I get a chance to travel through a new place, but I gained some new insight into what it means to be Jewish. Never before had I visited a country so united in one religion, yet so welcoming of every other. Never had I felt so strong a connection to a place that I had never seen before, or to a people I had never met. My entire outlook on life has shifted, and I only ask myself how I could have considered not doing this trip at all. I found a part of myself in Israel that I did not realize had always been missing. I discovered that I am in fact Jewish, and that I am proud to be so.

I started the trip with many doubts and hesitations, wondering if I would indeed fit in with the rest of my large group. Would they have more Jewish background than me? Would they all know Hebrew, and have had Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, and/or Hebrew school? I was anxious that I was not really qualified to go on this trip, which was, after all, paid for by other Jews. It would all have been a waste if I went all the way there and formed no connections at all with Judaism or Israeli culture. But I knew as soon as I stepped off the plane with my group that it was no mistake for me to be there. It was like entering a place I already knew, but had not seen in many years.

We were met at the airport by our tour guide, Shai, who immediately instructed us to get in a circle (an exercise that would become common throughout the trip) and then give each other hugs. He said that the purpose was to embarrass us, which it slightly did, but what it really did was instigate the theme of our trip: love and compassion. We then returned to our circle with our arms around one another and danced, laughing and falling over each other as though we had done this many times before. I can't emphasize enough how much this trip felt like returning to old friends and places rather than experiencing something brand new, which in reality it was.

We then boarded our bus for the first time, which was much more spacious and comfortable than I had imagined, and headed toward the Kibbutz Dgania Bet in northern Israel (2 hour drive). For those who don't know, a kibbutz is basically a communal settlement where people live and work together in a socialist environment. They have communal ownership of property, social justice, and equality, so they do not pay to live there but instead earn their keep through work. It was a beautiful thing to see and learn about, and if I were to spend a long period of time in Israel in the future, I would like to try staying at one.

We stayed four nights at the kibbutz, spending our days touring around northern Israel from the bus driven by the wonderful Farez, a bus driver who made our travel through the country as easy and pleasant as it could be, despite the low pay he receives. Every morning we greeted him with a resounding "Boker tov!" to show our gratitude as we began our journey for that day. We also got frequent history lessons from our guide, Shai, who always knew how to deliver with the right amount of comedy and enthusiasm to maintain our interest.

As for the rest of our itinerary...I'm not going to write it all out (as that would take forever), so instead I'll share with you a poem I wrote while in Israel. I actually read this aloud on our last day in Tel-Aviv as we all sat in a circle reflecting on our experiences, and for me it really covers the most important aspects of the trip. Most of you probably won't get some of the references unless you were on the trip with me, but for the most part I think it is pretty straight forward. So enjoy. :)






Israel is My Beauty, I am its Beast:
A Reflection on My Time in the Middle East    

Sleep fades slowly,  

eyes open wide
pass by signs in a language
we had all learned to hide.

Our guide comes to meet us
and we hug, dance, and sing
not knowing at that moment
he had changed everything.

First night at the kibbutz
comes with food, warmth, and laughter,
games to meet each other
and then sleep right after.

Day 2 starts with history,
then a toast and a prayer
to the country that welcomed us
only to bring us together.

Next a beautiful hike
to get a lay of the land,
which awed us who never
imagined some place so grand.

Walk through Tiberius
to meet locals and food;
the Sea of Galilee shimmered
reinforcing the good mood.

Feel all tension leave us
relaxing in the hot springs,
even the sight of a man shaving            
could not ruin anything.

Then the next holy city
leaves us wanting for more,
as we meet artists and musicians
with more love than we've seen before.

A soothing meditation
starts the day with hearts open,
making every experience
twice as memorable, thoughts unspoken.

Lovely views from Bental
toward the neighboring nations,
reminding us once again
how our ancestors have saved us.

Through poring rain we visit
an archaeological site,
where we taste sweet olive oil
and watch a skit by members of birthright.  
    
Next is two more modern factories
followed by tastings of wine,
though some leave more tipsy
we all have a good time.

Baby goats in the desert
that we nearly take with us,
then some meat (that's NOT camel)
in Bedouin tents-- still delicious.

Arrive in Jerusalem
under blindfold and trust,
see our first view of the city
that holds power for each of us.  
   
The day continues like a dream--
Western Wall, market, snow--
our new Israeli friends join us
who though Shabbat services we get to know.

More singing, more praying,
and much needed reflection,
we thank God for each other
and this beautiful nation.

First night out in the city
filled with food, drinks, and dancing;
though the rain is annoying
it does not stop some romancing.

Meet some elderly locals
who make beautiful crafts,    
then view three Israeli films
of topics with great impact.

Yad Vashem the next morning,
where emotions run wild,
but we all stick together,
giving hope, love, and smiles.

We are touched once again
at the soldier cemetery
where we learn what it means
to lose loved ones for one's country.


Our last night in the city

brings so much love in the air,
no one could believe the day after
most of us would not be there.    
   
The last day has now reached us,
words cannot tell how I feel,
but I am now changed forever
so to all of you-- thanks for making it real.

The whole group at Hotel Caesar in Jerusalem

Dad's Birthday- The Opera Cake

Yes, another birthday, and yes, another homemade cake. Somehow it just doesn't feel right anymore if I don't make one...even though, according to my dad, he had two cakes bought for him that day already. But mine would be made at home from scratch and with love, and personalized for him. So that's way better, right?

Gelsons Opera Cake

I decided on opera cake mainly because I knew my dad loved it. Nearly every time he stopped somewhere to pick up pastries for dessert on a special occasion (usually from Gelsons, which has an awesome bakery), he would have to grab an opera cake as one of the choices.











 The rich layers of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, coffee-flavored buttercream, and chocolate ganache make this a hard-to-resist treat. So, I ventured to create my own from scratch to see if I could rival the deliciousness of Gelson's bakery. And I have to say that I got pretty darn close.



So I started first with the almond sponge cake, otherwise known as Joconde. I ground up an 8oz bag of blanched (or without shell) almonds from Trader Joe's, then whipped up 6 egg whites (separated from the yokes) to stiff peaks, also called meringue. I always love doing this-- it's amazing how ugly pale egg whites can turn into something so fluffy and white just by whipping them!



The next step was to mix the ground almonds with 6 whole eggs, powdered sugar, and some clarified butter. What is clairifed butter, you ask? I had the same question when I got to that part, and had a sudden moment of panic when I thought that I would have to run to the store. However, once I looked it up, I discovered to my relief that it was merely butter that needs to be heated on the stove until the fat rises to the top as a sort of foam. (This is also how ghee is made, if you were wondering). So you scoop off the foam with a spoon and then drain the rest of the liquidy butter through cheesecloth into a bowl, leaving it more flavorful and less dense. Nice little trick, huh?

























So once I finally had these all mixed together, I had to then fold in the meringue. Yes, it's a lot of steps-- but so totally worth it! This makes the cake come out light and airy rather than dense, which is also helpful for soaking up the coffee syrup I would be making next. I then spread this batter carefully into two half-sheet pans, baking them for only about 8 minutes at 425 degrees. That has to be the shortest baking time for a cake ever!



















The directions emphasized flipping the cakes almost immediately onto parchment paper to let cool before assembling the rest of the cake.


Phew, hardest part is done! Now time for the toppings that would go in between the cake layers. First was a coffee syrup, which called for instant coffee powder and hot water. But I knew my dad; the better quality the ingredients, the better the final product. So I opted to use espresso instead, making it with his machine.

I also used some of that espresso to make a French buttercream that would be going in between the layers. Ohhh so delicious. I'm going to be using espresso in my frostings more often, that's for sure...

And lastly was the chocolate ganache component, which is simply melted chocolate mixed in with heavy cream. The simple, yet essential, layer.

Phew, now that I had all my different parts ready to go, it was time to put it all together! First I had to measure the two cakes (so that they were equal), slicing off the unequal sides so that it looked perfectly rectangular. I then sliced each one in half, so that I had four separate cakes.

 Next, I put one of those cakes onto my cake display platform and began to brush it with the espresso syrup, which would soak into the cake and keep it moist.


After that was a layer of the espresso buttercream, and then a repeat with the next cake layer. Right before the third cake was added, however, I spread a layer of the chocolate ganache so that it would be right in the middle of the final cake. Just the right amount of chocolate mixed with coffee.

And then I repeated with the next couple layers of cake, finally ending with the chocolate ganache. I melted some white chocolate to write out the message on top, and melted some more regular chocolate for the tennis racket shapes. All in all, I'd say he was pretty pleased with it. 

Harry Potter World at Universal Orlando

Diagon Alley

Hogsmeade

Okay, so the nerd in me just couldn't resist...I HAVE to tell you all about my friend's and my trip to Orlando last weekend. The best part about it was that we booked it last minute-- literally, the day before we left. Crazy, right?

Well the story is that we had been discussing doing this trip in December between Christmas and New Years since that is when Caitlin has time off work. We originally wanted to go for about a week (or slightly less) so we could experience both Universal and the Disney parks. Because why not do it all if you're all the way out there? Well, just last Wednesday (Aug. 27th), we started seriously looking into flights and hotels for that week in December. And it turned out, it was freakishly expensive. Surprise, surprise. So we had a moment of sad realization that we would not be able to go this year. It was as though someone had given me a giant bowl of Belgium chocolate and then suddenly taken it away from me.

Caitlin coloring in the airport as we wait to board

But it doesn't end there! Caitlin suggested we start looking at other holidays and gave me a list of days she had off from work. We had already ruled out Thanksgiving, and the only other one that occurred this year was labor day weekend. Which, as you all know, was that upcoming weekend. Caitlin jokingly said that she wasn't doing anything, and I realized that I also had no concrete plans. Plus I had no school the following Monday and not very homework as classes had only just started...well, to put it simply, we were both very tempted to try. We looked up flights and lo and behold, they were cheaper and still available! And while the on site hotels at the Universal Resort were all booked, we were able to find one not too far away for a less expensive price that provided complimentary shuttle service to the parks. It seemed too good to be true. She had to double check that night about mileage coverage (since that is what we both used to pay for our flights), but the following day, Thursday, we decided to do it. When would we get this chance again? So after several more frustrations (flights selling out or raising prices at the last minute), we finally booked it. We were flying out Friday night, arriving in Orlando at 6:30am on Saturday, and returning home on Tuesday morning with an early morning flight.

Even then, it didn't hit me that we were really doing it. We had been talking for years about going to this park together-- Harry Potter has been a shared passion of ours since we met in fifth grade. We read our books together, played trivia games, went to events, and dressed up in costumes made by our parents. We quote it at each other all the time and will even make Harry Potter related jokes. And lastly, we just opened up an online shop together selling mostly Harry Potter inspired items. So you can imagine that as soon as the first park (Hogsmeade) opened a few years ago, we knew that we were destined to go together one day. And once the second one (Diagon Alley) opened this year, we knew it had to be soon.

Okay so jumping to our arrival on Saturday morning: First of all, let me just point out how incredibly gross we felt when we stepped outside the airport. We were already tired and groggy after not sleeping on the plane, and the air there was so hot and humid. Those of you who are accustomed to humidity know how sticky it feels when you stand outside. And quickly you start sweating. So yeah, I'll leave you with that image of us for now.

We had not really planned that day ahead of time, considering we had just booked the trip the day before, so it was not until we reached our hotel that we decided what to do. We got there around 7:30am and were told by the very enthusiastic concierge that the next shuttle to Universal Studios would be leaving in about 20 minutes. Caitlin and I looked at each and seemed to be thinking the same thing-- we had better catch that shuttle. So we rushed up to our room, had some problems with our keys of course, finally got inside, emptied our backpacks, changed into shorts and tanktops, and ran back down to catch the 7:50am shuttle. We nearly fell asleep on that half hour ride to the park (since we had to stop at a few other hotels) but once we arrived, our energy suddenly returned. We knew that the parks didn't officially open until 9am, so we figured we would grab some breakfast before heading in. Instead, we walked up to the Universal Studios entrance with our tickets just to ask directions and found ourselves entering the park with the early admission members. Say what? That's right-- we were already on our to Diagon Alley before the crowds. And we still hadn't eaten anything. But that could wait until we got into the park.

I can't even describe our reactions as we walked around that brick wall into Diagon Alley; it was if someone had actually thrown us into JK Rowling's book. We nearly broke down, standing there together gazing at the magical world before us that we had imagined so many times. I, for one, never thought I would have the chance to really walk through it. We excitedly made our way down the alley of shops, pointing things out to each other and feeling our exhaustion slipping away. It was not long before we were at the entrance of the one ride in the park: Escape From Gringotts. We were told that the wait time was two hours, and would only get worse throughout the day. So we had another moment of exchanging glances, reading each other's thoughts, and simultaneously decided to do it. It ended up only taking about an hour and a half, and Caitlin was smart enough to buy us some fruit and pumpkin juice to enjoy while waiting so we could have some sort of nourishment. Remember that we still had not eaten since the airport the previous night, about 15 hours before.

Me with my first butterbeer

Feeling much more energized after the fruit and the fast-paced ride (which was AWESOME. It was one of the neatest rides I've ever been on, and not just because it's from Harry Potter), we decided to explore Diagon Alley some more. After all, it wasn't horribly crowded and it was hard to leave without seeing anything. Finally unable to ignore our growling stomachs, we decided to stop into the Leaky Cauldon (the only restaurant in there) and grab some food. We got some traditional English fare and our first butterbeers, which were delicious! Not quite as amazing as I imagined them to be from JK Rowling's description in the books, but still better than I expected a theme park to recreate.


I won't go into details of all the other things we did, since you can see from our photos on Facebook, but I want to emphasize how impressed I was with both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Oh, and the rest of the Universal parks. They are huge! Since we had three days and crowds were not bad, we had the leisure to fully explore the entire parks, going back and forth between them and the Harry Potter worlds. We had to get at least one pumpkin juice and one butterbeer each day, since who knows when we'll get that chance again? And they're both so good. We also just enjoyed discovering new things about each park each time we entered them, since different things happened at different times of the day (live shows, interactive window displays, etc.). The wait times for certain rides also fluctuated throughout the day, so we frequently went back and forth to catch a certain ride at a low tide. We managed to ride Escape From Gringotts and the Forbidden Journey in Hogsmeade (also an amazing ride!) each three times before the weekend was over. How's that for picking a great weekend to go? Especially considering that Diagon Alley had only just opened a couple months ago.

 

Caitlin making the Quaffle levitate with my wand

The atmosphere, however, had to be the best part. Just watching several people in robes, carrying and waving wands as though it was normal, was quite a sight. And talking to people about Harry Potter without fear of being thought crazy or immature. They all get it there. And even the ones who weren't as knowledgeable as us about the Harry Potter universe (there were several of those) were always happy to let us enlighten them. In my opinion, those parks completely trump Disneyland as the most magical place on earth. Because, come on, you get to actually see and do magic!


Here are our Facebook photos from the trip if you have not seen them already:
https://www.facebook.com/caitlin.halliburton/media_set?set=a.10152412204193285.644768284&type=3

Caitlin and I keep saying how excited we are for the Harry Potter park to open up at our Universal here in southern CA. It won't be nearly as big, of course, but it will be so much more convenient. I mean, we both live within 20 minutes of Universal Studios Hollywood. So we could just meet up there for a butterbeer one night whenever we wanted...how awesome does that sound?

2016 cannot come soon enough.

The She-Elves: Tauriel and Galadriel Costumes

Most of you have already seen my Tauriel costume photos (http://thecraftyanthropologist.blogspot.com/2014/04/tauriel-costume.html), which I posted several months ago. But just in time for Comic-Con this year, I decided to whip up an elf costume for my friend so that we could dress up together. I had insisted for awhile that she go as Katniss Everdeen (since she is overly obsessed with the Hunger Games series and, thanks to me, has a replica of the bow, arrow, and quiver set that Katniss uses in the movies). However, she refused to carry around those props at the convention and then asked if I would make her a costume to match mine. So we searched for other Hobbit female characters and only came up with one. Sad, isn't it? And that's in the movies...the book has hardly any female characters at all from what I can remember. Anyway, it took me longer than I had anticipated but I managed to make her a flowing white gown to go with the Galadriel crown, ring, and wig props she got separately. Of course I think it could be much better, but given the fact that I used no pattern and simply looked at photos and videos online, I think it came out pretty darn good. We plan to do a photo shoot of her in costume at some point to show it off a bit more, but for now here are some photos of the creation process:

Laying out the fabric and lining

Cutting out the dress shape

After attaching the fabric to the lining

Closeup of front of dress before sleeve attachment

Here are some photos of us from the event:

Us together in the convention center

WE FOUND SAMWISE GAMGEE! Er, I mean, Sean Astin.

Opening Shop

Hello, everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to update...I've been caught up in several things this summer. I'll just spend a little time talking about one of them, which is probably the most important. Those who have been keeping up with my blog know that I am a big fan of crafting. From baking to sewing to jewelry making, you can usually find me working intensely on some project or another when I'm not busy with school or out and about somewhere. Luckily for me, this summer granted me with a lot of time to hone in on my skills even more and finally open up an online shop with one of my best friends.

This friend had actually been bugging me for months about putting my creations on the market, and goodness knows I've had many more people over the years who have insisted I open up my own bakery (though I still have a long way to go for that one). I'm not saying I would be totally successful; in actuality, I tend to have a hard time believing any of my work is good enough to sell. It was always a way for me to give something unique to someone I cared about, to create something that would make the receiver feel special. I had never really considered trying to mass produce anything for the public market because I figured that would ruin the fun for me. I wouldn't be able to see the reaction of the people as they opened their gifts, or see the meaningful looks they gave me as they realized it was made especially for them.

But my friend finally talked me into trying it out by showing me what kind of online market is already out there. People were making and selling things way below the par I set (even when just making something for myself!), and no one seemed to be judging their products. As a matter of fact, people were praising them for their creativity. It was then that I realized that maybe I was more creative and talented than I previously thought. Of course I would never be as great as most professionals, but that's not the point, is it? I have the ability to make something that other people are attracted to, so why not use it to at least open up an online shop? Plus working with a friend that has an even more creative mind than I do helps inspire me to continue forming new ideas.


And so after an entire day spent making our preliminary products (I think we worked from about 12pm to 12am), my friend and I opened our shop at the end of June. We freaked out at first, not feeling ready for the public to view our still in-progress website or ship our products without the special accompaniments we were planning, but to our relief no one bought anything for awhile. In fact, we did not make our first sale until a couple weeks ago, and since then have had three more! Over 1000 people have viewed our site and at least 100 have favorited our items (a way of tagging something to come back to and buy later), which shows me that there are strangers out there who appreciate my work. I am still not convinced that we will make it big, though my friend, and partner, begs to differ. Even so, I am pretty elated that I can finally get recognition for the small talents I do possess. It's nice to know that making little trinkets, which I enjoy doing in my spare time anyway, can bring happiness to someone hundreds of miles away.


If you haven't already, check out our shop on Etsy! We specialize in geeky home made decor and personal items, and are happy to create custom orders if you have something specific in mind!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LeMagicalMenagerie

Also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates on new products!
https://www.facebook.com/lemagicalmenagerie?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/LeMagicMenageri
http://instagram.com/lemagicalmenagerie

Challenge Accepted: Crème Brûlée

Per my mom's request yesterday, I made some individual crème brûlées for dessert. It has been several years since I last made these burnt sugar topped custards, but luckily my experience making crème caramels through the bakery internship earlier this year made it go pretty smoothly. At least up until I got to the torching part.

This recipe called for pure vanilla flavor, which I was instructed to get by grinding up half a vanilla bean with some sugar in a coffee grinder. I had only ever used the vanilla bean seeds before, so this was definitely a new experience for me. I did not realize that the outer hull of the bean pod was also edible.

So I began by chopping up the vanilla bean into small pieces, then placing those with about 1/4 cup of sugar in my parents' old coffee bean grinder. After a few minutes of grinding, it came out as a nice powdery substance.

Next I heated 1 cup heavy with 1 cup half and half in a medium saucepan, just enough to get some steam, and added the vanilla sugar mixture. I stirred it around until it seemed pretty evenly distributed.

Next was slowly pouring the warm cream mixture into a bowl with 1 egg and 4 egg yolks (which were previously whisked together). The trick with this is to pour it bit by bit down the side of the bowl at first, then whisking it in quickly, since you don't want to cook the eggs.











And then I distributed the custard among 5 ramekins (I only photographed these three for the purposes of this blog since the others are different sizes), and put them into the oven with a water bath (fill up the tray about 1/3 the way up the sides of the ramekins). This is extremely important as it keeps the custards from burning on the bottom.

These cooked at 325 F for about 40 minutes and were then removed from the water bath to cool for a few minutes before chilling. They stayed in the refrigerator the rest of the day until it was time to prepare the burnt topping for serving after dinner.

So...this is the part that got tricky. We had not opened this kitchen torch for several years and while I did a quick test to make sure it worked, I was not prepared for the fact that it would not last. Before I could find that out, however, I sprinkled the white/brown sugar mixture I had put together (dry out 1/4 cup of each in a slightly heated oven and then grind in a food processor until find) over the tops of the custards.

After several attempts to keep the torch on, I managed to get one pretty well caramelized topping, which I then served to my dad with a few raspberries.


                                                                    Voilà ! Vanilla Crème Brûlée.