Dairy Diary aka Shavuot in Israel

Two of the many advantages of living in Israel is that Shavuot is a one-day holiday and that for dairy lovers, there are a plethora of dairy products available.  Also an advantage, a copy of Dairy Made Easy, the new cookbook from Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek arrived right before Shavuot.

Number One recipe for this reviewer and her "tasting committee:"  Israeli Pizza Dip.  It's bad enough that people put corn on their pizza here.  It's bad enough that the secret ingredient pizza spice is a combination of sugar and MSG (probably lethal in large quantities).  Then you have to dip your pizza.  Many stores give out packages of Thousand Island Dressing, but it is not the same.  These two talented cooks have captured the flavor and enhanced it with the right combination of spices, a little kick, and no added sugar.  I could not figure out why someone would want to add anything to an already delicious slice of pizza, but after tasting this dip, I can see why it is so popular.

Shavuot is also a great time for dairy baking with real butter, which tastes so much better than margarine.  We had a standard Israeli cheesecake, which disappeared; and a layered dessert, which will probably not be made again because it did not disappear.  On the list for next year's dairy baking:  Chocolate Cheese Muffins with Chocolate Ganache and Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake.

Leading up to Shavuot is the Counting of the Omer.  The period between Passover and Shavuot is an opportunity to get ready to receive the Torah.  For me, once I have cleaned out the chametz, not just the physical bread and pasta, but any spiritual chametz in terms of ego or patterns of behavior that are not working, it's time to keep the momentum going. The mere act of counting these days has a meditative and anticipatory quality, and although I do not look forward to the Omer in terms of no music or celebrations, I do look forward to some spiritual growth.

I found an interesting book to add to my collection of  "Omer" books (see the AJL Bibliography Bank for a list). Through the Gates:  A Practice for Counting the Omer by Susan Windle took me out of my comfort zone.  She is a poetess who is involved with the Jewish Renewal Movement, and her life and background are totally different than mine.  But I identified with the Omer has a sacred time and space to think about different aspects of relationships with God, with other people, and with myself.  I also identify with following the structure of the count (at night, with a blessing, mentioning both days and weeks), while finding a way to make it your own, either through poetry, chanting, or just quiet time.

Jeanette Walls says that "one benefit of summer is that each day we have more light to read by."  Some I'm looking forward to more light and more reading.  What about you?