Life is Meshi…but

 

another week

another monday

another moment to reflect

on life …without.

but a funny thing has happened

I am no longer counting the days

since ….everything went bad.

instead…

i am counting the days…

of happy …and every week

there are more days…

than none!

Life is messy

the ups

the downs

the craziness that is …

life as a single mom.

you take for granted… when you are a team

forget that it is …

way easier to play 2 man tackle defense

with an almost 3 year old!

the “for every little I WANT” tantrums

the never ending questions… mommy Why? mommy Who? but mommy Where? but MOMMMMY?

the daily reminder that daddy is “away”

the morning fashionista diva

the night “infant” (am I the only one still getting up 3 times a night with a almost 3 year old?)

I am the person on constant call

i am the mommy, the daddy, the babysitter, the cook, the bill payer, the activities counselor, the house keeper,

well at least I only clean house tuesday, thursdays & weekends that is (thank you g-d for Clara!)

and let me tell all of you who still don’t get it…(how appreciative we all need to be NOW instead of regretful later)

life is MESSY…but

it can be good

because with all the little messes

there is also

all the little greats…

the sheer delight …that is Tunie B.

the hugs

the kisses

the cuddles in the night

she is my person

and this summer

Tunie B. & Me…we are taking it one day at a time!

and with every messy moment

(divorce is one nasty spill that never really gets cleaned)

I am taking the extra care

to create good ones

and when those messy ones

come about

well

me and Tunie B.

we…go play in the sand…

and get messier!

 

This video is way too cute not to share  - My Tunie B. hates to be dirty and is constantly washing her dolls and her hands…she loves though to play in the sand and pick up any bug that is crawling, but always needs a bucket of water to rinse everything off while she sings her pre-school clean up song! (who is this child?)

 

Zucchini Meshi (Stuffed Meat Zucchini)

This past thursday night I was hanging out by my friend Margalit Lankry’s house and her daughter Zahava was making a Syrian dish called Zucchini Meshi.

Now being Morrocan – very different than Syrian- this was not a dish (as basic Syrian as it is) that I actually had or have seen being made.

I have made Onion Meshi – but not zucchini. Not sure how I missed this one? Anyways…

It looked awesome. So this past Friday I decided to make it for Shabbat. And let me tell you all …it is now something I am addicted to. Eating the LEFTOVERS for Sunday night dinner…..and believe it or not -TONIGHT’s Dinner.

This for me…is UNHEARD OF. But it was that awesomely good – and so AMAZINGLY easy to make even when Margalit never tells me amounts just ingredients- lol!

So What’s For Dinner Tonight? or any other night? – this recipe!!

Ingredients:

6 medium zucchinis, halved and scooped out 3/4 of the way

1 lb ground beef

3/4 cup rice

3 tsp. all spice

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. sweet paprika

2 1/2  cups prune juice

2 cups tomato sauce

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

kosher salt & fresh black pepper to taste

Directions:

pre-heat oven to 350F

1. Combine the meat and the uncooked rice in a small bowl. Add 1 tsp. all spice, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper. and mix well.

2. Pinch off a small portion them meat mixture and stuff the zucchini till the top. Do not pack in the meat (the rice will need room to expand) keep it loose and airy.

3. Once the zucchinis have all been stuffed, make meat balls with the leftover meat. Lay the zucchinis down  into a 9×13 aluminum tray. Add the meat balls in-between the zucchinis.

4. In another bowl whisk together the prune juice, tomato sauce, sugar, lemon juice, 2 tsp. all spice, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Pour the entire mixture over the zucchinis and meat balls, covering them almost completely.

6. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and cook in oven for about 3 hours, uncovering the pan in the last 40 minutes. The dish is done when the sauce mixture has turned dark and sort of caramelized the meat & zucchinis.

Serve hot.