Chocolate-Covered Matzah Bunnies

Not being a theologian, I'm still confused about some aspects of Judeo-Christian traditions.  No, let me rephrase that, I'm absolutely perplexed.  Having recently been to both a Bar Mitzvah and a Catholic mass, it was clear to me that the similarities between the two groups are striking.  What in particular?  The ritualized call and response.  Hymns that immediately echo what was just spoken either by the leader or the congregation.  Stand up.  Sit down.  If the Catholics incorporated Hebrew into their service (besides the constant mention of Jesus) the two experiences would be nigh identical.

...Which brings me to Easter and Passover.  I just had a question, and maybe you know the answer, and if so, please fill me in.  Why don't Christians celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover?

This has the potential to be a hugely complex question.  There are references in the New Testament which, and I'm paraphrasing here, indicate that the coming of Christ is the end and the beginning...that all things that were sinful and considered "law" before are eliminated due to his resurrection, as he has cleansed the world from sin.  To oversimplify, Jesus was a reboot and a replacement of the old operating system.  While it has roots in the historic methods, it supersedes all in the past in order to pave the way for the new order. 

OK, I get it, but then why does the Easter holiday float with the Jewish/Lunar calendar?  Obviously it is to signify that Jesus' last supper was a Passover Seder.  However, if the tenets of Jesus' own religion (as a Jew) are to be replaced, then the dates shouldn't matter at all.  It seems very arbitrary...like other things:

10 Commandments - yes...let's keep those

Keeping Kosher - no, that's ridiculous, ham for us.

Adam and Eve - Sure, original sin is for us

Yarmulkes - A hat, dictated by the Talmud?  That's not even the "Old" Testament.

Add those things to the abandonment of Hebrew - because it's clear that Jesus read and understood the language, however, most historians agree that the New Testament was originally written in a form of Greek.  Where did that come from?

I'm sure I'm not asking any new questions.  However, Christians are asked to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, and it seems that has a far more figurative meaning than literal.  I'm OK with that too.  Still, if some of the old ways were kept, I think that may be key in understanding his role in the Jewish community as a leader/teacher.  Plus, only then will they know Jesus' ancestor's true suffering during Passover: being forced to eat matzah and gefilte fish for a week.

Happy Passover and Happy Easter (and for those who don't celebrate, happy weekend!).

Not an omelette.

I like the inclusiveness of an omelette's ingredient list but also really enjoy the runny yolk of an over-easy egg.  Therefore I thunk up this quick breakfast/brunch recipe for you (tested and wife approved!):

What you need (for two peeps):

4 Large eggs
2 Slices of bread
1 Avocado, pitted and diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 Shallot, diced
1 Trader Joe's Garlic Salt with Grinder (this goes on anything/everything)
1 Pepper mill and associated peppercorns
Butter (room temp)

If you don't have one, go out and get a non-stick frying pan.  We've been using T-Fal's non-stick 8-inch pan religiously for omelettes and such.  Why? You can use metal utensils with it.  It's dishwasher safe.  And, it's dirt cheap on Amazon!  Just don't cold-shock the pan when you're done, and it has the potential to last a very long time.

I pre-heat my pan with a medium-low heat.  Take a pat of butter and melt that down, and before it burns, toss in half of your tomatoes and shallots along with a couple of turns from both your pepper mill and garlic salt grinders.  You just want to sweat the onions and tomatoes for about a minute or two. 

Next, carefully crack two of your eggs and get them into the pan without breaking the yolk. With this small pan, you're cooking for one person (for the second half of the recipe you'll return to coda). 

Toast your bread.  Duh.

When you see the whites of the eggs solidifying, take your diced avocado and liberally spread half of them over your eggs and onto the whites only; again, you're taking care so as to not break the yolks.

Let that cook until all but the yolk seems solidified, and then flip.  With the butter and the non-stick pan, give that thing a toss: i.e. no spatula.  It's all in the wrist, but you can do it!  I believe in you!

Once flipped, let that cook for another 30 to 45 seconds.  While you're waiting, butter your toast and plate it.  Take the eggs and carefully place them directly onto the toast and serve (for the second helping, repeat all of the above that makes sense).

It takes no time at all.  It's a good way to use slightly under-ripe avocados, but any good and ripe avocado will do.  Garnish with some hot sauce.  I like Trader Joe's Green Dragon Hot Sauce on mine, but sriracha will also do.  If you do the meat thing, I believe that you can explore how English bangers might go with this.  Fork and knife it for the full runny yolk effect.  Me, I go one up, and I use a 3rd egg.  I know, daring, right?  With a cup of coffee, and depending on how liberally you're buttering your bread, this meal, without sausage, but with coffee and cream, hits between 400 and 500 calories, which I think is appropriate for a healthy breakfast that also packs in 12 grams of protein.  Add a half cup of blueberries (the super fruit) for another 45 calories, and tons of good vitamins and antioxidants. 

But, mostly, enjoy!

It's Science

Welcome to my 201st post, and it's a post about reflecting.  Today is March 14th, which has, historically, been a mark of two things I'm heavily in favor of: promotion of science and math...and promotion of eating pies.  The latter first; I love pie.  I'm a huge fan of baked goods in general, but when it comes to pies I'm all over the place.  My preference is a traditional apple pie with granny smith apples, but I'll eat most fruit-based pies.  I will not eat sweet potato pie.  Never.  So, don't buy me or make me one.  That's not pie, that's an attempt to use an ingredient barely fit for human consumption in pie form.  No way.  However, pecan pie is divine, and a well made Amish recipe for Shoo-Fly Pie can be equally rewarding.

With that out of the way, March 14th stands to bring awareness to the importance of mathematics to the young and old.  The Greek letter Pi is the equivalent for 3.14159 and the symbol has stood since the mid 18th Century.  For those who do not know, using the mathematical constant allows us to approximate the area of a perfect circle.  Pi has many uses in science and technology, from aeronautical engineering to studies on population dynamics, to measuring light and sound waves of the cosmos.  It's only fitting then that we honor the memory of Stephen Hawking, who passed this morning.  Most know he's a famous scientist, but few actually know why he's a famous scientist.  Without getting into the deep specifics, Hawking developed theories on black holes and the fact that they radiate energy in a way that can be measured by telescopes here on Earth (using pi!).  And, in 2010, scientists believe that they witnessed evidence of this energy, which is just amazing.  Hawking also believed in a many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics that theorizes that we live in a reality that has an infinite number of sister-realities, happening along the same timeline, but infinitely different based on the choices we make and the variables that effect our existence.  One such experiment that characterizes this is Schrodinger's Cat, which I won't go into here, but understand that it presents a logic for multiple simultaneous outcomes.  The man had a super scientific brain and his questions about our reality demonstrate why science is so vital to our global society so that we can better understand our universe.  He wasn't always right, but the scientific studies that have been done and will be done to answer his questions is vital so we can move forward with proven facts that will, hopefully, enrich our lives. 

Which brings me to the fact that today is also one month since the terrorist shooting in Parkland, Florida.  Before you take an emotionally controlled side about whether more guns are necessary to protect our children/citizens, know that you, and the media, and our legislators are all working in a factual void.  Thanks to those same legislators, there has been a moratorium on gun violence research at the national level.  Since the 1990s the CDC has been stripped of its ability to fund studies "advocating or promotion of gun control."  It's called the Dickey Amendment after congressman Jay Dickey who, at the time of passage in 1996, had strong NRA ties and allegiances.  He died last year, but it is rumored that he did a 180 on this position, and felt responsible for the lack of scientific input after many successive mass shootings: "We need to turn this over to science and take it away from politics."  And I agree.  I'm not for taking people's guns.  I am for a study demonstrating the impact of large magazine firearms in the hands of a large populace of untrained citizens.  I am for a study showing how armed guards (read: school teachers and librarians) would account for more student and faculty injuries and deaths.  I am for a study which provides numbers of firearm accidents both before and after common sense background checks are installed because I believe they will deter or prevent some (not all) deaths.  Don't think so?  Prove me wrong with science!  It's a known fact that more guns equals a higher potential for misuse.  No, seriously, it's science. 

And, if you are a student who walked out today, I hope you did so for the right reasons.  In my mind, you walked for your safety.  You also walked for increasing pressure on lawmakers to allow for scientific study on a dramatic public health issue.  And, then, you walked inside to get some pie, which is also science (dough, filling, temperature, etc.) and follows a specific formula, proven by fact, to generate a consistent result, taste, and expectation that, hopefully, helps enrich your existence on this planet.  We owe it to Stephen Hawking to use that approach in every facet of our lives so that this existence is the best we can create for ourselves through science.