HAPPY YOM HA'ATZMAUT...OR HOW I DID MYSELF A DAMAGE

After nearly 40 years in the country, I am still a sucker for anything Israeli. The Matas (the flyover) happened to circle my apartment and as I watched it from my parking lot, I teared up...and my heart kvelled. And then I gave a quick prayer that the pilots all land safely.

Rena picked up Bubbie Channah and off we went to our annual picnic at my brother-in-law's place. He has a beautiful garden and full patio that is perfect for housing all the family and friends who show up to eat and enjoy.

The night before, Sweetsie Tootsie who will be six in June, and Sweetsie Girl who will be thirteen in ten years...you get it...slept over. This was her first time and my kids were a bit nervous about her. My husband picked up the babies and took them downtown for the festivities and to see the fireworks. Me? I pooped out and watched the history of Israel on TV. Ha Gashash Ha Hiver...songs from before we were all so modern and fancy...great trip down memory lane.

Cinderella came home just after midnight with my husband and her brother stayed downtown with Joe College...they all met someplace in the middle of the celebrating throngs.

She waited for Joe College and ran to sleep with him. Sweetsie Tootsie asked to watch an action movie and fell asleep before the hero fired off his first shot.

How absolutely marvellous for one and all. At seven in the morning my oldest son called, 'Nu, Imma, are the kids all right?' I told him that they were just fine and still asleep and to go back to bed himself. He was amazed that all went so smoothly. Why not? They have the best of both worlds here. I tell stories and feed them and my husband takes them all over the place.

When they finally woke up, right on cue, hubby asked them if they wanted to go to THE MIFLETZET...the monster. It is a huge head of a monster with a very long red tongue that is a great slide.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! they shouted and quickly showered and got dressed.

While they were all sliding and having fun, I made a huge Arab salad...tomatoes and cucumbers and onions diced into itsy bitsty teensy weensy little pieces. I made enough for 40 people. Then I made kabobs.

See, by us, the picnic isn't food. It is MEAT. A few pitas, the salad, some hummous, tehina, and eggplant salad...just for show...and then meat.

Hubby bought steaks, and lamb chops and hot dogs and chicken livers and ground meat (the kabobs) and cubes of lamb fat...very bad for the arteries and very delicious for the mouth.

And Rena brought marinated chicken wings.

Here is my very best ever kabob recipe: I made two kilos...four pounds of meat
2 kilo of chopped meat
2 large onions diced very fine
1 bunch of parsley chopped very fine
4 large cloves of garlic pressed
4 teaspoons of paprika
4 teaspoons of salt (I used three as the meat was koshered)
4 teaspoons of cumin (I used two teaspoons cumin and 2 teaspoons of hawayaz...a Yeminite spice)

Mix this all together and either form into hamburger shapers or hot dog shapes.

The best kabobs ever.

Well, everyone congregated...we were about 20 people...and around noon we started to eat. And we ate...and ate...and ate...and...

Around four, I cut up the huge watermelon my husband brought and the sweet fruit helped slide the calories down to our hips.

Who cares? One day a year we celebrate Israel's Independence Day with good friends, family and food.

Wish you were here. Nexy year in Jerusalem.

That's a plan!!!

Shabbat shalom.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.