Next Year in Jerusalem
Apr. 4th, 2010 11:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
purejuiceThere comes a point in the lives of people who take this seriously that a higher power, available as needed on an hourly basis, is required just to keep walking down the street upright, with your feet on the ground and your head above.
It was at that point I undertook to Understand God, to choose the one I understood with immediate luminousness, in James' great criterion, one of only three,* and after due consideration chose the all-powerful and all-good version, who neither permits nor authorizes evil. Each deity has its Problem of Evil hoop to jump through, this one more than most. Though I have to say a God worthy of worship who sends packages of shit with my name on them is the Problem of Evil that is insurmountable to me.
That said, maybe eight years into my undertaking to believe in a God who sustained me on an hourly basis, I realized something very very weird.
That most Christians believe that Jesus died for our sins, but not that he was resurrected.
I think just the opposite. That it is barbaric to think God would demand or condone a blood sacrifice, and that Jesus came not to perform magic tricks but to show us all we are bodhisattvas. We literally can overcome death.
He is risen. Me too. You too. Happy easter! Happy passover!
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Joan Nathan's Challah (P)
Source: Joan Nathan in the NY Times 09/19/01
Yield: 2 loaves
1-1/2 packages active dry yeast (1-1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
1-3/8 cups vegetable oil, and more for greasing bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 cups all-purpose flour (8 to 8-1/2)
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1-3/8 cups lukewarm water.
Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.)
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150°F then turned off.
Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12" long and 1-1/2" wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with what is now the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2" in between.
Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour in refrigerator if preferred.
To bake, preheat oven to 375°F and brush loaves again. (If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.) Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.
Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.
___________________________________
*Immediate luminousness, in short, philosophical reasonableness, and moral helpfulness are the only available criteria.
http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=JamVari.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=all
It was at that point I undertook to Understand God, to choose the one I understood with immediate luminousness, in James' great criterion, one of only three,* and after due consideration chose the all-powerful and all-good version, who neither permits nor authorizes evil. Each deity has its Problem of Evil hoop to jump through, this one more than most. Though I have to say a God worthy of worship who sends packages of shit with my name on them is the Problem of Evil that is insurmountable to me.
That said, maybe eight years into my undertaking to believe in a God who sustained me on an hourly basis, I realized something very very weird.
That most Christians believe that Jesus died for our sins, but not that he was resurrected.
I think just the opposite. That it is barbaric to think God would demand or condone a blood sacrifice, and that Jesus came not to perform magic tricks but to show us all we are bodhisattvas. We literally can overcome death.
He is risen. Me too. You too. Happy easter! Happy passover!
Return to Main Recipes Page/Return to Home Page
Joan Nathan's Challah (P)
Source: Joan Nathan in the NY Times 09/19/01
Yield: 2 loaves
1-1/2 packages active dry yeast (1-1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
1-3/8 cups vegetable oil, and more for greasing bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 cups all-purpose flour (8 to 8-1/2)
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1-3/8 cups lukewarm water.
Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.)
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150°F then turned off.
Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12" long and 1-1/2" wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with what is now the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2" in between.
Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour in refrigerator if preferred.
To bake, preheat oven to 375°F and brush loaves again. (If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.) Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.
Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.
___________________________________
*Immediate luminousness, in short, philosophical reasonableness, and moral helpfulness are the only available criteria.
http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=JamVari.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=all
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no subject
Date: 2010-04-04 07:29 pm (UTC)I really like easter ALOT. yes to the rising, overcoming death, whole thing :)
I made your greek salad just like you, fresh red peppers, and Loved it! cutting the olives is good. didn't make cupcakes, wasn't enough time, just bought store poundcake, strawberrys, whipcreme, yum.
I did make a green smoothie for earlier when peeps were weeding: frozen chunks of mango, blue berries, coconut milk, lime squeeze, and rainbow chard - a leaf or two. So yummy!
no subject
Date: 2010-04-04 08:34 pm (UTC)i've been admiring your posts on your significant other, and your process with that. the older i get, the less i'm willing to take. which is why i haven't commented. ;-)
happy easter, chicklet!!!