Happy Birthday, Bob Marley and Tong Yuen

Not only are we busy getting ready for Tu B'Shvat and celebrating Chinese Lantern festival with tong yuen which are rice balls (recipe to follow), but thank you to all of my Facebook friends for alerting me to the fact that today is Bob Marley's birthday.

My high school friend Mike posted a lovely rendition of "Lively Up Yourself," from 6/13/80

As you know I love numerical synchronicity.  When I saw the date of this YouTube, I livened up myself!

6/13 or, 613 is a significant number in Judaism.  As you know, I am Jewish and I live a Jewish life, so when I see that number of course I make the connection.  I have mentioned how I love when I go to Madison Square Garden, especially to see my favorite band, I view the jersey hanging high above for "Horowitz" with the number 613.

613 refers to the total number of mitzvot or commandments in the Torah.


Don't know if my friend Mike looked at that date or realized, but I think it's pretty cool.

So, there, I have linked Rastafarians with Jews.  Not such a huge stretch.

Tong Yuen

family recipe from my friend Hannah

Serves 2

1 tsp oil

2/3 c glutinous rice flour (use up what’s left from making nian gao)

Cold water

Roasted, crushed peanuts

Sugar

Add water gradually to the rice flour and mix by hand until melded.  Shape into bite-sized balls.

Boil in water until they float to the top.  Cool before sampling!  Serve, sprinkled with peanuts and sugar.

I Like to Bake for The Birthday of the Trees

I like to bake.

Never a huge fan of chocolate cake, I bake the tastiest recipe for chocolate cake.  I have made it for numerous potluck luches.  It is a crowd pleaser.  The recipe is from the back of the Hershey's can of cocoa, but I use Nestle's. It has a better flavor.  I also keep it dairy-free, changing the cow's milk to either almond or coconut.

Rachel's Potluck Chocolate Cake
inspired by Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Cake

2 Cups sugar
1 3/4 C flour
3/4 C cocoa (preferably Nestle's)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 C almond or coconut milk
1 tsp salt
 1/2 C canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 C boiling water

preheat oven 350
spray two  9-inch pans with canola cooking spray
place 1st 6 dry ingredients into a mixing bowl; mix
add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.
mix at medium 2 minutes
gently stir in boiling water  (batter will be thin...not to worry!)

pour into prepared pans
bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean


As mentioned, I use Nestle's.  I have swallowed my pride despite that I have issues with that company since they are a huge lobby group for formula in Washington, and I am a breastfeeding supporter.  Still, they are better tasting than Hershey's.  For supermarket cocoa, that is.  I guess Droste is available some places, and it has a good taste but it is simply too expensive for me.  I always loved the Nestle's cocoa tin.  It was shaped like a Toll House.  Then they switched it to plastic, which I saved.  And now they are getting rid of their traditional design and are using a more generic container.

Old Nestle's cocoa on the right, new container on left.

The Jewish New year of the trees, Tu B'Shvat, is coming up.
To be festive, we made a tree-shaped Chocolate cake.
Frosting recipe is from the side of the confectioner's sugar box.
I used coconut oil and non-hydrogenated Palm oil as the shortening.

Yes, those are mixed lettuce greens on the bottom.

We later replaced them with sour straws.

The Wolfman wouldn't have it any other way.