Photos by Barbara Lyons

CHICKEN SOUP

I recently saw an interesting program on the television about how various food flavorings are manufactured. This particular factory made over 1000 flavors – all from different chemicals! I had never given much thought to the wording on the packets/boxes of chicken soup powders that I use i.e. 'chicken flavored' or 'clear soup'. As I use a lot of these soup powders for flavoring various dishes I decided that from now on I would buy only those soups marked 'real chicken soup'. Feeling very good and intending to write this article, I took the container I am using and read the list of ingredients, and here is what I found amongst the long list of various chemicals: powdered meat and chicken fat - 6% (no chicken, even though it is called real chicken soup made by Osem)!

Here's how to make pastrami last longer

MOST smoked meats/pastramis can be frozen. I divide the slices into the various portions required and wrap them tightly in cling wrap. These can be frozen for quite long periods.

PRICING

It is worthwhile learning to remember prices. Check your supermarket receipts carefully, in particular when there are sales and discounts, to ensure that these have been included in your bill. Because of the multitude of discounts which are valid for just one specific day or for only three days, one week, one month, not all the computers are always up to date all the time. I often buy from the Supersol and Mega, and there are often errors on discounted products. My son, who also buys from Hatzi Hinam, says that there are fewer errors in their bills, perhaps because they have fewer discount sales since their prices are low to begin with.

RECYCLING

My compliments to the Herzliya municipality on the two new colored containers that are appearing around the area. The bright orange one with two square "mouths" is for the plastic containers such as those used for the various household sprays, liquid washing soaps etc., and also for empty metal tins such as those used for tuna, corn and coffee, as well as foil food containers and other aluminum foil – cleared of food remnants, and also, believe it or not, all those extra plastic bags we pick up from the supermarkets. 

The bright mauve containers with the two black round 'mouths' are for glass bottles – miracle of miracles. I have been trying for nearly 10 years now to get the Herzliya municipality to do something about this. At that time, the previous mayor - Yael German - told me that Herzliya and Raanana were contemplating creating a special recycling plant to carry out such a project together, as the only existing one then was near Be'er Sheva and it was overloaded with work. Maybe they finally achieved this?

These containers are still quite scarce in Herzliya but I hope that if those of us who live there start using them, the municipality will increase their numbers.

DISCOUNT COUPONS REMINDER

This is a reminder to those of you who buy discount coupons, and now discount credit cards, twice a year before the High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah this year is at the beginning of September and usually these discount coupons are available nearly a month previously.

HINTS

1. To remove candle grease, put the affected object in the freezer for a short while and the candle grease will probably free itself, or pour some boiling water on the grease where possible, and it will melt.

2. Most smoked meats/pastramis can be frozen. I divide the slices into the various portions required and wrap them tightly in cling wrap. These can be frozen for quite long periods.