How We Connect

I am continually amazed by how technology enables us to connect and reconnect to people who are thousands of miles away, and with whom we may have been out of touch for years.

I was urged to get a Facebook page by a number of friends of mine who are a bit younger. I resisted, because it seemed like a much different generation. My young friends assured me I would not be the only geezer with a facebook profile. (Jane Jacobs, thank you!) With the impetus of needing to get my business out there, I gave in and joined Facebook a couple of weeks ago. Wow! This is definitely the killer app of all time. By allowing hundreds of people to connect simultaneously about all sorts of things both banal and serious, Facebook has created an online community that at last actually delivers what a real community should.

While drinking my tea this morning, I checked on the RSVP list for my birthday party tomorrow (Your Personal Chef turns 38) and read dozens of daily updates from friends, such as :

”Jeff Seidel added the NBA Challenge application.”

“Lisa Mechanick is attending Nefesh B'Nefesh Aliyah Arrival Ceremony!!!.”

“Barb Heller is attending Rabbi David Aaron at LSS DEC 24th.”

When did we get so personally involved in each other’s lives? I would have never known such details before without having to pick up the phone or individually email each person. Would I have even thought to ask about such trivia? Probably not. But I find it interesting that millions of us are logging in each day to share such things with each other.

My dear husband Lenny, who works at a law firm in Manhattan, just joined Facebook at my urging. He was also resistant, but after joining yesterday and finding an old high school friend, he is a convert. I found him sitting at the computer this morning, gleefully telling me that one of his friend requests had been accepted.

Lenny’s law firm blocks internet access almost entirely, but allows employees an hour a day of “quota time.” During this hour, the block is lifted to selected sites, and Facebook is on the list of allowed sites. It’s as if the firm recognizes the addictive nature of Facebook, and understands that allowing employees a daily fix is smart business.

If you want to check out my facebook site, here is the link:

Rebecca’s Facebook Profile


If you want to make my husband’s day, leave a note on his wall here:

Lenny’s Facebook Profile

I could continue to ramble on about this stuff but now I must get outside for my run, while the sun shines here in Passaic NJ - a very rare occurrence these days!

-- Rebecca

Parve vegan low carb no bake chocolate cheesecake Recipe!

Hey Y'all. Thought I should take a break from all my self-promotion activities to share an awesome vegan recipe, especially if you are pressed to come up with a fabulous dish for a holiday party or your own Shabbos table. (We are having a raw foods vegan at our Shabbos table this week, so I will be working on some new dishes! Stay tuned)

Here's the recipe:

Parve Chocolate Low Carb Vegan Tofu Cheesecake

* 1 package Hershey's unsweetened baking chocolate (check for hecksher, as most unsweetened chocolate is actually dairy, Hershey's is hard to find, alas!)
* 2 cups splenda (make sure to taste it for sweetness! If you hate splenda you can use sugar but the carbs will be much higher)
* 1 lb. silken tofu
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 2 tsp real vanilla extract
* 1 9" vegan pie crust - I make my own with crushed pecans, organic carob powder, splenda, and earth balance shortening - email if you want the recipe.
FYI - if you hate to bake and want to just buy one: Wholly Wholesome makes fantastic vegan pie crusts, chocolate, graham, whole wheat or spelt. Not low carb though. To save carbs, you can skip the crust altogether, it's still great.

Directions:
Put the tofu, splenda, and flavoring in a blender and puree. Put the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and heat until melted; you may have to stir it half-way through to make sure it heats evenly. Add the melted chocolate to the other ingredients and blend until they're completely mixed. Empty the blender into the pie crust. Smooth out the surface of the filling and chill it until it sets. [Note: this sets quickly, so you may need to pop the whole thing back into the microwave to soften if you get distracted]

Once it's done, it will remain solid even at room temperature. Top with whatever you like. I like fresh chocolate shavings and a little cocoa powder dusting on the plates if you are plating it. It's not really a cheesecake, but nobody will mind because it's so yummy. And all those fantastic antioxidants! It's health food! :-) [remember, pure baking chocolate is 100% cocoa, not like that junk they sell at the grocery checkout]

Enjoy, and if you make it, please send me your comments and adjustments.

-- Rebecca

Becoming Visible to the Online World

It seems that just creating a website is only the first step in having an online presence. I have spent this week learning about all sorts of geeky things I never heard of before - such as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and robot-friendly meta tags. Sigh.

The deal is, either one does this stuff the hard way, by learning how to do it yourself, or otherwise you fork up the cash to have somebody else do it for you. And since I have more time free than available cash at the moment, the answer is obvious.

But it is more than that. Your Personal Chef has always fancied herself as being a good geek, and website optimization is just the latest challenge to tickle her fancy. It just isn’t as much fun when somebody else does it for you.

So now that I have submitted my site for consideration to all the major search engines, I hope to see my site rankings jump up a little. If you have a real desire to help Your Personal Chef’s site shine bright, then kindly do a few searches and clicks from Google or Yahoo.

Until soon,
Rebecca