[an error occurred while processing this directive]		When life gives you lemons, add eggs and a tasty broth by Rebecca Ets-Hokin My uncle Frank knows how to enjoy a perfect Shabbat. He spends the morning at shul, followed by a kiddush lunch. The children at his congregation adore him; he's always ready for a game or to pick up a little one. And of course there's always a few pieces of candy in Uncle Frank's tallit bag. Saturday afternoons are spent relaxing at home, often napping, receiving visitors, and feeding his friends and family. Recently, my three kids and I descended upon Uncle Frank and Auntie Janie. A new dimension was added to Frank's traditional Shabbos by our social call. My children are always up for conquering new territory, and Frank was Montezuma opening the golden Aztec treasures to my little Spanish conquistadors. As 7-year-old Violet walked through the door, her candy sensors started going crazy. She ran to the large pantry, swung open the doors and surveyed the bounty. Large sacks of Now and Laters, rolls of Smartees, barrels of cookies lay at her feet. Gideon found the walk-in closet, piled high with hand-held video games, blocks, Tinkertoys, puzzles and boxes of toys requiring hours of set-up and infinite numbers of small parts. He quickly pulled a box from underneath a large, teetering pile. The crash and subsequent squeals of delight from baby Ruby at finding so many trachea-blocking objects gently roused Uncle Frank from his Shabbos shluf. Uncle Frank picked up his little grand-niece and started kissing her. Ruby reciprocated the affection by pulling out his beard, hair by hair. Always the gracious hosts, my aunt and uncle fed us home-baked cookies, played on the floor with the kids, gave me bags of fresh Meyer lemons and pomegranates from their garden, packed up goodie bags full of treats for the car ride home, and after a few hours of relaxing fun, helped me load up the car and sent us on our way. Uncle Frank then concluded his afternoon praising God that his four children are grown, and peacefully ended Shabbat with havdallah. As for me, I spent the next two hours stuck in traffic with three crabby kids, during which time I chipped a front tooth on a Now and Later I sneaked from Violet. Now that the holidays are over, spend a quiet winter Saturday afternoon visiting and feeding your friends and family. Uncle Frank is kind enough to share some favorite dishes, and I have included two uses for the wonderful Meyer lemons. MEYER LEMON-EGG SOUP Serves 6 4-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 3/4 cup uncooked rice 3 eggs 1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 2 Tbs. chopped parsley Bring the stock and the rice to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the rice is soft. Whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a bowl. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot soup to the eggs. Very slowly add the egg mixture to the simmering soup, stirring constantly. Add the salt and pepper. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped parsley. MOSAIC LAW MEN'S CLUB TUNA SALAD Makes about 4 cups 2 12 oz. cans albacore tuna, well drained 4 stalks celery, finely chopped 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped 3 Tbs. dill relish 1 tsp. dry mustard 1/2 tsp. dill weed 1/2 tsp. white pepper 3/4 cup mayonnaise Mix all ingredients together. Serve with bagels. MEYER LEMON CURD Makes about 2 cups zest of 2 lemons, finely chopped 2 egg yolks 3 eggs 6 Tbs. butter 3/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Cool and refrigerate. CHOCO-MAC COOKIES Makes 3 dozen 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup unsalted butter 2 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 3 cups flour 1 tsp. baking soda 2 cups chocolate chips 1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts Mix together sugars, butter, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Sift together the flour and baking soda. Gradually add to the sugar mixture. Add the chocolate chips and the nuts. Drop by spoonfuls on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Rebecca Ets-Hokin is a Bay Area cooking teacher and food professional. Her columns alternate with those of Louise Fiszer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to the Bulletin or to joerebecca@hotmail.com

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