Norwitz Notions

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How to Cut a Dead Person

June 3rd, 2020 · 1 Comment

I’ve seen some oddnesses in my time exploring cemeteries, but this one is new to me. This is the cemetery walking distance from my house and its hilly paths and century and a half of burials make it an enjoyable walk when parks are closed or crowded. Cypress Hill Memorial Park Cemetery, Petaluma, California. We […]

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Categories: Genealogy
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Shabbat Service Planning

June 5th, 2014 · No Comments

Sites, books, music, and more For bat mitzvah, bar mitzvah, d’var Torah/drosh, aliyot, services, etc From the adult education class at (the Reconstructionist) Congregation Ner Shalom, Cotati, CA in preparation for our b’nai mitzvah, June 14, 2014 (plus June 28 & July 11) Last updated June 5, 2014 Torah Reading Sh’lakh L’kha (Numbers 13:1 – 15:41) in […]

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Categories: Judaism · Religion & Holidays · Shabbus
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Mystery Squash

December 6th, 2013 · 3 Comments

It had been about 5 years since my last serious summer garden.  But for 2013, I planted summer squash, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, beans, chard, and a few miscellaneous items with mixed results. My best success was about 100 pounds of Romanesco (summer squash that is like zucchini, with stripes and more flavor) plus others from a […]

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Categories: Food · Garden
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Cheap Produce or Good Produce?

February 3rd, 2012 · 2 Comments

One of my pet peeves is when people tell me that buying produce at a local farm or farmer’s market is too expensive. Because they can go to Lucky’s or Safeway and get “the same thing” for less per pound. Except it’s not the same thing. Most supermarket produce comes from far away. Here in […]

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Categories: Budgeting · Farms · Food · Food Markets · Places to Go
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Sonoma County & Other Local Fairs 2010

August 1st, 2010 · 1 Comment

Who doesn’t love a fair?  Even if you don’t have a child to share it with.  I grew up on the Del Mar (San Diego County) Fair, which is one of the biggest county fairs around.  Our local fairs here aren’t as big but they’re fun. There’s one right here in Petaluma, the Sonoma-Marin Fair, […]

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Categories: Fairs · Family Life · Food · Food Contests · Places to Go · Poetry · Writings
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Lemongrass Thai Cuisine (Petaluma, CA)

June 21st, 2010 · No Comments

Reading reviews of Lemongrass Thai Cuisine, I’m shocked by how many people love it.  Did we go to the same place?  Did they change chefs?  Are all the reviewers blown away by anything a step above fast food? Lemongrass Thai Cuisine 109 N McDowell Ave, Petaluma, CA 94954 (707) 789-9777 As we perused the menu, […]

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Categories: Food · Restaurant Reviews · SF Bay Area Restaurant
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Freestone Fermentation Festival 2010

May 22nd, 2010 · 5 Comments

Quick, name some fermented foods.  What did you come up with?  Beer? wine? cheese? pickles?  Let’s not forget yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, kombucha, natto, tempeh, vinegar, and bread.  These and more were the focus of the second annual Freestone Fermentation Festival in Sonoma County, California, May 15, 2010. This was my first time at this […]

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Categories: Food · Food Commentary · Meals & Events
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A Shock to the Heart

October 3rd, 2009 · 14 Comments

Riddle: What is harder than taking care of a baby after having major surgery? This will be my last pregnancy update. I was 36 weeks pregnant on Saturday, September 26, 2009.  40 weeks is the “due date” and 37 weeks is considered “full term.”  But 36 weeks is considered safe and close enough to full […]

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Categories: Family Life · Health · High Holy Days · Judaism · Miriam Updates · Pregnancy · Religion & Holidays
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Sunbutter Date Nut Bars

August 14th, 2009 · 1 Comment

I’ve made a variety of dessert/snack bars based on the simple ingredients of dates and nuts.  Sometimes I substitute prunes for half the dates to bring the carb count down.  Sometimes I add banana or other fruit.  And I use a bunch of different flavorings. You can make these raw (with a dehydrator) or cooked.  […]

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Categories: Desserts · Family Life · Food · Recipes · Snacks
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Real Doner Traditional Turkish Food (Petaluma, CA)

July 1st, 2009 · 3 Comments

A few months ago, a new cafe opened in downtown Petaluma near Walnut Park.  Foodies in the know thrill because the owners are family of the owners of a now-defunct Turkish restaurant in Santa Rosa, Real Gryo, which I never had the pleasure of trying.  Real Doner is a small place with a deli feel.  […]

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Categories: Food · Restaurant Reviews · SF Bay Area Restaurant
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Shabbat Dinner for 20

May 17th, 2009 · 2 Comments

Once a month, our synagogue, Ner Shalom in Cotati, California, holds a family Shabbat dinner.  Sometimes it’s a potluck, other times they order platters from a local restaurant.  A few months ago, I volunteered to do the cooking.  I had two motives here: 1) I love to cook for large groups of people.  Seriously, I […]

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Categories: Desserts · Food · Grains · Judaism · Main Dishes · Meals & Events · Recipes · Religion & Holidays · Shabbus · Vegetable Dishes
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Gourmet Garden (Petaluma, CA)

December 26th, 2008 · 1 Comment

It’s Christmas Day and time for our annual tradition of Jews eat Asian food on Christian holidays (why? you ask…because we get the day off and nothing else is usually open, though that’s changed in recent years).  Normally we go down to Todai, a chain of buffets with huge amounts of decent sushi and other […]

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Categories: Food · Restaurant Reviews · SF Bay Area Restaurant
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Namaste Cafe (Petaluma, CA)

December 11th, 2008 · No Comments

My brother, his girlfriend, and my 10 year old niece came to visit us and shop at the local outlet mall.  Last time I saw them all (at the Marin County Fair the 4th of July) I brought a huge picnic lunch for everyone but this visit I decided not to cook.  I’d been wanting […]

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Categories: Food · Restaurant Reviews · SF Bay Area Restaurant
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Abyssinia (Ethiopian/Eritrean, Santa Rosa, CA)

November 22nd, 2008 · No Comments

Some comfort foods come from childhood (the one that fills my soul is very soft, very slow cooked scrambled eggs over buttered whole-grain toast, something I can no longer have) and others are with you all along but hidden until you happen upon that food.  My adult-found comfort food is Ethiopian.  The sour spongy bread […]

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Categories: Food · Restaurant Reviews · SF Bay Area Restaurant
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Peterson’s Pumpkin & Honey Farm (Petaluma, CA)

October 27th, 2008 · 4 Comments

After all our travel posts, I thought it was time to share some places close to home.  Really close to home in this case. Peterson’s Farm 636 Gossage Ave, Petaluma, CA 94952 ettamarie@petersonsfarm.com http://www.petersonsfarm.com/ Yes, we are lucky enough to live across the street from a small, working, chemical-free farm.  In a mere 6 acres, […]

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Categories: Farms · Food · Food Markets · Picnics · Places to Go
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