Vibrant Moms

Well, the Pesach things are packed and the boxes are waiting to be put into the garage (need daylight for that!), and the kitchen is basically back to normal.  Actually, I think it always looks better than normal right after we turn over, since every surface is so clean and clear!

I was visiting a friend at the end of yom tov, and we got to see their family kick into high gear as soon as yom tov ended.  I enjoyed seeing her husband and his three visiting adult brothers go into action - wow!  They really were some team.  They said they grew up doing it, so now it’s automatic for them.  I told my kids to watch them and get some inspiration since they made it look fun, but as my kids watched how fast everything was getting done, a couple of them said it was kind of discouraging because it wouldn’t be like that in our house.  I commented to my friend about this, and she said they do something special at the end of it all that everyone looks forward to.  We do that when we turn the kitchen over for Pesach, but not when we turn it back over for chometz, and I thought that was a great idea. 

My kids did a great job working together - everyone over the age of 6 stayed up (the 6 and 8 year olds by request, the ten year old because I told him he had to :)) to help.  My main job was reading to the three year old and putting him to sleep, then supervising everyone and making notes to include on the boxes for next year.  (I did more later on when the kids had finished their work.)  My dh was able to help out for a while before he had to go to sleep - he has to leave for work very early in the morning, and wouldn’t have gotten a decent amount of sleep even if he hadn’t helped out, so I really appreciate him taking time he didn’t have to pitch in.  Right before he went to sleep, he got a call from my friend, informing him that she ordered pizza for us and the pizzas were on the way! 

Wasn’t that amazingly sweet of her to think of us!  I’m sure she was thinking it would be something nice for my kids at the end of the night, and it was.  There was some time between when I told my kids about the call and when the pizza arrived (apparently there was a very long line at the pizza store), and boy, did that give them all a second wind to keep going!  They really enjoyed it, and though the night ended very late for everyone (they went to sleep about a half hour ago, and it’s 2 am now), it ended with a good feeling from everyone. 

I’m so glad that we have a decent amount of food in the freezer to make tomorrow a more relaxed day, especially since we have guests coming for Shabbos lunch.  It could too easily feel like non stop cooking and preparing if we didn’t have so much done.  I also have a bunch of things I want to accomplish outside of the kitchen (mostly related to preparing the garden and cleaning up the yard) but I have to see how everyone is doing in the morning, since I don’t want anyone to feel overloaded.  I’ve told them all to sleep in as late as they want, but my ds10 and ds15 are unlikely to, as they go to minyan together every morning, and haven’t missed a morning in six months, regardless of what kind of weather they’ve had to walk in!  So the two of them will end up needing naps when they get home, I think!

Wishing everyone a day of serenity and positivity!

Avivah

It’s erev yom tov, and since we did so much cooking before Pesach, we’re able to pull a number of kugels, main dishes, and desserts out of the freezer.  We adapted our menu plan for the last days to have some more variety, so we added roast turkey, farfel stuffing, gravy, ratatouille, sweet potato wedges, and carrots with pineapple to the other things planned, but that’s made already.  We only needed to make two salads, two roasted vegetable dishes, and bake some butternut squash today, so we’ve all been able to enjoy a relaxing day.  But - because I know that days like this can end up with the most rushing at the end (because everyone assumes there’s nothing to do until an hour before it’s time to light), I want to be careful to avoid that frustrating scenario.  There’s a saying, ‘Failing to plan is planning to fail’, and if I didn’t learn something from the past and plan around that, I’d be inviting myself to have a frustrating late afternoon today.

I didn’t invite guests for this part of yom tov, since I was hesitant to invite people in advance, just in case I gave birth early again.  But we really enjoy having company!  Today I hopefully called a neighbor and invited her along with her visiting extended family for lunch tomorrow.  We have enough food made that an extra ten or fifteen people for lunch is no big deal, but they couldn’t come - their cooking is all done.  Since so many people cook on yom tov and either don’t yet have their cooking done or wouldn’t mind putting whatever extra they had into the freezer, plus she would be working all day today, I thought it was worth asking.  Her 9 year old niece visiting from NY and my dd8 have really hit it off and spent hours together during the time they’ve been here, so even though they can’t come, I know they’ll still end up enjoying each other’s company over the next couple of days. 

Here’s the last recipe I’ll be posting for Pesach this year.  My kids love this recipe, but in the end I didn’t make it for this year - too many other tasty things to make!  I’ll probably make it for the coming Sunday, though, assuming I have enough matza left - my kids will be happy to have it even after Pesach!  A couple of years ago I made it for the first time for guests who don’t keep kosher or Pesach traditions, and they enjoyed it, too - so I guess that’s saying something for it!  It’s an easy recipe, and it makes a generous amount.  Some people find that a dairy meal on the last day breaks up the long stretch of meat meals, and this is a nice dairy main dish. 

Pesach Lasagna

• 4 eggs
• 2 lb. cottage cheese
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 lb. shredded cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t. basil
• 32 oz. tomato sauce
• 6 whole matzos

Soak matzas in some milk for less than a minute - they should be wet, not soggy.  Beat eggs, and add cottage cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, and basil.  Mix well.  Pour a little sauce on the bottom of two 9 x 13 pans.  Layer the matza, then the cottage cheese, then sauce, then shredded cheese on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 50 minutes.  Let cool ten minutes before slicing. 

You can also saute some onions, garlic, and any shredded veggies of your choice, and add that as another layer.

Enjoy the last days of Pesach - so much work goes into preparing for this week, and then it zooms by so quickly!   I’ve enjoyed our Pesach so much and hope that all of you have, too!

Avivah

I got this recipe from a friend who made it for my sheva brachos almost seventeen years ago, and I’ve made it a number of times and gotten rave reviews every time.  I rarely make ice cream anymore, except for Pesach, but this was the first year I’ve made this for Pesach.  It usually has a crumb topping, but for Pesach I left it off.  My kids liked this more than any other frozen desserts we made this year, except for the strawberry ice whip, which I told you has emotional staying power from year to year.

Incredible Vanilla Ice Cream

• 2 containers whip (regular size)
• 2 - 3 eggs
• 1/2 - 3/4 c. sugar
• 2 t. vanilla

Mix up the whip until thick, then mix the other ingredients into it.  Then:

• 5 eggs, separated
• 1/3 c. sugar

Beat the egg whites and sugar in a clean, dry bowl until stiff.  Mix the egg yolks into the mixture above.  When egg whites are stiff, fold both mixes together.  Put in a pan and freeze.  You can grate baking chocolate on top to add a decorative touch.   

Avivah

>>Could you please post how you make your fruit sorbet? I am assuming you don’t have a KLP ice cream maker and i am curious to know how you mke one without.<<

Here’s the recipe for the fruit sorbet - the name of it is really a misnomer because there’s no fruit in it.  It’s very easy and not a bit healthy; I doubt you can find anything redeeming about it nutritionally.  On Pesach we eat things and use ingredients that I don’t use the rest of the year, and this recipe is a perfect example of that.

Fruit Sorbet

• 2 packages of jello
• 2 c. boiling water
• 1 container of whip

Mix the jello with boiling water, chill slightly but not until set.  Beat the whip partially, but not until stiff.  Combine the jello and whip, then freeze in a pan.  Take out a few minutes before serving.

I don’t have an ice cream maker, but in the past when making sherbert, what I’ve occasionally done is to mix all the ingredients together, pour into a pan, freeze, and then every 20 minutes or so to stir it. Another easier option that I did more often was to freeze it, then whip it, then freeze again only once more.  That way it has a sherbert-like consistency.

For Pesach desserts (on yom tov and Shabbos, not chol hamoed) we usually have one frozen treat with one baked good at every meal.  I don’t like to have more than that because it seems like overload to me.  Examples would be vanilla ice cream with apple pie, mocha squares with strawberry ice whip, or chocolate cake with fruit sorbet.  Even though it’s a lot more sugar than I generally use, everyone generally just has a piece of each per meal, so it’s still not horrible. 

Avivah

Here’s a quick and easy Pesach lunch:

Matza Pizza

• 1 egg
• 1/4 c. milk
• 4 matzos
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 16 cheese slices or equivalent of shredded cheese

Beat the egg and milk.  Brush one side of the matza with this, and put the matzos next to one another on a well greased pan, with the dry side down.  You can cover with sauce and put the cheese on top, or cover with cheese and pour the sauce on top.  (I’ll try covering it with cheese and then the sauce, for a different presentation.)  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Update - we made this, and tried it with and without the egg and milk.  I didn’t taste it but my kids did, and they didn’t think there was much of a difference.  They felt it was faster to make without it and would rather stick to just putting the sauce straight onto the matza.  We also tried it with the cheese on top, and the sauce on top, and they preferred it with the cheese on top, in the traditional way. 

Avivah

I thought I’d make up a pre Pesach menu plan to share with you, but I didn’t end up doing that.  I’m sorry if I disappointed anyone.  But I’ll share with you some ideas of things that I make, along with some recipes. 

I have about five pounds of ground chicken and five pounds of ground meat defrosting right now.  I’m planning to mix them to make meat patties and meat knishes for non yom tov meals.  The basic idea of making knishes is very, very simple.  I boil up a big pot of potatoes, mash them well, add eggs, salt, and pepper, ground meat, and potato starch.  Sorry, I made up this recipe, so I don’t have measurements.  It doesn’t really matter how much potato and meat you put in - whatever ratio you like will turn out well as long as there’s enough egg and potato starch to hold it together.  Then I shape them into squarish shapes, and bake them at 350 until they’re done.  I like the consistency the potato starch adds to it - it gives them kind of a cheesy consistency.  I do something similar to make dairy knishes.  But instead of adding ground meat, I add shredded cheese and/or cottage cheese.   Both of these are nice for taking on chol hamoed outings.

Because there are so many meat meals on yom tov, I try to make lighter meals for chol hamoed.  I don’t buy fish for Pesach, because I find it too expensive, so our meals tend to be dairy with vegetables.  Pizza, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, and crustless quiche are all nice main dishes.  I’ve made bourekas but they’re a pain to make - but they were very tasty!  Vegetable cutlets or loaf is also nice, particularly with a gravy on top.  I like having a big pot of vegetable soup to supplement these meals, or cut fresh veggies.  What I make really depends on how much is left of my groceries once all of the bulk yom tov meals are prepared. 

Matza brei and latkes (with dried fruit, cottage cheese, or matza meal) are nice for breakfast, along with milk and fruit.  So are hash browns and eggs.  This year I’m looking forward to trying a new quinoa pudding recipe that looks yummy. 

There are so many things to eat on Pesach, many of which are the same or can be adapted from regular recipes from the year, that there’s no reason to complain about how hungry and deprived the family has to be for a week without pasta or bagels!

I’ve prepared posts with Pesach recipes that I plan to send them out on chol hamoed (we try to avoid doing anything unnecessary on chol hamoed, but dh said it’s okay if I post it then).  If I’ve mentioned a specific recipe that you’d like me to post, let me know and I’ll try to put it up for you. 

Avivah

Here’s the new cookie recipe we tried out yesterday that Rena requested - remember, these are Pesach cookies.  Don’t expect it to taste like chometz!

Mock Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 c. matza meal
• 1 c. matza farfel
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/2 c. oil
• 1 c. raisins
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Mix together the first five ingredients in one bowl.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, then add the oil, adding the nuts and raisins last.  Blend both bowls of ingredients together.  Drop by teaspoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet and flatten top slightly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, being careful not to overbake.  (If in doubt, bake it a little less.)

Avivah

You’re probably feeling out of sync with me, reading about my gardening plans when it’s time to get ready for Pesach.  :)  Just so you know I still remember what week long holiday is coming, I’ll share what we’re doing about Pesach cooking.  We did some Pesach cooking before Shabbos - so far, we’ve made and frozen two kinds of ice creams, baked chicken, carrot kugel, apple kugel, vegetable matza kugel, moussaka, kishke, and mocha squares.  

I planned to go the vegetable store early this morning to get enough to hold us through all of yom tov, but thanks to dh having my car keys in his pocket and being far away, that will wait until tomorrow morning.  Fortunately I have enough flexibility in my schedule that doing my errands tomorrow won’t throw me off.  We’ll do our cooking today with what we have on hand (I think I have basically all I need, except for beets, but I’d like to get some more veggies for fresh salads). 

With so many meals to prepare, I find it easiest to quadruple up on recipes, making several pans of the same thing at one time, put some in the freezer, and pull out a selection of what I want for each meal.  Then it doesn’t feel like much work, it can be spread out over a few days very easily, and we end up with a really nice choice of dishes.  So I start bulking up on recipes when I cook for the Shabbos before Pesach (since the kitchen is turned over by then), and the things in the freezer are for all of yom tov as well as the Shabbos right after Pesach. 

Here’s what we’re planning to make for today:

• chocolate cake
• marble cake
• apple pie w/almond crust
• fruit sorbet
• jello with pineapple and sliced strawberries
• chocolate chip cookies
• mock oatmeal raisin cookies
• meatloaf
• meat balls
• roast chicken
• confetti vegetable kugel
• potato kugel
• quinoa pilaf
• tomato bruschetti salad
• California pickle salad
• cole slaw
• health salad

Different children have requested to make different dishes, so it’s split up pretty evenly between them.  Ds6 is a partner with dd14, dd8 is a partner with dd12 in addition to making one dessert on her own.  Ds10 has been peeling carrots and apples so they’ll be ready when someone needs it while waiting for his turn to make something.  Ds3 is with his grandparents having a birthday trip.  And me?  I’m here with you.  :)))  

Tomorrow we’ll make beet salad, carrot salad, baked apples, and do all the laundry.  A couple of cooked vegetable dishes and fresh salads (including charoses) will be made on erev Pesach.  And that should be basically all of the cooking done through the Shabbos after Pesach, except for breakfasts and lunches until Pesach, and then chol hamoed meals. 

Avivah

My dd12 made up this kugel recipe today, and is very happy with how it came out.  So I’m sharing it here with you. 

Michal’s Amazing Confetti Vegetable Kugel

• 8 medium potatoes
• 2 large or 5 small carrots
• 2 small zucchini
• 1/4 c. potato starch
• 1/4 c. matza meal
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 4 eggs

Shred the vegetables.  Mix together with all remaining ingredients.  Grease a 9 x 13 pan or cover the bottom with baking paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until it’s golden brown around the edges and the center is firm when you insert a knife. 

Enjoy!

Avivah

This is a classic for Pesach in our family - it’s the one thing that I always make every year.  We have pictures of my oldest two when they were 3 and 2, blending this up together, and every year since then, my kids anticipate making and eating this strawberry ice whip.   Several years ago I mentioned that I wasn’t going to make it, and all of the kids vociferously protested and told me it wouldn’t feel like Pesach without it!  It’s super easy - the main thing is you have to blend it for the whole time so that it really fluffs up.

Strawberry Ice Whip

• 2 c. strawberries, sliced
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 t. lemon juice
• 2 egg whites

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix with electric blender (we use a hand blender) on high speed for twenty minutes, until the mixture triples in volume.  Put in the freezer (we put it in a pan) and serve when frozen - we cut it into squares for a yummy and light dessert.

We’ve served this to many guests over the years (most recently to yesterday’s lunch guests), and they’ve all enjoyed it, too!

Avivah