Spring has Sprung! NOT

Spring officially started the other day, and Purim is over, which means that it is time to think about Passover. . . . . designing the menu, purchasing the food and then the dreaded cleaning.  I love spring.  I love how it starts to warm up and I love seeing the little green stems shoot through the mud, after the snow has melted.  (I am NOT even going to think about the possibility of a storm mid week in Boston.)

This year I am hosting BOTH Seders.  The torch has been passed, and this working mom of two, is now hosting both nights.  Driving to my parent's house is nice, however it means the kids get into bed late (since the grandparents live an hour away) and most years the dreaded state MCAS tests are given during Passover.  This year, it means I get to invite friends and family and design the menus, which I like to do.  To me, hosting Seder means you are now a Jewish adult. 

I have designed the menu, thinking about all the things one needs to think about - everything is going to be meat, which means not a drop of dairy, including dessert.  It means that I have to think of TWO vegetarian main dishes for the husband (that don't include dairy).  Since I don't like red meat, it means two different chicken dishes.  It also means, that I am cooking everything from the chicken soup to the dessert.   I have the menu, and I have my grocery lists.  Grocery list #1 contains all the items I need to buy at the local Kosher store (Kosher for Passover knishes, cheese, yogurt, chicken, shank bone).  Grocery list #2 contains the items I can buy at the local grocery store (matzoh, chocolate treats, etc) and grocery list #3 contains the items I must buy the weekend before Passover (fruit, veggies, etc).

Then the weekend before I make my COOK list, which includes Mady's Chicken Soup and Matzoh balls, carrot consume (for the vegetarian), charoset (made with raisins and dates), chocolate chip cookies (Kosher for Passover), Kosher for Passover Granola (from the Temple Emanuel Sisterhood Cookbook - only a very few remain before we are totally sold out), chocolate covered matzoh, mondelbret and a few other things.  I make these things because homemade is better than store bought (yes, I have spoiled my family).

The thing that I find really hard is that once Seder is over, and the leftovers are gone, I have to cook again, and now that the kids are older, I am driving around town.  Thursday at 6 PM is my carpool turn for Hebrew School pick up, so I had to buy three packages of over priced, not so great, cheese blintzes, so my husband can heat them up when he arrives home that Thursday.  Homemade food is always better than frozen, but some nights there is no other choice.

So, while others are cleaning off bikes and storing skis, I will be cleaning and preparing for Passover.

Potato Rosti

Another easy dinner!

Adapted from Veggie Planet

1 egg
1/4 cup white flour
2 medium russet potatoes (about one pound), peeled and grated (in the food processor)
1/3 cup grated Swiss Gruyere Cheese (in the food processor)
1/3 cup chopped onion (in the food processor)
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper
1 1/2 T unsalted butter

In a large bowl, combine the egg and the flour.  Add the potatoes, cheese, onion, and caraway seeds.  Season with salt and pepper.

In a 9-11 inch non stick skillet, heat over medium high heat.  Add half of the butter.  Let it melt.  Then add the potato mixture, and pat it down into the pan.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it cook for 10 minutes.   Invert the rosti onto a plate.  Add butter to pan, and let melt, and then slide rosti, cooked side up, into the pan.  (I have a Frittata pan, so the pans lock together making flipping easy.)

Cook for another 10 minutes over medium to low heat.

Slide rosti onto cutting board, and slice into six slices.

Hamentashen season is here!

Hamentashen season is here!  I made three batches - enough for treats for my office, Adam's office, our Purim baskets and of course US!


This generally works better if you make the dough the night before and refrigerate it overnight.

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
2 ½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup orange juice
5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 TBS baking powder
1 cup fruit preserves, any flavor

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease cookie sheets.

2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light & fluffy. Stir in the oil, vanilla and orange juice. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the batter to form a stiff dough. If dough is not stiff enough to roll out, stir in more flour. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon about 2 tsp. of preserves into the center of each one. Pinch the edges to make 3 corners.

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 5-6 dozen cookies.

From the Temple Emanuel Sisterhood Cookbook

Persian Chicken

A very yummy  treat!

1 chicken cut in pieces

Marinade
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/4 t saffron powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c olive oil
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 lime juiced

Preheat oven to 350F

In small bowl combine the marinade ingredients.  Rub the marinade on the chicken pieces.

Bake uncovered for one hour.  After 45 minutes cover with foil  to prevent a burn.

Chicken must be 160F.