Image by roger_mommaerts via Flickr A guest post on Food Processors and Pesach is up at Orthonomics. Recent editions of Haveil Havalim can be found at Ima on the Bima and Yachdus. For some reason, preparing for Pesach inspires me to write. Below, I present the best Passover posts below from years past on A Mother in Israel. Passover 5767/2007: The Pesach Problem. I should have called this one, "Why Only a Man Would Write that It's Possible to Make Pesach in Four Hours." Unofficial Guide to Pesach Shopping in Israel Pesach Menus What is Gebrokt? 29th Kosher Cooking Carnival (Passover recipes) Passover 5768/2008: "Turning Over" the Kitchen Preschool Passover … [Read more...]
Getting Your Kids to Help with Pesach Cleaning
March 10, 2010 by 8 Comments
Image by Chiot's Run via Flickr Passover is coming and we need all the help we can get. Sometimes we forget why kids should be involved in the Passover preparations. They're learning important skills. They're learning about the holiday. Even the most resistant children want to feel needed. You'll have more time for yourself—and the kids. You won't end up in an asylum. Make a list of the jobs that need to get done. Don't forget daily jobs, like sweeping, cooking, and supervising small children. One year, my son offered to hang all the laundry in the weeks before Pesach. Break jobs down into manageable segments of about half an hour each. Then gather the family and … [Read more...]
Four Pre-Passover Questions
March 4, 2010 by 5 Comments
Image by Daniel Greene via Flickr Please check out the new banner that Leora of Here in Highland Park designed for CookingManager.Com. She also designed the banner for this blog. Here at "A Mother in Israel" we've been known to poke fun at people who get too worked up about Pesach. But with the Passover holiday only a few weeks away, it's time to start making plans. Here are four questions to ask yourself now to make your preparations easier. What food do you need to use up? Plan menus to include them. Don't buy extra food that you will have to store or sell over the holiday. Is there any holiday food, like matzah, meat, or wine, that I need to order? Some readers have ordered … [Read more...]
Pesach, Prayer Books and More: Interesting Posts #3
February 14, 2010 by 7 Comments
Image by roger_mommaerts via Flickr Pesach is just around the corner and a reader asks for suggestions on how much matzah to order. We get around 1 kg (2 lbs) per person. Organized readers, please share your experience. West Bank Mama asks for pro-Israel posts: Gil Troy has written a blog post which appears on the Jerusalem Post, on how we should push back against anti-Israel propaganda. It seems that March 1st-7th will be a time for a wave of anti-Israel activities on campuses in North America. He argues, rightly, that we should be planning ahead instead of reacting after the fact. Israel Peace Week is one effort in the right direction. When three small children from her block … [Read more...]
Kosher Cooking Carnival #41: From Matzah to Lasagna
April 22, 2009 by 20 Comments
Welcome to the 41st edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival, founded by Batya of Me-Ander. Below is a list of previous editions. Write to Batya if you would like to host. #1 #2 #3 Thanks Ezzie #4 Thanks Sarah #5 #6 #7 Thanks Sadie #8 #9 Thanks Sarah #10Thanks, Elf #11 #12 Thanks Renegade KC #13 #14 Thanks Elisheva #15 #16 #17 Thanks Baleboosteh #18 #19 Thanks Baleboosteh #20 Thanks Mom in Israel #21 Thanks Juggling Frogs KC meta-Carnival, Thanks Juggling Frogs #22 #23 Thanks Help! I Have A Fire In My Kitchen #24 #25 #26 #27 Thanks Gillian-Food History #28 Thanks Little Frum House #29 Thanks Mother in Israel #30 #31 Thanks West Bank Mama #32 Thanks Soccer Dad #33 Thanks Leora-Here in HP … [Read more...]
Nine Moons
April 13, 2009 by 3 Comments
Today we went to the Poleg Nature Reserve near Netanya. The big attraction is this sand dune that the kids can roll down: Two kids stayed there to dig a hole while the rest of us went down to the beach. As we approached, my five-year-old said, "I see tisha yarchei leida." I guess those kites do look like moons, but there were a lot more than nine. Explanation for non-Hebrew speakers: She was quoting a line from a song sung at the Passover seder referring to nine months of pregnancy. In Hebrew, the word for month and moon is the same. … [Read more...]
Chicken with Black Olives and Tomatoes
April 12, 2009 by 11 Comments
This is an adaptation of a recipe that appeared in the Jerusalem Post many years ago. It always gets compliments. Kosher for Passover, it can be prepared on top of the stove and served hot or cold. Chicken with Black Olives and Tomatoes Ingredients: 1 cut-up chicken Flour, or potato flour for Passover 1 tbsp. oil One sliced onion 3/4 can tomatoes 3/4 can black olives 3 cloves of garlic Black pepper Method: Saute the onions in the oil, and remove them to a plate. Coat the chicken pieces with flour and brown in oil on both sides. For Pesach I've substituted potato starch, but this year I left out that step entirely. Let me know if it works with matza meal. Add the garlic, … [Read more...]
Pesach and Wasting Food
April 9, 2009 by 11 Comments
Cross-posted on DovBear. Jonathan Bloom at Wasted Food writes about throwing out food in advance of Passover: I can’t criticize religious or cultural practices that cause food waste, but I will say that not all Jews throw out or burn their leavened foods each spring. There are different levels of observance, both personally and officially (Reform, Conservative and Orthodox). When I was growing up, my dad “sold” our chametz to a colleague for a symbolic buck. While it's true that a strict observance of Passover may involve some waste of food, I want to make two points. The need to get rid of chametzdik food isn't so different from going on vacation or moving to a new house, … [Read more...]
Erev Pesach: Lost and Found and Sun Blessing
April 8, 2009 by 1 Comment
Today is Erev Pesach (the day before Passover), the busiest day in the Jewish calendar filled with halachic and practical tasks to eliminate all chametz (unleavened bread) from our homes and prepare for the Seder tonight. This year we also commemorate an event that takes place once every 28 years. According to the Torah the sun was created on the fourth day of the week. The sages calculated that since the sun takes 365 and a quarter days to do a full rotation, it returns to its original position every 28 years (4 years to make up an entire day, times seven cycles to get back to Wednesday). The text of the recited blessing is the same as that said upon seeing other natural phenomena, like … [Read more...]
Pesach Excess
April 6, 2009 by 16 Comments
While my house gets turned upside-down in advance of Passover (and no, I won't tell you where I'm "holding"), I've gathered yet more thoughts about Pesach. First of all, it is hard. Even the minimum involves hard physical labor and more important, planning. Not everyone is blessed with organizational skills or the discipline to follow a strict schedule. But because it's Pesach, we let things get out of hand, and pay for it in all kinds of ways. Here are some examples: Too much kashering. I used to kasher my microwave just because I could, until I realized I only used it once or twice during Pesach. Now I have it available until the last minute. Same with some pots. After Pesach I … [Read more...]
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