You Know Passover Is Coming Because,,,,,,,,,,- Page 3

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 10:37am

A tasty snack, all year round. I may be a Shiksa Goddess, but I love that we almost always have a box of this yummy treat in the pantry.

[liotte]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 10:42am

I second the vote for charoset, yummy! I don't add sugar to mine though, too sweet. And cream cheese, pb&J, matzah pizza, all good in my book. However- I haven't done a seder since leaving college, and do not keep kosher for pesach. I don't find either necessary. When does passover start this year anyway?

[shira467]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 10:44am

I think April 12th. I fly home the 11th.

I can't wait for my Mom's charoset. It's yummy!

[caitiesus1522]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 10:53am

...my mom starts recounting the time we was in Miami for passover and I was called a Shiska...in a very negative way. Seriously I do not like recounting being screamed at my a guy's mother just for talking to him, or him getting slapped for talking to me.

Of course I get excited for Passover because I love the food. One of my best friends in Jewish and for the past two years has invited me over for her version of Seder with a bunch of Christians and her.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 10:55am

I posted this a few days ago - I end up making the Charoses every year (And some of us spell it differently, I know). I made it once, it got good reviews, and now have to make it forever.

I use green apples, cinnamon, walnuts, sweet wine, and a wee bit of brown sugar. Because the green apples add a bit of tartness, the brown sugar helps cut a bit of the tartness.

It is the one thing I have to make every hear. Charoses for 25, I end up setting out the whole night before to make it.

Charoses on Matzoh, the best sandwich ever.

And, it takes so long because there is a lot of reading that goes with the Haggadah. My Conservative friends end up having a dinner that goes until well past midnight. We start at sunset, so about 6:00. We get done at about 10-11 in the evening. We have our own family Haggadah that my mom and dad put together.

The Haggadah is the book you use. It has all of the information, including the underlying story and all of the prayers. Plus, some added stories that always make my mom cry. There is this one about a family in the former Yugoslavia that saved a Jewish family during the Holocaust, and the ability of the Jewish family to have the Israeli special forces save this family during the civil war and bring them to Israel. It makes her cry every year.

The hardest thing is to keep everyone in order after the third of fourth glass of wine. The saving grace for Passover is that we are not Kosher, and we watch the newbies drink the Manischewitz because they think they are supposed to!

I have to lead the Seder after my dad passed away (I have the best speaking voice, and for some reason because I live closest, and kind of the one that stands in his shoes for stuff like this). Ever seen the commercial of folks trying to herd cats? That is a Seder of 25 a my mom's house!

And Shira, the first night is the 12th.

For those interest, here is a link to some basic info.


Seder Updated On: 3/22/06 at 10:55 AM

[peach]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 12:34pm

My husband's grandmother makes mandelbrot with matzoh cake meal for Passover. These are my favorite cookies!

And I love my PB&J matzoh "sandwiches." I actually enjoy matzoh. Just not the errm...side effects. Thanks goodness for fruits and veggies....

[Popular]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:09pm

SHIRA- you're coming home?!?!? :)

My favorite recipes include plain yogurt with sliced strawberries.

Also, Nutella is great (not sure if it's totally kosher though)

[shira467]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:15pm

Popular. I'm coming in for the two seders. Like...

Airplane lands, eat, eat, eat, sleep, next seder, eat eat eat, sleep, plane.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:16pm

(sung to the tune of "There's no Business like Show business")

There's no seder like our seder,
There's no seder I know.
Everything about it is halachic
Nothing that the Torah won't allow.
Listen how we read the whole Haggadah
It's all in Hebrew
'Cause we know how.
There's no Seder like our seder,
We tell a tale that is swell:
Moses took the people out into the heat
They baked the matzah
While on their feet
Now isn't that a story
That just can't be beat?
Let's go on with the show!
__________________________________

Just a Tad of Haroset
(to the tune of "Just a spoon full of sugar")

Chorus:
Just a tad of haroset helps the bitter herbs
go down,
The bitter herbs go down, the bitter herbs go down.
Just a tad of Charoset helps the bitter herbs
go down,
In the most disguising way.

Oh, back in Egypt long ago,
The Jews were slaves under Pharaoh
They sweat and toiled and labored
through the day.
So when we gather Pesach night,
We do what we think right.
Maror, we chew,
To feel what they went through.

Chorus

So after years of slavery
They saw no chance of being free.
Their suffering was the only life they knew.
But baby Moses grew up tall,
And said he'd save them all.
He did, and yet,
We swear we won't forget.
That......

Chorus

While the Maror is being passed,
We all refill our water glass,
Preparing for the taste that turns us red.
Although Maror seems full of minuses,
It sure does clear our sinuses.
But what's to do?
It's hard to be a Jew!!!

Chorus
______________________________________________

Les Miselijah
(to the tune of "Do you hear the people Sing" from Les Miserables)

Do you hear the doorbell ring,
And it's a little after ten?
It can only be Elijah
Come to take a sip again.
He is feeling pretty fine
But in his head a screw is loose.
So perhaps instead of wine
We should only give him juice
________________________________________________

A Few of My Favorite Things
(Sung to the tune of "These are a few of my favorite things")

Cleaning and cooking and so many dishes
Out with the hametz, no pasta, no knishes
Fish that's gefillted, horseradish that stings
These are a few of our passover things.

Matzoh and karpas and chopped up haroset
Shankbones and kiddish and yiddish neuroses
Tante who kvetches and uncle who sings
These are a few of our Passover things.

Motzi and maror and trouble with Pharoahs
Famines and locusts and slaves with wheelbarrows
Matzah balls floating and eggshell that cling
These are a few of our Passover things.

When the plagues strike
When the lice bite
When we're feeling sad
We simply remember our Passover things
And then we don't feel so bad.

Updated On: 3/22/06 at 01:16 PM

[shira467]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:19pm

I love it!

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:26pm

Shira- there are many many more but they are all in my book back home. I'm sure you can find some online too.

Who hides or finds the Aficomen at your sedar? My uncle used to hide 4 of them...since there were 4 kids. Usually, my brother would end up finding them all. haha

[shira467]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:29pm

My dad usually does. And I usually find it!

[Plum]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:34pm

Mandi Moo, why would you wish that?

[Popular]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:37pm

Oh that's too bad you don't have more time to enjoy youself here, Shira.

SweetQ- Those are great! I know some people who would actually sing that at their table, full guitar/piano/drums to back it up (we have very fun, musical seders, our neighbors hate us). I'm going to pass it along to them. HA!

[liotte]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 1:59pm

In college, my friend Michelle and I were making the charoset for the big Hillel/AEPi seder for everyone, so about 200 people. We kept tasting it to see if it was good, and boy did we get drunk. Good times!

[mirramar]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 2:23pm

My family is ultra-orthodox, and they don't put anything on their matzoh. So no matzoh pizza, or cream cheese on my matzoh. No matzoh balls.
They don't eat anything that's processed, and the only vegetable we use are those that can be peeled. (No peppers, brocolli, etc.)
Basically all we end up eating is meat, potatoes, chicken, and ummmm. . . that's it!!!! I love meat and potatoes as much as the next person, but a week of it is killer!

*sniff* please think of me while you're chowing down on delicious matzoh pizza!

[liotte]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 2:27pm

I eat a lot of eggs during passover too. My cholesterol is horrible that time of year.

[The Grovers Corners Yenta2]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 2:49pm

I am glad I started this thread because many are participating as well as learning. DollyPop, your matzo story was so funny. I know where to send my leftover matzo. Usually, I eat whole wheat matzo during the week. It is much tastier and helps with "the problem" or as like to call it" Pharoah's Revenge." But Passover isn't entirely about food. True, we eat many foods that symbolize the holiday and to remind us about why we are celebrating it. The Kosher food companies come up with elaborate and very expensive products every year. Do we really need Kosher for Passover Pancakes or pizza mix? You mean to say that we can't do without those foods for 8 days? We were slaves in Egypt for generations and actually did without many things such as food, water, housing, and most important.........our freedom. I like to observe Passover as a festival of simplicity and getting back to basics of freedom . Personally, I don't use any of the products that are so fancy and just stick to matzo and perhaps matzo meal. Why should I be a slave to Manishewitz and Streit's and pay exorbitant prices for things I can do without........as did my ancestors. I hope that this Passover that people will take a serious look at what it means to be free. The word Seder means order in Hebrew. We commemorate a time we moved from being ordered around to having order in our lives.

[YessicaB]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 4:14pm

Wow, great thread. That was really interesting. I also had no clue what passover was about till I came to the States.
Last year I tutored a Jewish boy in German and discovered that I can pretty much understand everything in Yiddish (is that how it's spelled?). It's so similar!

[Jane2]

Posted: 3/22/06 at 4:59pm

I like me some matzoh brie.

[alterego]

Posted: 3/23/06 at 1:55am

Thanks for the description Billboard Girl!

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 5:48pm

matzo man is here!!!

[nomdeplume]

Posted: 4/1/06 at 7:52pm

It's near Easter!