In the Sukkah We Shall Sit for 7 Days...

As the Jewish New Year holiday season continues into it's final stretch we are in final preparations for sukkot.  I procrastinated planning our sukkah with a sense of overwhelm.  Most of my holiday focus is generally on menu planning, food shopping, cooking, baking and finding enough freezer space. My husband took care of building the structure, electrical wiring and some back-up fans as protection against the impending heat wave. I was tasked with interior design. 

I felt a certain amount of pressure for the decorating of our sukkah to be a great experience for my kids and me together and at the same time a desire for it to be elegant and welcoming home for the next 7 days.  Childhood memories crept in with what seemed like hours of standing on ladders, cutting string, hanging and re-hanging all of the shiny decorations until they were correctly fastened and I quickly realized having my kids share this process with me from start to finish would be fun for nobody.  

I finally felt the inspiration today, (there's nothing like the last minute- the holiday begins after a full work day tomorrow) and ran a quick errand to Michael's Crafts. They had some fantastic floral arrangements, really pretty silk hydrangeas in fall jewel tones that would be perfect.  I caught a roll of burlap twine in the sale bin on the way out and the best little hint, translucent, elastic fish wire meant for jewelry making and voila our elegant sukkah awaits...my kids will add the finishing touches in the morning, putting their personal stamp on it and making this a great experience for all.

And because I can't resist, a sample menu for the holiday.
Chag Sameach!

Round Cinnamon Challahs

Chicken won-tons with apricot dipping sauce

Prime Rib Part Deux

Braised Honey Mustard Garlic Chicken Thighs with Shallots

Roasted vegetable platter: beet Fries, brussel sprouts, squash

Mashed Parsnip Soufflé with Caramelized Onions

Cherry Tomato Crisp

Shitake Asparagus Green Salad 

Chocolate Caramel and Pecan tart

Berries

Why is This Night More Fun Than All Other Nights?

With Passover quickly approaching most of us are so focused on spring cleaning and menu planning that we often forget about some fun ways to prepare for a family Seder that can be the real highlight of the holiday.  

My children spend weeks in Jewish day school preparing for Passover.  They learn the order of events, scour their classroom cubbies for bread crumbs, and sing every known tune about frogs in Pharoh's bed.  They come ready to the table with their personalized projects and the evening usually culminates with their performance of the Four Questions. Nothing is unexpected.

This year I challenge you to turn the tables.

Instead of sitting back and waiting for them to bring all the excitement to your table, surprise your kids with some fun Seder activities that bring this holiday ritual to life and keep them engaged even after they secure their Afikoman prizes.

These fun Seder ideas will delight your kids with the knowledge that you did more to prepare for commemorating the Exodus from Egypt than grind the apples to make the Charoset:

On My Way Out of Egypt, I Couldn't Live Without My... 

Gather some random items around the house and place them in an old suitcase or funny looking bag.  Make sure the other adults at your table dont see what you have selected. Items you put in the bag can range from obvious to ridiculous; some examples are sunglasses, stuffed animals, band aids, plunger, comic book etc. The prep for this game is particularly fun to do with the kids; they'll love being the ones to select the items and force the adults to do some improv.  

Pass the bag around the table at various points throughout the Seder and have the person who gets it dig in to pull out an unidentified item and quickly come up with a reason to explain why they couldn't leave Egypt without this essential item. The fun of having no idea what object you are going to get and the spontaneity of having to perform in front of your company will no doubt generate big laughs.

Seder Bingo

What better way to capture all the details during the seder than to turn it into a Bingo Game?  My sister ingeniously created this Passover Bingo Board for her website FunInJerusalem and suggests playing it with marshmallows as Bingo markers (reminiscent of the marshmallows our father distributed to us anytime we participated in our childhood seders- while sneaking a few of his own).

Bingo can be played by young and old and include everyone at your seder table. The kids will love competing with their grown relatives and friends.  The board is filled with Passover images that appear throughout the story of the Haggadah, and is a great way to get the kids into it long after the Four Questions are over.

Passover Personalities 20 Questions

A backward version of charades, each person at the seder is cast in the role of a Passover character, but the catch is they don't know who.  Create paper crowns with a card attached to the front facing the crowd so that the table can see the players character even though he cant see it himself.  The player then gets the opportunity to ask 20 questions he can come up with in order to figure out which Passover character he is playing that night.  


Some obvious ones include Pharaoh or Moses, but you can also add some fun ones, like wild animals from the 10 plagues or the wicked child of the Four Sons. Kids love guessing and leading each other with clues to figure out their Passover characters.

Frog Finder
What's the Passover story without a recounting of the frogs that plagued Egypt and found their way into every crevice of Pharoh's palace?  Buy a simple sheet of green stickers such as these circular labels made by Avery and quickly stick them in various hidden and obvious spots all over the house.  Wait until the kids get antsy and announce that the plague of frogs has taken over the house. As the Egyptian clean up crew, they are challenged to see how many frogs they can collect on a plain white sheet of paper.  


The winner with the most frog stickers collected wins some special honor at the table or a replica of Moshe's staff, anything to keep them proud.  This one can go on for quite a while and give them some time to stretch their legs, though the warning of course is that you may find little green frog stickers for months to come depending on how meticulous your little sleuths are.


Most importantly have fun, it's the best way to show your kids how much you care about the day.


What are some of your best Passover Seder hints to liven up the festivities? 

Ok Kids, Time to Play With Your Food!

Thanks to my sister for sending along this fun dinner idea she saw on the web. I’ve recently been inspired to  try some of these more outlandish culinary experiments, a great diversion for kids on a long Sunday afternoon.

This one in particular looked pretty self-explanatory.  After the requisite hand washing, I put a bowl of raw spaghetti and a bowl of cut hot dog pieces in front of my kids and told them to go to town.

It took a few minutes to get the right system down and prevent the spaghettis from snapping.  But after some practice, (and intervention from Dad’s analytical brain) we started to place the hot dog pieces on a bunch of spaghetti all at once, making for the perfect kebobs.

Light Up the Nights

I've thoroughly enjoyed this week of Chanukah celebration.  The kids were thrilled to bring home their personally crafted Menorahs, each with their own individual flare.  We've lit them each night with pride and celebration of the miracles we commemorate on Chanukah and appreciate in our daily lives.


Of course any celebration wouldn't be complete without a festive meal, for which I tried a few new, and some very successful, recipes. 



Chef Todd Aarons of Tiera Sur at Herzog Wine Cellars, Oxnard, California published a holiday menu on Epicurious some of which I am sure to include henceforth in my yearly repertoire.  His Yukon Gold Potato and Jerusalem Artichoke Latkes were spectacular and a big hit for those who are bored of the traditional deep fried latke of old.  The Jerusalem artichokes, though not easy to find in stores (I found mine at Whole Foods) added a savory flavor to the potato pancakes that was easily recognizable and delicious.  The latkes were perfectly complemented by Aarons' Apple-Horseradish Mayonnaise, a really unique dipping sauce with a great mix of flavors that can easily be used year round to complement roasted meats or fish dishes.  

I was somewhat less successful with my attempt at the Pavlova with Cranberry Orange Compote as seen on ABC's daytime cooking show, The Chew.  Carla Hall made it seem easy to whip up the meringue and bake it to perfection, when my actual trials (yes plural), failed miserably when I tried transferring the beautiful whipped confection from the baking sheet to the wire cooling rack.  Nonetheless, the cranberry orange compote was perfectly tangy and tart with the complement of fresh mint garnish.  Served in individual bowls with the meringue base, nobody ever would have suspected it was supposed to be otherwise.

It's been a fantastic holiday- despite the endless array of new trinkets that made their way into our home- those who know me well know that our toys fear for their lives when I enter the playroom with my giveaway bags--- ready or not, here I come! 

And Next, An Internship with Frank Lloyd Wright

Coming up with an activity to entertain my 4 year old is often a challenge during her brother's homework time.  After school there's lots to accomplish -- dinner to eat, showers to be taken, relaxation to be had, and of course the ever important bedtime.  But this year, homework has made it's way into our nightly rituals and it's staking a claim on a good percentage of the evening routine.

While I'm working on establishing our own household best practices on homework (for another post), I often find it hard to entertain our pre-schooler during this time.  Turning to anything media related is too much of a distraction for the 1st grade scholar, and I often need the time myself to pull together our dinner after a full day at the office. In comes my beloved Pinterest to the rescue.  Whether it's Design, Spaces or Provisions, I love using this site for cataloging fantastic ideas- virtual inspiration at my fingertips. 

On a recent perusal through my Pinterest muses, I noticed a photo of a great activity, perfect for entertaining my 4 year old while improving her innovation skills.  And the best news was that it wasn't something that would send me to the store for a long list of random crafts.  All I needed was a colander and some pipe cleaners.  I gave them both to her and was quite impressed with the modern architecture she produced, and yes the homework could be completed without interruption...

Breaking Into Bread

As a person who loves good food and entertaining friends and family, there's nothing that makes the meal as spectacular as fresh baked bread.  Homemade bread often has the reputation of being out of reach for the novice baker, but its actually quite easy, and straightforward once you get the hang of it.  

I find that breaking up the steps is key to making sure it's not an overwhelming process and makes a great activity for doing with young kids. 

A super plus is that one batch of bread can last for quite a while if frozen properly so it's something that's easy to pull out to spice up a meal and doesn't have to be baked super often, I'm all about the efficiency short cuts!

The bread I make most often is a Challah bread that is traditionally eaten for the shabbat meals.  It is soft an filling with the perfect touch of sweetness to please even the most picky customer.

There's no need for a bread machine or fancy oversized mixer, I find that the best challah I make is done by hand in my trusty large plastic bowl.

Check out the recipe after the jump:

Edible Housewares

I love this idea for cider cups using apples.  It would make a great honey dish for this holiday season.  

This is an easy project to make with the kids.  Just make sure to saturate the cored out flesh of the apple's center with lemon juice so it doesn't brown.

The cinnamon sticks pictured here are also a great addition to use for a honey spoon.

Source: bhg.com via Alison on Pinterest

New Years Resolution: To Gwyneth or Not To Gwyneth?

No I am not comparing myself to Gwyneth Paltrow. My locks are brunette, not long and golden, my husband is a lawyer, not officially a rock star and my children don't have eccentric names- ok they might but my point still stands!

But I did get a good knowing laugh while reading Aline Brosh McKenna's feature in LA Mag's October edition.

She’s No Gwyneth. What a Relief exposed the often untold story of the working Mom in the shadow of the pervasive Overachievers of the world- cue Gwyneth!

I’m here to tell you: There’s an easier way to have it all. Ready? Wait for it, as they say.

You just redefine all.

It’s a strategy that my husband, who works in finance, might call “managing expectations downward.” It means figuring out which things matter to you and tossing out the rest. I’m married, with two kids, a full-time job, a great family, and lots of terrific friends. Anything that is not one of those things gets 86’d. To pull this off requires commitment, a deep laziness, and an ability to be proud of all that I am shirking. So here it is, my public confession about the things I’m notdoing in my quest to “have it all.” Might give you some ideas.

Looks like McKenna may have a good point when she redefines having it all and excludes a clean car, surgical enhancements and mastering Angry Birds- in fact she may have very well written this from the driveway where my car is the beloved spot for a flock of angry birds with stomach problems- but I'm not willing to give up having it all just yet! 


McKenna talks about "managing expectation downward, " and while she keeps it light-hearted, it's our high expectations that keep the exhausted engines running. It's trying new recipes to liven the dinner table, buying new seasonal styles to dress up for fun occasions and getting it all done every day that drives the euphoria I get from my accomplishments. To give up on this would be to lose who I am, and would frankly be boring. I'll admit, I could do without some of the guilty moments, but that's what my friends are for on the other end of the line.