Five Whole Hours I Stood in My Kitchen...

Pe for Passover! On Friday I went shopping for ingredients I'd need for the things I had been asked to bring to our Passover Seder on Saturday when 30 family members would gather together to celebrate the freedom from slavery of Jews in Egypt.

I was to buy a flat of strawberries to go on cousin Judy's homemade cake...I found them at the open strawberry field shack a few blocks from my office. They are oh so fresh. My car smelled wonderful while I did the rest of my shopping. I learned that a flat is 12 baskets!

Next I needed a dozen apples for the Charoset, Ashkenazi style. Cousin Judy sent me her recipe! I was also to bring all the foods for the special Seder plate.

Parsley, Horseradish, A roasted egg, ...cousin Mel will supply the roasted lamb shank and the matoz.

Roasted almonds go into the Choroset...

Half a gallon of whipping cream to be whipped right before we leave hoping it will hold it's firmness to be put over the strawberries and cake.

Three dozen eggs to hard boil, to be peeled and dipped at the Seder table into salt water, another thing I am to bring, along with the parsley...bowls and salt. Hopefully they will have the water.

Symbolizing the tears shed.

I went on line to find out the best way to hard boil eggs...and how to peel them.

I no longer agree with their way.

I had to boil an extra dozen as these were nearly impossible to peel

and I had a huge amount that were for

deviled egg sandwiches (not for Passover)!

I peeled the dozen red apples...

This is all long and tedious work. I started at eleven in the morning

and finished around 4 in the afternoon.

I tried to be creative, although kitchen work, and food preparation are

not my forte at all.

I have a very small Hamilton Beach electric chopper, and it is so small

that I had to make several runs for each handful of apples.

Are you beginning to see why this all took so long to do?

And every time I finished a batch I'd forget to put the blade back in

and have to open it up and start all over again

or they would not chop at all.

;-(

But finally, the nuts were chopped, the three huge lemons were grated

and their zest was added; as were a T of sugar, and two Tsps of cinnamon and

2 cups of red sweet wine!

It will sit in the fridge over night and hopefully all the flavors will blend together.

This is by far my favorite dish of the Seder and I can eat

tons of it on Matzoh!

Then there were those 12 baskets of strawberries to wash, hull and slice.

I hope this will be enough for thirty people!

All the while I was chopping and stirring and adding I was thinking about my dearly departed grandparents, and wondering how the two of them made the entire Passover dinner for their three daughters and their three husbands and their six grand children!

I was humbled knowing that as my little cousins and I would sit UNDER the table

while grandpa Abe droned on and on reading from the Haggadah

that I hadn't a clue how much work went into the preparation for such a

celebration and meal.

Now I am the grandma (one of three) and we and my other cousins and their spouses and many of their children and their grandchildren (mine are away on vacation somewhere else so won't be with us) and my brother, and husband will all gather around our

Uncle Harry and Aunt Mimi

the last elders of our family living today.

(age 91 and 92)

and will enjoy our feast, and freedom, and the fact that we are family

gathered together!

My grandson told me that he and my grand daughter can sing the four questions! All of them!

It's also nice that after standing for five hours

in my kitchen doing things I seldom if ever do anymore

I found in the mail this wonderful treasure

just in time to wear to Passover today!

It came from Mim's ETSY shop

with two cards one painted by her (ducks),

and one painted by Lolo (dog),

and a sweet box covered in artzy paper

and packed with pretty fabric (Thank you Mim, I do LOVE it all)

I struggled to take a photo of it on myself This beautiful pendant that Mim made

of a map

of

Israel.

Can you think of anything more appropriate

for me to wear on

Passover?

Me neither.

;-)

I just love it. ***********************

Wishing you all a happy Spring

Passover, Easter or any other way you choose

to celebrate this season!

*****************************