Category Archives: Pesach

Spiritual preparations for Passover

Pesach

There are a few things that I was hoping to find time to post about regarding Pesach (Passover) preparations: my thoughts on how much to involve children in cleaning and how much is too much to expect (I’ve wanted to write about this for the past two years and never found the time!), a detailed shopping list with a cost breakdown of food purchases, a menu plan for Pesach, and some menus.  Since tomorrow night is Pesach, there’s no way I’m going to be able to write about most of that!

At the same time, I’d also really like to share about some spiritual preparations that I’ll be making for Pesach.  Pesach is an incredibly powerful time spiritually, with its own unique energy to tap into, and to be able to tap into it, you need to be aware of it and planning for it!  And it’s also the holiday that has so much physical preparation surrounding it that it’s easy to totally lose sight of what the point of all those preparations are.  So I’m going to share just a few things that we’ll be doing.

Preparing for the seder in advance – of course we need to prepare the food and set the table.  But what about being emotionally and spiritually prepared to appreciate and absorb some of the messages of the evening?

  • In our home, everyone takes a long nap on Friday afternoon so that they’re well-rested for the seder.
  • My husband sat down with the older kids one evening earlier this week to talk with them about some of his goals for the seder, and to hear their thoughts.
  • My husband assigned each of the kids parts of the seder to prepare for, to come with thoughts on the portion they were given.
  • Dd17 took time yesterday to help the little kids prepare stick puppets for the seder that they can use to actively participate.

A few years ago, I learned that there’s an amazing spiritual power for growth when eating the matza at the seder, and shared that with my family then.  I thought in advance about the one thing that I most wanted for myself in terms of spiritual change in the coming year, and focused on that as I was chewing the matza, and the older children and my husband also did this.  It’s like a spiritual pipeline that gets opened up straight to Heaven at that time, for that purpose.  Tonight I’ll be speaking with them about this at dinner, in addition to something new that I learned about this year and hope to integrate (to be shared below).  This turns the physical act of eating into something much more elevated and personally meaningful.

This evening is the search for chametz (leavened foods), and like everything, the physical search has much more depth behind it than a nice little ceremony.   Chametz represents the ego, the undesired, the lower self as it expresses itself in our lives.  We hide ten pieces of chametz for the search, and we can take time to think about the ten aspects of ‘chametz’ in our personal lives that we’d like to search out and destroy.  There is a custom to burn these pieces of paper together with the actual chametz earlier in the morning of the day the seder takes place.

This is something that takes some thought to prepare for, you can’t just spontaneously do it at the last moment.  At dinner I’ll be sharing this idea with my family members so that they’ll have time to prepare some of their own ‘chametz’/negative habits/unhappy thoughts or experiences that they’d like to consciously let go of for the coming year.  I hope to sit down with the littles as well and share this concept on a simplified level with them, so that they can each prepare something to burn as well (eg saying ‘poopy’, hitting someone, etc).

I’m also going to be giving a shiur/ Torah lecture for women this Shabbos and the next.  (I was only thinking of giving a shiur on one of these two Shabbosim, but the person I asked about hosting was away for the first Shabbos.  I told her maybe we could do it the second week, but by the time she got back to me and said she could do it, I had already made arrangements to have it held somewhere else on the first Shabbos, so I said I’d give a different lecture next Shabbos.)

This week I’ll be speaking about The Spiritually Transformative Power of Chametz in Your Life, and ways to concretely take away messages of growth for the coming year.   If you’re in the area (as far as I know, there are very few people in my area who read my blog, but still…), the shiur will be held on April 7, 4 pm at Beit Mali, Rechov Chavatzelet 24 in the Dromit neighborhood.

Now I’m off to go shopping for vegetables and the other assorted things that we still need for Pesach!

Avivah

Pesach cleaning schedule 2012

Pesach

I know, it’s less than a week until Pesach (Passover) and I haven’t posted anything about my preparations!

For some reason, people seem to assume that I’ve already finished or am close to it.  Nothing could be further from the truth!!

This year I decided to do things a bit differently than in the past.  We’re now in a smaller living space than in the past, and thanks to having moved overseas  seven months ago, have a lot less stuff than we used to.  I always try to keep Pesach preparations reasonable so that the spirit of the holiday doesn’t get lost in the unending drudgery of cleaning, and this year that means that we are doing our cleaning significantly later than we have in the past.

Here’s this year’s schedule – a schedule for last minute-ers! :):

– week of March 25 – I asked the kids to clean their rooms sometime between Mar. 25 – 30, ideally at the beginning of the week (though everyone didn’t choose to follow this suggestion :)) so that they would be able to enjoy being able to spend the rest of the week relaxing.

Last week I also somewhat cleaned the enclosed laundry porch and main bathroom.

– Sunday April 1 –

  • clean master bedroom/bedroom/office
  • finish cleaning laundry porch (this is my ‘pantry’ so it’s more about organization than cleaning)

– Monday April 2 – go to Jerusalem for the day; I hope to get some clothing shopping done after technical business is finished since I have no maternity clothing and at 5.5 months I think it would be a good thing to have. 🙂

– Tuesday April 3 –

  • will stop using kitchen sink in the evening

– Wednesday April 4 – the main cleaning day for the kitchen and salon (living room/dining room combo).  I’m planning to assign all of the older kids one big job each.  This will include:

  • clean living room/dining room, couches
  • cover dining room table, wipe down chairs
  • clean stove and oven, kasher
  • clean refrigerator
  • wipe down cabinets, line those we’ll use for Pesach

In the evening when the littles are asleep, we’ll kasher the countertops.  Usually at this point, we would unpack the Pesach dishes, but I left them behind with the intent to have them sent on someone’s lift.  They have yet to leave the US, so I’ll be buying disposable dishes and a few basic pots/cooking implements.

Thursday April 5 –

  • change sheets in all bedrooms
  • do all laundry
  • shop for Pesach food
  • start cooking for Pesach (being in Israel means that we will only have one seder instead of two, so while I usually like to have several days before Pesach to cook in advance and freeze food, and everything has to be ready accordingly, this year it would be overkill)

Friday April 6 – erev Pesach –

  • make sure everything is ready for the seder
  • have everyone take a long nap midday so they’ll be able to enjoy the seder that night

And that’s it!

Avivah

An inspirational Pesach message

Pesach

This morning I received a link to a Pesach message that I found encouraging and inspiring (thanks, Michelle!).

This is a six and a half minute video of the Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Dr. Warren Goldstein, speaking on the topic ‘Vehi sheamda – and the covenant stood for us’.  This is a phrase from the Passover hagada, in which is mentioned that in every generation, there have been those who have sought to destroy the Jewish people.  And yet the Jewish people are still here, against overwhelming odds.

With the Jewish people currently being threatened with nuclear extinction by the ruler of Iran, it’s a timely reminder.

I hope you enjoy it!
 

Avivah

A wonderful Pesach!

Pesach

I hope everyone had a wonderful Pesach!  Ours was so, so nice.  I think it gets nicer every year.

Firstly, it was so special to have ds17 and dd16 home with us again.  I already commented about that but it adds so much when everyone is home at the same time.  The sedarim were great – I was feeling sad that next year we’ll only have one seder (since that’s what is done is Israel).  I’m at the point now when many things we are doing is the last time we’re doing it in America, and that’s a mixed feeling – though we’re all looking forward to our move, our present lives are very pleasant and it’s not easy making such a big change and knowing that this stage of our lives is coming to a close. 

On chol hamoed, we took the kids to a state park that had a baseball field and a huge playground.  We ended up spending almost all the time at the baseball field – we had enough people for a family baseball game, which was really fun!  I didn’t play until the end, and when I got up, I was jokingly warning ds17, who was pitching to me, about the home run I was going to hit.  He was joking back to me about his confidence in my hitting ability (since I was swinging and not connecting with the ball), when I caught him offguard by hitting it hard directly at him – it was a good thing he has fast enough reflexes that he deflected it from directly hitting him!   And I did later hit a home run, though that might partially be since no one was fielding at the time!  😛

Then on Friday, my sister came for a good part of the day with her two children.  As soon as I made dd16’s ticket to come home, I called my sister and told her that dd and ds were going to be here for Pesach, and it would be her last chance to see all of us before we moved to Israel.  I asked her if there was any way she could come visit.  Her schedule is SO busy – I don’t know how she does all she does.  Busyness is why we’ve only seen each other twice in the last four years – now 3 times, with this visit – though we both would love it if it were more frequent.  My sister is so great!  She really made it happen, and I’m so appreciative to her for putting in the time and money to make the trip; I know it wasn’t easy.  Our kids love seeing their cousins, and their cousins love seeing them.  It was close to my nephew’s birthday, so dd16 made him a cake and we sang him the three stanzas of Happy Birthday, as we always do. My sister said it was the first time she ever heard the full rendition!   It was really hard to say goodbye.  It’s that mixed feeling that I told you about.

Throughout all of Pesach we had a nice mix of guests and family, and it was so relaxing to have a week without all the non-stop planning and paperwork and appointments that I’ve been busy with.  Funny, usually Pesach feels like never ending meal preparation and clean up, but compared to what I’ve been doing lately, it was a major vacation.

Tonight we turned the kitchen back over, and as we did that, I started feeling the ‘time to get back to real life’ feeling.  It didn’t take long for my ‘to do’ list for tomorrow to fill a page.  It makes me appreciate even more how nice it’s been not having a pressing list of things to do for this past week!

Avivah

Mac and Squash Cheese

Pesach, recipes

This is a recipe that is great for those on a gluten/grain free diet, which makes it perfect for Pesach!  It’s a totally different way of thinking about a familiar food – I adapted my favorite mac and cheese recipe to create this.

Mac and Squash Cheese

  • 1 c. chopped onion
  • 1 t. minced garlic
  • 2 – 4 T. butter
  • optional – 2 T. potato starch
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1/2 c . shredded cheese
  • 1 c. butternut squash, baked and pureed
  • salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Saute the chopped onions and minced garlic until golden.  Stir in the milk.  At this point you can add in the potato starch to thicken the sauce a little.  (If you add in this step, mix the potato startch with a small amount of water first and then it won’t chunk up when you add it to the hot milk mixture).  Stir until the desired thickness – it will be quick, not more than a minute.  Add in cheese, and when it’s melted, mix in the squash.  Stir until smooth.  

Serve hot over steamed cauliflower or mashed potatoes. 

Avivah

Butternut Squash Casserole

Pesach, recipes,

Pesach is around the corner and I’ve hardly mentioned anything about preparations, menu plans, or recipes!    Tonight I was writing out my list of dishes to make for Passover, and remembered this recipe.  Butternut squash is a fantastic food – packed with nutrients, delicious, and very, very versatile.  Here’s a recipe that can be used as a side dish for a main meal or as a pudding for dessert. 

Butternut Squash Casserole

  • 2 c. butternut squash, cooked (I like to bake mine at 350 degrees until soft, then mash it)
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 – 1/2 c. honey (I prefer the smaller amount of sweetener)
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1/3 c. butter
  • 2 T. grated coconut
  • 1/2 t. powdered ginger

Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.  Pour into buttered pan and bake at 350 degrees for an hour.  Serve warm as a side dish or chilled as a pudding. 

Enjoy!

(This is part of the Real Food Digest Passover roundup– be sure to check there for more great Pesach ideas!) 

Avivah

Pesach vacation has started!

parenting, Pesach

I had such a nice Shabbos!  And here’s why – because I had all my children around the table for the first time in 7.5 months!!!

We made the decision to have dd16 come home less than two weeks before she got here, which was on Monday night.  It wasn’t something we were planning to do until literally a night before we made the ticket.  There are a number of reasons for doing it, and one nice side benefit was the fun in surprising all of the kids!  (Well, we accidentally leaked the news to dd14, but she still didn’t know when dd16 was arriving so she had her share of being surprised, too!) 

Dh changed his work schedule so he could come with me to pick her up, so I took the littles with me to pick him up from work; from there we went to the DC airport.  (She found the best priced ticket on Air France, and that’s the airport they fly out of.)  I didn’t tell the littles where we were going until after we picked up dh.  We ended up having to wait about an hour for her, since her flight was delayed.  When the passengers started exiting, they would come around a corner, and the first thing you could see was their luggage cart. Every time I saw a cart come out, my heart would jump and then I would see it wasn’t her.  I told dh I never knew it could be so tension-filled waiting for someone to come out!  And then finally we saw her – it was sooooo wonderful!

For dh and the kids it’s especially nice, since they haven’t seen her for so long.  And for me and dd14 (who saw her two months ago), it’s still really nice!  We’re enjoying having her home – the first day back she made a nutritious and filling lunch, got ds3 and ds5 involved in making dinner, made dinner, and then gave the littles baths.  Aaahhh….I could get used to this!  Seriously, that day it was clear to me why it was such a big shift around here when she and ds17 – because they both were actively involved in the running of things, and without them, a lot more fell on me.

When we got home from the airport, only ds12 was still awake.  We called him out to help bring in the littles (that was our cover), and dd16 popped out at him.  He was really shocked and it was so fun to see his reaction!  From there she went inside and woke up dd10 up, and then woke up dd14.  It was fun for us all!  She tried to wake up ds8, but he was in such a deep sleep that he only partially woke up to tell her to leave him along – he didn’t realize it was her or even remember anything the next morning – at which point he was very surprised and happy to see her!

Ds17 came home late Friday afternoon.  We had made a ticket for him first thing Friday morning, but the night before someone told him he could get a ride with him.  Unfortunately, when the driver woke up the next morning, he was sick and ds17 had already missed the train he needed to take to use the bus ticket we bought.  He called in time for me to get him another ticket that arrived here at 5:50 pm.  Arriving that close to Shabbos isn’t how we generally like to arrange things.  Due to the heavy rain, rush hour traffic, and road work, I didn’t get there to pick him up until 6:15.  There was no sign of his bus, and by 6:30, I was getting increasingly apprehensive about what to do – I was afraid if I waited any longer that I wouldn’t make it home in time for Shabbos, and didn’t want to leave ds stranded in the middle of nowhere late Friday afternoon. 

I called dh to ask him the exact time of candlelighting, and he said ds17 had called to say he had gotten a ride from the bus stop to our house a short time before.  I was honestly a little irritated that I was sitting there for 15 minutes waiting for him when he was already gone, but mostly I was relieved that he wasn’t stuck on a bus on a highway somewhere.  We were blessed that the highway on the way home was clear, and I got home by 7:05.  Ds17 had walked in just 5 minutes before me, and we subsequently figured out that the red car I had noticed pulling away as I pulled up to the bus stop was the car he got a ride in! 

Dd16 had come with me to surprise ds17, so we had to shift our plans a little and she surprised him when he came down to say hello to us all.  It was definitely a rush to get ready for Shabbos, but a nice rush, and having everyone home again was really, really nice.  Fortunately they’ll both be here for a few weeks, so we have time to enjoy everyone for a while.

And as one of the middle kids commented today, they came just in time to help get ready for Pesach!

Avivah

Pesach cleaning commences

homemaking, Pesach

Today we did a lot of Pesach cleaning – it was ambitious, but we mostly met our goals!  

My goal for today was to clean three of the four floors of our house for Pesach (all the bedrooms, three bathrooms, linen closet, attic, and basement).  My kids and husband made skeptical faces and raised their eyebrows when I told them my plans, but I felt that we did so much preliminary work (giving away/selling things) in the last couple of weeks that it was doable.  The reason I needed to do so much today is that my schedule is jam packed – in addition to the regular busyness of Pesach, I need to get our house ready for sale, organize the Torah Home Education Conference, and take care of myriad details for our move to Israel. 

Right now I’m getting dental appointments for everyone taken care of – I’m doing as much as I can now and I already feel glad that I’m doing it like this rather than leaving lots to do closer to our departure date (tentatively mid August) – because there will be plenty to do in the last few weeks, so why complicate it with things that can be done in advance? 

Last week I took ds12 for a root canal (he injured a tooth and killed the nerve), and then took ds8 for a checkup (that was a total of three appointments).  This coming last week I have three days with appointments scheduled (two dental, one orthodontist), and ds17 is coming home Friday afternoon and since everyone wants to go meet him at the bus stop, I’d like to finish all my Shabbos preparations on Thursday.    And there are other things planned for most days, as well (eg I told the littles we’d have a special outing to the library tomorrow on our way to pick dh up from work).  Which leaves me only Weds. that doesn’t already have something planned, and I might use that for doing my monthly/Pesach shopping since the only other possible day is the Thursday right before Pesach, which I think might be too intense. 

Since we want to put our house up for sale after Pesach, the week after ds gets home will be spent taking care of things around the house.  Today dh replaced a bathroom door that had a hole in it (which got progressively bigger as little hands kept poking and prodding) – it was an eyesore, and it looks so nice now!  The last three times ds17 called, I warned him that I’m going to put him to work as my personal handyman and he better be pyschologically ready when he gets here!  😛   (He told me with a smile that he’s ready!) 

In addition to dh replacing the door, the rest of us also got a lot done today!  It ended up being a productive and relaxed day for everyone – ds12 had several hours to go to his first baseball practice of the season, followed by the beginning of the season parade, and the other kids had fun playing board games with dh in the afternoon.  Most of the rooms look good (mine isn’t finished, because I needed to be around where the kids were working to supervise what was happening), and the basement is mostly done.  Another three hours by just me or one hour with all of us will finish it up. 

Now that we’ve done a thorough cleaning, it’s noticeable that we got rid of so many things (mostly clothes, some odds and ends, and the dressers in each bedroom), and it’s feeling more open and spacious.  It’s very pleasant, and all of the kids are appreciating it!  Dd14 is encouraging me to get rid of even  more things – she loves decluttering, but tonight when she suggested we give away or sell most of our books right now (because the littles twice a day dump out dozens of books at a time when they’re looking for something to read), I told her I already gave away over a large amount two weeks ago, and we need to keep something in our house for us to use for the next 4.5 months!  I think she’s ready to just pack whatever we’re going to take with us in a box and put it out of sight until we’re ready to go, and I understand that – I have a similar desire myself!

So Pesach cleaning is going well, and for the most part, I’m going to leave most of the other cleaning until the week after next, so that I can do the main floor (living room/dining room/kitchen) within a couple of days and then turn the kitchen over for Pesach.

I hope you’re all enjoying this lovely season of clearing away the old and making room for the new!

Avivah

Three Color Vegetable Kugel

Pesach, recipes, , ,

We made this kugel for the first time four years ago.  At that time, I was in my ninth month, and had just finished turning over the kitchen for Pesach (Passover), when I went into labor two weeks early.  The baby was born (at home, as planned), and after the kids finished holding and cooing over him (that took a couple of hours!), my older daughters (then ages 9 and 11) asked me for the list I had prepared the night before.  On it, I had made lists of food we’d need to make for the shalom zachor if we had a boy, as well as other Pesach foods.

They went right into the kitchen and together with their 12 year old brother, got busy cooking for our shalom zachor that was held the next night, and continued to do the cooking for the bris, which was held in our home the first day of Pesach.  They did an incredible job – I didn’t do anything but answer questions when they periodically came in to my room to ask about how to prepare something.

This was one of the dishes they made for the bris – it’s not only visually appealing, but everyone who tasted it loved it!  I slightly adapted the recipe from Passover Seders Made Simple, by Zell Schulman (she uses margarine, matza meal, egg substitute, and sugar).  It’s a little labor intensive since each layer has to be prepared separately, but I maximize the time spent by preparing several times the recipe – it’s not much work to make a much larger recipe than to make just one.

Three Color Vegetable Kugel

  • 1 lb cauliflower, steamed until soft
  • 1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cooked until soft
  • 1 lb carrots, sliced
  • 1 lb yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
  • 1 c. orange juice
  • 12 oz broccoli, chopped and steamed until soft (spinach is also good)
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 t. cumin
  • 1/4 t. tumeric
  • 1/2 t. nutmeg
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 1/2 T. potato starch (or arrowroot, if you’re not making it for Passover)
  • 6 eggs

Put carrots and yams in a pot with the orange juice and a cup of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until soft.  Drain.

Saute the onion and garlic in oil and saute until the onion is translucent.  If you have a food processor, process the cauliflower and 1/2 of the cooked potatoes together until somewhat smooth; if you don’t, then mash them as well as you can with a fork or potato masher.  Add 1/2 the sauteed onions and garlic, cumin, tumeric, and 1/2 T. potato starch, and process a little more.  Add 2 eggs to the food processor and process for 1 minute, then add salt and pepper to taste.   This will be your first layer – pour it into loaf pan (9 “x 5 1/2″ x 3”) lined with parchment paper or make sure it’s greased well.  It should fill the pan about a third of the way; smooth the top.

Now take the cooked carrots and yams and put them in the (rinsed out) food processor.  Process, then add cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add 2 eggs and process again.  Add 1 T. potato starch, process.  Pour this mixture on top of the potato mix in the pan, and smooth the top again.

Rinse the food processor container again.  🙂  Put the steamed broccoli, the remaining half of the cooked potatoes, and the other half of the sauteed onions and garlic into the processor, and blend.  Add 2 eggs, process for a minute, then add 1 T. potato starch and salt and pepper to taste.  Pulse one more time.  Pour the broccoli layer on top of the carrot layer and smooth it evenly.  Now you’ve finally finished with the food processor and can wash it and put it away.  🙂

Cover the pan of kugel lightly so that it’s still open at the edges (you don’t want it to brown on top but you don’t want it to steam, either), and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.  This refrigerates well, and should be sliced and reheated before serving.

I don’t usually buy any exciting spices for Passover since I know I won’t really use them, so when I make this for Passover, I don’t use cumin, tumeric, or nutmeg.  It’s still delicious!  Just be sure to add enough salt and pepper so it won’t be bland.  Also, if it seems like you need more thickener for any given layer, you can increase the potato starch – if that’s necessary will depend somewhat on how well-drained your veggies are.

Enjoy!

Avivah

Nutritional value of quinoa

nutrition, Pesach

On Passover, since grains, legumes and most seeds aren’t eaten, the repertoire of foods available to cook with becomes drastically limited!  Since one grain-like food that is allowed is quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), many people who wouldn’t otherwise consider using it will be adding it to their menus in the coming week who don’t usually use it, so I figured it’s a good time to share some information on its nutritional value!

Quinoa has been around for at least 3000 years, a traditional staple in South America, though it hasn’t become well-known in the US until the last fifteen years or less.  Despite it’s similarity to grains as far as cooking properties go, quinoa is the seed of the goosefoot plant, and related to spinach, beets, and Swiss chard, which is why it’s okay to eat on Passover – it’s technically classified as a vegetable.

Quinoa is high in protein, calcium, and iron, a decent source of vitamin E, and has a few B vitamins.  It has an excellent balance of the eight essential amino acids that we need for tissue development.  Quinoa is also a great source of iron, and is actually one of the best sources of iron from plant-based foods.  One cup of dry quinoa provides almost 90% of the USDA iron requirement!

Like most other grains and seeds, it has a significant amount of phytic acid, which means you will fully benefit from the iron when it’s soaked properly and the phytic acid is neutralized.  To break down phytic acid, you need several factors: warmth, acidity, moisture, and time.  To soak a cup of quinoa, pour it a bowl with 1 T. of apple cider vinegar (for acidity), 1 c. of water (moisture), and leave it out to soak (time).  Ideally grains should be soaked overnight, but even soaking for an hour or two in a warm place will be beneficial.  I’ve always left my grains/nuts/seeds/legumes to soak at room temperature but several months ago read that it really should be left at a much warmer temperature than that to be most effective.

Quinoa has a bitter coating, so regardless whether you choose to soak it or not before using it (I don’t usually soak quinoa), it should be rinsed in a strainer that has very small holes (or all the grains will rinse right through the holes) to wash the bitterness off.  Quinoa can be used in a variety of ways, in savory pilafs or sweet dishes like the  quinoa pudding recipe that I shared last year.  General guidelines for cooking are to use two cups of water for every cup of quinoa, and cook in the same way you’d boil or bake rice.

Avivah