Community Magazine April 2014

80 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE S o in an effort to get started, you don your apron, pick up the dust-buster and grab a roll of paper towels. And as you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the hallway mirror, you know what this means: Operation Purge the Hametz has begun, and you are prepared for battle. Ready or not, Pesach is coming. Ladies (and gentlemen!), we’re all in the same boat. Whether you live in a three-bedroom apartment or a three-floor home, it’s time to do some serious Pesach cleaning. Because before you blink, it will be seder night, and at that point your home better be hametz-free. For these next 10 days, you are an army-general on a series of highly important missions, and hametz is the enemy. Mission 1: Empty Those Cupboards Granola bars out, matzah in. It’s time to get rid of every last cracker, pretzel and cheerio from your pantry. So enlist your kids – and maybe the neighbor’s kids, too – and get snacking. In the event that the group of children you have invited to your hametz-fest can’t seem to devour it all, send your kids to school with the extras. The perpetual snack-forgetters won’t be able to thank you enough. Another way to get rid of all the not-for-Pesach foods is to lay them out on a table in your kitchen. As the members of your family pass them by, they may be overcome with a serious case of the munchies. Once the shelves that used to hold cans, boxes and jars of hametz are bare, it is time to check for crumbs. Clean each shelf extremely well, and use large skewers to get into those hard-to-reach crevices and corners. Line them with plastic or foil, and you are ready to stock them with your kosher-for-Passover purchases. Mission 2: Purge the Perishables Fridge and freezer alike need to be emptied. Use the ingredients that can’t be used for Pesach to create culinary delights that your family can enjoy during the next few days (until your kitchen is koshered). Also, consult with your rabbi to find out which edibles can be sold before Pesach, and which ones should be thrown out. Accumulate all the bread (rolls, hamburger buns, pita and the like) in a large shopping bag, and set it aside to be burned on Erev Pesach. Scrub the fridge and freezer until they gleam. Put the items that you will be selling on one shelf, and cover the shelf with aluminum foil or butcher paper, so they cannot be seen. Once all spills and crumbs are things of the past, your kosher-for-Passover perishables can move in. Mission 3: Shop Till You Drop Speaking of kosher-for-Passover perishables (and non-perishables), stock up on all the food you will need for the eight days of Pesach. Bring your ingredient and seder-necessities lists along for the ride, so you can be sure you are buying what you need. Since the prices of kosher-for-Pesach edibles tend to be exorbitant, try not to over-buy in order to keep spending in check. Remember, Pesach is eight days long, not eight months long. So while you need to stock up, you shouldn’t overstock. Note: Homemade potato salad, matzah-pizza and matzah-cereal (matzah pieces with milk and a dash of sugar) are delicious and filling creations that are also cheaper than some store-bought options. Mission 4: Occupy the Kids Once you get home and are ready to unload your groceries, you are likely to have a restless troupe awaiting you. Shouts of “I’m hungry!” or “There’s nothing to do!” may ring through the air, but you can be prepared. Accomplish this mission by sending the children on a mission of their own. Have them make “Absolutely No Hametz in Here!” or “This Room is Clean for Pesach” signs to hang up throughout the house. Bring home some store-bought pizza or other take-out food, and assuming that the weather allows it, instruct them to eat on the porch. This way, they can munch without trekking hametz through your very clean house. FRANCES HADDAD DAYS 10 AND COUNTING… The countdown is on. There are 10 days to Pesach, and you feel like you should put on sneakers, since you’re literally racing against the clock. Though you’ve done the Pesach cleaning once over, and your house is kind of clean, you’ve still got mounds of crumbs to conquer and only a week-and-a-half remaining.

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