Community Magazine September 2021

TISHREI 5782 / SEPTEMBER 2021 21 Next, I spoke to my friend Leah, who blogs her recipes on Instagram. I know she always makes holiday meals because she lives in Deal, away from her parents and in-laws. Already in early August, she was preparing Swiss chard on her Instagram story, so I knew she’d be the perfect person to consult with on the matter. Leah of @dumb_and_delish When my shaatra planner says that it’s Elul, I immediately start preparing for the holidays. First things first, I write a grocery list from all the dishes I can make that will freeze and thaw well. This year, the first thing I prepared for the freezer was my Swiss chard. I got it from Wegmans, checked and cleaned it very well, and as always, I watched my giant pile of greens wilt into a small ball in my pot. (That’s a great tip, by the way – similar to spinach, when you’re cooking with Swiss chard, buy more than you think you’ll need because it shrinks.) I make a lot more than I think I’ll need, and then I give some to my mother, mother-in-law, and friends. Black-eyed peas I freeze in advance, as well as dates stuffed with ground meat – a recipe I got from the Millennial Kosher cookbook. I believe that one should still eat a regular date for the simanim, but I also like to make dishes with the simanim to change it up. In addition, brisket or any slow-cooked roast could be cooked and frozen in advance. I have two different shopping lists. One consists of items that I can buy in advance, such as the things mentioned above that are freezable, as well as non- perishables like honey, dates, and plasticware. My other list consists of perishables such as apples, pomegranates, and veggies for salads. That stuff I try to buy around three days before the holiday. Décor Tip From Leah Since meat boards are so popular these days, I came up with the idea last year of doing a simanim board. Instead of putting your pomegranates, honey, apples, black-eyed peas, and other special foods in separate bowls, put them all together displayed on a wooden cutting board. This works great for small crowds. If you’re hosting a lot of people, you couldmake multiple boards and put them out as centerpieces. They come out beautiful, and who doesn’t love edible decor?! Recipe by @dumb_and_delish - HOT HONEY Place your honey into a pot, add sliced jalapenos, and bring to a boil. Strain immediately and enjoy with caution!  This simple throw- together is surprisingly addictive,andwillbringsome spice to your holiday table this year! Danielle Mizrahi Personally, I don’t prepare for the holiday far in advance. The first thing I do is try to coordinate meals with my siblings and in-laws. The married ones have their obligations, as do we. But since we all want to have a turn to see one another, we do our best to plan meals according to each other’s schedules. Then I see which dishes we’re making for each other’s meals, and I make my own menu plan. My first point of focus when planning a menu is the simanim . I always try to change up my recipes instead of going with the same classic recipes, to keep it exciting. For example, last year, instead of plan dates, I make Medjool dates stuffed with almond butter and drizzled with dark chocolate. Then I top them with flaky Maldon salt – they’re delish! This year I’m planning to make energy balls with mashed dates, crushed almonds, and maple syrup. After I have a set plan for the food, I like to put some effort into my decor. I feel like after COVID the shutdown, all those missed extended family meals, it’s even more important to cultivate a vibe with decor and really make things memorable. Last year, I put by each table setting miniature jars of different flavored honey, honey sticks, and little bumblebee charms. For the centerpieces, we had lemons in vases, aswell as yellow and orange flowers. It was so special and we all really enjoyed! Lynn Sued I like to see who’s coming to which meals before I make my menu plans. I do this because I like to make something for everyone who comes that he or she will like. For example, I know my daughter Annie loves hamid, my daughter Sophia loves my red sauce, and my son-in-law loves stuffed peppers. I make sure not to make anything with mushrooms when my other son-in-law is coming, because he doesn’t like them. I accommodate their preferences so they feel special and enjoy coming over. For my meat dinner meals, I like to do one meal of Shabbat-style food, and the other with Holiday-themed food. The Shabbat-styled meal will consist of the typical Syrian dishes that I make weekly. I try to keep them different because I generally have the same guests on both nights.  For dairy lunches, I try to keep it light, because the nighttime meals are heavy. For a light dairy lunch, I’ll do pickups like spinach tarts, sambusaks, olive balls, koosah jibben in cupcake liners, baby pizzas, etc. I’ll make a few salads and serve salmon. Sometimes, if I’m having lots of guests, I’ll also make a ziti or pesto pasta. I know it’s in style to put nice table décor, but I don’t focus much on that, as I prefer putting all of my energy into cooking. I won’t bake, either; it’s not my thing. I’ll have my daughter or daughter-in-law bake something for dessert, or I’ll buy from a community baker. The absolute best part of the holidays is spending quality time with my family – no phones, no distractions. We talk, we laugh, we catch up. It’s such a blessing! My number one piece of advice for holiday preparations would be: don’t stress! No matter what, somehow it all gets done, and is beautiful.