Pesach Hits and Misses

Mama Bear

Tue, Apr 07 2009, 11:18 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

I need to make more beets salad, and squeeze mroe lemon for juice.
Dh doesnt like the pesachdik chicken patties.
next year IYH I want to invest in a hand blender/hand mixer, and an oven-within-the-oven to use in my current oven. I also need to buy a few new pots.
the pesachdik cookies and cakes go tot he garbage.
My son really likes potato stix.
the carrots/pineapple salad was really delish.
3 pounds of shmaltz is enough.
Make more lukshen.
potato kugel does not come out good on the electric burners.
Putting the electric burners on with a shabbos timer was an excellent idea.

WOW!!!! I cant believe this thread was bumped up,it was amazing to see this!!!!

This year I did make more beets salad and squeezed more lemon juice. BH I have a new stove/oven this year so things were so much easier, I baked my own cakes. I didn tknow about the carrots and pineapple salad, I dont even know how I made it last year!! we did make a lot of lukshen adn I'm glad I have a regular stove to make potato kugel this year.

I learned this year that my kenmore mixer does not make snow well, my handheld hamilton beach single electric beater is way better. and that my MIL's walnut cake is very good. and that the potato/veggie soup I made today is DELICIOUS.

chocolate moose

Tue, Apr 14 2009, 5:31 pm

Unless I want to be embarrassed in shul with pink stained hands, I need to wear gloves when peeling and using beets in recipes !!!!

The Crispy cookies were great - I renamed them Pesach Cookies 123 (1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 3 cups nuts) so it's easy to remember.

Ratatoulle is too much work to make and takes a long time to cook. I think I'll stick to sauteed zuke instead.

I wasn't that crazy about the sweet potato pie, even with the addition of nuts and some cooked pears. Better to stick with salads !

We didn't eat that much by the sedorim so I should underbuy chicken and fish rather than overbuy.

A pitcher of water on the table isn't yomtov'dike.

The bought cake and cookies aren't that great - either only buy the best ones (oxymoron!) or just eat fruit.

chanchy123

Wed, Apr 15 2009, 3:18 pm

I learned that DS hates matza in any shape or form.
Next time when I buy Pesach supplies I should remember where I put them (We never did find our 2 cutting boards and had to borrow from neighbors)
I need a large flaishig cutting board
Eating off paper plates on chag was not that great and I should keep my out for inexpensive dishes throughout the coming year to put away for next Pesach
I actually some nice pirex dishes that had never been used didn't need all that disposable.
Buy only after planning meals (I have a lot of supplies that I never got to use on Pesach).
Pesach pancakes are great and don't taste Pesachdik at all the kids can eat only that the entire seven days. Avocado goes great with matza.
Matza pizza is great but DS won't eat because it contains matza.
Pesach cereal is always gross.
May we all be zoche to implement this all next year in Yerushalayim habnuya eating the zvachim and psachim - you're all invited to our place during chol hamoed for a tour (hey, even if cv there is no beit hamikdash next year you're invited).

Zus

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 3:39 am

chanchy123 wrote:

Pesach cereal is always gross.

The one without kitniyot was totally gross, I threw out 3 boxes. The one with kitniyot on the other hand was totally yummy and I should buy only that next year.
DH likes my egg salad with parsley in stead of mustard. I don't.
Ask MIL to make twice the amount of charoset. The kids discovered it.
Matzah balls need soaking time before rolling or they may turn out too dry.
Matzah lasagna with minced meat is yummy and so easy to make.

Marion

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 4:05 am

Even with a list there are some things I just never got around to making as our plans changed over chol hamoed.

Kids can live on pancakes. But didn't like blintzes (any of the kinds I tried). Amazingly both of them ate matzah this year. Gvina levana with jam is still cheaper than 24 yogurts.

I need a few baking dishes...don't like using disposable. Other than that, we're finally pretty much set.

tomorrow

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 5:16 am

I fiddled with the amounts of things and typed them in my computer file last night so I know for next year.

Jam bars were fantastic and travel well. Make more next year.

Never, ever take kids under seven years old to Vadi Kelt. Ever.

Three kilos of stawberry jam was perfect. Hope strawberries are so cheap next year.

Over made desserts and nosh.

Ask Ir David if there's a different tiyul next time we go. Twice the bottom route is repetitive. Gorgeous there now, though. And very organized.

Making most of Shabbat after Pesach with the Pesach stuff is saving my sanity. Highly recommended.

Check the weather forecast before hanging out four loads of laundry on Isru Chag. Hmmmm....

ora_43

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 5:39 am

Things that worked:
Staying near home for most of the chag -- all the kids really wanted to do was hang out with friends and go to the playground anyway.

Planning meals for erev chag.

Coming to this site for about 60% of the recipes.

Tackling the massive laundry piles two weeks before chag and then washing everything as soon as it got dirty, to avoid a laundry backup as we cleaned the kitchen.

Going on a date with dh the night before chag was a crazy thing to do, but also wonderful.

Homemade spreads for matza were a hit.

for next year:
We need real Pesach dishes.

It wasn't a good idea to store all the Pesach dishes that we do have together without noting which bowls were basari and which chalavi.

Potato chips need to be stored out of sight of small children.

I need to make more notes in my cookbooks -- I didn't remember which cakes were the ones we liked and which were flops (and ended up making two of the flops before I got it right).

tomorrow

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 8:26 am

Oh, also highly recommended... the day before bedikat chametz day, I hired a babysitter for five hours and went into town for a few errands and me-time. The kids had already been home for a while and I hadn't had any time at all for myself. I had three hours in town by myself, no stroller and the kids had a blast, too.

Mishie

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 9:05 am

Oh my! I totally forgot about this thread!!!!
I wish I would have seen it before Pesach started, would have saved myself a lot of aggrevation!!!
I did NOT remember that my hand-mixer died on me last Pesach, and had started my baking, only to realize there's no mixer in my Pesach-box. so ended up mixing it with a large spoon.
But, it didn't matter, 'cuz it came out really perfect. then I went out later that evening and bought myself a new hand-mixer.

I sat down this morning and made a whole list of what we bought, and how much we ended up using, of everything.
also, what we need to buy (dishes) for next year.

I think I'll copy it to here, later on. (in case my list gets lost...)

mali

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 9:42 am

ora_43 wrote:

It wasn't a good idea to store all the Pesach dishes that we do have together without noting which bowls were basari and which chalavi.

I store them in the sink inserts, so we can't get confused, but I did pile the frying pans on top of each other and thought I'd remember which is what. turns out, we didn't make pesach in two years. good thing dh didn't trust my memory! he labeled the handles with "chalavi" and "besari".

Seraph

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 1:11 pm

Crispy pesach cookies were a hit!
Get more seltzer and make more orange soda- orange juice, sugar, seltzer.
Make borsht at the beginning of chag- and not just for the last day. Its delicious!
Mayo gets used up very quickly, but dont use palm oil if I'll sit in the fridge, because them it'll get hard like margarine. Better make one egg at a time, as needed so it doesnt sit.
More nuts- they go fast!
Buy shelled next time- that way can avoid pieces of shell in the food.
Made perfect amount of food for seder! No leftovers!
Make lighter meals if I want people to eat desert.
BUY MORE ROMAIN LETTUCE!!! At least 3 heads, and not the one measly head that I bought!!!
Pesach lukshen went REALLY well- make it every year!
Get exact recipe to make chrain.
Buy more lemons.
Buy fewer carrots.
10 kilo potatoes was a good amount.
Perfect amount of matza bought!
Buy avocados a lot in advance of pesach so there arent still unripe avocados sitting on the pantry shelf after pesach is over.
Bake cakes before erev last days- it went really well.
MAKE SURE TO TURN FRIDGE BACK ON AFTER CLEANING IT!!! (B'h none of my food spoiled as the freezer was still on and it kept the fridge at a moderate temperature.)
Making everything from scratch is a very decent chumra to keep- I practically kept it this year and it was more financially sound, tasted better, and wasnt that much more work. I plan on doing the exact same next year- why buy processed when I can make my own, tastier?
Check my pesach cabinets before going shopping for things, so that way I dont buy two of something and miss others and need to go buy utensils/pots etc 3 different times!
Make a list for next year- what I have, what I need, what amount of food was good. (Done.)
Lining the high chair with contact paper was a really good idea and worked beautifully.

freidasima

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 1:34 pm

Well having been sick all Pesach I learned that my family doesn't need food. The seder was fine as I was sick but still on my feet but as for the rest, most of the kids were gone and dh does quite well on a fresh salad, a piece of chicken and a cup of tea. Good I had cooked up a lot of chicken before the chag. I don't cook with oil or with nuts or bake with them, we did fine. Dh could have his raw nuts before or after the meal, and fruit and veg and we survived quite well. This was the first pesach in my life that I lost 2 kilo...

ra_mom

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 11:26 pm

This year's food was great b"h. Keep all recipes for next year.
Buy the expensive apples again for applesauce compote. It is well worth it, and no sugar is needed.
Buy 2 packages of quinoa and check both before Yom Tov.
Buy only 1 package of Pesach noodles. Nobody likes it too much anyway.
Get mom's kneidel recipe for Acharon Shel Pesach.
Cook as much freezable food as possible before Pesach, since it's no fun cooking all over again on Chol Hamoed for the 2nd days. This includes Pesach Lokshen crepes.
Make or buy enough chrain and dips to last for second days.
Make sure to buy Gebrokts snacks and such for toddler, just in case. We had to go to a friend for some more kid friendly food.
Buy store bought cakes before Yom Tov. Don't rely on other people's cakes, which may or may not taste good.
Buy an expensive Plata. The Perko Plata was terrible. I want my money back!
Do not buy any Perko kitchen appliances!

Last edited by ra_mom on Thu, Apr 16 2009, 11:48 pm; edited 1 time in total

nicole81

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 11:35 pm

wow, everything was a hit this year except for the brownies (that I make every year and are usually good!) so that recipe will be deleted for next year, but I've got my menu set for next pesach.

one thing I learned is not to buy any pesach convenience items. last year dh bought mac and cheese and some other gross things that no one touched. this year he bought couscous which again we didn't use.

Mommish

Thu, Apr 16 2009, 11:40 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

A pitcher of water on the table isn't yomtov'dike.

I was WISHING that we had a water pitcher. I was so desperate that I used washed out juice/coke bottles.

I think the biggest thing I should remember for next year is to start using up chometz/kitniyot earlier. We threw out so much, even after giving the cleaning lady 2 huge bags. It was such a waste!

cindy324

Fri, Apr 17 2009, 12:54 am

I complained about bad potatoes last year, but this year I got a box of the large Idaho potatoes, and they were perfect and the amount was perfect,too.

I learned that just because a tooth with an itty-bitty piece of the filling fallen out hasn't acted up yet, it will undoubtedly act up middle of Yom Tov. I work in a dentist's office and wouldn't you know it I got the mother of all toothaches when I'm not in the office and it's the middle of a 3 day Chag. Had to suffer from Friday night until Monday morning when I burst into my office, begging them to end the misery. Ha Ha they thought I came in to work....I ended up with a big fat root canal, but B"H no more pain!

I also learned that there is a wonderful appliance repair service called SUPERIOR in BP, who not only answered my desperate pleas for help on Sunday Chol Hamoed after my oven died ON YOM TOV (yep, when it rains it pours) but came right over and fixed the problem within 15 minutes. I am ever so greatful to the chassidishe young man who came in his clean black pants and crisp white shirt and literally climbed in my messy oven and provided me with a new ignitor.

ChossidMom

Fri, Apr 17 2009, 3:42 am

nicole81 wrote:

wow, everything was a hit this year except for the brownies (that I make every year and are usually good!) so that recipe will be deleted for next year, but I've got my menu set for next pesach.

Here's a good brownie recipe:

6 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups potato starch
3/4 cups cocoa
1 envelope baking powder (I think that's 3 teaspoons).

They're moist and good.