Help! 14 people for Pesach!

Log in / Sign Up

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following My Posts Bookmarks

Private Messages Advanced Search Rules New User Guide FAQ Advertise Contact Us

Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Pesach

1 2 3 4 Next

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

Beingreal

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 6:24 pm

Okay, I'm hyerventilating. My in-laws informed us they are coming for Pesach. My dh is the oldest of 8 and 5 singles plus my brother and sister in law with 2 kids are comung. All the cooking is left to me because my mil wont help since they live 8 hours away. My youngest sis in law doesnt want to come and help (she is 21)...Help! I need help organizing meals and time!

ra_mom

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 6:25 pm

Take a deep breath. You can do this! Tongue Out

What sort of cooking appliances do you have available for pesach? Full oven, stove top, crockpot?

mfb

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 6:28 pm

Buy suppers the last week or two if you can, and concentrate on cooking/cleaning for Pesach.
Also if you can afford get more cleaning help for before and during Yom Tov

Beingreal

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 6:28 pm

Its my 2nd Pesach Im making. yes.

amother

Aqua

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 6:41 pm

Beingreal wrote:

what does informed us they're coming mean? without asking first?
have them cook some things that they can cook at home, freeze, and bring with them, like kugel, cake. if they can't cook, ask the to bring takeout. the burden shouldn't fall on you. Or, have your dh help cook or food prep- it's his family, he should be helping out too.

Beingreal

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 6:51 pm

They called and told us they are coming. My mil doesn't want to make anything since they will be driving...

amother

Goldenrod

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 6:59 pm

Beingreal wrote:

They called and told us they are coming. My mil doesn't want to make anything since they will be driving...

Do you want them to come?
Do you want your mil or the kids to make some of the things?
This is about you, not them.
I'm going to a family member for Pesach, traveling from NY to Canada, and you bet I'm making stuff. What has traveling got to do with any of it?

ra_mom

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:05 pm

First things first, concentrate on what can be made in advance.

Buy a corned beef, pastrami roast and brisket. Bake them in the oven. Refrigerate overnight. Slice. Freeze. Easy to reheat on YT.

Put up 2 big pots of soup to simmer. Strain and freeze broth in containers.

Same for compote.

How will you be heating the food over YT?
It makes a difference in what you can make.

What sort of food does everybody like? You can start making a menu.

enneamom

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:08 pm

If they can't actually help with the cooking (which I think would be a nice idea) maybe they can help pay for things, like extra cleaning help and prepared foods.

Can they come early and cook in your kitchen, if they don't want to make theirs Pesachdik?

Blessing1

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:09 pm

Why does the married sibling with kids have to come to you?

amother

Slategray

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:20 pm

oy. so sorry. Is this typical of them? Just so you know this is not "normal" behavior.
Can you put them in charge of things that need to be made on y"t like taking care of the salads or something. I know that once y"t comes around I'm often not interested in patchking in the kitchen.

I see other posters already mentioned about them being able to chip with money to help make things easier for you.

Beingreal

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:31 pm

First I have 1 refrigerater and freezer. I don't want them to come but my dh hardly sees them because they are far away. They can't afford much as it is. They are coming the night before. I'm making non gebrokts meals. I dont know what they like. My dh works long hours so no help from him. They are only coming 1st days thank goodness. His siblings just have no manners... (farting, eating with fingers....my dh is not like that. My married sis in law is coming want to be with my in laws.

imasinger

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:33 pm

Easy, quick ideas:

Meatballs. Roll balls, put in marinara/can of cranberry sauce, cook. Freezes well, serve over spaghetti squash if desired.

Chicken is easy and versatile.

Eggs. We often do one dairy YT lunch, with frittata and/or matza brei. AYLOR.

Potatoes can be cooked so many ways. One easy thing is to mash and freeze. You can also do a dairy meal of rebaked potatoes, with steamed broccoli and cheese.

Fish. Gefilte is easy. Salmon, too.

Soups, like ra_mom said. I do like she does and save some broth for other meals.

Sauteed or roasted veggies

Do you have access to anything premade? I like to buy kugels when short on time.

Buy or make lots of spreads to have on matza, or to dip veggies into.

Sedarim are late enough that you don't need to cook a huge meal. Soup or main, and side, with maybe a light dessert, is usually plenty between 10 pm and midnight.

Make a big bowl of trail mix for snacking -- whole nuts, chocolate chips, raisins.

You can do this!

Beingreal

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:33 pm

My dh also has a sister with schizophrenia, one brother who has bipolar and one with depression.

enneamom

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:34 pm

Beingreal wrote:

Oy oy oy vey Sad

Keep us posted, and we will all applaud your heroism!!

Fox

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:35 pm

Actually, I've always found Pesach to be the easiest Yom Tov as far as cooking and preparing for a larger group. Nobody expects potchke-style food or desserts that spew chocolate lava or whatever the latest cookbooks are flogging. I didn't put it in the "chumras and minhagim" thread, but I am personally very strict about not making anything with more than five ingredients. Very Happy

A few ideas off the top of my head:

* Chickens, chickens, and more chickens. Baked, boiled, fried -- and frozen in advance!

* Keep boiled potatoes ready to go in the fridge. You can quickly fry them, mash them, or finish them off under the broiler without having to worry about actually cooking them all the way through.

* Keep hard-boiled eggs ready to go in the fridge for egg salad, devilled eggs, or to use in salads.

* Disposable dishes and flatware.

* Potato chips (if you use prepared foods). Feed them to kids and crush them for a chicken coating.

* Find a few good dessert recipes you like (Bas Hinda's chocolate torte is my fav!) and make a bunch of them. Freeze. If you don't have room in your freezer (because I previously told you to put chickens there), put everyone to work making desserts when they arrive.

* Keep an enormous pot of soup going. Use a slow-cooker if you have an extra one available. If you eat gebrokts, keep knaidlach in the fridge so people can add them to soup. That takes care of a lot of lunches and snacks.

Remember, you are not running a restaurant. If they want five-star cuisine and Continental service, they can avail themselves of the many resort options available. And if they wish to complain about the food or the service, don't be afraid to remind them, with a smile, that just in case we're not in Yerushalayim next year, they should feel free to make reservations at one of those fine establishments.

enneamom

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:36 pm

Honestly I would probably just do chicken (some meat) and potatoes. Lots and lots of chicken and potatoes.

ETA: snacks are apples, oranges and bananas. Dessert is melon. Matza and maybe eggs they make themselves for breakfast. The end.

Beingreal

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:43 pm

Thanks for the support! I'm not alone. Ineed really easy recipes and I am on a kidney stone diet so no chocolate or nuts for me! Do any of you have vanilla recipes?

ra_mom

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 7:52 pm

Beingreal wrote:

Do as much as you can in advance. Base your menu on what stores well and reheats well. Here are some such ideas, but make what you like.

Seder Plate
-Zro'ah (broil 2 days before)
-Beitza (cook eggs 2 days before)
-Marror (grind up quickly in advance-use goggles, or buy)
-Charoses (grind up quickly in advance)
-Karpas (use cooked parsnip from chicken soup)
-Chazeres (leaves)
-Eggs & salt water (see above)

Friday Night Seder
-Cranberry bella brisket (from becca and debsey)
-Two tone roasted potatoes (cube and bake erev YT)
-Roasted vegetables (cube day before, bake erev YT)
-cucumber salad (keeps well in fridge for a week)

Shabbos Day Meal
-Egg salad (see above re hard eggs)
-Yapsuk in the crockpot
-Quinoa avocado salad (bake quinoa in advance, cut veggies and assemble salad morn bed meal)
-Marinated salad (keeps well in fridge for a week)

Saturday Night Seder
-Meatballs
-Potato knish kugel (like mashed potatoes but can be made in advance, frozen and heated through in the oven)
-Zucchini sticks (cut day before, roast erev YT, bring to room temp bef meal)
-Cole slaw (stores in fridge for a few days)

Sunday Day Meal
-Corned beef
-Potato salad (can be made 2 days in advance)
-Garlic asparagus (make erev YT, bring to room temp morn of meal)
-Lemony dill carrot salad (shred with food processor a few days before and assemble before YT)

Serve chicken soup at night meals.

Gefilte and salmon at day meals (both can be baked in the oven).

Last edited by ra_mom on Wed, Mar 07 2018, 8:04 pm; edited 1 time in total

enneamom

Wed, Mar 07 2018, 8:04 pm

Hey, I just thought of an easy side dish: baked sweet potatoes in foil.

Do you do frozen broccoli? That's a good one, too. Just wrap in foil and throw in the oven.

Also: here, I found a blondie recipe for your vanilla dessert. https://www.imamother.com/foru.....45364 There are probably many more.

Page 1 of 4

1 2 3 4 Next